Position N 26 d 48.57
W 066 d 11.03
Time 08:45 EST
Well, we will be spending a sober New Year Celebration but hey it doesn't get much more beautiful than this right now. Of course it is subject to weather and that is subject to change. Our grib files from yesterday showed a pretty heavy blow to the north of us. We have enough wind that we are considering shortening sail a bit more but are loving the speeds we are ticking off right now so while visibility is good and the seas are favorable, we will keep pressing on. Most important we are getting that much coveted southing in. A little west of our course line but once the trades kick in we should be able to pinch a bit to make up the difference.
Here is to everyone celebrating the end of 2015 and we wish you all a very good 2016.
About Me
- SY Sari Timur
- Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
- I am owned by Pauline and Mark Blasky. My hull was built at the Duncan Marine Yard in Taiwan and launched in Dec of 1980. It is a William Garden design based on the Pixie Design and called by Duncan Marine a Freedom 45. They are the fourth owners and have owned me the longest. They have done extensive refitting to me including replacing my entire deck structure and rig. My masts are roughly 10% taller than original and now are made of aluminium as opposed to the original wood ones, which, though pretty, were always problematic. You can read more about me under "MORE ABOUT SARI TIMUR"
December 31, 2015
Hello you Merritt Islanders
Position N 28 d 46.09
W 066 d 00.77
Time 10:30 EST 30 Dec course due south.
Hey all you Merritt Islanders if you look just about straight east right now we are about 775 nautical miles away from you. Our chart plotters are all over the place with timing our arrival, anywhere between 4-8 days. Most probably somewhere in the middle depending on when or if we hit the those trades.
W 066 d 00.77
Time 10:30 EST 30 Dec course due south.
Hey all you Merritt Islanders if you look just about straight east right now we are about 775 nautical miles away from you. Our chart plotters are all over the place with timing our arrival, anywhere between 4-8 days. Most probably somewhere in the middle depending on when or if we hit the those trades.
December 30, 2015
Sailing Again
Position N 30 d 12.00
W 065 d 24.22
Time 11:30 EST course 220 degrees True
Well, during the posting yesterday the weather was abating from being slightly uncomfortable which was also exaggerated by the fact we were trying to point as high as we could due to Bermuda. Anyway the winds kept receding all day and just after 5 PM we turned on the engines. This wasn't all that unwelcome as we didn't run them for 4 days and we were getting tired of warm drinks, and now that we are in reasonable temperatures again it is nice to have a cold drink every now and then. The winds continued to die all night, just after midnight you could see the reflections on the sea. As the sun rose this morning there were ripples in the water, this time with a bit more east in its feel. They have kept building, and by 10:35 we were able to turn the engines off. The wind is still building and our present speed is back up to over 4 knots. The big plus is we can head more south, though a bit west of south right now but that is ok.
W 065 d 24.22
Time 11:30 EST course 220 degrees True
Well, during the posting yesterday the weather was abating from being slightly uncomfortable which was also exaggerated by the fact we were trying to point as high as we could due to Bermuda. Anyway the winds kept receding all day and just after 5 PM we turned on the engines. This wasn't all that unwelcome as we didn't run them for 4 days and we were getting tired of warm drinks, and now that we are in reasonable temperatures again it is nice to have a cold drink every now and then. The winds continued to die all night, just after midnight you could see the reflections on the sea. As the sun rose this morning there were ripples in the water, this time with a bit more east in its feel. They have kept building, and by 10:35 we were able to turn the engines off. The wind is still building and our present speed is back up to over 4 knots. The big plus is we can head more south, though a bit west of south right now but that is ok.
December 28, 2015
Bermuda Triangles
Position N 32 d 00.84
W 65 d 48.45
Time 28 Dec 12:00 EST
Course 175 d finally!
We are finally south of Bermuda. We got to look at it twice but both times we were far enough away to not make it out. Mark was desperately looking for Jacqueline Bissett in her wet white T-shirt. That life size poster of her taped to the wall from the movie The Deep,
kept him yearning for life while in traction for six weeks back in 1977. Oh well he couldn't get to her then either!
Anyway the reason for the title is the wind gods were playing with us. We were going to make the south end of Bermuda and we had a wind shift. We carried on for a bit longer than we probably should have, thinking we were fine dipping between the main island and the banks to the south. But night time came and the charts mentioned this area as a caution area with fish traps all around. Dark and no steering is not the time to play maneuvering games so we threw a huge tack in and basically went way wide to avoid any more wind shifts. We could probably have done a shorter tack but with no steering it is a two person maneuver to do this so we only wanted to do it twice. Anyway our track has two large triangle shapes on it, ok maybe it looks more like an hour glass with the course line filling in the blank side of each triangle. But hey we are near Bermuda, there has to be a triangle somewhere!
W 65 d 48.45
Time 28 Dec 12:00 EST
Course 175 d finally!
We are finally south of Bermuda. We got to look at it twice but both times we were far enough away to not make it out. Mark was desperately looking for Jacqueline Bissett in her wet white T-shirt. That life size poster of her taped to the wall from the movie The Deep,
kept him yearning for life while in traction for six weeks back in 1977. Oh well he couldn't get to her then either!
Anyway the reason for the title is the wind gods were playing with us. We were going to make the south end of Bermuda and we had a wind shift. We carried on for a bit longer than we probably should have, thinking we were fine dipping between the main island and the banks to the south. But night time came and the charts mentioned this area as a caution area with fish traps all around. Dark and no steering is not the time to play maneuvering games so we threw a huge tack in and basically went way wide to avoid any more wind shifts. We could probably have done a shorter tack but with no steering it is a two person maneuver to do this so we only wanted to do it twice. Anyway our track has two large triangle shapes on it, ok maybe it looks more like an hour glass with the course line filling in the blank side of each triangle. But hey we are near Bermuda, there has to be a triangle somewhere!
December 27, 2015
a missed post
Now that we hit land and could see our emails etc noticed we sent one of the posts to the wrong email for Laura. Here it is below.
Position N 33 d 11.27
W 066 d 32.26
Time 09:30 EST 27 Dec Course trying to go higher than 155 degrees to miss Bermuda.
We are still sailing, so our diesel is still fairly intact, when, or if, we hit the doldrums. Or if we get some more head winds. Last night it was touch and go for a while if we would have to crank them up or not. The wind dropped off to nearly nothing and backed as well. So for a while we were heading straight for Bermuda at slow 2-3 knots. It is now under a hundred miles away but we will get "a lot" closer on present course unless the wind gives us a favorable shift. We may end up tacking for a short while. We do need to fire up those engines for a while later on anyway so that might give us the extra insurance to clear Bermuda. The solar panels are just shy of keeping up with our consumption and that is with the fridge off. Not sure why as it has a huge solar array. But then again the sun is so far south at this time of the year, with the boat almost heading south they do not really get the exposure they should. But our drinks are getting warm so some diesel sacrifice might be in order for a couple of reasons. We can't pull into Bermuda for ice or diesel as we discovered we have no chart. Oh well without any steering cable it is probably a good thing to stay at sea.
Position N 33 d 11.27
W 066 d 32.26
Time 09:30 EST 27 Dec Course trying to go higher than 155 degrees to miss Bermuda.
We are still sailing, so our diesel is still fairly intact, when, or if, we hit the doldrums. Or if we get some more head winds. Last night it was touch and go for a while if we would have to crank them up or not. The wind dropped off to nearly nothing and backed as well. So for a while we were heading straight for Bermuda at slow 2-3 knots. It is now under a hundred miles away but we will get "a lot" closer on present course unless the wind gives us a favorable shift. We may end up tacking for a short while. We do need to fire up those engines for a while later on anyway so that might give us the extra insurance to clear Bermuda. The solar panels are just shy of keeping up with our consumption and that is with the fridge off. Not sure why as it has a huge solar array. But then again the sun is so far south at this time of the year, with the boat almost heading south they do not really get the exposure they should. But our drinks are getting warm so some diesel sacrifice might be in order for a couple of reasons. We can't pull into Bermuda for ice or diesel as we discovered we have no chart. Oh well without any steering cable it is probably a good thing to stay at sea.
December 26, 2015
Where are we going?
Position N34 d 33.93
W67 d 41.50
time 09:30 EST Boxing Day
The day dawned beautiful, sunny with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. And we are heading for Bermuda. Bermuda? Wait a minute, aren't we going to the British Virgin Islands? Well, that's the heading we can hold right now, sailing with the main and genoa. Will hope the winds change as we get closer to Bermuda so we can change tack and head for the BVI. The temperature is definitely warmer now compared to when we first started out.
W67 d 41.50
time 09:30 EST Boxing Day
The day dawned beautiful, sunny with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. And we are heading for Bermuda. Bermuda? Wait a minute, aren't we going to the British Virgin Islands? Well, that's the heading we can hold right now, sailing with the main and genoa. Will hope the winds change as we get closer to Bermuda so we can change tack and head for the BVI. The temperature is definitely warmer now compared to when we first started out.
Christmas Aboard
Position 36 d 09.14 N
69 d 25.00 W
time 09:30 trying to steer a course of 150 degrees or as far south as possible.
Well Merry Christmas everyone. The weather has moderated quite a bit and we are making a reasonable heading. The seas are still a bit lumpy but getting better all the time. We have three reefs in the main which is still a very big sail and a full genoa going at present. The last time we set the main we tempted fate and that is when the big winds started coming. But today we figured hey its Christmas the weather should be fine, and so far two hours in it has been. We have sailed a lot of the way but mainly under headsail alone. The main is pretty big and cumbersome but once set sails well.
Just before we left Laura and Steve's, Laura handed us two bags of presents - a his and a hers, to be opened on Christmas. We will post pictures on this blog when we get to internet but now all we can do is describe it. The two bags were pretty enough and they could have been stuffed with old newspapers and we would have been happy but we opened them up and found lots and lots of small individually wrapped presents. Great fun ripping open package after package to find some gift or other. Thank you Laura and Steve. We also received a Christmas card from mom, at Laura's. As we had already left she scanned it and emailed it to us so we could open it up on Christmas day as well. Sorry Aunt Anita the chocolates you sent were devoured before we even left North Carolina but they were good. Same goes for Aunt Kathy's Cinnamon rolls, but hey at least they made it to NC, well most of them!
Anyway it is nice to know we are so blessed with people who care about us. And with just over a thousand mile to go we hope Neptune also decides to shine on us gracefully. Mom, sorry we missed Midnight Mass this year. Couldn't get the priest to make a boat call!
For those of you trying to follow us on AIS, don't bother. We can receive but not transmit.
69 d 25.00 W
time 09:30 trying to steer a course of 150 degrees or as far south as possible.
Well Merry Christmas everyone. The weather has moderated quite a bit and we are making a reasonable heading. The seas are still a bit lumpy but getting better all the time. We have three reefs in the main which is still a very big sail and a full genoa going at present. The last time we set the main we tempted fate and that is when the big winds started coming. But today we figured hey its Christmas the weather should be fine, and so far two hours in it has been. We have sailed a lot of the way but mainly under headsail alone. The main is pretty big and cumbersome but once set sails well.
Just before we left Laura and Steve's, Laura handed us two bags of presents - a his and a hers, to be opened on Christmas. We will post pictures on this blog when we get to internet but now all we can do is describe it. The two bags were pretty enough and they could have been stuffed with old newspapers and we would have been happy but we opened them up and found lots and lots of small individually wrapped presents. Great fun ripping open package after package to find some gift or other. Thank you Laura and Steve. We also received a Christmas card from mom, at Laura's. As we had already left she scanned it and emailed it to us so we could open it up on Christmas day as well. Sorry Aunt Anita the chocolates you sent were devoured before we even left North Carolina but they were good. Same goes for Aunt Kathy's Cinnamon rolls, but hey at least they made it to NC, well most of them!
Anyway it is nice to know we are so blessed with people who care about us. And with just over a thousand mile to go we hope Neptune also decides to shine on us gracefully. Mom, sorry we missed Midnight Mass this year. Couldn't get the priest to make a boat call!
For those of you trying to follow us on AIS, don't bother. We can receive but not transmit.
December 24, 2015
Crossing the Gulf Stream
Position 37 d 04.62N
071d
25.65W
Time 0900 24 Dec
Happy Christmas Eve, well hopefully you guys are. We are still bashing East with a very strong
wind from the south (the direction we want to head). We sailed the whole way across the
stream. Or at least we think we are
pretty much across. We are still picking
up some residual current but not with as much strength as before. We think this current could be partially due
to the south wind. So the idea is to get
as much easting as possible before tacking and hoping to pick up a wind from
another direction at the same time.
Actually the traditional way to do this route is to head almost to
Bermuda and then pick up the trades and head straight into the BVI. Hopefully we do not have to go that far but
at present it looks to be the case.
December 23, 2015
At Sea
Position 36 d 30.80 N
74 d 06.78 W
Time 11:30 EST 23 December
Well a few dramas so far to report. Part of it is trying to make a schedule at this time of the year and part of it is dealing with an unknown boat.
The first drama is as we were leaving the Chesapeake, in the narrows around Cape Henry, we got the call from the Virginia Pilots alerting us a large vessel was coming up behind us. We agreed to stay south of the channel and work our way behind him once he passed. It turned out it was a large navy hover craft carrier and he got up behind us and stopped. This meant we had to keep rounding the cape in the shallows and wait for him to get moving again. Normally no issue but just as this was happening a line squall came through. The Coast Guard said it was packing 45 knots. We don't have wind instruments but it felt every bit of 45. Anyway the storm abated, the ship left and we continued on our way through somewhat lumpy seas trying to clear the affects of Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Stream while a south wind was still blowing.
The winds were rather iffy after the storm so we were switching between sailing and engines when we could sail we are but when it is too light we turn on the engine.
At nine o'clock last night the wind lightened too much and the autopilot couldn't cope. As we turned on the engine and tried to steer back on course we noticed the steering system wasn't working either. Anyway once there was some speed on with the engine going the autopilot could cope again so we continued on our way trying to figure out what was wrong with the steering wheel. It was a bit baffling so we called the agent and sent him and the owner an email. As it was now after 9:30 PM the agent was not answering his phone or email. We did leave a voice message and let him know would call this morning.
Once we got him he suggested that we had hydraulic steering as well and the wheel being so high up would not work if we were lose on fluid and worse the autopilot would soon drain as well. A bit of panic set in as we scoped the system out a bit more. We confirmed that it was unlikely we had a hydraulic steering system as there was only one line running in that could be hydraulic. And it didn't look connected to the autopilot in any way. We described the unit to him and he was able to confirm that it was a cable drive system.
So we are still heading south well actually more east until we cross the stream and keeping our fingers crossed that the autopilot stays working.
It is nice to know that new boats also have problems.
74 d 06.78 W
Time 11:30 EST 23 December
Well a few dramas so far to report. Part of it is trying to make a schedule at this time of the year and part of it is dealing with an unknown boat.
The first drama is as we were leaving the Chesapeake, in the narrows around Cape Henry, we got the call from the Virginia Pilots alerting us a large vessel was coming up behind us. We agreed to stay south of the channel and work our way behind him once he passed. It turned out it was a large navy hover craft carrier and he got up behind us and stopped. This meant we had to keep rounding the cape in the shallows and wait for him to get moving again. Normally no issue but just as this was happening a line squall came through. The Coast Guard said it was packing 45 knots. We don't have wind instruments but it felt every bit of 45. Anyway the storm abated, the ship left and we continued on our way through somewhat lumpy seas trying to clear the affects of Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Stream while a south wind was still blowing.
The winds were rather iffy after the storm so we were switching between sailing and engines when we could sail we are but when it is too light we turn on the engine.
At nine o'clock last night the wind lightened too much and the autopilot couldn't cope. As we turned on the engine and tried to steer back on course we noticed the steering system wasn't working either. Anyway once there was some speed on with the engine going the autopilot could cope again so we continued on our way trying to figure out what was wrong with the steering wheel. It was a bit baffling so we called the agent and sent him and the owner an email. As it was now after 9:30 PM the agent was not answering his phone or email. We did leave a voice message and let him know would call this morning.
Once we got him he suggested that we had hydraulic steering as well and the wheel being so high up would not work if we were lose on fluid and worse the autopilot would soon drain as well. A bit of panic set in as we scoped the system out a bit more. We confirmed that it was unlikely we had a hydraulic steering system as there was only one line running in that could be hydraulic. And it didn't look connected to the autopilot in any way. We described the unit to him and he was able to confirm that it was a cable drive system.
So we are still heading south well actually more east until we cross the stream and keeping our fingers crossed that the autopilot stays working.
It is nice to know that new boats also have problems.
December 22, 2015
We are away
We left Hampton this morning at 0900. A squall hit us at Cape Henry and made that nasty piece of water even nastier. However we are making easting now. More later.
December 20, 2015
We Arrived in Hampton
Wow what a cold night. We arrived this morning at Blue Water Marina. The temps overnight were in the low negatives Celsius. Burrrr Cold! Even the dock worker who came to grab our lines and check us in was wrapped up like the Michelin Man including balaclava. It warmed a little this afternoon and is really supposed to warm on Wednesday. We are trying to get out of here as soon as we can though. Tomorrow the winds are down and from the south. Ideal for getting out, but they intensify by the evening and will be against us for over three days, according to tonight's forecast. We will check again in the morning. Might be better to hold one more day. Problem is we are now paying marina fees so more incentive to get out of Hampton early.
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| Houses across the river from us |
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| part of the marina with the main building |
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| we think this is the Hampton University campus |
December 19, 2015
Left Annapolis
We left Annapolis today and are heading to Hampton, Virginia to refuel and spend tomorrow night or so waiting for the weather to settle across the gulfstream. Right now the weather window looks to open Monday. If it opens early we will just head out after refueling. It is cold today, pretty thick ice on the mud puddles this morning. We are sure we will be cold slogging through this tonight.
December 16, 2015
Delayed
We ended up needing a new anchor windlass fitted. By the time it was in and we were refueled it was too late to leave before dark. There is a nasty front hitting Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Stream on Friday and Saturday. So we are staying put here at least until Friday watching the weather.
This is our ride south.
This is our ride south.
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The Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 Catamaran |
December 14, 2015
Snowing In Seward
We just heard there is a foot of snow just dropped on Sari Timur up in Seward. Here in Annapolis it was beautiful today but the front has just moved in, the wind is blowing, the rain is starting, and the temperature is dropping. Brother in law Tom Riley is coming to meet us for dinner. He had to be in Baltimore for work and since he was close we are getting together.
December 13, 2015
Just Left Steve, Laura, and Jacob
Wow a week went by really quickly, but at least we had fun. Jacob was still in the hospital when we arrived. He had to have his gut reopened. He had surgery a few years back and some scar tissue was causing problems with his intestine. We got him out of the hospital on Tuesday so we got to go up and see what Appalachian State up in Boone, N Carolina is all about.
On Wednesday we went with Laura into downtown Charlotte and got to see what that looked like. She works for Wells Fargo so we also went to the WF museum in the lobby of one of their buildings. Of course right now Charlotte is happy because Cam Newton and the Panthers have a 13 and 0 start.
On Saturday we went down to Steve's family get together near Columbia, S. Carolina. We met many of his family at Laura and Steve's wedding last year. Great food and fun company. Then we came back and had a bonfire down by the lake. The weather has been unseasonably warm. The temps yesterday and today have hit the high 70's. It is hard to believe it is nearly mid December. Anyway we hope it holds for a few more days until we get the boat out and heading south. We do know it is forecast to get cold by next weekend. So we are eager to get moving.
On Wednesday we went with Laura into downtown Charlotte and got to see what that looked like. She works for Wells Fargo so we also went to the WF museum in the lobby of one of their buildings. Of course right now Charlotte is happy because Cam Newton and the Panthers have a 13 and 0 start.
On Saturday we went down to Steve's family get together near Columbia, S. Carolina. We met many of his family at Laura and Steve's wedding last year. Great food and fun company. Then we came back and had a bonfire down by the lake. The weather has been unseasonably warm. The temps yesterday and today have hit the high 70's. It is hard to believe it is nearly mid December. Anyway we hope it holds for a few more days until we get the boat out and heading south. We do know it is forecast to get cold by next weekend. So we are eager to get moving.
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| The Settlers Cemetery in Charlotte |
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| One of the historical facts found in downtown Charlotte |
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| downtown Charlotte |
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| the Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte |
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| the Wells Fargo Stage Coach at their museum |
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| Steve's family Christmas get-together |
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| more relatives |
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| Steve and Laura, taking their chance at the lottery |
December 9, 2015
We Are Doing a Delivery
We are heading to Annapolis on Sunday to pick up a new Cat and deliver it down to Tortola. We hope to meet the owner, who is a friend of ours from Guam before we depart. But he has a tight work schedule so may not be able to fly in before we go. Anyway we have hired a satphone as ours is still up on Sari Timur and will post position updates here during our trip. So keep watching the blog. In the meantime we are enjoying our stop in Mooresville, NC visiting with Laura, Steve, Jacob and Bianca.
December 7, 2015
Visit with the Vladikas
After Merritt Island, we drove north to visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy in Deland and Michael and Erika in Deltona.
Michael and Erika just welcomed new daughter, Veronica so we got the meet her as well as her almost 2 year old sister, Victoria.
We had a really great time catching up.
Thank you for the breakfasts, dinners and especially the cinnamon rolls which Aunt Kathy made for our road trip. Those cinnamon rolls are yummy and we finished one tray on our way to Laura's.
Michael and Erika just welcomed new daughter, Veronica so we got the meet her as well as her almost 2 year old sister, Victoria.
We had a really great time catching up.
Thank you for the breakfasts, dinners and especially the cinnamon rolls which Aunt Kathy made for our road trip. Those cinnamon rolls are yummy and we finished one tray on our way to Laura's.
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| Erika, Victoria and Michael |
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| The Vladikas of Florida |
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| yummy home made cinnamon rolls |
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