Hope's and Howard's Sailing Adventures

The blustery winds of the past few days have subsided and we awoke to this beautiful sunrise in Soper’s Hole. So, generator is on, water is being made, tea is brewing while Howard is showering and I will follow.  We checked out of the BVI yesterday so are all set to head off to Bermuda today.  The forecast looks like we should have nice beam reaching with wind around 15.. Read More

It looks like the earliest we will be departing is Wednesday as winds are forecast to be brisk ESE with lots of squalls today and tomorrow. Meanwhile we have enjoyed a couple of nights in the Nanny Cay marina, spending two very pleasant evenings with friends, and completing our final preparations for departure such as changing the oil in both the engine and gearbox, etc.

Out with the old generator …. Howard happy to see the Onan generator out of the boat.  Perhaps it was doomed to fail, Onan having fallen out of favor in God’s eyes according to Genesis … In with the new (to us) ….. Installed, tested and protected from the elements… And meanwhile, the cockpit table has been undergoing a facelift.. just one more coat of varnish before we reassemble it… Read More

Before getting stuck into this post, I want to let you know that I added a couple of photos of Timberline Lodge to the Oregon post, in case you are interested…. I can’t believe it is almost a month since we returned to the BVI from Oregon.  We have managed to have a bit of fun in between trying to prep ourselves and the boat for a passage back north.. Read More

Our time in Oregon has flown by.  Bonnie and Bob, Kendal’s parents, gave us a very warm welcome into their home in Corvallis where we were able to spend a most enjoyable week before Scott and Kendal’s wedding on March 4th.  While much of our time was spent preparing for the wedding weekend, Bonnie and Bob made it easy and fun for us.  We are so very happy to now be.. Read More

It took us a day or two to recover from all the excitement of the bachelor party.  Although Red Hook anchorage can be somewhat rolly from wake caused by the numerous ferries that use the port, it suited us quite well as we could catch up on some internet activities and tidy up a bit.  We then had a lovely peaceful couple of nights in Francis Bay on St John.. Read More

With the boat spruced up a bit, beer in the fridge, a large pot of chili prepared and oodles of corn chips, hummus, salsa and rum onboard, we were ready to receive Scott and his friends by 2pm on Thursday, whew! Sadly some of them weren’t able to make it at the last minute due to a large snowstorm that hit the US East Coast that day but the 7.. Read More

It has been a while since I last posted a blog so there’s a bit of catching up to do! We had an enjoyable passage from Deshaies, Guadeloupe to Antigua in sunshine with wind on the beam and boat speed (over ground) ranging from an exhilarating 8 1/2 knots initially and down to 4 1/2 but mostly around 6 knots … and even a few dolphins for company along the.. Read More

Like others amongst you blog-followers, Bids and Nick knew we had arrived in Carriacou before we sent them a text; it’s tough for us to hide these days! We arranged to meet up the following morning (Monday) in Tyrell Bay, after we had a chance to check into Carriacou (which, together with Petit Martinique, is part of Grenada). The passage from Tobago Cays was short, only 15 miles, but necessitated.. Read More

As the wind was out of the north, it was a downwind passage from Mustique to the northern entrance to the Tobago Cays, leaving both the rock, Little Canouen, and the island of Canouen to port. We had thought of flying just the asymmetric spinnaker as the wind was 10 knots or less but decided against it because the legs were short and may involve a gybe. Instead we tried.. Read More