Where Is The Far Reach—Part II

[Sea Hunt Video]

You can always take a photo of the day's worksheets with your phone or other digital device so you can zoom in and have a look at older work if you need to...Jim

Digital device??? On Far Reach??? Surely you jest...

Hey Mike:

Jim obviously does not know much about our beloved Luddite captain.

[John Stone]

You can always take a photo of the day's worksheets with your phone or other digital device so you can zoom in and have a look at older work if you need to...Jim

Digital device??? On Far Reach??? Surely you jest...

Hey Mike:

Jim obviously does not know much about our beloved Luddite captain.

I have no idea what y'all are talking about. This morning, I copied the sight reduction worksheet by hand, so I can get the local “Mail Stop” service to make xerox copies of the forms. If they can make two sided copies I’ll be living large with four forms per sheet of paper. Pretty smart huh?

What’s a Luddite anyway?

[Sea Hunt Video]

John:

I thought you would know what a Luddite is. I don't know. It was a test question on my English GED test last month. I failed.

If you don't know what a Luddite is and I sure don't know, then we are in trouble.

By the way, very nice work sheet. Very neat penmanship. In GED class they impress on us the importance of penmanship.

[wikakaru]

You can always take a photo of the day's worksheets with your phone or other digital device so you can zoom in and have a look at older work if you need to...Jim

Digital device??? On Far Reach??? Surely you jest...

Hey Mike:

Jim obviously does not know much about our beloved Luddite captain.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, let the record show the following proof of digital devices on Far Reach:

Exhibit A: http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... ystem.html, which discusses charging the batteries for a laptop (OK, admittedly it is for "the kids math program...for homeschool", but it's evidence that a computer has besmirched the environs of Far Reach.

Exhibit B: http://www.farreachvoyages.com/dailylog ... esent.html which discusses cell phone service in the USVI.

Exhibit C: Um...the existence of this whole forum thread?

And I'm pretty sure you're wrong about John being a luddite. If I'm not mistaken, a luddite is a follower of the venerable Alfred E. "Bill" Luders https://sailboatdata.com/designer/luders-alfred-e, and while Luders has some nice designs, I know that John has frequently professed his fondness for Carl Alberg's work.

Case closed on all counts.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

Y’all are too funny. I’m not sure why you think I eschew technology...I even have an eight function calculator on board somewhere. I’m sure I have seen it....

Yesterday morning, the Harmony of the Seas, an Oasis class cruise ship and second largest passenger ship in the world arrived. Get this...she made her way up the West Gregerie Channel backwards all the way to the cruise ship pier and then parallel parked...without tugs. Probably about 2/3rds of a mile total. From a technical standpoint it is an amazing thing to watch. She has three or four bow thrusters and her main engine propellers are housed in steerable pods. It’s quite a show.

Anyway, this morning I managed to get the handwritten HO 249 forms Xerox’ed. The “Mail Stop” office was able to make 20 copies, double sided, so I have four forms (suitable for sun and star sight reduction) per page and enough for 80 reductions.

After the copies were secured I swung by a local barbershop so Tanza, a Rasta barber, could cut my hair one last time time before I sail for home. I met Tanza three years ago when I was last in St Thomas. When I walked into his shop this past January he remembered me, my boat, my kids, Gayle, the whole shebang. I can’t wven remember what I did last week. I guess he has cut my hair three or four times this trip. I have always enjoyed going to his place of business. There is usually other customers there. I’m mostly pretty quiet and just listen. Churches and barbershops are, in many ways I think, the center of gravity for social interaction in the black community. I have always been made to feel welcome at both places. There is a lot to learn there, especially about the local culture. I enjoy listening to the wonderful back and fourth that takes place between the customers and in this case Tanza. The conversation can cover a wide range of topics from politics to sports to daily life to things best left unsaid here. Sometimes, there is so much laughter you’d think you were watching a stand up routine. Though not often, I am occasionally invited into the conversation. It’s a real privilege when it happens. Though I love meeting the other sailors, it’s the locals that really expand my world and remind me of the humanness common to us all.

I finished off the day snorkeling and freediving with some modest breath holds that nonetheless demonstrated to me I have improved quite a bit in this fascinating sport. I plan to seek more training in a certified course when I get home.

[John Stone]

It must have been caused by all the intense reading on celestial navigation followed by working numerous sight reduction problems. The other night I had a dream about numbers. Lots of them. For some reason when I awoke I had an image in my head of Dennis Hopper’s character the “American Photojournalist” from Apocalypse Now ranting his manic dialogue:

“This is dialectics, very simple dialectics. You know, one through nine. No maybes, no supposes, no fractions. ...you can’t go out into space without fractions. What are you going to land on 1/4 or 3/8s. What are you going to do when you go to Venus....”

Time to take a break from the Nautical Almanac and the HO 249 latitude!

So, I went back to Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, which I am try to stretch out as long as possible. In short order, I came upon a passage that reminded me of how we have in many ways lost a kind of social skill by the sudden burst of technology, especially the internet, in the last 15-20 years. Of course I’m really talking about the easy addiction to the web and especially social media vice the time we used to spend engaged with our friends and colleagues. A whole generation has no idea of how we used to entertain ourselves as a social group vice the hours one can now spend alone, glued to their digital devices. I’m vulnerable too.

I posted below a picture of Michener’s narrative about a card game in which a group of GIs need to kill some time. Today, I have to think that same group would wander off into their own space and look at their phones.

The rules of the card game are imaginatively hilarious ensuring an entertaining time. But read today, it informs me that in some ways technology has made our lives less rich....

[John Stone]

Back to sailing....

I was going out of my mind on the mooring in St. Thomas waiting for a departure window. Chris Parker emailed and said lousy wind in the SW North Atlantic, north of the Caribbean. It’s not likely to change till end of May. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. What do you do when you have a magic carpet and and a week to kill? As if that is a real question....

I topped off the propane, took on 25 gallons of water, and 60lbs of ice. I had on hand some Mahi fillets, bacon, manchego and Brie, potatoes, eggs, oranges, rice, flour for making bread...plus our Armageddon lockers still have all kinds of food stores. And of course, like all serious sailors we have plenty of dark, aged, Cruzan medicinal rum on board. Last night I hauled Sweet Pea up and inverted her and strapped her into her chocks and stripped the sail covers to make getting underway this morning a bit simpler.

After morning coffee I sailed off the mooring and beat out the East Gregerie Channel and into the Caribbean. The wind was a mild 15kts out of the ESE. Swells were 4’-5’. Puffy white cumulus clouds dotted the azure blue sky. It was a gorgeous morning for sailing. I saw one other boat sailing and maybe a dozen others all motoring the same direction we were sailing. I just don’t get it....

We beat east along the south coast of St Thomas tacking often to stay close to the shore and out of as much of the east swell as possible. It was a short sail...less than three hours. Gordo Cooper, our Cape Horn Windvane, did his normal magic pretty much steering the whole way. In no time we were anchored at Christmas Cove on a sandy bottom in 12’ of beautiful clear water.

I spent about 90 min rigging canvas sun-awnings over the cockpit and foredeck, putting the sail cover on the main, zipping the go-bag over the jib, coiling sheets, etc. I opened up the hatches and portlights and was met with a delightful cool breeze pouring into the Far Reach.

The cook served lunch—an apple, Brie, and crackers. Then, it was into the water where I spent about an hour scrubbing the bottom followed by snorkeling around a small coral cay in the cove. Really great underwayer visibility today due to the light winds we have had lately. Tomorrow, I’ll take the GoPro for a swim and see if I can do justice to the underwater scenery.

Sometimes I just have to pinch myself.

TTFN.

[John Stone]

A couple pictures from today’s swim. These are stills captured from a little bit of GoPro footage. There are no filters or enhancements...just straight off the camera. The blues came through pretty well this time. Still, not as clear or as blue as it looked in real life. The water in the Bahamas can be more clear I think. Still, this is pretty good. Someday I’d like to get out into the western Pacific. But that’s another adventure still waiting to be formulated. First things first.

[Jim Walsh]

Great photos. While I was swimming today a green turtle was playing hide and seek with me. To be perfectly honest I prefer NOT to see much when I’m swimming. Least of all any flesh eaters.......

[John Stone]

I continue to just...enjoy. I may move up towards the north side of St John. I may remain where I am a while longer. I’m thinking on it...but not too hard.

Swam earlier today. Lovely. I hate the thought of the season coming to an end.

[tjr818]

. . . I hate the thought of the season coming to an end.

That season might be coming to an end, harbor roads here are still underwater, have been since early April. Our season is yet to start.

At least we can vicariously enjoy your sails and swims.

Keep the photos and stories coming.

[John Stone]

Spent a good portion of the day going back over the steps for a celestial nav line of position (LOP). Worked through both sun and star sight reduction steps. There is so much to learn. I have just cracked the tip of it. I learned several new things today too...about quicker ways to compute the sidereal hour angle for star ID as well as planet ID. But it’s also easy to forget some small but important things too if you don’t keep after it.

I managed to swim but did not take the GoPro so thank goodness I did not cross paths with something utterly fantastic.

Tonight, I plan to shoot Procyon but we have a thin layer of clouds so it may not prove fruitful. In an hour I’ll listen to Chris Parker on the little Sony 7600GR SW receiver on 12.350mhz. Last night, a number of boats called in asking Mr Parker “where is the wind?” The gist of the answer was “If you wait, it will come.” So wait I must.

TTFN.

[Jim Walsh]

Chris Parker could have responded “it’s all in Bermuda”. The progression of weather systems and strong winds have been relentless since Andrea first approached several days ago. I’m eagerly awaiting settled conditions.

[John Stone]

Chris Parker could have responded “it’s all in Bermuda”.

LOL. Copy all Jim.

We have good wind here in the Virgins just not much between me and you. Do you listen to Parker? In addition to the morning forecast He also broadcasts at 1800 local/2200 UT. I pick him up loud and clear on 12.350mhz. Last night, I listened to a number of boats call in that are enroute from Bermuda to the Azores. Very interesting listening.

[Jim Walsh]

Chris Parker could have responded “it’s all in Bermuda”.

LOL. Copy all Jim.

We have good wind here in the Virgins just not much between me and you. Do you listen to Parker? In addition to the morning forecast He also broadcasts at 1800 local/2200 UT. I pick him up loud and clear on 12.350mhz. Last night, I listened to a number of boats call in that are enroute from Bermuda to the Azores. Very interesting listening.

I don’t have short wave, so no. Watching the arrivals from the Caribbean and the departures for the Azores is one of the things I find most fascinating here. Every shape and size of bluewater cruiser comes through here. The vast majority being Europeans but a handful of Americans come through on their way back to New England. Orion is the smallest boat here by several feet.