Weare Off to Grenada!!!

S/V Jay Sea Dee departed Santa Cruz Tenerife in the Canary Islands Monday at about noon. We have been at sea for about 20 hours now. On board we a a full crew compliment of 5: John Dinsmoor (me), Jonathon Dinsmoor(my son), Greg Kerlin from Beaufort North Carlina , Jenny & Charlie McNamara from Tulsa OK (The crew of S/V Lady).

Our destination is Grenada, deep in the West Indies of the Caribbean Sea. Our entire rout from Tenerife to St Georges in Grenada is 2806 nautical miles (6000 feet in a nautical mile vs 5280 feet in a statute mile). We are sailing to a predetermined way point southwest of the Canary Islands and then we will turn west and sail direct to Grenada. As with the previous Trans-Atlantic Voyage, we are using Commanders Weather service to provide expert weather forecasts and routing guidance while at sea.

The first day at sea is always the hardest. It takes a while to get your "Sea Legs". Each crew has their own tried and true method or concoction to get these sea legs. I have never been sea sick, but I always take a pill the first 12 hours just to be safe. Today everyone seems to be just fine and adapting to the new watch schedule posted by the Captain. With a crew of 5, each taking a 3 hour stand on watch, we get the luxury of 3 hours on, then 9 hours off, 3 hours on, and then 12 hours off!!!. Every 5th day, a crew member is assigned galley duty and received of all watches for a 24 hour period.

The first day at sea we a played around with the new whisker pole and the dual head sails. There are many more lines coming to the cockpit than ever before. I decided to take it easy on the crew and boat for the 1st night and just fly the main and the staysail which is flying out to windward with a preventer line. We are moving along at about 6-7 knots in some very very rolling seas. I predict we will make Grenada in 16-17 days, putting us on land just before Xmas.

Stay tuned for more.

At 12/6/2011 08:46 UTC saling vessel JAY SEA DEE was at 27°03.09'N 017°44.45'W sailing at 6.7 knots on a course of 235T

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Day 2 to the Canary Islands

It is past 9pm Sunday here onboard Jay Sea Dee. What a difference a day makes. The crew is settling into the watch routine nicely and managing to get the rest they need to continue on. I always find the first day the hardest as your body and mind are trying to rapidly adapt to the boat dynamic environment. Our first 24 hours out of Gibraltar we logged a respectable 165 nautical miles, with over 95% of that being under sail alone. It was a wild ride out of the straights and into the Atlantic. However the winds have backed down and we are now motoring along in some lights seas (2-4 feet).I am glad to finally put the finicky conditions of the Mediterranean behind us. There was a lot of commercial vessel traffic crisscrossing the entrance to the Gibraltar straights yesterday. At 4am I passed within a few hundred yards of a very large vessel called Super Servant 3. This vessel is a member of the Dockwise transport company (They ship your boat so you don't have to sail it for 22 days). He was heading into the Med with what looked to be just one sailing vessel on board (it could hold 20 more). I joked over the radio with the captain of that vessel, that we could hitch a ride if he had been going our way instead. The encounter reinforced my desire to do the voyaging on my own bottom. The weather forecast we procured from Commanders Weather has once again been spot on. I predict we will be making San Miguel Marina on Tenerife late Wednesday afternoon about 64 hours from now.

The crew finished off the leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast for dinner tonight. I am feeling more in the mood to work in the galley now that things have calmed down. We were visited by a lively school of dolphins this afternoon. They jumped and played off our bow for about a half hour before moving on. In honor of that treat, we watched "Le Grande Blue" on the DVD tonight. Bud tried fishing today but no joy, will try again tomorrow. We did finally cut into and sample some of the Jamon I bought in Spain. The whole leg is tied up in the corner of the cockpit.

All systems are functioning very well at this point, the hard work and preparations in Almerimar Spain the previous 2 months seem to be paying off.

More tomorrow......

At 11/27/2011 19:06 UTC saling vessel JAY SEA DEE was at 34°27.19'N 009°30.35'W sailing at 7.3 knots on a course of 225T

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Jay Sea Dee is underway to the Canary Islands

Hello everyone, we are underway heading for Tenerife on the Canary Islands. We left Gibraltar this morning at about 10 am after checking out of the marina and fueling up at the nearby fuel dock. We motored out of the bay there but have been under sail alone for the last 8 hours and are making excellent progress. We have completed 75 miles in just 10 hours, which is a very good average for Jay Sea Dee. The wind is dead astern and blowing about 15 knots. We are using the new whisker pole and are flying wing on wing, which means we have the main sail out on one side and the big headsail out on the other side. I am very satisfied with the new rigging and at this pint all systems are working well.

We just finished a pan of Jodi's homemade lasagna which we had been saving in the freezer since she left: it was well worth the wait!! The crew will be settling into a 3 hour watch system. Greg Kerlin has 9-12, Bud has the graveyard watch from 12-3 and I have the dawn watch from 3-6 am. We are working our way west to get off the Moroccan coast and then we will turn southwest early in the morning and sail straight for the Canaries. The weather is good, the sky's are crystal clear. Stay tuned for more updates.

At 11/26/2011 19:24 UTC saling vessel JAY SEA DEE was at 35°43.36'N 006°48.66'W sailing at 6.8 knots on a course of 253T

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At 11/11/2011 03:35 UTC saling vessel JAY SEA DEE was at 36°15.24'N 004°43.49'W sailing at 6.2 knots on a course of 255T

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Med Conquered !!! Preparing to come back across the pond.

As you can see from the map above  we have conquered the Mediterranean. This only shows where the boat went during the last 3 summers. The inland tours we made while over here in Europe were almost as equal to the those of Jay Sea Dee. As we prepare to head back to the Caribbean and eventually the USA, I leave no regrets behind. We seen and experienced more than we ever dreamed, and been to many places an average American tourist would not get to.

After transiting over 3500nm around the Mediterranean this summer alone, staying in just one place for the last 6 weeks has been quite a change of pace.  Jay Sea Dee is in Almerimar Spain, about 120 miles east of Gibraltar. Of course there has been much work to do, including a major repair of our Mastervolt Generator due to 2 wires rubbing, chaffing, and then shorting out. I am still waiting on a circuit board that my son Jonathon will hand carry from the USA next week. I have a 5 page list of boat tasks, in Outline form, prioritized, categorized, and status updated each day. Despite battling  a case of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, I am 90% complete and on schedule !

One significant project has been the acquisition and installation of a whisker pole for Jay Sea Dee. I had read an article last May in Cruising World written by the famous sailor Don Street. The article was entitled “ The proper trade wind rig”. The basic  configuration is shown below and it includes flying dual headsails. One to windward and one to leeward. As many may recall, the first trip across the Atlantic  by Jay Sea Dee was dominated by the problem of no wind and lots of motor sailing. We were worried about fuel the whole time.

The Forespar whisker pole demo

This voyage will be different. First and foremost, the leg between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean will be 2800nm instead of the 1850nm we had from Bermuda to the Azores 2-1/2 years ago. This time we have no hope of making it by motoring alone, we must be able to log 150+ sea miles a day under sail alone. So when I read this article it made perfect sense to set up Jay Sea Dee for this type of sailing. Even though we had recently replaced our Genoa with a brand new 120%  from Quantum sail loft in Greece we saved our old 110% headsail as a back up. I will use that sail for the windward sail and pole it out with a whisker pole.

After much research, many emails and numerous Skype calls, I finally decided to buy a Forespar telescoping whisker pole from the USA and ship it over to Spain. This pole pole extends from 15 to 27 feet. There were no suppliers here in Europe selling a telescoping pole that big,they were all trying to sell me a fixed length pole. The minimum length I need for Jay Sea Dee is equal to the J value: which is the distance from the mast forward to the head sail ( 19.5 feet for our IP485). I wanted to be able to store the whisker pole on the front of the mast on a track for easy deployment. The problem is, my radar dome is mounted at 16 feet above the deck on the front of the mast. Storing a 19.5 foot fixed length pole would entail relocation of the radar array further up the mast ( a major headache).

The Forespar pole got the vote. We bought the pole on Sept 17th, it shipped on Oct 6th, and arrived here on Oct 19th via DHL (express air cargo). The freight and duty and VAT tax was almost 50% of the the price of the pole, but the sum total was far less than even a simple fixed length aluminum pole sold here in Spain.  I have completed the installation of a T track on the front of our mast. This involve drilling and tapping over 50 holes in the mast.

Jonathon will be here next week with the balance of part I require to complete the installation. He and I will sail to Gibraltar and wait for our 3rd crew member Greg Kerlin to arrive.  We have never met Greg in person but I feel like we are good ole friends. Greg Kerlin owns an IP380 in North Carolina. Greg followed our blog when we voyaged across the Atlantic in 2009 and incredibly took the initiative and solved a technical problem with our GPS while we were underway. Greg has earned his spot on this cruise and I am really looking forward to the time with him. Charlie and Jennifer McNamara ( our Bahamas cruising buddies fro S/V Lady) will meet us in the Canary Islands on December 4th. Then off we go!!

Its time to move south, it snowed in the Sierra Nevada mountains yesterday !!!

 

The Trials of Travel

While Jay Sea Dee is in repair mode I decided to head home, back to the USA. 

Going from Almerimar Marina to Almeria airport, definitely take the taxi.  It was 60 Euros and it took about 45 minutes but the bus alternative had three changes and with luggage it would have been hard.
Ryan Air was fine until a guy showed up to work the gate and EVERYBODY got in line and I was just sitting there in awe of what was going on and how long the line got in just a minute.  Thank God I had bought the Priority Boarding for 6 Euros and I went to the front of the line to ask if I had to stand in line and he let me go through immediately. 

Then you get on the plane and you take whatever seat you want...another ORDEAL...but I got a front ROW 2 window so I was happy.

Got into Madrid on time and followed the Baggage Claim signs but ended up in a baggage area with no RYAN AIR listed on any monitor.  I ask a security guard where is Ryan Air.  I get the questions, where did you come from, etc.  Then he says I have to go to Terminal 1 which is where I thought the plane landed and go up a level.  I go all the way back across the terminal, go up a level...no baggage claim.  I find an information desk where several people are asking where Ryan Air Baggage is.  Then we proceed down a level as instructed and go to find Lounge 2.  Well, Lounge 2 is where the people are exiting from the baggage area (where you stand with a sign to meet whoever you are meeting coming off a plane).  I don’t think you are supposed to walk through a security area so I go to find another information booth.  I find a RYAN air booth and he rudely tells me the same story so I go look for someone else and he says "Just knock on the doors".  I knock and nobody opens the doors.  So I pass the whole crowd and look inside where everyone is Exiting and the guy waves me in and directs me to the baggage claim where only my two bags are left and one other lone bag.  Could they make it any harder? 

I drag my luggage out to the taxi/shuttle area and wait for the hotel “free” shuttle a  while.  I don't see the hotel shuttle so I just hop in a taxi...another 20 Euros but soooooo worth it...I could not take any more.

I bought some chips and Pepsi Light so that will be my dinner.  Off to shower (no bath...what was I thinking???) and then crawl into bed.  I did make my “free” shuttle reservation for the morning.

Flight from Madrid to Charlotte was uneventful although there were only two TV screens on the whole plane for a 9 hour flight…what is up with that???

I arrive in Charlotte, pick up my checked bag, go through Customs, redeposit my bag and head through another Security check.  They make me go to the full body X-Ray scan and when I go through they tell me I need a full pat down.  I gather all my stuff and head off to the side with the Female TSA lady.  She finds two Euro coins in my pocket (where I put them after buying coffee in Madrid and COMPLETELY FORGET they are there).  But I still get the full body pat down treatment.

Another flight to Houston and see my Jacquelyn running to me and I know I am home and Happy!

Seville #2

There were horse and carriage rides offered throughout the city so we finally hopped on one.  It was 50 Euros ($75) for all four of us and it was about an hour ride.  We saw the University, the Cathedral, the Park Maria Luisa (sister of Isabell II) where you can take boat rides or enjoy the gardens, the Alcazar, the Plaza Espagna where we saw many wedding photos being taken because of its beauty from the waterfall, tile work and hand painted porcelain adornments.  I purchased two fans for just 5 Euro…such a bargain since they are hand painted ones.  We also briefly saw the river and then headed back near the hotel.

Who is rowing?

We just couldn’t leave Seville without visiting Alcazar.  This is a 14th century palace built by Peter The Cruel after re-conquering Seville from the Moors.  It reminded me of The Alhambra in Granada but had its own beauty too.  We enjoyed the Gardens as much as the palace…watch out for that TREE!

We strolled back to the hotel via the Barrio de Santa Crus.  This was once a ghetto for Spanish Jews who were forced out of Spain in the 1400’s. You walk through narrow alleys and labyrinths where you never know what will be around the corner…how much fun is that!

We must return to this city some day!

The Grand Finale! Seville

Seville was our last stop but we certainly saved the best for last!  Seville is Andalusia’s capital city and the third largest in Spain.  It is where Christopher Columbus landed and told Isabella of the new world beyond the Atlantic.  It is where he is now buried.  It is a city of warmth and atmosphere, of passion and people that seem to embrace their city…what a lovely place to be.

Our first mission was to book our Flamenco Show.  We asked at the front desk of our hotel, Casa 1800 and were directed to the Museum of Flamenco Dance which has a one hour show full of emotion including the dance, the guitar, and the singing.  You can feel the dancers passion for their art and they put their all into it.  We showed up early as instructed for our Front Row Tickets.  We were voyeurs into their souls for this brief period and we loved every minute of it!  The tickets were only 23 Euro ($30).  After the show we stopped for Tapas and wine…and look, we even dressed up for the occasion!  What Fun!

We visited the Cathedral, allegedly the largest Gothic building in the World.  The builders goal was that “those who come after us will take us for madmen”.  Construction started in the late 1400’s and took centuries to complete.  The remains of Columbus are here held up by four mariner statues. If you climb up the tower you are rewarded with magnificent views of the city (see the bullfighting ring) and you can see the “flying buttresses” in the architecture.

Pueblos Blanco

This is the land of the famed pueblos blancos or “White Villages”.  Today we headed to Seville.  But in typical Dinsmoor travel-style…when you see something COOL in the distance…head for it.  In this case the cool thing was a white village on top of a high mountain with a castle and a cathedral sitting right at the top.  How can you resist that?

The village was named Olvera.  It is known for its olive oil production.  It was market day and we were just trying to get to the top but we had to drive through the narrowest streets lined with vehicles.  Let’s just say there were a lot of tight squeezes but driver Juan (aka John) got us there in one piece.  We climbed another street and headed for The church, “Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion”.  We each paid our 2 Euro entrance fee and headed inside.  I would have loved to join them for a service but there were none today.

Then off we went to the Arabic castle.  At first look climbing “WAY UP THERE” was a daunting task but we all made it to the top!

Help me Ronda, help, help me Ronda

OK, so the song has nothing to do with my post other than our next stop was Ronda, Spain and we couldn’t help but sing our way there with that all too familiar tune.    After winding our way through the countryside we finally found our stop, Hotel San Gabriel, a quaint hotel in a back alley way.  You unload and then have to move the car to the Public parking Lot for the night.  It comes complete with its own cinema and DVD’s, including “Don Quixote”. 

Ronda is one of the most ancient cities in Spain and known for the origin of Bullfighting.  It is also known for the gorge cut through it by the River Guadalevin.  When you have a gorge, you need a bridge or two or three, the newest bridge (known as Puente Nuevo) was built in 1751.  It made for a spectacular dinner setting at a restaurant on the cliffs.

See the waterfall?

Cadiz, Granada and the Alhambra

Finally, a road trip.  We rented the car in Almerimar from Europcar for about 30 Euros per day.  The marina office arranged it for us and they brought it to the marina and we drop it off there as well.  What could be easier?  We found more of the Spanish Greenhouses lining the roads, not just the coast.  Known as Andalusia we were going to cover much of the eight provinces in Spain’s Southernmost Region.  We realized we were now in the Land of the Spanish Olives and the hills were inundated with olive groves.   And the road signs cracked us up:

First stop, Cadiz.  This is the only place in Spain to get our SWITLIK life raft serviced and ready for the Atlantic crossing.  We got lost trying to find the place and showed up 5 minutes before closing but were able to drop off the raft so they could have it for the week while we travelled inland.  We drove to Puerto America to check out the marina and were shocked by the desolation we felt pulling in.  No shops…all closed up and had been for awhile.  Trash everywhere.  Not a place we wanted to bring Jay Sea Dee.  Then we drove to Puerto Sherry and found it much better although there are a lot of empty slips here and not a lot of action going on.

After staying the night in Cadiz, we headed to Granada to meet our friends Tim and Linda at the train station.  We found them and headed to The Alhambra Palace Hotel for the night.  What a beautiful hotel and a close walk to Alhambra (a Grand Monument).  Alhambra was built as the Royal City for the Moors between 1335 and 1410.  Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors in Spain.  It was not captured until 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. 

Spanish Coastline…very interesting!

Here are a few photos I have taken of the Spanish coastline as we sail along:

Very ModernModern mixed with a bit of the past!A typical harbor town.  Find the windmill!

Local fisherman

Geological Anomaly

Hazy day on the Costa Del Sol (Southern Coast) but the coast is lined with these greenhouses that produce much of the countries produce…Great Tomatoes!