Last updated on 03/21/2010 09:26:02
First Caribbean Trip, M&S Gottesman
5 Feb 1999
We have been planning this trip for ages. I have wanted to travel ever since I can remember. I have been dreaming of sailing the Caribbean Sea and other destinations around the world.
Let me start in the near past, I have visited Paris & the French Riviera, as well as Geneva & Montreaux, Switzerland, but my true dream is to sail to far away destinations.
Since the age of twelve I have been dreaming of sailing and set a “deadline” to start by the age of 45. And so at age 42 and a half I have started taking a course to be licensed as a yachtmaster (if I pass all the exams).
6 Feb 1999
I’ve just replied to the S/V Flying Eagle (emailto…) discussing how best to go about the trip.
More tomorrow.
7 Feb 1999
0800 - My first trip in a true sailing boat (a 33’). After boarding, the crew prepared the vessel for sea. (I was informed that since this is my first time aboard, I would be on board as an observer only). Checking the oil, water levels, removing the main sail cover, and after a brief review of calculating a course with Polaris binoculars and GPS we were ready to sail.
The weather was cool around 12°C with hardly any wind or waves (inside the marina). We motored out at around 4Knots and headed into the wind, which was coming from the South. The three crew (the skipper was an instructor from SeaGal the school) members started day maneuvers as per the instructor’s (Shoham) requests.
Sailing on different tacks, windward, leeward, etc. and figure eights around a couple of buoys.
The sea rose to about 2 meters and the wind came up to 25knots (in less than 2 hours), so we returned to the Herzliya marina, docking around 1015. After securing the boat we said good bye to Shoham.
18 Feb 1999
I had planned on sailing again but couldn’t find the time, as for Sunday I had not signed up and Wednesday I needed to be in Jerusalem all day. I’ll call Shoham this evening and see if can get on Sunday.
It is now two weeks and three days prior to our departure to the Caribbean Sea. This past Saturday I decided to book the S/V Flying Eagle. I liked the fact that the skipper, Roger, was an ASA instructor. I asked Uri (the head instructor at SeaGal) if I could use this trip toward the mandatory 8 days of sea time needed to get an international yachtmaster certification, he thinks it has to be with an Israeli instructor, but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll get Roger to sign that I crewed at least. Last Monday 15Feb1999 I transferred 1,608USD to the company. I am still awaiting confirmation of receipt.
All that is left is for me to get a reservation for the first two nights (7-8Mar) to be spent on Barbados. I may go to Benny Auman (travel agent) and order via him. Last night Shana asked me what she should wear. I told her that on board ship she could get away with shirt and shorts (or even just a bathing suit), so now she’s going out to buy shorts…. Ah yeah, I bought another yachting world magazine. It is pretty good since some of the articles are about Turkey or Headsails. It is very English oriented. I am looking for Cruising / Sailing world, but have no luck finding it here in Israel. Maybe I’ll subscribe to one of em (or maybe both).
2Mar1999
I went sailing today. Learnt where to check engine oil, how to start / cut the engine & set sails, keep compass course, turns into / against the wind. I went below for a bit to see how it feels; (see if I’d get seasick) after being below about 10 minutes I guess I’ll manage without getting sick. Gotta be careful going below when the boat rolls, I got my thumb caught in the hatch track (and did it hurt!). I also learnt docking techniques and tying up. First tying windward side and how to tie the line to the cleat (under the over loop).
Got e-mail in the evening from Flying Eagle. I appreciate all the things they are doing so that our trip will be comfortable and successful, like getting new cutlery and plates.
6-7Mar1999
We went to the airport, driven by Menachem, accompanied by Yoel, and Yair. After our goodbyes to the kids at Safta’s house we all packed into the car for the trip to TLV. We got there at 23:15 (plenty of time, or so we thought). Security informed us of a “strike” on El-Al. Shana mentioned that that shouldn’t bother us because we’re going Air-Canada (stand-by). PPL decided to pay between 1,200USD and 2,700USD for a one-way ticket to YYZ. To make a long story short, we left the airport for home (there was no room aboard) at 01:30. The next flight was 1:30 Tuesday morning. I decided to buy two full roundtrip tickets to Canada for about 990USD each. Good thing too, because they were the last 2 seats on AC for the rest of the week. I also got in two days of work, although we missed out on two days in Barbados…. We’ll try again Tuesday morning…. And hope to get to the yacht on time…
10Mar1999
St. Vincent:
Well we finally made it, believe it or not.
Last night after a false start, and much time spent travelling, we finally got to wake up in St. Vincent (or rather in the bay of The Lagoon on the S/V Flying Eagle). As expected we arrived into Barbados late so we missed the 1630 Liat flight to St. Vincent. We caught the 2000 flight which left the gate at 2015 but were delayed until 21:15 because of technical difficulties. Skipper Roger & First mate (adm.) Alicia Page were at the arrivals gate at the St. Vincent airport with smiles to greet us, even though we missed the 16:30 flight and we were late with this flight. We had a further delay getting to the s/v F’E’ because the dingy propeller caught on a fishing net. Shana went to sleep, and I spoke with Roger until around 0030 local time. I woke every two hours or so. It was nice to be gently rocked by the roll of the boat on the waves, as we rode the anchor. I woke around 0630. A nice morning partly cloudy with a breeze from the SE.
11March1999
Yesterday, just as we were planning to underway, we were informed that a yacht had run aground on a well-known reef. We spent about 3 hours trying to get her off. The textbooks say that sitting on the boom should be enough to get her to roll enough to get her off. Well it didn’t work. We rocked her, used her anchors and a RIB with 350HP outboard engines and couldn’t get her off. Finally the coast guard sent a larger motor boat, and after about fifteen minutes just yanked her off the reef. We picked up the two anchors that were used to try to get her off and returned em to the yacht. (We didn’t get so much as a cup of water or even a thank you for our troubles.)
In the afternoon we sailed the short distance (I suppose I should ask Roger for the log of the distances we traveled) from the “blue” Lagoon, St. Vincent to Admiralty Bay, Bequia (around 8NM 2Hours) in 20K wind from the East.
This morning Shana & I went for a hike thru the hills. The building is done as they get money so some buildings are partially done.
We called home and Yael called (11:20 local time).
Swimming was nice.
Now 1400 we are eating and preparing for our next sail.
Afternoon 1420 Lifted anchor. I did the steerage between Bequia and Mustique. It is hard to steer so that the wind is at 60 degrees. I learnt that is you get the wind at less than 40 degrees you can loose speed. If you let it drop to 30 degrees the head sail starts to luff and after that well if you don’t get the wind back into the sails you gotta come all the way around.
We started engine because there was only 11 knots and we were doing 2 to 3.5 knots (not including the zigzagging I was doing). Hopefully I’ll do better tomorrow. Also I reviewed right of way and I started a bit of navigation. Shana went below to the washroom 40 minutes from our destination, and got seasick, (poor thing). She’s still under the weather now at 1945, about 3 hours later.
I helped Alisha pick up the mooring line. It was pretty easy. I learnt that you have a heavy line, cleat it on one side of the bow (the opposite of the side you’ll raise the mooring line) making sure the “free” end stays free. Then you pass it under all the obstructions, then after hooking the mooring chain you pass the bowline thru the mooring eye, and tie the free end to the cleat.
We then went immediately ashore to see if Shana would be ok on land. We walked by the “famous” Basil Restaurant & Bar. Then we walked up the hill. (Btw we saw the sunset, and the Green Flash, a phenomenon in which there is a green flash on the tip of the sun as it “sets into the water”. Hopefully we have it on video.
Anyway we walked thru a bit of town, the “native” part. Maybe tomorrow we’ll see the homes of the rich and famous. Shana is out in the cockpit – her head is still spinning. I’m gonna start going over some seamanship exams.
12.3.99
We planned on sailing to the Tobago Cays but….
In the morning we set out to find the Macaronni Beach, (supposed to be the most beautiful beach in the world.).
On the way we bought a 40EC phone card and Shana called home. We didn’t say much. I hope Naomi isn’t upset that she didn’t get a chance to speak to us. We made a wrong turn at the tennis courts and didn’t end up where we planned but we saw a nice view of the Atlantic ocean (on the other side of the island). We also saw some nice houses. Anyway we decided to continue on and look for the beach. After asking directions we found what we were looking for. It rained most of the time that we were walking. At the beach it stopped raining and in the end the sun even showed itself a bit. I went into the water (which was refreshing, and wavy!).Shana didn’t come in the water. She does not seem to be doing to well, seasickness or something. On the way back it drizzled abit. We still haven’t gotten Yael her doll, and I have no idea of what to get Naomi. Anyway, just as we were discussing about where to sail to next it started pouring (we got back to the boat, fairly dry!). Actually it started just as we were finishing up lunch, so we decided to stay were we were for the night (as Shabbat was only a few hours away). Roger may decide he has to move the boat but that will be his decision. I did some snorkeling off the boat, there were a lot of small fish and it was nice.
Shana still didn’t feel to well, she had taken a seasickness pill (cause we thought we’d be underway, and it knocked her out, so she slept most of the afternoon.
I took a shower and am now ready for Shabbat. We explained a lot of Jewish things to the capt’n, and matey. We will light candles and if Shana is up to it, go ashore, it’s an arms length away and see the sunset from there. (Green flash as it sets...)
13.3.99
Well Shabbat is over and we moved on to Canouan and anchored in Charleston bay (or is it just Charles Bay).
But before that....
Last night Roger & Alicia took us to the Firefly and they had drinks. The place is nice. To get there you go past the wharf and turn up the hill (on your left.) Then about one hundred meters uphill on your right is a whole lot of stairs going up that and you arrive at the Inn. R&A rowed back to the boat (they didn’t want to use the engine on account of Shabbat).
Shana had lit candles before and Alicia had made a windbreaker out of a coke bottle very clever, so we could light topside.
Dinner was served to the candlelight R&A thought it was so romantic. After dinner we went to sleep.
Shana woke in the morning at ten o’clock, so I waited for her to make Kiddush and have breakfast, we didn’t have anywhere to goto anyway.
BTW supper was gefilte fish and cold cuts that we had brought. Supper also consisted of a zucchini salad that Alicia had put together earlier. For lunch we had gefilte fish and salami, with macaroni salad.
Shana lost to Alicia in monopoly in the afternoon.
After Shabbat she warmed up the food that she made on Friday, a macaroni pasta which was great.
We ate in the cockpit (as usual) but without the usual light because we didn’t have time to set it up (we wanted to get underway ASAP.
The night trip over was 1900 – 2200 Roger used autopilot, gps and the engine. The trip over was a bit rough but I enjoyed it. (Shana on the other hand....) We went over some meteorology, and seamanship.
It is now 2300, so I’m gonna go to bed,
14.3.99
I got up early in anticipation of a early start 0700, we finally left at 0810, but I suppose there is no great rush, (except that we have a plane to catch on Tuesday I believe).
We motorsailed over to the Tobago Keys; about a one and a half-hour trip.
Swam on the coral reef for two hours, and then explored an island inhabited only by goats!
Had lunch and am now writing this, now I’ll go study some navigation...
I didn’t get any studying done. I did write a list of books from the ships library, but I’m not including it, with today’s internet, all you gotta do is look there and you get the latest on any subject....
We went for the afternoon on one of the Tobago cays islands. It is small but has nice soft white sandy beach. We played Bodc’e an Italian game with two to four players on two teams. Each player has two balls (color) and a smaller white one. One player (the one who was closest) throws the white one, then his own two. The closest ball gets a point; the other team will stop the count if one of theirs is closer.
Back on board the Flying Eagle. I do some studying and we’ll have supper and then who knows.
15.3.99
After supper we chatted about this n that and went to sleep about 2230.
This morning we had a light breakfast and left the Tobago Cays around 0900, under sail. I raised the anchor, after a short lesson, and still managed to jam it. Good ole Roger was able to unjam it.
The sail back to Bequia was a learning lesson. Sail trim & rudder angle. We didn’t touch the rudder for about three hours, the boat basically sailed itself (not on autopilot). Roger only adjusted sails a bit behind island mountains. I learnt about wind shadow – at a distance of ten times the height of the mountain there will be a drop in the wind speed. I motored for about forty-five minutes; we were heading into the wind. I dropped anchor (7 times the depth + bow height (of scope). Added a snubber, a piece of nylon rope hooked onto the anchor chain to allow for movement of the boat without the clacking of the chain and help prevent the anchor from dragging.
Shana and I went ashore for more exploring and shopping. Shana wanted to see the hospital also. After the hospital we went swimming in the bay.
We are now about to see our last sunset in the Caribbean, until we come back. (Actually maybe we’ll se it tomorrow on the Air Canada flight.)
21.3.99
Long time no write.
We motor sailed from Bequia to St. Vincent, and had a quick breakfast; then hopped a taxi to the airport. Interesting place St. Vincent, they drive on the wrong side of the road!
Like on the way down we had a three-hour wait in Barbados, so we took a little hike in the area to see how the natives live. Not bad actually.
We arrived in Toronto around 2200 Tuesday night so went to a hotel (nice large room!)
And slept in a bed that didn’t rock n roll with the waves/swells (oh well) in the morning we rented a car (we got a station wagon) and went to downtown to see the Skydome and the CN tower and walk around.
At 1700 went to the Cohen’s house for supper and sleep.
Next day we went to Niagara Falls. A very interesting and COLD place to see in the winter (it is half frozen...!) The boats didn’t go out (the river sort of freezes about where they start out. The walk behind the falls is also closed (I guess it gets frozen in there too. We went down to the portals (via the elevators) it was freezing but I’m glad we did. We took a quick hop over to the USA, a) so we could say we were there, b) to see the outlet mall....
Back we went to Toronto for supper. Shana went out to a meeting they had about all the bad things happening in the community
Next morning we returned the car and flew to Montreal. It is COLD here. There is still some snow on the ground. Shabbat was ok. We are now getting ready to the supermarket to see what we can buy to take back with us...
Here ends the diary of the trip to the Caribbean Sea March 1999. Our first extended sail.
Home| First Caribbean Trip March 1999| Delivery of the SeaGal4 from Marmaris July 1999| Sailing trip from Israel to Gocek, Turkey March 2000
