Hilo, HI, 9-Nov-2019 — One evening, while we rigged a spinnaker aboard a T-Bird sailing out of Dorchester Harbor in Boston, I confessed to the skipper of the vessel that I was not very physically brave. I could see his face, and he looked at me dumbfounded and said “you sail a T-bird from New York to Boston? If that’s not brave I don’t know what is.”
Continue reading “Bravery, Preparation and Sailing”Blogging
Life on a Caro Babbo passage, but first…
Hilo, HI 7-nov-2019 — I think I may have redeveloped a caffeine addiction. By 2009, I was up to twelve espresso a day, and then quit, cold turkey. It took two years before I no longer got that heavy dentist’s x-Ray blanket feeling from no caffeine.
Continue reading “Life on a Caro Babbo passage, but first…”Landfall Hilo, Hi
We’ve been in radio Bay, Hilo, for a week now. The amount of time it takes to get repairs done and recover from sailing surprises us. Posts, as important as they are to me, and define being productive, cannot be considered critical path, and so they wait.
I also find that I am still, somehow, on Seattle time, so by 7:30 or 8 pm, I am completely beat.
The posts about our journey from Seattle to Hilo will probably not be in chronological order, but instead will be about various topics and jump around in the timeline.
As always, thank you for sticking with us.
Hilo, Hawaii, 25-Oct-2019 – As we dropped the anchor in the middle of Radio Bay, a voice from the shore shouted, ‘‘Caro Babbo, Caro Babbo! ’’
Continue reading “Landfall Hilo, Hi”The ocean as background
17-oct-2019, 24° 06.53N 138° 27.58W — I think to make this work, this being sailing across large bodies of water, the ocean and the weather must become the background to life… the canvas upon which life is lived, rather that the central uncertainty upon which life hangs.
We have been offshore a total of nineteen days so far this trip.
The first seven days, the segment from neah bay to bodega bay, are a grayed-out trauma, from which we gleaned our readiness and preparation to go offshore. I think time ashore will let us recover that memory.
On this leg we have enough time and continuity that we less fear we will die, than our navigation choices well unduly lengthen the trip. Yet, we are not living life in the context of the trip. The trip is first and foremost in our life. Continue reading “The ocean as background”
It will be night soon
15-oct-2019, 24° 39.75N 135° 28.78W — We’re about halfway there. In ten days we should arrive in Hilo. Stronger winds of the trades will push us wing and wing across the last one thousand miles and there.
The Predict Wind software we have been using for routing takes us on a dog leg keeping us on a broad reach, while our friend and guardian, Ray Penson has lobbied for the typical run-before-the-tradewinds route. Jennifer wants to try that, so we are changing our course southward to join the trades in the next three days or so.
Jennifer and I have been talking about whether we’d ever do this again. I’d put together a ten-year plan to sail through the canal and up into the great lakes before jumping over into Europe. Continue reading “It will be night soon”
It will be night soon
15-oct-2019, 24° 39.75N 135° 28.78W — We’re about halfway there. In ten days we should arrive in Hilo. Stronger winds of the trades will push us wing and wing across the last one thousand miles and there.
The Predict Wind software we have been using for routing takes us on a dog leg keeping us on a broad reach, while our friend and guardian, Ray Penson has lobbied for the typical run- before- the-tradewinds route. Jennifer wants to try that, so we are changing our course southward to join the trades in the next three days or so. Continue reading “It will be night soon”
Night time and watches
Three weeks or so ago – To the left when heading from Catalina to San Diego is continual early morning. Just beyond the thickened marine layer Los Angeles’ false morning promises an end of the inky moonless night. The dark impenetrable cloud south of Los Angeles is no cloud at all, it is lightless Pendleton marine base.
The artificial morning returns with San Diego’s north county, culminating with the city itself.
The dark night waters are busy with military activity.
From more than twenty miles away, we could see a very white glow on the horizon: tankers, warships and lighters gathered together. As Caro Babbo approached, the group disbanded. Continue reading “Night time and watches”
700 miles from land
11-oct-2019 – In the moment I am fine. The waves roll under us, the weather routing software keeps us away from strong winds and big seas, and above all our guardian angel Ray Penson watches over us.
But those words, 700 miles from land terrify me. Last night we saw a ship on AIS one hundred miles from us, but those are probably the nearest human beings.
Things break and we recover. I fret about things that could break that we can’t recover from. Continue reading “700 miles from land”
Do you have Hawaiian boat insurance you can recommend?
We just learned that Boat US (GEICO) will not cover us in Hawaii and we must have liability insurance.
Do you have anyone to recommend?
Natalie, Unintended consequences, Law? and someplace everyone has heard of.
Catalina, CA, 26-SEP-2019 — ”I met these two Swedish men on the island who said to me, ‘We’re looking for a woman named Natalie who runs these adventure races,’ ” said the woman that Jennifer and I first saw walking up the winding dirt road from Two Harbors to the cliff overlook where we all stood.
We said to her, ”And that would be you?”
Continue reading “Natalie, Unintended consequences, Law? and someplace everyone has heard of.”