Florida and Mexico and Back

The whole trip was both interesting and worthwhile. Looking at boats- what could be a better pastime? Also visited Nasa, US Navy Air Museum and several most interesting old houses with Alaistair. In Mexico found the ideal boat but on returning home found that Brown and our esteemed government had devalued savings even further without so much of a hint of apology for misappropriating some £1.5 trillion over the last 10 years!! May be that is why I am looking for a boat to sail away into the sunset. Anyway back to the drawing board and will have to sell Aros More first. She has been listed in http://boatfind.net/dtl_add.php?id=3624 as a warning order. Not much can be done to her until March at the earliest. Seen in pictures of her in earlier years and now, she a right good-looking "girl". I would go so far as to say, "A stunner".

A happy Christmas to all and of course a Guid New Year!

It is some time since I have contributed to this Blog. Gitte is better at it than I am! Aros More is in Rockland Maine shrink-wrapped, high and dry. This is the practice in the north of the States to prevent collection of water and keep the heavy falls of snow off the boat and on the ground. The boat was in good condition except for the generator that refused to work in spite of removing all water that had collected in several components. However I had a photo sent to me by Journey's End Marine of it on the floor of their workshop. Initially I thought it was being consumed by a fire but not a bit of it, the smoke was exhaust.

Towards the end of our cruise both Gitte and I thought that my lovely little ship was getting smaller as we filled it with bicycles and porta-potties plus innumerable objects that seemed to be collected and necessary. Accommodation for extra crew was being filled.
So here I am looking at alternative boats and believe me this is not an easy task as Aros More is very much part of me. There has been considerable research and the favoured sailboat is the Island Packet of about 45 feet. I have had considerable help from my good friend Dino of DDZ Largs and Stuart in Bridge of Allan who owns the 440 version. There are three boats in Florida and Mexico, two of which I have seen with Pincoya remaining.

Before flying off to Puerto Vallarta Mexico I will be visiting son Alaistair in Alabama where he has been posted for 6 months. Much fun will be had though it may be too cold in his pool. Tough!

These are difficult financial times (thanks Gordon!) so I will probably be returning to a calculator.There are some advantages being here as Gitte tells me that there are several inches of snow at home. In contrast the temperatures here a very comfortable making the Christmas trees and lights look a little incongruous. So much for the nonsense of man-made global warming as there has not been snow at home for years so early in December.

Flooding

Even if we had been fully ready for the final break from our moorings at Stingray Point we would be unable to sail as the weather is atrocious; heavy rain,high winds and persistent high tides that I have never seen before. The usual range is about 2 feet but it has been about 3 feet all day so that pontoons are awash and to get ashore to the boatyard office a detour across a marsh had to be made. The frogs last night were having a debate with one meeting on one side of a lake and another on the opposite shore. This is a lake "Occasional". They all sounded like a bunch of angry politicians.

There is little to be done now on the boat but as Gitte has said the liferaft and analogue depth meter remain outstanding. They are on the road. On Thursday and Friday there is window in the weather. The change in the cruise plan is disappointing but we will be able to see more of the country. All who have expressed an interest in joining the crew remain most welcome and I have now started to put a revised plan together. It is not an easy task as there is so much to see. It is a real pleasure being here as everyone is so friendly.

Getting There

It is quite and uphill struggle brought about by the surveyor. Not that there was lot wrong with the boat but new standards have to be met, and American ones too. For instance water was found in the rudder, but all rudders have water in them. Concern was raised about the integrity of the tangs that are welded on to the shaft and these needed to be found. Charles sent builder's drawings that I had at home and with these and a few taps with a hammer we found the tangs. They were perfect!! Now large holes need to be patched. We still have to check on the bobstay welded joints. but today great progress was made with the new electrics, transformer and inverter/charger. Sea cocks have been changed and tomorrow work should start on the loo macerator.

The staff in the yard are perfect but busy. We had hoped to be in the water by the end of this week but it now looks like early next. We continue to live in hope and are certainly looking forward to the sail up Chesapeake Bay. Temperatures had been rising but with recent heavy rain it is more comfortable again. Ditches along the roads are treacherous again!

Viking Search 1

Dear Sailors,

It has to be the time to keep you informed about planning and to wet your appetites as we should like you to share our experiences on the Viking trail. This is a copy of the e.mail.

Gitte and I plan to return to the boat early April, complete the fitting out and set sail northwards through the Chesapeake Bay and the canal that joins it to Delaware Bay. The first place of importance has to be New York then on to that famous Viking stronghold of Martha's Vinyard, round Cape Cod to Portland and then to the Canadian border. Here we shall be in the Canadian Maritimes of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. From the Belle Isle, lying to the north of Newfoundland, we may make the crossing to Nuuk in Greenland depending on ice. If there is not too much of this about a little exploration of the south of Labrador may be possible.

From Nuuk we will follow the receeding ice southwards towards Cape Farewell. Iceland at Reykjavik or Vestmannaeyjer should be our next port of call and finally the Sound of Harris and Lochmaddy! That is it in a nut shell or coracle.

Timings and Planning

These are dictated by distance and weather, of course. From April the weather on the US eastern seaboard begins to improve and we should be following this improvement as we sail north. Ice clears from around Newfoundland in June, though some icebergs may still be present. Once clear of Labrador and into the Davis Strait, there is little ice especially the more north one sails. Strangely the ports along the NW coast are open for most of the year but we shall not go that far. Nuuk is open from mid July with the ice clearing southwards as the year progresses. The ice in the south west come from the east side round Cape Farewell. Come late August there is little and passage around the Cape can be as close as 35 miles. Because of the start of deteriorating weather systems we should be on our way back by the end of August. Initial distances I estimated in excess of 4000 miles but by not going too far along the Labrador coast this is recuced by up to 600 miles. Converting this to nautical miles the total comes to nearer 3500nm. With the time available the average distance per day is only 23. That should leave plenty of slack in the system.

In summary then

MId April Leave Virginia

Eary May New York

June Canadian Maritimes

Mid July Nuuk Greenland

Late August Sail for Iceland

Early Sept Sail for Scotland

Please regard this as personnal message though addressed to all! Such are the failings of modern comms. There no doubt that this promises to a superb cruise and scanning web sites we have found some excellent photos especially the further north one looks. Do come along.

Be looking for you,