Well, when you take a photographer on a delivery you end up with more pictures than normal I guess, right? This is Ben posting from cold and wet Rhode Island…  This trip was pretty amazing.  It was my first trip in a tad over 4 years.  I hadn’t had a chance to do a trip in a tad over 4 years with 2 kids at home now.  With this being the last trip south, and having such a short leg this time, timing was perfect to get one last delivery in.  I flew down to Myrtle beach on Friday morning which gave me time to provision with Peter, then he Leo and I got to go visit Grandma J for dinner!  What and amazing time we had there (Grandma is a camera dodger though, as is Mom!).

We left Myrtle Beach with warm clothes on, but it’s wasn’t nearly as bad as a New England departure.  I stood watch with Dad for my first two hours, then Leo for my second two.  We motorsailed for the first day, then shut off the motor (unless we needed it for fishing) for the rest of the trip enjoying some nice sailing.  The fishing was almost the highlight of the trip though with 5 fish caught, 2 tuna then 3 mahi including our massive ~80lb beast at the end.   That was a team effort to catch!  Once we got to the Bahamas I only had ~24 hours for playing before I had to fly home.  We went to the dive shop immediately to get spears since they’re legal and we’ve never used them.  Then we went immediately into the water where Pete got 5 fish and I got a lobster (and one fish that got in the way!).  Pete Leo and I then went off to shoot the sunset that night before an amazing dinner on the boat.  The boys also joined me on a sunrise shoot (those images will come later as they require a bit more attention when processing) the next morning which was a blast.  Then one more snorkel (and another lobster!) in the morning and I was off to the airport.  I’ll be back with my family in ~2 short weeks though, which should be amazing.

Enjoy the shots!

[Show as slideshow]

May 31, 2011, Day 9
38.11 N lattitude, 69.40 W longitude
163 miles today
200 miles to Jamestown

Hello Everybody,

We have had a very busy day!  It began just after 0900 when the U.S. line began to run out really fast.  Fish on.  Chris grabbed the rod as Leo yelled for him not to tighten the drag.  Chris’s response was that he hadn’t and couldn’t tighten the drag.  The fish took so much line so quickly that the reel was a big mess of snarled line–useless.  With the boat slowed down and the W.I. line reeled in, Leo harnessed up and jumped down to the back deck. He took the line in his hand and began pulling it in, just as he had done when he helped his grandfather fish.  By then Jake had arrived on deck and taken the wheel, so Chris harnessed up and jumped onto the back deck too. As Leo pulled line in, Chris coiled it up.  Both guys were careful to stay clear of the line and be ready to let it go if the fish took off. Fortunately he didn’t take off and Leo was able to steadily pull the line in.  When the fish got near the boat Chris gaffed him beautifully on the first try (there wouldn’t have been a second chance) and together they lifted a 40 pound yellow fin tuna onto the back deck!    What a beautiful fish!  I got a lot of the fight and the gaffing on film, as well as photos of the snarled reel and the fish and fishermen.  The W.I. line went back out, but never got a bite.  The International Fishing Contest score is U.S. 6, W.I. 1, fish 2.  We all hope that the W.I. team will have some good luck tomorrow as we come up on the continental shelf.  We always see lots of life there, perhaps we can catch something.  As you might guess from the title, we had tuna stir-fried for lunch, sashimi as an appetizer, and seared tuna for dinner.  Today Chris did the honors as fish chef.

While we were catching and cleaning the fish we were also transiting the Gulf Stream.  The chart we had been using for the location of the Gulf Stream was inaccurate, so we came into the stream earlier than anticipated. Once our attention was directed away from the fish and back to our navigation, Jake figured out what was happening so we could use the current to our advantage instead of fighting it.  We had continued sunshine and warm weather with the water temperature about 81 until mid afternoon when we were released from the stream.  The water temp dropped to 75 degrees and the visibility dropped to about 9 miles while the humidity increased.  We have had winds <10 knots and small seas.  It was a pretty benign crossing.  We’ll probably continue motoring until tomorrow noon or so when the wind should fill in from the SW and give us a good ride home.  The computer is predicting arrival at 1800 if we can hold 9 knots of boat speed, which will be very unlikely.  For every bit of boat speed we lose, we’ll be in later. So it’s probably safe to say that we’ll definitely be in before daybreak on Thursday.

In addition to the tuna and the Gulf Stream, we have been busy watching the wildlife.  Jake and Chris saw a whale, possibly two, probably humpbacks.  We have all seen pilot whales.  We’ve had at least 3 pods in the vicinity through the day.  They don’t frolic or jump, so we just see dorsal fins and broad backs.  We’ve also had dolphin in the distance.

Meanwhile, this will probably be the coldest night of the trip, so I’ve gotten the blankets out for everybody’s bed, and I’ve gotten out the winter jackets.  Leo and Kenmore are layering up with fleece, long underwear, gloves,hats and jackets–all of it borrowed because they don’t have any need for it at home.  Ashley has sailed far afield, so he has cold weather clothing.  At this point he is wishing it were colder to rationalize all the space in his bag he had to use for something he’ll only wear one night.

All the best from the crew of avalanche, hoping it won’t be too cold, hoping we won’t have fog, hoping we see lots of life on the continental shelf, hoping the W.I. will catch some fish tomorrow, and looking forward to making landfall in Jamestown.

May 30, 2011 Day 8
35.48 N lattitude, 67.20 W longitude
1234.5 miles on the trip odometer at 1330 since departing Antigua
173 miles today
370 miles to Jamestown

Hello Everybody!

At the moment everyone is grateful to be on the level!  We have very light wind with big swells that push us along.  We’ve been motorsailing since about dawn, and as the wind dropped, our angle lessened.  I have found that a 10 degree angle of heel is really quite acceptable.  I could do almost everything without much trouble,  but flat is just great!  We’ve had another beautiful warm sunny day.  Temperatures in the 80′s and low 90′s in the sun. Tonight the air temperature and water temperature are both about 3-4 degrees warmer than last night, and without the wind the night watch should be more comfortable.  The increase in temperature is due in part to a meander coming off the Gulf Stream that has warm water and foul current.  We had a close encounter with it, but we think we have escaped.  We should get to the Gulf Stream tomorrow.

Yesterday and today we have seen some wildlife, but unfortunately no fish, so the International Fishing Contest score remains the same.  Last night after I had posted the blog we had 8-10 dolphins playing in our bow wave. Ashley went to the bow to see them and reported that the phosphorescence around them looked like torpedo tubes as they swam through the water. Later, Kenmore and Leo reported that they had seen dolphins earlier in the day.  Today we’ve seen pilot whales.  At first we saw about 3 off in the distance, later we saw probably 8-10 also in the distance, but they surfaced frequently so we had a good look.  We also had some dolphin come toward us, but they seemed to become distracted (perhaps they were feeding) and never approached the boat.

We have appreciated the longer daylight.  When we left Antigua sunset was at about 6:15, approaching Bermuda it was approaching 7:00, and tonight it was almost 8:00 when the sun set.

All the best from the crew of avalanche, hoping for a quick ride through the Gulf Stream.

May 28, 2011 Day 7
33.53 N lattitude, 65.40 W longitude  (at 2030)
108 miles north of Bermuda
527 miles from Jamestown

Hello Everybody,

Yesterday after the guys turned in the scooters and the bet was paid at the bar (in the end, Kenmore and Leo shared the drinks, paid for by Jake, Chris and Ashley), we got the boat ready to leave Bermuda.  Jake checked us out at customs, the guys stowed the dinghy motor and pulled the dinghy up in the davits.  Jake set up our course and brought down weather information and Gulf Stream currents from the internet.  Everyone was busy on his computer making last minute contact with family and friends.  We had wahoo for dinner and enjoyed a level night’s sleep.

We were all up at 0530 and had the anchor up before 0600.  We motored out past the reefs and have been sailing ever since.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get exactly the predicted wind, so we are back on our ear, heeling 15-20 degrees heading straight to Jamestown.  That’s actually the good news (it just doesn’t feel like it), because we have 16 knots of breeze.  We just wish it were a bit more from the east, so we didn’t have to be close hauled yet again.  We have glorious weather,  bright blue skies, sunshine, 75 degrees now after dark, but high 80′s during the day.  Tonight we have stars and a beautiful evening.  The seas are comfortable  It’s still shorts and bare feet weather during the day, but the guys are layering up after dark. Vests, long sleeves and long pants are making an appearance.  It’s beautiful weather to be offshore!

The International Fishing Contest had a bit of a setback today.  The crank handle broke off the W.I. team’s reel on Friday as we arrived at Bermuda. The U.S. team didn’t want an unfair advantage by fishing their side while the other side sat out with broken equipment, so repairs had to be made quickly.  Wishing for a metal shop with a drill press and vise, Chris and Leo managed to make the repair, with Leo holding the handle in vise grips while Chris drilled and tapped the handle for a new fastener.  The repaired handle was in place before lunch and the lines were out.  Unfortunately the fish didn’t take note, so the score remains U.S. 5, W.I. 1, fish 2.

All the best from the crew of avalanche, hoping for a quick trip to Jamestown, with continued fine weather and good wind.

May 28, 2011, Day 6
Bermuda
635 miles to Jamestown

Hello Everybody,

We are all feeling much better!  Standing on our ears for 4+ days took a toll.  Although the sailing was fun:  Ashley did a fine job earning us extra speed and weather distance and  Kenmore learned a lot about steering, the never ending extra work of moving about and hanging on was plain hard work. No one complained at the time, but everyone has remarked about what a relief it is to be flat!

After we cleaned up the boat and had dinner last night the young men went ashore, while Jake and I went to bed.  The guys had a good time and Jake and I caught up on our sleep.  After brunch this morning all the guys rented scooters and headed for Hamilton and points further afield.  I stayed on the boat for some quiet time without 5 men around to do my thing.

We all met at the end of the day to pay off the bet.  Problem is, we still don’t know exactly what the payoff is.  As we all sat at the bar drinking our Sam Adams (from the tap) and 1 Guinness, Leo and Kenmore admitted that they had been in cahoots, and wanted to share the prize.  So Jake, Chris and Ashley bought a drink for the boys, and each of them bought half a drink for the other.  And I had a beer, too, although I wasn’t included in the bet. Somehow once the dust settles and the fog lifts I have to figure out who owes whom what and why.

It looks like a reasonable weather forecast, so Kenmore has set his alarm for 0530 tomorrow.  We hope to be off the anchor and through Town Cut at 0600.

(Forgive me for not posting last night.  I didn’t have the appropriate internet connections.)

All the best from the crew of avalanche, looking forward to a quick ride and lots of fish between Bermuda and Jamestown.