Fred,
While I would not make any big blow predictions, those hurricanes that hit the west coast of Florida where a once in 40 years event.
I had my CD 28 on the hard near Punta Gorda, fifty boats where blown off their stands two survived intact, both Cape Dory's. Cape Dorys are just tuff or lucky! The only damage I had was the windex , which I found about a mile away.
I wish you a good visit to NE brazil, it's really an interesting place, however be careful about boat security.
best of Luck paul marko
Fenix in St. Helena
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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paul marko
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Mar 5th, '05, 21:45
- Location: CD28/77,Ixcatl/port charlotte Fl.
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fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix in Brasil Part II
Hi all,
Have been here two weeks so far. Arriving the day after XMas had its good and bad points. The bad was the amount of time and number of trips it took to get clearance. The day after XMas was basically a non work day then that was followed by the weekend.
The good part is the officials all seemed to be very relaxed about the whole thing. Although I was told it is a very good idea to clear in with immigration(Federal Police) immediately upon arrival. This I managed to do on Saturday morning.
One big dissapointment. In other places, the US included, it is possible to buy the very good Brasilian and Argentinian canned roast beef. Delicious stuff and my taste buds have been looking forward to it for a long time. This is sailing only fare. I can not find it anywhere in Salvador. The people who live here never even heard of such a thing. So go figure!
Salvador is divided into "Uptown" and "Downtown". And it is a physical seperation. Uptown is just that. Up at a higher elevation. Downtown is at water level and very commercial. Uptown is for the snooties and Downtown the the commoners.
There are numerous elevators and sliding boxes to carry people up and down. You can also walk. A well know elevator is a few hundred yards away from the marina. Its 4~5 stories high and originally built in 1896 or something. It has been rebuilt since that time, using electricity instead of hydralics.
To walk usually is done on one of the roads lined with shops. One up/down road was filled with fabric stores and shoe repair shops. Another is filled with clothing stores.
The are many small street sellers for everything. Many are food oriented. Or drink oriented. Or nick-nac oriented. Or tourist junk orientd. Or as is often the case one vendor will offer 6~12 different unrelated items. Even ice cold beer can be bought from a street vendor and consumed on the spot. No public drinking laws here.
All in all an interesting place. A 600ml beer is about $1.50, a pretty good meal about $4. A quick snack and cold drink,3~4 Rials, less than $2.
I am planning to leave Tuesday and head north up the coast to Natal. Its about 500 miles and most likely will be started with one long offshore tack as the prevailing wind along the coast is NE.
I have done some updates on the website but have not uploaded any more videos. It just takes too long for the videos, 15 or more minutes for one. I may just wait until I return to the US for those uploads.
Take care,
Fred
Have been here two weeks so far. Arriving the day after XMas had its good and bad points. The bad was the amount of time and number of trips it took to get clearance. The day after XMas was basically a non work day then that was followed by the weekend.
The good part is the officials all seemed to be very relaxed about the whole thing. Although I was told it is a very good idea to clear in with immigration(Federal Police) immediately upon arrival. This I managed to do on Saturday morning.
One big dissapointment. In other places, the US included, it is possible to buy the very good Brasilian and Argentinian canned roast beef. Delicious stuff and my taste buds have been looking forward to it for a long time. This is sailing only fare. I can not find it anywhere in Salvador. The people who live here never even heard of such a thing. So go figure!
Salvador is divided into "Uptown" and "Downtown". And it is a physical seperation. Uptown is just that. Up at a higher elevation. Downtown is at water level and very commercial. Uptown is for the snooties and Downtown the the commoners.
There are numerous elevators and sliding boxes to carry people up and down. You can also walk. A well know elevator is a few hundred yards away from the marina. Its 4~5 stories high and originally built in 1896 or something. It has been rebuilt since that time, using electricity instead of hydralics.
To walk usually is done on one of the roads lined with shops. One up/down road was filled with fabric stores and shoe repair shops. Another is filled with clothing stores.
The are many small street sellers for everything. Many are food oriented. Or drink oriented. Or nick-nac oriented. Or tourist junk orientd. Or as is often the case one vendor will offer 6~12 different unrelated items. Even ice cold beer can be bought from a street vendor and consumed on the spot. No public drinking laws here.
All in all an interesting place. A 600ml beer is about $1.50, a pretty good meal about $4. A quick snack and cold drink,3~4 Rials, less than $2.
I am planning to leave Tuesday and head north up the coast to Natal. Its about 500 miles and most likely will be started with one long offshore tack as the prevailing wind along the coast is NE.
I have done some updates on the website but have not uploaded any more videos. It just takes too long for the videos, 15 or more minutes for one. I may just wait until I return to the US for those uploads.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
-
fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix in Natal
Hi all,
Fenix and I had a tough trip up north. The wind wasn't too strong but near on the nose for all but the last 24 hours.
We left Salvador late Wednesday afternoon. Once outside the bay we found a nice breeze BUT it was as expected dead on the nose. The coast down there is NE to SW and the wind was NE. I decided to head off shore to get away from the coast and numerous smaller fishing boats.
The only problem is that further away from land the wind reverts to its true direction, about ENE. That makes it very hard to make any easting. But it does favor the str'b tack. There is also a fairly strong current running along the coast in the 1.5 knot range. These two things combined with light wind made for very slow progress on the first three days.
Once we got a bit up the coast its direction changed to NNE to SSW. This certainly helped as I was then able to hold onto the str'b tack for much longer. But still lost a lot of north on the port tack when gaining to the east.
The first eight days were spent hard on the wind, mostly on the str'b tack. When the wind went light I powersailed to keep the boat moving. During the entire trip the breeze was never more than 15 K and mostly 10~12, so it was pretty good sailing. But after all that time I was sure tired of living on an angle.
Finally we got up the coast far enough so that I could ease the sheets just a bit. The coast was now N & S and the current was setting N instead of S. At this point on the Brasilian coast, about 7 &1/2* S lat the current splits, part goes N, part goes S. The wind remained from about 80* true, so just a bit N of E, for alomost the entire passage.
We came into Natal at 3AM. It is an easy approach into a deep water river mouth. There is a very large new cable stayed bridge spanning the river just inside the entrance. The bridge has four huge lights that shine straight up into the sky. They make a nav beacon that is easy to see for many miles out to sea. Those four lights are visible for a far greater distance than the nav lights. The bridge is pretty new and is not on my charting software.
The yacht club is about one mile upstream in very calm water. It was easy to see and I dropped the hook in 40' at 3:30 in the morning. Then it was off to sleep on a delightfully level boat.
I checked in with the club secretary later that morning and went for a little walk into town. That night it was early to bed again while I recuperated from the previous long night.
On Saturday I went over to speak to Albert and his wife Erica aboard a 50 some foot alum cutter. I stopped by to say quick hi and then went to the bus stop to take a ride into the main part of Natal. Found a large shopping mall and got off the bus to have a look around. Passed a couple of hours this way as well as scoping out the super mercado for future provisions.
Then it was back on the bus and the marina. I stopped by Albert's boat again and was invited aboard for what turned out to be a long chat. A little while later a boatload of local folks, Albert and his wife met previously, stopped by to share some beer and to talk.
Of course we did not speak Portugese and Albert and Erica are German and speak pretty fluent in English. I helped out as best I could with the small amount of Spanish I've picked up over the years. We had a fun afternoon with much sign language and laughs and the visitors asked if we would like to go out that evening to see a bit of the town.
They came to pick us up at 6PM and off we went. First a stop at the super mercado, Albert and Erica needed a few things then we went to a nice resteraunt built right on the ocean with a great view out to sea We spent a number of hours with various drinks, fish and cheese. And swaped information about each other and our various backgrounds.
Then back in the cars and a return to the yacht club. I looked at my watch aboard, 11:30PM. A very late night for me.
I will probably be here for about one more week then head out. I am pretty sure I will go more NW once I leave. I do not fancy heading due north up the eastern carribean island chain against the strong NE trades. So will shoot for about St Lucia.
Take care,
Fred
Fenix and I had a tough trip up north. The wind wasn't too strong but near on the nose for all but the last 24 hours.
We left Salvador late Wednesday afternoon. Once outside the bay we found a nice breeze BUT it was as expected dead on the nose. The coast down there is NE to SW and the wind was NE. I decided to head off shore to get away from the coast and numerous smaller fishing boats.
The only problem is that further away from land the wind reverts to its true direction, about ENE. That makes it very hard to make any easting. But it does favor the str'b tack. There is also a fairly strong current running along the coast in the 1.5 knot range. These two things combined with light wind made for very slow progress on the first three days.
Once we got a bit up the coast its direction changed to NNE to SSW. This certainly helped as I was then able to hold onto the str'b tack for much longer. But still lost a lot of north on the port tack when gaining to the east.
The first eight days were spent hard on the wind, mostly on the str'b tack. When the wind went light I powersailed to keep the boat moving. During the entire trip the breeze was never more than 15 K and mostly 10~12, so it was pretty good sailing. But after all that time I was sure tired of living on an angle.
Finally we got up the coast far enough so that I could ease the sheets just a bit. The coast was now N & S and the current was setting N instead of S. At this point on the Brasilian coast, about 7 &1/2* S lat the current splits, part goes N, part goes S. The wind remained from about 80* true, so just a bit N of E, for alomost the entire passage.
We came into Natal at 3AM. It is an easy approach into a deep water river mouth. There is a very large new cable stayed bridge spanning the river just inside the entrance. The bridge has four huge lights that shine straight up into the sky. They make a nav beacon that is easy to see for many miles out to sea. Those four lights are visible for a far greater distance than the nav lights. The bridge is pretty new and is not on my charting software.
The yacht club is about one mile upstream in very calm water. It was easy to see and I dropped the hook in 40' at 3:30 in the morning. Then it was off to sleep on a delightfully level boat.
I checked in with the club secretary later that morning and went for a little walk into town. That night it was early to bed again while I recuperated from the previous long night.
On Saturday I went over to speak to Albert and his wife Erica aboard a 50 some foot alum cutter. I stopped by to say quick hi and then went to the bus stop to take a ride into the main part of Natal. Found a large shopping mall and got off the bus to have a look around. Passed a couple of hours this way as well as scoping out the super mercado for future provisions.
Then it was back on the bus and the marina. I stopped by Albert's boat again and was invited aboard for what turned out to be a long chat. A little while later a boatload of local folks, Albert and his wife met previously, stopped by to share some beer and to talk.
Of course we did not speak Portugese and Albert and Erica are German and speak pretty fluent in English. I helped out as best I could with the small amount of Spanish I've picked up over the years. We had a fun afternoon with much sign language and laughs and the visitors asked if we would like to go out that evening to see a bit of the town.
They came to pick us up at 6PM and off we went. First a stop at the super mercado, Albert and Erica needed a few things then we went to a nice resteraunt built right on the ocean with a great view out to sea We spent a number of hours with various drinks, fish and cheese. And swaped information about each other and our various backgrounds.
Then back in the cars and a return to the yacht club. I looked at my watch aboard, 11:30PM. A very late night for me.
I will probably be here for about one more week then head out. I am pretty sure I will go more NW once I leave. I do not fancy heading due north up the eastern carribean island chain against the strong NE trades. So will shoot for about St Lucia.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
-
fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix in Natal PArt II
Hi all,
I have had a very pleasant stay here in Natal. Spent many hours with Albert and Erica. They are a bit younger than me and built their boat from scratch. A 12 year job, whew! They are new sailors so learning as they go.
A large 60' ex racing boat came in from St. Lucia. It is now being used in an adventure sailing charter business. The boat really flies. It is nearly a ULDB with a 12' deep keel, so they have to be careful where they go.
The 3 man crew takes up to 9 other sailors out for long sails, usually across the ocean. It averages about 12 knots and can do 20 without much trouble. They picked up a few new people here and dropped off a couple. They left on Thursday for Salvador then will cross to Cape Town. And then be back in Salvador in time for the Carnival.
Mike, a Kiwi, is the skipper and Kie, a Swede along with Mario, an Italian are the crew. The departing group was a mix of Austrians, Germans and Russians. Along with Albert and Erica we all spent many enjoyable hours here at the yacht club. But I'll tell you those europeans sure do drink a lot of beer!!
Fenix and I will depart Mon or Tues for St. Lucia. I do not want to take any chance of sailing into wind forward of the beam and the distance is almost the exact same as to T/T. When we leave I will only have about 7 days left on my visa so will not stop anymore in Brasil.
Good news is that I found great tasting canned beef and canned beef stew, it puts Dinty Moore to shame. Not the same cans as I have seen in the US but that's OK. So now I can have some variety in the ol' diet.
The trip will be about 2,200 miles so the second longest I will have made. Not sure how long it will take but as normal I figure 100 miles per day as an average, so call it three weeks.
The weather here has been great. But around noon it is quite hot and humid. Much like southern Fla in the summer. But there is almost always a nice breeze so most of the time it is very pleasant.
It is the begining of Feb so many of you are probably thinking sailing thoughts about the coming spring. I am thinking I have been out here for almost three years now but it hardly seems like it.
I do look forward to returning to the US or what is left of it but my mind will still be at sea.
Love and kisses as appropriate for Valentines Day.
Take care,
Fred
I have had a very pleasant stay here in Natal. Spent many hours with Albert and Erica. They are a bit younger than me and built their boat from scratch. A 12 year job, whew! They are new sailors so learning as they go.
A large 60' ex racing boat came in from St. Lucia. It is now being used in an adventure sailing charter business. The boat really flies. It is nearly a ULDB with a 12' deep keel, so they have to be careful where they go.
The 3 man crew takes up to 9 other sailors out for long sails, usually across the ocean. It averages about 12 knots and can do 20 without much trouble. They picked up a few new people here and dropped off a couple. They left on Thursday for Salvador then will cross to Cape Town. And then be back in Salvador in time for the Carnival.
Mike, a Kiwi, is the skipper and Kie, a Swede along with Mario, an Italian are the crew. The departing group was a mix of Austrians, Germans and Russians. Along with Albert and Erica we all spent many enjoyable hours here at the yacht club. But I'll tell you those europeans sure do drink a lot of beer!!
Fenix and I will depart Mon or Tues for St. Lucia. I do not want to take any chance of sailing into wind forward of the beam and the distance is almost the exact same as to T/T. When we leave I will only have about 7 days left on my visa so will not stop anymore in Brasil.
Good news is that I found great tasting canned beef and canned beef stew, it puts Dinty Moore to shame. Not the same cans as I have seen in the US but that's OK. So now I can have some variety in the ol' diet.
The trip will be about 2,200 miles so the second longest I will have made. Not sure how long it will take but as normal I figure 100 miles per day as an average, so call it three weeks.
The weather here has been great. But around noon it is quite hot and humid. Much like southern Fla in the summer. But there is almost always a nice breeze so most of the time it is very pleasant.
It is the begining of Feb so many of you are probably thinking sailing thoughts about the coming spring. I am thinking I have been out here for almost three years now but it hardly seems like it.
I do look forward to returning to the US or what is left of it but my mind will still be at sea.
Love and kisses as appropriate for Valentines Day.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
Why skipping Suriname and Guyana?
St Lucia is low on my list of places I like in the caribbean, but it sure beats Trinidad! In case you need repairs or services Marin in Martinique is better and only 30 miles from Rodney Bay St Lucia.
I will be in Puerto Rico at least till mid March, hopefully our paths will cross before you make the final hop north.
St Lucia is low on my list of places I like in the caribbean, but it sure beats Trinidad! In case you need repairs or services Marin in Martinique is better and only 30 miles from Rodney Bay St Lucia.
I will be in Puerto Rico at least till mid March, hopefully our paths will cross before you make the final hop north.
Russell
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
-
fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix in St Lucia
Hi all,
Fenix and I departed Natal, Brasil on Tuesday, February 3rd right at noon. The previous few days had good weather and I hoped it would remain for our departure. Once clear of the harbor entrance we found very squally conditions. The wind was up and down and all around the compass. It also rained a bit as the squalls passed overhead. I had to make due north and would prefer NNE if possible. This would carry us away from the coast and get into deeper water. The wind had been E to ESE the previous days and today, after the squalls passed it settled in the E. By a bit after sunset we were going quite well due N and made it to deep water(over 600'). My plan was to get to the east at about 35*E then head due north until the equator. I had to make to the N until 4*S, that would get us N of NE corner of Brasil. From that point on the coast of South America goes generally NE.
Once past 4*S the wind started going more ENE as I suspected it might. This is the reason I decided to go to St Lucia rather than T/T. Sure enough by Friday the 6th the wind was NE at 20K and remained that way through the weekend. The seas were up to 12' and never less than 6'. This makes for a pretty wild ride at times. Good speed on a beam reach but a lot of rolling with the big seas. By the end of the first week at sea Fenix has made 905 miles but the wind has also gone NNE. This means I am sailing on a close reach and carrying a variety of sail combinations from one reef in the main and the Genny to two reefs and the Yankee. I am holding the boat speed down to about 5 knots otherwise the ride is a nightmare of pounding and flying off waves and the spray is everywhere.
On Saturday the 7th right at noon plus 18 minutes, local time, Fenix and I cross the equator for the fourth time at 40*31'W. Fenix also does a 144 mile day from Friday to Saturday.
The conditions continue. There are often squalls passing through. The increase in wind isn't much and usually gives me a lift as the wind clocks back to NE. Some rain comes with the squalls as well. I am concerned about being able to hold to the NW(315*) while not getting beat up too bad. After the Amazon river the SA coast goes just about due N and S for a quite a distance and I want to hold to the north as much as possible to stay away from the outflow of the river. If you check a chart of the area you can see that the 100 meter line at the mouth of the Amazon extends about 200 miles offshore. While Fenix is a fine and strong boat I DO NOT want to have an encounter with a floating tree at 5~6 knots.
By Wednesday morning, the 11th, we are 1/2 way. That's pretty good, a bit over 1,000 miles in the first 8 days. The wind holds in speed, 20 K and direction, NNE until Friday. Then it finally clocks to NE. This is great because I have been able to hold a little high of the course line and now can ease the sheets. The difference in the ride between sailing with the appearant wind at 80* vs 100* is amazing. The comfort level aboard goes up significantly and the spray reduces considerably.
By the end of the second week Fenix has made 881 miles, just shy of 1,800 miles in two weeks. Daily runs have been between 120~135 miles, with one day at 141 miles. And now the wind clocks some more to ENE. I got a bit lazy and headed off a little to much so now have to come up to the north some more. But the wind is down to about 15K so the ride is still comfortable. It looks like Fenix and I will be in St lucia by Thursday early. That will be 16 days for the 2,000 mile passage.
Early Wednesday morning we pass to the south of Barbados. I can just make out the island through the haze and clouds that hang over the island. In the early hours it was possible to see the loom of the island's lights. Late Wednesday I can see the lights of St Lucia. We are headed NE again to pass up around the N end of the island. I am going into Rodney Bay up on the NW coast of the Island. By Sunrise we are only about 9 miles away. The last night at sea was a squally one again with occasional rain. But the visibility was mostly good and that helped as there were fishing boats and cruise ships about. At 8:30AM Fenix and I passed the entrance to the harbor and were tied up in a slip within an hour.
Though a bit weary I went and checked in with the marina people and customs, immigration, etc. All this was accomplished in short order and clearance fees were only $12US. Why can't the rest of the world be this easy and inexpensive? Being pretty bushed I headed back to the boat for a nap. After about three hours I went looking for food.
Friday morning I broke out the bicycle for a little local tour. Found the grocery stores and a pizza place, might go there for this evening's meal.
Will head for one of the US Virgins next, in about a week.
Take care,
Fred
Fenix and I departed Natal, Brasil on Tuesday, February 3rd right at noon. The previous few days had good weather and I hoped it would remain for our departure. Once clear of the harbor entrance we found very squally conditions. The wind was up and down and all around the compass. It also rained a bit as the squalls passed overhead. I had to make due north and would prefer NNE if possible. This would carry us away from the coast and get into deeper water. The wind had been E to ESE the previous days and today, after the squalls passed it settled in the E. By a bit after sunset we were going quite well due N and made it to deep water(over 600'). My plan was to get to the east at about 35*E then head due north until the equator. I had to make to the N until 4*S, that would get us N of NE corner of Brasil. From that point on the coast of South America goes generally NE.
Once past 4*S the wind started going more ENE as I suspected it might. This is the reason I decided to go to St Lucia rather than T/T. Sure enough by Friday the 6th the wind was NE at 20K and remained that way through the weekend. The seas were up to 12' and never less than 6'. This makes for a pretty wild ride at times. Good speed on a beam reach but a lot of rolling with the big seas. By the end of the first week at sea Fenix has made 905 miles but the wind has also gone NNE. This means I am sailing on a close reach and carrying a variety of sail combinations from one reef in the main and the Genny to two reefs and the Yankee. I am holding the boat speed down to about 5 knots otherwise the ride is a nightmare of pounding and flying off waves and the spray is everywhere.
On Saturday the 7th right at noon plus 18 minutes, local time, Fenix and I cross the equator for the fourth time at 40*31'W. Fenix also does a 144 mile day from Friday to Saturday.
The conditions continue. There are often squalls passing through. The increase in wind isn't much and usually gives me a lift as the wind clocks back to NE. Some rain comes with the squalls as well. I am concerned about being able to hold to the NW(315*) while not getting beat up too bad. After the Amazon river the SA coast goes just about due N and S for a quite a distance and I want to hold to the north as much as possible to stay away from the outflow of the river. If you check a chart of the area you can see that the 100 meter line at the mouth of the Amazon extends about 200 miles offshore. While Fenix is a fine and strong boat I DO NOT want to have an encounter with a floating tree at 5~6 knots.
By Wednesday morning, the 11th, we are 1/2 way. That's pretty good, a bit over 1,000 miles in the first 8 days. The wind holds in speed, 20 K and direction, NNE until Friday. Then it finally clocks to NE. This is great because I have been able to hold a little high of the course line and now can ease the sheets. The difference in the ride between sailing with the appearant wind at 80* vs 100* is amazing. The comfort level aboard goes up significantly and the spray reduces considerably.
By the end of the second week Fenix has made 881 miles, just shy of 1,800 miles in two weeks. Daily runs have been between 120~135 miles, with one day at 141 miles. And now the wind clocks some more to ENE. I got a bit lazy and headed off a little to much so now have to come up to the north some more. But the wind is down to about 15K so the ride is still comfortable. It looks like Fenix and I will be in St lucia by Thursday early. That will be 16 days for the 2,000 mile passage.
Early Wednesday morning we pass to the south of Barbados. I can just make out the island through the haze and clouds that hang over the island. In the early hours it was possible to see the loom of the island's lights. Late Wednesday I can see the lights of St Lucia. We are headed NE again to pass up around the N end of the island. I am going into Rodney Bay up on the NW coast of the Island. By Sunrise we are only about 9 miles away. The last night at sea was a squally one again with occasional rain. But the visibility was mostly good and that helped as there were fishing boats and cruise ships about. At 8:30AM Fenix and I passed the entrance to the harbor and were tied up in a slip within an hour.
Though a bit weary I went and checked in with the marina people and customs, immigration, etc. All this was accomplished in short order and clearance fees were only $12US. Why can't the rest of the world be this easy and inexpensive? Being pretty bushed I headed back to the boat for a nap. After about three hours I went looking for food.
Friday morning I broke out the bicycle for a little local tour. Found the grocery stores and a pizza place, might go there for this evening's meal.
Will head for one of the US Virgins next, in about a week.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
-
fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Question for Russell
Hi Russell,
Which of the US Virgins would you recommend as a stop.
Looks like about 350 miles from St Lucia so three days or so for me.
I will be leaving next Thursday the 26th.
Might just meet up with you in Puerto Rico if I get there b4 u leave.
Take care,
Fred
Which of the US Virgins would you recommend as a stop.
Looks like about 350 miles from St Lucia so three days or so for me.
I will be leaving next Thursday the 26th.
Might just meet up with you in Puerto Rico if I get there b4 u leave.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
Re: Question for Russell
Not a big fan of the US or British VIs personally, crowded, expensive and unfriendly people. Though I know others on this board do like the area so I will let them make recommendations. If you want to avoid the fleets of drunk bareboats dragging anchor on you then St Croix works and makes a handy landfall from St Lucia, its no place to enter at night though.fenixrises wrote:Hi Russell,
Which of the US Virgins would you recommend as a stop.
Looks like about 350 miles from St Lucia so three days or so for me.
I will be leaving next Thursday the 26th.
Might just meet up with you in Puerto Rico if I get there b4 u leave.
Take care,
Fred
The "SVIs", Culebra and Vieques are however a stark contrast, no crowds or crime and nice people. However there is basicly zero as far as services for yachts but fuel and water are available in Culebra.
I fully admit my bias here though, if you like the VIs dont pass them over based on my dislike!
Looks like I will be in Puerto Rico a couple more weeks at least (starting some projects), if I am not here I will be in Culebra while waiting for parts to arrive. Only place to really anchor in PR on the east coast is in the lee of Isletta, besides that marinas are the only option. The south coast offers far more anchoring options for the budget minded cruiser.
On the east coast if you do opt for a marina for a few days, Puerto Del Ray has been terrific this past week, price is reasonable for US standards and the onsite car rental place is only $25/day for brand new cars, west marine, grocery stores and wal-mart are only 10min drives.
Russell
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
By the way, for this passage you have the option of either north or south around the saba banks, distance is similar for both. South of them gets you furthur from the cruise ship traffic though. North of them has you kind of hugging the Leewards and you can expect a lot of cruise ships.
Russell
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
-
fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix to the VIs
Hi all,
We will depart St. Lucia, Thursday the 26th for the VIs.
This was a pleasant but expensive stop. So I didn't really do much exploring. But did use the time to relax after the long passage from Natal.
Take care,
Fred
We will depart St. Lucia, Thursday the 26th for the VIs.
This was a pleasant but expensive stop. So I didn't really do much exploring. But did use the time to relax after the long passage from Natal.
Take care,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
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fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix in St.Thomas and Culebra, PR
Hi all,
Fenix and I had a pretty easy three day passage to St.Thomas.
WOW what a shocker to be back in the US again. St.Thomas seems a nice place but definitely geared to the cruise ship crowd. I saw three cruise ships at a time tied to the wharf. And each one must dump 1,000+ people at a time into the city,,,whew.
Amazing that everyone still drives on the left side of the road...with left hand drive cars!
I snuggled up inside of the harbor and unloaded the bicycle for a bit of a ride around. Treated myself to junk food and bought some provisions. After a couple of days I headed over to Culebra, just 20 miles away. It was a slow passage of six hours, often with no wind. But I wasn't in a rush and just took it easy. Left at 9AM and arrived at 3PM. Then went ashore to find a store for a cold drink.
Last night the weather got quite fiesty. Wind howling in the rigging and an occasional rain shower. As I write this at about noon it is still blowing pretty good but the rain seems to have stopped.
Will probably stay for the weekend then head the next 40 miles to San Juan. Once there I will be just about 400 miles from my outgoing longitude, so just 400 miles shy of a milk run circumnavigation.
Hopefully I can get my AP fixed there. I last used it coming into St Lucia and no problems. When I left St. Lucia I hooked it up as normal then turned it on, got the boat set and hit the course set buttom, NADA!!. Checked all the conections and such, even took it apart(no salt inside this time), so I do not know what the problem is but I do want to have its service for the trip to Fla.
From San Juan it is about 1,100 miles back to Fla. I think I may stop at Key West for a bit. Then on up to the Tampa area, only another 110 miles or so. Should be there by mid-April as per plan.
Take care and thaw out folks, spring is almost here,
Fred
Fenix and I had a pretty easy three day passage to St.Thomas.
WOW what a shocker to be back in the US again. St.Thomas seems a nice place but definitely geared to the cruise ship crowd. I saw three cruise ships at a time tied to the wharf. And each one must dump 1,000+ people at a time into the city,,,whew.
Amazing that everyone still drives on the left side of the road...with left hand drive cars!
I snuggled up inside of the harbor and unloaded the bicycle for a bit of a ride around. Treated myself to junk food and bought some provisions. After a couple of days I headed over to Culebra, just 20 miles away. It was a slow passage of six hours, often with no wind. But I wasn't in a rush and just took it easy. Left at 9AM and arrived at 3PM. Then went ashore to find a store for a cold drink.
Last night the weather got quite fiesty. Wind howling in the rigging and an occasional rain shower. As I write this at about noon it is still blowing pretty good but the rain seems to have stopped.
Will probably stay for the weekend then head the next 40 miles to San Juan. Once there I will be just about 400 miles from my outgoing longitude, so just 400 miles shy of a milk run circumnavigation.
Hopefully I can get my AP fixed there. I last used it coming into St Lucia and no problems. When I left St. Lucia I hooked it up as normal then turned it on, got the boat set and hit the course set buttom, NADA!!. Checked all the conections and such, even took it apart(no salt inside this time), so I do not know what the problem is but I do want to have its service for the trip to Fla.
From San Juan it is about 1,100 miles back to Fla. I think I may stop at Key West for a bit. Then on up to the Tampa area, only another 110 miles or so. Should be there by mid-April as per plan.
Take care and thaw out folks, spring is almost here,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
Hi fred,
Be sure to stop by the CD25D anchored in culebra, I am sure he would be keen to meet and chat with you.
If you can manage to stay up past 10, on saturday at Mamacitas the congo session is fun.
Sorry I am not there to meet you or show you around, still stuck on the big island waiting for parts.
You would have far better luck repairing your AP in Fajardo, as it is the regional yachting center. San Juan has very little to offer yachts (and the anchorage is not in a very nice spot).
Be sure to stop by the CD25D anchored in culebra, I am sure he would be keen to meet and chat with you.
If you can manage to stay up past 10, on saturday at Mamacitas the congo session is fun.
Sorry I am not there to meet you or show you around, still stuck on the big island waiting for parts.
You would have far better luck repairing your AP in Fajardo, as it is the regional yachting center. San Juan has very little to offer yachts (and the anchorage is not in a very nice spot).
Russell
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
s/v (yet to be named) Tayana 42CC
s/v Lady Pauline Cape Dory 36 #117 (for sale)
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fenixrises
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 08:01
- Location: SunShine S2 11c
- Contact:
Fenix on the last leg
Hi all,
Had an easy day sail to San Juan. Sunrise to sunset.
Met an man here who was boat shopping but mostly a newbie.
Good thing was he had a car and was able to get me around a bit for food and such. I did my best to impart some boat shopping wisdom to him.
Fenix and I are off to Key West this AM. About 1,000 miles so ~10 days or so.
Take care and enjoy the coming spring,
Fred
Had an easy day sail to San Juan. Sunrise to sunset.
Met an man here who was boat shopping but mostly a newbie.
Good thing was he had a car and was able to get me around a bit for food and such. I did my best to impart some boat shopping wisdom to him.
Fenix and I are off to Key West this AM. About 1,000 miles so ~10 days or so.
Take care and enjoy the coming spring,
Fred
You should always have an odd number of holes in your boat!
Congratulations to Fred and Fenix!!!
Congratulations, Fred, on completing your circumnavigation of the globe. Shiptrak shows you well beyond the crossover of your outbound track, and now you are almost to Key West. I, and I'm sure many others, have really enjoyed following you around the world these last 2 1/2 years, and I am going to miss reading about your adventures. You really ought to write a book or get your story serialized in a magazine or something - you really have a talent for capturing the spirit of sailing in your dispatches. Thanks so much for taking the time to keep all us armchair sailors up to date on your travels. I wish you the very best in whatever life brings you in your next chapter. And I hope you find a good home for Fenix!
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barfwinkle
- Posts: 2169
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 10:34
- Location: S/V Rhapsody CD25D