A couple of links and comments
http://tslrf.blogspot.com/2008/11/pirates.html
Friday, November 28, 2008
Pirates
So pirates are back, with another hijacked ship of the Somali coast... The three man security team put up a "sustained non-lethal defence" of the ship, before being overcome. Now I don't want to be too much of an asshole, but seriously? A sustained non-lethal defense? Pirates are trying to kill you, and you go for the non-lethal? Here is an idea for ships in the area, carry guns. When they try to shoot you, shoot them. This is not rocket science, is the old school way of fighting pirates. The pirate captain was quoted, saying, "Who can stop them? Americans and British all put together cannot do anything."Is this where we are at? Whats sad about this quote is that he is half right. We have chosen not to do anything. Its not that we cant, but we lack the balls. Where is Jefferson when we need him?
Comment - It is up to the yachtsman/cruiser to take actions to prepare himself and his vessel, not the government or anyone else.
Comment Two.
http://infidelsarecool.com/2008/11/29/day-4-in-mumbai-its-finally-over/
- approx. halfway down -
Ten men, all apparently in their early 20s, jumped out. They stripped off orange windbreakers to reveal T-shirts and blue jeans. Then they began hoisting large, heavy backpacks out of the boat and onto their shoulders, each taking care to claim the pack assigned to him.
Mr. Dhanur flipped his boat light toward the men, and Kashinath Patil, a 72-year-old harbor official on duty nearby, asked the men what they were doing.
“I said: ‘Where are you going? What’s in your bags?’ “ Mr. Patil recalled. “They said: ‘We don’t want any attention. Don’t bother us.’ “
Thus began a crucial phase of one of the deadliest terrorist assaults in Indian history, one that seemed from the start to be coordinated meticulously to cause maximum fear and chaos.
Comment - Could this have been stopped by early questioning of suspicious activities? Be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts.
Welcome Back S/Y LELANTA
Lelanta has an aft cabin with queen bunk, bureau, drawers, hanging locker, two opening ports & companionway to the cockpit. The forward starboard cabin has two bunks (upper/lower single berths) with drawers, lockers & bulkhead hanging. This cabin has an opening port at upper bunk level & deck cowl vents.
The main head is off the main salon with sink, toilet & full shower with linen cabinetry & drawer. The forward head is on the starboard side with sink, cabinetry & mirrors & toilet.
- 80' Marconi Staysail Schooner
- Designer/Builder: John Alden/De Vriss Lentch
- Year Built: 1929
- Last Refit:2008
- Max number of Guests: 4
- Total crew: 2
Winter 2008/9, Caribbean, All inclusive except special requests:
$14,000/wk for 2 guests, $16,000/wk for 4 guests
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$14,000/wk for 2 guests, $16,000/wk for 4 guests
View LELANTA's online brochure: CLICK HERE
Contact Paradise Connections to book LELANTA: CLICK HERE
Visit our website: http://www.paradiseconnections.com
Looking forward to your inquiries...
Happy Thanksgiving from the Vi's
Since we finished the race to the Vi's, we have had a great time. We had several days at Village Cay Marina after we finished the race. Time to wash down the salt, do laundry and re-provision and of course trade stories with the rest of the racers. The fleet was taunted with nightly parties courtesy of Mount Gay Rum. The last night was the final dinner. Nana Maria placed 5th in our division which was great. We were all quite proud of our accomplishment.
After the awards dinner in Tortola last week it was time to get out of the marina and see some other things. On Wednesday we headed to Monkey Point to do some swimming and snorkeling. We anchored for the night at Trellis Bay right beside the airport. Trellis Bay works out great for crew arriving to or leaving from Beef Island. You can take them by dingy to shore and a short walk across a field gets you to the airport. We had a tour of shore and many unique shops with lunch at a beach bar.
The next day we headed to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. For the past few years, they have hosted the Phat Virgin party. A great party. The marina provided drinks and hors d' oeuvres for the party at the beach bar. Good music and lots of fun. Ask Mark about Kelly dragging him off a bar stool to take him home. . . Lots of rumors make for a much better story than the truth. The next day we stayed at the marina and had dinner that night at The Rock. A great restaurant on top of a hill. Our table is surrounded by huge rocks. Good food and good company and a beautiful setting.
The next day we left for Anegada which is a relatively unpopulated island compared to the others in the area. It is very shallow and surrounded by reefs. It is off limits to most of the charter boats and probably rightfully so. Not easy to get into.
Bill & Linda on Sapphire (Friends of Mark & Janels), suggested renting a vehicle to tour the island. So Bill arranged a truck with seat benches on the back. So 12 of us toured the island on the truck/taxi. Lots of fun. Bill drove and 10 of us sat in the back of the truck. The first stop was Cow Wreck beach. Lots of cow pies as we got out of the truck and Joy managed to step in one and took lots of abuse. Unfortunately the wind was howling and it wasn't a great day for swimming and snorkeling. But given given the right conditions - the snorkeling would have been phenomenal. The island is very flat and has miles and miles and beautiful beaches. You can walk for miles on the beach and never see another person or footstep in the sand. The anchorage at Anegenda is shallow. The first night we anchored the depth sounder showed 6.5 feet which is what Nana Maria draws and as the tide dropped we were aground. We did move the next day to a slightly deeper spot. That night we had a great dinner at Neptune's Treasure. The next night we had a pot luck dinner with a few neighbors on Nana Maria.
On Tuesday we went to Leverick Bay. We toured shore and then drinks on Joy for All - a Farr 50. Gill & Joy are lots of fun. On Wednesday we headed for Sophers Hole. A great sail with the bag of terror (new AKA Beauty & the Beast)
Our time is starting to run out. Tomorrow Kelly & Howard fly home. On Monday, we take Nana Maria to Nanny Key Marina. Mark & Janel have arranged to have the boat pulled and It will be painted Claret Red while they are gone. On Tuesday the four of us will fly to Washington DC. Then the drive home and back to reality. Oh well . . .
Take care. See you soon
Marianne & Rod Nuttall
Sobering news - and what does it portend?
Terrorists in Mumbai attack arrive by boat
By IBI Magazine
Terrorists who attacked the financial district, railway station and two upscale hotels yesterday in Mumbai arrived by small high-speed boats, according to local press reports. The terrorists, whose boats may be registered in Pakistan, are responsible for the killing of at least 100 people and wounding of 200 more.
According to Sify.com, the terrorists arrived by boat at the Gateway of India jetty, which is Mumbai's most identifiable landmark, and then crossed the street to the Taj Mahal palace. They also commandeered vehicles to attack the Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station, the Leopold café while entering the Taj and the Oberoi Trident hotels. They are still holding tourists as hostages in the hotels. Reports say the terrorists singled out US and UK citizens.
The Gateway of India jetty is a popular tourist destination and typically has 200 boats moored there. "We know they arrived at the jetty and then began targeting popular sites in south Mumbai. We have yet to establish if they came in from sea routes from Karachi," a top intelligence told the website.
"Unlike previous terror attacks in cities across India this year that involved planting bombs, this time around gunmen have been at the forefront lobbing grenades and firing from their AK-47 assault weapons," the official said. "The attackers call themselves the Deccan Mujahideen but we have not heard of such a group and we don't know if it is genuine. But we understand that some of the terrorists spoke Hindi from eyewitnesses."
Other news sources speculate that the attackers are Pakistani nationals and that their boats are registered in Pakistan. The Times of India reported that Colaba police have impounded four boats used by the terrorists to reach the Mumbai coast. Indian warships and surveillance aircraft are searching around Mumbai to look for a 'Mother Ship' which could have ferried the terrorists and their boats.
Terrorist attacks by small boats are not unprecedented. Al Qaeda used a small boat in 2000 to attack the USS Cole in Yemen. The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka have also used small boats to attack that country's navy, including "stealth suicide craft." US officials have speculated that small boats could be used to attack major urban centers in US ports or other strategic targets like liquid propane gas terminals.
(27 November 2008)
As awful as the actual events are, what knee jerk reactions from the various governments around the world going to do to civilian yachtsmen/cruisers/boaters? Keep an eye out for excessive regulation coming down the pike, for "our own safety" of course.
Latest update for Maritime Vital Asset Protection, LLC
We have been busy. We recently acquired from Pam at pamcom security her internet security and surveillance camera sites, and are in the process of updating and learning how the whole venture works.
Please check out the sites.
http://www.pamcompersonalsecurity.com/
http://www.pamcomsecuritysystems.com/
Also working in tandem with Phantom Security, link is on the right hand side.
We are committed to helping educate and assist the civilian yachting/cruising/boating community - drop us a line and let us help you.
Sad news from Venezuela
http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/caribbeancentral-america/pirate-attack-claims-life-of-beloved-cruiser-1000067340-p1.html
http://www.doyleguides.com/updatesvenez.html
http://forums.cruisingworld.com/showthread.php?t=18146
US Consulate Guayaquil issues Piracy Warning for Ecuador
In their latest Warden Message (November 19, 2008) the U.S. Consulate Guayaquil issued a piracy warning for Ecuador. In their message the U.S. Consulate General and U.S. Embassy Ecuador wishes to inform American citizens visiting or resident in Ecuador to use extreme caution when sailing near the coast of Ecuador, as there was a recent incident of armed robbery at sea off the coast of Ensenada de Pedernales, Manabi by modern day pirates. Recreational craft, merchant vessels and fishing boats all are at risk for attack by pirates. This incident highlights the continuing danger of maritime travel off the coast of Ecuador. If transit off the coast is unavoidable, it is strongly recommended that vessels travel in convoys, transit over the horizon from land, and maintain good communication at all times.
Before planning a trip at sea research anti-piracy measures. Ensure your vessel maintains an Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitter, working transponders and HF and VHF radios, use high illumination lights after dark, lock your doors to living spaces, gather information from other vessels, have personnel on watch on deck at night, increase your speed, and keep your distance from suspicious ships. A reported pirate tactic has been to issue a false distress call to lure a vessel closer into a trap; therefore caution should be taken when responding to distress calls.
The Department of State encourages U.S. citizens to ensure that standard U.S. Coast Guard required safety equipment is aboard; including life preservers are available prior to getting underway. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness, even when on the open seas. The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Consulate General will continue to monitor the situation and keep American citizens apprised of any further developments.
Americans living or traveling in Ecuador are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Ecuador. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. Please see the following links for local warden message information in Quito and Guayaquil.
U.S. citizens should consult the Country Specific Information for Ecuador and the latest Travel Alerts and Warnings and Worldwide Caution at the Department's web site. Updated information on travel and security in Ecuador may also be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States or by calling +1-202-501-4444 outside the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Quito is located at Avigiras E12-170 y Eloy Alfaro. The telephone during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) is (011) 593 2 398 5000 X3800. Within the same city use the last seven digits. Add the city code for intercity telephone calls. See also the Embassy web site. American Citizen walk-in hours are between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday thruThursday, excluding U.S. and Ecuadorian holidays.
The U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil is located at the corner of Avenida 9 de Octubre and Garcia Moreno (near the Hotel Oro Verde); telephone (011) 593 4 232-3570 during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) or 232-1152 for after-hours emergencies; fax (011-593-4) 232-0904. See the Consulate General web site . American Citizen walk in hours are between 12:00 and 4:00, Monday thru Thursday, excluding U.S. and Ecuadorian holidays.
Sources:
Warden Message, U.S. Consulate Guayaquil
Warden Message, OSAC
Inland to Ephesues ..... November 2008
10-12 November 2008I'm off home to Auckland for a month to help Mum and Dad shift from their home of 27 years to a lovely new apartment in a brand new retirement village complex. My Emirates flights are booked from Istanbul so we decided to do a little sightseeing up to Epheseus, then for Mark to drop me at Izmir Airport for a flight to Istanbul.It's the first time we were spending such a length of time apart so trying to think of what I need to take and what he needs to keep was quite a mission.
Finally bags were packed and we collected our hire car and headed north to Kusadasi. We had intended to stay the night here then head on to Epheseus the following morning but it was a big busy port town and didn't seem to hold much appeal from what we saw, so continued on a short distance to Selcuk.
We stayed in a great little hotel in the centre of town http://www.hotelbella.com/ and the 60Lira room rate included a great breakfast, a lovely rooftop lounging area with free internet and a lovely big fire (well it's winter now) and a return transfer to the nearby Epheseus ruins.We went out for a walk, tucked up in more clothes than
we had worn for years, and wandered around the cute little old town area of Selcuk, with ancient ruins and a huge old aquaduct dominating the city square. This whole area boasts more ruins per square mile than anywhere else in the Med, and they do have plenty.The following morning we got our transfer to the ruins around 10am which in hindsight was a big mistake, we should have waited and gone later, just look at those crowds in the photo. We found out later there were 3 Cruise ships in Izmir and Kusadasi and all the passengers were at Epheseus for their morning sightseeing tour, busy busy busy. So we just walked off the beaten track and waited and waited until the bulk of the tour groups had moved on and then enjoyed this amazing old city in a little more peace and quiet. I came here years ago when backpacking around Europe and remember them as being outstanding, since then we have seen many a ruin, and somethimes feel "ruined out", but these truly are worth it and some of the building structures are still in very good repair. We spent over 3 hours there then got our transfer back and went into town for my last pide "Turkish pizza" for a while.
Mark dropped me at the airport early as we wanted him to get started on the 300km trip back to Marmaris while it was still light, as it turned out it was a very good thing I was early. I was too early to check in for my flight so waited a while until a counter opened. My e-ticket was checked, my credit card checked and my passport was also asked for, strange I thought this is only a domestic flight, but thank heavens they checked it.We have a problem. Problem? what problem I ask, my passport is valid, oh dear this is not my passport, this is Marks passport, we certainly do have a problem!!!!! After a very frantic phonecall, which thankfully Mark heard while driving he confirmed he did have my passport, all I had to do was sit and wait, and wait. Unfortunately he was already back on the toll motorway, next exit 30kilometres in peak hour traffic. Izmir is home to 2.2million people, we are not talking small town provincal airport here. But if there is one thing Mark loves, that is a challenge and he got back to me waiting on the footpath, we did a superquick exchange of passports and final goodbyes. I tore back in, ofcourse having to do all the security checks again, ran to the closed
checkin who were waiting for me, got told Gate 4, Run and run I did, last onboard, door closed and we had pushback 10 minutes early!!!! and I think sailing is stressful.The thought of missing my domestic flight, then the flight to Dubai, then onto Melbourne and Auckland was just dreadful, how we ever switched passports I have no idea, I also had my EU passport which was mine (not Marks), but would have never got out of Turkey on it as my entry stamp was in my NZ passport, thank heavens Mark thought to take the other (my)passport with him - my hero, hate to think how we would have solved it all otherwise. Anyway, no harm done just a few more grey hairs. So now its the Admiral in Auckland for a month and the Skipper unsupervised in Marmaris, mmmmmmm.
OCEANA, Oyster 82, open for New Years charter
The Oyster 82 OCEANA is currently available for a New Years charter from December 26th in the British Virgin Islands.
This is a lovely yacht with three crew for a maximum of six guests.
Weekly rate is US$34,100 plus all expenses. There is no ten day minimum for this holiday charter.
View OCEANA's brochure: CLICK HERE
Contact Paradise Connections: CLICK HERE
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Catamaran CHE - Charter Thailand & Maldives 2009
The luxurious, 74-foot Sunreef catamaran CHE, who offers maximum comfort and sophisticated style will be available for crewed yacht charters in Thailand from 5th January 2009 or in the Maldives towards the end of January 2009.
The weekly rate for up to 6 guests is 35,000 euros, plus all expenses.
View CHE's online brochure: CLICK HERE
If the brochure is asking for a password, please contact us.
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We are looking forward to your inquiries!
The Triton - a great resource
Article From Noonsite - Nov 20, 2008
A View on Piracy in the Indian Ocean
Created by val. Last modified on 2008-11-20 15:03:37
Topic: Piracy
The recent audacious hijack of a giant supertanker from Saudi Arabia by Somali pirates off the Kenyan coast has dismayed the world, carried out in spite of the presence of more and more of the world's battleships. There has been no lack of news from the troubled area, but what does it mean for the cruising sailor?
If you were (or are) thinking of sailing between Asia and Europe right now, the obvious choice is to avoid the area altogether and sail around the coast of Africa, which carries its own difficulties. There's another way of thinking about it - with piracy so successful a venture for the Somalis, maybe they won't be worrying about pickings from a few tiny sailboats in the Gulf of Aden. Anyone want to test that theory? (or going to?)
On the issue of danger, it's worth remembering that the Caribbean Sea is much more dangerous than the Indian Ocean. While kidnapping is hardly pleasant, no deaths or injury have been recorded for cruising sailors in the Indian Ocean, while sailors have been left injured, permanently maimed or dead from pirate attacks in the Caribbean.
Courtesy Sail-World's Cruising World newsletter 20th Nov. 2008
Thanks to the folks at Noonsite for the reminder - even though the focus in the media is on commercial shipping, Somalia and piracy, cruising sailors still need to take measures to protect themselves.
Movie Morning Light Comming to Winnipeg
The Disney Movie ‘Morning Light’ will be screened in
This is not a film about sailboat racing but rather a story about a group of young adults sailing across the ocean and the obstacles they encounter. Fifteen young sailors... six months of intense training... one chance at the brass ring. This exciting True-Life documentary tells the inspiring story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women on the cusp of adulthood, as they embark on life’s first great adventure. Racing a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the crew of "Morning Light" matches wits and skills in a dramatic 2500 mile showdown against top professionals.
Nana Maria - We've Arrived!
We all slept very well since we were all very tired. The last 3 days were tough. Great sailing but the boat was healing at 15 to 25 degrees with lots of pitching back and forth. It was not condusive to sitting below and trying to type emails. That is why you did not hear from us at all.
There is WiFi at the marina but none of us can get on so far. Will write more once we get better access.
Marianne & Rod, Mark & Janel, Kelly & Howard & Fozzie
Update from Rod & Marianne & Janel & Mark
It is now Wednesday 10:00 pm and Rod and I are on watch. Captain Mark isdozing in the cockpit, waiting for the watermaker to finish making a few more gallons of fresh water. The rest of the crew is hopefully sleeping as well but likely as last night no one will get a great sleep. It continues to blow 30 to 35 knots with gusts to 40 and the waves up to 10 feet. Last night was the same and the waves pounding the side of the hull and the constant bouncing made it very difficult to sleep. But we have a full moon and that made the sail last night quite pleasant beforethe winds kicked up again. We have seen very little other boat traffic over the past few days.
Tonights weather report wasn't what we were hoping for. The winds are expected to continue to increase even more along with squalls over the next few days. Then Friday the winds should drop a little but clock to South east which is the direction we are going (not good in sailing).
So it won't be as enjoyable as we may have hoped but Nana Maria has proven herself to be able to handle heavy winds. It just proves to be abit of a challenge to move around or do anything because of the healing and pitching of the boat. As was pointed out at one of the seminars before we left, majority of the accidents and injuries to people on the Caribbean 1500 happen below decks. And I can believe it. It is a big challenge to walk within the cabin, get something to drink etc. If you aren't hanging on when the boat pitches or rolss you can be tossed around.
See Janel's notes below.
If all goes well we should arive in Tortola this week-end, may be Saturday.
Time to go and finish my watch. Take care. Hoping our emails have been reaching you but not sure since we have heard little from anyone??
Marianne & Rod
. . . I am forwarding Janel's email below which she wrote earlier today.
Hi All,
Today is Wednesday November 12 and the wind is blowing 25 to 30 knots,the waves are 12 feet and rising. The boat is heeled over 15 to 30degrees and the simpilest chores become gargantuan.. Picture your selvestanding up on a roller coaster, try to boil water in order to make coffee etc etc, I am sure you get the idea of what kind of effort it is. So dinner tonight might just be all the wraps and sandwiches that Marianne made or a whole lot of junk food. You can NOT put anthing down or it will become a missile flying thru the air. Ourselves included if not properly hanging on. The waves that are continuesly breaking over the bow are allowing us to find leaks that are new and to refresh our memories as to where the old ones are. We are keeping dry from the sea water because of the enclosure, but the temperature inside is like a very sunny sauna. All the sweating is good for the skin we are told... Poor Foz is not liking this too much but we do have a spray bottle in the cockpit filled withcold water so we can all try to keep cool. I guess I shouldn't complain to much, I could be knee deep in snow back home, instead of shorts and tank tops. Kelly was just moments ago exclaiming Holy Cow, look at thesize of that wave we just surfed down and from where I sit or rather from where I am perched, it looked much bigger than the ones before it. Nana Maria had her first and last (I hope) break down. Our aft head(aka bathroom) has become in operable.. A huge breakdown, as there are six of us on board sharing one tiny tiny bath. Mark and Howard spent yesterday trying to fix the problem, but alas it has eluded them. Asper usual with 5 or 6 somewhat bored adults, we did have to tease them, with phrases such as : You are such a Head Banger, Are you two Playing Head Games, Two Heads are better than one, Shi--y Job but someone has to do it, Mark is the big Shi- and Howard is the Little Shi-etc. etc . Marianne is now giving Kelly her Head Dressing recipe, in order to prevent any problems on her own boat Sunsets and as Kelly doesn't cook ( by her own admission I might add) she has been instructed NOT to use it for salads. At this point I will say that this is enough potty talk and I am getting tired of bracing myself against a wall in order to try and type. Thank goodness for spell check !!!Bye for now, as it is nap time and I am hoping not to be tossed out of my bunk this time.
Janel Mark Rod Marianne Howard Kelly and of course the Foz (aka thedog)
2008 Awards
Family Award: Peter and Anna Fuller
Racing Family: Wendy and Blair Magnus
Super Cruiser: Dave Christianson and Vera Steinberger
Volunteer of the Year: Rob Eby
Single Handed Sailor: David Luke
Tea Cup - May 31st 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Borderline
3rd Deja Blue
Summer Solstice Pursuit Race - June 21st 2008:
1st Sloop Du Jour
2nd Black Pearl
3rd Sorcerer
Warroad Race - June 28th – July 2nd 2008:
1st Bird Bath
2nd Vixen
3rd Fogger
Commodore’s Cup Pursuit Race - July 19th 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Sorcerer
3rd Raven
Rear Commodore’s Cup Pursuit Race - Aug 23rd 2008:
1st Raven
2nd Black Pearl
3rd Borderline
Club Championships 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Borderline
3rd Sorcerer
Update from Nana Maria
A couple of the boats in our fleet have had to divert to Bermuda because of damage to sails and rigging. Fortunately, it was not too far for them since most had headed towards Bermuda at the start in case they needed a place to hunker down if Paloma became a problem. Sunday we were able to sail most of the day. The winds were pretty light and behind us, so we got out Captain Mark's favorite sail-a flasher that he affectionately calls "The Whomper!! " (Janel refers to it as "His Bag of Terror!") The Whomper looks like a big kite flying on the front of the boat. It is just too big and powerful to be used safely in heavy winds, so Sunday was a good day to try it out while making progress towards Tortola at the same time.
Unfortunately, we have not seen any wildlife yet, other than a Tropic Bird, which is a white bird with a long tail that is common in Bermuda. On prior trips we've caught lovely fishmahi mahi, tuna, and white marlin. This time we haven't even had a strike. Fisago and Glass Slipper are reporting the same results.
Janel is determined to catch fish for dinner. She has resorted to her final trick-she is spraying the lure with a secret recipe of WD-40 and a secret ingredient. But just in case we're skunked again, she has started working on Plan B-she has pulled a homemade meatloaf dinner from the freezer Necessity is the mother of invention so we've found a new use for the engine. The Yanmar 160 Turbo now has secondary duty as food defroster as well. Janel is working on getting Mark to let her cook on it too.
Today, the engine is back on as we try get some "easting" done before the winds shift. The seas were still very rolly-polly on Sunday, but today they are smooth as glass. All day, we were surrounded by some very ominous looking large and dark clouds. Apparently it is some sort of Trof or Ridge that is being or will be fed by the remnants of Paloma. The sun is about to set and the cloud ridge is getting closer and uglier, so we've battened down everything and are about to have a hurried dinner in case we are up all night. To add to the excitement, we just saw a small pod of whales not too far off the starboard side of the boat. That was a nice treat. I guess we are NOT out here all by ourselves.
More Later.
Kelly & Howard
Life at Sea on Nana Maria
In this race, you can run your engines, but there is a penalty. They add on 1 hour to your time for every hour you run your engine. So our rule of thumb is this: If one hour of engine time gets us further than 2 hours of sailing time, we run the engine. Up until Friday night, the fastest we could get the boat to sail was 3 knots so turned on the engine. By about 7pm, the wind picked up, we were singing along at 8-9knots in 17-20knots of wind. Not too shabby!
This race is “handicapped” also. Each boat has a certain number of hours that will be deducted from its time. The ratings come from the size and shape of the boat as well as the size and shape of the sails each ship is equipped with One of the fastest boats is called 1700Somewhere, a Macgregor 65 just like our Sunsets. 1700Somewhere will only have about 5 hours deducted from his final time. We will have about 23 hours deducted. Some of the smaller boats will have a much more than that deducted. This is how they even the playing field. Additionally, the Racing Fleet is broken up into 3 divisions. There is an overall winner as well as a winner for each division. We are in Division 2 and we are one of the fastest boats in that division. So if you are tracking our progress on www.Carib1500.com, keep in mind that the boats that are further south may have more engine hours or a smaller handicap so they still may not win for their divisions. (That’s my way of saying—No matter how bad it looks, we are not losing!!)
Janel is a wonderful chef and has prepared and frozen several lovely meals that we can eat on the crossing. Friday night, was her fabulous homemade Lasagna for dinner. The sails were set for the evening and it was a lovely dinner followed by a beautiful sunset. Howard and I covered the Midnight to 4M shift. It was very precarious because a thick fog settled in around 10pm. We could not see a thing. Thank goodness we have radar to keep an eye on things. The fog was fully lifted by the end of shift at 4am.
By daybreak we were well into the Gulfstream with its choppy waves, Saturday’s wind lasted all the way into the night and we spent the day plowing through the stream. Being in the Stream certainly makes things uncomfortable. The boat is tossed about and you have to hang on to do anything. The Stream runs up the coast of the US and then veers off to Europe. It carries very warm water with it. We watched water temperatures jump from 68 to 82 in a matter of a few hoursl By the end of Saturday, we were out of the Gulfstream, thank goodness. The confused and choppy seas not only contribute to seasickness but also make it hard to do the simplest tasks.
On Saturday. Marianne and I both came down with the 24hour flu that has been going around the fleet. Marianne felt it coming on all day Saturday and I joined her in her misery on Saturday night. We think Howard may have it too, or he has another bad case of seasickness. (We may not have found the right combination of drugs to keep his seasickness under control) With 3 crew members down and out, the “weak” cold front that the weather folks had been predicting blew through. It slammed with us with sustained winds at 30knots, gusts of 45knots, rain and 10’ seas. The winds were so strong that they sheared the foam off of the violently breaking waves. Sails were reefed in and out all night in an attempt to keep control of the boat. Unfortunately, Marianne and I were useless. I spent the evening tucked into the bottom berth with the lee cloth in place. (A lee cloth is a piece canvas that is strung up across the entrance to your bunk so you don’t get pitched out of bed. Believe me, it was a necessary piece of equipment last night.) Marianne wedged herself across the V-berth in an attempt to stay still. At times, I expect that she was airborne a couple times through the night as the boat lurched and slammed into the oncoming waves. When a wave crashes into the boat just right, it sounds like gunshots. Everyone was up all night and totally exhausted by daybreak. Even into the morning, we would watch the squalls gather on the radar screen as the proceeded to hammer us. Finally, the weather calmed down around 7am on Sunday.
Sunday looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. Just don’t know if we’ll have wind.
Take care all.
Kelly & Howard on NanaMaria
Two from Noonsite - Violent attacks against cruisers
Fatal Pirate Attack in Venezuela
Created by sue. Last modified on 2008-11-10 17:19:20
Topic: Piracy Reports 2008
Countries: Venezuela
It has been reported on cruising forums that on Sunday night an American, the captain of the vessel Chill, Ken Peters, was killed by pirates at Isla Borracha near Puerto La Cruz.
It appears that Ken and his wife Cathy were anchored with another boat I'Lean, with fellow cruisers Steve & Gloria Davis aboard. Both boats had departed Puerto La Cruz from BahĂa Redonda Marina headed west and had stopped at Isla Corracha for the night to clean the boat bottoms and prepare for the voyage west.
At approximately 1730 on Sunday a piñero with 3 men aboard approached the two anchored yachts asking for water. When one of the crew came back up from below with water, they shot Ken with pistols, and attempted to kill Steve. Details are not precise, but Steve apparently then shot at the pirates with a shotgun killing one and injuring another. Ken was killed in the exchange and Steve was shot in the thigh.
The Guarda Costa was called and responded and the 2 boats returned to Puerto La Cruz. It has been reported by cruisers in PLC that the whole community are in a state of shock and grief and that a large scale exodus of cruisers is probable.
The Venezuelan coast remains dangerous and prudent cruisers would be wise to avoid it for the time being.
http://www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2008-11-10-1/view
Attention Yachts Cruising the Ecuadorian Coast
Created by sue. Last modified on 2008-11-09 16:35:47
Topic: Piracy Reports 2008
Countries: Ecuador
SY ARGONAUTA I, currently cruising the Costa Rican coast, reported hearing of an armed boarding in Ecuador via the Panama Pacific Net, 0800 hrs local on 8 November 2008.
SY SARANA reported that while at anchor overnight they experienced an armed boarding and robbery by four men. The pirates stole money and electronic items and roughed up a crew member. Fortunately, injuries amounted to cuts and bruises.
The location of the attack was near Punta Pedernales, Equador. Co-ordinates 00 03N/080 050W.
The crew reported the incident to both the US and Ecuadorian Coast Guards. Ecuadorian authorities came on board to interview the crew.
Yachts traveling the Ecuadorian coast should note the area where the attack took place and be advised to avoid the area.
Please take proper precautions, be vigilant and cruise safely. Drop me a line to learn more actions you can take.
A reminder for all
Man found guilty in murder of couple tossed off yacht, 1 other
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/20/yatch.killings.ap/index.html?iref=newssearchJust a reminder that protection of you, your vessel and loved ones does not occur only when cruising. It can happen right at home. Be vigilant and prepared.
It would have been better if the couple had been able to defend themselves adequately against this scum.
Don
Update from Rod & Marianne on Nana Maria
So it looks like it’s a go for departure on Friday morning. We had a weather briefing today at 4:00 pm and a final briefing is planned for Friday 8:00 am. Then a quick exit out of the marina to the start line for an 11:00 am start on the Chesapeake outside of Hampton & Norfolk Virginia.
Our crew Kelly says "Even though Tropical Storm/Hurricane Paloma will be brewing, all of the experienced weather folks say that the cold waters around Bahamas and Bermuda should keep it from developing into anything other than bad weather by the time we’re near. If it comes to it, we can always divert to Bermuda until it passes. (Bermuda is about 4 days out.) The lows that were off the Carolinas have worked their way up the coast and since Tuesday it has been “blowing like stink” (that’s a nautical term) here. The weather is supposed to move off today and tomorrow things should be a little calmer out there."
There has been a 24 hour flu going around the fleet. Captain Mark had it on Tuesday. Captain Janel has it today. Our biggest regret is that she may not be up to preparing the frittata that has become a tradition for breakfast on departure day. We’ll have to save that for arrival day in Tortola.
So today was our last trip for provisioning and a last trip to West Marine. Rod is now cooking us a Roast Pork dinner that we are all looking forward to.
The last major job is to start stowing gear so nothing can fly around while we are underway.
We just had the draw for our watch times. For those not familiar with crossings - Someone must be watching, navigating, steering the boat etc. 24 hours a day for the next 7 to 10 days - we drew the 8 to 12 watch (am & pm). So Rod & I will be on watch from 8 am to 12 pm and then again 8 pm to mid-night. I think we got the best watch!
Remember, you can track the fleet and get more info at www.carib1500.com. Our boat is Nana Maria. Kelly - one of our crew, has been sending updates to this web-site so watch it to hear more.
If you want to reach us, we will not have access to our email after early Friday am until we get to the BVI's but you can email us at Mark & Janel's email address: nanamaria@ocens.com. Please put your emails in “text” format, no pictures or attachments and keep them short and sweet. We are using a Sat Phone and it is SLOOOOOW and expensive. Also, if you respond back to one of our messages, please delete our original message.
Cruisin, Boozin' and Snoozin' 2008
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| Tug of war in the Andaman Islands |
After leaving Thailand we started in the Andaman Islands, governed by India and still following English traditions of the 1960's. You can not be in a rush here, the sooner you except this the more you will enjoy it. This is an island group incorporated with the Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar's are still off limits to any outsiders (including local Indians), the indigenous population roam the islands, defending them proudly and attacking any one that comes too close with bow and arrows. There are also islands within the Andaman group that are off limits, this is truly an outpost, sitting alone in the Bay of Bengal.
From here we were blown into the harbour at Galle in Sri Lanka. The unplanned stops are often the best and we had a great stay in Sri Lanka and managed to avoid the Tamal Tiger bomb blasts as we toured inland over Independence Weekend. This is a beautiful lush fertile country, but inland it is being torn apart by the fighting and on the coast they are still desperately trying to recover from the immense damage done in the 2005 Tsunami. They have a long road to recovery, unifying and rebuilding their country.
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| Colourful women of Eritrea |
Next we moved along to Yemen and the southern Red Sea countries. This was a journey that took us back in time to the civilisations that were the founders of mankind. In Yemen, Eritrea and Sudan, time has stood still - they are truly amazing places and can not be compared to anything we have seen before. They take your breath away, and have left us with such deep lasting memories, they are a world apart and very special places. They are all so dreadfully poor, but they are survivors, they have been their since time began and life goes on regardless.
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| The men of Yemen |
And then we were in the Med, what an enormous relief and a huge sense of achievement. Greek Cyprus was a breath of fresh air after months in strict Muslim countries, it was great to feel normal again. It is a lovely island, lacking unfortunately in safe harbours so our time there was limited. Then we were just 180miles away from Turkey, we arrived 25 June and have enjoyed every day since cruising the magical southern coastline and a few of the Greek Dodecanese Islands.
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| Sudanese women |
IN A NUTSHELL -
Countries visited - 13
Nautical miles travelled - 6743 of which 3263 were offshore
Nights at sea - 33
Nights tied up in Marinas or town quays - 90
Different Anchorages visited - 93 (several nights at some and also returns to some)
Nights spent off the boat touring - 13
Strongest winds - 38knots at anchor in Ras Banas, Egypt
Most miles covered in a day - 165m enroute to Oman from the Maldives
Fastest speed - 8.6knots, ironically on our last day cruising coming towards Marmaris!
Sleepless nights - 2 at sea Andamans to Sri Lanka with squalls, 1 in Greece and 3 in Turkey with thunderstorms late in the season and boats around us dragging
Rainy days - 1 (while on land travel to Asmara!). This should be rainy hours of which there are about 5 hours. A couple during squalls Andamans - Sri Lanka, 1 hour upon arrival in Maldives, and a couple of hours in recent weeks at night in Turkey
Cloudy days - 3 in Massawa while passing through the convergence zone, 1 in Turkey mid October
Sunny days - Every other day and long may it continue, currently 10.30am at 26c in Marmaris!!!!!
How much did it cost - When we were planning on going cruising it was so hard to find out how much people were spending, as I was told by one long term cruiser you will spend what you can afford which is very true. During these 51 weeks we spent an average of just under NZ$600 per week. This includes everything except for the cosmetic work we had done in Thailand (new galley bench, sail cover, fibreglass repairs to hull). I have also included all the food and alcohol provisions purchased in Langkawi before our departure from there
Update from Rod and Marianne on Nana Maria for the Caribean 1500
We finally left Winnipeg on Tuesday morning and made it to Annapolis in 3 days. When we arrived the boat - Nana Maria was torn apart by fridge repairmen and the Satellite TV repairs guys. No room on the boat so we had a picnic lunch on the dock. Both repairmen left without finishing their jobs. Captain and admiral not happy!
Janel & Marianne were for busy for several days cooking and provisioning the boat. Rod and Mark were busy with other various boat projects. The weather has been quite cool (cold in fact) for most of time. Saturday night was a pot luck dinner & going away party for Mark & Janel on a 58 foot Hatteras motor vessel.
Tuesday morning we left Herrington Harbour (south of Annapolis) to sail down to Hampton. We were up early and ready to go at first light. The weather on Tuesday was really lousy. As we were leaving it was very cold and pouring rain. The tide was extremely low and we grounded going out the channel. Didn't look encouraging but we backed up and tried another spot and made it through with more light bumps. The weather forecast had been for winds of 25 gusting to 35 knots. But not so. It continued to build and we were seeing sustained winds of 45 with gusts to the 60's with following seas. The conditions were worse when we went across the mouth of the Potomac River which is 5 miles wide (10 to 12 foot swells). It really was an ugly day but Nana Maria handled it quite well. Our next concern was getting into the anchorage in those high winds but the winds dropped as we got close to land again and we were sheltered so it was uneventful and we had great dinner of steak and lobster.
Up early again the next day and headed to the marina at Hampton, Virginia. The winds weren't quite as high (35 - 45 knots) but it was cold again. Thank God Nana Maria has a full enclosure to keep us dry and a bit warmer.
Howard and Kelly, our other crew joined us on Thursday. The past few days have been spent attending a few seminars, boat checks, a bit more provisioning and social get tog ethers). Part of the rally events was a Women's Roundtable. Janel, Kelly & Marianne attended. They were quite interesting and would be very useful for many of the women who had not done any crossings before and/or had limited experience. Lots of good ideas and tips.
But, Friday, they announced that start of the race will be delayed from a Sunday start to Thursday (and now delayed until Friday). There is a nasty low that is building out at sea of Florida that would make heading out into the Gulf Stream not wise. (The Gulf Stream can be extremely rough when there is a north wind). A sailboat off Atlantic City, New Jersy had 40 -50 foot waves and winds and one person died and 2 were air lifted by the coast guard to safety.
The delay has caused a lot of unhappiness in boats that do not have flexibility in time. Many of the boats have (had) crew that had specific time lines and flights booked out of the Virgin Islands that they will not be able to meet. Apparently quite a few crew members have had to back out of their plans to crew, leaving boats scrambling to find new crewmembers or sail short handed.
West Marine does run a shuttle service from the marina to their store. Rod has walked up and down each aisle several times. We decided to share a car rental with another cruiser so we could get around over the next few days. So yesterday we went shopping and Rod walked around West Marine again and then Boaters World. Last night we had a great pot luck dinner up in the tent organized by Janel. Tons of great food. The sip and socialize events continue to run every night at 5:30 however seem to be running low on rum and wine. A good chance to meet the other cruisers. Today is rainy and overcast. We have 3 computers on the boat and all are in use. Marianne bought a new wifi antennae/booster so can pick up free wifi access in the marina slip. I have managed to keep working. Did a few business card orders.
Many boat people seem to be happy that their elections are over and they have a new President with new changes to come. We are going up to the tent shortly for the morning weather meeting, communication strategy, crossing the gulf stream and the Gulf stream current which is a huge issue with to regards to moving south .
If you want to see a few photos, you can check the web-site http://www.carib1500.com You will find one of Rod, another of Janel and a third one with Mark, Marianne & Rod along with 2 others and another of Fozzie.
Take care.
Rod & Marianne
PS: I have also included Kelly's update since she has a great sense of humor. . .
As you can imagine, sailors are often faced with unknowns and challenges. Frequently we have to change sails, adjust course, or make decisions that ultimately can affect the comfort and well being of everyone on board. We are in just such a situation aboard Nana Maria. Our exciting adventure out to sea aboard Nana Maria has been delayed by weather. An ugly Low Pressure system has started working its way off the Carolina coast. If we were out there today, we’d be facing 20-30 knot winds on our nose and 12-15foot waves. Not a pleasant experience. So, we’re “hove-to” in Hampton until Friday!!!
To prepare ourselves for this harrowing part of our journey, we’ve reprovisioned so that we’re sure to have enough to eat and drink during this precarious time. We’ve found some wonderful homemade chips at a local grocery and we’ve restocked our supply of Jack Daniels for our captain and Diet Coke for Rodney and Howard and white wine for the girls. With those sorts of fundamental staples on hand, we should be okay for a while, I think.
Some of the boats are losing crew who cannot wait for the weather delay, As it turns out, my cousin Mary Jane’s husband, (Ed Giannattasio) has decided to drive down from Pennsylvania and crew aboard s/vFruition, a Palmer Johnson/Peterson 43 that is docked just behind Nana Maria. In fact, Fruition and Nana Maria are in the same racing class so there will be a bit of a competition going on in the Reed-extended family. Ed’s shipmates are Bill, Bill and Bill. I can’t wait to hear what happens when Ed yells, “Hey, Bill, it’s your watch!”
Many of the boats are finishing up on projects that they didn’t think they’d have time to complete. With the known delay, they’ve been able to have parts shipped in and have workers come aboard. The staff of West Marine organized daily shuttles back and forth from the Marina to their store so that the participants can get any last minute items that they may need.
On Friday (Halloween), we had our “Farewell Dinner” even though we’re not leaving for another week. There are a lot of kids coming on the trip and they were all decked out in their scariest outfits as they collected candy from the boaters. Since then, the Rally has been sponsoring nightly “Sip & Socials” for everyone. Last night, there was a great Pot Luck Dinner. All of the boaters brought up food to share. Roast beef, sausage & peppers, ham, scalloped potatoes, pasta salads, pear cobbler with lime whipped cream, spinach salad with pomegranate, cabbage slaw, General Tsos chicken, rice salads, steamed shrimp, stews, cakes, pyrogies, brownies, chile, cornbread, and on and on. It was great. There was too much food to taste everything, but it sure was fun looking at it all. There were at least 3 or 4 tables full of food. Tomorrow night, there is an Appetizer contest and Davis (one of the race organizers) will be judging the winner. Rodney will be making his famous honey-garlic meatballs.
Lots of folks have rented cars to take the opportunity to explore the area. A few went to Fort Monroe and the Mariner’s Museum with a local resident and had an exceptional experience. Another local rally participant was able to bring some fresh rosemary, basil and bay leaves from her home garden to share with everyone. Howard and Rodney are at the new Air & Space Museum in downtown Hampton.
Normally, without the weather delay, you spend all your time at this end rushing around finishing tasks, stowing gear and doing your final provisioning. One of the nice things about this delay is that you get the chance to really talk to people and get to know them before the race starts. And you learn so many interesting things from other boaters. One entertaining tidbit: Do not swallow your cherry pits if you live aboard your boat. They end up making a horrible rattling noise in your LectraSan for an indefinite period of time. (For those of you who don’t know, the LectraSan is the sewage treatment system found on many boats… sort of a cross between a pool chlorine generator system and a garbage disposal.) The conversation gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “That’s the pits!”
MSA Learn to Cruise Winter Schedule
The new winter learn to cruise schedule is out and the MSA is offering 11 courses from January – April 2009.
Contact Manitoba Sailing Association, 406-200 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4M2
Phone: (204) 925-5650 Fax: 925-5624
sailing@sport.mb.ca
Basic Cruising $180
1. Wednesdays, January 14 - March 4 6:30pm – 9:30pm George Bush
2. Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21 9:00am – 5:00pm Wolfe Smythe
3. Wednesdays, April 8 - May 27 6:30pm – 9:30pm Gary Hebert
4. Saturdays, April 11, 18, 25 9:00am – 5:00pm Jim Robinson
Coastal Navigation - $250
Wednesdays, January 14 - March 4 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Celestial Navigation - $270
Wednesdays, March 18 - May 6 6:30pm – 9:30pm
VHF - $80
1. Wednesdays, March 18 & 25 6:30pm – 9:30pm George Bush
2. Tuesdays, April 14 & 21 6:30pm – 9:30pm Jim Robinson
Weather - $80
Saturday, March 21 9:00am – 5:00pm Bob Modrcin
GPS - $80
The Season ends ... Oct 2008
25-31 Oct 2008***Looking down from the citadel ruins into Bozuk Buku, Balvenie lies at the top of the bay***Mark is King of the Castle at the excellent ruins at Bozuk Buku***
We left Khalki with 2 reefs in the main and the headsail reefed and poked our nose out and had an excellent sail with 20knots on the beam headed northeast towards the southern coast of Symi. Plan A for the day was to anchor in Pedhi for the night and we made great time up in solid winds until we closed in on Symi. The winds died, the seas calmed down, the reefs were taken out and we pottered along for awhile. When we got into Symi straight it all livened up again to keep us on our toes with up to 25knots on a very tight reach, full sail up in flat water. Balvenie and skipper were very much enjoying stretching their legs, the admiral, well she wasn't minding it too much either!! We decided that Plan A may just have to wait another day and we thought the anchorage in Pedhi might be just too gusty with these winds so we bore away and had a great beam reach sail across to Bozburun, always nice to return to a familiar anchorage after a day at sea. We met up with English friends Jo and Dennis onboard Aurora, and also Peter and Brigette onboard White Rose, great to see some familiar faces again. We had a couple of nights in Bozburun while the winds kept blowing, then had a pleasant sail back across to Symi for a night to alcohol, pork and fuel up for winter.
Our cruising season was drawing to its end. If we were in New Zealand with this weather we would never be heading for a marina, the days are still brilliant with blue skies, still no less than 18c overnight and around 25c during the day and even the admiral has been in swimming again (by choice!!!), but we are constantly watching the weather now and everyone says we have had a good October, the storms will come soon.So we say goodbye to Greece for the year and head from Symi back across to the bottom of the Datca Peninsular and have a very gentle sail downwind across to Bozuk Buku, a beautiful big sheltered bay overlooked by the ruins of an impressive citadel, it was a fitting site for our last night at anchor for 2008. We enjoyed a big walk and climb through the ruins the following morning and got in one last swim for the season before we up-anchored and had another very unpredictable sail with winds from all directions and from 5-25knots, keeping us on our toes until the end!! We are now at Netsel Marina in Marmaris, home until mid April 2009.
Anchorage info:
Bozburun and Pedhi same as before.
Bozuk Buku 36 34.44N 28 00.65E 12m swinging, three restaurant docks stern tie with bow lines, but plenty of room for several boats to swing at anchor also. No wifi signals, impressive citadel ruins ashore to explore
Fuel info for Symi Island - you can side tie up to the dock in Pedhi (rough concrete dock, nasty big black tires for fenders) and walk up to the fuel station on the road that heads for the hill (about 5 minutes walk). They have a little tanker truck and will come to the dock. Cost was 1.29Euro per litre. Credit card accepted. They are closed between 1pm and 4.30pm. They had run out of diesel when we were there so the other option is you can go round to Symi town and as you enter the harbour on the left is the fuel station and dock, nice clean big orange fenders and they throw you mooring lines, didn't look very deep by wall but ok for us, water is just so clear is looks shallower. Cost was 1.15Euro per litre (much better), credit card accepted. Only negative about here is if a ferry comes in while you are tied up, the wake is dreadful as they go by.
