It’s Showtime

[Daddyo]

Fantastic! I wish you both the best! It is always so gratifying to see folks taking it by the horns and going for it. Godspeed!

 

[Northern Spy]

Bon voyage! I'll be living vicariously through your Delorme track as well.

 

[Rogerh]

Tried google chrome as the browser and it works great, with IE it does not bring his data up. Thanks for the tip, I can track him now.

 

[healhustler]

By the looks of the ariel view, it might be a bit of a chop at the Provincetown anchorage, ….also looks like they got in a bit late. Wonder how they slept.

 

[caltexflanc]

Should be dead flat in there.

http://provincetownview.com/



Marine Forecast | Weather Underground

 

[healhustler]

Should be dead flat in there.

Yes.....I assumed that the ariel was recent....my mistake.

The fact that Richard is also a Meteorologist probably doesn't hurt their confidence either.

 

[AusCan]

Fair seas Richard & Julie! Nice to see some TF'ers crossing some big water. Looking forward to some reports from the big adventure.

 

[Bill Ranson]

Have fun. Be safe. Looking forward to following your adventure.

 

[CW]

Safe travels. Gail and I will be following your travels closely.

Chris

 

[Wxx3]

AN Update

We're waiting for the winds to turn to the SW. Should happen by morning, so we are taking this opportunity to put all the crap away that we ran out of time at 2 a.m. Sunday monring.

Will also use this stop to top up tanks for the last time, should only need 35 gallons (17 hours) and will try to squeeze in another 15, but then the last time I did that...

Now an incident that infuses us with confidence. Yesteday, noticed that NONE of our VHF radios seemed to be working. Our friend Richard was up early to see us off and that's when we discovered our radio issues. So the pilot house and fly bridge radios, not a peep, even after I had repolaced the main antenna and spliced the two leads. The two hand helds, dead batteries, one of them terminal. So I start charging the one and figure it's good enough.

No worry, how many people will we contact in the middle of the Atlantic, but still...

So this morning, after putting the finishing touches on the paravane system, I tackled the radio.

I had turned on the fly bridge VHF and set it on the bench seat, presumably to hear if anyone was calling.

First thing I notice today, there was no antenna connected to the fly bridge radio. Well, that's an easy fix

Then, I see a relatively new antenna lead going nowhere. Umm, I was sure this was the lead from the pilot house radio, also, clearly connected to nothing then what did I splice together

I look at the cables I spliced together, one was clearly new and other looked like 30 years old. Initially, I had thought I had spliced the two antennas together, but no, now I realized I spliced the new antenna to the OLD Loran cable.

So, 15 minutes later, we are better than before. I replaced the old antenna that was intermittent and now all the radios are working.

While it was not a show stopper, one thing I have learned in reading a multitude of accident reports, is that it is almost always more that one thing that causes the mishap. In my minds eye, I could see the report, "If only they had heeded the warning radioed to them. The Board is mystified as to why they ignored such a blatant warning..."

All's Well that End's Well.

Hopefully that will be my next post:lol:

 

[N4712]

Sounds exciting!!!! Good luck, fair winds and following seas!!!

 

[caltexflanc]

Re; the non working radios, spur me to ask, do you have SSB and/or satellite phone on board?.

 

[healhustler]

Glad you got it cleared away and set for the journey. I wonder how many wires I have in my boat that go to nothing. Last year, I found a functioning oil pressure gauge wrapped in electrical tape and attached to wires under the helm. Who knows why or what with these older boats. Bless you guys on your journey.

 

[ben2go]

Re; the non working radios, spur me to ask, do you have SSB and/or satellite phone on board?.

I thought he said he had a sat phone onboard.Maybe I read it wrong.

 

[FlyWright]

What's your first destination? Flores Island in the Azores?

 

[caltexflanc]

I thought he said he had a sat phone onboard.Maybe I read it wrong.

Missed that, haven't read all of his posts. Interested in what his electronics rig is for this journey, pure curiosity.

 

[ben2go]

Missed that, haven't read all of his posts. Interested in what his electronics rig is for this journey, pure curiosity.

 

[Northern Spy]

And they're off...

 

[ben2go]

And they're off...

I'll be watching with you all and wishing them safe passage.

 

[FlyWright]

Am I the only one leaning to the starboard in my chair....waiting for the right turn?

 

[Northern Spy]

Non euclidean geometry. Great circle route.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Hi guys - new member here - a wannabee, no, make that a gonnabee! I've been trolling here for a few months soaking in all of your knowledge. Yep, they will not be turning to starboard any time soon - as Northern Spy so expertly described they are taking the great circle route - maybe stopping in Greenland or Iceland for a fuel top off. Wow, we've taken a route close to this on the QM2 several times - a couple of times smooth as a small lake, but other times 20-30ft seas. God speed to them!

 

[psneeld]

Hi guys - new member here - a wannabee, no, make that a gonnabee! I've been trolling here for a few months soaking in all of your knowledge. Yep, they will not be turning to starboard any time soon - as Northern Spy so expertly described they are taking the great circle route - maybe stopping in Greenland or Iceland for a fuel top off. Wow, we've taken a route close to this on the QM2 several times - a couple of times smooth as a small lake, but other times 20-30ft seas. God speed to them!

I seriously doubt if headed for the Azores the Great Circle Route is anywhere's near Greenland or Iceland (been to both leaving Newfoundland). Leaving the NYC or Boston area to England takes you closer to those places...but not if headed for the Azores.

Here's their summary from post #1

"While our route is somewhat dependent on weather and seas, we are planning on the great circle route (course 082° T) from Cape Cod to the Azores as it takes one southeast of Nova Scotia, east along 42°N then east-southeast.

1900 nm, it will take 13 days, maybe 12 with the following seas we hope to have, we will pretty much be riding over the top of the Bermuda/Azores High."

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Thanks guru - probably correct. But if it was me I would want to top off anywhere possible!! I hope I'm not the only one that's salivating with envy.
Charles

 

[healhustler]

Gotta hand it to 'em. If it were me, I'd have been looking back over my shoulder till I couldn't see the Cape anymore.

 

[caltexflanc]

A globe comes in very handy when trying to understand these routes, but I guess in this day and age those have become obsolete. I cherish ours.

This type of passage has no appeal to me, but for those for whom it does, Godspeed and fair seas!

I'll start getting envious once they are in Europe. Really envious.

 

[FlyWright]

A globe comes in very handy when trying to understand these routes, but I guess in this day and age those have become obsolete. I cherish ours.

Here's a google version of the GC route. I tried to obscure the flight time block and distorted the route slightly, but you get the idea.

 

[psneeld]

Thanks guru - probably correct. But if it was me I would want to top off anywhere possible!! I hope I'm not the only one that's salivating with envy.
Charles

No fuel stops on this route...

There are quite a few cruisers who have spent a lot of time in the open ocean and know of the dangers and the real lack of stimuli other than grinding out the miles.

I would rather fly and charter a lot of exotic destinations than make the open ocean miles...but as I said..I have a lot of sea time so the enchantment wore off a long time ago and I certainly can't afford the vessel I would want to cross.

The 42 KK is suitable...but to buy one and outfit her the way I want...I just couldn't swing it these days.

 

[harbor950]

Here is the Great Circle Mapper site with the route and info:

Great Circle Mapper


Or better yet:

Great Circle Mapper

 

[Rambler]

It looks like their headed to Maine. Maybe they need fresh blueberries?

I would have thought a more easterly track toward Nova Scotia and up toward Newfoundland. But maybe they need blueberries, real bad. Hope all is well.