Life At Sea

We have the ability to send text emails at sea but the connection is pretty slow (remember dial-up?) so we can't send pictures. Here is a mostly photo recap of some of our fun times at sea.

Here is Pat steering us away from New York and towards the ocean. Were we having second thoughts? Not yet.

One last bridge to go under - the Varrazano Narrows Bridge. This is the bridge the New York marathoners run over. We had a beautiful day to motor out into the ocean. One guy in a fishing boat we passed yelled out to us that there was no wind out on the ocean. Two days later, there sure was...

We wrote about weather from the ocean. Here is what Pat and Rob look like when they download the grib files and print them out for review. This looks pretty civilized but at the moment the boat is pretty stable.

We had lots of pretty sunsets out on the ocean. Depending on where we were in a time zone, the sun would set around 7:30 and we would chat a bit in the cockpit. Then two of us would get a little sleep before night watches started. The first watch was usually 8 to midnight, the second was midnight to 3 am and the third was 3 am until someone else got up - maybe 6 or sometimes 7 am. 

Speaking of night watches - In the morning we often found small flying fish (dead) on deck. They were tiny, more like flying minnows, really. Then one night when I was on watch (Tom, here) we got smacked by a couple waves and got the salt water splash. It was a mostly nice night, although quite dark, so I was barefoot on watch. (That will be relevant in a moment...) Every half hour we do a complete radar check so when I went back behind the wheel to run the radar check I did the swing-around-the-wheel pivot and put my right foot down on the cockpit seat - right on top of, and squishing, a SQUID. I had no idea what I had stepped on, and my instant reaction was dog shit - except - no dogs around. I screamed like a girl and shook my leg and then grabbed my pocket flashlight. It was very dead at that point, and its gooey black ink was all over the teak seat. Yuck. So, I put it in a pan with some salt water so I could show Pat and Rob in the morning and washed off the teak. Here is Rob (he is so brave) holding up the squid for its photo op. We found another squid later that day on another part of the deck so we were actually boarded by two squid that night.

 

Here is Rob at the helm. I was hoping for an action shot of him getting smacked by that wave, but it didn't happen. I think this photo was taken the day after we did have second thoughts...  We don't have cup holders on the boat (heaven forbid...) but we do have our bottle rack right in front of the instrument pod. We got a bunch of single serving Crystal Light packets and can make flavored drinks that make the tank water taste a little better.

Of course, you can see more stars from the middle of the ocean that almost anywhere else. But taking a picture of the stars from a moving boat just isn't going to happen. We did try a moon shot one night with me trying to hold the camera steady and Rob urging "Take it now, take it now, take it now!!)

Here we are in the middle of a sail change. Someone gets to be the bow monkey (usually me) The bow monkey needs monkey hands to hang on and a small monkey brain to not think about why he isn't the one back in the cockpit. Rob is getting some jib sheets ready, and Pat steers a course upwind so we don't get beat to death by the sails. This is a pretty nice day, or I wouldn't be up there with a camera.

We were almost to Horta, but the ocean had just one more surprise for us. At around 2 in the morning, Rob was on watch (Rob had the bad luck watches - most of the bad stuff happened to him) and we were motoring in light wind, going the last 20 miles or so to Horta. All of a sudden, the engine stopped. Not like running out of fuel stop, like someone dropped a brick into the transmission stop. We all got up and after some detective work we figured we had run over some line or a net or something. Pat started the engine in reverse and managed to get it going again and we decided to motor more slowly through the darkness and when light came, we'd take a look underneath the boat. We had some strange vibration so we knew there was still a problem. Around 9 am Pat did his best "Sea Hunt" impression and donned our set of fins and mask and with a big knife in his teeth, went down to find a floating rope completely wrapped around the propeller. He was pretty impressed we made any headway at all with all that stuff down there.

Here I am looking slightly pained after Rob told me Horta was around that big bluff. I thought we were closer...

Well, we did make it around the bluff, and that's Horta! Ain't it pretty?

Over the next couple days, we'll do a couple more updates like:

Why do we eat out of dog bowls?

Videos at sea.

Why Horta is the most international port we will ever visit.

Anything else we can think of.

Thanks for reading - and we do read and enjoy all the comments and supporting words!

We Made It To Horta!

We made it this far! We have docked our floating salt lick named Remedios at Horta, on Faial, in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal way out in the ocean. We are about 2100 miles from New York and about 800 from Portugal. We left New York at 11 AM on Jul 11 and landed in Horta at 11 AM Jul 28. We made about 125 miles per day at about 5 miles per hour. Slowest speed was maybe 4 and top was a storm assisted 8. Boy, does land ever feel good!


We are really in awe of the fact that us three Midwestern boys, who grew up paddling canoes and later learned to sail on small boats on Minnesota lakes, have managed to reach this dream destination – an outpost for sailors since the 1400s. All three of us grew up reading stories about the explorers  on the ocean who saw volcanic islands rise up out of the misty dawn and this morning it was us – an indescribable moment. It takes a lot of work, and the ability to weather all kinds of weather and life storms, but dreams can come true.

We will post some more photos and videos but first, Rob says there is a bar somewhere that he wants to visit. I hope it isn’t too far since none of us can walk more than 15 feet anymore and we can’t walk at all without a handhold. I suspect the folks here are used to seeing sailors walk funny – I hope so…

LAND! Well almost...

Hello all!

It is a little after 9:00 in the evening and I am on watch.  The sea is calm, with a glassy smooth swell that reflects the full moon to the East and Venus to the West.  The stars between these two bright lights in the sky are themselves brilliant and beautiful.  Earlier this evening, I could follow the orange-red of the sunset from a point due North on the horizon all the way to the Southwestern sky.  You can see more and further than any place else I have ever been on land, even the flat prairies of the midwest. Piercing the smooth water, spotted dolphins are jumping alongside the boat and because we have the engine running, I don't hear the splash.  I see the shimmer, the arch of the back and the tail slipping back below the surface, all in shades of silver, black and grey.

Tomorrow morning, a twelve year old boy from a Minnesota mining town, with a grey beard and sore knees, will sail into Horta, a busy port on the island of Faial in the Azores.  He will be with a friend and a brother and they will all fall silent as they think about what they have done.  A long way traveled and a good distance yet to go.  Thank you to everyone I love for all the support you have given me.  I long to be with you, to share my stories and to hear yours.


(Posted by Christa for her dad, Pat. From an email to his friends and family)

Sunday Update from the Sailors

Here's the latest from our sailors (Posted by Peggy on behalf of Pat, Rob and Tom, aboard Remedios, Atlantic Ocean):

We expect to arrive in Horta in the Azores around July 28. We had been blessed with about four straight days of moderate winds and mostly sunny skies. But, Mother Nature had one last blast for us, to remind us who is really the boss out here. We got nailed, on Saturday, of all days!

The storm started with building winds and waves during the night and dawn found us all in the cockpit, huddled in our rain gear watching the mountainous waves go under us and waiting for the next rain squall to hit. Pat relieved "Wendy the Windvane" of her steering duties first and assigned them to "Otto the Autopilot." After some time he fired Otto and resorted to hand steering through the seas for most of the morning. Rob and I tried to keep the admittedly banal conversation going as best we could to keep morale up and keep our attention on moe amusing topics.

Why the storm?

Weather systems out here operate kind of like a pitching machine. A high is surrounded by clockwise winds and a low is surrounded by counterclockwise winds. Where the two pressure systems meet is a band of wind that is quite predictable and if your navigation is good, you can get squirted through the gap just like a baseball. You can pick what part of the gap to aim for (this is what Rob does) and that helps you pick your wind strength.

Well, our nearby low system popped a pimple (Pat's phrase, not Tom's) and busted out of its nice predictable shape. Remedios was right there when it happened and we got slammed for a day. Winds were 35 mph+ and the waves were harder to measure. Let's just say real big. We managed to miss most of the waves, yet a few got through and gave us the old salt water bath.

Pat said if we just kept heading east we would eventually suffer enough and make our way through our personal storm and you know what, he was right! The winds moderated down to the mid 20s and we even cooked a hot dinner that night.

We are glad that is over with. Next up is the Azores High, a nice stable weather system that almost always hovers over the Azores and we expect good sailing on to Horta (knock on wood).

And, here's an "educational item" left earlier for all our blog readers:

Here are a couple knives we hope we never have to use. We have two awfully sharp knives at the ready. One is up front on the mast, and knife number two is fastened to the radar post at the stern of the boat. Sometimes, especially when the wind is really blowing, lines can get tangled up and it's not unheard of for a sailor to get tangled up in them at just the wrong time. Even though we all carry knives in our pockets (Tom's is a gift from Peggy and is an illegal switchblade Spyderco), there may come a time when grabbing one of these and hacking through a line is just what's needed. We could even use them to clean fish!

Update from the Sailors - Better News!

We are just about halfway from New York to Horta. We can't wait to get there. Boy… the weather really rules our lives out here. If it is bad, we suffer. If it is good, we are happy. The last couple days have been good. You can see our progress on the SPOT GPS page (link above) - we are making between 100 and 140 miles per day. We can make progress in all but the worst extremes - no wind, or wind so high we heave-to. Our weather routers, Rob and Radio Herb, will sometimes direct us slightly out of our way to avoid areas of very high wind or no wind. So, far, it's working. Winds today are 15 to 18 knots out of the SE so we can head due east on a broad reach - the best and easiest course to sail. If the wind drops Pat says we can break out the spinnaker and see how much faster we can go.


It is not quite as hot as it has been, so we have been cooking a hot lunch and having that in the cockpit around 1 p.m.. We have been plowing through books when not doing boat chores and of course we have our evening group talks when we review the day and preview the next. So life on board in good weather is good. We have to get better at improving our life in bad weather because we know it won't be mostly sunny, 80 degrees, and 15 knot winds forever.

Last night during Rob's watch, from 3 a.m.to 6 a.m., we had a good, long rain which rinsed all the salt off the boat. We have (had) salt everywhere. It coats the boat, the hardware, the cockpit, the dodger, the bimini, the windows, the hatches - it is everywhere. Saltwater splashes up on the boat, then dries, then repeats. Sometimes we can see sparkles from the salt crystals. One bad thing about salt is that it attracts moisture. If you get a good saltwater splashing, you have to change clothes at some point and rinse the old ones out or you will constantly feel sticky and wet and will, eventually, get a rash. Rob says it feels like sugar water. None of us will ever salt our food again.

Yesterday we did a pretty big boat chore. In an effort to improve our long-distance SSB radio performance, we pulled up all the floorboards and ran some wires to better ground the radio to the bronze plates on the bottom of the boat. Pat figured out a way to wire four different grounds together. That involved wiring, soldering, electric drills, our complete tool kit, and lots of sweating. The project went well and there was little to no cursing involved. Rob rewarded us with a delicious hot lunch when we were done.

Today is mostly devoted to route planning and getting updated weather faxes.

Hope all is well in the rest of the world!
 
Posted by Peggy on behalf of Pat, Rob and Tom, aboard Remedios, Atlantic Ocean

Update from the Sailors

Here's an update from the sailors:

Here we are, about 800 miles from New York and about 1,400 miles from our first destination, Horta, in the Azores. We have packed a lot of sailing into the last week!

A lot of folks we talked with before we left said things like: "Boy, I'd really like to do something like that." Well, to all those folks and more, I can guarantee that not one of you would have traded places with us last Thursday night. We were barreling along in 25 knots of wind; Rob had the first overnight watch. After a bit, and after the seas had some time to build, and after the wind started to howl, Rob did an "all hands" call and the three of us gathered on deck around midnight to survey the conditions and make a plan. We got our sail plan and course adjusted and continued on.

Tom had the next watch and only 30 minutes after Rob and Pat went to bed, the winds hit 34 knots and Tom did an "all hands" call. A line of squalls was also coming in to complicate the situation. We got sorted out and Rob went back to bed. Pat stayed out with Tom and we tracked the squalls on the radar as they approached and then hosed us down. Again and again.

At daylight, which is around 5 a.m. at that nameless part of the ocean, we all got up and set Remedios in a "hove to" position which is where you adjust the sails and rudder to cancel each other out to hold you in one place. Some people heave to when they cook and eat on the ocean. We don't mind cooking and eating on the move because every hour we are "hove to" is an hour we are not making six miles more towards Horta. And cold beer. In frosted mugs. Yet, we took a couple hours, got some sleep and then started off again.

After really bad nights, and that was one of them, Pat always cooks us a hot breakfast. What a guy! We had the last of our NY fresh food - browned Brussels sprouts and crackers for an appetizer and then Tuscan chicken and bean soup with browned new potatoes and garlic. I know it sounds more like lunch or dinner, yet we are finding it is warmer out here than we anticipated and by the end of the day the cabin is warm enough to kill any thoughts we have of doing much hot cooking. We would open the hatches and let some fresh air in if all the waves wouldn't come in too.

Last night was better. Tom and Rob sat out in the cockpit talking from 7 til 8:30 when it was time for Tom to stand watch and Rob to go to bed. Pat was already asleep. Rob went down the then did the nicest thing. Up from below, he handed Tom the main heavy hatch cover and said, "Here, put this on. It will keep water out of the cabin if we get knocked down while you are alone out there. Have nice night. See you tomorrow." What a guy!

I have special surprise to spring on Rob some coming night. It just might involve sneaking out of the main forward hatch while he is on watch and sneaking up on him from behind in the dark. Just the thought of it brings a grin… we have managed to get pretty good at all the stuff we do while being tossed around like rag dolls. We have too much time to think while on watch, yet it is a good time to sort through everything and manage our concerns and fears. We have learned to trust the boat, trust ourselves and trust our crewmates. I have managed to get my fears down to only two. One is hitting a radar invisible attack submarine at night and the other is that I look like an idiot after using Rob's beard trimmer to cut off all my hair.

Speaking of radar, we came within TWO MILES of a ship last night. It showed up on radar first, and then Tom spotted it visually toward the end of his watch. Pat got to see it too. It was a good reminder that even out here in the vast nothingness, there is stuff we can hit if we get too complacent.

Posted by Peggy on behalf of Pat, Rob and Tom, aboard Remedios, Atlantic Ocean

Weather on the Ocean

The sailors report they have experienced
"everything the ocean can throw at them" so far. This, of course, starts with the weather and they've been through a few storms so far. Prior to departing, they prepared this post about how they're "managing' the weather on the ocean:



It's always good to know what the weather is going to be like. We can't change it, but with enough knowledge, we can alter our course to avoid the worst of it, and if avoidance is not possible, we will have advance notice so we can get smaller sails up and put away our 7-course meals and get ready to eat Met-Rx meal bars for a couple days.

Remedios has two weathermen, not counting Tom's left foot bunion. Our first is our resident weatherman, Rob who has been studying weather now for a few years and also procured the fine, German-made barometer that is the largest gauge on the boat. A good barometer, and the knowledge to interpret what it is telling you, is the single most important weather tool you can have on the ocean. Only Rob is allowed to touch the barometer.

Next, we have the ability to receive weather faxes. These will show us the size and movements of low pressure systems that constantly move across the Atlantic. Rob will route us to the best spots, and away from the worst. All we have to do is promise him beer when we hit land.

As a backup to Rob, and for Pat and Tom to use on their portion of the trip, is Herb Hilgenberg. Herb is a remarkable person in Canada who has become a world-known expert in forecasting the weather systems in the Atlantic.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/hehilgen/vax498.htm

 We can get his forecasts with our Single Side Band Radio (SSB) on a daily basis. The ABC report they link to is a nice summary of what he does. Every person we talk to swears by this guy.  Of course, they haven't met Rob, which is why we have both Rob and Herb. And, Rob isn't going anywhere very far from Pat and Tom, for quite some time.

Posted by Peggy, on behalf of Pat, Rob and Tom, aboard Remedios, Atlantic Ocean

Update from the Sailors

Here is an update received yesterday from Remedios:

Right now the sun is shining and the winds are blowing at a little over 25 knots. We have already seen dolphins, flying fish and a variety of sea birds. We have also been hit by several squalls packing winds over 40 knots and we came through them well. So far, we have not had time or conditions to sit and enjoy a movie and popcorn. Swells running over ten feet have kept us from trying that. In our first three full days we have made good time and learned a few truths...

Sea sickness does not feel better the more times you have it.
One of us can hold two full stomach surges in our mouth before it is absolutely necessary to find the rail or the head.
Time spent in thought while alone on night watch is not always good.
Twenty one days on the water are a lot longer than thinking about 21 days on the water while sitting at home.
Constantly doing the cabin dance in these conditions means getting exercise is not a problem.
All three of us has have had a full saltwater bath on the foredeck, and none of us enjoyed the experience.
A beating delivered by a flailing jib sheet is equivalent to a cane thrashing.
Hot meals planned in the dead of winter sound better than hot meals made in an 87 degree cabin.
Sometimes, moving at 8 knots can feel way too fast.
There is nobody, we mean nobody, out here.
------------------------------
Gee, sounds like they're having a really good time, doesn't it?!

Posted by Peggy on behalf of Pat, Rob and Tom, aboard Remedios, Atlantic Ocean

Into the Open Ocean

Hello!  We are now 20 nautical miles out from Sandy Hook, NJ and the ocean leg of our adventure has officially begun.  We are moving along at 6 knots in a southerly wind we measure at about 10 knots.  The weather is warm but nothing like it was in the city and we are already settling in!  The wave action is pretty gentle and nobody seems to be getting sick...yet.  Tom is in the cockpit, reading a book, like we had all fantasized about doing but didn't have time for until this afternoon.  the reading has come after he took a nap to store up a little sleep for his night watch.  Rob is napping now.  We have already seen a pod of dolphins, numbering easily in the 30's, that swam by our boat just a few hundred feet away.  We can still see a few ships and the coast is visible but fading away.  We even have our windvane steering keeping us on course.  That was one thing that has been much easier than I expected.  The only thing we have using battery power is the GPS navigation system.  Sweet!

All three of us were working the phones hard to get in all of our last calls of goodbye to the people we love.  It got us all choked up and prompted a brief sharing of feelings, guy style.  Quick, matter of fact, and effective.  More later.

(Note: Much of the blog posting now will done by family from authorized emails sent while underway. Pics will be few and perhaps far between as they are not easy to upload in the open ocean.)

And We Are Off !!!!

It is 10 AM Sunday morning and here we are passing the Statue of Liberty on our way out to the ocean. Thanks to mobile computing and my camera Gorilla Pod we can send this late update. Thanks to all of you for your good thoughts and comments and thanks, once again, and love to Mary, Michele, and Peggy.

You will get updates from time to time as we go across the ocean on this great adventure.

Next stop: Horta, a city in the Azores.

Remedios Takes Manhattan

We are still waiting for the right weather window to head out into the ocean, so for a diversion and to prevent a crew uprising Pat approved a day trip into Manhattan. We wanted to make the most of the day so we left the boat at 7 AM.

First item of business was catching the ferry over to Manhattan. We were planning to take the bus but at dinner the other night the Ogdens said the ferry would be quicker. The ferry had not occurred to us as we don't really see boats as a very fast way to get anywhere. But this one had a big motor and we were across the Hudson and on the ground at 39th St in 10 minutes.

(Note to Pat: Let's get a bigger motor.)

Next up was a quick bus ride to Times Square to see the sights. Here we are being all boat cool at Times Square. Rob couldn't believe I'd give my camera to some guy in NYC to take our photo until I pointed out he was with his wife and baby in a stroller. I said we'd never catch the guy but we'd for sure get the baby.
 
We stopped at Smiler's for bagels and then headed for Rockefeller Center to go to the Top Of The Rock, another suggestion from the Ogdens as a way to avoid the hordes at the Empire State Building. It has the added advantage of letting you see the ESB, which of course you can't do when you are in it...

Here are Rob and Pat on top (it was kind of cloudy and rainy for a bit). Tom had to be like Spiderman and climb up a wall to take this photo.
And, here is a photo of the marina across the Hudson where we left Remedios for the day. Our marina is off on the other side just to the right of that red building that is going up. We could check on the boat using the zoom on our cameras but we won't bore you with the video... 

And finally, here is the Empire State Building with the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in the background to the left. The VNB is where the NYC Marathon starts and it is also where we will pass under as we head out into the ocean. You can also see the Statue of Liberty off to the right. We will travel by that great landmark too and will try to take a picture.

We wandered around the area for a bit and admired the sculptures and fountains. Rob named this one "Plan B to France."

After we got out on the street we saw this messy scene. NBC had one of their Friday morning concerts and we found out WE JUST MISSED LADY GAGA. I haven't seen Rob that heartbroken since I dropped the last bottle of beer and broke it. We had to promise him a ride on a train to make up for it. 

Here is Rob on the subway (he thought he was going on a REAL train which is why he looks rather stoic at this point) as we head up to 72nd and Central Park West to visit the John Lennon memorial called Strawberry Fields. The park was cool and quiet and a nice place to stop for a bit - a sad place, kind of, but nice.




We walked by the Dakota where Yoko Ono still lives and worked our way through the upper west side to visit Zabar's. It was our last chance to get a few cooking tools, some coffee, snacks, and radioactive meat that supposedly will survive months at sea and augment our supply of Tom-purchased tofu that Rob can not get out of his head.

Next we hopped the #1 train to visit Grand Central Station. We had to go to 42nd Street and then take the connector over to Grand Central. We were getting pretty cocky at this point about our ability to handle anything Manhattan threw our way. The ocean (remember the ocean?) is still another story.  Here are Rob and Pat in the main lobby of Grand Central doing their best boat cool thing.

Next up (take a deep breath, it's not even noon yet) was to get back on the subway and head to the main nautical chart store in lower Manhattan. This was a chance for us to look over their ocean charts and get one or two more for our collection and route planning. Here are Rob and Pat at the chart store.

Next stop was for lunch and we just had to eat local, and fast, because we knew if we sat down we'd never get up. Here are Rob and Pat eating a healthy lunch in a relaxed setting. Pat even has the Zabar's bag front and center to help us blend in with the locals.

Next up was the World Trade Center site and memorial. This photo is of a room where those who lost loved ones in the attack could post pictures. It is the only memorial site I have ever been to that has boxes of Kleenex at the ready at all times. It was heartbreaking to see all the photos, this huge random collection of images, of people who died because they went to work that day.

Next up was Greenwich Village, to take in "The Scene" and be like locals. Here are Rob and Pat at the corner table, tired of being relentlessly pursued by photographers, sitting at a sidewalk cafe on Bleeker Street. Nice place, quiet, great people watching, cool ambiance, pleasant conversation, and $8 beers.

Next up, (Are you getting tired of this? We were ready to DROP!)    Dinner.

We went to a small restaurant in the village that Tom knew from his past MGI life and NY trade shows called Restaurant Sevilla. Remember this one, Peggy and Maggie?  It's a Spanish place with seafood paella and sangria. Yummy.

And finally, our last subway ride back to the ferry terminal, back on the ferry, and back on lovely Remedios where we could sit and look back on the city. We did that for about 10 minutes and were in bed by 9 PM, if I recall correctly...

A nice meal with family.

Last night we had a real treat. Todd and Christine Ogden and their two amazing daughters, Caroline and Lauren visited and took us sailors out for dinner. They got the full tour of Remedios, freshly straightened up and cleaned in anticipation of our guests (we were straightened up and cleaned, too). Todd is my son-in-law, Mitch's, older brother and the family resemblance is clear. That included the fact that Remedios doesn't have the head room necessary for either Todd or Mitch.

As you can see from the photo, Caroline and Christine were willing to take over at the wheel. However, to the relief of their parents, they declined the offer to head out across the Atlantic with us.

This is one active family! Todd arrived for the visit on his bike, having come directly from work. Christine will be doing a triathlon this weekend and both of the girls have dance camps and other activities set up for the whole summer. It made me tired just listening to it all.

It was a great taste of family for the crew who is missing theirs. Thanks for coming by, Ogdens!

The weather here is beginning to break, reducing the record breaking heat and if the predictions hold we will be starting our trip to the Azores tomorrow or Sunday. Rob is still a little amazed we don't have air conditioning and that a little over two weeks ago, we were all wearing all of the clothes we had to survive the cold on Lake Superior!

Pat

Hello Big Apple!

It's really a thrill to get this far, even though we have far to go. For three Minnesota lake sailors, to glide by Manhattan on the way to the ocean is fun and at the same time, a little intimidating. To help us get in the mood for New York, here is Rob under the George Washington Bridge. He heard a horn honking on the bridge and he is yelling up "Come on down here if you want a piece of me!!"  Always watching out for crew safety, Pat speeded up, just a little bit after that.

But the real thrill was being able float by the Empire State Building for a Remedios photo op. Here are Pat and Rob with the ESB in the background. Tom had on his dopey floppy hat and refused to pose. Rob, of course had his Johnny Depp / Keith Richard headband on and was cool enough for both of us.

Pat says no one wants to hear us whine, but this would not be a truthful, in the moment, blog (thanks, Pete) if we didn't say that it is completely, totally, miserably, awful hot here in the NY area. It has been 95+ every day. Yesterday we had a nice breeze of around 6 knots, but it was in the same direction we were headed so we canceled it out and got to breathe diesel fumes instead. Did I say it was a miserable day? Even Pat was grumpy. To get up at 3:30 AM just to suffer til 6 PM was not fun. OK, I'm done now. Thanks.

Next up is some final shopping for groceries and fuel, topping up the water tanks, hiding a few bottles of personal water somewhere (Tom) and maybe a candy bar or two (also Tom) and then after we get a good weather forecast, we head out past the Statue of Liberty and into the ocean!!

4th of July Weekend

This last weekend was devoted to getting the mast back up and re-rigged, doing some updates and minor repairs, hosting visitors, keeping the local pub profitable, and generally getting ready to head out into the ocean. Here are Pat and Rob doing final adjustments where the boom meets the mast.

We also had some visitors who traveled to Catskill to enjoy the surroundings and enjoy the HOT weekend. It was in the 90s every day! Here is Tom taking a picture of Frank Quinlisk taking a picture.

We also had Frank's family audition for Remedios assistants in navigation and radio operation:

And, our extra special guest was Peggy, who brought hugs for Pat and Rob from their spouses, and kisses for Tom and helped run errands between the marina and Home Depot and Wal-Mart.   Next stop - New York City !!!

Life on the Erie Canal

We LOVED the Erie Canal. It's a great piece of history, it's complicated, the locks are huge and make loud scary sounds, sometimes it's a river, sometimes it's a canal, and sometimes it's just a ditch, we did take one wrong turn (quickly corrected), it's filled with fun boats and quirky characters, the towns along the way are nice to visit - what's not to like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izuheawFCGY

Here we are tied up at Brewerton on a lovely evening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2FOcgNFvw

Tuesday we left Brewerton and entered Lake Oneida which is part of the New York Canal System and a part of the Erie Canal. There was a strong following wind which help push us along, even without sails. As we neared the end of Lake Oneida, all we could see was solid shoreline. It's kind of disconcerting to be driving a boat that draws 7 feet straight towards a tree-lined shore. But Pat motored on and if he felt fear, he didn't show it. Rob started to assume the brace position for a crash; Tom was already at the rail ready to jump, and then we started to see the channel open up and the bridge we would go under. Here is a short video we shot as we neared the end of the lake and realized we were not going to end up in the trees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYdhIsnjB9Q

We saw all kinds of homes along the sides of the canal. Some are big and expensive, some are fun and funky, and these folks have their own little shore-side Tiki Bar.

This guy has a cooler of beer and his Crackberry and looks set for the evening.

And in some places, if the spot is right, all you need is a couple of chairs and the view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgx-Hx0Yid4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zPYziimX5g

At the start of our trip we were locking up, and then we began to lock down as we made our way down to sea level. Here is a video of our last lock up and it shows how we come out of this dark cave-like lock and see our surroundings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y0dwWkOltc

Lock 17 is one we won't forget. It is one of the biggest locks in volume of water. We approached it with strong winds blowing the boat, lots of current moving us around, and the lock doors still closed. Remedios got sideways in the channel, which is NOT supposed to happen. Rob and Tom are happy to report that in times of stress, Pat is not a screamer, he just gets real quiet and says stuff like "We have a problem, boys." That's Rob's queue to grab some ropes and Tom's cue to grab the Depends, just in case. Here is a video we shot after we were at the bottom of the lock. Those big holes in the back of the lock are where the water flows in - you don't often get to see them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm77fnUu71I

Some of these bridges are for cars, some are for people and the one right in front of Rob is an Amtrak bridge and we were startled when a high speed passenger train went right over our heads.

The canal has what they call Guard Gates at various places. These gates are used to control the flow of water, and also to keep boats out of areas where one-way traffic is required. They look scary and of course everyone calls them guillotines and is scared they will come down when the boat is underneath. We managed to pass through them all unscathed. Here is a video of us passing under some guard gates and through a small gorge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUT4HXc62ow

Another neat feature of the canal is free places to tie up and spend the night.  Most of the tie-ups have small parks next to them with tables, garbage cans, and sometimes, grills for cooking. These places are great to wander around and meet locals, and boaters.

A regular marina, which will provide water, electricity, security, laundry and showers can cost around $60 per night for a boat our size. These are nice when we have laundry to do. But, $60 per night adds up. The canal usually has free canal wall tie-ups both before and after the locks; and it has tie-ups when there is a small town close by. It's usually a short walk to town and all there is to do and see. Here are a couple photos of Remedios tied up along some canal walls with some other folks. At one stop we made friends and shared wine with Andy and Sue, who gave us lots of advice about crossing the ocean since that is how they got to the Erie Canal from England. Here is Andy in our cabin. Andy didn't think we were nuts.

At each lock along the way there is a sign that tells you where you are, where the next lock is, how far they are going to drop, or lift, you and anything else you need to know. Here is some of the machinery that makes all this work. In case you want to know... each lock only needs power to open and shut the doors; water and gravity do the rest. Each lock is powered by one 5 HP GE diesel motor that dates back to 1911. Some of the lock tenders look that old, too - they are real characters sometimes.

Here we are at the end of the canal and entering the Hudson River. We passed a vintage steamship gathering that was getting set up for the weekend of the 4th - here are a few of the boats all lined up - some have their boilers going and the smell of wood smoke was kind of fall-like.

Here is where we got the point that we were headed out for the deep blue ocean. Here is Albany, NY and its protector...