SAILING TRIP TO THE CARIBBEAN

Lat: 18 02.0N / Long: 063 06.4W

Actually we wanted to set off on 29 October. Because of bad weather we had to wait until the 2 November. The conditions were still not perfect when we left and the next tropical storm around Bermuda was predicted. But there was a slot and a chance - when sailing fast - to already be south of Bermuda, when the storm arrives. The sailed distance for the first 48 hours was 500 nautical miles (= 926 km) and we were actually lucky to sail fast enough to escape the storm.

First night watch - it was very cold

Repairing the reef line at sea

The storm went through behind us with a speed of nine to ten Beaufort (= 50 knots = 92.6 km/h). We only got hit by the thunderstorms and squalls (up to 32 knots), which the storm carried in front of it. The sailing trip with its 1630 nautical miles (= 3018 km) took in six days and 23 hours until we arrived at St. Maarten/Caribbean; this makes an average speed of 9.76 knots (= 18 km/h)

Typical sunset

The trip was very harmonious. With six people on board we could follow a three-watch system. We were very happy to have Pete Lawson as an additional crew member on board. Pete is not only a highly experienced sailor, but also great traveling companion.

Pete enjoying eggs benedict for breakfast

Arrival at Sint Maarten

The Zefiro is now securely moored in the Palapa Marina, St. Maarten and one day after the arrival Gerhard flew to Cyprus. The onward journey to Trinidad and Tobago is scheduled in mid-January for the bottom anti-fouling paint job. 


Zefiro's current position (please click!):

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Airport+Road,+Simpson+Bay+(Palapa+Center)&hl=en&sll=18.038292,-63.095369&sspn=0.122418,0.181789&geocode=CZSpJ5DZT2lNFRQ-EwEdtz09_CGs9kJ0RjpRJw&vpsrc=6&mra=mift&t=m&z=13&iwloc=ddw0

PLEASE ALSO SEE OUR BLOG ARCHIV WITH FURTHER REPORTS! 

(at the bottom of the blog)

LAST DAYS IN GLOUCESTER

Lat: 42 35.2N / Long: 070 40.1W

At one point, even the best time is over and end of October we started to prepare both our and Zefiro’s departure. It had grown quite cold; in the outskirts of our anchorage it had even snown. Fortunately, the heating on board worked and also the thick blankets were helpful. But even in this cold late-autumn period we had some memorable experiences, thanks to our newfound friends. 

We took a long walk with Peter, Paul and their four golden retrievers around the beautiful Eastern Point Cape. Zefiro had been moored in front of its Yacht Club for a few months.

We’ll start in short!

Who is led by whom?

Eastern Point, Gloucester

Zefiro in the Bay of Gloucester. Thanks to the cold, clear air 

we could see the skyline of Boston.

Our friend Martha invited us to watch a fox hunt in which her daughter and granddaughter participated with their horses. Luckily it was a drag hunt, meaning that the hounds follow a laid scent rather than a live fox.

Fox hunting without fox

Three passionate equestriennes: Martha, her daughter Ann Seymour 
and her lovely granddaughter Jane.

We look back on a fabulous time. We had great sailing, visited the most impressive museums and met very nice people, shared excellent food and partied hard with them ...

Gerhard put it in a nutshell when he said: "Our four months in New England were a highlight in our lives, towards the end we felt very much at home and will certainly come back someday."

Gloucester in the autumn sun.

Zefiro's position (please click!):

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Eastern+Point+Yacht+Club,+Eastern+Point+Boulevard,+Gloucester,+MA,+United+States&hl=en&ll=42.582916,-70.664277&spn=0.023699,0.045447&sll=42.590058,-70.660064&sspn=0.023696,0.045447&vpsrc=0&doflg=ptk&hq=Eastern+Point+Yacht+Club,&hnear=Eastern+Point+Blvd,+Gloucester,+Massachusetts&t=m&z=15&iwloc=A

IN SEARCH OF THE INDIAN SUMMER Part 2 - HUDSON VALLEY, WOODSTOCK, CAPE COD

Regine's father and Eve had to leave after a week and so Gerhard and Regine continued their journey alone. This time we went to the beautiful Hudson Valley in New York State. There, the foliage was far better than in Vermont and New Hampshire, also the standard of living was higher than in the aforementioned states.

 Hudson Vally

Vanderbuilt Mansion

 Vanderbuilt Mansion

The Vanderbilt Mansion, located on the Hudson River near Rhinebeck, impressed us. In Rhinebeck, we stayed in the "Beekmann Arms Inn", the oldest hotel in America. The beds squeaked accordingly. Whether good old George Washington, who also stayed there, complained about the beds as well?

The oldest beds in America

Woodstock, the legendary meeting place of the hippie era in the 60s was amusing, but you do not need to spend more than a few hours there.

The colorful houses of Woodstock

... do we know each other?

Last Hippie Standing

From Woodstock we drove south to Connecticut and were able to locate the old home of Regine’s family in Old Greenwich. Nothing has changed in almost 40 years!

Oval Ave, Old Greenwich Conn.

We drove to Cape Cod via Rhode Iceland and enjoyed the quiet low season atmosphere. It was sunny but quite cold and remembered us a little of Germany’s Northern Sea.

Cape Cod

Cape Cod

 In America everything is huge: The estates, the cars, 
the food portions ....

After that we returned to Zefiro. All in all Regine had driven a total of 2000 miles without any accident. For Gerhard it was very relaxing not to be "at the helm."

IN SEACH OF THE INDIAN SUMMER Part 1 - VERMONT & MASSACHUSSETS

The declared aim of our second U.S. visit was to see the famous Indian Summer in the northern part of New England. We sailed Zefiro back to Gloucester, and switched from “sail power’’ to “horsepower”. Our destinations were the states of New Hampshire and Vermont. The most colorful and intense foliage was supposed to be there. But to our great disappointment nasty "Irene” crossed our path for the second time. Leaving behind a trail of destruction in late August, the hurricane unexpectedly chose to not go out to sea but to turn inland where it destroyed large parts of Vermont and by carrying a great deal of salt water in its whirl winds also damaging many tress and its foliage.

"Irene" destroyed roads and many of the famous covered bridges ...

... but luckily not all.

Everything pointed towards fall...

... and Halloween...

 ... sometimes with slight exaggeration.

 While we enjoyed beautiful hydrangeas in summer, it was the fast vast
presentation of chrysanthemums, which we liked in autumn.

Montpellier, the capital of Vermont.

Getting more and more annoyed by the destroyed roads and dreary places we headed south, back to Massachusetts.

We found beautiful foliage.

And even better: impressive museums.

In particular, the MASS MoCA in North Adams, it has done to us. Some extremely interesting installations were presented in gigantic halls.

Like the one of Berlin based artist Katharina Grosse ...

 ... the Jamaican Nari Ward ...

... American painter Sol Lewitt ...

…and Düsseldorf’s famous art professor Joseph Beuys!

BOSTON

Long: 41 21.4N / Long: 071 03.0W

After a nearly three-week break we returned in early October aboard Zefiro and sailed to Boston. New England’s largest city is one of the oldest, wealthiest and culturally richest cities in the United States. Regine's father Klaus and his wife Eva joined us there.

Zefiro’s berth was in the middle of town in the Rowes Whar

Boston offers exciting culture and architecture...

... combines tradition and modernity...

…and you can meet the Kennedys everywhere.

In 1630 the Puritan colonists founded the city; it was the scenic backdrop of important events during the American Revolutionary War. The city is best known for the “Boston Tea Party” of 16 December 1773. That was when protests against the British Parliament for attempting to raise the tax on tea triggered the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout Boston we followed for about 2.5 miles a paved red lane, the Freedom Trail, which led us to the historic sites in the city.

…Past the Old State House, the center of political
 life and debate in colonial Boston.

…Past the statue of Paul Revere, one of the national heroes of the American Revolution. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he was a courier for the Boston Patriots and warned the town’s inhabitants of the approaching British troops with his famous cry "The British are coming!"

Paul Revere

The Freedom Trail also led us to the USS Constitution, a wooden frigate of the United States Navy. It is the oldest in-service ship of the world that is still buoyant.

The nickname “Old Ironsides” goes back to the fight with the British frigate HMS Guerriere in 1812, when British cannon balls were said to have bounced off of the Constitution’s strong and enduring high side wooden boards.

“Old Ironsides”

Especially the three sieges of the USS Constitution against British warships during the War of 1812, justify the frigate’s great national importance to the United States.

Zefiro's Position (please click!):

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rowes+Wharf,+Boston,+MA,+United+States&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.708931,93.076172&vpsrc=0&hq=Rowes+Wharf,+Boston,+MA,+United+States&t=m&z=15