When Robert Jan and Martijn arrived on the 26th and the rest, Yan, Nannette, Marie-Christine and Mark, arrived on the 27th, I had been getting to know the island and Zwerver for days prior. This enabled me to do one of my favorite things: show people around. I had made some friends and experimented some good roti. Our days were spent preparing and our evenings dining. On our last night in Falmouth Harbour were we treated to a cultural exposure which obliged me to apologize for my affiliations with Bush country. This involuntary anthropological study consisted of blaring and swearing Texans from the next boat, flying indecent flags and screaming unprintable but all too familar phrases. Luckily the main perpetrator passed out 20 minutes before we woke at 5:30 am to set sail. [Angel]
In what Sutra does it say that kindness shown to strangers will be rewarded a thousandfold in heaven? If this is true than 8.000 croissants and 8.000 cups of cofee await Nick, the reporter. As we are ready to untie in Antigua he showed up, coffee and croissants in his hand. We could not pay him back, having carefully spent all our EC dollars the evening before.
At 6:50 local time we untied. The days before were spent in the usual fashion: doing shopping, readying the ship, sneaking out to the ice cream bar, meeting your whole crew there, and then the whole sequence restarts.
During those two days it became clear that Nanno will not be able to get a US immigration visa. Not for lack of trying: we spent hours on the phone talking to all sorts of officials. To save some of his holiday, we've decided to go by way of the Bahamas.
Our route leads us through one of the most famous pasages in the windwards: Nevis, st Cristophe and Saba on our port, St Barthelemy (St Barts for friends), St Martin and Anguila on our starboard side. Midnight finds us in the Sombrero Passage, just off the Virgin Islands (17*37' W, 62*49' N). [Jan]
The wind has been constant and the shade fleeting throughout the daylight hours. Our first night was a clear sky filled with stars, leaving us all to share our sparing astronomical knowlegde. We found a book about stars on board. Let's see if we cant get better at it? Midnight finds us some 120 miles off the coast o Puerto Rico, at 21*07' West and 67*17' North. [Jan]
As you can read in this weblog worldly concepts like time are not that clear anymore when you're out at sea. After 3 days at sea I have to look at my watch to see what time it is and what day it is. Our beloved skpper takes this to the next level as he is sailing in the next millenium already. So how was May 2nd? I couldn't tell you the specifics as I really do not remember when they happened. I'll try anyway: days were hot, nights were even hotter, the ocean is just too blue and tempting, but I fear the tigersharks and bullsharks (and we're going too fast anyhow). We had some minor damage as a result of a poorly coordinated manoeuvre, but thanks to teamwork we fixed the problem with a typical Nanette solution (pink string and a screw or 2). Also Jan had us practice a lot with reefing and changing the sails. [Robert Jan]
Nights had been pretty dark up till now. But in the night from May 3 to 4, finally, an elegant slim moon appeared. It was too cloudy to navigate on the stars, but the night was quiet and we were happy with the progress we made. The waves were moderate and the wind strong enough to keep the watches active. In the early morning wind lessened as the sun came up,leaving us for the rest of the day in a burning tropical heat with the engine on for many many many hours.
We spent our first Sunday in a relaxed atmosphere,cleaning and polishing the boat,doing the laundry, preparing mediterranean food and listening to carribean music. It was a combination of 'dolce far niente', impressing household activities and visions of fresh soft drinks with crushed ice and big glasses of fresh beer. And of course of many excercices with the sails trying to make the miles planned for that day. A few changes of genuas, balloon jibs and reef in the main sail later, we finally found the winning combination that would help us through the night.
Nevertheless, our sailing skills and the beautiful day could not keep us from worrying about the lack of wind and consequently about our schedules. Till, suddenly, Nanette triumphantly appeared on deck with an abracadabra calculation, explaining that there was no reason to loose our optimism. Praise the Lord..., we will have enough time for cools cocktails in the Bahamas and for lobsters in Wilmington before some of us go back home.
The ocean gives a strong sensation of freedom and our crew is a peaceful Dutch-American coalition. It is hard to believe that war is going on in many parts of the world. I couldn't help memorising 'Dodenherdenking' today and keeping two minutes of silence on the deck at 2 p.m. (8 p.m. in Holland). Tomorrow will be another sunny day. [MC]
Today was a sailor's dream with one exception, no wind. Regardless, the day started with sweet memories of the delicious dinner which Marie Christine made the night before. Out of nowhere she produced a zucchini, cheese and yummy stuff caserole which left everyone speechless even though their mouths kept moving feverishly. She definitely earned the "MVC Award" (Most Valuable Crewmember) for the day.
Speaking of awards, another goes out to Jan for the "Bruised Body" contest. He took the "Blue" Ribbon with his 4 inch circular bruise that has changed color more than we've changed sails. Runner up was Nanette with a "spotty" performance that far out numbered Jan's entry, but didn't have the same staying power or rainbow quality. Honorable mention goes out to Marie Christine who suffered a bruised ankel in the same momement that Jan suffered his prize winning discoloration.
An other award goes out to Jan for "History's Most Timely Reef" which he accomplished the day before. While most sailors wait until it is uncomfortable or downright dangerous before reefing, Captain Jan decided to reef with little to no wind on a perfectly sunny day. As if he'd insulted Neptune himself, the sea and sky changed, the wind picked up dramatically and the crew sat snugly in the cockpit enjoying the comfort of balanced sails.
Last and perhaps least, Angel takes two awards. One, the "Best Effort Award" for entertaining us with singing and joke telling. And two, the "Award for Worst Singing and Joke Telling."
The day ended with the wind gracing us in both speed and direction, allowing smooth and productive sailing well into the night. [Mark]
When you're out at sea many question arise, important questions that remain unasked when living and working in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, New York or Portland. Why does the pin-tailed-parrot-gull not land on our boat as it is clear that this is what he really wants? Why do flying fish land on our deck when this is clearly not what they want. And do flying fish fly by flapping their fins in a rapid fashion or do they just float in the air? Why is there a whale gathering in Boston? Why is it so that napping during stand-by is far more fulfilling than actual sleep in free mode? Will the tiger or the bull eat my feet, when I dipp them in the water on leeward once we enter the gulfstream? Why do I long for Dutch autumn weather? Why have I read almost all of MC's book and only 12 pages in mine? Will there be a mobile operator on Grand Bahama island that roams with Vodafone. Questions like that.
On a less serious note: Nanno bakes the most excellent bread and last night we saw the first boat in 4 days. Special memorial award for today goes to Freddy the flying fish for longest period for a fish to stay on deck [13 hours, 34 minutes]. Encouragement award goes to Peter the pin-tailed-parrot-gull for largest number of unsuccessful landing approaches (17). Onwards we go, the lobsters await us! [RJ]
After a week of leisure sailing with the best of winds, waves and weather possible on this earth, we are preparing for landfall in the Bahama Islands. We are close to the "hole in the wall", the entrance of "NE Providence Channel", between Great Abaco Island and Eleuthera Island. It will take another day (120 nM) to make it to Freeport, Grand Bahama. Of course the VHF revived and ships are seen again after five days with no ships at all (a little bit scary; are you still there folks?). In the Bahama's I'll have to leave the Zwerver, because I got my visa application back with the remark that they did not received payment yet, too late to apply another time. Both Americans, Angel and Mark, have been very helpful in trying to get me a visa in Antigua. It cost a lot of money in telephone calls, at the end with the final message that, if arriving without a C1D visa, impounding of the ship and huge fines are possible. Not something to try out in the current global situation. I will fly in as a Dutchman under the waiver program with Bahama Air, rent a car and drive to Dulles airport for the flight back home.
Although a little disappointed, I am grateful and glad to have participated in probably the best part of the journey. Golden cold beer is awaiting us in Freeport! [Nanno]
My watch started at 6 a.m. and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were nearing Freeport. Grand Bahama looked attractive from a distance,though much flatter than Antigua. We needed eight pairs of eyes and a few hours to find the entrance to the canal. At 11.40 a.m. we arrived at Lucayan Marina, got a full tank of gasoil,went to the immigrations office and brought Zwerver to her place along the quayside to allow her a well deserved rest. At first, she felt a little uncomfortable between Happy, No Rules, Timeless and Nauty... the big fat American polyester 'fishing & boozing' boats. But they all turned out to be friendly and much more civilised than our Texan sailing neighbour in Antigua.
While Jan was kept hostage at the customs, RJ, Marc and Angel started a thorough cleaning and polishing treatment of Zwerver. Nanette, Martijn and I went to do the shopping. Thanks to a fenomenal female taxi driver, this turned out to be a rewarding activity. Grand Bahama is 'interesting': big people, big roads, big boats and big supermarkets ... but if you need a bucket, some rope,navtex paper or a navigation map, or even sterelised milk...they are impossible to find! Casinos and credit cards seem to be the fundaments of the island, though the church is where the heart of its people really is. What to think of the huge board along the road: "The Bible is the best TV guide"?
To overcome all impressions, we gathered round the swimming pool of the Marina, splitting the tasks as usual: some of us with beers at the bar,others swimming in the pool and Angel socialising with the locals. After an authentic dinner (lots of food and noise) and a last visit to the laundry and showers, we all went to bed to get a full night sleep. [MC]
We left the harbour at 8.15 a.m., just in time to hit the tide at its lowest... Thanks to our depth meter reading 3.9 meters and the harbour information about the 10 feet depth of the canal, We got caught in Muddy Waters. But the circumstances were ideal: there were no waves and we just had to wait patiently till the tide helped us out. It gave Jan the opportunity to teach his crew how to keep the ship on exactly the same spot in a crowded canal. We trained in diving under the boat, in measuring the height of the water and in keeping cool while Bahama Mama and other boats approached Zwerver. After 3 hours, our lesson was over and Jan rewarded our performances with an ice cream.
We finally left Grand Bahama at 12 a.m. under the burning sun. It was a relief to be at sea, leaving modern civilisation behind us. To get some excercise, Nanette and I decide to dive around 1 p.m. in the front of the boat to rearrange the sails. Half an hour was enough to get us soaking wet but we were proud of the result. Martijn took up his favourite occupation: polishing the brasses. Most admirable, especially knowing that the effect can hardly last. Sailing was quiet today. We put on the main sail and the balloon, making an average speed of 3.5 knts (oops...). By the end of the day, the wind vanished totally and we decided to switch on the engine. A familiar sound..! Nanette prepared our route to Wilmington, entering the waypoints on the map. We will first head to the West where we will enter the Gulf Stream: the maritime 'highway to the North'. The GS will bring some excitement. Many cargo ships interfering with our course, hopefully a significant acceleration of our speed and probably 'cork screw waves' due to the combination of wind and stream (a test for our sea legs).
After the tunapasta dinner, some of us went to sleep. The others put on their life jackets and life lines, and got ready for the night watches. The weather is quiet, though damp, but the traffic is huge. Boats fill our horizon and planes cross above our heads. [MC]
Woken at 6am by RJ in his very own fashion: he shines a light in my eyes and cries "quarter to six". Thankfully he re-emerges later with a cup of coffee. As I arrive in the deckhouse Nanette and Mark, the two nightwatch captains are in deep conversation. We are near Cape Canaveral and Mark has heard a warning on the VHF that ships that come too near will be seized and fined US$ 500.000. Do we want a frontrow ticket for that prize? We decide to alter course.
Nanette an her crew are off to bed, RJ and Mark go into horizontal standby position, Martijn and I remain on deck. This is the coolest part of the day: Martijn starts polishing again, I clean all the varnish and white paint with fresh water, a carwash brush and a shammy (chamois). very now and then we scan the horizon for ships.
At nine we wake RJ and Mark: they are active and Martijn and I are standby. There is a southwesterly breeze now, is it enough to drive he ship? We decide to give it a try and hoist the balloon. Beautiful! The boat is doing a good 5 knots, plus 3 knots (!) gulfstream, resulting in a speed over ground of 8 knots (14 a 15 km per hour). I would not like to be here when wind and stream are opposite, but like this it is, once again, a sailor's heaven!
Time for a bath. Four buckets of seawater are extremely refreshing: temperature outside is already 32 degrees Celsius (87 degrees F). "There's a hot sun beating on the Decktop, tell your dinghy she'll be rowing that last block...". The Boss knows. After that, the pace slows down. I look for the manual or the satellite phone, because it is complaining that it cannot connect. I get distracted by other manuals, and next time I look at the satphone it works. I compose an e-mail to Derek about missing charts, then do some reading, some sleeping. It's time for lunch.
At noon we wake the female team: Nanette, Angel, Marie-Christine. Now is Mark and RJ's sleeping time. They do not sleep much though: no shadow on deck and hot like a stove belowdecks. Nanette and her girls want to hoist the main but in the end decide against it: it would take the wind from the balloon, that draws beautifully. Silence till three, than some action again. The girls watch is now active, Martijn and I are standby. Teatime. The wind is dwinling away to a mere puff, should we take the balloon down and continue on the engine? Well, we still make a good three knots through the water and it is a beutiful evening... So we lazy on.
Last thing Martijn and I do is make dinner. Grapefruit as a starter, mushroomed rice and green beans as he main dish and fruit flans for desert. Who says we do not eat well? Six o'clock, the end of our 18-hour work day. We hand over to RJ and Mark and go belowdecks, try to get some sleep. [Jan]
RJ and I had the dogwatch last night. Shortly before we stepped on deck the wind had picked up. During one hour of our watch we averaged 8.99 knots, a new trip record. Well, records are meant to be broken and it was broken quite easily by the next watch, Jan and Martijn. When we began our watch they asked us to save some wind for them. We did. Over the next 3 hours they averaged well over 9 knots. But that record also fell to Nanette's watch which averaged over 10!
At times the winds gusted to 28 apparent, waves splashed into the cock pit and the pounding shocked the sleepers awake. But it was a thrilling ride for all and a highly productive night.
After riding the both the Gulf Stream and the Balloon sail for many hours, it was time to swap some sails. In the morning, the balloon was lowered in place of the 3-4. The main was raised and reefed. Later we set up the stay sail and enjoyed the balance of a cutter rig.
But all this fast sailing created a potential problem. We may arrive in Wilmington at night. So we had to slow down. That's when we dropped the stay sail and put another reef in the main. We're still moving over 6.5 knots, but expect to reach our goal in the morning. [Mark]
00.01 a.m.: the beginning of my watch and of what would turn out to be a very long day. We start as stand by, which usually means getting out of bed, putting on the life jackets and lay down again near the cockpit. But tonight we are really needed! Jan and Martijn fight against the waves and the wind, and decide to take down the main sail.
1.00 a.m.: I am at the back taking care of the sheets and see Martijn, Nanette and Angel fly over the deck. Jan defends the helm and counts the minutes. The wind is blowing like mad, the night is dark. At 1.20 a.m. the job is done. We are sent to bed, but Nanette and I stay awake. Nanette checks our position and schedules, I listen to the waves banging on the boat and try to identify the different noises. Cling, bang, cling, bang... the pans should be blocked with bread and plastic boxes. The bottles of oil and vinegar too. Just imagine the mess if these break. Jan and Martijn clear the cockpit,which essentially means throwing everything inside on Nanette who just went to sleep. Just when I try to help, a wave rocks the ship and I end together with a pair of binoculars and half a bench on top of Nanette. Very funny indeed.
3 a.m.: we - the girls - start our watch. We are told that it's wet outside, but don't pay too much notice. Our salopettes should be enough. How wise. After only three minutes, a huge wave appears out of the blue and we get soaking wet. OK, we put on our jackets, though we shall stay wet till the next morning. Nanette reconsiders the tactics of the previous watch and goes in the attack: come on girls, back to the main sail. But our attention is distracted by a thunderstorm on 160 degrees. The wind gets harder, the lightnings get more frequent and near. We try to make fun of this mega-disco, sing our complete repertoire (= two lines of each song, not more) but it's gloomy. Time to check with Jan what we should really do. A change of direction is excluded: it would mean going to the coast or right into the thunderstorm. Hoisting the main sail again is not an option. We already sail an average of more than 8 knots with only the 3-4 jib and the waves are agressive. We send our captain to bed and keep cool. Literally.
By 5 a.m. we are regularly splashed by freezing salted waves. At 6 a.m. Mark and RJ start their active watch and we become stand by. But by that time we look like the Niagara falls and cannot go anywhere. The sun is rising and it's nice to stay on deck, even if the showers go on. We are nearing Cape Fear, the coast of Wilmington. The light is beautiful, so is the sea. Not deep blue, but green. More like home...
At 9 a.m. it's Nanette's turn to get the helm. Back in the game, just in time to lead us to the harbour.
By 11.25 a.m., just within our very last watch, we are at Southport Marina where we get a friendly welcome. People of North-Carolina are 'layed back'. And they have a delicious southern accent. Too bad that we still draw 9 feet and that the tide is low. As usual, we play Muddy Waters. We have to wait to get our final place in the harbour and, in the meantime, start cleaning. Not ourselves, of course, but sweetie Zwerver. Those brasses and lacquers need a lot of care.
By the end of the day, when she is shining, we are allowed to have a shower and appear fresh and dressed up for drinks at Melissa's bar. Melissa understands exactly what we need. She has lived two years on a boat and knows what the essentials of life are: showers and beer. Since we already had the first, she takes care of the beers. Many beers: Melissa happens to understand the essentials of business too... We end the evening in the harbour restaurant where Jan invites us for dinner. The lobsters are memorable. The white Zinfandel, which appears to be a rosé lemonade, and the coffee and tea, that taste like dishwater, deserve mentioning in this weblog.
USA stand for Unusual Succulent Adventures. [MC]
We are on land again. Finalizing travel arangements, seeing some of cozy Wilmington, and getting ready for the next crew to arrive. We rented two cars to get things done around town. In our bright red Jeep Wrangler, it felt even more like a vacation. With the top down we cruised Wilmington for fudge, lunch and ice cream, in that order. Jan, Nanette and Mark went to get the charts, then off to the local friendly West-Marine for sail ties etc., on to wander the colorful streets of Wilmington. At the friendliest of visitors' centers, Robert Jan asked for the "biggest mall you have" sending MC, Robert Jan, Martijn and I on to the most American of destinations... the MALL! Dinner was excellent. Robert Jan and I were fixated on where they got the spelling for caffe(?). Marie Christine, Mark and Martijn presented some lovely gifts to Nanette and Jan (procured, in part, from the MALL). A red night lamp for Jan, much like the one he had admired of Mark's. Nanette got a water tight bag which she proceeded to fill with the coffee fixings off the table. We always seem to be using up the coffee spoons on board. We almost make off with the pepper mill, 6 coffee spoons, 2 table napkins, and a small plate. But, good Nanette put them all back just before we left. In honor of our ordeal exiting the Grand Bahamas' "deep water port", MC thought to get Jan, a fan of good music, a Muddy Waters CD.
The new crew lost part of its luggage on the way to Wilmington, but otherwise arrived safely. Fortunately, it arrived one day later, just in time to board the ship. Stocked up with turtle fugde and new food fixin's from the local Food Lion, we made ready for the next leg.
Tonight was a total lunar eclipse. - beautiful. [Angel]
At 8 am, after a heartwarming goodbye from the crew of the first leg, we motor off through the Intercoastal waterway to head for Cape Fear and the ocean. It is foggy, and it gets worse outside. We creep from buoy to buoy to find the channel and get nearly stuck in the mud. Outside the channel the fog clears up again and all is quiet and we head off for a quiet and pleasant day of sailing. The wind is 10-15 knots, so we use the motor on and off. We get company from a small landbird that decides our ship is good place to rest. Yes, it did land on the ship and kept us company for about ten minutes. The night is as quiet as the day was. [LL]
We wake up to find ourselves in a storm! This wasn't at all what the weather predictions were: northern winds 10-15 knots. Winds up to 30 knots and a northern wind over the southern gulfstream make terrible waves that haunt us for the next two days. We have about 3 types of waves: the high fly, the sickening thud & the sideway lurch. Especially the ST is just that: all of the crew except Mark are seasick, in varying degrees. But the ship did fine (unlike its crew), in contrast to the many "panpan" messages and even a real "mayday" we receive. In the afternoon, with the worst of the storm over, we are visited by a U.S. Navy rescue helicopter. It passes over us three times, checking out whether we are safe. It's a comforting thought that we aren't alone on this world after all. Hero of the day: Mark, who got soaked on the foredeck over and over again while changing sails, but still managed to keep a happy smile. [LL]
The weather is still lousy, although the storm is lying down. Still strong winds and ... rain. The crew gets soaked and sick. We see many dolphins, apparently they like to keep us company. We were even visited by a school of about twenty dolphins. After we crossed the gulfstream and kept to the shoreside of it the worst waves are over, we now just have the regular kind. [LL]
The first nice day with good sailing again. We see some dolphins, although not as many as yesterday. In the afternoon the sun peeks out at us, and it's excellent sailing with (still) a northern wind of about 20 knots. Due to the bad weather and the bad winds we are now 1-2 days behind schedule. D'oh! Happening of the day: our encounter with U.S. Navy warship 37. It's weird to hear yourself being called on the VHF. Our captain goes berserk when the crew asks if they may take a picture. [LL]
The early shift hears the warnings. Rocket launches scheduled by NASA in our area. We have to steer clear. Or do we? After a few nervous minutes, it turns out we weren't in the way after all. Whew.
Today, we took showers. Ahhhh. It was a calmer and more comfortable day for us, but not so good for boat speed. The peaceful seas allowed us ideal conditions for classes on foredeck. Mark and I (stand-by) instructed Stephen and Ellen (active) on how to let out a reef, douse a jib, and hoist a new one. Exemplary students!
Stephen cooked a marvelous dinner of curried chicken and lentils. The sea turned a glassy grey in the evening. Everything looks smooth and lavendar with a pink-orange sunset striping the sky just above the horizon. We have been under motor since after noon when the wind died. This should keep us warm and cozy through the night as well as maintain our boat speed at round 5 to 6 knots. We are just passing Delaware now. New Jersey is next! [Angel and Mark]
Ellen's birthday. Yesterday we got the windstill on request, and for some fun (not!), we got another windstill today, this time with rain instead of sun. Some birthday, getting soaked in grey and foggy weather. I bet the weather in Holland is great. Peter and Stephen cooked another delicious meal. Late in the evening (about 10 p.m.) we started to see the New York city lights. Finally! We motored our way under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, past the statue of liberty and Manhattan. It took us a while to find the harbour, as it was hidden behind some rather large dinner cruise ships. The harbour is spaceous and of good depth, so no problems for Zwerver here. At about 2 p.m. we went to our bunks.
A little addendum to yesterday: there were actually two happenings of the day: the first was the rocket launch panic, the second was a little airplane approaching us at a very low altitude and circling around the ship. We took some nice pictures of the plane.
As a side note, we would like to thank Frans for insisting that we bring true sailing gear, instead of ordinairy rain cloth. In the cold and rainy weather that we had, we really needed them! [LL]
New York, New York. We spent the morning washing our wet clothes and towels. At noon we took the ferry to Manhattan and got a "see NY in one day" tour by Swan Tours. Our tour guide Angel rushed us along the famous and interesting places. Since Manhattan has famous and interesting places one every square inch, we had to run around all afternoon. Stephen and Ellen managed to do some shopping on the way. Angels' boyfriend Simon took Nanet and Jan to a chart store, while Angel took the rest of us to Grand Central station. Later we went to Soho for a drink (at Leibowitz, where we surprise surpise met yet another friend of Angel) and the best pizza in NY (Lombardi's). Jan, Nanet, Stephen and Ellen went home with the last ferry, the others decided to taste the night life.
Lesson of the day: 1 fathom = 1 Peter. [LL]
Mark and Peter made it back home to the boat during the night, but Angel did not. Mark and Peter had a bizarre story about meeting a woman at 2.30 a.m. in the marina, and she asked them to join for a late night meal. That's the kind of event you miss when you go to bed early.
The morning was spent visiting Manhattan for fun and some shopping. Among the places visited by the various crew members: Guggenheim museum, Ground zero, 3 internet cafes. After Angel joined the party at 3 p.m. we left the marina at 4 p.m.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, we were able to sail out of the harbour which was nice, since NY harbour is a challenging waterway. We had another excellent meal cooked by Stephen. [LL]
Early in the morning, the wind became rather unpleasant once again: east, just where we wanted to go! During the dark hours of the morning, we tried to reef the main sail. The operation nearly went wrong, almost leaping Jan overboard. Fortunately, we lost only one of Jan's boots, not Jan himself. After two tries we managed to reef the main sail. Later that morning the hailing of the genua proved to be another tough job, with the genua diving into the water. Again, the operation was completed, but it was not a smooth operation. In the afternoon the wind laid down slightly and turned to a more favourable direction, so we were able to make some miles after all. [LL]
Finally, a wonderful wind! With a double reef and jib 3/4 we race at 8 knots, wind abeam, in the right direction. Zwerver is so well balanced that we can leave the helm for half a minute. One by one the lights of Long Island show up faintly, then guide us for a while, then fade away. The ocean is calm too: the waves are regular and not too high. If only it would get warmer: we have two crewmembers ill, from sheer cold and exhaustion.
In the morning we are near Newport. Now we have to tack again, but we can make long beats. One beat leads us straight up the traffic line to Nantucket... in the wrong direction. We comfort ourselves with the fact that the system is voluntary and we keep a sharp lookout.
The next beat brings us straight before Newport. We shake out first one reef, than the other and enter in style. Captain Brown's sailing directions bring us to the International Yacht Restoration School, where we moor. We've done it!
It is funny to observe a crew coming to land. Whether we have sailed ten minutes or ten days, we always immediately head for the nearest boozer. In this case fired on by Angel, who has been sick during the night and now shows a ravenous hunger.
We decide to leave the cleaning till tomorrow and go into town. Just like in Cowes, the average tradesman in Newport is sure that anyone coming in by boat has a desperate need for funny T-shirts and artsy paintings.
Ellen and Stephen are so cold that they check into a hotel. We meet again for dinner, where we try the New England lobster. Yummie! Nanette and I go early to bed, the rest goes after the fleshpots of Newport, and end up in a swimming pool. [Jan]
Cleaning day. It pours with rain, which does not help, but we dare fairly say now that the ship is at least as clean now as it was when we came to it, Better, if I may be so free.
We meet Captain Brown, who decidedly hoists the NYYC burgee and invites us for dinner. He offers us the use of his car, a great gift indeed, if only to haul the ton of laundry to the laundromat!
Well, that's it. Tomorrow most of us jump ship. Who remain are Angel and the tiger, the guardian of the navigation corner. We quit... over to the DNAC crew! [Jan]