Thursday, November 27, 2008
20 36.08N, 63 12.94W
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
We thought Thanksgiving would be a good day to record some the things that the crew of Avalanche is grateful for:
Our families: parents, spouses, significant others, children and grandson!
Good friends who provide strength, love, dependability and concern, as well as baked goods.
Life, love.
Being part of this crew which comes together year after year to make this trip, and has given up 2 weeks to become a team under adverse conditions, making the best of unpleasant situations while still having fun.
A strong boat that took us through the storm with minimal damage to the boat and none to the crew.
Herb Hilgenberg, our weather prognosticator in Toronto, who cared enough to call us specially at 9:00 am at the height of the storm to see how we were faring and offer words of encouragement.
Jamie Freitas, VP of DePaul Diesel, who, with the help of multiple calls on a satellite phone, was able to turn 4 novices without specialized tools into diesel mechanics capable of rebuilding an engine to run while in the middle of the Atlantic.
All those waves that washed off the transom so Pierre wouldn’t have to.
A breeze where none was predicted.
The opportunity to open a hatch, and a fan for when we can’t.
Sunshine and the warm breezes of the Caribbean.
Our arrival Friday night in Antigua.
We have one piece of news: a 100 pound sailfish just spooled us. Leo gave it his best, but when there is no line left on the reel, there isn’t a lot more to do. So the score is Peter 2, Jake 1, fish 1.
Our plan is to have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday at anchor in Falmouth Harbour.
All the best for Thanksgiving from the crew of Avalanche.
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November 27th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Happy Thanksgiving! I guess you skipped Bermuda and good going on getting the diesel engine going via satelite phone, something we never used to have on board…Was it a local low over the gulf stream? (after the storm in the wallow), for about 8 hours. I wasn’t the only one. We were given a European pill; one upper/one downer and I remember hallucinating designing brightly colored bracelets in my mind. Bravo for Pierre’s initiation! You’re making terrific time and now I do envy you the well deserved warm and sunny weather. Why are you coming in from the West? I’m headed East, just down the block to my neighbor’s for a Thanksgiving meal. I’m taking SAKI-TIINIS=saki+lychee nuts. We’ll toast to the crew of AVALANCHE, and yes, I’m walking home.
November 28th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I’ll try again as a couple sentences seem to have been deleted from my original HAPPY THANKSGIVING! …”Was it a local low over the gulf stream? I remember one year when I was delivering we got caught in a local low; big winds, storm trysail to broaching bare masted plus a sea anchor, then wallowing seas afterwards…that was when I was so sea sick, for about 8 hours. I wasn’t the only one….etc.
The Saki Tinis were a raving success (and it is only wine/rice wine so not so potent), as was “Black Friday” on the APPLE STORE re. Christmas…..
Wonderful to have such a great chef on board in Danielle. Wishing I could have beamed myself there to be on the wheel, what fun. Now, have some fun in Antigua.