November 28, 2009
Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

Hello Everybody,

Our morning arrival on Tuesday was a great relief to all because it meant Peter could celebrate Thanksgiving at home with his family. The morning timing was also a big help because it meant all 6 of us could pitch in to clean up the boat. This probably sounds picayune or nit-picking, but clean up is a huge time consuming deal! Remember we have just moved our 60′ home 1600 miles through the salty ocean full of splashes, breaking waves and salty air. Salt penetrates everywhere and attracts moisture and mildew, especially in warm, dark, closed spaces. For that reason we hose, wash with joy and rinse every inch of the exterior of the boat: deck, cockpit, hatches, hull, mast & boom, sails, lines, cushions, fishing gear and more. Inside we vacuum, then wipe down every surface with vinegar and water to cut the salt followed by Murphy’s Oil Soap to feed the finish. Foul weather gear, life jacket/harnesses and tethers, emergency flashlights, MOB watches, emergency gear pouches and other personal gear all get washed, rinsed and dried. Bedding gets aired or sent to the laundry. We were doubly fortunate in having a beautiful clear sunny day with none of the usual convection rain showers. Gear dried quickly. (In the photo gallery you will find a photo of Kim reading in the cockpit while everything was drying all around the deck.) The next step was putting up the awning and the “froo-froo” light in the cockpit, opening all the hatches and letting the balmy Caribbean breezes blow through.

While the crew was on clean up duty, Captain Jake had to play captain at Customs and Immigration. Unfortunately a clipper cruise ship had just arrived, so Jake had to wait about 2 hours for Customs to return to the office. Once he returned we took on 230.6 gallons of diesel. We had 31 gallons in the tanks when we got here. That was where we had planned to shut down the engine in any case, but the wind filled in before we had to make the measurement and the decision to stop motoring!

After everything was clean Leo took off for home and the rest of us broke out the rum and had a fine dinner of pork tenderloin. The boat was level, the hatches were open, the sky was clear and full of stars. We sat on deck and enjoyed our own company! Then we all fell into beds sans lee cloths for a full night’s sleep. (There is a photo of Jake in his bunk with lee cloth up, and my bunk empty.) We use the lee cloths to stay in the bunk when the boat heels. Jake was on the high side for the entire trip and had to have his lee cloth up, while Peter was on the low side and took great pleasure in goading Jake by not even putting his lee cloth up, except for one 6 hour period while we were rolling. That, he said, was strictly for insurance against having the entire crew laugh at him if he had rolled out of his bunk.

Chris and Kim have joined Jake and me for a mini vacation, Wednesday-Sunday, before we head home. Monday will find us moving the boat to the dock and closing the boat up to leave before watching Monday night football. Go Patriots! We all fly home together Tuesday, arriving in Providence about 7 pm.

Tomorrow I will try to get time at the computer to write again, but bear in mind that I will have to fight off the football fans because they watch the game on the computer.

All the best from the remaining crew of Avalanche, having as much fun in the sun as we can.

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Day 10, November 24, 2009
17 00.1 N latitude 61 46.6 W longitude
Pigeon Beach, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

Hello Everybody,

We made it! Anchor down at 9:10 am.

All the best from Avalanche, glad to be here!

Keep watching, we plan to post photos and tales of our week-long vacation.

Day 9, November 23, 2009
18 30.8 N latitude 61 51.9W longitude
99 miles to Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

Hello Everybody,

We don’t dare make any statements that might jinx us, but it appears likely that Peter will be able to fly out on Wednesday. The wind is holding at about 18 or 19 knots and we’re posting SOGs in the 7’s with occasional 8’s and 9’s! We’re looking forward to sailing around Antigua and into the harbor (directly to the fuel dock) around mid day tomorrow. With any luck that will give us the afternoon to wash away the salt, put away the offshore gear, get into vacation mode and put the beer on ice!

Finally today we had three fish hit Jake’s line: 2 sailfish and a Mahi Mahi. The first sailfish, reported to be a beautiful big fellow, got away with the lure. The Mahi Mahi was given a little slack in the line and got away. Leo got the second sailfish to the boat. He was just beautiful, with a wonderful long bill and tail. As Chris was reaching to grab him he shook the lure loose and swam away. We had planned to release him anyway. When Peter checked his lines he found that his lures were gone–no wonder he hadn’t had any strikes. So the score is now Jake and Leo 2, Peter and Chris 0, fish 2.

No movie tonight. The crew was actually a bit tired today after staying up to watch the movie last night and then standing watches. Tonight everyone not on watch is in bed. We got the cribbage board out, though. Kim and Jake taught Chris the rudiments of the game. Kim played her cards very well and beat the boys handily. Jake is teaching Leo navigation, so this afternoon Leo was entering daily positions from the log book on a paper chart. Apparently the next lesson will be figuring average speeds. We want to set Leo up with a new chart, so he can record all six of his trips on Avalanche. That will certainly give him some practice!

All the best from the crew of Avalanche, looking forward to walking on solid ground, anticipating a cold beer, and sorry to see our trip come to an end.

Day 9, November 23, 2009
19 36 N latitude 62 10 W longitude
166 miles to Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

Hello Everybody,

This is just a quick update to let you know our overnight SOG has been 8.3, at times as high as 9, thanks in large part to high quality hand steering. The wind is holding between 12 and 15 knots and we’re sailing with main, Yankee and staysail. If these conditions hold Peter should make his flight. I neglected yesterday to tell you that the crew decided to forgo a deep water swim in order to save the hour it would have taken, just in case it would be needed to get to Customs in time. What a bunch of great folks!

I’ll report whatever happens today later on. Meanwhile, we’d love to know how the football games came out.

All the best from the crew of Avalanche, enjoying a sunny day with fair winds.

Day 8, November 22, 2009
21 21.8 N latitude 62 38.64 W longitude

Hello Everybody,

This has definitely been a trip of extremes, and I’ve made note of some of them (so far). They could change. The best mileage in a day (measured at 1600 each day as we talk to Herb) is 200 miles, an average speed of 8.33 knots; the worst 138 miles, an average speed of 5.75 knots. Normally we can count on 180 miles a day, an average speed of just under 7.5 knots. So far this trip we’ve had 3 days over 180 miles, 4 days under. Our best 2 hour speed over the ground (SOG) was 9.3 knots (twice), the worst 5.18 knots. We had 60 hours when the average wind speed never dropped below 20 knots, peaking at 31.6 (the highest gust was 37); and 64 hours of average wind speed below 10 knots, the lowest 3.1 knots. When we left Jamestown the water and air temperature were 56.6 and 56.8 respectively, now we have 84.3 degree water, and 89.6 degree air during the day, 82 now at 10 pm.

We still have caught only one Mahi Mahi. We’ve seen very few Portuguese Man ‘o war, their “sails” glinting in the morning sun; and we’ve had a couple of flying fish come aboard–one hit Peter in the chest! Otherwise it is like a desert out here.

I forgot to report that Peter’s ManOverBoard watch alarmed twice during the first couple of days. The first time he was asleep in bed, sweating, and the alarm sounded. Everyone heard it except Peter, was dreaming about an annoying alarm clock. The second time the watch was under Peter’s foul weather jacket when so much spray was coming aboard, and the watch alarmed. The system worked great. Everyone woke up and headed on deck to see if there really was a Man OverBoard and the system placed a waypoint on the computer chart and navigation system.

We are now about 270 miles from Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. Unfortunately the wind we have been counting on is now predicted to be lighter than we expected: 10 knots instead of 10-15 and 15-20. The good news is that it is backing to the east so we won’t have it dead on the bow, and our sails can help us. As I’ve reported, we have been motoring at 1500 rpms to conserve fuel. Jake has been constantly refiguring the fuel burn. He knew that we burned 2.88 gal/hr at 1800 rpms, but he didn’t have good data on lower rpms. The longer we run at 1500 rpms, the more data he is collecting. Currently he is basing his calculations on 1.5 gal/hr at 1500rpms, and of course, by extension, less fuel would be burned at lower rpms. As I type the wind is building up from 8.5 to about 11 knots from the NE. We have the main, Whomper, and staysail out, but continue to use the engine to keep our SOG at 7 knots (or above). As the SOG increases above 7 knots, we decrease the engine rpms. We’ve been running at about 1200 or 1300 rpms since dinner. We will continue to use the engine as necessary until our fuel drops to 30 gallons, at which point it will be sails only. Then, as Kim said yesterday, the sailboat race will be on.

The reason for keeping our SOG at 7 knots is that Peter has a flight home on Wednesday at 8:20 am, so he can have Thanksgiving with his family, a tradition he has forfeited for many years while he has sailed with us. The boat and crew must be checked in with Customs and Immigration and Peter checked off the boat before he can go to the airport. And that will have to happen on Tuesday before the office closes at 5 pm. If we can maintain a SOG of 7 the computer tells us that we will reach Falmouth Harbour by 1 pm. We’re doing our best! SOG has been over 7 since dinner. News Flash: The watch has just turned off the engine. The wind is at 12 knots from the NE and our SOG is between 6.5 and 7.26. The computer predicts Falmouth Harbour at 5:45 and 9:30 Tuesday morning. Wish us luck!

We had a first tonight. After we all had dinner together under the stars in the cockpit, instead of heading for bed, the entire crew sat for an hour or so enjoying the beautiful weather: crescent moon, stars, light breeze, warm air. Meanwhile, the “film festival” continues. Today’s matinee was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and tonight’s movie is Casino Royale.

All the best from the crew of Avalanche, doing everything we can to keep moving toward Antigua, using as little fuel as possible, to get Peter home for the holidays.