[danielgoldberg]

We're somewhat waiting on the weather forecast, as we're looking at the potential for some strong northerlies for a few days, which obviously is not good for crossing the Stream. But, we still have a few more days until our scheduled start, which is Sunday, June 21 from Greenport, NY.

If anyone wants to follow the fleet's progress, feel free to check out iBoat Track - About, and click the link for 2009 Bermuda Cruising Rally.

I may post updates as the fleet goes along, in case anyone is interested. If we start on our about Sunday as scheduled, we anticipate that the fleet should be in port in St. George's towards the end of the week. We'll see.

Hope everyone in the northeast is managing to stay dry!

Dan

 

[Freesail99]

Dan,

Have a safe trip.

 

[bjkrad]

iBoat Track sounds like a great tool. Looking forward to your start--Hopefully close to on time so I can get the return leg in!! (Very wet here in CT.
Bennett

 

[JohnRPollard]

Daniel,

Good luck to you and the rest of the fleet. Safe voyage.

I would appreciate it if you would report any sea-serpent sightings. It looks a lot like this:

 

[nk235]

Dan,

Hopefully if this rain subsides a bit I will make it out to Greenport with my own boat this weekend. If not I hope you guys have a great trip down and I look forward to seeing you in Bermuda!

 

[painkiller]

Daniel,

Good luck to you and the rest of the fleet. Safe voyage.

I would appreciate it if you would report any sea-serpent sightings. It looks a lot like this:

Oh, man! They have sea serpents in that game? I had no idea.

 

[camaraderie]

Safe travels Daniel!!! Will look forward to tracking you and following any news you post. Fair winds and seas to all.

 

[Cruisingdad]

Hope everyone has a great and safe trip!! Now, you're not going are you? I knew Tania was, but I thought you were sitting this one out? Did you change your plans?

Brian

 

[Hesper]

Look out for the Bermuda 1-2 Racers whose second leg leaves Bermuda for Newport today as well as the tall ships who left St. George's yesterday.

 

[hellosailor]

Maybe next year, Dan, so I'll be watching with interest this time around. Have a safe trip.

 

[KindOfBlue]

Does anyone know if they left? There's not great weather for sailing this week.

 

[nk235]

Avocation, Taronga, and Why Knot all left today but I think that is it for now. Check out iboattrack and you can follow their progress.

 

[Bene505]

Good luck Daniel and all. Maybe next year...

See you on the Block Island to Nantucket trip in a few weeks.

 

[camaraderie]

What boat is Daniel on...does anyone know?

 

[camaraderie]

Looks like the first boat is in, with Tania closing in on port and the others not too far behind.

 

[danielgoldberg]

We're In (And Out Again)!

Hey there gang. I'll wait until everyone gets home safe and sound before declaring victory, but so far all's well on the rally.

The fleet had some pretty serious weather on the way down. Sustained winds in the 30's, gusts into the 40's. All out of the north. 100 foot seas (just kidding). Real weather though. And I'll tell you, I am so very proud of each and every one of those skippers and crews. No one turned back, they all got to Bermuda, no injuries, and no serious damage to the boats. A couple of nicks to things like broken battens and stuff like that, but with the exception of one boat who had rudder problems, nothing serious to report at all in terms of boat performance. Some reasonably serious cases of sea sickness, but no injuries. Considering that a number of Marion-Bermuda boats turned back and got absolutely hammered, I really am happy to report that we had a 100% success rate of getting to Bermuda safely. The feeling of accomplishment that everyone had upon arrival was palpable.

And we had a blast once we got there too, with Bacardi sponsoring a party for us featuring their Partly Cloudy drink (and believe me after a night of those, the next morning was seriously Partly Cloudy in the brain).

The fleet is starting back now. 5 boats left/are leaving today, and you can track them on iBoat Track - About. 1 boat is continuing east for an Atlantic crossing, 1 boat is staying in Bermuda for a little while longer to visit with family, and one boat is there dealing with some repairs (the rudder).

I'll write up something a bit more detailed for the forum here, but until I pull that off, if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

All the best to everyone,

Dan

 

[Cruisingdad]

Great news Dan!! We will stay tuned!

Brian

 

[camaraderie]

Congrats Daniel and fair winds for the return. Looking forward to your full write up! It's fun to follow you guys. Which boat are YOU on?

 

[danielgoldberg]

Congrats Daniel and fair winds for the return. Looking forward to your full write up! It's fun to follow you guys. Which boat are YOU on?

Hey there Cam! Long time no speak (which is my fault).

I actually didn't sail down this year. Logistically it was just too tough with work and a few other things. I played mission control from land, then flew down to meet the fleet and play with them in Bermuda.

Next year, however, we're going to see if this Bene can actually make it to Bermuda and back.

 

[camaraderie]

That it Daniel...delegate!!

What the heck is Engelen up to?? Is he going to Iceland?