And still more pix from Flores....

These pix are in sort of random order, but here they are anyway.
Here are the two Sceptres in Lajes Harbor - Solstice on the left and Saeta on the right.
Most of the fields here are used for grazing. The farming is done closer to town. This island must have the worlds happiest cows. They are usually belly deep in green grass and have no barbed wire. There is a lot of cheese production and they are yummy!
Lajes Harbor as seen from town.
Typical hillside over hydrangeas over a stone wall.
Here is that festival in Santa Cruz with free fish, wine, and bread. Sorry to be so poorly organized.
We've been here a week now and are starting to think of moving on to Horta. But I've never seen a place so immaculate and well tended, so lacking in tourist stuff and development - just remarkable.

The West side of Flores

We drove to the West side of the island where there are lakes in "calderas" or volcanic craters.
We had a picnic at one of them. Here are us, Merritt and John and Shirlee from San Francisco, owners of Solstice, another Sceptre 41.
Enjoying the picnic.
Terracing on the hillsides. It must have taken generations to have piled up all the rocks that they use to separate fields, control erosion, and create level grazing. Most of the land is used for grazing. The cultivation is closer to the cities and there isn't all that much of it. The vegetables here in the stores are not too impressive.
Here is a rock formation that must have had volcanic origins. This part of the island is the most Western point of Europe.

Can you believe - more pix?

We went to a festival in Santa Cruz with free fish, wine, and bread. This guy was cooking the sardines.
Here is a very typical road with hydrangeas along the walls on either side.
Here is the island of Corvo, half hidden behind the flowers.
We rented a little car to see the island.
Here is the town of Santa Cruz again.

And even more pix.

I guess it wouldn't be called "Flores" if the flowers weren't so spectacular.
Here is the coastline with the neighboring island of Corvo.
These are the plants that are like Bird of Paradise, but varying colors.
Looking down the hill to the little town of Santa Cruz (yes, they are everywhere). We went there for a festival (later).
Churches abound.

Still more pix....

This is Lajes as seen from our cockpit.
We were taking a shortcut through a little park and found this little retreat in the middle. This whole island is so cared for, it seems like they have a Japanese gardener.
All along the roads are these flowers, sort of like a Bird of Paradise. Outside the towns, they are replaced by Hydrangeas.
This little house was so cute that we had to take pix.
And a church on the terraced hillside.

More sailing pix....

Here's a medium size wave looming up astern. They got much bigger than this.
Our last breakfast at sea before landfall featured an asparagus omelet, grilled hot dog and a pecan muffin.
Merritt won the "tot of rum" by being the first one to sight land - Flores. Andi looks pretty happy to see land.
We approach Flores - Lajes harbor and village is where there is a road sloping diagonally up to the left.

Photos from mid-Atlantic...

Here is the queen of the galley doing her part for crew morale.
And here is the crew enjoying the fruits of her labors.
Dawn finds the boat moving along nicely.
Here is your scribe connecting with the radio to send you another edition of the blog (in the middle of the night)
And here we find Merritt and I taking down the mainsail.
More to follow.

Finally, some pictures...

Here is the chart of the harbor showing our boat at anchor (in red)
Here is Andi swimming 1000 miles from land and a mile above the bottom.
Here is our little garden - rosemary and mint plants from Mick and Claire Roberts
Here are the daisies that Jeff and Ellen gave us a week earlier.
Here is the admiral at the helm.
More later - gotta go......

Flores is SOOOOO cool!

June 23, 2008
We've been here a few days now and have been ashore. I'm so glad we didn't press on to the big city of Horta and miss Flores. The little town of Lajes is a total cute attack. There are virtually no tourists here, so they must keep it so nice for themselves. It's clean, charming, and the people are super friendly. Most speak some English and can understand Spanish spoken slowly. We went ashore to check ourselves in with the officials. We went to the police station where we were told, "No, we're not the right kind of police; you need the maritime police in the office up the hill". So we went to that office and found it closed (Sunday) except for a young man who eventually opened the front door. He said that the officials would be there on Monday and could we please come back. We were more than happy to come back, so we went off to get our first Azorean beer. We went to one of the bars that was open - the beer was from Portugal, but still tasted good. Only 1 euro! That's $1.54 per beer. I can do that! So were were sitting there enjoying our second beer and watching soccer on TV (Spain vs Italy). And in come some more policia - they were looking for us. Just wanted to check our papers, so they sat down at the table with us and filled out some forms. Soon they were done. How easy was that? Very friendly, too. So now we can wander around at will.
It's a little cooler here - at the same latitude as Stinson Beach, CA. I'm wearing long pants again. For the first day we were here, it blew like stink - but at least from the SW, so we were sheltered by the breakwater. But we tested our anchor's holding power. This year there have been a lot of depressions in the Azores causing the winds. That is not normal. There is a feature here called the Azores High (having nothing to do with recreational drugs) that gives generally calm and balmy conditions all summer. Most boats save enough fuel so that they can motor the last few hundred miles into the Azores. I'm hoping that the Azores High gets established pretty soon. Yesterday, we waited until late afternoon before trying to come ashore in the dinghy.
This is so cool. We have to pinch ourselves to believe that it is real. We're going ashore now to do some shopping and take advantage of the free internet at the public library. I'll put up some pix. Don't be afraid to write....

We are here! Anchored in the Azores

June 21, 2008 Summer Solstice
We arrived in Flores - Lajes Harbor - at about 2:30 PM after motoring the last 30 miles. If we hadn't have motored, we wouldn't have gotten in until tomorrow. Flores was directly upwind in big sloppy seas. The winds kept shifting 20 degrees either side and varied in strength from 10 to 20k. That would mean that we would have to constantly change the amount of sail we had up and aggressively sail. A racing boat with full crew would have enjoyed the challenge, but us mere cruisers just saw that as a whole lot of work. The alternative was to just set a medium amount of sail and try to take the closest course to Flores. We tried that for a while and saw very little progress (contrary current to add to the fun). So, on with the motor (good excuse to make some water too). In short order we were here.
It is beyond belief. Totally magic. A little place that time seems to have passed over. Sure, there are some fisherman on the quay who drive down in their little euro cars and seem to enjoy driving back and forth. But on the hill above us, sheep are grazing amidst the terraced fields. The church is looking down on the harbor from the crest and the little village winds its way up the hill. Go to Google Earth (a free download from Google) - type in Flores, Azores and you will get the satellite view of us. Zoom in and you will see the village. There will be blue dots scattered around. Click on them and they show you a photo taken from that vantage point. Ah, now you see what I am talking about.
We've just been anchored here in the harbor - haven't bothered to go ashore yet, but that is coming soon. We had a good dinner and opened a special bottle of wine for the occasion. Then it was time for some serious sleep - level - Andi and I in the same bed at the same time!
You are reading this blog entry courtesy of the Sailmail station in Belgium, now our closest point of connection. I hear that the local library has free internet. If so, we'll post some photos. Hasta entonces...

Day 18 - 50 miles to go

June 20, 2008 Friday 9pm - early watch - 38d 19' North 31d 46' West
Today has been quite nice, thank you. We are close hauled (going as upwind as we can go) for the first time in the trip and just laying Flores, 50 miles ahead. We are anticipating a windshift to the NW that will allow us to ease the sheets and go even faster. Right now we have the main with a single reef and the staysail up. That gives us a nice compact sail area and allows the boat to move along like a lady. If the wind should rise, we already have reduced sail so nothing more will be needed. For comfortable living, this is much better than charging along under full sail, a knot faster but heeled over so far that you can barely move around. As I write this, we are doing 6.2K towards our island, so great!
We've been going downwind for 2000 miles and downwind you are running away from the waves, so you meet one every 10 seconds or so. Upwind, you meet one every 4 seconds or less and it is a collision, not a surfing opportunity. That means the motion is rough. Andi is sleeping in the dinette right now as the forward cabin has become untenable due to the motion. I took a nap up there a while ago and discovered that you can get airborne while sleeping - well, you have to be pretty tired! Merritt has the aft cabin where the motion is best, but the dinette is good too.
We should arrive in Flores - harbor of Lajes, in the morning sometime. We are going to anchor and catch up on sleep before going ashore and presenting ourselves to the officials. Since it is a weekend, maybe we will do all that on Monday.
Andi made a delicious meatloaf tonight. With great meals and hot showers, this isn't half bad. Of course, the reason that I needed the shower so badly was that I was working on deck up by the mast when a stray wavetop hit the side of the boat, dousing me with a bucket of salt water. We are running the watermaker, so there is no shortage of sweet water.
I know I'm no Joseph Conrad, but I hope this little chronicle has given you some sense of life aboard the modern cruising sailboat. We're gonna take a picture of the boat in Lajes Harbor with a caption: "bet your house can't do this!"

Day 17 - 168 miles to go

June 20, 2008 Friday 1am - mid watch - 36d 55' North 33d 17 West
The last day has been an adventure! We spent part of it running under "bare poles" (no sails up), not because there was so much wind, but because we were going so fast that we were afraid we would get blown right past the Azores. Even with no sail up, we were doing 4 knots. At 5 PM we got the weather report from Herb and found that the low over the Azores is moving NE faster than anticipated and that we can now sail directly for the islands. We thought we might have to skip Flores and go on to Horta, just because the wind angles favored Horta. But, now we are on course for Flores, on a beam reach with just a reefed jib and going fast. A while ago I saw 30 knots, but now the wind is back to 20K - seems almost calm. Lots of water splashing aboard, but none down below. It now seems possible that we could arrive on Saturday AM. the solstice. That would be OK with us.
We had a great dinner. Andi made a thai shrimp dish (which we had to eat out of bowls because of the heel angle and motion). I'm typing this on an angle that Miss Jones, my 9th grade typing teacher, never anticipated. Stay dry!

Day 16 - 291 miles to go

June 18, 2008 Wednesday 9pm - early watch - 36d 14' North 36d 01' West
For the last 36 hours we have been in "go slow" mode, sailing under just the mainsail with the jib rolled up. Now we have reefed the main to go even slower. But with 17K of breeze, we're still moving along. We are headed mostly East to stay away from the Azores until they stop being nasty. The peak of the nastiness is supposed to be Friday evening and Saturday morning. We are setting ourselves up to arrive on Sunday. Friday AM we are supposed to get a lot of wind here and then tapering off in the afternoon. So at this point, we are planning to start directly for Flores as soon as the wind moderates on Friday. 290 miles isn't that far to go. Less than 2 days. We make 120 to 160 miles per day under normal conditions. It is a drag to not be able to charge right into the Azores. With moderate weather, we would have been there already. Oh well, never mind....
We are not sending out personal emails very much for a while. Sailmail limits us to 90 minutes of connection time per month. With Merritt added to our email budget and the long time it takes to transfer even a single character given the lousy connections we are getting with the very poor radio propagation, it can take up to 10 minutes to transfer just a few emails. If we run out of time, we will have no emergency connection, so pardon the lack of personal attention. And I should point out, every email we send out has a message at the bottom about not clicking on "reply" and then sending the original email back. In spite of that, a surprisingly large number of folks send back the original message. Please take care not to do that. Thanks.
We are comfortable, well-fed and well-rested. Hope you are too! We'll do regular email from the Azores and post some pictures. Let's hope the weather is well-behaved.

Day 15 - 377 miles to go

June 18, 2008 Wednesday 1am - mid watch - 26d 01' North 38d 01' West
Our weather guru, Herb, who is routing some 40 odd sailboats out here, says that there is a gale over the Azores right now. Therefore, we have elected to take some avoiding tactics: 1) go slower - that one isn't working all that well - we took down the jib, but with just the main are still averaging 7K - favorable current and plenty of wind and 2) stay South until the weekend - we are running along the 36th latitude and not going North at all. This is disappointing because the Azores are only 377 miles away and we could be there in 2+ days. But our anticipated anchorage at Flores would not be comfortable in the winds they are getting. The weather should moderate during the weekend, but who wanted to wait around that much? So for today, we are staying South and slow waiting to see how the gale develops. Tomorrow we will make some further decisions.
Today was our 500 mile banquet. We wore ties for the occasion and had a chicken Andi cooked up in the pressure cooker with mushrooms, brandy, and all manners of yummy things. However, the boat was rolling so badly that we had to eat out of bowls. Not too elegant... We are all sick of rolling, but the sea gives us what it does.
We just passed another sailboat! Merritt was on watch and didn't wake me for it, but when I came on watch their lights were still visible. They are heading further North so their lights are fading. They won't respond to hails on the VHF radio. So they are the mystery ship. I suppose we are to them, too.
Otherwise, we are well (and ready to be in the Azores).

Day 14 - 561 miles to go

June 16, 2008 Monday 8pm - early watch - 35d 5745 North 42d 09' West
We are roaring along on a beam reach in 15 knots of wind, doing about 7K. The moon is full and sparkling off the wave tops. The rest of the crew has gone to bed to get ready for the night watches and I am left here typing away. We listened to Fado music (Portuguese), had a great dinner and then everyone was full and sleepy. We still have the clocks set to Carolina time, but of course the sun comes up at 3AM and sets at 7 PM. In the Azores, we will correct the clocks.
It is getting a little cooler now - I'm wearing a shirt. Who would have thought that you could go clear across the Atlantic with all the doors open and light clothes. Sometimes I use a blanket at night. Really nice!
It has rained a few times now and this was really welcome. It gets all the salt off the outside of the boat. When spray comes over, it dries and leaves a salt crust. After some days, this crust gets pretty thick to the point that you don't want to sit on it and get your clothes all salty. So the rains have been great. Of course, they always come during some kind of sail change so that they can wash us as well.
Due to a storm predicted for the Azores, we are again zigging and zagging instead to going straight to Flores. We are headed East to avoid strong Northeasterly winds due on Thursday. After that front comes through, we should be able to head North and actually get to the Azores. But it's a pretty night, we are going fast - who can complain? It's really nice to get out onto the ocean where the wind blows all the time and a sailboat gets to do what it was made for. Along the coast, you motor more than you sail. The sailing has been fabulous.

Day 13 - 689 miles to go

June 16, 2008 Monday 1am - mid watch - 34d 57' North 44d 33' West
We are headed directly for the Azores. Yay! At last! We've had strong winds and favorable currents all day and so have really added the miles. Yesterday, we saw winds that gusted to 33 knots, but mostly in the 20's. We carried full sail through all of that. Of course, all that wind kicked up some gnarly seas and the motion was not the best. I for one am looking forward to the pleasures of the harbor. But it isn't all that bad. We've eaten well and at sunset the other day, we saw the fabled "green flash". We'll put up some pictures when we get to the internet. I understand that the library on Flores has free internet.
We are starting to hear about bad weather in the vicinity of the Azores. It is a long range forecast so may improve by the time we get there. Normally, the Azores are bland from a weather standpoint.
We are putting away our hurricane worries though. We are now so far from the normal storm tracks that the probabilities of getting one here are less than getting hit by a falling airliner.
I've enjoyed getting emails from you and Merritt has enjoyed getting them too, but we have used so much time and bandwidth that we now have to start conserving by not sending as much. With Sailmail, we only have 90 minutes of connect time per month. Now that we are so far away, each connection takes longer to upload and download. So, we'll have to let the blog do the talking for a few days until we get to Flores.

Day 12 - 861 miles to go

June 15, 2008 Sunday 2am - mid watch - 33d 41' North 47d 40' West
We have finally turned North. Our reading of the weather charts and confirmation from Herb, the weather guru who is guiding about 40 boats at the moment, shows that we are past the big storm in the middle of the Atlantic and can now ride the north going winds that rotate counterclockwise around the low pressure center. So we are zipping along, headed for the Azores. We've had squalls, wind shifts, light winds, heavy winds and rolling seas for the last day, but now we are feeling pretty good. The only thing that I can really complain about is the rolling. I wonder if I put in some more quarters, whether I can get this thing set on "permapress". Dinner can get hilarious as the eaters try to keep control of a wine glass and a fork at the same time. The fork will jump off the plate into your lap just when you least expect.
The other day I mentioned Merritt and someone emailed back, "Who is Merritt?" Merritt is one of Andi's oldest friends - she met him when she moved to Santa Cruz when she was 18 and he has been a friend of the family ever since. He was free to join us on this voyage and it has been great having extra Y Chromosomes for the heavy lifting and an extra person to share the night watches. That means that each of us should be able to get 6 hours sleep at night and catch up the rest with naps during the day. With the autopilot, it really only takes one of us to sail the boat unless there are major sail changes. Yesterday when it got light, we tried the spinnaker and quickly took it down due to too much rolling. Then we used the drifter and that proved to be the perfect sail for a while. All those changes were really a lot nicer with Merritt's help. He makes me realize how complicated this boat is because I am teaching him all about it and it is a major cram for him. He's faring well though and I think is coming to appreciate the features of the modern sailboat. I know he likes the email! Best to ya until tomorrow.

Day 11 - 990 miles to go

June 13, 2008 Friday 9pm - first night watch - 32d 56' North 50d 01' West
We made a lot of miles today. It was 20 knots of wind downwind with a 1 knot current helping, so we must have averaged above 7 knots. For boats that's decent - but it's about the speed of a healthy senior citizen on a beach cruiser bike with 7 speeds. Of course, the senior citizen has to peddle 24 hours a day, but this trip is like riding a bike across the USA.
But we aren't working that hard. Those who knew me when I was young would marvel at what a lazy sailor I have become. No more running around the decks putting sails up and taking them down to squeeze out an extra .25 knot. No, these days I just think, "hmmm, if we put it up, we'll just be taking it down in a few hours". So we have sailed the whole time with just our regular 110% jib and mainsail. We put up the spinnaker pole to extend the jib a bit better, but that is it for exertion. We've come some 1200+ miles now with nothing more than that. We motored about 8 hours, but the engine hasn't run in a week and probably won't until we arrive.
There are two unsung heroes here - the autopilot and Andi. The autopilot has steered every minute except for about 5 minutes when we turned it off for a while. Day and night,we lay around and read books, write emails, cook, enjoy hot showers, and the autopilot just sits out there and keeps us going in the right direction. It follows the wind on nights when it is so dark we can't even see the sails. Amazing! And Andi - today, thinking that we might get some bad weather, she cooked up meals for the next 3 days so that we just have to heat and eat! She won't let the rest of us cook because she has the galley organized and wants to keep it that way. So Merritt and I are living like lords!
It looks like we are going to miss the worst of the bad weather. We have been moving so well that we are ahead of the storm and, if all goes well, on Sunday afternoon we should finally be able to turn and run directly to the Azores. That will be terrific.
Best to ya....

Day 10 - Half-way there

June 12, 2008 Thursday 9pm - first night watch - 33d 07' North 52d 52' West
It's been a slow day - we are crawling along, dead downwind in lightish winds, heading south to avoid the forecast storm coming down from the north. We've been doing 3, 4, sometimes 5 knots and rolling like crazy in the big seas that are starting to march down from the storm. They are only about 6 feet high, but when you are in the trough, they look like moving walls of water and you can't see the horizon until you are on top of one of them. But they are not steep and the boat only rolls when one passes beneath.
Otherwise, things are great. Although tomorrow is Friday the 13th, the weather forecasts suggest that the storm will remain mostly to the North of us and we will get winds to 25 knots. That is no problem and since they will be coming behind us, we should be able to rack up some miles for a change. The worst weather is due on Monday or Tuesday and so there is plenty of time to make tactical moves should need to avoid something. We'll be watching. I download weather charts every day and listen to Herb, the weatherman who advises the 40 odd boats that are out here in various parts of the Atlantic.
Tonight at dinner, we celebrated the half-way point of the voyage with 1100 miles to go. It is a little cooler for the last several days. When we were near the Gulf Stream, it was warm and humid. Now it seems drier and cooler. Mind you, all this is relative. We haven't worn anything heavier than shorts and shirts since leaving, but tonight some blankets on the bed will feel good.
We've been making our own water from seawater again and it is good to finally get a good tasting glass of water after a long time. Why can't cities ever deliver a good tasting glass of water any more?
I am missing the political news and reports from the stock markets, but otherwise, on our little world we don't think much about the outside world. We're doing a lot of reading and Merritt is a gifted conversationalist, so discussions have been wide ranging. I'm the quiet one.
We haven't started practicing our Portuguese yet, but we are looking forward to good bread and food from Europe. Write if you find work....
Late Flash - I never got around to sending this. It is now noon Friday and we are going nearly due east at about 7.5 knots! The wind came up to 20K and now we are making the miles. Current pos'n 33d 04'N 50d 58'W Great sailing!

Day 10 - 1180 miles to go

June 12, 2008 Thursday 12:43 AM night watch
We made pleasant progress, although not entirely in the right direction. We have been heading South to avoid a storm ahead of us. We thought that the storm was breaking up and by the time we got there, it would be all over. Well, no such luck. When I was downloading weather faxes, I noticed a low-pressure area moving down from Labrador and headed to join up the the low that is stationary over the Azores. Sure enough, when we got the forecast from Herb this evening, he told us that we would have to get South of 33 degrees North to avoid the nastiness. We had hoped that the Azores storm would dissipate before we really needed to get that far South, but with the Labrador low joining it, it won't break up. So our new tactic is to get down to 33 North in the next day and then run down 33 until 1) it is clear that we are going to have to stay south to keep from getting hammered, or 2) or we start fudging to the North and follow the outer winds of the storm counter clockwise around right into the Azores. The storm may provide us with a handy way to get to the Azores at the end. Normally, they are in the middle of a high pressure zone with light winds and so you need to save enough fuel to motor into the islands at the end. But if we skirt around the outside of the storm, we might just be able to sail right in with a full head of steam.
Otherwise, things are nice. We are doing little pesky projects that we always meant to get around to. Andi just dusted some window ledges. The boat is in about the best shape it's ever been in. We are very happy with the boat. She's making good progress with an amazing lack of effort. I mean, sailboats aren't fast. This trip is like riding a bike across the US 24 hours a day - same distance and same speed. Later today will be the half-way point.
Of course, we only measure miles directly towards our destination. Miles zigging and zagging to miss storms don't count and there are quit a few of those. I guess we've lost at least a day and a half that way.
We saw 2 ships today - they came within a few miles of us - so there are still other humans out there! Well, I'll let Andi write a few lines now.....
Hi to you all,
Wow! Am I learning more about sailing! I just love when I'm on watch and I get to set the sails & or alter the course myself. It's different than sailing coastal where you have to stay the course. Here you have a little more freedom to pick the best angle for the wind & where you want to go. Now however where we want to go is around weather & edge our way to the Azores. I'm cooking up yummy stuff from recipes I've collected all my life with some new ones from our travels. Also learning new songs (that's my favorite pastime).The ocean & sky are huge! So I'm also taking pics. Can never get it all! Swam in the middle of the ultramarine blue Atlantic, saw some dolphins twice, looking for whales. We'll keep you posted.
Love & many thoughts with my family, past & present. More to come!
From, Andi, Andrea, Mom, Sis, Auntie Andi, La Canela

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Day 9 - 1285 miles to go

June 11, 2008 Wednesday 12:43 AM night watch
Hello again - overall a pleasant day from the wind and wave standpoint - or really, from pretty much any standpoint. We made good progress close reaching as the waves diminished. When we listened to Herb yesterday evening, he pointed out that the storm ahead of us is still parked there and kicking up 30k winds with seas up to 18'. We can see the storm on all of our weather charts - we get weather faxes over the radio several times a day. He suggested that we could avoid unpleasant weather if we drop down to the 33rd latitude and we decided to do just that. I've never been afraid to be wimpy! Unfortunately, we were up to latitude 35 and the Azores are at 39N, so going to 33N is a bit of a detour and adds distance to our sail. But, we're going south at a gradual angle and we can revisit the decision after seeing the weather charts today and hearing Herb's latest counsel. Should the storm diminish more rapidly, we won't have to go so far south. All the charts show it running out of energy and dying - the question is, how soon.
We've been running the genset a lot to create enough electricity to run our autopilot and freezer. We expected a fair amount of this, but it was getting excessive. So I read the manual for the voltage regulator - a user-unfriendly document to be sure. After 5-10 times through the relevant sections, I took a shot at custom programming the charging curves. Voila, lusty charging and much less of it! Every boat needs a gearhead!
You notice that I am doing all the typing. Thanks Miss Jones in 9th grade typing class - at least one of us can type. The others send best wishes and will email you when they get internet. We have all been doing little projects during the day. Andi is organizing and sorting things in drawers. Merritt tightened the screws on the cockpit lockers. Then, we have to keep up with our reading. At sea, I tend towards pulp fiction, Tom Clancy at the moment. I have no pride. Well, next book will have more meat to it, I promise.

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A week at sea - 1390 miles to go

June 10, 2008 Tuesday, 1AM 35d 10' 59d 55'
We had a nice day's run. Our weather guru gave us a pair of way points. If we started at the first one and ran to the second one, we would benefit from a favorable current. So we did just that and had an extra 1.5 knots of speed from the favorable current (although not exactly a direct course for the Azores). And since it was blowing 20K or more, the boat was moving very well. As the day progressed, the seas grew lumpier and it got harder to move around comfortably. However, our valiant cook added to our Costa Rican stew and put out some brie and munchies, so we all sat around the table and tried diligently to keep a bowl of stew, a glass of wine, our silverware, and the saltshaker from jumping off the table. We're getting better at it.
At sunset, it started to lighten a bit and we reset the spinnaker pole and put the jib out wing and wing. So running dead downwind with our magnificent autopilot steering we are on course and still making a good speed. The waves have moderated a bit, but they are more confused than previously, coming from both the NW and SW.
There is a storm ahead of us and to the North. It is packing winds of 35 knots and so we are not going as far North as we might want until the storm system dissipates. We are just running along the 35th parallel.
We are running our genset more than I would like. Between the autopilot and the freezer, we go through 10 amps every hour and end up running the genset about every 6 hours. It only burns about 1/8 gallon of diesel fuel every hour, so the fuel is not an issue, but running an engine of any kind is a nuisance. I have been customizing the program that the voltage regulator is using to get more charging done in the same time frame. I think it is working and tomorrow will customize still further.
Still, it beats having to sit outside and steer all the time - something that we always used to have to do. It was hard enough just steering a compass course. At night, the compass was lit up so we could see the numbers, but steering by the wind was much harder. We would either have to watch the wind vane up at the mast head to see the wind angle (and get a very sore neck) or put yarns on the rigging to show the wind direction. Even so, a human had to interpret what the wind vane was saying while it waggled from side to side. Given the difficulty that humans have concentrating on something for a long time, the autopilot does a far better job. It always pays attention and either steers a compass course or the wind angle, depending on what we ask of it.
I just went up and checked for shipping, about my only duty while on watch other than to ensure the status quo of the course and sail trim. No shipping. We haven't seen any sign of humanity since the second day. In the old days, couples who were sailing used to just go to bed for the night. Some still do, but we are being prudent, especially since there are 3 of us.
So I'll bid you a good night for now and remind you to write using our sailmail email address.

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Day 6 - 1550 miles to go

June 9, 2008 - Monday 2am 35d33'N 63d20'W
Last night we motored North to find wind and after 8 hours motoring we never found any wind that could be considered impressive, but fuel is fuel and at some point it is necessary to conserve it. So when we got up to 35 degrees north, we started sailing again. There wasn't much wind and unfortunately it was behind us. Non-sailors think that wind behind you is where you want it, but that is only true if there is plenty of it. When winds are light, you want them sort of in front of you or alongside you. Think of riding your bicycle 5MPH directly into a headwind of 5MPH. You will feel a wind of 10MPH on your face, right? Now turn the bike around and go directly downwind. When you are going downwind 5MPH in a 5MPH wind, you feel zero wind! It is calm until you stop the bike. That is what we had in those light conditions. It was blowing 6K, and we were going forward (downwind)at 2.5K and so the boat only felt 3.5K blowing over it. That wasn't enough to move it very well. If we had turned around and headed upwind, we would have felt the full 6K of wind and would have started moving forward and the faster we went, the more wind we would feel. So in that initial 6K wind, we would have been going 4K forward and would have felt 10K over the boat.
Oh well, let's not belabor this. I don't have anything better to do, but you probably do!
So all day we sailed downwind in light winds and averaged about 3.2 knots, but at least in the right direction. We took on all kinds of projects. I serviced the engines, Andi cleaned and cooked, and Merritt cleaned out the junk drawer and fixed the clamps that hold pots on the stove. Very pleasant and we felt most virtuous.
Dinner featured a stew that Andi learned how to make in Costa Rica, washed down with a most excellent Jumilla wine from Spain brought by Merritt.
After dinner, the wind increased and shifted a bit. We set the spinnaker pole and started running directly downwind with the jib on one side of the boat and the mainsail on the other. The autopilot can steer directly downwind flawlessly. Pretty soon we were making more than 6 knots right on course for the Azores. Yes!!! This is wonderful sailing. The boat is level and not rolling too much; the wind isn't so strong that we are afraid of breaking anything; and it is quiet enough to sleep well (which my colleagues are doing).
The scenery remains about the same - water all around and not much else, but we are warm and dry and well-fed. Things could be worse. Oh, and the bugs are dying off. North Carolina is not exactly bugless and when we left, we had quite a collection of critters with us. The flies got swatted or died of old age. The mosquitos were hiding in the curtains and came out the first night and ate us. Then they died. Today, Merritt found an ant in his bed, but little by little they are all dying off and we are enjoying their absence. I don't think anything itches anymore. Another blessing duly counted.
When we get to the internet, I'll go back and put some pictures in the blog, but I can't send them over Sailmail.
Have a great day.

Day 5 with light winds

June 7, 2008 Saturday 9 pm
Today the wind dropped off in the morning and we got slow but mellow sailing all day. We were able to maintain 3 knots of progress in the right direction so didn't feel like we needed to motor. On the other hand, Herb, our weather guru told us that we should get up to 35 degrees latitude for stronger winds and we couldn't seem to get above 34 degrees. We were going as high as the wind would allow with the sails sheeted in. If we tacked to go north, we would be making no progress at all to the east which is where we want to go, so we held on hoping that the wind would allow us to head more north. Wrong! Finally the wind quit altogether and after fooling around with some light sails for a while and getting a gentle chiding from Herb for not going where the wind was, we quit fooling around and turned on the engine to motor the 60 miles north. That is what we are doing at this minute. It is not very exciting, but by morning we should be sailing again after going through 6 gallons of diesel fuel.
On the other hand, the light conditions allowed Andi to indulge a fit of domesticity. She cleaned the boat, rinsed the cockpit cushions to get the salt out of them, made Walter's killer mojitos, and then crafted a dinner with some kind of Asian stir fry and some seared ahi tuna....accompanied by some Chardoney. And all this while listening to another of Tony's bands on the CDs he gave us before leaving. So now Andi and Merritt are tucked in their little beds snoozing and yours truly, the designated driver, is sitting here typing away.
There isn't anything much to do except start a new book. It is very lonely out here. We saw a ship a couple of days ago. In fact Merritt lost a few minutes off his life while the ship altered course to avoid hitting us. He woke me up to ask what to do about it, but the ship had already made the maneuver. Other than that ship, very little is going on. We saw some porpoises today and some shearwaters followed the boat. They didn't want the stale bread Andi offered them, so went away hungry.
We have 1667 miles to go now and are at 34d 37' N and 65d 24. W. I still haven't heard whether Google Earth will take latitude and longitude input so am waiting to hear from one of you who has succeeded at it. In the meanwhile, we are living well and are now some 600 miles away from the US of A. It could be worse - we could be selling used cars.

3 days now

June 6, 2008 Friday 10 pm
Hi again, we've covered 504 miles in the last 3 days and the wind is finally dropping. It is down to 8-9 knots and we are doing about 4.5 knots. After the boisterous conditions we've seen, the lighter winds are sort of a vacation. For dinner, Andi made her famous Gambas Ajillo over rice with a nice salad. The dinner was complimented by some smooth jazz from one of the bands that son Tony is currently playing in. It is much easier to cook with the boat nearly level and not throwing you from wall to wall. It should pick up again tomorrow, but I'm hoping we won't end up parked tonight later. For the first time, the back porch isn't roaring with the stern wave...just a gentle gurgle.
Our current position is 34d 36.79' N and 66d 53.67' W. I know that some of you are following us on a chart, so that will help you plot. Another easy way is to enter the latitude and longitude in Google Earth (I think it does that). If you don't have Google Earth on your computer, you are missing out on a fun toy. It is a free download. Type it in the Google search box and it the address for it will come right back. You install it on your computer and it will then go to satellite imagery on the internet to find cities and even the house you grew up in. Just type an address and it zooms in on your childhood memories. But I digress. Still, for our grandchildren who are old enough to use computers, this might be a fun way to participate. If you ask Google Earth for the Azores (Flores, our first landfall), it will zoom in on the islands and then you can click a bunch of blue dots, each of which will show you a photo taken from that location. It's pretty cool!
Speaking of cool, it isn't all that cool. I haven't put a shirt on yet and it is 10 pm. I'm glad we left when we did. We heard that there was a sailing rally that left the East Coast in early May and they got hammered. Knock on wood, so far this is perfect.
Best to all - don't be afraid to write.

1850 miles to go....

June 6, 2008 Friday - evening watch
Hi folks,
When we started, the GPS told us that we had 2220 miles to reach Flores, the first island in the Azores. Now, there are only 1850 to go.
We have been tearing up the ocean, "hastening down the wind" as some song goes. With the wind behind us, we can tolerate quite a bit of it and it has been around 20 knots all day. That means that we have been scooting along, but there are following waves that throw us around a bit. The motion is not very comfortable. The best thing is to lay down, or wedge yourself into a seat and stay put. Trying to do things can lead to strong language - hey, sailors do it because the sea makes them. But, we are sure getting there. Yesterday, we averaged 7 knots which is very nice for a boat this size.
We have been out of the Gulf Stream for a long time now so we are just getting normal Atlantic sailing. There are little phosphorescent sparkles in the water as we sail along in the dark. What ever happened to the moon? Did somebody forget to pay the moon bill. We haven't seen it since we left. Last night, with just stars and planets, I could see to move around in the cockpit. Tonight it is overcast, so it's pretty dark out...like a pocket. To look for ships, I turn on the radar every 15 minutes or so. But there is nothing around. We haven't seen a ship since yesterday. It is very moist in this neighborhood. All the cushions in the cockpit have a clammy feel. When you sit on them, you get a wet butt. If you stay there for a while, it becomes a warm, wet butt. It's not particularly cold out here. Shorts are fine all night, but to sleep in a proper bed, it is necessary to have a special pair of shorts for sleeping that have never been wet. All this so you don't feel too envious. Our rosemary and mint plants are flourishing. Jeff's daisies are still going strong.
There are a few sailboats in the vicinity (within a few hundred miles). We have been talking to them on the radio. Two are going to Bermuda, so they are heading South. And there is one of our sister ships, another Sceptre 41, Solstice, out of San Francisco. I have been exchanging emails with them for months. They read this blog to see how things are going for us and now they are 50 miles astern. It will be a mini-race since they are also headed directly to the Azores. Except they are just a couple and are guarding their strength. They reef the sails at night on general principles, so I think we're going to get there first.
There is lightning far away on the horizon. We are following a small storm across the Atlantic, but it's staying ahead of us. At some point, the winds will lighten up a bit, making for more comfort aboard, but costing us some of the miles that we are now making. Maybe we can find that happy medium.
Well, I didn't send this last night and I just awoke from a very sound sleep to find that there are only 1797 miles to go. Yay!

Computer problem fixed

June 5, 2008 13:45 Zulu
Whew! We got it fixed! It was a loose battery in the back. Just lucky that I turned it over before putting it into deep storage. Our other computer works, too so we weren't really going to be out of communication. We are now 277 miles from Beaufort and the wind is going aft which makes for very smooth and pleasant sailing although a bit slower. Our weather Guru, Herb, seems to be suggesting that we can just sail straight for the Azores. Simple - I like simple.

So you can expect to hear from us on a regular basis.

Our first full 24 hour run

June 4, 2008 Wednesday
This afternoon at around 4pm we finished our first 24 hour run. The speedo said 155 miles and that included the early mellow sailing off Beaufort and the fact that I did not calibrate the speedo for the first 12 hours. I would guess that we actually made 165 miles. For a 41 foot boat, that is not shabby. The wind was generally behind us or alongside, which is fast. And the wind was strong quite a bit of the time. As we came out of the Gulf Stream, it got very lumpy and since it was blowing 22 knots and up, I doubled reefed the mainsail. That tamed things down nicely and after a few hours, we put it all back up since the wind had dropped to 17K and the seas had moderated. We were glad to be clear of the Gulf Stream and things are now more normal. We are doing 7.5 knots with a 17K reaching wind.

Seas are smooth and we had another pleasant dinner. Then all hands had a hot shower before starting night watches. I'm sorry, but I like these creature comforts. There are some sailors who like to do everything the old fashioned way and I guess it works for them. We were doing things the old fashioned way back in the 70's and have outgrown it. This boat is a Cadillac! We've sent out all kinds of email, made some fresh water, downloaded weatherfax charts, and talked to Herb - a former cruiser who now does weather routing for cruising crossing oceans. Herb is a former weatherman and recommends that we stay to the South at about 34 degrees North for the next few days to avoid heavy weather up above 36 North. (The Azores are 39 North) Sure! I don't need to be told twice - I don't like being cold, wet, or scared. We are sailing right along 34 North - actually were doing that before Herb, but it's nice to have a more educated opinion.

The sun is about to go down and we are expecting more wind in the middle of the night. But we've reefed the sail several times already and it is really easy, so any one of us can do it without calling for assistance. Life is good. Pray for gentle winds. A bunch of you sent emails - thanks, it feels good to feel connected.

Computer problems

June 5, 2008
Hi folks,
OUr new computer isn't turning on for some reason, so I'm sending you this with the old one and it won't work on ship's batteries, so if you don't hear from us, it is not that we are having a problem, but that we can't send email.
We're sailing along fine, having gone 275 miles so far. 34d 05.46'N 71d 17.89' W
Other than the computer, all is well. Hopefully I'll get it fixed but otherwise you won't hear from us until the Azores. More later.

Across the Gulf Stream

June 4, 2008 Wednesday 9:45AM EST
Well, we had a boisterous night last night. Shortly after the last blog entry (titled "Viva Mexico" - reusing a previous entry) the wind increased until we had to reef the mail and roll up a quarter of the jib. With shortened sail, we just roared along (bouncily) . The current was helping and we saw more than 10 knots in speed over the bottom. We were only doing about 8 through the water, but who's complaining. I think our first day at sea will be in the range of 170 miles made good. We started out close reaching, but as we have gone along the wind has come further aft and I just took out the reef. We have a true wind of 16 knots on the quarter (sailor talk, sorry). How nice is that!
We had a fine dinner out in the cockpit before the wind came up higher, so we started out in gracious fashion. We've gone a bit downhill since then, but with the wind aft, the boat is level and less wave action, so lunch could have possibilities.
We must be getting to the far side of the Gulf Stream since the water is full of Sargassum Weed. The Stream has water that is a beautiful indigo blue.
Our friends, Jeff and Ellen, gave us a bouquet of daisies and other flowers before we left, and through all the rocking and rolling last night, they sat in the galley and reminded us of more tranquil living.
Just for the record, our current position is 34d 03.89N and 74d 37.47W.
We are having fun in a kind of adventurous way. If we keep this kind of wind, it will be a quick passage.
Best to ya...

Viva Mexico

June. 3, 2008 Off Beaufort, NC

We left Oriental at 10:30 this morning with a great sendoff from local friends Larry, Julie, Mick and others. It was amazing. We were so ready that there was no real stress to it all. We just went out and started the voyage. The only stress was that we had to raise the sails so that Mick could shoot some video of us (which I'm sure we'll be glad to have). But having to raise the sails after they had been down for so long meant that there were snafus in the rigging. But we quickly worked them out and I'm sure the video will be great.

We motored down Adams Creek and past Beaufort and Morehead City. As soon as we started out to sea we raised the sails and found a pleasant breeze, maybe 9 to 10 knots. So we are going upwind in light airs, moving along nicely with almost no waves whatsoever. If you have to go to windward, this is as nice as it gets. Everything (almost) is working well and things look positive. It's nice out here. It's starting to get dark and we will be starting night watches. I'm typing this now because we are charging batteries and I want to use the radio while we have the power.

We miss all you Oriental folks - and of course, all of our old friends from a former life. Hope to see you in Spain.

Finally on our way....

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Today we will be leaving in just a few hours. Meanwhile, here is our last chance to show you a few pictures:

Here we see Andi sewing on the new canopy that will shade the boat. The marina was good enough to let her use the floor in the store and she sewed for about 7 days.
Last week we went to a party at some friends house and Andi captured this artzy shot of a boat tied up at the dock behind the house. There are lots of waterfront homes around here, which is why so many sailors have settled here...well, that and the good company.
Here we are in the shade of the new canopy. The artist was good enough to allow me to pose here too, even though I provided little but moral support.
Finally, another artzy shot showing what will happen if you don't maintain your boat. Our friend Jeff has painted this scene, but all we have is the photo.

Our friend Merritt arrived from CA last night, all the groceries are stowed, so today we untie the dock lines and head out to the ocean through Beaufort, NC. The weather forecast is great and so we are really looking forward to it.

We want to thank all the wonderful friends that we made in Oriental this year for being such terrific people. This is a stellar community and we will miss all of you.

Until later....