Splicing and Thawing and Preparing

Spoke with Chris Parker about the weather and a good window to leave. Chris is an expert in Bahamas weather and writes for ocean navigator. Looks like Saturday or Monday are the twp possibilities. Don Kerstens was very kind to donate the money to take advantage of
Chris’s amazing weather knowledge. I feel much better being able to get such good advice from him.

The boat is almost ready to go. we put the mast up yesterday and got the deck and below cleaned up. Sails are bent, and I just have a few tweaks and repairs to make before we are ready for the off. Had to splice a new bobstay and do a few things that I had to wait to thaw before I could do.

Provisions are aboard and the layout down below is all set up for departure. (Things tend to change a lot once we start sailing.

I keep getting lots of question about the boys and girls clubs of canada, and I always smile when people are so interested about how the kids at the club are involved. I take pride in telling people about the fundraising, learning about the ocean and what it means to be a leader. I hope the kids at the club are following along on this adventure. (To Brandy and the LIT Group: Leave a comment on this site, and I will will do my best to answer.)

The Hampton Inn are helping us out with a better rate for my stay at the hotel. James Brown called them up to tell them what I am up to and they have graciously offered a reduced rate and flexibility with my departure date. Hotels are not used to weather windows… (Ironically, the Hampton Inn is the choice of many a sailor down here. Great hotel and the most reasonable rates in Coconut Grove.)

The team at home have been very busy helping to get communications out to folks as well as thinking about the quickly approaching trip to Europe. The classe Mini have recently published the calendar for the coming racing season and it is really important that I get my choice of races submitted before I go. WE are also getting further into the logistics for getting the boat to Europe.

So things are truckin right along. We are a little behind our scheduled departure date ,but that was pretty much to be expected. I’m glad that the boat is starting to look like a proper sailboat again and that things moving along. I just can’t wait to get out there and get sailing!

More soon,

Nathan

Favourable winds for Saturday?
Here’s the latest forecast. North and East winds - BAD. Southerly flow - Good.

GULF STREAM HAZARDS
SEAS NEAR 6 FEET POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF THE WEST WALL OF THE GULF STREAM AS OF
JAN 07, 2009 AT 1200 UTC…

7 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF FOWEY ROCKS.

SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION

TODAY
NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. NEAR SHORE…SEAS 2 FEET OR
LESS. IN THE GULF STREAM…SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET SUBSIDING TO 2 TO
4 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

TONIGHT
NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS NEAR
SHORE AND UP TO 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE GULF STREAM. INTRACOASTAL WATERS
A LIGHT CHOP.

FRIDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. NEAR SHORE…SEAS 2 TO
3 FEET. IN THE GULF STREAM…SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET SUBSIDING TO 2 TO
4 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

FRIDAY NIGHT
EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

SATURDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. NEAR SHORE…SEAS 2 FEET
OR LESS. WELL OFFSHORE…SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS BUILDING TO 2 TO
4 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

SUNDAY
WEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS NEAR SHORE
AND UP TO 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE GULF STREAM. INTRACOASTAL WATERS A
LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

SUNDAY NIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.

MONDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHEAST AROUND
5 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS.

Nathan and the his boat, Boys and Girls Club of Canada complete the first of 2 ‘road’ legs of his Bahamas qualifying trip. Now Nathan will prepare his boat, watch the weather and determine the most favourable window for setting off. Of primary concern is getting across the Gulf stream to Bimini. Although a relatively short passage, if the wind is uncooperative, i.e. blowing with any strength from 340 to 90 degrees true, the passage can turn treacherous as the wind whips up a steep, boat-breaking, bone-jarring chop against the strong Gulf stream current. Keep your eye on the weather. Nathan is! More soon…

This year the holidays seem to be a little more vivid for me than usual. It might be the amazingly white Christmas we are going to have. It could be the smell of baking at home or the gifts under the tree. It could be that Alison and I are planning to have all of our family over to our house for Christmas day for the first time ever. Whatever it is, there is something different this year.

If there is one thing that single handed sailing teaches you, it is the value of human contact. Whether departing or arriving, people are what you think about even more than good food and a stable bed. I’m headed off to sea again soon, and I am already thinking about solitude and loneliness, a stark contrast with the holidays here on the hard. So I have resolved myself to enjoy people this season. To enjoy cheerful conversation with friends. To appreciate the bustle of people in the streets, rushing to find last minute things for the big day. And to make sure that my co-workers, friends and team mates know just how special they are.

The generosity of the season always pulls on my heartstrings as well. Last week my team mates sent out an email to friends of the sailing team to request help for this qualification trip. It’s no secret that I have been barely holding it together financially, and the donations that came in following this email were enough to make sure that I am going to be able to leave. I want to thank the team for making that appeal, and all of you that were able to donate toward the campaign at this critical time. We have enough money to leave now, and that is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. (Now all we have to do is figure out how to get home…)

As we get older it is easy to become jaded about big crowds and the commercialism that comes with this season. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Once the gifts are bought and the turkey is in the oven, take a moment to just sit and look at the lights, your family and appreciate the laughter and good will of the season. It is a special time no matter how old you are. Whether you are the giver or the receiver. There is so much joy to be found in the people around us and I am so happy to have you all in my life.

So I just wanted to tell you, all of you, that I am so touched by your generosity and help over the past two years. I get all chocked up thinking of the little and big things that folks have done to help make all of these dreams come true.

So to all of you, I wish you a very happy holiday. Enjoy your families and make sure to drink a toast and send warm thoughts to those that are alone over the holiday. They are certainly thinking of you.

Warm Regards and best wishes,

n

“I had memories of the light and shade. It’s what I referred to at the time as the land of shadows, as you see virtually no sunshine. Here, everything is grey. Following on from that you play in the grey nuances: it’s a little grey, very grey, or rather a grey white fog… Now, you are in this atmosphere, your experience of it is black and white”. The air temperature is 8°C, and the water temperature is virtually identical. This morning, I was in the cockpit and I saw a strange thing in the water… A big eddy…. I looked at it again and I saw a black back coming towards me. The creature was 30 metres from me, heading straight towards the aft of the boat. I said to myself, that’s it: it’s going to break my rudder! And then hup, it plunged beneath the water and I never saw it again. It didn’t just measure a few metres in length, it was a big 15/ 20 metre creature… Enormous… !”

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) talking to his shore team today

Shhhh. Don’t tell Alison!

I love sailing! I love the competition, I love being close to nature, and I love working on these beautiful machines that we take across oceans.

Every once in a while you will see a painting, hear a piece of music or see some video that totally captures why we bother with all of this craziness to get to the start line.

So with that…

Transat 6,50 Marintime de Bahia (aka the mini transat…) NOR was posted yesterday as was the entry application. This means we finally have the dates for the MT:

Skippers must be in La Rochelle by September 3
Race Start: September 13
Second Leg: Start on Oct 3
Expected arrival in Brazil:– Oct 21
Awards in Paris on Dec 2009

Link the the documents (PDF) is here.

Very exciting times for me as we see things coming together for our time in Europe. More on this in a bit.

There is so much ocean racing going on at the moment: the Volvo Ocean Race, record breaking season, and the IACC boats finally back at it again. But by far the most difficult and exciting race of the past four years began yesterday morning, the venerable Vendee Globe.

I got up at 3:30am EST to watch the start over the internet, and found my heart thumping away in my chest as the 30 sailors made their way out the canal and out to the biggest race course in the world.

One thing that made this Vendee Globe so special for us Canucks, is that Derek Hatfield made it to the start. This in it’s self is an astonishing feat. With budgets going through the roof in the IMOCA fleet, Derek had an impossible challenge to over come. There are no words to describe the feelings I had watching him on the bow of Spirit of Canada as he headed down the canal toward the sea. His beaming smile said it all and I felt a lump in my throat as I thought of the stress and turmoil that he has been through over the past four years putting this pogram together.

I can’t help but have my thoughts wander toward my own start, that will come in less than a year. Definitly getting to the start line is more than half the battle.

So be sure to check in on Derek at the race tracker, and to send some positive vibes his was as he fights his way around the planet with the best skippers in the world. If anyone deserves to be there it is Derek.

It seems kind of crazy that with all of the amazing ocean racing going on that I am posting a video from the one unsuccessful boat in the past month.

But this is AWESOME! It totally appeals to the wannabe DJ in me and sailors will appreciate the pretty slick crew work on this monster of a boat.

Franklin Tulloch is the director from Earthbound Studios. Check out his youtube feed here.