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March 30, 2008
More QM2
Our friend, A vonS, lives on the waterfront in Brooklyn, overlooking the harbour and, in the distance, the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal. On the evening we left on our trip to the Bahamas, she and Chis were emailing each other and she was taking photos. Another friend, Mona, was in Liberty State Park watching. Here’s the email string:
Chis to A vonS and Mona:
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 6:16 PM
Subject: Not left yet
It's 6:15pm and we have not yet left the dock!
If you can believe it, the wind is too strong and is blowing us against the dock.
They said that when we finally do get off the dock, there will only be 12 feet between the smokestack and the Verrazano bridge due to the tide. Go figure.
Have a great Easter.
A vonS to Chis and Mona:
Sent: Thu Mar 20 18:18:40 2008
Subject: RE: Not left yet
We are watching the tugs pulling you away from bumping against the docks! It is fascinating -
Happy Easter
A vonS to Chis:
Sent: Thu Mar 20 18:33:54 2008
Subject: Not left yet
There you go!
Posted by dave at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2008
Queen Mary 2
You may recall that Chis and I saw Cunard’s three queens here in New York. The Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria, and a lot of rain. Then, when I was out for a run in Aruba, I spotted the Queen Victoria at the dock. It seemed like destiny when, on a lark one evening, I went on Cunard’s website to discover that they had an Easter Getaway from New York to Eleuthra in the Bahamas.
So, we went.
I had great constipation over what to pack. Thursday night was casual elegant (which, by New York standards, can mean just about anything). Friday night was formal (ie. black feckin’ tie). Saturday semi-formal (suit & tie). Sunday casual elegant again.
I ditched my tux when we moved onto Platina, and haven’t replaced it. It was a double-breasted job, and at 5-foot something, made me look short and fat. But I can put a bow-tie with a stunning white shirt and look like the Monopoly guy in a dark blue suit!
Thursday evening’s dinner was a sideshow. Casual elegant included sweat pants, velour track suits, tank tops, and flip flops. Now, I realize that I am bordering on the edge of snobbery, but people, even by New York City standards, tank tops and flip flops are not “casual elegant”.
We made the best of things, and by Friday night’s black tie gala, I felt, despite my funky midnight purple bowtie and stunningly gorgeous white shirt, underdressed. Nevertheless, we were the hottest looking gay couple on the ship. (This isn’t saying much on a ship with 2,700 people).
As things warmed up as we moved south, we were early to the deck chairs for some full-on reading. Soon, we arrived in the Bahamas, and I awoke before dawn to enjoy the sunrise. The ship’s landfall was on the southeastern tip of Eleuthra, about 20 miles west of Little San Salvador. We passed through this very stretch of sea in December 2006 on our way to spend Christmas in George Town, Exuma on Platina. There is a relatively shallow shelf between Eleuthra and Little San Salvador, and I was most interested to see how a ship drawing 25 feet could make it through. To be clear, I was shitting my pants with our 7-foot draft.
The captain went very slowly.
We went ashore at Eleuthra, and when we saw the sea of sunbeds, buffet lunches, macramé pot holders, and beer-swizzling at 11am, we returned to the ship to read quietly in the breeze.
In all, it was wonderful to be at sea, feel the wind, breathe the sea air, and relax a bit. Chis couldn’t check his email on his Blackberry, and my condo worries were far and distant. Our only worry was whether we would finish our books before the end of the cruise, sleep enough, and relax.
We succeeded on all accounts.
BUT, check with me before you decide to go on the QM2. I have important and valuable advice!
Posted by dave at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2008
Name, Please
Okay, so Jacksonville was cool. At least the sailing was.
Downtown is a bit of a ghetto in renaissance.
We arrived very late Friday night. Up early (what a surprise) I went for a walk and found coffee, bagels (echhh) and bananas. Buffet breakfasts in big Florida conference hotels are just not our cup of chowda. We hopped in the rental and drove to the marina to meet Jeff.
Jeff was a gentleman, took us out sailing for 4 hours, and despite generally windless conditions on the St. John's River, we had plenty. The gods must have known the offshore sailors were in town!
The sea trial was bliss. She performed beautifully in light winds, and heavier winds. We followed a race and managed to keep pace with the lead boats. At one point, I locked the wheel and let her steer all by herself. She was perfectly balanced. This was a HUGE surprise. The last Beneteau we sailed, we were taking down sails in almost no winds so that we could take the work out of the helm.
We think we're going to buy it, DowJonesIndustrialAverage-CreditCrunch-SubPrimeMortgageMeltdown-permitting.
Now all we need is a name.
So far, we have:
Platinette
Pickston (from D. Pickwoad and A. Johnston - pllllllllllease!)
Jowoad (ditto - oh, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits!)
Platina II
Prana
Intermission
Quincy
Commitment
Instinct
Send suggestions to dave@platina.ca!
Posted by dave at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2008
Apparently, This is the One
We're off to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend to sea trial the Beneteau 40! We wouldn't spend this kind of dosh if we weren't serious. Seems to me we made 5 or 6 trips to Fort Lauderdale to buy Platina. So, this is a drop in the bucket.
Now, we need a name?! Send ideas to dave@platina.ca
Posted by dave at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2008
Is this the one?
I'm tiring of it, too. We've looked at dozens of boats. Big boats, small boats, old boats, new boats...
I put boats into 4 tiers. Our Platina was Tier 1. A Catalina is Tier 4.
I have sailed a few Beneteaus and been really disappointed. Poorly balanced, poor quality workmanship. I put them in the "charter boat" category, built to have the crap kicked out of the them in a short life. Well, both Moorings and Sunsail put hundreds of them out on charter. I put Beneteau at the bottom of Tier 3.
But recently, the offshore sailors in us have been asking ourselves why we really need to buy and offshore boat to sail in Long Island Sound. Why a Swan? Why a Hallberg Rassy? Why an Amel? An Oyster? A Tayana?
We want to hop on the train to Stamford, walk to the marina, climb onboard, head over to Cold Spring Harbour for the weekend and come back Sunday to catch the train back to Manhattan. It rarely gets rough in Long Island Sound, protected by Long Island, of course. And we're not planning to live on it (for more than a week in the summer). So why not a boat that has nice amenities, lots of room, but not too much moolah?
And so, today, we saw it.
I was impressed. I moved Beneteau up from the bottom of Tier 3 to the bottom of Tier 2. And I'm okay with the idea of not owning a Tier 1 boat.
Could this be the one?
Posted by dave at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)