Test Posting

See if this still works

Landfall!

At the customs dock at the Horta Marina waiting to check into the Azores. Took us 18 days to complete the passage from Bermuda.

Land Ho!

Just sighted Flores, the western most Azores island. We should be arriving in Horta in about 24 hours.

Calm After the Storm

Well, the storm finally abated toward the end of my shift last night around midnight. This morning, of course, there isn't enough wind to sail so we are motor sailing at a low RPM to conserve fuel. Lots of blue sky this morning but the seas are still unsettled, just rolly enough to be annoying.

Dolphins!

Every afternoon the Dolphins visit to play around the bow of the boat

Full Moon Bust

After all the great lead up nights to the full moon with clear skies we had cloudy conditions last night. I only had a few peaks of the full moon during my 3am to 6am watch. On watch now until midnight, maybe the almost full moon will be out tonight but may be playing hide and seek with the clouds

Things That Go Pop in the Night

And in the day too!

It's been a crazy 24 hours but it started a couple of days ago when some wind finally appeared at the beginning of the evening so we were able to put up the asymmetrical spinnaker on a starboard tack and were able to ride it overnight. On Sunday there was not enough wind so we motored at 1000rpms to conserve fuel. Late afternoon some wind came up again so we put the asymmetrical spinnaker up again and had it overnight into the morning Monday. We motored for a bit with the wind almost directly behind us from the west so decided to try wing to wing but with some of the wave motion we were slamming the boom too much so we put the spinnaker back up on a port tack. We couldn't quite get the angle we wanted without it collapsing so we attempted to set the whisker pole to it. While we got the end of the whisker pole attached to the sail and added a preventer when Joe started to bring the pole down the mast the coupling attaching it to the mast snap and the pole slap Joe across the arm and chest.

More stunned than anything else Joe was ok and we got the pole detached from everything then set up the spinnaker as we have been. We strapped the pole to the foredeck to deal with later. The rest of the day we sailed with the spinnaker, not going as easterly as we wanted to go but still making progress all be it slowly. We now had gone over 24 hours without the slow motoring so we were happy about that.

In the late afternoon the Dolphins showed up again and gave quite a show around our bow. We also saw in the distance plumes of spray from whales. At 19:30 local time (+2 GMT) we eagerly watched for the rising of the almost full moon then watched as the moonrise and sunset played off each other.

I came on for my watch at 20:00. Most of it was spent alternating reading a few paragraphs of Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi then checking the wind angle and the spinnaker to make sure all was ok, sometimes adjusting our course to keep the wind coming over the port aft quarter between 130 and 150 degrees.

Finally, with about twenty minutes left on my watch and dreaming of sleep I heard a soft pop. Next thing is I see out of the corner of my eye the spinnaker collapsing into the water on the starboard side. Standing up in a panic I start banging on the deck yelling the jib is down, it's in the water! I shout down into the companionway for Tefo to get up on deck. I pop out the back of the cockpit as Joe came out of the stairs from the back cabin. He was relieved that it wasn't the actual jib but the spinnaker :-)

I warned all that the deck was slippery as Joe asked me the get the boat hook down from where it is mounted behind the cockpit. He was trying to grab the spinnaker while I went forward on the boat and was able to lean over and start grabbing. We got the whole spinnaker back up on the boat but by now I was soaked and shivering being I was wearing shorts and was barefooted. While Tefo and Joe started to account for all the lines I ran back into the cabin to dry off and change clothes. When I came back up Joe and Tefo had all the lines accounted for and were starting to sot out the spinnaker and bag setup. We tied the top of it to the dinghy da its in the back and got it all sorted out to the bow of the boat then made sure the sock as pulled over then stuffed the extra into a sail bag and secured it for the evening. We did one more check to ensure that no lines were dragging in the water then started the motor and motored the rest of the night on a 090 heading, our preferred heading, at the slow 1000rpm setting. I finally got to bed just after 1am.

Just about the time I had my 10am to 3pm shift the wind started to come up again so Joe and I set up the Genoa and have been riding that all day. It's been a bit of a rolly ride all day because the swells are a bit from the side and again, we are going in more of a northeast direction instead of east progress is slow but we are making progress.

We decided that instead of heading for Horta we would head for the island of Flores first which is about 120nm closer. This way if we find about 150nm of sailing we could motor the rest of the way then refill there before proceeding to Horta. So, hopefully this means that we will get into Horta over the weekend.

As for the whisker pole, Joe was able to make a repair to it due the fact fact he has a nice little workshop on the boat the includes a drill press. The pole in now holding out the genoa and has helped to calm the tugs and snaps that was happening when it would lose air as it went down a swell then refill with air. It also looks as though the reason that the spinnaker came down is the fiberglass collar on the opening of the sock chafed through the halyard near the top of the mast. Joe is going to add something for anti-chafing on the collar and make the top part of the halyard wire so that doesn't happen again. We have made a number of new discoveries concerning chafing on this trip. A long passage like this puts so many different stresses on a boat than standard cruising.

Magical

Sailing under an almost full moon at clear night using an asymmetrical spinnaker as a light wind jib in the middle of the Atlantic :-)

Finally!

After chasing non-existent wind for two days now including being becalmed for most of today a little bit of wind came up after supper. We threw up the asymmetrical spinnaker and now, as the sun is setting and under an almost full moon, are moving about 4.5-5.0kts with 7kts of wind in a close reach. Hopefully we can keep this up for a while, if so everyone's spirits will be buoyed

Where Art Thou Wind?

So, almost nine full days into the trip and we are barely half way, as the crow flies, between Bermuda and Horta, Azores. The first four days we were going like gangbusters doing 130-140nm days but for the last five days we have been flailing trying to find the right combination of sail plan and wind. Joe, Dawn and Tefo have been pouring over GRIB files trying to find a wind pattern that would sustain us for several days. We have not made much forward progression the last two days as we have been trying to get North to find the trade winds. As a result we are pretty much at the back of the pack as a majority of the fleet is a few hundred nautical miles ahead of us. We are now hoping that if we catch the projected winds based on our interpretation of the GRIB files that we should arrive in Horta by about next Friday.

As for life on board we are all having a good time. We have two fishing poles out trolling off the back of the boat but no bites yet. Did some laundry ad hung the clothes on the life lines to dry. Every other day I come off a watch at 15:00 and relax with a Dark n Stormy since there is about 14 hours before I come back on. We have been visited by Dolphins at least three times yesterday and a pod of pilot whales went by us this morning. Both yesterday and today sea turtles have floated past us. Through the AIS on the GPS we can see boats that are in our vicinity. There was a sailboat that is not part of the ARC fleet that was ghosting us for a couple of days but we lost them when we decided to motor sail North to find wind. For a few day a huge boat, the He Hua Hai, 243m x 43m was keeping pace with us just over the port horizon but stopped yesterday. We then saw a tug, the Alp Winger, show up so we surmised that it had some sort of problem and called for a tow. As we turned North we could just see the very tops of the two vessels over the horizon as we went past.

Last night was another gorgeous sunset but we have yet to see the green flash. At that time the sea was absolutely flat, almost like glass, with just a slight swell, since when is the North Atlantic so benign?

Note: a quick flash of excitement, we finally got a bite on the fishing pole but before Tefo could come out and grab the pole the the line ran to the end and with the quick jerk that made the fish got loose. Out goes the line again...

Afternoon Snack

Just got off a watch shift from 10am to 3 pm and don't have another watch until 3am to 6am so it's time for an afternoon snack of cheese and crackers and a Dark n Stormy on ice. Then I will take a nice hot shower before laying down to rest for my next shift :-)

Dark n Stormy

And I don't mean the drink! Come on the 3am to 6am watch to rain, dark clouds and low visibility. On top of the the AIS system that IDs nearby boats on the GPS screen kept popping on and off. Luckily on this watch the sky starts to brighten about halfway through in anticipation of sunrise. It's still raining but now with an hour to go I can clearly see around the horizon.

Dark n Stormy

And I don't mean the drink! Came on the 3am to 6am watch to rain, dark clouds and low visibility. On top of that the AIS system that IDs nearby boats in the GPS kept popping on and off. Luckily on this watch the sky starts to brighten about halfway through in anticipation of sunrise. It's still raining but now with an hour to go I can clearly see around the horizon

Dolphins!

There were a couple of Dolphins playing in our bow wake this afternoon! :-)

leaving Bermuda

The fleet moving through The Cut, the entrance to St George's Harbor

leaving Bermuda

The fleet moving through The Cut, the entrance to St George's Harbor

on the Way

We have been sailing for about 36 hours now making decent time with the wind behind us and with following seas. The fleet split up early with some going a more northern route and the rest a southern route, we are in the southern route. Seems the forecast is for better weather on the southern route but the winds will
Also be lighter than the north route

test from Bermuda

Just a test to see if this posts though to Facebook

Pixie Dust Has Landed!

We just docked at Bermuda customs and were handed four ice cold cans of Gosling's Dark and Stormys

Land Ho!

Just caught the first glimpse of Bermuda! But because we are bashing into a north wind it will take about another five hours or so before we anchor in St George's Harbour.

Bermuda Lights!

Just came on my midnight to 3am watch shift and I can see the lights of Bermuda reflecting off the clouds ahead! We are 43 nm from Bermuda.

Day 6

The wind died down completely yesterday so we have been under motor for the past 28 hours. From the look of the forecast it seems we will be motoring the rest of the way to Bermuda. At this time we are about 84.6 nautical miles from Bermuda and should arrive early tomorrow morning.

While there is no or little wind the seas have picked up again so the ride is a bit rock and roll, during lunch in the cockpit one wave hit and a jar of salsa slid across the table, jumped over the side and down my leg. I have one more watch left, from midnight to 3am.

Day 5

Skipped a posting yesterday, we passed the halfway point to Bermuda sometime yesterday and should be arriving there on Friday

Today has been a beautiful day with much calmer seas than the last few days. Unfortunately that was accompanied by zero winds so we are now motoring. Judging by the radio reports ( there are two radio check ins a day) many others are also motoring.

Yesterday was a rough day with a few squalls but overall not too bad. Luckily I have not experienced any seasickness. Yesterday and today have been sitting in the cockpit reading.

Had a request via a comment on Pixie Dust's blog about what kind of boat I'm on. It's a 1980 Morgan 46 center cockpit sailboat. It's about 46' long and has a beam of 13'. It's quite comfortable. The aft head even has a bathtub! We have all the water we could want as there is a water maker that takes the seawater and converts it to drinking water at a rate of about 12 gallons an hour. There is a hot water heater so we have hot water showers.

Day 3

Same routine. Weather has been great. The seas and the wind have died down a bit o it makes for a bit more of a comfortable ride but we also lost about 1 kt of speed.

Continuing along with the repair of the day theme Joe had to troubleshoot why the propane switch by the stove wasn't working, ended up being a bad solenoid so now we have to manually turn the tank on then off when using the stove.

Dawn made a nice and spicy soup along with cornbread that she made in the Omnia stove top oven. We had a good laugh when the lid was removed. Since the stove wasn't gimbaled the batter went to the lower side according to our heel so we had a ring of cornbread that was about two inches thick on one side and a half an inch on the other.

Joe ran the water maker and the generator so he filled the hot water tank and we all had nice hot showers.

Day 2

Into the routine now. Weather has been great, went through a small squall but it lasted about ten minutes or so. This is pretty a straight track from BVI to Bermuda so keeping the boat to a heading of about 13 degrees. The wind has been fairly steady coming in from the north- northeast. Close reach sailing by adjusting the sails so the wind is hitting the boat at around 60-75 degrees. Seas are but rough but should die down in about 24 to 48 hours. Hopefully when that happens the wind doesn't also.

I had my first night watch last night, midnight to 3am. I have not felt scared or nervous so far on this trip, I completely trust Captain Joe, but the first half hour of the watch I was terrified. Couldn't see a thing especially forward if the boat just hurtling ahead in the dark. Once my eyes got used the darkness and I draped my sweater over the Garmin plotter I could see more easily forward and was able to settle in to an easy watch. I just lifted the sweater every ten minutes or so for quick peak besides, it was the other instruments I had use more than the Garmin and they all had night lights.

Day 1

Started doing final prep in the morning, the dock was a beehive of similar activities on the other boats. Final securing of the dinghy with blocks of wood to keep the dinghy from interfering with the job furler, topping off of the water tanks, securing all other items on deck and dis connecting shore power.

At 10:45 we left the dock and motored out into the main channel where the other boats were starting to congregate for the noon start. Starter horn sounded and we were off, next stop Bermuda!

As soon as we went past Jost Van Dyke Island we set a course straight to Bermuda, should be a starboard tack the entire way.

We settled into a watch schedule of two three hour watches starting at midnight followed by a four hour watch from 0600 to 10:00, two five hour watches then another four hour watch end at midnight , you generally have 12-14 hours between shift.

Most of the time between shifts is spent talking, reading, cooking, eating and cleaning.

We have making good time, averaging about 6.5 knots on either a close haul or a close reach. Winds have been fairly steady between 18-20 knots form about 60 degrees. The autopilot takes care most of the work with just occasional sail trim. Seas have been a bit rough at 3-5 foot waves and the occasional higher swell. Have not been seasick yet!

iridium Test 2

Iridium email to blog and Facebook

Links

Dawn sent out an email to her contacts explaining all the different ways to either connect with us it to see where we are at so I will cut and paste part of that here,

We are so excited about our up coming Atlantic crossing!  As you all know we will leave Nanny Cay Marina with two additional crew members on May 9th. We will sail 6-7 days to Bermuda, spend a few days then May 20th we will restart for an ~ 14-16 day sail onto the Azores. After a week of discovering these beautiful islands we will proceed from Santa Maria  June 14th on a 7 day sail to Lagos Portugal. 

We have three tracking devices on board. Our trusty SPOT is still active and we will try to push it twice a day. The rally is providing a tracker called Yellow Brick. You are able to see the entire fleet by going to this link. http://www.worldcruising.com/arc_europe/event.aspx and choosing fleet viewer on the left hand side. 

The last option is our Iridium GO tracker. This track can be found at http://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/PixieDust.  This tracker updates hourly. 

We intend to post short blog messages that will be posted to Facebook. If you happen to not be a Facebook type you may find anything we post here:  http://pixiedustsails.blogspot.com

Through our Iridium Go we are able to receive email while underway. The address is pixiedust@myiridium.net. We would love to hear from you!

 If you follow SV Pixie Dust on Facebook you will see the SPOT postings on the Facebook page, if not then us the Fleet Viewer on the world cruising site above and look for Pixie Dust.

Test With Blogger

Testing to see if the Blogger setup works better that WordPress

Sent from my iPad

test for Facebook

Testing their setup on Blogger for posting to Facebook

iridium Blog Posting

Test to see if I can update Blogger and Facebook via the sat phone on the boat. If this works I'll be able to update while underway