25 Nov 2008 : Almerimar
By : Stephane
Good morning !
So what's is happening in this sailing life ....
Well we finally reached a cheap marina to rest my back after a nice 10 days for 150 miles!
After leaving Gibraltar, and to be sure we said that we have crossed the straight of Gibraltar, we crossed to Ceuta (African coast) on a 3/4 knots current on a nice 20 knots breeze then back in Europe .... in another beautiful 20 knots and strangely both time the wind on the nose!
More we were heading north, more the wind die down letting us reducing the average a day from 40 miles to 4 miles and that was when we where able to move! One time leaving anchor (We anchor during night ... because the night its simply no wind at all!) we sailed 4 miles for having the wind dying and the swell pushing us back right to the same spot when we left ... at least when I was going to drop the anchor again the wind pick up for 3 hours and was able to do 5 miles! What a good day.
But hey I don't complain ... we are not in a hurry and we are home ... so why we need to go fast? Except that the time I was naked on deck and throw a bucket of water on me to wash out ... just when I was really wet we get hit by a 30 knots under full sails. I think the racing boat passing us probably find is strange seeing a naked guy taking reef and changing sails ...
Joshua is now at Almerimar, cheap Marina at 5 Euro a day (Same price we paid for the dinguy in Gibraltar!) and did some upgrade on the boat. In fact we exchange our old Navik windvane for equipment ... a sculling oar that will act as our engine, a windlass to relax my back and other little things there and there.
Take care all & Have fun
12 Nov 2008 : Changing plan
By : Stephane
Good morning everyone!
Well .... just a quick one.
The disk I moved in my spine 2 months ago decided to come back in pain when we were going for the Canaries. After flipping a coin (I have a video of that) we decided to continue into the Med instead for shorter cruise and going forward in the PeacefulJourney. My back still hurt as I write this, but sometime go better ... need to really found a quiet anchorage somewhere to relax my back... but they are hard to found in Spain!!
I am presently in Motril, where we been kick out of the anchorage again from the Guarda civil (After sailing against the wind in a really narrow channel crowded with fisherman) and hope to head soon for a more pleasant place. We will need to found a place for a bit of work too. All the repair from the bad weather encounter during Horta->Gibraltar had taken a considerable amount of our money combined. We are not giving up and keep pushing forward... Just hoping fill up the amount onboard, because I know it wont be possible in Asia!
Take care all.
Sorry if I dont answer to all your email, Internet is hard to found and never lot of time with it, but they are really nice to read.
Thanks to Nick for is contribution when I was at Gibraltar .... It was really appreciate.
Stephane
30 Oct 2008 : News
By : Stephane
Good evening everybody ...
Sorry to be slow on the message lately... but really where to begin!
2 weeks ago, we had a big blow here. A force 9 SE wind, making the
swell from the Med bouncing on the other side of the bay, and come as
a opposite swell of 2 meters (8 foots) in the anchorage, breaking on
some sailboat that didn't survive the blow. Being exposed, I raised
anchor where I needed the swell to pull the line, and sail with my
storm jib on the new anchorage. Trying to go upwind to be more secure,
and sailboat begin to be really close to each other on this getting
crowded place, Joshua tack right before a Spanish boat. At this moment
a gust that didn't want us to tack push Joshua back on his place
stopping it instantly .... Joshua without speed hit gently the Spanish
sailboat, but with no damage and comprehension of the owner. We then
sail more downwind for anchor having a stone wall, where each stone
are higher then human to block those swell. We are having some 40
degrees at anchor of heel over on the gust, leaving us on anchor watch
all night.
Boat drifting everywhere on the anchorage, Tanker on the other side
of the wall rocking like hell (5 of them finish on the rock), everybody trying to hold on. A friend
drift at less then 1 meter (3 foot) of the wall before he woke up and
fire is engine forward dragging anchor to save is skin. Nobody was
able to do nothing, dingy was not a option.
A catamaran that didn't change of anchorage was having is mast
touching the water at each wave, and the back current was bringing it
back up. Biggest storm in 40 years by weather person .... and the
weather was talking of just 35 knots!
And the stone wall is totally gone!
At the middle of the night of the blow, a pain start in my back. 3
weeks ago I moved a disk, and I thing the disk decided to awake too!
The pain was getting more severe every time, and when the blow slow
down, I needed to go at the hospital. The dingy ride, and taxi ride
kill me. I'm a proud person, and I can handle pain really good, so to
see me on my knees on the emergency room, without taking its because I
cant handle it anymore... 2 painkiller shot, and 1 hours later I was
feeling better. Even the pills I have on board if I broke a arm was
not working!
They kive me strong medicine and advice to make it heal. Now I am
doing better and can walk and row again!
In between We received Victor, the new Wind pilot and installed it.
The installation is not totally done, a part being too short, a little
problem from Wind Pilot, but they will send me the piece in the
canaries no problem, and they say it should work still.
I will be happy to try it soon. Our plan for now, is to spent the
winter in the Canaries on suggestion of several peoples. The ARC race
being there too soon, we hope to found some boat work at the
beginning, and another person I have meet here, is there now and need
my last Windvane for parts ... So the finance to pay back the new one
is on is way.
Around March/April, it will be Madeira and back on the track for the
next season. The weather in the Canaries and possibility of work make
it a good stop I think.
A weather window look good for Friday, so its time to go! Joshua is
on way better shape then when I arrived, and fixed from all the
problem made by the knock down in the Atlantic.
I will try to put pictures online soon, I have a bunch!
Take care all,
30 Sep 2008 : Preparing for the winter
By : Stephane
Sorry for the delay! Lotīs of things happening here.
First we have been kick out of the anchorage 2 weeks ago, the luxury boating, like everywhere is expending, closing anchorage to build big Marina to attract a different kind of boaters.
We have made a big expense this week ... My windvane was pretty much not working anymore, even with some try. And if it was working again it was not something I can thrust enough for the Indian Ocean coming. So we bought a new WindPilot and will receive it this week. Now we got to found work because we have a big loan on our head! But hey this give us such a motivation to found some too! ... Windpilot did make us a better price so this really did help, thanks to them!
So mainly we are searching work at Gibraltar everyday since a little bit, hopefully found some soon. We are thinking maybe spend the winter here (Depending of the work result), to upgrade the boat (New rigging, new mainsail, pay the new windvane), and keep going beginning next year. We decided to stick to the plan for now ... and will try this. IF we found some work elsewhere we will move the boat there for the winter. If somebody hear of something.... ?!
La linea is not really a place I will suggest to people for long time staying. Lot of crime here, kid swiming to the boat stealing material. Kid(16/17 year) throwing rock at you when you arrive close to a pier that is owned by them for now. Even a friend coming from work in his bicycle 2 weeks ago, get knock down on is head with a big stick to stole his bike and check his pocket. Hopefully Spain is better elsewhere! Even after caught some kid stealing and call the "policia Maritima" nothing happen, they didnt say nothing and let them free. I guess they dont like us here.
But on the other side, their is some nice little market and Gibraltar (On the UK side) is nice and safe. We think to move the boat there (No anchorage just Marina there) when working will be on the way and to dont have to worry about the boat. Being paid in British pound is a good advantage too.
Pictures are coming soon.
Have fun everybody!
01 Sep 2008 : Update -- Gibraltar
By : Stephane
Good morning everyone!
Sorry for the delay, but our usual place for Internet doesnīt work anymore.
So what is happening, nothing special mostly working on the boat. Some major work was done,
here a little list:
-New Sail in good condition, a Yankee I got for free.
-New Computer better then my old one. Got it for free but was broke, fixed it and work great.
-Remove the aluminum rail on both side of the boat, was leaking. Filled it with polyester and make a blue stripe.
-Oil lamp everywhere
-2 new lee cloth, for a good sleep.
-Fixed the oven that was not working and are baking all the time.
-Put a main switch on the electric to shut everything down fast.
-Installed a voltmeter and ampermeter on the electric to keep a eye on it all the time
-Get for free and installed a radar reflector on top of the mast (The nice one)
-Installed a new winch (a 32 I think) for the anchor & Sea-Anchor. Go it for free too!
-Wield and upgraded the windvane. Back in order.
Most of the things I got for free was a exchange of work, or gift.
Gibraltar was a nice stop, but we are thinking that itīs time to head for adventure again. We didnīt make money, it only cover our main fee here. But it allow us to fix the boat better, and we have enough for the Suez canal so Iīm not worry. Next stop we donīt know, I have a friend to go see in south of France, but winter is coming. Will see ... maybe Tunesia for the winter. So much option, and everything is new here. But I really want to go see my friend ... so will see ...
Take care all
28 Aug 2008 : Pictures!
By : Stephane
New Pictures online!
Check on the "The Med" section in the "View Pictures" page.
More news soon!
Take care all
09 Aug 2008 : La Linea
By : Stephane
Hello all of you,
it's difficult to keep with the update having so much things happening.
So what's happening in "La linea" ?! Meeting lot's of boater's and making some friends.
I've found a little job fixing sails for spanish sailboat. It's a easy job that I can do from Joshua,
their is a possibility that I go work for a sailmaker in town who need help. That would be great, because
it will give me access to sew machine and good advice to make myself new sails for low cost. Leave here with a new set of sails will be so great !!
A steel boat here (Patrick & Veronique from Corsica on Eowyn) helped me fixing the windvane with their welding equipment. I've been out yesterday for a test on the bay, for 30/35 minutes the windvane worked really good but after that for a reason unknown everything stop working even if it's all look in order. I will need to spend more time on it.
Catherine doing great, she found the boat rhythm quite fast, I try to bring her sailing on the bay several time before the next offshore passage, so she can get use to it and learn the boat. It's quite different to live on a small boat with somebody, after some adaptation I think I'm not doing too bad. ;)
Mainly I miss sailing long passage with Joshua, where everything is simple. But I know I won't found some work in Asia neither a lot of work on other country where the language is a big issue. So need to sacrifice a bit here, and go back sailing really really soon ;) The boat being so simple, I don't need a lot to be in great shape, just enough for a big grocery and emergency.
I got a new sail in great condition from a abandoned boat, a Yankee. Just the right size between my Genoa and the Working Jib. I may need to run a block on the backstay to make it work perfectly but I am happy having more sail to choose from. A good storm jib more small to be able to sail in 45/50 knots, and a drifter for really light wind and It will be the perfect set!
We have taken some pictures of the area, we will put that online in a day or 2.
Take care all!
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