Right or Left

A great story involving the last of the great owner skippers Ted Turner and his tactician on the Americas cup, and Gary Jobson perhaps the best sailor in the world at that time. Its storied Turner in the midst of a tactical battle said to Jobson "Tell me right or left tell me right now" I had this quote framed in my office. Make the decision and rely on your team who, if you have chosen well, are smarter than you. Well, I'm no Ted turner or Gary Jobson and as Parallax approached Bermuda, I still wasn't sure ... Right or left.

Bermuda, the one-time almost mythical island paradise, just 600 miles off the east coast of the US. THE place to go for an island paradise vacation. Often the first offshore destination for would be ocean sailors. It is still that, but the world has grown smaller and tropical paradises in the Carib, central America and even the pacific atolls are now just as easy, maybe easier to access. Bermuda is still one of the most beautiful islands you can see, but the flip side of vigorous covid lockdowns has taken its toll. Horribly expensive, closed shops, and the locals speak off hardship and fledgling gangs, though I must be clear I have never seen before or on this visit anything that would give me the slightest pause. The Bermudians are a welcoming and friendly lot and keep their island in immaculate condition. The cruise ships still frequent the Historic Naval Dockyard built and preserved in conjunction with a cruise ship haven, but tourism has not recovered. It is still for the most part welcome to sailors as a destination or stopover on the way to Europe. But make sure you're well stocked, provisioning on the island will leave your wallet on iron supplements.

Entry to St George Harbor, the storied first point of entry for formalities is through a very narrow cut, so narrow the larger cruise ships cannot negotiate the entrance. Whatever you think about cruise ships, and I won't offer my opinion, in the early 2000’s when cruise ships weren't so obscenely enormous, the St George harbor visage always included a white smoking horizon. Bustle and hustle, passengers on and off no t-shirt left untouched ( I guess I sort of offered my opinion which is really not fair as the St George economy, built to live off the cruise ships suffered mightily when the behemoths all diverted to the main city of Hamilton or the Naval Dockyard) The cut is so narrow permission must be sought from Bermuda radio to enter and exit and sailing through that historic cut is always inspiring. The Bermuda authorities… very Britt sounding, professional and ever watchful of those ships approaching their reef surrounded island courteously welcome you to Bermuda with permission to enter.” Cleared, to enter Parallax, welcome to Bermuda Captain”

This was my 4th trip to Bermuda, twice single handed, and once with my then 72-year-old dad who was a natural sailor on what proved to be a highlight of his later years. If I should make this trip again, I would stop here again but the cachet has definitely worn thin. Familiarity? Robyn had not visited the island previously but was afraid for good reason to rent the ubiquitous scooters, the only allowable rental vehicle for tourists. The Bermudian roads though well-kept are notoriously winding narrow, cliff lined, and without shoulders. Cut, bruised and sometimes broken tourists and their scooters are not unknown. Thankfully, walking St George and environs offers great photos and the buses and ferries are first rate, easy to use and can get you anywhere and back. The one-day mix and match hop off and on ferry/bus ticket, is the ticket. I however had no such reservations regarding rental scooters even though I am a somewhat less than proficient, read horrible, scooter sailor. I rented a sharp little number and happily terrified, buzzed the entire island. .

The History of Bermuda is fascinating, Spanish, British, civil wars choosing sides in the American civil war. The Historic Naval dockyard now restored is worth the price of admission. Just a teaser from Wiki…

Bermuda's pink sand beaches and clear, cerulean blue ocean waters are popular with tourists.[49] Many of Bermuda's hotels are located along the south shore of the island. In addition to its beaches, there are a number of sightseeing attractions. Historic St. George's is a designated World Heritage Site. Scuba divers can explore numerous wrecks and coral reefs in relatively shallow water (typically 30–40 ft or 9–12 m in depth), with virtually unlimited visibility. Many nearby reefs are readily accessible from shore by snorkellers, especially at Church Bay.

Bermuda's most popular visitor attraction is the Royal Naval Dockyard, which includes the National Museum of Bermuda.[50] Other attractions include the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo,[51] Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Botanical Gardens and Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, lighthouses, and the Crystal Caves with stalactites and underground saltwater pools.

Public transport and taxis are available or visitors can hire scooters for use as private transport.[52] Public transport and taxis are available or visitors can hire scooters for use as private transport. Non-residents are prohibited from driving cars on the island.[52] Public transport and taxis are available, or visitors can hire scooters for use as private transport. [46[46[46[52] Public transport and taxis are available or visitors can hire

scooters for use as private transport.[46

So RIGHT it is, toward the Azores and mainland Europe, really it was probably never in doubt once it's in your head the rest is just rationalization.

Planned departure is somewhere around the end of May first of June. Weather will dictate the departure. The passage will be around 1900 nautical miles. The late spring weather is settling but you can still expect a passing front to add excitement or if you sail north to 40 degrees even ice! Being a bit of a sissy, Parallax’s Captain will stay a bit south but still north enough to catch some westerlies. Parallax is built for speed not smashing her way through weather, we try to sail her as she was designed to be sailed. She doesn't require a lot of wind. So, we will not be rushed, we will look for the best weather we can find and then scurry off to the Azores.

It Didn't Begin Here (but you have to start somewhere)

When does one trip end and another one begin when you're more or less sailing where the wind and whim may take you. Let's call this one the Atlantic loop. Beginning in St Thomas, VI hence to Bremuda, across the Atlantic to the Azores, Europe, Mediterranean, Africa and returning through Madeira and the Canaries to the Caribbean. A meandering misshapen 8000 nautical mile loop by my close enough reckoning.

Anchored in Charlotte Amalie after picking up a new mainsail from North sails Antigua, we were busily receiving and returning parts and pieces from the mailstop in Redhook, including a new Radar from B and G. The old 3G model had the best I can tell, a 100 percent failure rate among the several poor sailors I knew who purchased one. (I had two fail in a year, does that make a 200 percent failure rate?) The factory magnanimously responded with a half hearted gesture of half off for a new model. My third replacement unit in a little over two years!

The new main required a totally reconfigured reefing system which I happily provided by ripping out the innards of the single line system from the Seldon mainsail boom and replacing it with a two line system, one more line but less total line, sheaves and most important...friction.

Several other projects undertaken and finished including new AIS, new exhaust elbow, etc., tick tick tick and the list is finally done. The truth today.

I have long been a member of the Salty Dawg sailing association and decided to join the spring rally contingent headed to Bermuda as the first part of the journey. The organization is great for novices and old hands alike and a great way to meet new sailors and drink old rum.

The weather coordination as always was provided by Chris Parker, Marine Weather Center May 10th was set as the notional departure date and the forecast was near perfect. 4 days of broad reaching with seldom more than 15 knots wind across the deck. Parallax with screecher set will take all that you can give her and 4, 200 plus nautical mile days later, dropped the Hook in St Georges Harbor. The sailing Pom Willoughby or willow as we call her got her sea legs and Robbyn and I stood watch, very occasionally trimmed sails or adjusted course. Not much for a 4 day entry in the log but that's about it. Did I say magic carpet ride?

Sailing notes: My screecher for sailing novices is a large head sail much larger than the working jib. I have the screecher more or less permanently hoisted off Parallax’s rather long bowsprit to keep it in clearer air. It is furled on a continuous line reef system and wears a performance degrading sunshield. The nomenclature for what is a code vs screecher vs a gennaker is confusing, I think even a bit confusing to sailmakers. Since it is constructed of light dacron not nylon and and somewhat less girth than the stretchy nylon code sails I think the generally accepted term for such a sail employed on a catamaran is a screecher. It will draw as high as 55 degrees apparent in light air and I fly it down to say 140 degrees apparent, the sail is not especially effective at such deep angles but my asymmetrical spinnaker (asym or spin) is cut to fly the lower angles and we hoist that from a sleeve when we need to sail lower angles and the wind is less than 15 across the deck. I have only one spin halyard so the screecher must be dropped to free the halyard for the spin. Generally, the spin flys from the windward ama clear of the mainsail shadow. The code usually lies lashed to the trampoline when doused, but still attached to the bowsprit. Relatively simple to hoist or douse the spin which lives in a sleeve, free up the halyard and hoist the screecher again. That's the way we roll. These are both lighter air sails, 15 knots apparent so it's usually not a problem working on the foredeck or trampoline to hoist and douse these two sails. For the Bermuda trip the screecher was up 90 percent of the time while we scooted along at 10 to sometimes 13-14 knots. We actually slowed down the last 12 hours or so for a daylight landfall or we would have made the 840 mile trip in less than 4 days.

As always pics can be found on the Where in the World is Parallax page

Which way is Antigua

I actually know which way it was, or at least the Caribbean, sort of. This is my 8th trip. 6 as skipper, two as crew. My first single handed trip TOO the Caribbean. Previously three single handed trips from the Carib to the states. In some respects the trip to the Carib is a bit easier even though you leave in November with winter close behind. For one, you're going with the prevailing weather not against it so you're not compressing the systems in front of you second, the gulf stream is only a day or two away from your departure. Weather forecasting is so good today that you can bet on a good forecast to get through this sometimes treacherous piece. The gulf stream off the Coast of North Carolina (so called Graveyard of the Atlantic) is not the most treacherous on the seven seas but it probably is in the top 5. If you wait for decent weather, no hard Northers or contrary swells, it can be a delightful trip. It had only caught me once on a return trip and then not in full fury.

The trip from the Carib to the states, although done in May or early June, takes you into the advancing fronts off the US coast and presents you with a gulf stream forecast 5 to 6 days away at departure, longer if your boat is slower. Forecasting is much improved, and I always use a pro weather router (Chris Parker) for the return, but 6 days is 6 days a bit beyond the edge of a dead-on forecast especially, in May and early June when the weather can still be rather unsettled.

This trip I had sailed through the gulf stream in good shape, sniffed out a favorable eddy and now was making 10 knots in a good wind north of the rhumb line. But the forecast was beginning to firm up and soon southerly progress at least under sail was going to become impossible. When the wind shift came I sailed east and a bit south and waited for the return of the easterly trades. Not exactly the course recommended but I had years ago made the mistake of getting downwind, down current and struggled to get back. I might sail longer, and those who carried enough fuel to motor closer to the rhumb line might get there as fast, but if I sailed east with the wind given me while making as much southing as I could, eventually the trades would fill. And sure enough, after struggling with the contrary wind and then almost no wind, making tactical decisions on when and how to use the remaining fuel, it did.

Parallax made landfall on the 12th of November with very little diesel after using over 100 gallons, 50 more than I had ever used before!!! Parallax only carries 90 or so gallons in on board tankage and on this trip 25 extra in Jerry cans. I needed the jerry cans.

So, me and two buddies and their crew who had been neck and neck finished the rally within 15 minutes of each other and no… we weren't buddy boating, we were just sailing hard. Parallax was the last of the three. She was overhauling quickly the last 100 miles at 12 to 13 knots but ran out of ocean. Great fun, great new friends. This the reason I sometimes enjoy sailing with the Salty Dawg Caribbean Rally. And yes, we all took the slant east and all were among the first to arrive.

For two weeks there was a Salty Dawg social function nearly every night and numerous boats get togethers. l met lots of new friends and had lots of fun. Then we all in our own time, set out to explore the Caribbean, up and down the chain, windward and back to Leeward's some returning to Antigua for the return home spring rally. My previous site has lots of pictures and a bit of history of most of the islands, this time I will just post some favorite pictures of the islands in no special order.in the Where's Parallax tab. For me this was the warmup for a much bigger trip so after banging around a windy winter in the Caribbean with wind often at 25 to 30 I sailed west to St Thomas planning to make a stop at Bermuda and then hook a right toward the Azores instead of a left back to the states. or maybe not.