[rockDAWG]

I got the gig last Summer and agreed to help a retired British couple sailing their 40 footer to Caribbean. They bought this boat two years ago and have been sailed her in Greece actively. But they didn't have much offshore experience. Here is how I came in.

The boat was a 1995 Saltram Sage 40, solidly built boat. We left Santa Cruz on Jan 14 and arrived Grenada on Feb 5. Besides a few problems here and there, some critical and some were not, but nothing can't be fixed. Besides the beginning of the voyage leaving the Island, we have 20 to 25 knots winds, and gust to 30, the sea was rough and rolly, after a few days the winds are constantly blowing between 10 to 20 from the east. Hydrovane worked wonderfully. On the fifty day, we turned off all electronics except my iPhone and InReach to save electricity. We turned the electronics back the night before we made landfall. We had a great crossing. It is one of the most easy sail I have done and I have sailed a lot in the last few years.

I could see the boat and they were waving at me to say goodbye. LOL

Great boat, best hosts, superb teamwork, perfect timing and weather, that is what make me going back for more. Enjoy : )

 

[rockDAWG]

Next big gig, racing on the Chicken this year. We will see how that pans out. Chicken needs a brand new Genoa for the East Coast race and need to repair one of her chutes, she carries 3 spinnakers three different wt with 3000 sq feet each.

 

[Slayer]

Sounds like a great trip!!! I am envious!

 

[rockDAWG]

Sounds like a great trip!!! I am envious!

Thanks, it was a long trip. I thought I have no one to come home to after this trip is over.

I am so glad that I have an inReach SE, so at least I could have two-way text message between me and the office. With my best secretary, I could manage sending out quotes and contracts. OK, I am still catching up, but that is nothing new. No, I don't need to sleep on the sofa..... LOL

 

[rockDAWG]

Hydrovane faithfully kept us on course even in light wind

It was very hazy days when I was in Tenerife. We could not see the top of Mount Teide (>12,000 ft) until we were out the sea.

Old shoes and wore-out gloves, my sailing companions through out all these years.

Airing out dirty landry is OK in the middle of nowhere. LOL

Wind died down, but always picked back up in 10 minutes.....hahaha

Moving fast, cloudy and darken sky and no storm.

 

[rockDAWG]

One sweet ride from Santa Cruze, Tenerife to Grenada. Not a drop of fossil fuel was used to propel this full keel 40 footer in this voyage. No wild life was harmed (no sushi), only a dozen of flying fishes landed on deck before I could throw them back to water. After Day 4, we hardly see anything, no ships and no airplanes, no VHF transmission. We were so surprise that as we approached to Grenada, we did not see a single sailboat or cruise ship. It was surreal. What happen to our world in the last 21 days.

The following was my daily entry in iPhone:

On Day 10 at around 8 am, a whale bigger than our boat bumped into our starboard stern. With moderate sea, it was hard to spot the whale until the bump. We were freaking out....... LOL

Hey......watch where you're going. You guys were in the wrong lane. No sleeping in the middle of the highway. There is designated rest stops, you know. LOL.

Damn, I don't think they care much about us. There were two others on our port side. It looks like a family of three heading to Africa.

Rules of the road: Size does matter. They must learn it from the tankers. I am glad that they were just floating and not moving at all.