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January 31, 2008
N09.33 W078.57 Isla Porvenir, Islas de San Blas, Panama
Isla Porvenir, Panama
The generator mysteriously shut down this morning while charging the house batteries. We turned on the engine instead, while Mike and Marciano set to the task of figuring out what was wrong. They decided to change the fuel filter. But the spare filter wouldn’t fit. So they cleaned the old filter and put it back on. The generator worked again for a while, then shut down again. Later, we determined that Mike & Judy had taken on some bad diesel, probably in Aruba, despite using a baja filter every time. And the rough seas had stirred up the sediment in the diesel tank, causing it to clog the filter. More work on this would be required once we dropped the anchor.
Shortly after noon, we dropped the anchor off the island or Porvenir in the San Blas Islands, and officially changed the ship’s clocks and log to Eastern Standard Time.
Allegedly, the passage we had just completed was one of the fifth worst in the world, and one that is difficult even with a good weather window. And good weather windows are harder to find at this time of the year. We had truly lucked out. The Bay of Biscay on the northwest coast of France, which we sailed across in the winter of 2005, was much, much worse. The gale at Cape Hatteras in the fall of 2006 was much, much worse.
On this journey, when we finally had wind, we sailed downwind with headsails only and no mainsail. And we did a respectable 6-7 knots per hour. It was very rolly-polly, but no worse that the beam reach we sailed from Puerto Rico to Bonaire in November. We had prepared meals and snacks in Ziploc bags, which kept the galley clean and clear, which is always a source of queasiness. While it took some of the adventure out of the journey, it was worthwhile. Judy came down with a cold around the same time that she and Mike became seasick. All-in-all, a thoroughly enjoyable sail over crystal clear oceans.
Mike, Judy and Me
Posted by dave at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2008
Day 4, Coast of Colombia
Flying Fish at the Helm
In the blackness of night, a flying fish hit the bimini and landed in my lap. With no moon to judge sky from sea, and only the dim lights of the instruments to light the periphery, the little devil freaked me out. I jumped up, startled, and Mike was terrified that something had gone terribly wrong. When I pointed out the pencil-sized monster that had so terrified me, we had a good chuckle. In the fresh light of the morning, we discovered 19 of the little critters scattered about the decks.
Posted by dave at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2008
Day 3, Coast of Colombia
Wall of Water
Running downwind is a strange feeling. While it is blowing 30 knots, it feels like 20ish knots with the wind behind us. It also means that the weather (aka rain, clouds, storms, etc.) come from behind, which is generally not the way we are in the habit of looking when going forward. It also means that instead of seeing the big waves coming at you while looking forward, they tend to climb up behind and occasionally crash into the stern. I have tried many times to get a photo of this, with little true effect. This photo may be closest to what it feels like to see a wall of water creeping up behind you, moving slightly faster than the boat.
Shortly after sunrise, we reefed the main in building winds, and eventually we were sailing dead downwind with only the staysail in 30 knots of wind. Mid-afternoon, we surfed off a swell doing 12.7 knots! Marciano was at the helm and claimed the record for the fastest speed recorded on PorFin.
Posted by dave at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2008
Day 2, Coast of Colombia
Sunrise over the Coast of Colombia
At last, shortly before 9am, we had lights winds from the east/northeast and put up the main and asymmetrical spinnaker. Not long after, the winds diminished and we took the main down. By mid-afternoon, the main went back up in a fresh northerly breeze. The winds were doing exactly as the forecast suggested they would. We started to run some calculations to determine whether we had enough fuel on board to motor-sail all the way to Panama. It became quickly apparent that we would need to call in our favours, pray to the wind gods, and hope for wind, because it was highly unlikely that the fuel would hold out the full trip.
Posted by dave at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2008
Leaving Aruba
We left the customs & immigration dock shortly before 8am, four souls on board – Mike, Judy, Marciano, and me. Mike & Judy decided to hire Marciano, whom they found through the marina office, since he has done this passage many times. He is a charming man, slightly younger than me, and runs a charter business on his sailboat “Morningstar”.
We motor-sailed in light easterly winds, hoping that once we were out of the lee of the island we would pick up some winds. As the island became smaller and smaller on the horizon behind us, the winds diminished at the same rate. By mid-afternoon, as we were motor-sailing passed the Gulf of Venezuela, the Venezuela Navy hailed us on the VHF radio. (Last I heard, the country didn’t have a navy, at least no ships to speak of, and Chavez had resorted to laying chains across the harbours to keep unsavories (American-flagged sailboats?) out of his waters.)
Nevertheless, we cooperated with their request.
“Boot at [insert longitude and latitude] eedenteefy yooself”. His accent and English were so bad we didn’t know he was actually speaking to us. Inevitably, we responded.
“This is the sailing vessel PorFin. How can we help you?”
“Oka, what ees yoo flag?”
“Americano” Judy answered in her best Spanish accent.
“Oka, what is yoo coonits?” Judy and I looked at each other dumbfounded. Mike and Marciano were below playing with a leaking hose on the engine. We decided not to interrupt their progress, despite Marciano’s fluency in Spanish.
“No comprendo” Judy answers.
“What is yoo coonits?” Egads. I think they want our coordinates. We gave them. It took several broadcasts to finally get our coordinates to him, which by the time he finally accepted them, we had moved about a mile west.
“Oka, boot nam in international fontics?” Oh, sweet chilli peppers!
“Papa. Oscar.” Judy asks me if that’s correct and I shrug my shoulders. “Romeo. F.. F.. Febrero”. Oh, no, that can’t be right. “India. November”. After several attempts, the Venezuelan Navy officer got PORIN. Good enough.
“Oka. Last for”. What? Last four? I suggested Judy give him the last four digits of our coordinates. “No. No. Last for.” Ding! Last port! Judy says “Aruba”
“Oka. Nest for.” We got this one straight away. Judy replies “Panama”.
The conversation went on for several more minutes, after which the radio went silent. We have no idea whether he was able to obtain the information he needed, although I joked with Judy that since they now had our longitude and latitude, the incoming scud missile would put a big hole in one of the sails. She didn’t laugh.
Posted by dave at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2008
Farewell Aruba
We’ve gone from too much wind to not enough. Tough. We’re leaving at first dawn tomorrow morning for the San Blas Islands.
We will be sailing from Aruba N12.31’ W70.02’ to Isla Porvenir, Panama N9.33’ W78.57’.
563 miles from Aruba, we should arrive shortly after daybreak on Thursday, 5 days from our start.
We’ve strapped the dinghy down on the foredeck instead of raising it on the davits on the stern of the boat. Since we will be running with the wind behind us, there is a risk that a large wave could fill the dinghy and cause us some grief.
The spinnaker pole has been rerigged to allow us to fly the jib on one side out on the pole, and the staysail out on the other side, often referred to as sailing “wing-on-wing”.
The jack lines have been set on each side of the boat. These are straps that run along each deck, to which we will attach our tethers if we need to leave the cockpit. They are called jack stays because they make sure “Jack stays on the boat”.
Mike and Judy have hired a fourth crew, a blessing for a journey of this length. Marciano will arrive before daybreak tomorrow.
Judy and I went off to the grocery store this morning and bought lots of fruit and munchable raw vegetables (carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery), hard-boiled 18 eggs, cooked 12 chicken breasts, and made some a bastardized pad thai that will feel very good at sea. We packed everything in snack-sized Ziploc bags, so there should be no reason to spend a lot of time in the galley cooking, which is an instant sea-sickness inducer when underway.
Tonight, we head out for dinner with friends, then to watch the Lighting Parade, one of the Carnival festivities. We will miss the big Carnival Parade on February 3. Earlyish to bed, as we will be up before sunrise to clear out of customs and immigration.
I am very excited to be back at sea again. This is a dubious trip, as the seas we will be sailing are the fifth roughest in the world. Hence the reason we have waited 9 days for an appropriate weather window. I fear, however, that we may have to motor part of the way.
The San Blas Islands are very remote and we are not entirely sure that wireless internet or cellular telephone service will be in our grasp. Fear not, eventually I will get back online and post some photos and stories.
Here’s this morning’s weather in case you are curious:
OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE SOUTHWEST AND TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN SEA
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1030 AM EST SAT JAN 26 2008
AMZ084-262130-
SW CARIBBEAN S OF 15N W OF 75W
1030 AM EST SAT JAN 26 2008
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
N OF 10N E OF 78W NE WINDS 25 TO 30 KT. SEAS 9 TO 12 FT. ELSEWHERE NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT IN NE SWELL.
SUN AND SUN NIGHT
N OF 11N E OF 78W NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. ELSEWHERE NE WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT.
MON
NE WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.
TUE
NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT IN E SWELL.
WED
E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT.
Posted by dave at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2008
Weather Window?
Woohoo!
Things are looking better. A line of squalls blew through here today, and the skies cleared behind them. Our daily weather checks have revealed a window to depart on Sunday morning for Panama. While the conditions are not ideal, they are better than the 35 knots of wind and 16-foot seas that are out there right now.
In the meantime, I have relearned how to windsurf. I took a lesson Tuesday, during which I spent more time in the water than on the board. Today, I winged it, and did much better. This time, I spent more time on the board than in the water. It was a lot of fun, but the 30-knot gusts made it tough on these chicken-wing arms. 300 downward dogs do no justice to holding a sail back against these winds.
It was 34c (90f) here today. New York was cold. I miss home, but I'm thrilled to be here.
Posted by dave at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2008
Aruba Photos
We wait patiently for the winds and seas to subside off the coast of Colombia, blowing 30-35 knots right now, and big choppy seas up to 16 feet. It's looking like Sunday/Monday might present us with a window to allow us to finally leave the dock here in Aruba.
Meanwhile, I got out for a wander around town with the new camera to snap some great photos.
Mike & Judy's sailboat, PorFin
Oranjestad Architecture
Oranjestad Architecture
Oranjestad Architecture
Oranjestad Architecture
Posted by dave at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Twice in One Week, Hundreds of Miles Apart
Just last Sunday, Chis and I watched the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria rendezvous in New York harbour under a sky of fireworks and pouring rain.
Today, I went for a run and spotted the Queen Victoria, on her maiden voyage around the world, tied up at the cruise ship dock. Later that afternoon, she slipped past the end of the marina and set sail, no doubt for the Panama Canal. She is a magnificent site!
Posted by dave at 09:40 PM | Comments (0)
Oranjestad, Aruba, N12.31’ W70.02’
I arrived safely this afternoon after a very long travel day. The wind is blowing like crazy and the seas are big and rough. We will wait for a couple of days to see if things subside a little. No sense in feeling like a rubber duck in a washing machine. Mike & Judy have invited a fourth crew, a local guy, for this journey, who has done it several times. The coast of Colombia is notoriously rough, and it's a long passage (4 to 5 days).
Meanwhile, I'll have a couple of days to explore the island and get in a couple of runs. It was pouring rain when I left New York and I am glad to be in the warmth and humidity again.
Posted by dave at 06:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2008
Three Queens
I splurged recently on a new Nikon D40 digital camera, which I am thrilled about for my upcoming journey from Aruba to Panama. But I daresay I have to work out the kinks. I got no really great photos of the three Queens.
(Credit to www.cunard.com for the photo. It's better than any of mine.)
Queen Mary 2, the largest cruise ship in the world, home-ports in Brooklyn. The Queen Victoria was launched in early January, and the Queen Elizabeth 2 is on its final around-the-world voyage. All three were in New York Harbour on Sunday, the first and last time this happened.
We were invited over to our friend, Alexandra's apartment in Brooklyn Heights. She has a magnificent view of the harbour. The Queen Mary 2 moved off the dock shortly after 7, and the two other ships rendezvoused just off Battery Park shortly before 8. And then the rain came. And then the fireworks.
It was truly magical to see these beautiful ships together.
Posted by dave at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2008
Lightning & Levitation
I have mixed emotions about lightning. I admit that I have a mild fear of lightning. Not a run-for-the-cellar kind of fear, but more of a deep respect for the power of nature. I will also admit that a good thunderstorm makes me randy, baby! It’s a dichotomy of emotions that I can’t explain.
When we lived at our Schoolhouse in Canada, I went to the barn during lightning storms. If lightning struck one of the 23 big old maple trees, the house would have been crushed. On Platina, our two masts were like lightning rods, especially when we were the only thing on the sea for miles. A sailboat struck by lightning can be very dangerous, because usually every piece of electronic equipment (radios, navigation, GPS, autopilot, etc.) gets fried. During lightning storms, we put our laptops, portable GPS, portable VHF radios, cell phones, sat phones and any other portable piece of equipment – in the stainless steel oven. Reportedly, this is the best place to protect these things in a storm.
A series of electrical storms rolled through New York yesterday.
My Bikram yoga practice reached a plateau recently. I decided to cut back a bit, go to other Bikram studios in the city to introduce new elements to my practice, run more, and do more vinyasa yoga. I went with my dear friend and Bikram yoga teacher, Graham, to a class at the Chelsea studio yesterday. It was pouring rain when I arrived and I was soaked to the bone. No matter, I would be sweating profusely in a few minutes and it just didn’t matter.
There is an asana (pose) called Camel.
You stand on your knees, knees and feet 6 inches apart. You put your hands on your butt, drop your head back, and bend your total spine backward. If you feel comfortable (when in a pretzel, one never exactly feels “comfortable”?), drop your hands to your heels, grab on tight, then thrust your hips forward and your chest up. You look like a capital “D” from the side. On a physical level, it is a wonderful stretch for the front-side of your body and compression for the backside of the spine. Gravity drains the blood from your heart into your brain on one side, and into your lower body on the other. On a spiritual level, it is a very exposing, revealing and future-oriented asana. Your heart is exposed, and your genitals are thrust forward. I have come out of Camel and cried, laughed, wanted to bolt from the room. I have seen stars, and been uber-dizzy.
Camel, like lightning, is a dichotomy of emotions. Many asanas I hate (but practice because I know it’s good for me and makes me feel better). Many asanas I love. But only Camel I both hate and love.
My yoga practice is a journey. The destination is inner peace and awareness. Some believe that when you achieve these two things, you become one with the energy of the universe, a single source of pure white light. I get this from time to time, and it is wonderful and cathartic. But it is rare. It is a completely different feeling than an endorphin high from distance running, for example. It is less physical and more spiritual.
I know, by now many are thinking “Geez, Dave, you’re wackadoo” (thanks, Graham, for this wonderful South African word).
Back to yesterday’s practice. The Chelsea studio was very humid thanks to the rain. The windows were open a crack to let some air in to dilute the closeness of the humidity. I went into my first Camel, and things went well. I came out and felt pretty good (this rarely happens). I went into my second Camel and I had just gone past the “I hate this” phase, got a wonderful deep breath and moved into the “wow, this is unbelievable” phase. I lost myself in my breath, and I became aware that nothing else mattered but this perfect moment.
And then it happened. A bright flash of white light, followed a few seconds later by a loud crack of thunder. I didn’t flinch. Not a twitch. Not even a wiggle. I was beyond my fear of lightning and beyond my hate of Camel. I was in a place of deep awareness and peace.
I’m not doing the moment justice with these words. Often, the gift of language does not provide our species with the ability to properly communicate precious moments that are filled with such pureness and peace. For example, try to describe your best orgasm.
The decision to step out of my routine and change the elements of my journey was indeed cathartic. I am inspired again.
Namaste.
Posted by dave at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2008
News?
I know, I know. I've had a few desperate emails asking whether we fell off the face of the earth. Just busy with the holidays, and life, and all the other noise that seems unfitting to blog about. But I realize that in order to keep the hits on the website increasing, one must give people a reasons to visit, no?
Our holiday season this year was really quite fun. We picked out a beautiful Douglas fir tree in early December, and while they wrapped it in environmentally-unfriendly plastic netting, we scooted into Rite-Aid to buy some environmentally-friendly pine-cone shaped LED lights. Heaving the tree on my shoulder, and Chis with his canvas bag full of LED lights, we walked home to set up our tree. The tree seemed huge on the street, but when we set it up, it was tiny. Even a 7-foot tree look tiny in a room with 14-foot ceilings. The trouble is, a bigger tree has a bigger base, which, for those of you who have seen our tiny apartment, would require less furniture. And less furniture would require storage, which is in scarce supply.
Nevertheless, a stunning wreath from the farmer's market at Union Square, the tree and a beautiful poinsettia from my parents, and the place looked really festive.
DP & AJ arrived Saturday December 22 and were with us until Boxing Day (NOT a holiday in the US). We had a wonderful time. Christmas is a time to spend with family, and these two are definitely part of our family.
Jim & Luc, with whom we have spent EVERY New Year's Eve for the past 15 years (except 2005 in the Bahamas and 2006 in New York), arrived on December 28 and left us on January 1. Yet another fond memory of New Year's, which was, as always, a joyous feast resulting from 48 hours and shopping and cooking.
The apartment seems to be returning to normal. Although, I did manage to clog the kitchen drain with garberator-guck last night. I had the whole thing pulled apart today, and I expected to find a large decomposing cabbage, but instead found a rancid bundle of coffee grinds, rosemary twigs, celery strands and onion skins.
I'm off to Aruba on Janauary 18 to meet Mike & Judy on PorFin (the three of us sailed Puerto Rico to Bonaire in November). This journey will be about 600 miles from Aruba to the San Blas Islands in Panama. It should take us about 4 to 5 days. I am TRES excited!
Posted by dave at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)