A Quick One

Spoke to Roger this AM via sat phone. He sounds exhilarated although he isn't sleeping well. His bunk is toward the front of the boat and with the wind coming from behind, he is being rocked back and forth. The weather has been really good and he LOVES how fast they are going. And, it's true! If you follow him on the web (directions to do so are in a previous post below), you can see how well he is doing relative to other boats in his group....most of which are larger than ILENE.
Don't remember if I mentioned this already but both Alpha Girl and Whitty have received their permits for entry into the British Virgin Islands. That is very relieving although traveling with them is still causing me worry.
Thanks, everyone, for following us on this blog. It will help me feel connected to home and I really will need that!

Finally...Gratitude!

Yesterday felt like a turning point. I'm not going to get into ALL of the feelings and help I received but the key word is help. Why is it so difficult to acknowledge when I need help? And I'm not talking about asking for help in getting the "things" I think I need or want. That I'm good at! I'm talking about the kind of help that requires I be vulnerable...I admit my fear and my weakness...maybe even shame.

I can't begin to describe the relief I feel today, and finally the excitement of what lies ahead on this journey. And all because I admitted my fear and people gave me love.

I have two leads already on how I (we) can be of service while cruising. One has to do with helping clear forest and debris from the national parks on St. John of the USVI and another has to do with helping children in the schools. I pray for the courage to be of service even though my self centered nature tells me I won't be any good at it.

Yesterday my internet was down but today I see that Ilene the Boat continues her journey safely. Whitty & Alpha Girl (feline sailing companions) have received their permits to enter the BVI's, and I continue (day 4) to give them doses of Animal Rescue Remedy which is supposed to calm them. They need to be calm on Wednesday the 17th when I will be packing them into a carrier and flying with them to Tortola. I was told to start them now on it to see if it will work. I don't know if it is or isn't but it's the best I can do. This is a non drug using family!

More anon.

Roger's Journey

Yes, he's out there with his crew of 4...my Captain. I give him so much credit. I've never had anyone in my life (and I apologize to anyone in my life who may be offended by this statement) with his determination and perseverance. He came home about a year ago and said "I can die without sailing around the world but I won't die without sailing to the Caribbean, and if not now then when? He put so much work (and money) into getting Ilene the Boat ready for this trip and now he is on his journey. I spoke to him Monday morning as they were nearing the Chesapeake Bridge & Tunnel which is, I believe , the official start of the Carib 1500, and if any of you know Roger you know that hearing pure excitement in his voice isn't an everyday occurrence. But it was there LARGE Monday AM.

I feel such happiness for him. I am grateful he is in my life and I am grateful to feel such joy for another human.

Please check out his position in the mighty Atlantic. Go to the website above and you will see ILENE on the left hand side of the page. You can see where he is relative to the other boats in his class (near the front!) and his mileage and where he is relative to the US Coast. It's pretty cool.

Waiting Days in Hampton

Roger here. The photos are of the new shiny window frames with some of our jerry cans of diesel fuel and of the newly repaired block, both described below.

Our friends, Bob and Brenda Osborn sail a Saga 43, Pandora, a boat just like ours, except that because Bob is a mechanical wizard and master woodworker, their boat has a lot of new toys such as a heater for those cold Maine days, slanting sides to the companionway ladder (between the cockpit and the cabin) so that the step presents a horizontal surface when the boat is heeling, a larger freezer, AIS radio (so you know the name course and speed of boats near you) and cell phone booster. Bob is an excellent writer and those readers who enjoy my posts will love Bob's, at sailpandora.blogspot.com. His blog has been the inspiration for mine. The Osborns plan to sail south, but next year, after their house is sold and are following our blog. Brenda is a master weaver and their final problem may be to get one of her looms to fit on Pandora. Bob has asked me to describe some of the improvements we have made to ILENE.

Our planned seven month trip is divisible into two parts. The first part is the ten day (or less) dash from Virginia to Tortola, and the second part is the rest of the seven months. Ironically, most of the improvements have been made for the dash, because a boat is subject to many more contingencies out in deep water than in Long Island Sound or along the coast where help is nearer. Bob has asked me to describe some of the improvements we have made and future blogs on rainy days down south will feature ILENE's (1) Single Side Band Radio (for long distances); (2) Six person ocean life raft; (3) Man Overboard Module (MOM8-A), (4) Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)(when deployed it tells the Coast Guard who we are, where we are and that we need help!), (5) two 80 watt British Petroleum solar panels to increase our electrical supply, which are mounted in what I believe is an unusual way by Erwin Eibert, one of our crew, and (6) a Spectra Ventura water maker.

As you can see, most of this stuff and many of the smaller items are designed for emergencies, to improve safety and survival and to permit communications and power. To the same ends, we have also acquired numerous smaller things: such as a ship’s bell (for fog), a throw bag (to throw a line to another boat or a person in the water), backup navigation lights (so we can be seen by other boats), LED bulbs for the existing primary navigation lights (they use a tiny fraction of the electricity of incandescent bulbs and last longer), a more efficient fresh water pump, a whole lot of spare parts for the engine, blue covers for the front edges of our two head sails, to replace the thin white material to be sacrificed so that the hot Caribbean sun eats these covers and does not degrade the sails, buckets (for bailing), new stainless steel lifelines (think of a fence around the deck) because the old stainless set was coated with white vinyl which could have concealed potential erosion, electronic and paper charts for the whole route plus potential side journeys that could be caused by weather, two new tethers each with two large safety clips at the end of canvas straps, so we can connect one strap before disconnecting another thereby never being unconnected to the boat at night in rough weather, lights and whistles for our life vests, etc.

Two nights ago, Dave prepared our dinner and we talked over it and a bottle of wine. He used the rosemary that had been given to Lene as a floral gift to flavor the potatoes, berry jam to flavor the chicken breasts, and roasted a red pepper on the burner of the stove. So gourmet chef is another of Dave's many talents.

The last few days were rather cold and wet so I did not do much work on the boat but yesterday, though cool, was sunny. Dave did his real day job from the ship’s computer and his cell phone while I put up two of the stainless steel window frames with rubber caulking to seal out the water. The other two will remain screwed in place but without caulk until I can get another tube of such caulk. We bought laundry detergent because we had thought to be almost in Tortola by now and clean things are getting scarce. I also managed to get two races each consisting of 28 3/16 inch tough plastic ball bearings into a fixed block through which the jib sheet can now run properly again after three years of a jury rig (snatch block tied to the post of the broken block). This turned out to be a fun job, using hair gel to hold the ball bearings in place until they were secured by the faces of the reassembled block, after which the hair gel got flushed out with a hose. I also replaced a rusty gas lift that holds up a seat in the forward head with a shiny new replacement and Dave tightened blocks at the bases of the stanchions through which the furling lines run.

We have lost one of our crew to hurricane Tomas; no, Erwin was not lost at sea, thank God, but his business appointments, which he twice postponed, could not be postponed again. But we will meet up with him when he charters a boat in Tortola in early December. Our eagerly awaited departure, now planned for Monday morning, November 8, only one week late, will see ILENE sailed by four men instead of five; I have to prepare a revised watch schedule.

Home

Today is day 4 at home since my trip north from Virginia. I must say it feels good. Knowing I have some extra time before I leave for Tortola (I was able to reschedule my flight from the 11th to the 17th. Roger is scheduled to depart on the 8th) has made me feel calmer. Things are getting done, and I now have more time to do them.
The cats are ready, although it will still take a trip to Kennedy airport to have their health certificate signed by a USDA vet to truly have the work completed for a trip out of the country with animals. There is plenty of time for me to grow anxious about having them in a carrier under a plane seat for 4 hours...and that is only the first leg of the trip. We land in San Juan and then have a 2 hour wait for a 30 minute connecting flight to Beef Island (Tortola). I land there at about 10 PM and hopefully Rog will be waiting for me. If not, I get myself and the kitties to the Marina where there is a hotel awaiting us. "No problem, mon, we take your kitties"
So, today is another day and I have at least 2-3 chores to accomplish. It's so much better to do them than to worry about them. Simple thought, but when one has a "built-in forgetter" one tends to suffer a bit before realizing there is another way. Action!
I feel badly for my hubby. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks that Ilene the Boat and Rojay sit at a dock in Virginia. The weather was beautiful during the first week when I was there, but since I've left it has been gray and windy and cold and wet. And no, I am not quite so narcissistic to think there is a connection between weather and my presence. And, yet....

Love you, Roger!

Anticipation or Anxiety

So much to do to get ready for this trip. The Carib 1500 has now been delayed until 11/8 for their departure from Hampton and I was able to delay my flight from the 11th to the 17th. I can't remember being away from Roger fro this length of time. It will be 2 weeks before we see each other again...God willing. I can't say I mind the extra time at home, in a way. It really does give me more time to get ready for being away for 6 months. On the other hand, it gives me more time to grow anxious about being away from home for 6 months. I'm not used to being so anxious. I can feel it in my gut. It's a real happiness preventer, I'll tell you that. I'm just hoping it's not a foretelling but a preliminary state until I get south on my boat with my cats and my husband and we're all safe in Tortola.
In the meantime, prayer works if I only would use it.

From Home

Yes, after a surprisingly easy 8+ hour train ride I arrived home...snuggled with Whitty & Alpha Girl...watched a bit of TV and slept. It was great to read how much Roger is accomplishing and that he misses me. Maybe I wasn't as bitchy as I felt I was? Ah...always room for improvement.
Today is day 1 of my interim stay at home and involves taking cats to vet for final visit before we "import" them into the BVI's. I learned I'd better be very nice and very polite to the officials in the BVI because they can act pretty much as they want. There is little official recourse if one feels one is being treated unfairly. I plan on calling the Department of Agriculture at least twice from here and try and make a friend who will help me if the custom agent in the airport decides he, or she, doesn't want two more cats on the island.
I'll head to the Post Office and make arrangements for the mail to be sent to Roger's brother, Allen, in Atlanta who will receive weekly forwardings from the PO and keep us abreast of any mail looking like it needs our attention. And, I will be getting a long overdue haircut.
With that..adieu.