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Melges 15, Family Sailing on Barnegat Bay
I’ve been somewhat ocean focused the past few years, racing and cruising. In the meantime, my brother Evan picked up a Melges 15. It’s a great new class building up on Barnegat Bay, where we grew up racing M-Scows and E-Scows. We grew up spending many days a week on the water and over the… Continue reading
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Bermuda, St. George’s Harbour – Approach and Notes
Bermuda is surrounded by a reef, which limits the outer approach to one channel except for locals very familiar with the area. The hazards extend well offshore as well. That being said, the channels are well marked if sometimes narrow by necessity (such as Town Cut). We chose to bring Envolee in safely during daylight… Continue reading
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A Simple, Beautiful Day
Some days you just have step back and enjoy the view. The Atlantic can often appear grey, but yesterday morning this location a few hundred miles south of Bermuda featured a perfect set of blues. Above… Beside… and below (‘window’ to check for kelp): And, visitors (actually today, the day after the other pictures): The… Continue reading
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Unexpected Maintenance, Envolee Antigua->Bermuda
This post begins somewhat in the middle of things. This is not good: Pictured: prop shaft (left), diesel transmission (right), transmission fluid (red, puddled). That’s not the first time it leaked out- this was a test after wiping everything squeaky clean to see where the leak was. The transmission is leaking to the point that… Continue reading
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Bermuda Long Tails And Other Wildlife
A pair of Bermuda Long Tails (white-tailed tropicbird) graced us with a few hours of company this morning. They tried out windward and leeward, but mainly looped around in fast approaches and then long steps back to consider us. We’re hundreds of miles from the island, not due in until this weekend, but their range… Continue reading
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Staring Up During Nighttime Cruising
An empty ocean is beautiful at night. In warm water you often get lucky with phosphoresence or sea life visitors, but the ‘basic package’ is stars, perhaps clouds, the waves, and sometimes a moon. Knowing that it would be inadequate, I tried to take a few pictures. Depending on camera settings, it can be too… Continue reading
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Fast(?) Ticket From Antigua to Newport RI via Bermuda
It’s hard to say no to sailing someplace nice in a fast boat. In this case, Envolee, Nathalie Criou’s Figaro 2, needed to be moved from her Antigua Race Week location up to Newport, RI for the Newport-Bermuda race and then the Bermuda-Newport short handed return race. She did not have to make a hard… Continue reading
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Konocti Cup 2024
Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California*, is the annual site of the Konocti Cup. This year, I brought a couple of other Bay Area sailors to race a borrowed Capri 25 against two sister vessels. Previously, the event has attracted Moore 24, Express 27, and Wabbit fleets in addition to the local representation.… Continue reading
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Leaving Rarotonga
It’s been a great stay but it’s time to head to American Samoa and prepare for the holidays. The locals have been wonderful. It looks like we have a good weather window: safe, perhaps with a bit of a light spot 2/3 of the way there. We expect about 5-6 days. Castoff, soon (paperwork completed). Continue reading
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Spectating – Paddling, Teams Hawaii!
Arriving in the Cook Islands wasn’t a coincidence. Two extremely long- term friends are representing Hawaii in an international paddling competition. We (Ann and I, Redemption, shoutout to Hank Hinkley for building an awesome cross-Pacific ride in a classic East Coast yacht style, hull #1 in fact!) are having a great time and couldn’t resist… Continue reading