Tales From the Sea

Reprints from our "Arrived in . . . " series of broadcast emails.

(Click on a row to "read all about it.")

2006-2007 Cruising Season:


Arrived Belize City!	2/28/07	Our boat is burglarized while in the Puerto Cortes Navy yard. After launch, we discover a "secret island."

2005-2006 Cruising Season:


Arrived Puerto Cortes	3/29/06	We sail from Cartagena, Colombia, through the autonomous San Blas Islands of Panama, visit the Panama Canal, beat our way to Escudo de Veraguas and enter this poorly charted atoll on a moonless night.
Arrived Cartagena, Colombia!	1/8/06	We travel the 600 miles from Margarita to Cartagena, catching many tuna using the "flat seas" method of catching fish. For the first time in 11 years, we catch a large blue marlin and then fight large waves on the last leg in the old city on the Spanish Main.
Arrived Margarita for the Fifth Time!	11/13/05	We rescue a couple from Belgium and try to hire a crew.

2004-2005 Cruising Season:


Arrived St. Kitts!	2/14/05	We make the 110 mi passage to St. Martin in one tack, we compete with local taxi drivers to get tourists from a cruise ship to join our private tour, and I get lessons on a video poker machine found down a dark alley.

Arrived St. Thomas!	2/1/05	We swim at night in a biolumescence bay, and later take a most amazing snorkeling dive.

Arrived Grenada Post Ivan	11/10/04	We return to Grenada after it was devastated by Hurricane Ivan to find devestation everywhere . . . but on Escape Cay.

(Click on a row to "read all about it.")

2003-2004 Cruising Season:

Arrived Samana!	4/11/04	EC crew rescues two swimmers at Mayaguana, gets escorted by whales, anchors in a whale nursery.!

Arrived Mayaguana!	1/14/04	Mary and Lee do the Jumentos, sail to Clarence Town, Crooked Island, and on to Mayaguana.

Arrived Georgetown!	1/14/04	We get too close to a fireworks display, we get our anchor hung up on a "hurricane chain," tour Atlantis, anchor behind the 3rd largest barrier reef, and sail down the Exumas to Georgetown.

Arrived Nassau!	12/09/03	We beat across the Gulf Stream from Miami, we sail 278 nm to make good 175, we land where some say Columbus made his first landfall in the New World we find an island where the restaurants do not serve alcohol, we catch a wahoo.

2002-2003 Cruising Season

Arrived Puerto Rico!	12/16/02	Car accident in Trinidad, 43 LB tuna, crossing of the Caribbean Sea
Arrived Antigua!	2/26/03	We watch the US Navy shell the beach in preparation for a war with Iraq, some rough passages, an egret for breakfast?
Arrived Minnesota	5/12/2003	Nary a Catholic Church in Barbuda, the French protest the war even in Guadeloupe, Lee earns money at a French bank.

2002, We Return to the Caribbean:

Arrived Trinidad!	2/15/02	An iguana nearly causes a car accident, we attend a carnival event and meet an "inverse scalper," musical politics,
Arrived Margarita!	3/8/02	Farmer's Market in Trinidad, delivered package for a Native SOUTH American, birds of Chacachacare, speared lobster, Latin lesson, cost of rum in Margarita,
Another Day in Paradise	3/18/02	We attend a movie, our dinghy is stolen, our water taxi loses its "way," (no motor no oars), Mary drifts out to sea in the middle of the night with a strange man, we are able to purchase our own dinghy back, sans outboard.
Arrived Minnesota!	5/12/02	We again use rum to get fish, President Chavez "resigns," more dolphin escorts, Wayne lands 35 pound Wahoo, sailing through a "herd of turtles," more fish caught, strong winds catch us with our pants down (spinnaker up), Ralph catches a 21 lb yellow fin tuna, more dolphins, we return to our roots.
Hurricane Lili Hits the Boat!	9/23/02	While lying at anchor in Carriacou, Grenada, the boat comes into contact with a young Hurricane Lili!

We cross the North Atlantic Ocean!
The ARC Crossing Part 1	11/27/01	We hit a whale while doing 11 kts!
The ARC Crossing Part 2	11/30/01	We rip many holes in our spinnaker
The ARC Crossing Part 3	12/02/01	1609 miles to go; we hook a huge tuna 400 miles from the nearest land.
The ARC Crossing Part 4	12/3/01	1200 miles to go; water warming, our atomized-rum-welcome to new guests, fresh fish every day, nights just as nice or nicer than days, very few other boats or ships seen
The ARC Crossing Part 5	12/8/01	487 miles to go; we are forced to start the diesel for the first time . . . but only for two hours; boring it is not.
Arrived in the New World	12/20/01	0 miles to go on December 10! we discover the whale hit caused structural damage to the boat, A "dolphin puff" turns into two whales, we find ourselves in 40 kts of wind on the beam in nasty seas, Lee meets a cruiser he hasn't seen since 1997, "Bimini Bob" from Ooh La La

2001 Cruising Season in "The Med:"

Canet	3/6/2001	Arrived in France to take possession of our new "Dreamboat"
Bizerette, Tunisia	3/20/01	460 mile passage across the Med from France to N. Africa
Monistir, Tunisia	4/2/01	First bonk, high winds, beautiful strawberries
Malta	4/13/01	Roman ruins, good trains, President Ali arrives, prop fouled
Island of Crete, Greece	4/23/01	Lost port engine, 1st gale, rescued neighbor's boat
Milos, Greece	5/4/01	Prop fouled again, 15 kts boatspeed, 9 M.D.'s on 1 boat, "Harry" born in Fiji
Zakinkthos, Greece	5/26/01	Customs ship evicts us, Olga gives them an obscene jesture, we are latter accosted by the Grecian Coast Guard
Ormos Vromi, Greece	5/30/01	Hook huge "snake," both engines stop when props fouled in close quarters near big rocks.
Argostoli, Greece	6/5/01	God sends "Eric" to help with dock lines, 2 hours spent with the authorities saves having to go to jail.
Italy	7/4/01	Crossed Adriatic to Italy, landed dinghy in the surf, typical day trying to connect with AOL (long story)
Catana Boatyard	9/3/01	Villefranche, met remarkable couple, people watching in Monaco, barbecue at 2,000 feet, boarded by French Coast Guarde . . . twice, Bakewell view of the Middle Ages, named windstorms and pizzas.
Spain	10/17/01	9/11 homicide bombing, caught another tuna, most remarkable Spanish couple, invited to their 400 year old house on Minorca, Antique store after closing hours, Spinnaker trouble
Canary Islands	11/4/01	Left Gibraltar, two huge dolphin escorts, entered Muslim Nation of Morroco shortly after 9/11, searched for Rick's Bar after dark in downtown Casablanca, our walkie-talkies get introduced to Arabic during tour of Casablanca, how to become rich in Casablanca
Getting ready for the ARC	11/24/01	2800 miles to go; 225 boats queue up for crossing "The Pond," leaving Nov 25 @ 1 p.m.

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