It’s blowing pretty good, with more expected overnight tonight. Captain still has us heading for Nova Scotia – it might be blowing too hard for us to come in tomorrow, but at least tucked in under a weather shore the fetch will be reduced bringing smaller seas and more comfortable conditions. SHIP’S WORK: Prep for …
Still making tracks to the north under sail and main engine. As the temperature outside drops, engine room watch becomes the most popular job onboard; it’s warm down there with the machinery running! SHIP’S WORK: Re-lead starboard fore t’gallant and royal gear, shorten chain on port fore t’gallant sheet FROM: St George, Bermuda TOWARDS: Lunenburg, …
Full tilt boogie! We’re going for speed now to try to get in to Lunenburg before the next low pressure brings 40 knot headwinds. Every stitch of canvas is set and trimmed for best speed, and our powerful Burmeister & Wain 7-cylinder is working hard too. SHIP’S WORK: Replace spanker clew outhaul, replace gaff topsail …
Motorsailing: the sailing ship equivalent of putting our foot down. We got underway again on Sunday afternoon and have been making good speed, pushing to get close to Nova Scotia before the next weather system brings strong headwinds, big seas and all sorts of unpleasantness. SHIP’S WORK: Re-splice starboard main t’gallant sheet aloft, reinstall fairleads …
The front came through as expected over night last night, force 7 winds and some big swell, but hove-to the ship handled the weather easily and it had already started to lay down again by this morning. Soon we’ll fire up the main engine and push north while the winds are light. Kevin and Bronwyn …
It looks like we’ll be dodging low pressure systems on our way up north. We’re currently going slow heading west more than north to make room for a big, deep cold front currently dumping snow on the USA, and forecast to pass to the north of us overnight. Looks like we’ll have a day or …
A long morning today dealing with fouled anchors. We had been planning to get underway today, but were delayed by some old 2″ stud link chain that had wrapped itself in a full turn around the shank of our big port anchor while it was on the bottom of the harbour. We had also let …
Today after many months of effort we finally launched and rigged our project boat KARL, and took her out sailing. From Palmerston Atoll in the South Pacific to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia where she had most of the frames replaced, the rebuild continued aboard ship during out voyage around the Atlantic Basin. Finally all planked, caulked …
We arrived in Bermuda this morning, after a cracking seven day sail up from St. Martin. It’s always amazing coming in through the narrow town cut: suddenly the water is a gorgeous shade of turquoise, the swell drops to nothing and all seems well with the world. There was even a mother duck trailing fluffy …
A squally Sunday at sea today, some swell running and darker skies. The captain and mates have been studying the weather charts carefully over the last couple of days, watching a deep low pressure system that’s running up the coast of the USA. Seems like we’re being affected by the tail-end of this low, with …
