A Recap of our Trip Across the Atlantic

As we crossed the Atlantic all of the crew members posted log entries on the ARC website and sent numerous emails to family and friends supporting us from shore.  All of these have been repeated below for those of you who have real lives and did not follow our every move as we made the crossing but may be curious about it.  It was a trip of a lifetime for three of the four crew members.  We had a great time and enjoyed the challenges and camaraderie a long sea voyage brings.  As for the fourth . . .   “I have stories to tell”

16 Nov – Replacing the Running light

Spent the day trying to replace the forward LED running light which failed on the trip from Gibraltar.  Managed to break the messenger wire while running the new power line and spent the rest of the afternoon drilling pilot holes and fishinging a new messenger line.  As the sun set I was right back where I started this morning.  Not a very good day but tomorrow will be better.

The Captain Morgan really tastes good.

Craig
  

18 Nov – Final Shipmate Arrives

Finished installing the new running light, so the last critical boat job is done.  Our meat order arrived in the afternoon and looks great.  Today our produce, cheese and drinks will be delivered.

Drew arrived today so the entire crew is on board.  For the crossing it will be me, Ron Horton from Cincinnati, Ohio and crewed for me when we took our previous boat, Seabbatical, from Chesapeake Bay to the BVI's with the Caribbean 1500.  He is one of the "Old Salts" with the Caribbean 1500 and has even crossed the Atlantic.  The next mate is Drew Verret, from Kingwood, Texas.  He is an old friend who has raced with us, helped bring Seabbatical back to Houston from Ft. Lauderdale in 2007 and he and his wife Sherry even visited us on Lone Star when we were in Italy in 2009.  The final shipmate is Ed "Tex" Robeau, from Port Townsend, Washington, via Maine, Tennessee, and Texas.  Most importantly, he was born in Texas!  He has extensive sailing experience in Maine and Washington.

Looking forward to a low key day taking care of any last minute items. 

Craig

 
19 – Nov – Checking Out and Skipper’s Briefing

Skipper and crew reported first to ARC headquarters to check out officially, and then  to the Port Immigration and Customs to have passports stamped and process out.  The local authority in all cases has been very friendly and courteous, and helpful as best they can considering some language difficulties.  We then walked to town center to complete provisioning for the passage.  Afterward, the Skipper and First Mate, Ron Horton attended the final Skipper's Briefing for final instructions and weather information.  The rest of the day was spent with final procedures, such as placing our passports and wallets in waterproof ziploc bags, and then into the "ditch" bag [which will be grabbed and tossed into the liferaft as we abandon ship in the event of uncontrollable fire or sinking].  Skipper and crew are ready, physically and psychologically, for the departure tomorrow. The evening ended with a final Sunset Rendezvous at the marina dinghy park.  Final goodbyes and well wishes were made with the many new [and some old]  friends made during the run-up, with plans forl reunification in St. Lucia.   Let the wind blow, but not too much.

Ed
   

20 Nov – Day 1 – Today was the Day

Today was the day!  We started our Atlantic adventure at 10:30am when we left the dock in Las Palmas. There was some crazy German music blaring from the loud speakers and the docks and jetties were packed with waving and cheering spectators.  All the boats were all dressed out in their flags and banners and it made for a spectacular sight.  Next came the start.  Imagine 250 boats all jockeying for the best position to cross the line 1st. There were some exciting moments/near misses.  We crossed the starting line at 1pm as our captain timed the start perfectly.  We are now off the southern end of Grand Canary enjoying black bean stew, 25 - 29 knot winds, flying along at 9 plus knots!  We could not have asked for a better start to the crossing.  As the sun sets in the west we are settling into our watch schedule .We are looking forward to greeting the sun raise well on our way to St. Lucia. Stay tuned, more to come.

Drew

21 Nov – Day 2 – Where did the wind go?

Went off watch last night when we were doing 8 to 9 knots with 20 to 23 knots of wind.  This morning the wind had dropped to 8 knots and we were doing 3 knots.  Spent about an hour getting the poles rigged for the double head sail downwind configuration and hope we don't need to take them down until we get to St. Lucia.

After getting the double head sails rigged and flying the wind continued to drop and our ETA got as late as  February 19th.  Now the wind has come back up to 15 knots and we are going about 7 knots with an ETA of December 9th.  Expect to arrive earlier than that because of all the extra fuel we brought abort for the crossing.

Craig
 

22 Nov – Day 3 – Fishing

After losing  two lures and all  the line off two rods this morning from a couple of large strikes we pulled out more line and the hand line with 100 pound test on it and went back to give it another go.  Then, while we re rigged another fish took our teaser.  This is an octagonally shaped tube with mirrored sides that moves like a fish in distress.  I suspect the fish that took it is now in distress.  Alas, not to be too discouraged the hand line and a new lure on one of the rods went into the water and we slowly forgot about them. 

We thawed some minced beef for a spaghetti dinner and started to assume that fishing was going to be a bust for the day.  However, when Drew went back to check the lines he had a nice 3 tor 4 pound Mahi Mahi on the hand line.   Twenty minutes later it was filleted and in the freezer to chill down.  We still had the spaghetti for dinner, but are expecting to catch another Mahi tomorrow and will have a nice fish dinner.

Craig

23 Nov – Day 4 – Good Downwind Sailing

This is for Jan the skippers wife watching and coaching from Texas.  The day started off overcast and cloudy but with steady winds of 18 to 22 knots. This is giving us good boat speed. Our SOG's are between 9 and 10 knots this morning. The skies have cleared and we are still doing well. We have a double head sail rig set up with poles port and starboard.    Since we are an Amel 54 we have to call this rig an Amel head-sail with a ballooner. It is really a great set up for our downwind sail.

This is my 17th rally, my 2nd trans-atlantic, and has been absolutely great. I am glad I came in early to participate in all of the activities. I missed not doing the Caribbean 1500 this year and seeing all my old cruising friends but this trip has be great. I have met old friends and made new friends. Sailing is the common bound of all that ply the waters, no matter where you are from in this vast world we live in.

Ron
  

26 Nov – Day 7 Sail Repairs and Sail Changes

After spending the day after Thanksgiving lamenting the Aggies last second loss to Texas in what may be the last game in a 100 plus year American football rivalry we gorged ourselves on left over turkey sandwiches. After a short break to consider why we ate so much food Ron and Drew started the task of repairing the Ballooner sail we use with our double pole downwind system.  We managed to tear an eight meter strip on the luff of the sail when we were raising the device used to  unhook the sail from the jib furler (the pooch) when we lower the sail.  Now I know what NOT to do the next time we drop the sail.

The good news with this story is the wind direction change that occurred.  The wind direction changed from the East to the ESE and that  required a different sail combination.  As a result we ran our Mizzen Ballooner (spinnaker) and it really helped us on the 24th and 25th.  Last night the wind diminished to single digits and the direction was from the south east.  This resulted on our dropping the Mizzen Ballooner and going with the Jib, Main and Mizzen sails.  This was our third sail change and we began to compare ourselves to Luke (aboard Texas T) who participated in 467 sail changes during one of the Volvo races.  Only 463 to go and we will be in the same category.

Fair winds to all,

Craig

PS   Right now we are using the Iron Spinnaker.  It is pushing us along at 8.5 knots in 4 knots of wind.  If you are reading this log you will be able to see where we are heading. Hope it shows there is actually some wind where we are.  If our guess is right we should be in 15 to 20 knots of wind tomorrow.

Craig
  

26 Nov - Day 7 – Fishing and Sail Repairs

During the last twenty four hours we had two significant activities, fishing and sail repairs.  Each one had a certain amount of success. 

 On the fishing front we caught a Mahi Mahi that was a little over a meter in length and weighed a lot.  Got it on to the swim platform on the transom and the darned fish managed to spit out the hook and flopped back into the water. It looked like Drew and the fish were in a wrestling match and, for a moment, I thought Drew might go into the water with the fish.  Drew and Ron looked like a couple of lost puppy dogs when realization set in that we lost a magnificent fish and would have to settle for grilled steaks instead of fish for dinner.

The process of repairing our Ballooner sail is almost complete.  Drew and Ron have spent more than 15 hours hand sewing the luff strip back on.  Ed even put in a couple of hours with the needle.  It looks to me like the combination of hand sewing and sail repair tape will hold and we hope to fly it again tomorrow (26 Nov).  We will probably furl it and the jib one revolution to put less strain on the repaired Ballooner if the wind starts to increase.

28 Nov – Day 9 – Just Another Day in Paradise

Just another day in paradise. Beautiful clear skies, gently rolling seas and great shipmates.  What more could you ask for? Well have no fear because here comes Captain Ron; woops I meant Captain Craig.  I, a lowly deck hand, had no idea what wonderful opportunities awaited on this most anticipated of voyages.  Let’s see, bed making 101. I’m doing pretty well with that one. Or how about the fine art of sail mending.  Sail mending is what happens when the pooch decides to get intimate with the head sail. Any more about the pooch and the censors would have a problem.  The sail mending however was successful and we are proudly flying our double headsail.  Then there’s cooking.  I have a long way to go on that one but I’m trying.  Finally no relaxing Atlantic crossing would be complete without the time honored traditions of swabbing of the decks and cleaning of the heads. All kidding aside  even though Captain Bligh; woops there I go again, I meant Captain Craig; is a tough task master, he is very fair, a great teacher and runs a very tight ship.  As we approach our half way point this is really just another day in paradise.

Drew
  

29 Nov – Day 10 – Mid Passage Evaluation of the Crew

Since the beginning of marine exploration every Captain has learned how important it is to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of his crew so he can best utilize them for the good of the ship.  Even today, with all the modern conveniences on board a cruising sailboat, it’s important to continue this practice.  Therefore, with this in mind I present my mid passage evaluation of the crew of Lone Star.

Drew Verret, has sailed with me many times before so I knew what I was getting.  What I didn’t know, however, was that he has been bragging to his wife about his new skills.  Unfortunately for Drew, the Captain knows all and I learned this when I caught him chuckling about an email he received from Sherry.  After threatening him with a swim he shared part of an email she sent which stated “Very confusing! Stitching and sewing and cooking!  This is too much to comprehend!  Craig can work miracles it seems!”  Upon further inquiry I learned he does not do a lot of these types of tasks at home, unlike your humble Captain. (Alas, I hope my lovely Admiral, Jan, does not read this.) I am conflicted to offer to all that he has also cleaned heads for fear I will ruin thirty eight years of domestic tranquility and Drew will find himself much busier back at home.

Ron Horton, what can one say in a public forum about this dude?  We only sailed once together, the Caribbean 1500 in 2006 when he served as crew.  I was impressed then and we have kept in contact ever since.  Captain RON!  He is the mate on this voyage and has logged more offshore miles than the rest of us combined.  In spite of the fact that he is a Yankee or are you a Midwesterner if you’re from Ohio?  He has stepped aboard this southern boat and helped to bring order to the chaos.  Now if he could only teach as all to cook as well as he does.  We all look forward to every fourth night when Ron amazes us with his culinary skills.  Then it’s back to canned tuna fish sandwiches for the other nights.  Maybe not that bad, but definitely not up to his caliber of cooking.  And yes he also cleans the heads.  I think Gayle already knows that so his forty years of marriage are safe.

Ed “Tex” Robeau is the final member of the crew and a French name with Tex as a nickname says it all.  Ed likes to give me advice and I embrace the ideas I like and ignore the rest.  Ed has logged years of sailing the waters of Maine and more recently Washington State.  This is Ed’s first passage and he is learning what long distance cruising is all about.  I’m not too sure how much he likes it but I am glad that he is learning a little more about what it takes to be a good crew mate and hopefully the learning curve continues to accelerate.  As Jimmy Buffet says, “Only time will tell”!

Fair winds,

Craig
   

30 Nov – Day 11 – A Note of Encouragement

Those of you who read our sailing blog might find the note of encouragement received from “Stick” interesting.  He sent it after I complained about not getting enough support from him.  Stick and his lovely wife Ms. P spent a week with us in Croatia in June

"Blabby,

That hurts.  I am giving all kinda shore support.  I go to the Longhorn Tavern down the block from the office, and give a daily report to the landlubbers.  We are all cheering for you.  Of course, I am constantly telling them the reasons you are not in first place.  Not sure they are buying my reasons.  All I know is we are all pulling for you and they await my daily report and explanation of why you are not in first.

Mostly I have been explaining it is a strategic decision, lay back, and rush to the finish, knowing your boat and crew and the other boats and crews.  I also tell them they are not pulling hard enough and questioning my authority on the race is not conducive to victory.  Anyway, tell your crew the Brenham Armchair Sailors are with them in spirit and grog.

To make it a little more dramatic, I have advised them you have crossed the point of no return (half-way mark).  They like the sound of my term. Now, they know you’re committed to a victory.  That half-way stuff makes for arguments of the ocean being half empty or half full.

This morning they still have you listed in 6th and I look at the map you look like 5th, an improvement over yesterday.  The Longhorn crew will be happy to hear that. You need to kick a little ass here, you are gaining on the leaders in Class A; don't look over your shoulder, there are several sniffing your stern.   Just go for the leader.”
    

30 Nov – Day 11 – Night Watches

Night watches have become one of our favorite times during the passage.   When fellow crew members are snoozing, the lone helmsman has special time to observe and “connect” with the cosmos;  to contemplate what we are doing, what is important, and what meaning there is to our lives.  The following poem by Eugene O’Neill reflects this for me; and perhaps for all of us on this passage:

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night

I lay on the bowsprit, facing astern, with the water foaming into spume under me, the mast with every sail white in the moonlight, towering above me.

I became drunk with the beauty and singing rhythm of it, and for a moment I lost myself –actually seemed to lose my life.

I was set free!

I dissolved into the sea, became white sails and flying spray, became beauty and rhythm, became moonlight and the ship and the high dim-starred sky!

I belonged, without past or future, within peace and unity and wild joy, within something greater than my own life, or the life of Man, to Life itself!

To God, if you want to put it that way.”

In addition, the billions of phosphorescent phyto-plankton react to the disturbance of the hull passing through their micro-environment, with flashes of luminescence.  Clouds dance among the stars and occasionally generate erratic wind gusts that can throw the auto-helm into spasms.  Meteors, the couriers of the building blocks for life on this planet for 15 billion years, flash across the sky in random directions as they combust from friction in the atmosphere. As this 23-ton vessel dances over the waves,  I move and imagine dancing in the arms of Beverly, who will meet me at the end of this voyage. One night, I witnessed a huge ball of greenish fire, a hundred times larger than a meteor, light up the sky and clouds brighter than any flare.  [I assume it was space debris, perhaps an old satellite, falling into the atmosphere.]   The night watches are one of the rare times, on such a passage, that one can call “my own.”   

 Ed
   

1 Dec – Day 12 – Double Head Sail

The skipper said I had to write something. So I shall. Lone Sar, an Amel 54 is flying a double head sail.  The genoa is on one side and the other sail, called a ballooner, is on the other slot track. The ballooner sail is cut to almost match the genoa in size to give us a good balance of pulling power on both sides of the forestay. Both sails are set to poles mounted at the base of the mast. This for me is an unusual set up. The poles employ fore and aft guys, double down hauls and the traditional topping lifts. The poles can be set and left in place while the two head sails can be reefed together on the head stay. Looks like a shrimp boat when the sails are furled. I have come to appreciate this sail plan for it has given us a great downwind ride with minimum role. The skipper said this is called the Amel Ballooner sail plan. It does require the two poles though. Most American cruising boats usually carry only one spinnaker pole in the usual set up plan. This is my first adventure on an Amel and it has been a great ride with a great skipper and crew.

Capt Ron
   

2 Dec – Day 13 – A 200 Mile Day for Lone Star

We just finished our noon log entry and calculated the distance traveled in the last 24 hours.  The calculation, using the trip log on our instruments, was 1,007 minus 808 which was 199 miles traveled.  This was not what we were hoping for so I thought about using outcome based math which is quite popular these days.  This means that no answer is really wrong.  So the "new math" answer could be a 200 mile day.  I kind of like that. 

I also reflected on the time a CEO was interviewing candidates to be his new head accountant.  In order to select the best candidate he provided each with a math problem to solve.  Although entirely coincidental the problem he gave them was what is 1,007 minus 808.  The first candidate pulls out his calculator, enters the numbers and responds promptly and professionally "the answer is 199".  The second candidate looks the CEO in the eye, says he calculated the answer in his head and it was 199.  The final candidate asked the CEO why he was asking such a simple question.  The CEO said in order to fairly evaluate all the candidates.  After hearing this he promptly replied, "I'm an accountant and I can make the answer anything you want it to be and I think you want it to be 200".  You will never guess who was hired.

Therefore, I want it to be a 200 mile day so we just had a 200 mile day!

Craig
   

3 Dec – Day 14 – A Night Watch Moment

As you know from previous posts the Captain of Lone Star is all knowing and all seeing.  Because of this omnipotent power I have identified a member of the crew that is starting to show a little too much of his feminine side.  In order to prepare our shore support team for this change in feelings, I present you with the note he sent his wife.

"Hi Babe.  You know how Craig talks about 98% boredom and 2% terror, well I had a 2% moment last night.  I was on watch from midnight till 2am and a line of squalls came up behind us.  Before I knew it I was doing the dodge the squalls dance.  You can see the squalls coming on the radar.  They look very ominous.  For about 45 minutes I was steering in 25 - 30 knots winds with heavier gusts.  The strongest gust was over 35 knots.  We were really flying!  Almost 12kts.  There was rain and waves and loud screaming wind.  But white knuckled I managed to keep the boat pointed in the right direction and avoid blowing out our repaired head sail (ballooner).  You will know we survived by the receipt of this email.  I did have our captain down below giving me moral support.  At one point because of the rain blowing into the boat he closed the door.  Very lonely feeling.  Anyway I wanted to give you a sense of life in the mid Atlantic.  I am having a great time and look forward to seeing you on the 8th. 

Love you!

Drew"
   

4 Dec – Day 15 – Rock and Roll on the Night Watch

Once again I am on the 0200-0400 night watch alone in the cockpit with my iPod playing the golden oldies of rock and roll. The squalls are behind us now for the night and the clear and starry sky is shining brightly.  I stand beside the mizzen mast and look up at all the stars swaying to the rhythm of the music and the boat. It seems to me that the boat is listening to the music also and that the rock and roll of Lone Star is in concert with the music as the top of the mizzen mast moves to conduct the stars to the music on my iPod.  Oh, what a night, all is well on Lone Star, my watch and on my little spot of the world.

Capt Ron
  

5 Dec – Day 16 – Revealing the Secret Weapon

Many of you are familiar with the infamous "Stick" who visited Lone Star in Croatia and has been leading the central Texas support team.  In a private email to him I revealed the secret weapon I intended to employ at the right time in order to zip past the competitors of our racing class at the last minute.  I have now employed the secret weapon and we are cruising along comfortably at 8.5 to 9 knots and are on target for an arrival in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia around 0800 on the 6th of December. 

Lone Star will be in full fishing mode tomorrow.  We hope to land a medium size tuna so we can finish off the crossing with another fantastic fresh fish dinner.  Everybody on board is doing well and looking forward to completing a successful crossing.

Craig

PS  It wouldn't be a secret anymore if I told you what the secret weapon was.  I will give one hint.  The wind is blowing 4 knots right now.
  

7 Dec – Final Log Entry

Sorry about the delay in providing a final log update on our Atlantic passage.  Our passage time was 15 days, 18 hours, 42 minutes and 30 seconds.  We had excellent weather for the crossing with most of the wind being of the traditional trade winds blowing from the east at speeds from 15 to 25 knots.  When we encountered a squall the winds increased some, but the highest wind we encountered was only 35 knots.  The double head sail system did an excellent job of spilling wind off the top during the gusts and all the crew except for one enjoyed the thrill of the higher winds and Lone Star surfing down the waves at speeds as high as 11.5 knots.

 The passage was not without incident.  We encountered a number of issues with the boat, but were able to overcome each one.  From what I have been able to pick up along the dock, we had fewer problems than many of the boats.  We are also very fortunate that Amel’s Caribbean maintenance facility is only 25 miles away on Martinique so I spent some time compiling an A to Z laundry list of items I want to discuss with them.  It has been over two years since Lone Star has been seen by an Amel technician and I am looking forward to having the experts help me sort out some of the issues.

Lone Star also had its own human drama while underway.  One of our crew mates seemed to think he could ignore safety procedures and I had to explain, on more than one occasion, that rules related to Personal Flotation Devices are not to be ignored.  I also listened to numerous excuses for his behavior and marveled that not once during the 16 days we were at sea did he initiate any breakfast or lunch time meal.  He did begrudging cook every fourth day because I insisted that all of the crew (including myself) participate as cooks for the evening meal.   Finally, an interesting item was found during the boat clean up activities after the disgruntled crew mate left Lone Star for a hotel on land.  We found an empty bottle of Grand Canarias Licor de Moras in the cubby by his bunk.  I don't know what the story is with it and will probably never find out.  I find it disturbing, however, that one of the crew may have been drinking in his bunk and then going out to stand a night watch.  This was the first time as skipper I have had to deal with a less than cooperative ship mate and at times found it challenging.  However with the help of my other two crew members who were nothing short of fantastic, we were able to overcome the problems of the 4th and formed a tight cohesive unit of three.

 Yesterday (December 6th) was a day of celebration.  Not many people can say they crossed the Atlantic in a sailboat and we are proud to now be a part of this group.  We are off to Martinique tomorrow to take Lone Star in the Amel maintenance facility in Le Marin and then everybody heads home for the holidays.

Fair winds,

Craig

Getting Ready to Depart for Atlantic Crossing

Lone Star has been in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria since November 2nd while the crew has been preparing for the Atlantic crossing.  We have joined the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) for the adventure and the fleet of 250 boats will leave Las Palmas around noon on November 20th for the crossing which should take between 16 and 21 days.

During the opening day celebration we got a picture of three of the crew on the left (Ron Horton, Craig and Ed Robeau) along with a few other Americans that participated in the parade.  We are now ready to go and hope you will follow our progress via the ARC website or our blog.  

One of the items provided by the ARC is a tracking devise on each boat that reports our position every 4 hours.  If you go to this link ARC Fleet Viewer  you will be able to find Lone Star.  On the left hand side of the Fleet Viewer is a tab titled Teams.  Click on that tab and scroll down till you see Lone Star.  Click on Lone Star and you will be able to follow our progress.  Also, we will be (hopefully) making daily log entries.  Above the Fleet Viewer and below the ARC 2011 Banner is a group of drop down tabs.  Click on Daily Log and scroll down till you see Lone Star.  Click on Lone Star and you'll get an inside view of what it's like to cross the pond. 

Gibraltar to Gran Canaria

The delivery crew consisting of Craig, Mike and Ed arrived in Gibraltar on October 26th and proceeded to bring Lone Star back to life after she sat unattended at Alcaidesa Marina in La Linea, Spain for 60 days. La Linea is right next to the Gibraltar airport on the Spanish side. After getting Lone Star hooked back to shore power and bringing the systems up we walked into La Linea and had a late lunch.

On the 27th we motored from Spain to Gibraltar and checked into Marina Bay Gibraltar so we would be closer to stores for provisioning. We focused on provisioning that day so we would have time for a tour of the rock before we left. On Friday Mike and Craig toured the rock. Ran into one of Mike's cousins on the mountain before going into Saint Michael's cave.  Took a couple of pictures of the part that had a theater in it.  It is still used today.

We used a favorable weather window to begin the passage from Gibraltar to Las Palmas on 29 October. After spending the morning doing some last minute provisioning we slipped our lines to begin the voyage to Las Palmas, Canaries. We had winds off our stern the entire way along with an Atlantic swell that made Lone Star roll about 20 degrees on each crest. That made it uncomfortable to sleep until we got the hang of wedging ourselves in the bunks.

We used the motor to stay ahead of a weather system in the mid Atlantic. After four nights at sea Lone Star was motoring into Gan Canaria on 1 November and Ed was preparing to raise our Texas flag along with the ARC flag. I am glad we were able to leave when we did because several boats that left a day or two later encountered larger waves and had very uncomfortable passages.

Back to the Rock

After leaving Mahon we spent several days exploring the calas on the the southern coast of Menorca. At first the calas appeared to be delightful anchorages but because of the wind direction we ended up spending several rolly and uncomfortable nights on the hook. We finally decided to abandon Menorca and made a quick trip of thirty two miles to the northern shore of Mallorca where the anchorages were much more comfortable. On August 20 we sailed into familiar surroundings – the harbor of Palma to await the arrival of our last guests of the season. In 2009 we spent the month of June in Mallorca using Palma as our base. This time we set up “shop” at Port Mallorca Marina, a great marina in the heart of the harbor.

On August 24 Alicen Swift and Tiffany Tarrant joined us for several days cruising. Alicen is the assistant director of our favorite charity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Tiffany, an Ob/Gyn Doc is her good friend and partner in crime. We spent 3 nights on the hook in three interesting anchorages. Our first stop was Port Soller where we took the tram to the interior town of Soller on of the many places reported to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The second evening we anchored in Santa Ponsa Bay which has one of the best and largest beaches on Mallorca. The girls enjoyed some much needed beach time while Captain Craig enjoyed some solitude on board Lone Star. Our final night we dropped the hook at Portal Vells Cala where we explored an ancient sea cave and enjoyed the best snorkeling of our entire three years in the Med. Back in Palma we spent our final day with Alicen and Tiffany exploring the old city and enjoying a wonderful dinner out. A & T jumped ship on August 28 and on the 29th we left Palma for the last time and pointed Lone Star toward Gibraltar.

We spent the next week retracing our 2009 route as we headed west toward the Rock. As in 2009, we anchored off the island of Ispalmador which is off the coast of Ibiza and also like 2009 we waited out a storm in the Puerto Genoves anchorage. Our final night before arriving GIB was spent in the Benalmadena Marina which we renamed “Wally World” back in ’09. On September 6 at 1640 hours we arrived in Gibraltar, the western gateway to the Med. Our home was the Alcadesa Marina, Spain, just across the Gibraltar border. From our slip we had an excellent view of the Rock from our cockpit. We spent the next few days “buttoning up” the boat and hanging out in GIB enjoying pub grub. On September 13 we said goodbye to Lone Star and started the trek home after traveling 3,243 nautical miles this summer.

June, July and Mahon

According to the pilot books, conventional wisdom and local lore there are three good harbors in the Mediterranean – June, July and Mahon. As we sit in the cockpit on Lone Star in the beautiful and historic harbor of Mahon, Menorca we heartily agree – Mahon is a damn fine harbor!

We arrived in Mahon on Wednesday, August 3 after a two night sail from the island of Marretimo in the Egadi Islands off the western coast of Sicily. It was an uneventful 50 hours at sea. The first 24 were spent under motor while the second half was a beautiful downwind sail with following seas. We used the jib and mizzen ballooner for the majority of the second day and averaged just over 7 knots. Under cloudy skies we motored into Port Mahon in the morning and were med moored by noon on the Isla Clementina pontoon.

Menorca is the most easterly of the Balearic Islands. Because of its strategic location in the Med, it has been ruled over by all sorts of folks including Vandals, Byzantines, Moors, Turks, French, and the British before finally coming under Spanish rule in 1802. Puerto de Mahon is an attractive and very interesting port up a deep long cala (bay) with a reputation for great all round protection. We were really excited to get to Menorca. In 2009 we bypassed the island when we were in the Balearics and were anxious to see what we missed. The whole area is steeped in history and Craig has just been beside himself the whole time we have been here wondering if Jack Aubrey walked the streets we walked or saw the sites we saw. Now this is a real problem and perhaps Mr. Scott has been at sea just a little too long. You see Jack Aubrey is the main character in the Master and Commander series; the Russell Crowe role in the movie. The problem with this is that Jack Aubrey is a totally fictional character – made up, not real. But did that deter or discourage Captain Craig? Nope, not one bit.

Mahon has a beautiful harbor walk lined with boats and small marinas on one side and shops, cafes and restaurants in historic buildings on the other. There are ample places to find a slip – even in August. Our choice was a bit unusual. We were moored on one of two “floating islands” in the middle of the harbor complete with electricity, and a swimming hole for the kiddos. There was even a Westie on one of the boats which Jan made quick friends with and of course started up the isn’t it about time to get a dog conversation. It’s just a quick dingy ride from the island to the dingy dock. Above the harbor is the historic city center with fish and fresh food markets, churches, plazas, pedestrian walk ways and old historic homes.

We spent three days on our floating island then motored just two miles out to Cala Taulera located beneath La Mola at the entrance of the harbor. La Mola is the site of the Spanish Fort Isabella completed in 1850 and now a tourist site. Interestingly Fort Isabella was obsolete by the time it was completed due to improvements in artillery technology.

We kept a close eye on the weather and confirmed that a Tramontona (a strong northerly gale) was headed our way with winds of over 30 knots predicted. While our anchorage was completely protected, it was rapidly filling up to the point of being overcrowded and quite frankly unsafe. By Monday morning boats were swinging into each other as more boats were trying to crowd in for protection. Using our sometimes good judgment we decided to abandon the anchorage and came back into the main harbor and tied up securely once again on our Isla Clementina. As we waited out the winds for the last two days we have voiced on more than one occasion “June, July and Mahon – a damn fine harbor!”

On the Hard in Trapani, Sicily

So here we are Saturday, 23 July, on the hard in Trapani on the west coast of Sicily. No nothing tragic has happened. However about two weeks ago Craig started noticing a change in the Amel Drive unit oil when he checked it. Instead of a nice pure black color, the oil was beginning to change to a chocolate milk color. This meant that sea water was starting to get into the drive unit. This occurs when the seals start to leak and requires a haul out to correct. We were originally planning to pull the boat in Gibraltar to do all those maintenance items that can’t be attended to when the boat is in the water. Also this would insure that Lone Star would be ready for the ARC. With this new hiccup, we began discussing our options. All this while we continued to cruise up the up the east coast of Sicily, where we once again crossed paths with Royal Clipper, and out to the Aeolian Islands for a quick spin and then down to the west coast of Sicily. While enjoying our stops on the islands of Vulcano, Lipari, Salina and Filicudi, we considered other places we could pull Lone Star. We ultimately found Boat Services Trapani, requested and received a quote and were assured all the work we wanted done could be handled in a timely fashion. In addition to replacing the seals and oil in the Amel drive unit, Lone Star needed a new bottom job, engine and generator oil changes and a transmission fluid change.

We pulled into Boat Services Trapani on 19 July at 1700 thinking we would have a berth. Well there were definitely communication problems due to the language but we were able to sort things out and were soon tied up in the slip way with electricity which allowed us to have air conditioning. We were then off to meet with Pietro Zichichi, the boat yard manager and our email contact. Pietro does speak reasonable English which was a relief; however things are done a bit differently in Italy. His thoughts were we should be on the hard for a couple of weeks while we were insisting on no more than seven days. We left the meeting agreeing to meet again at 9AM the next morning and not quite sure how things were going to work out or if they were going to work out. That evening, over adult beverages, we decided that we would do only what was absolutely necessary and then move on. We wanted to be in the Balearic Islands the first part of August.

Sure enough the next morning at 9AM Pietro was at the boat. He wanted us to move to another slipway where a new state of the art 80ton boat lift would haul us out. We gladly obliged and what a kewl boat lift. The operator did all the maneuvering with remote controls! Not once did he actually get on the lift and drive it. Bet he’s pretty good at video games. Also the shape of the lift frame was specifically designed for sailboats. Things were looking up. That is until Craig asked to see the Boat Yard insurance policy. Apparently Italians don’t take too kindly to this request and Pietro became quite agitated. He did produce the policy and then demanded Craig produce our insurance policy, which he did. Craig then further explained that in America suing folks is quite common so producing insurance policies is quite common. Well whether Pietro understood or not he gave us a bottle of Sicilian olive oil as a gift, he and Craig shook hands and we were back on track.

Lone Star was lifted, her bottom power washed and then she was moved to her home for the next week – we hope! Pietro then informed us that a gentleman would be by to discuss our paint and oil needs and we would buy directly from him and get a 30% discount. Well the gentleman did show but his English was not good at all. However, he got someone from his shop to come over who spoke excellent English and paint options were discussed and orders placed. In the mean time I went to check out the hotel recommended by the boat yard. It was just across the street and as it turned out was one of the ones I had found on the internet that looked like a possibility. After checking it out it was a go. Clean, AC, Wi-Fi, daily breakfast, a boat yard discount and Sky TV with Fox News! Things were definitely looking good. I was having good feelings about how this was going to turn out.

We have had a hit a few speed bumps so far but have been able to work things out. When Craig went to the shop to pick up the SAE 20-30W oil needed for the propeller/seal job that he had ordered, he was informed they didn’t have any. So we were off on a search for the oil. We were sent several places without any results then as luck would have it we stumbled upon a marine engine equipment store which carried the oil in 25 liter drums. The job only required 10 but they gladly filled 5 2 liter water bottles full of the stuff and we were back in action. The bottom has been sanded, the first coat of bottom paint is being applied and the boat is being detailed. Craig has successfully removed the propeller and replaced the seals. This time the job was much easier with a gadget he fashioned from a water filter cartridge that helps him to evenly press the new seals into place. He also completed a bonus job by replacing the port aft bumper that had been damaged in Turkey last year.

Today Craig was informed that no work will be performed on Saturday or Sunday. Then he went over to the supplier and was informed they did not have the synthetic motor oil he requested. So . . . he went to another shop that was able to provide the oil for the Amel drive unit and found the synthetic oil he wanted plus regular oil for the generator. Now he plans to change the oil and filters this weekend and we will try to get splashed on Monday afternoon.

Now if you think I’m just sitting back taking it easy – you are mistaken. I’ve been busy updating our blog and photos plus watching Sky TV – there’s even a horse channel and sometimes it’s even in English! More later.

Heading Back to Sicily

We made quick work of putting the Italian Adriatic Coast in our rear view mirror. After the stunning beauty of Croatia and Montenegro just across the water, we found this side disappointing. The Italian Adriatic Coast is truly uninspiring and uninteresting with no natural wonders to be wowed by and as far as we were concerned, very few ports worth visiting. We definitely got the feeling that the boats we passed coming and going felt the same – we were all just trying to get from Point A to Point B and as quickly as possible. For us Point B was Siracusa on the east coast of Sicily. We pushed hard and managed to cover 335nm in just 2 days. We sailed into Siracusa’s Grand Harbor at 1215 on 10 July and took a slip for one night at the marina. We used the convenience of the marina to easily provision the boat and then quickly headed out to the Grand Harbor where we anchored for another two nights. (150 Euros/night for a slip was all the encouragement we needed to get our provisioning done quickly. Welcome back to Italian prices!)

Siracusa is a beautiful blend of old and older. The old town Ortiga was originally settled in 734BC by folks from Corinth and grew to be the largest walled city of ancient Greece. Today it is filled with palazzos, narrow alleyways, a Temple of Apollo and of course a domo. From the harbor the view is stunning. Built in the 5th century BC, Siracusa also contains one of the most significant examples of ancient theatres in the world. Siracusa has one of the best markets we’ve seen in the Med. We had a great time wandering thru the stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables and cheeses and listening to the fish mongers shout back and forth to one another and to potential customers. We couldn’t resist the fresh tuna and had to take some back to the boat. (Once again – our kind of fishing!) That evening dinner was fresh sesame seed crusted seared tuna over wasabi mash potatoes – dining at its finest and all prepared by Chef Craig.

In addition to the sights of Siracusa we were entertained with two attractions while at anchor in the harbor. First was the treat of seeing the Rising Sun, the 6th largest yacht in the world. Rising Sun was originally built for Larry Ellison founder of Oracle and is now owned by David Geffen, one of the founders of DreamWorks and a music industry mogul. We looked up the stats on the yacht and she’s 454 ft and accommodates 16 with a crew of 45. If you’re one of the lucky guests on board you can watch movies in the cinema, relax in the gymnasium/spa/sauna or play basketball on a court which also doubles a landing pad for the yacht’s helicopter. Life is just rough for those on board!

We also had front row seats as two Italian fire fighting airplanes put on a show. These planes are used all over the Italian coast to aide in fighting wildfires which are common in the summer – sounds like Texas. For over an hour we watched these planes swoop down into the harbor, quickly open their tanks which are located in the planes’ pontoons and fill with water while still moving. The planes then flew off to drop the water on an out of site fire and were back in 10 minutes for another round. What really impressed us was the pilots’ amazing ability to do all this while maneuvering between over 30 boats anchored in the harbor without mishap. Truly impressive.