by Gavin Reid – Deckhand Sea Dragon We are now into Day 4 of our voyage to Bermuda and it has happened swiftly. The watch systems have been established with three watches doing 4 hour on shifts and then 8 hours off with two 2 hour ‘dog’ watches from 4pm […]
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‘The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.’
quote by Jacques Cousteau By Cath Hough – Deckhand We’ve had calm nights, where the deep purr of the engine has rocked us to sleep; we’ve had rocky nights where you’re clenching your muscles every time we surf down a wave to stop yourself from falling out of bed! We’ve […]
Read MoreThe Ocean is a mighty Harmonist
By Ally Nobels – Guest Crew Hello from off the Northern Coast of the Dominican Republic! We are now half way to our final destination of Key West, Florida from the mesmerizing St Lucia. We’ve got a sturdy crew of eight, four men and four women, led by the latter! […]
Read MoreThe Here and Now
Here, I follow each movement of the ship that appears in the distance with much excitement, and I greet every seabird like a long lost friend. It didn’t matter how I would make it to Bermuda, what would happen tomorrow, or even how I would survive those first four hours.
Read MoreSetting off from Key West
We set out from Key West yesterday evening after making some final preparations and having dinner on the deck. We hoisted our sails in the midst of a fleet of catamarans and old-time schooners taking tourists out for a sunset cruise, which made for a very pleasant sendoff.
Read MoreDominique and his Amazing Circus Cats
If you walk a bit further South along the waterfront, you’ll soon come to the best show in Key West. At first, it is a bit unprepossessing – what is this grey-haired, scraggly man wearing outrageous cat socks doing with all those cages?
Read MoreA Look Back: Cayman to Key West
We are here in Key West! Our sail lasted only three days, a short passage. The storm helped push us along; in fact, we clocked out at an all time high of 13.3 knots! I have never had so much fun puking, and would do it all again in a heart beat (may try a different nausea medication though).
Read MoreA Thick Black Line Obscuring the Horizon
… A thick black line obscured the horizon, where just minutes before was nothing but grey overcast. We quickly rolled the yankee and got a first reef in the main before it hit, with horizontal rain and steady winds blowing 40-45 kts stinging our eyes.
Read MoreCayman to Key West
On Sunday, we set sail from Grand Cayman! Weather was awesome, partly cloudy with a 17 knot breeze from the east; on a broad reach all day. Among the excitement was Shanley cleaning the poop deck three times.
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