We are now in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. and plan to leave for Martinique tomorrow. I put a new battery bank in today as the batteries were looking very weak after the run from Lagos.
We are fueled up and the weather looks good for the next week as long as we can get south to pick up the trades.
We had an easy cruise from Lagos but did have to motor for about 24 hours. We hope the next two weeks will bring good breeze.
Other news includes our daughter Jennifer's engagement to Ed today. Nuptial date to be announced.
Next post from Martinique but the Admiral may post a position report from time to time
Monday, January 23, 2017
Monday, January 9, 2017
San Diego, California, USA
I know that this post is a long time coming and I note that the last time I entered anything here was November 6, 2016! Mea Culpa.
Much has happened since then.
As were most people, we were extremely surprised to wake up to the unexpected news on November 8, of Mr. Trump's victory in the presidential election. No political comments from me, favouring either side but these certainly are going to be interesting times.
We have moved apartments! From one down town condo to another about 300 metres down the road. We now have much nicer views and about 30% more living space but it's been a lot of work, moving and getting the new place habitable. Considerable progress has been made but there is still much to do.
On a positive note, I can still sit here typing this note with glorious 180 degree views of San Diego Bay, Pt. Loma, Coronado Island and the airport and we hope that this will remain so, for many years to come.
The increased living space has allowed us to have lots of guests over the holidays and a gigantic tree.
Four of the five offspring have graced us with their presence and a fun time was had by all.
The weather has been mostly good, especially compared to the rest of the country and northern Europe.
The Admiral and I have decided that we are going to swallow the hook and quit our long term cruising plans. Our health is good, and the boat is fine and we thought we might have wanted to spend another 2 seasons cruising the Med and the Adriatic Seas but the decision has been made to sell Callisto and get back to living on dirt on a full time basis.
Our son James is getting married in April on the east coast and we look forward to that.
Tomorrow, I leave for Portugal to get Callisto in shape for her final trans-Atlantic crossing with me at the helm. There isn't much to do, other than put the head sails back on, check out the systems and get the sat phone working, so if the weather looks favourable we may be off to the Caribbean via the Canaries as early as the weekend.
The Admiral flies to London on Thursday to be with her ailing Dad and the rest of the family, while I make the trip across the Atlantic.
I promise to be more forthcoming with posts of the upcoming cruise.
Much has happened since then.
As were most people, we were extremely surprised to wake up to the unexpected news on November 8, of Mr. Trump's victory in the presidential election. No political comments from me, favouring either side but these certainly are going to be interesting times.
We have moved apartments! From one down town condo to another about 300 metres down the road. We now have much nicer views and about 30% more living space but it's been a lot of work, moving and getting the new place habitable. Considerable progress has been made but there is still much to do.
On a positive note, I can still sit here typing this note with glorious 180 degree views of San Diego Bay, Pt. Loma, Coronado Island and the airport and we hope that this will remain so, for many years to come.
The increased living space has allowed us to have lots of guests over the holidays and a gigantic tree.
Four of the five offspring have graced us with their presence and a fun time was had by all.
The weather has been mostly good, especially compared to the rest of the country and northern Europe.
The Admiral and I have decided that we are going to swallow the hook and quit our long term cruising plans. Our health is good, and the boat is fine and we thought we might have wanted to spend another 2 seasons cruising the Med and the Adriatic Seas but the decision has been made to sell Callisto and get back to living on dirt on a full time basis.
Our son James is getting married in April on the east coast and we look forward to that.
Tomorrow, I leave for Portugal to get Callisto in shape for her final trans-Atlantic crossing with me at the helm. There isn't much to do, other than put the head sails back on, check out the systems and get the sat phone working, so if the weather looks favourable we may be off to the Caribbean via the Canaries as early as the weekend.
The Admiral flies to London on Thursday to be with her ailing Dad and the rest of the family, while I make the trip across the Atlantic.
I promise to be more forthcoming with posts of the upcoming cruise.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. USA
We are now visiting James and Katie in Washington, DC on our way home. I put Callisto to bed at the Marina de Lagos in Portugal and left for London on October 24. We did have a good time there and I would strongly recommend this marina a s a very safe place to leave a boat over the winter season. the weather there is excellent for most of the year and there are many excellent bars and restaurants to choose from.
London was rainy and cold as usual and I got to visit with my sister and new grand niece and then on the Amersham, Bucks. to see the Admiral, who has been hard at work looking after her ailing Dad.
We left the UK on November 1st. for Iceland where we spent a few days in Reykjavik, Iceland is a fascinating place and despite some terribly gloomy and cold weather we got to see quite a bit of the southwestern corner of the country.
We did a tour of the golden circle and saw the Gundfoss waterfall, the Bingvellir National Park where the American and European tectonic plates are moving apart at a few centimeters per year. Also, the incredible horticultural endevours where they grow vegetables year round in illuminated, heated greenhouses powered by geothermal and hydro power.
On the next day we went to the famous Blue Lagoon. It was a bit touristy but an amazing place with a huge outdoor naturally heated seawater pool which had a luminous blue colour due to minerals in the water.
Very cold and dark in November and also seriously expensive but I think well worth anther visit in the summer to see the rest of the island.
We arrived in DC on November 3rd. and we have been running around ever since. It's very good to be back in the US of A.
We did a monument tour on Friday and met with our prospective in-laws yesterday. We had a very enjoyable lunch together and look forward to seeing them again at James and Katie's wedding next April.
We wandered around Georgetown all day today and tomorrow we hit the museums.
We have a flight back to sunny California on Election Day and will get to work immediately on our move to our new apartment.
London was rainy and cold as usual and I got to visit with my sister and new grand niece and then on the Amersham, Bucks. to see the Admiral, who has been hard at work looking after her ailing Dad.
We left the UK on November 1st. for Iceland where we spent a few days in Reykjavik, Iceland is a fascinating place and despite some terribly gloomy and cold weather we got to see quite a bit of the southwestern corner of the country.
We did a tour of the golden circle and saw the Gundfoss waterfall, the Bingvellir National Park where the American and European tectonic plates are moving apart at a few centimeters per year. Also, the incredible horticultural endevours where they grow vegetables year round in illuminated, heated greenhouses powered by geothermal and hydro power.
On the next day we went to the famous Blue Lagoon. It was a bit touristy but an amazing place with a huge outdoor naturally heated seawater pool which had a luminous blue colour due to minerals in the water.
Very cold and dark in November and also seriously expensive but I think well worth anther visit in the summer to see the rest of the island.
We arrived in DC on November 3rd. and we have been running around ever since. It's very good to be back in the US of A.
We did a monument tour on Friday and met with our prospective in-laws yesterday. We had a very enjoyable lunch together and look forward to seeing them again at James and Katie's wedding next April.
We wandered around Georgetown all day today and tomorrow we hit the museums.
We have a flight back to sunny California on Election Day and will get to work immediately on our move to our new apartment.
 |
| Bingvellir National Park |
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| The Blue Lagoon. It really was blue |
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| A view of the Jefferson Memorial across the tidal basin |
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| The happy couple contemplating the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial |
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| Outside the Dunbarton House in George Town |
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| The Vietnam Memorial and glorious, fall foliage |
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| James and Katie |
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| The Korean War Memorial |
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| George Town across the Potomac |
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| Jefferson Memorial |
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| James and Katie again |
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| Freezing in Iceland. Foul weather gear was very handy |
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| Iceland's famous geysers. Just getting ready to spout |
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| The amazing greenhouses in Iceland growing tomatoes year round |
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| The Gundfoss waterfall |
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| The American tectonic plate rising up due to seismic activity |
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| The blue lagoon |
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| Relaxing after the blue lagoon experience |
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Lagos, Portugal
The Admiral and I are at our final European destination for the sailing season. Callisto left La Rochelle in France after a fairly extensive refit, including replacing all standing rigging.
I was impressed with how much better the boat sailed, especially going to weather in both light and heavier air. Who knew? I'm very glad that the recommendation to do the re-rig was made and that the work was done without problem. The run across Biscay and around Finisterre was uneventful from a sailing point of view but we did have a significant problem south of Porto that I will get into ina moment.
My crew were Ian and Matt and we left in a northerly F4-5 breeze and we made good progress all night. The wind lightened considerably on the next day and we had to motor sail for a while until the breeze filled in again. We progressed nicely under sail past Finisterre until the wind failed once again..
We motored and motor sailed down the Portuguese coast in very calm conditions, surrounded by dolphins until the motor stopped dead. It would run in neutral but I could not engage forward or reverse without massive vibration. I thought we had hit something and damaged the prop. We got on the radio and fortunately a British boat about 5 miles away agreed to give us a tow to the nearest port which was a place called Peniche, about 15 miles away. Fortunately, conditions were calm and clear and we picked up the tow without problem. Slow progress down the coast and it was very dark when we were picked up by the local maritime police and towed the last mile into the small town of Peniche. We tied up to a concrete wall in the fishing port and by this time it was already midnight, so not much to do.
On the following morning, the local authorities and there were a lot of them told me that it was forbidden to dive on the boat myself, even though we had the equipment. I had no choice but to employ a local dive company who fixed the problem in about 10 minutes. It would appear that we had picked up a huge piece of heavy duty fishing net. So, just bad luck but no damage to the prop or transmission.
After a lot of paperwork and some bills to pay we were again on our way around midday down to Cascais. We berthed at a very nice but seriously expensive marina and had a nice dinner in this very pretty Portuguese town next to Lisbon.
We anchored out in the bay next day and by this time the Portuguese trades had resumed and we had some great sailing the past 120 miles to Lagos with following wind at F5-6 all night. Lots of fishing boats but fortunately no more nets.
Lagos is just as I remember it. A bit touristy and some drunken Brits and Germans but very pleasant with excellent restaurants and amenities.
We have done some road trips to Sagres and Silves and other areas of interest in the Algarve.
The climate is outstanding and there are some beautiful and remote spots to visit.
The Admiral will stay until next week and I remain to put the boat to bed by the end of the month.
Then it's back to California, via London, Iceland and Washington DC.
I was impressed with how much better the boat sailed, especially going to weather in both light and heavier air. Who knew? I'm very glad that the recommendation to do the re-rig was made and that the work was done without problem. The run across Biscay and around Finisterre was uneventful from a sailing point of view but we did have a significant problem south of Porto that I will get into ina moment.
My crew were Ian and Matt and we left in a northerly F4-5 breeze and we made good progress all night. The wind lightened considerably on the next day and we had to motor sail for a while until the breeze filled in again. We progressed nicely under sail past Finisterre until the wind failed once again..
We motored and motor sailed down the Portuguese coast in very calm conditions, surrounded by dolphins until the motor stopped dead. It would run in neutral but I could not engage forward or reverse without massive vibration. I thought we had hit something and damaged the prop. We got on the radio and fortunately a British boat about 5 miles away agreed to give us a tow to the nearest port which was a place called Peniche, about 15 miles away. Fortunately, conditions were calm and clear and we picked up the tow without problem. Slow progress down the coast and it was very dark when we were picked up by the local maritime police and towed the last mile into the small town of Peniche. We tied up to a concrete wall in the fishing port and by this time it was already midnight, so not much to do.
On the following morning, the local authorities and there were a lot of them told me that it was forbidden to dive on the boat myself, even though we had the equipment. I had no choice but to employ a local dive company who fixed the problem in about 10 minutes. It would appear that we had picked up a huge piece of heavy duty fishing net. So, just bad luck but no damage to the prop or transmission.
After a lot of paperwork and some bills to pay we were again on our way around midday down to Cascais. We berthed at a very nice but seriously expensive marina and had a nice dinner in this very pretty Portuguese town next to Lisbon.
We anchored out in the bay next day and by this time the Portuguese trades had resumed and we had some great sailing the past 120 miles to Lagos with following wind at F5-6 all night. Lots of fishing boats but fortunately no more nets.
Lagos is just as I remember it. A bit touristy and some drunken Brits and Germans but very pleasant with excellent restaurants and amenities.
We have done some road trips to Sagres and Silves and other areas of interest in the Algarve.
The climate is outstanding and there are some beautiful and remote spots to visit.
The Admiral will stay until next week and I remain to put the boat to bed by the end of the month.
Then it's back to California, via London, Iceland and Washington DC.
 |
| The fishing net we picked up south of Porto. Apparently, there is a lot of this stuff floating just below the surface. There is no way to see it or avoid it. Day or night. |
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| climbing up the street to the cathedral and fort in Silves |
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| Callisto at the Marina de Lagos |
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| The western Algarve coast. Remote and beautiful. Much different from the concrete jungle further west |
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| Sagres |
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| A stork nesting in Silves. Lots of migratory bird here |
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| the beach at Lagos |
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| Atlantic coast of southern Portuga lremote beaches north of Cape St. Vincent |
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| Callisto tied up to the sea wall in Peniche |
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| downtown Lagos and the marina |
Saturday, September 17, 2016
La Rochelle, France.
We are now a sailing boat again. The masts went back on last Tuesday, a day late as the painters sprayed the mast the wrong colour white. The difference was quite noticeable and I felt that it was worth waiting an extra day to get the job done correctly.
So now all the rigging jobs have been completed and the mast went back on without a hitch.
All the running rigging has been replaced and new block placed for the external spinnaker halyard and a new ballooner halyard. New sheave bearings for all the halyards and all new nylocks.
New bearings and printed circuit board in the B and G masthead unit.
Both of the masts have been compounded and polished and the lower third of both of them have been repainted.
Both electric furlers have been dismantled, re-greased and replaced and the manual furlers for the main and mizzen have been rebuilt with new bearings.
All the original standing rigging has been replaced with the exception of the triatic stay which seemed as new.
I have new motor mounts, the prop shaft brake has been rebuilt with new pads the bilge degreased and cleaned and the electric bilge pump rebuilt.
Alternator has been bench tested and all the grounding circuits tested and all check out
I have bought some new parts from Amel, including some electric solenoids as spares, new helm seat and new mirrors for the forward head.
Callisto has been compounded and waxed and is looking quite spiffy!
I spent a few hours reconnecting the lights, antennas, radar and wind instruments and miraculously everything seems to work.
Ian arrives today and Matthew tomorrow. The weather is looking good to leave to cross Biscay tomorrow afternoon with the tide.
So now all the rigging jobs have been completed and the mast went back on without a hitch.
All the running rigging has been replaced and new block placed for the external spinnaker halyard and a new ballooner halyard. New sheave bearings for all the halyards and all new nylocks.
New bearings and printed circuit board in the B and G masthead unit.
Both of the masts have been compounded and polished and the lower third of both of them have been repainted.
Both electric furlers have been dismantled, re-greased and replaced and the manual furlers for the main and mizzen have been rebuilt with new bearings.
All the original standing rigging has been replaced with the exception of the triatic stay which seemed as new.
I have new motor mounts, the prop shaft brake has been rebuilt with new pads the bilge degreased and cleaned and the electric bilge pump rebuilt.
Alternator has been bench tested and all the grounding circuits tested and all check out
I have bought some new parts from Amel, including some electric solenoids as spares, new helm seat and new mirrors for the forward head.
Callisto has been compounded and waxed and is looking quite spiffy!
I spent a few hours reconnecting the lights, antennas, radar and wind instruments and miraculously everything seems to work.
Ian arrives today and Matthew tomorrow. The weather is looking good to leave to cross Biscay tomorrow afternoon with the tide.
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| preparing the mast for the crane |
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| up she goes |
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| lowering the main mast |
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| almost there |
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| A sailing boat again |
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| sparkly new turnbuckles |
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
La Rochelle, France
I've been back in La Rochelle for about a week now and La Belle France has magically come back to life on September 5th. The work on the masts is professing well. Both masts have been cleaned and polished and yesterday I did the preparation work for painting the lower ten feet of the masts.
All areas that had corrosion bubbling through the paint were ground down to bare metal and two coats of base primer were sprayed on.
The rigging arrived from the ACMO factory today and all the bits and pieces are being checked as we speak.
All being well, if all the rigging measurements are correct, the masts can go back on next Monday. I'll have another day of hooking up all the electrical connections for the radar, lights and wind instruments etc. and if the weather remains good.
The inverter that powers the TV's and computers decided to quit upon my return but at least they have everything one needs to fix anything here. Unfortunately, at European prices. One out of two isn't bad.
I'm looking forward to getting going again.
All areas that had corrosion bubbling through the paint were ground down to bare metal and two coats of base primer were sprayed on.
The rigging arrived from the ACMO factory today and all the bits and pieces are being checked as we speak.
All being well, if all the rigging measurements are correct, the masts can go back on next Monday. I'll have another day of hooking up all the electrical connections for the radar, lights and wind instruments etc. and if the weather remains good.
The inverter that powers the TV's and computers decided to quit upon my return but at least they have everything one needs to fix anything here. Unfortunately, at European prices. One out of two isn't bad.
I'm looking forward to getting going again.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Amersham, Bucks, UK
I've been very lazy regarding this blog but quite industrious in many other ways. Callisto is in La Rochelle in France and I have just returned to the UK to visit with the Admiral who is still busy with looking after her aged parents.
So let's pick up where I left off in the last post. We had a very nice visit to Bruges, Lots and lots of tourists but a wonderful place for a day trip.
The weather was not wonderful but we thought we might be able to slide down the north coast of Belguim towards Calais and then cross over to Dover. Light headwinds were forecast and we thought we could make it in a day without too much problem. All went well until about noon, when we got into 25 kts. on the nose and the going was very difficult indeed. We did finally make it into Dover late that night and while docking, managed to pick up a line the wrapped itself firmly around the prop.
Fortunately, the marina patrol boat was active and they helped us onto the dock. The next morning we had to get the boat hauled as no diving was permitted in the harbour and removed the line.
We dropped Marie-Luce off to go home and Ian and I carried on toward Guernsey.
It was a nice mild, clear night with a nice breeze and we sailed nicely down the south coast and then turned left toward the Channel Islands. We stopped off in Cherbourg for the night as the tide through the Alderney Race was not favourable. We watched the Bastille Day fireworks from the anchorage and left with the tide the following morning for St. Peter Port. Guernsey in July is a bit of a madhouse but we had to go there to export the boat out of the Eurozone and also avail ourselves of duty free diesel at 54p. a litre.
We left the next day and that takes us to Belle-Ile at the end of the last post.
Belle-Ile is much recommended and we spent a couple of days there before going on to La Rochelle.
The Amel Yard was very welcoming and they got to work immediately. We had some minor gel coat work done, and had all the major systems checked out. Daniel from Amel Yard replaced the motor mounts and serviced the prop shaft brake and generally brought the engine room back to spec. We had the charging system and the alternator bench tested and all the grounding circuits checked and tested.All running rigging has been replaced.
Thorough cleaning and polishing throughout and the boat was really looking very good. All this came to a grinding halt after the riggers report came through. The mast step pad on the main mast has deteriorated quite a bit and the riggers were very concerned about it. Although they did not find anything major wrong with the rig, there were a number of small things and that combined with the fact that Callisto has traveled more than 50,000 nautical miles in the past nine and a half years, they recommended replacing all the standing rigging. I did have the option of fixing all the small things and that would have saved some money but I opted to do the whole job at this time. At least I will know that the job has been done correctly by riggers who know the boat well.
Apart from the considerable expense, the next problem was logistical. All of France disappears for the month of August and it is very difficult to get anything done. We went over to the old port in La Rochelle and the masts were removed and are now in the riggers' shop and all the new running rigging is on order. The mast removal process was very slick and I am very confident that these guys really know what they are doing.
Callisto does look very strange as a motor boat.
All the exterior polishing is now done and I'm taking a break in rainy and cold England until the end of the month.
At that time, I will have the dubious privilege of compounding the masts and doing some sanding and painting and then polishing, prior to the arrival and fitting of the new running rigging.
We estimate that we will get going again in mid September after this major refit. We hope that the Biscay weather will behave itself when the time comes to leave delightful La Rochelle.
So let's pick up where I left off in the last post. We had a very nice visit to Bruges, Lots and lots of tourists but a wonderful place for a day trip.
The weather was not wonderful but we thought we might be able to slide down the north coast of Belguim towards Calais and then cross over to Dover. Light headwinds were forecast and we thought we could make it in a day without too much problem. All went well until about noon, when we got into 25 kts. on the nose and the going was very difficult indeed. We did finally make it into Dover late that night and while docking, managed to pick up a line the wrapped itself firmly around the prop.
Fortunately, the marina patrol boat was active and they helped us onto the dock. The next morning we had to get the boat hauled as no diving was permitted in the harbour and removed the line.
We dropped Marie-Luce off to go home and Ian and I carried on toward Guernsey.
It was a nice mild, clear night with a nice breeze and we sailed nicely down the south coast and then turned left toward the Channel Islands. We stopped off in Cherbourg for the night as the tide through the Alderney Race was not favourable. We watched the Bastille Day fireworks from the anchorage and left with the tide the following morning for St. Peter Port. Guernsey in July is a bit of a madhouse but we had to go there to export the boat out of the Eurozone and also avail ourselves of duty free diesel at 54p. a litre.
We left the next day and that takes us to Belle-Ile at the end of the last post.
Belle-Ile is much recommended and we spent a couple of days there before going on to La Rochelle.
The Amel Yard was very welcoming and they got to work immediately. We had some minor gel coat work done, and had all the major systems checked out. Daniel from Amel Yard replaced the motor mounts and serviced the prop shaft brake and generally brought the engine room back to spec. We had the charging system and the alternator bench tested and all the grounding circuits checked and tested.All running rigging has been replaced.
Thorough cleaning and polishing throughout and the boat was really looking very good. All this came to a grinding halt after the riggers report came through. The mast step pad on the main mast has deteriorated quite a bit and the riggers were very concerned about it. Although they did not find anything major wrong with the rig, there were a number of small things and that combined with the fact that Callisto has traveled more than 50,000 nautical miles in the past nine and a half years, they recommended replacing all the standing rigging. I did have the option of fixing all the small things and that would have saved some money but I opted to do the whole job at this time. At least I will know that the job has been done correctly by riggers who know the boat well.
Apart from the considerable expense, the next problem was logistical. All of France disappears for the month of August and it is very difficult to get anything done. We went over to the old port in La Rochelle and the masts were removed and are now in the riggers' shop and all the new running rigging is on order. The mast removal process was very slick and I am very confident that these guys really know what they are doing.
Callisto does look very strange as a motor boat.
All the exterior polishing is now done and I'm taking a break in rainy and cold England until the end of the month.
At that time, I will have the dubious privilege of compounding the masts and doing some sanding and painting and then polishing, prior to the arrival and fitting of the new running rigging.
We estimate that we will get going again in mid September after this major refit. We hope that the Biscay weather will behave itself when the time comes to leave delightful La Rochelle.
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entering the harbour at Oost Vlieland in a near gale |
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| some of the statuary in Bruges |
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| Belgians like their beer and so do we |
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| beautiful Belle-Ile |
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| Crane lifting the mizzen mast |
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| laying the masts flat |
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| very sad looking |
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| and now a motor boat. surprisingly good visibility+ |
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| endless chores. |
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