Nearly there

We are half a day from Cape Hatteras, from there a hundred miles to Chesapeake Bay, and then a final hundred and thirty miles up Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis and Pier 7 on South River, the marina where we will be docking. All and all just over three hundred miles to go. Depending on conditions ahead, we will be arriving either Saturday or Sunday. We won't let our guard down until we are safely tied up.

When we departed from Cape Town, we were hoping to arrive in Annapolis by the fifteenth of June, eight weeks and eight thousand miles later. We've spent a week at the various stops we made, and thus covered the eight thousand miles in seven weeks. It took patience, trust and sail changes whenever required. On a good day we may change sails five times, at other times we keep the same sail up for a week or more. Just staying consistent and keep on doing our best.

Our motto was that if there is enough wind to keep the sail up, we will sail it. At times we were doing four knots, and at other times eight knots. The eight knot were more than the four knot spells, and our average is well above six knots. What also assisted greatly is having top quality sails, and the folding props also made a huge difference over such a long distance. Fixed props slows you down, creates vibration and noise, and wear and tare on the sail drives.

The excitement to be on land again for a while is quietly building. It will take some time getting used to. I am used to being awake during the early hours of the morning, and sleep a bit during the day. We are six time zones away from home, and will suffer a bit of jet lag as well. Coming from warm weather and back to a positively cold South Africa will also require some getting used to. And then of course having lots of people around, lots of activities, feeling a bit like an outsider observing all the madness around. But most of all, unspeakable happiness for having our loved ones around us again. That is what we are looking forward to most The rest we adapt to, as we adapt to a life at sea. Hopefully we will have to cellphone signal from tomorrow onwards.

Take care, eat healthy, exercise a bit and stay warm.

Paul









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Fort Lauderdale

Friday night the glittering lights of Miami coasted up on us as we worked our way up to Fort Lauderdale. The Gulf Stream is a magical carpet ride when you curve in with the wind. It took us exactly seven days sailing from St.Thomas and at ten am we passed 17th Street Bridge towards Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale. We were allocated a berth right at the gate of B Dock. We were assisted by the dock master who also had our access cards and other information leaflet available.

We had lots to do, and little time to do it in. Firstly, hailed a taxi and reported to the Immigration authorities to check in. After a few hick ups we got stamped in and hailed our taxi driver to take us back to the boat. It was about noon and back at the boat thought we'd get a burger and beer at the moment nearest spot. There is an upper pool deck with a bar and grill that serves the Bahia Mar Marina and Hotel. We did get refreshments, but thought we'd find another place, and a bit cooler. Ten minutes later we crossed the road and found exactly what we were looking for. Sat down, had a mean burger, fries and a beer, and had a great view on the Hall of Fame beach.

After lunch we made our way back to the boat to get a few things and taxied to West Marine, just fifteen minutes away. We were looking for a few spares and also the correct shore power connector. This is the biggest West Marine in the world, and an amazing array of boating goods on display. Back to the boat to wire the shore power plug, and fit the new water strainer. The plumbing for the water strainer was incompatible and we had to get back to West Marine. The strainer was for an air conditioner, and great conditions to run one being a bit hot and humid. We were busy sweating with the strainer into the night, but at nine pm we were up and running. We could fill our water tanks as well, and lovely to cool down and freshen up with a shower. We had a solid sleep, the boat all tied down and not moving. After many days at sea, a good night's sleep is guaranteed.

Sunday morning Don and Jane did their laundry. We were planning to stay until Wednesday. A technician was coming to look at our watermaker. Looking at the weather forecast I suggested we depart on Monday morning, and set a time for nine o'clock. It suited everyone perfectly, and Don and Jane went to the supermarket to get some last provisions for the few days left to Annapolis. I took a Lyft into town to get a local simcard, and picked up a bowl at Chipotle, a popular Mexican food place to share with Thomas back at the boat.

We had good wifi at the marina, but a local simcard is essential for me. $77 unlimited data for a month anywhere in the US valid for a month. I have a lot to catch up on emails, social media, research etc. The best is to be able to chat and do video calls with my two besties, my wife and my daughter. Being away from home for two months at a time and with limited communications is a challenge on it's own.

We had my close friend Michelle Ropiza seeing us off on Monday morning with some fresh almond croissants and some other lovely gifts. Wonderful as always to touch base with her. Busiest and best catamaran broker in the world.

At nine thirty and Monday morning we started the engines and made our way back to 17th Street Bridge, and just in time to request a ten o'clock opening. Exiting Port Everglade was a bit choppy, but once we were in deeper water, conditions settled. We raised our main, unfurled the genoa, and pointed our bows north, following the Gulf Stream. Ten knots of wind on the beam, and current up to four knots, we were sailing fast towards our next waypoint. The Gulf Stream runs north, and around hundred miles east of Jacksonville it makes a forty five degree turn to northeast. We are following the current up to Cape Hatteras from where we will head up for Chesapeake Bay. The wind has been in our favor and turning with the current. Yesterday we made five sail changes to optimize conditions. A few hours ago the gennaker went up, and we are two days away from Chesapeake.

Hope you also had a great weekend. Catch up again soon.

Paul






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Fort Lauderdale just up ahead

Last night was lots of fun. First we sailed onto the Bahama Banks, then back into the Old Bahama Channel, and then back on to the banks. We had fairly good winds, and as it shifted we made the most of it. Current was sometimes straight against us, then across us. We first sailed west a bit, then north, then west again until we found good current and positioning ourselves for the Gulf Stream current. First gennaker, then main and genoa, back to the gennaker, and finally main and genoa. It all worked out perfectly for us, and currently we are just under a hundred miles from Fort Lauderdale. We have got good current, and soon we will be in the Gulf Stream. Very light winds today, but the current is helping us a lot, and we expect to arrive at Fort Lauderdale tomorrow morning. We will be sailing pass Miami early hours of the morning.

We keep the boat neat and tidy, and this morning just a wipe here and a shine there to look spic and span when we arrive at Bahia Mar Yacht Club. I did a bit of laundry, shaved, and look and feel ten years younger.

For lunch Jane spoiled us with crunchy Asian gourmet Japanese style Panko crumbed fried chicken, jasmine rice with green peas, and a lovely salad. We have real top quality Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dribble on the salad. Madagascar black pepper and Himalayan pink salt, suffice to say, we had a scrumptious meal. She has been spoiling us a lot on our journey thus far, and good food makes for happy crew. We love eating well when we sail, great for morale.

We obviously operate around the clock on ocean crossings, and have to be ready at any time for any eventuality. Anticipating the whims of the weather and the sea is part of what we do. We don't sail as fast as we possibly can, instead we conserve the boat, and choose to sail conservatively. It does not mean that we sail slow, at all. It just means that we prefer less sail perfectly set. It takes a lot of pressure off the rigging. When we arrive at Fort Lauderdale tomorrow morning, we would have covered 6950nm in 45 days, averaging 6.4kts, and only 200hrs of motoring. Most of the motoring was the first few days out of Cape Town. We are thoroughly pleased with our progress thus far. Our motto was to sail whenever there was enough wind to hold the sails in shape. At times we were doing 4kts, and at other times 10kts. It worked out well for us.

We will be spending a few days in Fort Lauderdale, and then just under a thousand miles to Annapolis. With assistance from the Gulf Stream and good weather, we could cover it in five days. Our original goal was to arrive in Annapolis on June 15th, and it looks like we may be spot on.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. I may share a bit what sailors do when they get to land for a few days.

Paul

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Bahama Blues

Wonderful to be sailing over the shallows of the Bahama Banks again. The azure blue waters is truly something to behold. On the bottom the shadow of our boat is clearly visible as we glide over the white sand and grass patches here and there. Depth around where we are is ten meters. Coming from sailing five thousand meter deep waters for weeks, you can understand my fascination. Fortunately the area is well charted and we can navigate safely. Some areas are covered with coral heads, and small patches of sand above the water called cays. Obviously some are quite big and populated.

Earlier this morning we sailed pass Cayo Lobos, a small patch of land with a spectacular old disfunctional lighthouse standing proud against the elements. Do yourself a favor and Google it, and imagine being the lighthouse keeper there.

As usual when we cross over the Bahama Banks, we hooked a barracuda busy patrolling its territory. Beautiful fish, with big teeth, and although edible, could also be very poisonous. The easiest and safest way to get the hook out is to cover its eyes with a wet rag. That seems to pacify the fish. Thomas pulled the fish in, and I set about removing the hook with a pair of pliers. It's a bit of a mission, and you want to do it as quickly as possible. Working in such close proximity to the crocodile like teeth is a bit nerve wracking, but the secret is to focus on the the job at hand. You don't want to do it tentatively, it could result in a nasty injury. After a short struggle the fish was returned to the ocean.

We are flying our gennaker and busy working our way off the banks back into the Old Bahamas Channel. This is partly due to the wind direction, and the prospect of positive current I have our favor. Our ETA at Fort Lauderdale is Saturday morning. We have booked a berth at the Bahia Mar Yacht Club and we plan to spend a few days there, probably departing on Wednesday for Annapolis. The Bahia Mar is a top class facility, and we are looking much forward to our visit there.

Hope you are having a great day and looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Will keep you posted.

Paul

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Thunder and lightning

Last night was quite spectacular with lightning flashing mostly closer to land, and we could hear a bit of rumbling every now and then. On the top of our mast we have a solid aluminum rod, and at the bottom of our shrouds dedicated holes that we can bolt two thick copper cables that will drag in the water. In theory this is a lightning conductor system should we suffer a direct hit. When a yacht is struck by lightning, it normally runs through and destroy all the electronic devices on board. The lightning was firstly far away, and only flashing in the clouds.

I was once sailing the Pacific and we had five huge thunderstorms surrounding us. It was quite eerie watching the night skies light up, and feeling the thunder rumbling right through the boat. We obviously follow the tracks of the cumulus nimbus clouds, and work our way around them if we can. The clouds we had were not cumulus nimbus clouds, just the cooler air from the ocean meeting the rising hot air from the land.

We dropped the gennaker at about six last night, and maintained a fair speed with just the genoa. At midnight Thomas and myself raised the gennaker again as the wind was very light, too light for the genoa. At three am I had to wake Thomas again to drop the gennaker. The wind was steadily building and better to be safe than sorry. We had just dropped the gennaker when the stronger winds reached us. Nothing hectic, but at the limit of what we would fly the gennaker in. Since then we have been sailing with the genoa, and making fair progress.

A few hours ago we had quite some rain that cooled the air a bit, and also washed any salt residue from the yacht.

We will be arriving in Fort Lauderdale sometime this weekend, and looking much forward to some time on land. Slowly but surely we are the miles are ticking away.

Hope things on your side is also quite relaxed.

Paul

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The Bahamas

On our starboard, about four miles away, the lighthouse of Great Inagua is clearly visible. If you zoom in on the chart, you will notice a big salt lake, Lake Rosa. Quite a few of disused salt lakes with channels that were dug leading to the sea. Earlier years this was a salt mine, and a few of the old structures are still visible.

On our port side, the eastern tip of Cuba is fifty miles away, and not visible from where we are during the day. Tonight we might see some of the lights of Cuba looming in the distance. Our good weather is holding well as expected and mostly blowing around fifteen knots from the east, and running between seven and eight knots. Last night, and for tonight, we lower the gennaker and furl out the genoa. We loose quite a bit of speed, but also no risk of blowing the gennaker out. We are not in a race, and are making satisfactory progress. This morning at two Thomas and myself raised the gennaker again as I was on watch and could drop the gennaker in a flash if required.

I have been to Cuba before, waiting out some headwinds. It was a fascinating experience, seeing all these old nineteen fifty model cars. Lots of horsecarts with a poop bag tied under their tail. The pace of life in general is also very slow, and people are eeking out a living. Another spectacular failure for socialism. They are also very proud people, and I found them endearing.

In two days or so we will be rounding the Bahama banks, slip into the Gulf Stream, and aim our bows for Fort Lauderdale. We expect to arrive there over the weekend, and looking much forward to a few days on land. Mainly for internet, which makes it easier to stay in touch with our loved ones, friends, business partners, and social media. In the not too distant future we will hopefully have Star-Link up and running, and we will have fast internet available on boats anywhere in the world. It will certainly change many of us live and make a living.

Don and Jane became the proud grandparents of a girl in the early hours of the morning. Big congratulations to them. They have been at sea for a long time, and missing their children, and life on land, dearly. In their seventies, I have highest respect for their tenacity and perseverance. Life at sea is challenging at times, both physically and mentally. The rewards are endless though. You get a chance to get ultra close to nature, and learn to appreciate both the small and big things in life.

Wishing you fab day, and will touch base again tomorrow.

Paul

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Visitors from space

This morning on my two to six watch, we had two sooty terns catching a ride with us. The nearly half moon was high in the sky, and the two birds and myself were sitting and looking around. I was serenading them with some ukulele tunes, and they in turned amused me with their company. Just before sunrise they set off on their endless pursuit for food again. They left a few droppings behind for us, which took us about five minutes to clean up.

We are halfway past the Dominican Republic and twenty miles from the closest point. The wind and current is very much in our favor and we are leisurely cruising at seven knots, surfing down the swell at ten knots. This time tomorrow we will have Cuba on our port side and Great Inagua Island, Bahamas on our starboard side. We are ahead of schedule and expect to arrive at Fort Lauderdale on Friday or Saturday.

At about noon today we had another little visitor, this time a swallow. The swallow found a comfortable perch a meter away from me, and we sat looking at each other for a while. I asked the little bird where it was from. They travel massive distances when they migrate, and sometimes get blown off course. How they navigate remains a wonder and a mystery, finding the exact same nest from the season before. I told the birdie that land is just twenty miles away and pointed in that direction. After lingering a little while longer, the swallow took to the skies again, and hopefully found land.

On our side, all is good. Following winds and seas. We expect the wind to increase slightly a bit later, but we will sail the winds as they blow.

Trust all is good on your side too.

Paul



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St.Thomas touch and go

We had a successful touch and go at St.Thomas. ⛽✅, 💦✅, 🍞✅, 🍎✅ 🍔✅ 🍻✅. Also had some wifi and could catch up with our loved ones, emails, messages, posts and such. Arrived late afternoon and departed before sunrise the next day. It was good walking on solid earth again after twenty seven days at sea. St.Thomas is a vibrant little place. Colorful, noisy, good places to quench your thirst and hunger, and good markets for provisions. Lots of interesting characters around as well. American Yacht Harbor is a great marina to chill a while. A few hours sleep with the boat not moving was rejuvenating.

Next stop Fort Lauderdale, and we should be there this time next week. Planning to stop for a few days before our final destination, Annapolis. The weather and sea ahead is looking perfect for a perfect run to Ft.Lauderdale. Currently sailing on a smooth ocean with thirteen knots of true wind. We are flying our kite and cruising smoothly at six plus knots and expext conditions to prevail. With our folding props we are gliding silently and smoothly through the water.

On our port side, thirty miles away, Puerto Rico's night lights were visible in the distance earlier on tonight. I've visited on a few occasions and enjoyed every visit more than the time before. People here know how to live well. Excellent produce available too. We will soon bid Puerto Rico farewell and enter the waters across the Dominican Republic later today.

Above the waning moon is still shining fairly bright on her way to half moon in a day or two. A few clouds are also floating with us towards the Old Bahamas Channel that seperates Cuba and the Bahama Banks, a huge area of shallow waters. We often cut across the banks, but this time round we will optimize both wind and current through the channel. At the end of the channel we slip into the Gulf Stream, the wind curving up with us. This is sailing at its best.

Wishing you a most agreeable day.

Paul



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Fwd: Happy 21st birthday Thomas 🎉🎈!!!

-------- Original Message --------
From: Paul Badenhorst <paulbadenhorst@myiridium.net>
Sent: May 27, 2021 5:02:16 PM GMT-01:00
To: Sailwithpaul.aroundtheworld@blogger.com@gmail.com
Subject: Happy 21st birthday Thomas 🎉🎈!!!

Today we are celebrating Thomas's twenty first birthday 🎉🎂🎊🍰🎁 He is far away from home and his loved ones, Jane is far away from home and her loved ones besides Don, and I am far away from home and my loved ones. Since early this morning Jane has baked some vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing, and fried some delicious potato chips and Dorado with green beans for lunch. Over lunch she related that they had quite a few birthdays during May in her family, and they would always make it a special occasion and cook up a storm. Her one daughter is also due any day now, and not sure whether it will be a girl or a boy. This is the price we sometimes pay to be out at sea, and it is at times like this that we miss our loved ones even more dearly than usual.

We are a day away from St.Thomas, and we hope to make a quick stop there for some fuel, fresh provisions, and to catch up with our loved ones via the internet. We are not exactly sure about the covid procedures required when we arrive there, or how long it will take. Legally I think we would be tested on arrival and will to stay in quarantine for four days. We have been at sea now for twenty five days, and impossible for any of us to have covid. Yet, we will be required to do covid tests before we can legally step off the boat. I would much rather prefer to stop at the fuel dock, get some fuel, go to the supermarket across the road for some fresh provisions, grab a burger and a beer, do some wifi, and be on our merry way again the next morning. We shall see how it pans out. We don't pose any threat to anyone, and it won't cause me sleepless nights to not follow the exact procedures.

After St.Thomas, we plan to make a quick stop at Fort Lauderdale to clear the vessel into the US. Fort Lauderdale is about ten days away St.Thomas via the Old Bahama Channel. We will be sailing past Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba to our port, and to our starboard the Bahamas before we hook into the Gulf Stream. From Fort Lauderdale, Annapolis is a thousand miles away. It could go quick with assistance from the Gulf Stream, if the weather plays in our favor.

Currently we have no wind and motoring. The skies are grey, and a short spell of light rain every now and then. It is predicted to stay like this for a day or two.


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Into the Caribbean Sea

After nearly six thousand nautical miles of Atlantic Ocean, we sailed into the Caribbean Sea at nine this morning, crossing between St. Vincent and St.Lucia. The sea state has calmed considerably, and the wind is now blowing in from the east. Sailing up the string of Leeward Islands we have Martinique, Dominica, Gaudeloupe, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St.Christopher, St.Estatatius, Saba, St.Croix, and then finally St.Thomas which is two hundred and seventy miles from us.

A rich maritime history of conquer and defeat, pirates and rogues, lost treasures and secret hideaways. The Spanish with their gallions full of gold pilfered from South America on route back to Spain was very much sought after. If you were commissioned by the Queen of England, you were a legal plundered. If you were a privateer, you were a pirate. The Queen was probably the biggest pirate of them all. Thieves being hunted down by thieves. I guess Pirates of the Caribbean paints as good a picture as any. Echoes from the past still sounds here if you listen carefully.

And in this lawless paradise, a lot of these islands were named after saints. As if to atone for the atrocities that were committed on them. Superstitious bunch they were. Just as I typed this, a few dolphins came racing around. Inbetween the islands the wind funnels through stronger, making the sea choppy for a while, and curving the wind direction. We are fifty miles west of Martinique and Dominica, and still feel the effects of the islands on the wind and sea state. An hour or so later, things calm down again, and we go from a beam reach to a broad reach which is more comfortable. We adjust the sails accordingly.

We will be arriving at St.Thomas on Friday, and hopefully we'll be able to get a quick covid test and stay for a day or two. Looking forward to hopefully witnessing the lunar eclipse tonight. The skies are clear. Last night the moon was extra bright, and nearly blinding from the reflection off the water.

I will let you know tomorrow if we had any lunar action here. Wishing you pleasant day, and catch up with you again in the morning.

Paul




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Against the wind

One of the many amazing things about sailing is all the different points of sail. From a dead run with the wind from right behind, broad reach the wind around hundred and fifty degrees from behind, beam reach the wind ninety degrees from the side, close reach up to sixty degrees, and close hauled up to forty degrees from the front. There is a perception that catamarans do not sail well to the wind, and it is partly true, some cats don't. The Maverick 440 is one of the exceptions.

We are currently sailing at around forty five degrees to the wind. True wind speed is fifteen knots, apparent wind eighteen knots, and our speed over ground between seven and eight knots. Truly exceptional for a cat without dagger boards. Retractable dagger boards are like blades that goes through the hull and they allow you to sail close to the wind. They take up a lot of interior space, and also cumbersome to deploy. If you want to see an example you can Google Katana catamarans. What helps us a lot on this particular Maverick is the X1 cross radial sails from North Sails. We have second reef in on the main sail, and first reef on the head sail.

We are now less than hundred and ten miles away from St.Lucia, but we won't be stopping there. We should reach St.Lucia before noon tomorrow. St.Thomas is only two days further down the line, and we plan to make a quick stop there to get some fresh provisions, and also to take a bit of a rest. Tomorrow will be a lunar eclipse, and how great it would be to see St.Lucia and the lunar eclipse on the same day.

All is well on SV Jubilee, and we will bid the Atlantic Ocean farewell as we sail into the Caribbean sea. Trust you had a great day, and catch up again tomorrow.

Paul

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Dancing with the waves

It is interesting how quick one can adapt to your environment. What seemed a bit rough at first, is still a bit rough, but does not feel like it. And as with everything, things change, and gradually the rough makes way for slightly less wind. In turn, the sea calms slightly, the swell becomes longer, and we adjust our sails accordingly. Now and then we still bounce over a wave, land softly on the other side, stalling us momentarily and altering our heading. Our momentum keeps us moving forward, the boat finds her way again, speeding us towards St. Lucia. It seems that the boat is having much fun, dancing and weaving on the ocean. Great having Thomas as first mate. He sets the sails very much like I would set them, and it keeps us going at a good speed.

Long thin lines of wind driven saragosa is also riding up and down the swell with us, but at right angles to the boat. As I'm writing, a small grey cloud is spilling some raindrops on us for a few moments. Earlier on, a flock of terns was chirping their high pitched exciting noises. Probably a school of bonito in the area feeding and the terns hunting for scraps. Yesterday we had one staying with us for a few hours, hunting small fish on the surface. Amazing how they can hover sideways in the wind, facing into the sun, and take a plunge every now and then. The bird probably caught a fish every five to ten minutes, and awe inspiring to watch the bird's manouvres in the air. Pure instinct.

St.Lucia is currently two hundred and seventy miles from us, and we expect to arrive there and enter the Caribbean sea in two days. We are not planning to stop, we might anchor for the night. It will also be full moon, or very close to full moon. St.Lucia is spectacularly beautiful with the pitons on the south westerly side of the island. We have been at sea for twenty three days since leaving St.Helena, averaging six point four knots, and used forty hours motoring. After a few weeks at sea, any land looks beautiful, and St.Lucia especially so.

It will be my forty eighth time I sail in past St.Lucia, and I miss stopping at Marigot Bay for a day or two to rest. With covid restrictions, it now takes about four days to quarantine, be tested and be allowed on the island. A bit pressed for time, we may anchor for a night, or shoot straight through to St.Thomas. We might be able to stop there for short visit. We will see how it goes.

Hope the week ahead will be great for you, it will certainly be for us seeing land again, and take on the last quarter of our voyage to Annapolis.

Paul



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On the beat again

It was quite bumpy this morning for a few hours as we crossed the continental shelf back into deeper waters. At ten am we were over, time to raise the main sail again, and turn our bows toward St.Lucia. This stretch is always challenging. After many days of good current and wind from behind, we have now very little current to assist us, and the wind from the side. In sailing terms we are on a beam reach, using our main and head sail to propel us forward.

We have set the main sail to second reef and secured it with gybe preventers. As we have about twenty knots of wind and on average three meter waves, the head sail is only furled out half way. In theory we could go full main and genoa, but it would be ludicrous. Even first reef would be way too much due to the sea state. Second reef and half genoa gives us a fair turn of speed, keeps us relatively comfortable, and also less stress on the rigging. We should be good for up to thirty knots.

It's going to be a bit of a bumpy night as the weather predicted will probably gust at close to thirty knots, but mostly stay at twenty. We have got some searoom to bare off should the need arise. Bare off means placing the wind a bit behind us, and Trinidad is three hundred miles away, more than enough space to stay safe. Tomorrow morning we expect the wind to ease to fifteen knots, and blowing more out of the east. This will give us a great angle to cut through the gap between St.Vincent and St.Lucia.

It takes a while to shake the fear that is trying to engulf you when sailing like this. But before long, you get used to the motion, the bigger waves, and the stronger winds. I fortunately have two hundred and seventy six thousand miles of experience to draw on, and have been in much bigger seas in much smaller boats. It helps me to stay calm, and in turn my crew also sense my calmness and stay calm. I certainly will never challenge the ocean with my experience, I simply draw on it when things get a bit rough and scary. I'm not a brave sailor by any stretch of the imagination. I stay alert, focused, real, and in harmony with the ocean. I have known sailors that thought they were bigger than the ocean, and they paid the ultimate price. It's not a game out here.

Hope you had a great weekend and catch up again tomorrow.

Paul

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Stormy night, holy night

It was one of those watches this morning. I took over at two am, just in time to see the waxing moon sinking below the horizon,turning the sky and the sea black. At two thirty it was time for fun and games as a bank of heavy clouds caught up with us from behind. A leisurely fifteen knots of wind was on the increase, and I prepared to furl in some headsail. It started raining softly, but the wind also carried the warning sounds and smell of heavier rain and wind on the way. Within five minutes we had up to thirty knots of wind, and it started raining real hard.

I was moving fast between port side to release some sheet, and back to starboard to furl in more sail. I did this a few times until I was happy with the size of the sail. Too much sail and we can get dismasted, too little and we will go too slow, and the waves will break on to the back boat of the boat. You have to keep going though, but not too fast or too slow. It rained hard for about an hour. Quite a feeling to be out here alone on watch, and the skies opening up on you. Amidst the noise, the rain, and zero visibility I felt completely calm and focused, and utterly alone. I did what I had to do to keep us safe, and nothing else to do but to wait for the rain to subside.

We are in warm climes, and the rain was warm as well. I got thoroughly drenched, loving the sensation. I could have put on a raincoat, but at times it is good to get wet from head to toe. It makes me feel even more alive, dancing in the rain like no one is watching, and fortunately no one was watching. Closing my eyes and facing upwards, I felt at one with the elements, with the world, the universe, and with myself, all my senses invigorated. Wild and free. An hour later the wind and the rain started easing, and by four am I could unfurl the full headsail again. My daughter Maryna was five when she sailed with me from Cape Town to Belize. We used to chant and do our raindance, and when it came down, dance with jubilation. She is finishing school this year, and hopefully we'll do some sailing together again next year. Can't wait for my wife to join me as well in the not too distant future. And also experience a touch of pure madness.

I guess you were sound asleep at three this morning. In a nice, comfortable bed that is not moving all the time. When you go to sleep tonight, think of mad hatters like me that chooses to live differently.

Until tomorrow then.

Paul

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Down with the main.

The color of the water has positively turned brown, the wind has peaked at twenty five knots from the north east this morning, and we are on a beam reach. It has started easing some, and predicted to calm down to fifteen knots over the weekend. Yes please. The steep continental shelf quickly climbs from a depth of two thousand meters to one hundred meters, making the swell short, steep and uneven where we cross into the shallower waters off the coast of French Guiana. We have main on second reef, and the genoa is furled halfway in. In our favor is the great current that we find here as well. It is a bit taxing on our bodies, but it is part of sailing. We can't always expect to have following winds and seas when we cross oceans. Fortunately this rough patch will only last for a day or two, again reminding us that the only constant factor is change. The Maverick 440 is being properly tested, and once again passing with flying colors, instilling absolute confidence in us.

St.Lucia is seven hundred and eighty miles away, and we should get there within five days. With covid restrictions, we might just anchor in Rodney Bay for a night to rest for a night without moving. Would love to go ashore, but we are also pressed to get to Annapolis before the hurricane season sets in fully. We won't take any undue risks. When I visited St.Lucia earlier this year, we were allocated a quarantine dock where we stayed for two days. A doctor in full protective clothing came to take swabs, and if we are lucky we could have our results in twenty four hours. I asked the doctor at the time what he thinks of this procedure to test us, even after twenty plus days at sea. He agreed, and added that there is no cure for madness. The swabs were analyzed and within twenty four hours we were declared covid free. It costed us three days, $280 per test, and then found out all the restaurants etc was closed due to covid.

On my shift today, the wind pumped up to thirty three knots and I decided to drop the main sail in these stronger conditions and some rain. Thomas and Don prepared for the drop by loosening the gybe preventers, and the sling for the genoa. I started both motors, shadowed the genoa and furled it in. Shouting "Going about!", I timed the swell and turned into the wind, let the main halyard loose and the sail dropped in a few seconds. The rain was now coming down heavily while Thomas secured the main halyard. I told him to hold on tight, shouted going about, and turned back towards our waypoint again. We unfurled about half of the genoa, tied the sling, and before long we were sailing at speed again with just the genoa. The wind had now veered from north east to east, which is perfect for us, placing the wind angle at hundred and fifty degrees. Soon the swell also came in from the same angle, and after two days of sailing on a beam reach, we are now much more comfortable on a bro
ad
reach. The current is flowing at over three knots in our favor and all is once again well on SV Jubilee. Lots of fun, lots of laughter, exhilarating to do sail changes during testing conditions.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Paul





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What a day for a daydream...

During the night the wind got less and less. The weatherman predicted fifteen knots of wind, and at four this morning, with only five knots, I had to start motorsailing. Big rain clouds gathered on the horizon, and we carried on motoring. Just after ten when Thomas came on watch, the rain reached us, and we had a proper downpour, washing all the salt residue off SV Jubilee. I grabbed my towel and shampoo, had a wonderful rainwater shower, Thomas and Don followed soon after.

During the downpour, Thomas shouted that we had a fish on the line, and promptly started pulling the big Dorado cow closer and closer. By the time the fish was on board, I was standing ready with our spray bottle with vodka, and sprayed some alcohol in her gills. Soon the struggle was over. Thomas and Don respectively posed for pics with this beautiful specimen with it's golden, blue and green colors. Don and Thomas each filleted one side of the fish, removed the skin and cut the filets into portions. I asked Thomas to carefully remove the roe, and also the stomach. Some people enjoy the roe fried in butter, it has a bit of a wild taste to it, and some of the millions of small eggs will get in between your teeth. You will taste fish for three days. The stomach was emptied to see what the Dorado was feeding on. We found a whole flying fish, and a smaller fish that was half digested. Jane asked two days ago when will we catch a fish again as we are trolling our lures all day lo
ng. I
told that it is unlikely as we still have some from our previous catch in the freezer. We had that two days ago for lunch, and today we have fresh fish on board again.

During this time we had no wind, we were not motoring and drifted with the current at about two knots. The boat was facing north east, and we were drifting towards our waypoint in a north westerly direction. We had a small pod of dolphins coming to check us out and circling us for a while. The color of the water has taken on a more brownish hue due to the close proximity of the Amazon river. One of the fishing lines got tangled in one of our rudders, and Thomas took the plunge with a diving mask to free the line.

I vacuum packed three packets of filets, and Jane fried some fresh Dorado with batter for lunch. The other three packets went into the freezer. It was seriously so good. Probably the best Dorado I have tasted. She also had prepared some pancakes with real maple syrup for lunch, and we had an impromptu feast, celebrating our good fortune.

After lunch the rain subsided, we raised the main sail and unfurled the head sail, and motorsailed for a while. The wind is slowly building and we have been sailing for the last hour or two. Another great day out on the ocean.

I trust you also had a good day. I mentioned animals yesterday. Do yourself a favor, You Tube Anna Breytenbach, and watch the post on the black leopard now called Spirit. It will give you some food for thought, and a deeper understanding of our fellow inhabitants of our planet.

Until tomorrow

Paul


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The Mighty Amazon

Last night between ten pm and two am, on Thomas's watch, two winged visitors landed on our yacht. Sooty terns to be exact. They found comfortable perches on our handrails, one on the bow, and one about midships. They sailed with us throughout the night, and took set to the skies just before sunrise on Don's watch. They normally leave some deposits behind, but not any I can see this time.

Just after sunrise, about thirty big Atlantic dolphins also visited us for a while. White tipped noses, and a clearly visible lateral line, brownish above and whitish below, makes them easily identifiable. I love the energy of dolphins, and how they communicate. I am not referring just to the clicking sounds they make, but more to the telepathic images they convey. Beautiful dreams they dream. Highly intelligent, curious and sensitive creatures, they love to play, surf the swell, and bounce off the energy waves from our hulls. They are free and wild and wonderful friends to have. Amazing therapeutic properties about them as well. So much we don't know and appreciate about them. Like us, they are mammals, and not fish. We think we are superior to all the creatures that shares our planet with us. We miss out on so much because of thousands of years of indoctrination. And we commit so many atrocities to our fellow friends. Have you ever seen your cat or your dog dream? It shows
that
they also have conscious and a sub-conscience states of mind. We have much to learn from them.

Saragosa appeared on the water since this morning. Long streams of this floating, spiky seaweed. Little grape-like airpockets keep them afloat, snagging our fishing lures. They sometimes gather in massive patches, and trap whatever else may be floating on the surface. I haven't seen this much saragosa in such quick succession. Normally you a little bit at first, and it gets thicker as the days progress.

We are two hundred nautical miles from the Amazon river, following the continental contour lines, and the current. In two days time, the azure blue ocean water will turning to a lighter brown shade in two days time when we go closer inshore around Suriname, still following the current and continental shelf. The Amazon river water is also directed this way by the current, and this is where we will meet.

Our boat time is now UTC - 3, in line with the forty five degree longitude line. The earth is divided into twenty four sections of fifteen degrees which gives us three hundred and sixty degrees. Each fifteen degrees denotes one hour, and this gives us our different time zones. Each degree is sixty nautical miles. Times that by three hundred and sixty degrees, and we calculate the circumference of the earth then as twenty one thousand six hundred nautical miles.

The last fee days we light winds, around ten knots, but with assistance from the current we are doing great. Later tonight it will fill in to around fifteen knots, and we will be sailing even better then. All is exceedingly well on our side, and I hope on your side as well.

Until tomorrow

Paul

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Crossing the equator

This morning at six when I handed watch over to Don, I set a new waypoint right on the equator, and asked Don to wake Thomas and myself when we are about ten minutes away. At half past seven Don woke us, and we got ready to cross the equator. We were sailing with just the genoa and thus easy to slow down quick and alter course if we needed to.

Just before we reached the equator, I took over the helm and Don and Thomas readied themselves to jump into the ocean, and to swim across the equator. I was now sailing parallel to the equator, and when they were ready I turned the bow of the boat through the wind into a hove to position. It is in a nutshell stalling the boat and slowing you right down. We were now floating with the current across the line, and just before we crossed I gave them the signal and they both jumped in. Jane was sitting on the sugarscoop with her feet in the water, to also cross the line with some part of her in the water.

I was taking a few photos of the proceedings, and before long, we crossed the equator, and a short while later the guys were back on board. The water temperature is a balmy twenty seven degrees Celsius on the equator, and they loved the experience. Exhilarating to say the least. We each had a swig of vodka and also dropped a drink for Neptune, as tradition would have it.

Last night the wind already started backing from east and south east towards the north east, as we expect in the northern hemisphere. It couldn't wait for the man drawn line we call the equator. We had to motor for four hours as we experienced the slightest bit of doldrums. Doldrums are areas of no wind and vary in size. After weeks of downwind sailing, we could now raise our full main sail and unfurl our headsail. The wind is now flowing from about eighty degrees through our sails, and the swell direction also changed. Eighty degrees angle is what I call the power zone. On catamarans you get the best sail performance at this angle, just forward of the beam. Telltales flying perfectly, and still with great assistance from the current. In the afternoon we decided to drop down to second reef in the main sail and are making good miles. Soon we will be sailing pass the mighty Amazon.

The change in wind direction and swell reminded of the only constant factor in Nature, and that is that things change. Nothing stands still. And things can spiral upwards or downwards, and expand and contract. We are in a continuous state of flux. Also as the human race. As in my previous blog, in the last three hundred years, we have made great progress in curbing hunger, disease and war. Since the beginning of mankind we have battled with these challenges. We are far from perfect, but we have have come a long way.

We have now started turning more time, energy and thought towards happiness, to beating death, and to experience the divine in all of us. We have no idea what our potential as human beings are, or even what we are, besides also being part of the animal kingdom. We have an inkling, we can sometimes see a flicker in the distance becking us. New frontiers are awaiting us.

Blessings to you from the northern hemisphere. Chat again tomorrow.

Paul



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Brave new world

I often wonder how it was like on the first sailing ships that would set out to sea. No charts, no idea where the next land would be, or dangerous reefs or rocks for that matter. Or seamonsters that would engulf a big ship and wreck it. Or adverse weather conditions. What was it that drove us humans to sail out into the complete unknown. And where is the end of the earth. Those days people were told that the earth was flat. The religious fraternity were told heaven is above, and hell below. We are only taught certain parts of history, and the bits we are taught doesn't always make sense.

Every big sailing ship had a crow's nest, high up on the mast. From here the person on watch had to look for any signs of land. And if anyone saw land or another ship before the person in the crow's nest, the poor soul in the crow's nest was keel hauled. I won't go into detail about what it meant to be keel hauled. Google it if you want to get a clearer picture. Was it a sense of adventure that drove us to go beyond the horizon, or promises of great fortunes to be made, or was it an inborn sense of curiosity to see what was out there. Probably a combination of these and quite a few other reasons too. Life expectancy wasn't great then. You were lucky if you made it to forty. Famines, wars and plagues ravished millions upon millions of people, all over the world. This was blamed on all types of gods or evil spirits, and to appease these gods, ridiculous sacrifices were made.

We have come a long way since then. More people are dying from obesity than starvation these days, life expectancy had doubled, and we haven't had any great wars for the last eighty years or so. And plagues are better understood and managed than ever before. We have progressed in leaps and bounds in the medical fields, we can communicate globally, and poverty is not a death sentence anymore. We have learned to grow crops more productively and can ship food to drought stricken areas in short time. We are living in relative peace, as going to global war nowadays would be suicidal with nuclear weapons. I think we have learned a lot from history, and we have come a long way to making it easier to stay alive. Yes, there are still people dying from malnutrition, and there are smaller wars, and the atrocities that goes along with it, and people still do die from disease. But not on the same scale as a few decades ago. And we are progressing all the time. Our current pandemic is a gr
eat
example. Whether covid was man-made or not, we are fighting it to the best of our ability, and we are winning. It has changed our way of living and earning a living to a great extent.

Sitting here in my proverbial crow's nest, I wonder what our next big challenges would be as a human race. Could it be that we would go after real happiness, for everyone. We certainly have the potential. I am quite aware that some people choose not to be happy, but as long as this is not at the expense of other people's happiness, choose as you please. And how do we define happiness. Is it different for everyone. Having our basic survival needs met is a good start. Shelter, clothing and food comes to mind. From there it becomes a more personal thing I think. In my case having dreams and pursuing them, having people I love unconditionally, and being loved unconditionally by them in return, making music, and so many more things that make me so uncurably happy. I wonder what makes you happy.

There are two other huge challenges we face as a human race in my opinion, but I will perhaps expand on tomorrow. It relates to death, and to the divine spark in each one of us. Time to get down from my crow's nest.

Catch up again in the morning.

Paul








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Met die maan gepla

Vanoggend twee uur met die begin van my nagwag, het die skrefies maan breed vir my geglimlag, en ek vir die maan. Daar was geen wolke in die lug nie, en die sterrehemel het helder geskitter. Aan ons bakboord kant was die gloei van Fortaleza duidelik sigbaar.

Daar was ook heelwat skeeps verkeer, maar met moderne tegnologie, kan ons hulle myle vêr sien, en hulle vir ons. Seiljagte het reg van rigting op die see wanneer prakties moontlik. Die groot skepe sal dus effe van koers verander om ons veiligheid te verseker. Wanneer ons egter op ń kop aan kop botsing afstuur, dan is dit veiliger om tien of meer grade na stuurboord koers te verander, aangesien die groter skepe nie so vinnig van koers kan verander nie. Die goue reël op die see is dat twee bote mekaar aan bakboord sal verby steek.

Die sterk stroom waarin ons tans seil, en goeie wind van agter af gee vir ons uitstekende seemyle. Thomas het my nounet ingelig dat ons die afgelope vier en twintig uur een honderd drie en negentig myl geseil het, ons beste tyd tot op datum. Op die oomblik vloei die stroom teen vier punt een knope, en waai die wind tussen vyftien en twintig knope skuins van agter af. Ons het gisteraand om en by nege uur ons groot windaf seil laat sak, en seil ons effe stadiger met ons voorste seil. Bietjie veiliger vir ons, en die seil is baie sterker. Ons behou nogsteeds goeie spoed, maar sonder die stres wat met die groot seil gepaard gaan.

Ons het boerewors op ons Weber gasbraaier gaar gemaak vir middag ete, en Thomas het ń massiewe meesterstuk van ń brood gebak. Agter sleep ons kunsaas rustig deur die water, op soek na ń Dorado of ń Wahoo. Ons het nog ń porsie Dorado in die vrieskas, en dalk sal ons dit eers moet gaar maak voordat ons weer ń vis sal kan vang. Dit gaan goed met almal op seiljag Jubilee, en verwag ons ń hele paar dae van hierdie uitstekende seil toestande. Lekker warm hier by ons. Hoop jy het ń goeie naweek gehad, en reg vir die week wat voorlê.

Groete tot volgende keer

Paul

If you don't understand Afrikaans, you can try Google translate 🧐

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