Photo by Pepe Hernandez
Photo by Pepe Hernandez
Monday, March 8, 2010
Boat to Arrive this Morning in Charleston
I received word this morning at about 6:30 a.m. that the race boat was at the jetties entering Charleston Harbor. They are coming in slowly as they are fighting the tide and have limited horsepower for motoring. They expect to be at the dock by 8:30 a.m. at Seabreeze Marina on Immigration Street in downtown Charleston. I'm headed out onto the water to greet them and deliver some treats. I think food and sleep are probably high on their list at this point!
Thanks for checking in,
Brad
Thanks for checking in,
Brad
Sunday, March 7, 2010
No Rest for the Weary
15:00 GMT
30° 37’ North 79° 32 West
I remember the last few days of the Around Alone race in 2002/3. After more than 9 months and 140+ days cumulative at sea, I was afforded no gifts in the form of agreeable weather. It was brutal off the coast of the Northeast and I had propped myself in an interesting braced position down below to weather the violent pounding of upwind conditions and rough seas. My vision of the finish line was so tangible and real, yet seemed so far away considering the last beating I had to endure.
I think the crew may feel somewhat similar, in that they have been handed crappy weather throughout this 5-week odyssey… and the last 24 hours will be no different. I spoke with Jeffrey this morning and he, JC and Adam are REALLY ready to reach Charleston. However, the winds are all over the place, with Northerlies ranging from 330° to 020°. They are currently sailing West toward the coast between Jacksonville and Savannah. The weather models suggest they have a high pressure system coming which will provide them light and variable conditions for a while. Not exactly good news with an anxious crew! I expect they will arrive sometime between late this evening and 12:00 noon tomorrow (Monday). I’d place my marker on 7:00am, but as we always say, boats don’t have ETAs, they only have destinations. Thanks for checking in.
Specific requests of the crew upon arrival:
Fried chicken (hot or cold)
Ribs
Mashed potatoes
Cole Slaw
Beer
Cheers,
Brad
30° 37’ North 79° 32 West
I remember the last few days of the Around Alone race in 2002/3. After more than 9 months and 140+ days cumulative at sea, I was afforded no gifts in the form of agreeable weather. It was brutal off the coast of the Northeast and I had propped myself in an interesting braced position down below to weather the violent pounding of upwind conditions and rough seas. My vision of the finish line was so tangible and real, yet seemed so far away considering the last beating I had to endure.
I think the crew may feel somewhat similar, in that they have been handed crappy weather throughout this 5-week odyssey… and the last 24 hours will be no different. I spoke with Jeffrey this morning and he, JC and Adam are REALLY ready to reach Charleston. However, the winds are all over the place, with Northerlies ranging from 330° to 020°. They are currently sailing West toward the coast between Jacksonville and Savannah. The weather models suggest they have a high pressure system coming which will provide them light and variable conditions for a while. Not exactly good news with an anxious crew! I expect they will arrive sometime between late this evening and 12:00 noon tomorrow (Monday). I’d place my marker on 7:00am, but as we always say, boats don’t have ETAs, they only have destinations. Thanks for checking in.
Specific requests of the crew upon arrival:
Fried chicken (hot or cold)
Ribs
Mashed potatoes
Cole Slaw
Beer
Cheers,
Brad
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Final Miles
14:00 GMT
29° 07’ North 76° 03’ West
The crew reported in this morning and they are about 300 miles from Charleston. They are shagged after several brutal days of 40+ knot winds, and 5 weeks at sea. I'd be cranky too! They'll likely be entering the Gulfstream later this evening and have high hopes to arrive Sunday evening. Right now they are headed due West upwind toward Jacksonville. This has been a truly good (and nerve racking) test of the boat. The crew has been stellar in their patience, as well as skill and determination. I can't wait to pass them a cold beer upon arrival in Charleston Harbor. Hopefully that will be Sunday night and not Monday morning!
View our latest newsletter here.
Thanks for keeping up with our news. As the boat comes in we will be sending the latest to Twitter via cell phone from the chase boat (AKA "the sandbox").
Cheers,
Brad
29° 07’ North 76° 03’ West
The crew reported in this morning and they are about 300 miles from Charleston. They are shagged after several brutal days of 40+ knot winds, and 5 weeks at sea. I'd be cranky too! They'll likely be entering the Gulfstream later this evening and have high hopes to arrive Sunday evening. Right now they are headed due West upwind toward Jacksonville. This has been a truly good (and nerve racking) test of the boat. The crew has been stellar in their patience, as well as skill and determination. I can't wait to pass them a cold beer upon arrival in Charleston Harbor. Hopefully that will be Sunday night and not Monday morning!
View our latest newsletter here.
Thanks for keeping up with our news. As the boat comes in we will be sending the latest to Twitter via cell phone from the chase boat (AKA "the sandbox").
Cheers,
Brad
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Marathon Delivery Gets Longer as Intense Weather Halts Progress
14:00 GMT
27° 10’ North 72° 28’ West
Heading 000°
In some ways, I wish I was with the boys to help them through what has proven to be a serious ass-whupping, and my help routing them feels a little inadequate considering what they've been dealing with. With the mountains of weather data I had available ashore, I knew it was coming, and just before the storm hit them, I told Jeffrey "if you feel like boat or crew are at risk, even though it is a tough choice, just take a big left and put Charleston behind you." Sure enough, after my fourth call with the crew last night, they'd done a big about-face and limped South with the handbrake on in 50-60 knots of wind. The breeze isn't necessarily dangerous, but the sea state can be, and with the crew hand-steering in 30 minute shifts through true 30-footers (with the occasional monster breaking wave) in full survival gear, getting washed to the end of their tethers on a regular basis, they did what they had to do - stay safe!
The end result is that our lovely new girl and our good friends are now 500 NM from home, having been beaten back about 100 miles by the weather. Hopefully that's the last of it, and be sure to stay tuned to this blog and our website at www.oceanracing.org for an updated arrival time, and for stories and pics from the crossing.
Thanks for checking it out!
Brad
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Progress on Land and Race Boat Arrival Pending
This week was a winner as we had some nice sponsorship meetings and great prospects that seem engaged and enthusiastic about the race. It is amazing how many declines you have to endure, before finding those that can think outside the box and really take a good hard look at the benefits of sponsoring an entry in this type of event. Thankfully, I am no rooky so we have loads of media results and positive testimonial from previous sponsors. Hopefully, there will soon be some good news on sponsorship but in the meantime we need to ramp up the grassroots fundraising effort to keep things moving as we refit and prepare the boat to the level needed to represent a competitive American effort. As for the on to the water side…
I spoke with the boys yesterday and all is well. They are out of the trade winds and getting ready to deal with the low pressure systems coming off the US. Their position is 21 degrees North and 60 degrees West, and they are sailing at about 11 knots straight toward Charleston. They are feeling a bit closer to home now that they are only 1 time zone away! They do expect to have heavy winds off N. Florida in a couple days, and the lows will throw winds at them from the northwest. Getting into phase with these lows as you try to keep the bow pointed toward home is a real trick. They will have to contend with 2 significant lows that will first feel like a sleigh ride with strong southerlies and then the breeze will clock into the northwest and stick for a while to make it feel like you’ll never get there. Net result is that they’ll be “stair stepping” the way home. We’re likely to get another update on Sunday morning but my guess is a Thursday or so arrival in Charleston. All the best and happy weekend to all!
Brad
I spoke with the boys yesterday and all is well. They are out of the trade winds and getting ready to deal with the low pressure systems coming off the US. Their position is 21 degrees North and 60 degrees West, and they are sailing at about 11 knots straight toward Charleston. They are feeling a bit closer to home now that they are only 1 time zone away! They do expect to have heavy winds off N. Florida in a couple days, and the lows will throw winds at them from the northwest. Getting into phase with these lows as you try to keep the bow pointed toward home is a real trick. They will have to contend with 2 significant lows that will first feel like a sleigh ride with strong southerlies and then the breeze will clock into the northwest and stick for a while to make it feel like you’ll never get there. Net result is that they’ll be “stair stepping” the way home. We’re likely to get another update on Sunday morning but my guess is a Thursday or so arrival in Charleston. All the best and happy weekend to all!
Brad
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Happy to be Home While the Crew is Headed in the Right Direction with Hopes of Sushi
15:00 GMT
13° 09’ North 29° 06’ West
Heading 275°
I must say, it is good to be home, and a good decision to get back here for tending to business. The amount of logistics involved in preparing for the refit is staggering – as we plan to haul the boat out upon arrival and tackle major jobs such as reconfiguring the deck layout, replacing all the sails, lines and rigging, building a nav station, and loads more. We are also working hard to acquire sponsors at every level, with some promising leads.
Jeffrey, JC and Adam are all well aboard the race boat and working their way West. It actually looks like a favorable weather pattern between 13-15° North. They currently have about 10-12 knots of wind from the East/Northeast. Jeffrey reports that the last 2 days they’ve been making good progress on a starboard gybe, but expect the winds to shift more Easterly and force them to gybe their way across the Atlantic. He says it still feels like they are a long way from home!
Adam is getting the fishing lines ready for the rest of their 2,000 mile haul toward North America, with hopes of sushi. The guys seem highly motivated (and a bit jealous) after my description of Valentine’s dinner out with Meg at Bamboo! I won’t taunt them anymore, as we don’t want them to end up fishing in the Caribbean instead of here in Charleston for the refit. I’ll keep posting to the blog as I hear news from the boat.
Cheers,
Brad
13° 09’ North 29° 06’ West
Heading 275°
I must say, it is good to be home, and a good decision to get back here for tending to business. The amount of logistics involved in preparing for the refit is staggering – as we plan to haul the boat out upon arrival and tackle major jobs such as reconfiguring the deck layout, replacing all the sails, lines and rigging, building a nav station, and loads more. We are also working hard to acquire sponsors at every level, with some promising leads.
Jeffrey, JC and Adam are all well aboard the race boat and working their way West. It actually looks like a favorable weather pattern between 13-15° North. They currently have about 10-12 knots of wind from the East/Northeast. Jeffrey reports that the last 2 days they’ve been making good progress on a starboard gybe, but expect the winds to shift more Easterly and force them to gybe their way across the Atlantic. He says it still feels like they are a long way from home!
Adam is getting the fishing lines ready for the rest of their 2,000 mile haul toward North America, with hopes of sushi. The guys seem highly motivated (and a bit jealous) after my description of Valentine’s dinner out with Meg at Bamboo! I won’t taunt them anymore, as we don’t want them to end up fishing in the Caribbean instead of here in Charleston for the refit. I’ll keep posting to the blog as I hear news from the boat.
Cheers,
Brad
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Skirting the Sahara and Pickin’ on a Pig Leg
16:00 GMT
25° North 16° 30’ West
Heading 195°
Well the boys left Tenerife at about 1100 GMT yesterday with a good start, but it was short lived. The lack of wind that is expected for most of this trip across the Atlantic arrived like a dead weight and they spent most of the night drifting, until it picked up again this afternoon. They are about 60 miles off the coast of the Western Sahara accompanied by lots of oil tankers and commercial traffic. The plan is to continue south, skirting the coast of Africa heading toward the Cape Verde Islands. It may not be until 14° North that they find the tradewinds they are seeking and can head in our direction.
Thankfully they are accompanied by a 30 pound pig leg. JC had begged me to bring along this mainstay sailors’ fare before departing France, but I was pleased to dine on my favorite AlpineAire dehydrated food. Once I made the decision to fly back home for sponsorship meetings, I could not in good conscience deprive them of their requested treat. So the salt cured piggy was delivered to the boat, hoof and all. Now being a southerner for the last 9 years I’ve adopted the love of pork, but at least we disguise it as barbeque or something not so obvious. Needless to say, they are enjoying it immensely as they make their slow drive south. I’ll keep up with the crew as they bring our Eco 60 home, and post the latest news here on the blog.
Cheers,
Brad
25° North 16° 30’ West
Heading 195°
Well the boys left Tenerife at about 1100 GMT yesterday with a good start, but it was short lived. The lack of wind that is expected for most of this trip across the Atlantic arrived like a dead weight and they spent most of the night drifting, until it picked up again this afternoon. They are about 60 miles off the coast of the Western Sahara accompanied by lots of oil tankers and commercial traffic. The plan is to continue south, skirting the coast of Africa heading toward the Cape Verde Islands. It may not be until 14° North that they find the tradewinds they are seeking and can head in our direction.
Thankfully they are accompanied by a 30 pound pig leg. JC had begged me to bring along this mainstay sailors’ fare before departing France, but I was pleased to dine on my favorite AlpineAire dehydrated food. Once I made the decision to fly back home for sponsorship meetings, I could not in good conscience deprive them of their requested treat. So the salt cured piggy was delivered to the boat, hoof and all. Now being a southerner for the last 9 years I’ve adopted the love of pork, but at least we disguise it as barbeque or something not so obvious. Needless to say, they are enjoying it immensely as they make their slow drive south. I’ll keep up with the crew as they bring our Eco 60 home, and post the latest news here on the blog.
Cheers,
Brad
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Bad News… Good News: Surprise Port Visit
18:00 GMT
Docked in Tenerife, Canary Islands
Okay, we really did not plan to stop in Tenerife, I swear. We most certainly did not plan on stopping here during their Carnival season, although we all enjoy a party now and then. Tenerife is a small island city bustling with life in the Canary Islands. It is a wild place, with booming sounds of music and a much unanticipated city-vibe, although that may be heightened right now due to the annual celebration. On to the news of why we are here…
Bad News:
The bad news includes a dismal forecast for weather across the Atlantic. The light weather hit us like a brick wall after the wild surfing we did two days ago. It was so intense that we decided to check in with Ken Campbell, and review how long this trip really could take given the worst of weather circumstances. It became clear that there was potential we could be sailing for the larger part of a month instead of 14-20 days. This presents a problem, as I have a couple important sponsorship meeting coming up. To be honest, I can’t jeopardize these potential partnerships that we have worked hard to nurture, thereby jeopardizing my main goal of competing in the Velux 5 Oceans. I will depart Tenerife via plane instead of boat with the intent of balancing the competition and training side of this venture, with the business side. Dr. Kevin Hogan will also head back via plane, as he has equally important commitments with patients.
Good News:
The good news is that we have put the boat through her paces, covering about 2,000 miles and every imaginable condition, from 50 knots upwind to no air downwind. We have achieved a lot since leaving France, including a detailed plan for the refit and a timeline for all to happen with room for considerable training offshore. The other good news is that we have sponsorship meetings, and an energetic team on land lining up more as we speak. I feel good about the decision to take off and let the boys deliver the boat to Charleston, while I do what I can to support the sponsorship quest and reach our ultimate goal.
The blog will continue once Jeffrey and JC (plus Adam Currier coming aboard in Tenerife) are underway again. They are adding provisions and water to the boat for the additional time expected offshore. I’m sure they will not mind the Carnival atmosphere here in Tenerife while awaiting their weather window! All the best to those following our adventure and more news as we move on…
-Brad
Docked in Tenerife, Canary Islands
Okay, we really did not plan to stop in Tenerife, I swear. We most certainly did not plan on stopping here during their Carnival season, although we all enjoy a party now and then. Tenerife is a small island city bustling with life in the Canary Islands. It is a wild place, with booming sounds of music and a much unanticipated city-vibe, although that may be heightened right now due to the annual celebration. On to the news of why we are here…
Bad News:
The bad news includes a dismal forecast for weather across the Atlantic. The light weather hit us like a brick wall after the wild surfing we did two days ago. It was so intense that we decided to check in with Ken Campbell, and review how long this trip really could take given the worst of weather circumstances. It became clear that there was potential we could be sailing for the larger part of a month instead of 14-20 days. This presents a problem, as I have a couple important sponsorship meeting coming up. To be honest, I can’t jeopardize these potential partnerships that we have worked hard to nurture, thereby jeopardizing my main goal of competing in the Velux 5 Oceans. I will depart Tenerife via plane instead of boat with the intent of balancing the competition and training side of this venture, with the business side. Dr. Kevin Hogan will also head back via plane, as he has equally important commitments with patients.
Good News:
The good news is that we have put the boat through her paces, covering about 2,000 miles and every imaginable condition, from 50 knots upwind to no air downwind. We have achieved a lot since leaving France, including a detailed plan for the refit and a timeline for all to happen with room for considerable training offshore. The other good news is that we have sponsorship meetings, and an energetic team on land lining up more as we speak. I feel good about the decision to take off and let the boys deliver the boat to Charleston, while I do what I can to support the sponsorship quest and reach our ultimate goal.
The blog will continue once Jeffrey and JC (plus Adam Currier coming aboard in Tenerife) are underway again. They are adding provisions and water to the boat for the additional time expected offshore. I’m sure they will not mind the Carnival atmosphere here in Tenerife while awaiting their weather window! All the best to those following our adventure and more news as we move on…
-Brad
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Blasting A Giant Horseshoe in the Atlantic
17:50 GMT
Lat 29°47’ North Long 15°17’ West
Heading 195°
Yesterday was full of big breeze and we made the best of it, blasting off in the high teens and reaching 20 knots on occasion. The boat handled it well and I am very impressed with her - it was a good day. And if our destination was Morocco, it would have been a great one!
We call this route 'the Atlantic horseshoe," and the first leg is basically straight South as we leave France and head past Madeira and the Canaries. We will likely not be able to start our Westward turn another 1000 NM past there before this silly route ponies up with the trade winds. To put it in layman’s terms, our Transatlantic has really not begun yet.
The crew is all doing well, and with all the free time that this kind of delivery allows, we're exploring every nook and cranny on the new boat. We have a daily meeting (quite a formal step considering the personalities aboard) with Kevin Hogan as the acting secretary. We haven't yet pulled out Robert's Rules of Order, but we incorporate them during our meetings in a slapstick way - the laughs never end here aboard Team Lazarus. Today's debate was about deck layout, while yesterday was all keel all the time. It may sound silly, but all the brainstorming means we will be exceptionally prepared for the refit when we hit the ground in Charleston, and every second of thinking we can save now is a second we get back later.
At the moment we are headed towards Santa Cruz de Tenerife and we expect to get by it tonight, it's slow sailing now, and looks like it will stay slow for some time. Quite a downer after our wild ride yesterday, but hopefully there are some more white knuckle moments to come soon.
Here is me snug as a bug during one of my few periods off deck!
Thanks for checking in with us,
-Brad
Lat 29°47’ North Long 15°17’ West
Heading 195°
Yesterday was full of big breeze and we made the best of it, blasting off in the high teens and reaching 20 knots on occasion. The boat handled it well and I am very impressed with her - it was a good day. And if our destination was Morocco, it would have been a great one!
We call this route 'the Atlantic horseshoe," and the first leg is basically straight South as we leave France and head past Madeira and the Canaries. We will likely not be able to start our Westward turn another 1000 NM past there before this silly route ponies up with the trade winds. To put it in layman’s terms, our Transatlantic has really not begun yet.
The crew is all doing well, and with all the free time that this kind of delivery allows, we're exploring every nook and cranny on the new boat. We have a daily meeting (quite a formal step considering the personalities aboard) with Kevin Hogan as the acting secretary. We haven't yet pulled out Robert's Rules of Order, but we incorporate them during our meetings in a slapstick way - the laughs never end here aboard Team Lazarus. Today's debate was about deck layout, while yesterday was all keel all the time. It may sound silly, but all the brainstorming means we will be exceptionally prepared for the refit when we hit the ground in Charleston, and every second of thinking we can save now is a second we get back later.
At the moment we are headed towards Santa Cruz de Tenerife and we expect to get by it tonight, it's slow sailing now, and looks like it will stay slow for some time. Quite a downer after our wild ride yesterday, but hopefully there are some more white knuckle moments to come soon.
Here is me snug as a bug during one of my few periods off deck!
Thanks for checking in with us,
-Brad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)