Log of the 'Sea Scout'

Selected Pictures and Slideshow

2007-07-31T16:12:00.000-04:00

Many crew members sent me CD's or links to their pictures. Click on the title to see my personal selection.

Storm at sea - a video by Astrid

2007-07-31T15:58:00.000-04:00

Astrid made this video during the storm in early November, when we were on our way to Bermuda. She was in the companionway with her camera. I was standing behind her, trying to hold her upright. The ‘Sea Scout’ is hove to, with the storm jib aback and the tiller lashed to leeward. It lasted 48 hours. Written reports on the storm, by Astrid and Leo, are in the archives of November and December.

Video: On the Atlantic Ocean

2007-07-25T19:59:00.000-04:00

Another video by Astrid. You can watch it on full screen, with good resolution. Astrid made the video when we were on our way from Bermuda to the Virgin Islands. I am frequently looking down at the compass. Our wind vane self steering gear broke during the November storm, and we had to steer by hand all the way (900 miiles.)

Small sailboat on the Atlantic Ocean from Geert van der Kolk on Vimeo.

Olina's pictures

2007-07-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Click on the title for a selection of photos from the U.S. and Spanish Virgin Islands.

Eugene's pictures

2007-07-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

Click on the title for a generous selection of photos from Puerto Rico, Isla de Mona and Santo Domingo.

Michael's pictures

2007-07-20T23:44:00.000-04:00

I just want to thanks Geert and Bob for great trip,food,friends.We spent one week together on sailing boat from North Carolina to Annapolis in Maryland.I was amazed how beautiful part of US is on east coast many people don't know .So I memorize picture along the way.Just click:

Michael's pictures

(or copy to your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/mmmichlo/SailingTrip
FromNorthCarolinaToAnapolis)

May 9, 2007: Home!

2007-07-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

Dick Teachout came to Deltaville for the last leg of the trip. We sailed into cold 20 knot headwinds in Virginia, and pea-thick fog early this morning. But we also had a beautiful reach, last night, from Smith Point to Point Lookout, while the sun was setting over the 10-mile wide mouth of the Potomac River.

I hope many more stories and pictures will be posted on the log soon. First I want to thank everybody who helped to make my pretty wild plan a reality. Apart from Olina and our children, no fewer than twelve people sailed on different parts of the trip. I am very fortunate to have so may good and adventurous friends. Thank you all. We'll do it again.

Geert

Plan B (and Plan C, and Plan D)

2007-07-20T23:30:00.000-04:00

Humans possess an incredible capacity for denial in opposition to contrary evidence. Such stubbornness has led to many a tragedy for captains at sea. Geert does not possess such stubbornness.

We departed Norfolk Harbor Saturday morning, May 5th, with the best case scenario that we might, just might reach Galesville, MD by morning if we sailed non-stop through the night and the weather forecast held. Galesville would mean home for Geert and the end of a six-month voyage chronicled here so well by Geert and his crew. He was anxious and excited.

As we turned north out of Hampton Roads rounding the Thimble Shoals Light, the wind was perfect – dead out of the East at ten putting us on a beam reach. The GPS indicated ETA Galesville 20 hours. Geert beamed. But with the same smile on his face, he looked at me and said, “You know forecasts seldom follow their best predictions.” Accordingly, he described his plots for alternate routes to Solomon’s, St. Mary’s, and Deltaville, VA. Both Solomon’s and St. Mary’s would be fine, as they would mean easy drives home for Michael and I who both needed to leave the Sea Scout no later than Sunday. Deltaville, VA? Quite the opposite – how would we get home from there?

Hearing his words, the wind soon turned gradually from the south, still fine, but it was fading. Now we must motor. And now too NOAA’s computer voice changed its tune. Winds would turn from the North and intensify rapidly. We could expect 20 knots on the nose by nightfall with gusts to 30 and 40. The coastal forecast was even more dire – 20 to 30 foot waves in the gulf stream as a low quickly intensified off the Outer Banks. We all agreed that Deltaville it would be.

So we turned west. We slogged through a cold north wind and intermittent showers and tied up at Deltaville by 5:00pm. Geert’s smile and ever-present optimism never faded. We enjoyed happy hour in our warm cabin with a Belgium couple also put in at Deltaville and followed with a left-over dinner feast. Geert generously read aloud (in English) one of his short stories published in Holland and the voyage was ended for Michael and me. Geert will stay on for a few days until the weather breaks, then he too can dot the “i” in his trip. Godspeed.

The Party

2007-07-20T22:54:00.000-04:00

L to R: Jana, David, Geert, Dick, Anja

On 7-7 at Mary's and Kevin's house. Anja and Dick travelled farthest to come - it certainly was quite a surprise! (Jana had both lower wisdom teeth removed two days before, which explains the hamster cheeks.)

Thank you Geert

2007-07-17T06:09:00.000-04:00

On July 7 Mary had organised a party for as many people as reasonably possible from the Sea Scout crew. It was a very relaxed and pleasant evening; full of stories, good food, wine and beer and (of course) a plastic mug of rum for everyone.
When darkness had fallen Mary read some messages from e-mails of people who were not able to attend. With hardly any light, as we were used to on board.
This party and the atmosphere were the best possible way to say ‘thank you’ again to Geert, whom we considered ‘the best skipper ever’, to say goodbye to each other (the ‘best crew ever’, whose members, although most of them had never met before, felt very familiar immediately) and ‘the best ship ever’: Sea Scout. We’ll meet again.

Back home!

2007-05-09T13:35:00.000-04:00

This morning Sea Scout arrived in Galesville, MD. All's well.

“Bring it on, Captain Woody”

2007-05-06T20:04:00.000-04:00

To exit the canal onto the main branch of the Elizabeth River approaching Norfolk is like leaving Walden’s Pond and stepping into the streets of Manhattan. A simple left turn into the channel and in an instant a colossal barge is upon us barreling head-on at 12-plus knots. Time for evasive maneuvers. After a slow three-sixty we head up river staring skyward in awe at the towering cranes, freighters, and Navy carriers. Look out! Another tug is backing into our path. We hold up and wait as it rumbles into the channel with a 70-foot tall crane barge cabled to its bow.

Though Norfolk harbor is only 6 miles distant, we must pass through five lift bridges and draw bridges, and we do not know their schedules. We theorize they will certainly open ahead of the crane barge, so Geert radios the captain of the tug, the Captain Woody, to ask if we might tag along in his wake. “No problem,” he answers, “over and out.”

And so we bobble along in the prop wash of the tug, listening like gleeful children as we hear the tug radio each upcoming bridge requesting an opening. The last bridge master responds to the tug with what will become the anthem for our day, “Bring it on, Captain Woody!”

Voices Past

2007-05-06T19:45:00.000-04:00

Thursday, May 3rd. Elizabeth City. Captain’s Reprieve. We slept in and spent the morning provisioning and visiting with other transients comparing notes on journeys north. Several older cruisers were on their first and sometimes second turn of the “great circle route.” This is a seven or eight thousand mile trip up the ICW, Hudson River, Erie Canal, to the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi, and around Florida to start all over again. Sailors can follow the seasons and enjoy year-round travel. We could have listened all day, but by late morning it was time to push off and continue a small segment of that route ourselves.

To journey through the Dismal Swamp is to take a trip back in time. The low drone of the diesel blends with the boat’s bubbling wake to create a hypnotic trance. In the early morning, swirls of mist curl beneath overhanging tree boughs as if rising from witch’s cauldrons just beneath the surface. As we passed, each of our crew perched on the deck in solitude and gazed at the symmetry of the canal that extended in perfect perspective into the horizon. A heron hop scotched ahead of us for a period as if our shepherd. Both your eyes and ears can play tricks on you. As I stared – Were those the ghostly voices of travelers past I heard floating through the trees?

Almost there - by Geert

2007-05-04T18:21:00.000-04:00

We reached Norfolk this afternoon, after a rainy passage through the Dismal Swamp Canal. Tomorrow we plan to push on through the night, hopefully reaching southern Maryland before the weather turns on Sunday.

great trip

2007-05-02T21:50:00.000-04:00

It's wendsday evening and we launch at Elizabet city port.After 13 hours riding a boat we are happy to be on ground.Yesterday we swimm in Pamlico and Pungo river after all sunny day.I would say coffe river it has such a color like cuban coffe Geert serving us every day at morning.
Riding a sailing boat is one of the things I like so much except one spot.I have to wake up so early :-)

Nazdar ,
Vsetci co sledujete moju vypravu na plachetnici odkazujem ze sa mam dobre .Plavime sa zo severnej Karoliny do Anapolisu.Sme 3 na lodi.Kapitan(holandan) sa plavi z Kuby a je na pol rocnej vyprave smerom do Washingtonu.Na ceste nam obcas robia spolocnost delfiny.
Predpokladany prijazd je asi az na buduci tyzden.
Michal michlo

Not a Typical Monday

2007-05-02T21:23:00.000-04:00

Ha! If only for a handful of days I have slipped the away from the daily rat race! Monday evening I flew from Baltimore, MD to New Bern, NC and soon thereafter stepped onto the deck of the Sea Scout in Oriental, NC. I am happy to be guest crew of Geert’s to help shepherd Sea Scout on her final legs home to Annapolis.

Tuesday morning we threw off the lines at 7:00am traveling east, north then east yet again up the Neuse, Pamlico, and Pungo rivers. Half a dozen dolphins followed us for a time – a harbinger for safe passage. We anchored in the reeds of Pungo Creek just past Belhaven Tuesday evening and the winds set in to howl through the night.

Wednesday proved a true “hump” day. Our challenge was to travel north and cross the Albemarle Sound with following winds before a North Easter blew in Wednesday night to put the wind on our nose. Geert and Michael hauled the anchor at 6:00am and for the next 13 hours we passed through canals, rivers, and sounds like clockwork arriving at our target destination, Elizabeth City, NC at 7:00pm. What a glorious day. We will sleep well. The Dismal Swamp awaits us!

Sailing

2007-04-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,
Day before yesterday I was on my way with three girls (Misa,Petra and Martina)to Cape Hatteras area in North Carolina.We had really nice trip around the eastest most point in US.We travel acrooss two islands on ferry.At the evening we got to small town called Morehead city .I met there my new friend Geert from Holland.He is sailing guy and he has been on trip for couple of month from Cuba.He has lot of interesting story from his sailing trip he had shared with me.Today we sail from Morehead city to Oriental.We saw dolphines on our way.He let me ride his 30 feet long boath all the way to Oriental.It was exciting to ride boat by your self.In Oriental we pick up another crew membrer Bob from Baltimore.Tommorow we will sail all day to Belhaven(NC)
I forget to mention that Geert's culinary galley(food skills) are great.Today we had mexican specialty.
Michal Michlo

Pushing on

2007-04-29T10:22:00.000-04:00

Two new crew members, Michael Michlo and Bob Mayo, are arriving today and tomorrow. If the weather holds, we'll make the Chesapeake by next weekend. Dick Teachout, a seasoned 'Sea Scout' veteran (Bermuda, Newfoundland), may be able to join us in Norfolk next week. So, with luck, we'll get home after all.

In North Carolina

2007-04-28T21:03:00.000-04:00

Sea Scout is in Morehead City, NC. Next stop is Oriental, NC, and the plan is to reach Norfolk, VA next week-end, after transiting through the Great Dismal Swamp.

Almost there 2

2007-04-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

The weather is holding, and the forecast good. Rather than leave the boat now, we decided to push on as far as we can. We hope to reach Beaufort this weekend. From there it's only 200 miles to Norfolk on the south end of the Chesapeake Bay. If I can find one more crew member, we can make it. If you're interested, please call the boat's cell (202-491-7136) or Olina in Washington (202-237-7375 or 202-473-4655).

Almost there - by Geert

2007-04-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

We motored north on the Intra Coastal Waterway to Savannah, where Dancker left to go home, and Tony came on board. Winds were fair in the beginning of the week, so we went offshore immedaiately. We reached Cape Fear in North Carolina after two clear, beautiful days at sea, accompanied by dolphins and, at night, an occasional shrimper. We are now in the resort and nature preserve of Bald Head Island. Tony and I are both running out of time. We have to get back to Washington. The plan is to leave 'Sea Scout' in North Carolina (Wilmington area.) I will come back next month or in the summer to sail the boat to its mooring in the Chesapeake Bay. It should be a lovely trip: offshore from Masonboro Inlet to Beaufort, up the Neuse and Pamilco rivers, through the Dismal Swamp Canal, and finally up the Chesapeake. Interested in sailing? Send me an email and we'll talk about dates and logistics.

Greetings from Panama - by David

2007-04-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

Hey Geert,

I hope all is well and the staysail can be repaired. I wish we had Danker on board with us the whole time! Anyway lifes a party here and everyone is in Panama. I saw Gregoir and Morgan the french couple we met in Haiti, of course Barry and Chris are here as well. In addition we have met some amazing people that you would have really liked. Most interesting perhaps is the 27 year-old Hundarian named Aaron. He is sailing alone around the world in his 19 foor sailboat. You would have loved talking to this guy who by the way has a beard that goes pretty much down to his chest. He was so funny when Nathan Maggie and I had him over for dinner. We asked him if he believed in God and he replied ¨Of course!! My boat is very small and I need all the help I can get!

Anyway there was a huge backlog for sailboats going through the canal so we got to meet a lot of cool boats and as it is with cruisers, exchanged cards and made plans to see each other down in the galapagos. We finaly got through the canal last monday and it was just about all it was cracked up to be. Unbelievable how much work went into that canal and how many people died. Also i forgot to mention that while we were waiting to transit we decided against the San Blas as the weather was pretty bad and instead went up inland towards Costa Rica and spend 5 days hiking the mountains and volcanos of western Panama.

We are off tomorrow morning and are having a farewell dinner with Barry and Chris and their two friends who came to join them. They are leaving tomorrow as well but I think the Swan 60 will outpace us. (Even though as Nathan says, Barry´s sailing strategy is to put the Raymarine on, turn on the radar alarm and go to sleep. When you hear the turtles on the beach your there mate)!!

Ok well just thought id check in with you and Danker to make sure Sea Scout is still in one piece. Safe sailing Geert and reef early! Take it easy and watch out for those Floridians, they are a nasty bunch.

Due North

2007-04-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

We had some rough sailing outside the reef between Key West and Key Largo and ripped the staysail, but we made very good progress. We flew by Miami and Palm Beach and are now docked in Titusville. We can see the Kennedy Space Center from the cockpit. We plan to continue north on the Intracoastal Waterway. As soon as we have a two or three day weather window, we'll go offshore again.

Dancker fussed endlessly with the malfunctioning self steering vane, and got the thing working again. His next project is the rigging, which, he says, is tuned all wrong. It's a delight to have an experienced sailor on board.

Fort Pierce

2007-04-10T17:43:00.000-04:00

Sea Scout is in a marina about 10 miles south of Vero Beach. It's raining. They hope to leave to sail further north on Thursday.

Key West!

2007-04-04T11:12:00.000-04:00

We arrived at noon yesterday after a marvelous moonlit passage from Havana. In the federal building we raised many a border agent's eyebrow and had to listen to some threatening words ("There is no direct traffic between Cuba and the US!" "Boy, are you in trouble!" "You face deportation!"). After many questions and paperwork we (they) got things straight, thanks to Dancker's visa, my status as a writer and Sea Scoout's Dutch papers. There may very well be a federal follow-up in Washington, but we'll cross that river when we get there. For now we are happily back in the country and the boat has a cruising permit for a whole year.

Dick, thanks so much for the pictures. They are great!

Cuban pictures (II and last) by Dick

2007-04-04T08:06:00.000-04:00

Cubans are by nature very friendly and open minded. I enjoyed them, their meals, their way of trying to make the best of it.
Compared to Haiti Cuba is very clean. One reason is that Cubans do not have anything to spill. Another is the regime. It is everywhere.
Sometimes this regime looks funny (where in the world can you find oil tanks with the text: 'For my country I will die' or billboards especially made for Americans within the 'special interest section' of the USA at the Malecon in Havana?). Then it's intimidating: when soldiers guard embarking ships with their guns loaded.

And the black flags? Their original goal is to 'cover' an LED-screen with newsflashes 'from the free world' on the one and only American office in Havana. But the sign below it says it is to honour the victims of a battle with the Americans in 1868...

Cuba is however changing. In Havana western luxury is more visible than five years ago. But it still is a very thin 'varnish'.

May be this is what I like about it: the crew of Sea Scout did not always understand my sense of humor. The 'Dick joke' became a household word. Do you understand the humor of 'Fidel, 80 years more'? I do.

Pictures from Cuba (I)

2007-04-04T06:40:00.000-04:00

I split the Cuban selection in two: 'pictures made at sea' and those 'made on the land'.
The nice thing about being at sea is that what you see is constantly changing: the light, the colours, the waves (or no waves at all), sometimes there are clouds, at night you can see the moon and the stars (& planets). Anything is always or seems moving.
Sometimes you see other life, mainly animal life: birds, dolphins, we caught and ate a barracuda, bought and ate lobster and a red snapper from fishermen.
During my seven weeks in total we spotted five commercial vessels, about fifteen fishing boats and a few yachts. Ideal circumstances to train my 'sitting to sit'. I am very good at that now.
It's harder to make photos of what I just described. And when you realise the most important thing about navigation is that you constantly look for things you cannot see...
I tried however to give you an idea.
And, when David will be back on the log the contest for 'the best sunset' will open officially.

Dick

Ile a Vache

2007-04-04T05:34:00.000-04:00

On Ile a Vache (pop. 15.000) the highway is a footpath. The only traffic are pedestrians (and as rumour goes drug traffickers). We spent app. 10 days there. Geert found lots of plots for new books and we went sailing twice with local fisherman in their handmade, but very fast sailing boats. Gratien (see picture at end) was not only a fisherman but also a pastor... He named his vessel Ebenezer (= Kreol for Eben Haezer (1 Samuel 7:12). The stone of help or 'This is where the Lord brought us'.)
I was also very impressed by the work of Soeur Flora and the mailman from Quebec. She led the orphanage in Madame Bernard (the main village) for more than 25 years and he helps her six months a year by providing the most handicapped children a bath in the sea. The pedal boat you see is the orphanages washing machine (there is no electricity).

Jacmel

2007-04-04T05:13:00.000-04:00

Port au Prince

2007-04-04T05:08:00.000-04:00

At last: images from Haiti

2007-04-04T04:41:00.000-04:00

It took quite some time to make a selection from the more than 1.250 photos I did not skip from the memory card of my camera. But I'm confident that these images will give you an idea of what we (Geert, David and I) have tried to describe during February and March.

Back home in Holland it is cold (only 5 - 15 degr. Celsius) and busy. However, I already had the chance to make professional use of: 'What is the problem?' and then: 'Is it a problem?'

And I am sure all the stories I've heard and all the images that I have (the ones in my head are even more beautiful than these) will help carry me through Dutch spring into the summer.

It will take a few more weeks to go through all the notes I made and to be able to 'conclude' what these almost seven weeks on Sea Scout means for me.

For now it may be enough to say I am available for the next expedition.

First I publish the Haiti pictures. I wanted to show you the colourful life, the mess, the special atmosphere of 'Kanaval' in Jacmel as well as the paradise like atmosphere at Ile a Vache.

Enjoy and never stop asking.

Dick

Sea Scout is in Florida

2007-04-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

Dancker and Geert arrived in Key West this morning. All is well.

Notes from Havana - by Geert

2007-03-30T14:09:00.000-04:00

The forecast called for 15 knot easterlies; we got 25. We hoped to get a boost from the Gulf stream; we got 12 foot waves dead on the nose. It took us four days to sail the 180 miles from Cuba's western capes to Havana. We tried riding the stream, we tried sailing inshore, looking for calmer seas, we even tried to motorsail - a pathetic mistake with a 15 HP engine. We damaged two sails, the self steering vane couldn't deal with the waves, the engine quit when the fuel line got clogged. In the end we did it the hard way: tacking toward and away from the reef under stormsails and steering by hand, doing one to two hour shifts. One night David got so tired he started feeling sick. Another night a wave threw me through cabin and I busted my finger so badly that I lived on heavy duty painkillers for a while.

We were elated to reach Havana, but also exhausted, and had no appetite for officials. Still, they could not be avoided. They came on board with no fewer than three dogs. One to sniff for drugs, another for explosives, and the third for people. All our portable electronics (GPS, VHF radio) were taped and sealed. I suppose in case we wanted to use them to help Cubans escape. Cubans are not allowed on the boat, anywhere. When we leave a port, we always have an inspection, and two gueardsmen stay on the dock, in case a refugee would try to jump on at the last minute. This is a lovely country, but also a police state.

In Havana we for the first time were asked for a bribe. While his dog was snniffing around in the forward lockers, the drug enforcement guy said: Listen, between you and me, my wife's birthday is tomorrow, and I want to give her a nice present.

David left yesterday. He has been on the boat for three months, and was an invaluable member of the crew. He is flying to Panama, where he'll join British cruising friends Nathan and Maggie aboard 'Nakatcha'. They are headed for the Galapagos Islands and points beyond...

I only had a glimpse of Havana so far: a gorgeously beautiful city. More explorations tomorrow. This morning I visited Dr. Felicidad Debro in the local clinic. She cheerfully told me that I'll lose the nail of my busted finger. It will fall off by itself, she said, and if not, I'll cut it off before you leave.

Weather permitting Dancker (who is already here) and I plan to sail on early next week. Destination: Key West.

Sea Scout in Havana

2007-03-28T18:45:00.000-04:00

Arrived there this morning. All is well.

From Bermuda to the Virgin Islands – a very delayed report by Astrid

2007-03-22T16:27:00.000-04:00

Since I’ve left Sea Scout, the boat and it’s crew have experienced many new adventures, have seen many new things, got to know many new people, they went through good and hard times.

It’s quite a while ago since I came back to Austria. I had to leave St. John on Wed. Dec. 6th. After quite a long journey from St. John to St. Thomas (Ferry), from there to Puerto Rico, then to Washington, Paris and Munich I finally arrived back home in Silz/Tirol (Austria) on Dec. 7th. The change couldn’t be bigger – I had to start working the days after, at ski school. From sea level to 2020 m altitude, from tropical temperatures to the alpine winter. It somehow went well and I enjoyed skiing again, but my heart, my thoughts were still in the Caribbean, still thinking about the great time we had there – thanks again to Geert, Olina, Jennifer and Leo … and of course all the other great people I met … and sorry, that it took so long to write the story.

The time on Bermuda was great, but getting a bit too long and expensive after a while, so we checking were the weather forecast every day after we (mainly Geert) had done the repairs, went sight seeing, swimming, diving, …. Southerly winds, again and again and again – no way to sail south! Finally, on Nov. 25th the wind went N, later NE, first only 5 knots, later with 10-15 knots, perfect conditions to say good bye to the island and get used to sailing again.

As Herb gave the advice to do some easting to all boats asking him via the short wave radio, we did it as well – and it was a good idea! Additionally we tried to become friends with Neptun, the god of the sea, by giving him some Whiskey.

In the following days the wind became stronger, the waves became higher, but still perfect sailing with wind between 25-30 knots – taking us south with a speed of 4-7 knots.

Loads of flying fish were joining us on our journey, we even caught a Mahi Mahi! While I was steering Geert and Jennifer were fighting with the very strong fish – after a while it was on board. It was my job to gut it … and clean the boat afterwards (-: Jennifer then prepared a wonderful meal for us!

Most days we hardly met any boats, somtimes sailing boats hiding behind the waves ...

... but whenever Jennifer was on watch there were either huge monsters (container boats etc.) – for example the ship “Sonja” on starboard port (wherever this is!) or very wet showers with unpredictable windshifts. I somehow seemed to be the lucky one with fair winds and no frightening meetings, but I promise, this was not on purpose!

Jennifer had a satellite phone with her, to stay in contact with the family, to give interviews ... and maybe also to report about the great meal she prepared for us ;-)

After 8 days of wonderful sailing: “Land in sight!” (and this time I didn’t think it was a cruise ship like I did when we first saw Bermuda) – beautiful green islands on the horizon.

We decided to take a salt water shower on the foredeck before arrival, we even used some of the spare freshwater to rince, what a feeling! When we reached the shallow turquoise waters of the reefs the waves became smaller, still great sailing. We decided to clear in at customs at Jost van Dyke ...

... a paradise on earth – it’s capital: a sandy road, some buildings (one office building hosting municipality, police, customs, …, one church, a shop, a few private houses and loads of bars) on one side, a sandy beach with palm trees and hammocks on the other – all a sailor needs after a passage from Bermuda!

Unfortunately Jennifer left us the same day ...

Geert and me went to discover the island the day after – great, but very hot walking conditions: lunch at Diamond Cay in Foxy’s Taboo, a great swim at Bubble Pool in the north and hitchhiking back with one of the local Pick Ups. X-mas preparations in the capital. Sunset at White Bay. The perfect place to relax, a paradise on earth!

On Dec. 4th we decided to sail to St. John ...

... and cleared in at Cruz Bay, quite a lot of paperwork to do, a less relaxed atmosphere than on Jost van Dyke. Customs told us to leave the dock as soon as possible as a “big” ferry was expected. We tried to do this, but the engine didn’t start – and the panel first showed no light, then two lights. Two men from the shipyard finally towed us to a very beautiful anchorage near their garage, just across the bay.

There we read the manual and realised that there were always mend to be two lights (as usually) but we were so used to only one light that we were concerned … - and the “big” ferry worried us as well. Anyway, some wires were loose and corroded and had to be fixed anyway.

St. John is a lively colourful Caribbean town, the “1 $ Bus” from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay is the best opportunity to get an overview of the green island with its loads of natural treasures and many protected areas.

Reef Bay Sugar Mill

The Reef Bay Trail took me through fascinating tropical vegetation to the lonesome Reef Bay. After a short swim I walked back and looked out for the bus, which never passed, fortunately I could hitchhike back and avoided a long walk.

In the evening Geert and me went for dinner to a wonderful bar on the beach, unfortunately our last one as I had to leave the day after.

Bye Geert ...

Hi mum ...... and dad!

It was a great time, thanks to everyone who made it so special!

Update (by Geert)

2007-03-21T16:48:00.000-04:00

I had my first experience with the famous Cuban health care sysem. In Haiti I acquired a few mysterious swollen lesions. Leprosy? Bubonic plague? Dr. Sandy Gonzalez checked me out and did a blood test, at no cost and without any paperwork. He gave me a perscription for a 10 day supply of the antibiotic Cipro. In the US it would cost $100. Here I paid 15 cents.

We are in Nueva Gerona on the Isla de la Juventud, after a beautiful cruise throughh the Canarreos archipelago. Mary left the boat today. Dick will go home tomorrow. David and I will try to sail offshore to Havana, takng advantage of the favorable Gulf Stream current.

Two Stories....by David

2007-03-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

I.
"Poopie"!
"Mentiroso"!
This exchange lasted several minutes between Cito and Leonardo. The two boys were bitter friends. Cito, 8 and Leonardo, 9 lived in the small fishing village of Casilda, 6 Km south of Trinidad, Cuba. Their fathers worked as fishermen for the state and they lived a decent and quiet life.

I found myself in the middle of this arguement outside Cito's home. Cito had asked if I wanted to play baseball and naturally I jumped at the oppurtunity. I soon found out that my acceptance included much more than just a baseball game. Cito had a tennis ball that he brought with him outside where we met Leonardo. This is when the arguement began between Cito and Leonardo.
From my high school spanish I gathered that Leonardo had slapped a woman across the face, thus reducing him to the title of 'Poopie'. Leonardo, to his credit remained cool and simply called Cito a liar whereas if I had been falsely accused of such a grievance at the age of 9 I would have started a fight. Regardless, Leonardo was to be known as poopie throughout the entire game.

Cuban baseball, at least for 8 year olds in Casilda consists of one tennis ball and three rocks. The batter holds the tennis ball in his hand at home plate and uses his fist as a bat. The fielder then attempts to field the ball and race to either first or second or home (there are only three bases in Cuban baseball) to get the batter out. Three outs for Poopie, six outs for Cito.

As I was hesitant to get in the middle of such a divisive game I could not resist the temptation to run the bases and see Cito and Poopie chase after the ball. I got up to bat and with all my power (and a little deviousness) hit the ball as far as I could. Cito and Poopie just watched as the ball soared over their heads and own the dirt road. They looked at me as I rounded second and headed for home, a look that showed they were obviously not happy with my flagrant display of seniority. I got home laughing and smiling and looked at the two boys. Simply, I had cheated according to them. My record breaking home run was illegal and the run did not count since it was too far away. While I tried to reason with Cito and Poopie I could tell that at the ripe age of 22 that I was no match for Cito and Poopie, two experienced Cuban baseball players.

I dropped my head further when I was informed that not only did the run not count, but that since I cheated I had lost my turn at bat and had to return to the field. This is how the afternoon went as the sun wanned and set over the horizon to the west. We went back inside Cito's home to the cool concrete floors and the sounds of Bucanero beer popping open. The world of Cuban baseball in this quiet town is a mural of passion, absurdity and laughter. Much like that of the Cuban people.

II.
We were led down the cobblestone streets, past the tourists, across from the museums, and onto a dirt road that resembled so many I saw in Haiti. The dirt road was uneven and jagged rocks marked the detours you had to make along the way. We had come to dance and we were being led to the end of civilization. A fitting place in all honesty for one to learn the provocative dance of the salsa.
We came to a door that opened into a cool, spacious living room filled with family pictures and a few small chairs. The woman, rather large but in a way that said she lived a good life, called herself Danielle. She led us to the back of her home and down some steps into an empty room with a concrete floor. The two of us novices smiled at each other nervously. What had we done? How had we ended up in this godforsaken place, with our pale skin, gringo accents and classic tourist look?
Danielle returned with a fan and a CD player. As she plugged the music into the socket she shooed her chicken out of our dance hall. Clearly we would not be alone during our dance lesson.

As our lesson began I vacated my nervousness with a false sense of confidence. "Nostros aprendemos rapido" We learn fast. This phrase would be Danielles favorite for the next two hours as I stepped on toes, spun the wrong way, tripped, fell, and generally learned very slowly. Despite this however, we spun, shook our hips, stepped "adelante y detras", and by the end of the two hours had gotten through a whole salsa song with as much as a single noticable slip.

We were experts. Or so we thought. What Danielle neglected to tell us as we headed out her door and to the Cuban salsa club that night was that we had no experience and the two hour lesson included no instruction on the thousand of other intricate dance steps of the salsa. Not to mention the style we so dearly lacked. In other words, we learned the notes, not the music.

While our evening was filled with large spins, subtle trips and lots of expletives from this perfectionist it was remarkable how we were accepted by the other dancers. We were two gringos who braved the beast and stepped "adelante y detras". Danielle would have corrected us and laughed at our mistakes but we were happy. The salsa is not about the notes, its about the music. Cuba is not about the notes, its about the music. We left the club and walked out onto the Plaza Mayor into the cool, breezy night content and happy.

Spending time in Cuba

2007-03-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

If we learned anything in Cuba it is that the bureaucracy is very effective in creating work for everyone and in preventing unwanted ´mixing of interests´. In Santiago de Cuba about 16 officials from different departments came on Sea Scout to check the vessel, the crew, the luggage, the food, our medicine box, our papers and so on for contraband, bugs, insects, whatever. They even fumigated the boat. So the boat is bugs free now. And lucky we were declared healthy and nothing illegal was found. It was an experience to find out that the officials checking asked us to see what they did, so they could not be accused of taking away anything.
Before leaving Geert had to buy special ´stamps´(sellos) before the ´immigracion´ could let us leave the harbour.
This morning we learned that for every new crew member we must have an extra ´sello´. So I went, as instructed by the official in the marina, to the post office in Trinidad to buy three of them. One for Marissa, one for Mary and one for Dancker. That´s good planning.
At the Correos (post office): ´Sellos d´enrollo? Never heard of. May be you can come back on Monday when the Correos Internacional is open.´
The two ladies in the post office were very kind but they could not help me.
So I decided to go to the office of Cubanacan, the official tourist organisation. ´Never heard of. May be you can try at the bank.´
At the bank, another few blocks away: ´Never heard of. I am very sorry we can´t help you.´
Cubanacan has a ´competitor´ called Cubatur. A few blocks further. After a discussion between five employees that took about fifteen minutes it was clear. I had to go to the Policia de Inmigracion. Outside town. Well, a taxi took me there within ten minutes. ´Sellos d´enrollo? Ah, no we don´t sell them here. We are not allowed to. You have to go to the bank.´
'At the bank they just ...'.
´But the only bank that sells them is the Banco de Credito y Comercio.´
OK, then. I arrived at the BCC at 11.05. On Saturday the bank closes at 11.00. ´But we have to leave tomorrow.' (little bit of exaggeration may help).
´Yes, I understand but I really can´t help you. You may try to go to Cienfuegos.´(That is only 80 kilometers northwest of here.) .
I will take a taxi Monday morning at 7.30 to be certain that I am the first client at the BCC. Or?

Passage notes - by Geert

2007-03-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

We reached Casilda after a week long cruise through Jardines de la Reina, an extensive achipelago of mangrove and coral islands. All are uninhabited. We only met a few fishermen, and a Dutch sailor returning from an Antarctic adventure.

The sailing was excellent, but we also for the first time in months felt the influence of cold fronts over the north american continent. North winds of 30 knots forced us to hide for two nights in a tight mangrove anchorage at Cayo Breton.

We have a full crew of three, and use the self steering vane less and less. Steering by hand is much more accurate, especially downwind and in a swell. It is also much faster. Day before yesterday we averaged almost 6 knots, with a double reef in the main and a reefed genoa.

Casilda is the harbour of Trinidad, one of the oldest cities in Cuba. Some of the colonial buildings have been restored with Unesco money, but fortunately, there are still many beautiful ruins left. It's a very quiet town. There are some taxi's and air conditioned buses for western tourists, but the Cubans use horse carts and bicycle taxi's. The communist government and the US embargo have almost brought this place to a standstill.

I'll quickly post, without spell check, before internet time runs out.

In Casilda

2007-03-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

Earlier tonight, Sea Scout arrived in Casilda (Sancti Spiritus province), where there are resorts exclusively for visitors from capitalist countries. All is well. David plans to take off for Havana tomorrow, and Sea Scout will sail on in a couple of days.

Happy Birthday Dad

2007-03-05T17:16:00.001-05:00

i think the title of this post conveys my messege well. sorry im a little late, you aren't easily reached.

love, nico

Cuba! ' by David

2007-02-28T17:59:00.000-05:00

There will be a longer and more informative post in time but for now I would just like to inform everyone...including those folks at the NSA that we are in Cuba! It was a long motor across the Windward passage, or as I have come to call it the Windless passage but we finally got into Santiago de Cuba at 7am on Tuesday Feb. 27th.
Our welcome into Santiago was a pleasant surprise especially against the backdrop of Santo Domingo. Everyone was extraordinarliy friendly and have been helpful during our short stay.
I finally got rid of the beard that had taken over my face and this afternoon found a nice Cuban barber to trim me up. What an experience! I got a straight edged shave lying back and listening to Patsy Cline´s, ¨Crazy¨. It was marvelous and it felt good to be rid of the itchy growth that dominated my chin!
Our plans for the next month are as follows

We will leave Santiago tomorrow morning and get into Casilda-Trinidad on March 7th.
We hope to leave Trinidad and Casilda on March 11th and sail to Cayo Largo getting in on the 12th.

From Cayo Largo we will sail to Isla Juventud and the town of Nueva Gerona gettingo in to N Gerona on March 20th.
We will depart N Gerona on the 22nd of March and sail towards Marina Hemmingway getting in there on the 27th of March.

TO MARY AND DANCKER
Mary, it is probably easiest for you to fly to Cayo Largo and sail the stretch from Cayo Largo to Nuevo Gerona, called by many the most beautiul cruising stretch in all of Cuba. You can then take a ferry from Nuevo Gerona to the mainland to get back to Habana.

Dancker,
It will probably be easiest if you met up with the boat at Marina Hemmingway on or about the 27th of March. Dick, Geert and i will sail the boat around the Cape and up the western coast and meet you at Marina Hemmingway there.

While we have only begun our adventure in Cuba it seems as if a month is not nearly enough to explore this amazing place. I hope to provide more substantial updates and accounts of our travels here. To all of you in the world I hope you stay warm and pleasant. Take it easy...

-dg

Santiago de Cuba

2007-02-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

Sea Scout arrived in Santiago de Cuba this morning. All is well. Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay and is an important sea port.

Island life - by Geert

2007-02-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

We went sailing with Manis and Lino in a 20 foot wooden boat named Nannantan bondje, which is creole for waiting for, or expecting the good lord. The boat has long bamboo poles for sprit and boom, and cotton sails that look like they were cut from old tablecloths or bedspreads. The wind was good and the boat sailed very fast. The mainsail is enormous, and cannot be reefed. For ballast we had two bags of sand that we moved around as needed to keep the boat level. On the wind Lino put a long pole athwartships, sticking out two meters on the high side. David climbed on holding on to a rope from the top of the mast. And on we went, Dick steering, David doing a trapeze act on the pole, and Manis and Lino bailing furiously.

We sailed to Ile Permantois, a tiny island north of Ile a Vache, It is home to about 60 people, all fishermen and thier families. They live in straw huts in the shade of palmtrees, fish in dugout canoes and little boats like Manis's, and dry thier catch on wooden racks on the beach. On a clear sunny day it looks like a paradise. In fact these people are rock bottom poor, They dry, and eat, even the tiniest minnow they catch.

Our sail was delayed because a woman from Ile a Vache had died in Les Cayes, on the nainland. She was eight months pregnant. According to local custom, a eccentric mixture of catholicism, voodoo and the influence of various protestant missionaries, babies, even unborn ones, have to be buried seperately. So the dead baby was removed from the dead mother. In the evening hundreds of people gathered and wailed on the beach when the bodies arrived by sailboat, in the pitch dark.

We have visitors every day. Islanders come to the boat in their dug out canoes, offering bananas, coconuts, mangoes and fresh eggs and lobster for sale. If we want beer, we hail a canoe to go and get it, and do our laundry the same way. Some islanders sell themselves. On several occasions we were offered women, by men. One afternoon Vilna, a woman who also does landry, came by peddling her canoe wearing hot pants and lots of costume jewelry. She asked in creole: Are there no women on this boat?

This may be the last dispatch from Haiti. We plan to sail on to Cuba on Sunday.

Some pictures from "Jacmel Kanaval"

2007-02-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

A sign of life from the Free Republic

2007-02-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

of Ile A Vache

We still are in Port Morgan at Ile a Vache, where, as rumour goes, people don't pay taxes and hardly obey the Haitian law. Why should they? They catch their own fish, harvest their own fruits and coconuts and potatoes and have no other infrastructure than 'bridle paths' where people and little horses and mules wall sometimes in line (there is hardly any room to pass). No electricity, water comes from a well. Haiti is almost an hour by motorboat from here.
Many stories are being told here. Which one should we believe?

Yesterday I visited the 'main village' called Madame Bernard for the second time. It takes a 'stiff walk' of more than one hour and a half to get there. And three liters of water and a liter of Coke (temperature is 30 degrees Celsius and more).
On Monday I visited the market. I've never been in Africa, but it felt like it. Yesterday I went to see an orphanage with 55 children, led by Soeur Flora. Twenty of them are handicapped (from autistic to spastic) and are taken care of twice a week by a postman from Quebec, who goes out swimming with them. It is sad to notice that these children are kept out of society and rejected by their parents, probably because people believe there is a curse on them. Therefore they also cannot go to the seashore on market days, to avoid confronting them with the people out there...
We plan to sail on to Cuba next Sunday. We will stay in Santiago shortly. The harbour seems to be really filthy... And we are looking forward to visit the archipelago west of the Sierra Maestra...

Ile A Vache - by David

2007-02-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

Ile A Vache
N 18 05 753
W 73 41 698

I am writing from the end of the world. If we do not drop off the face of the earth in the next few days we have surely been taken back in time. The world here is that of the 19th century and I feel as if I will not be able to escape (nor do I want to) for some time.
We are anchored in the calmest bay imaginable just a few meters from shore. In the evening as I look down into the black water I can see the constellations of Orion, Cygnus and Cassiopia reflecting off the bay. The ash from my cigar is the only disturbance in this calm anchorage and there is virtually no light pollution.
Ile A Vache is a paradise like island surrounded by palm trees, and beaches protecting the lush rolling green hills and fields that offer salvation for those seeking escape from the dust and grime of the mainland. The 2,000 or so inhabitants on this island work as subsitenence farmers, fishermen, and merchants. They have developed an extraordinary way to survive while living on about a dollar a day (minimum wage in Haiti is $3/day). The fisherman do not use motor boats as has become the norm in most of the world today. Rather they have become remarkably proffecient at constructing sailboats to use as work boats.
These sailboats cost between $100-300 USD to build and are a feat of humanity and engineering. The simplest are dug-out canoes with a bamboo mast and an extra long boom to provide balance for these keeless boats. Additionally they have a small jib which enables them to go wing on wing when catching the land breeze in the morning and the sea breeze in the afternoon. Their sails are made of black garbage bags taped together. As I say these are the simplest type of boat and where very common in Jacmel.
The next class of "yachts" are the more commercial fishing boats. They have a larger hull and actually have a deep keel that allows them to go upwind at a very high angle. They are usually double handed and the crew (as is the case in dinghy racing) operates the jib and provides ballast. In fact many of these types of boats have a trapeeze for the crew to hike out on when heeling over. These ships sail around the channel between Ile A Vache and Les Cayes dropping their nets in the morning and picking them up again by early afternoon. You can occasionally see smoke coming from the deck of the ship as it is obvious the skipper and crew are cooking lunch with charcoal.
Finally, the largest type of ship is the cargo freighter. These ships are anchored just offshore from Les Cayes where the cargo they carry is unloaded onto the dozens of gondolas there waiting and taken ashore to the dirty and grimy streets of Les Cayes. These cargo ships are wooden as well of course and are quite large, measuring some 30-35 feet in length and nearly 13 tonnes. They are quite intricate with a double head sail sometimes and lazyjacks to keep the main sail centered over the boom. They are more like vessels as Geert put it, than boats. They are quite deep and can accomodate (must accomodate) a large number of crew to man the sails and manage the cargo. They carry everything from charcoal to flower to people.
Geerts imagination has begun to run wild with adventures upon these primitive yet sound vessels. In fact we are going out tomorrow with a fishermen to work and sail on his ship. It will be very fun and interesting to see how well they sail and what exactly it takes to make one of these boats.
As we entered and left the harbor of Les Cayes I felt as if I was looking into the past and how the old shipping ports must have operated in the 1800's. Boston Harbor, Baltimore, San Francisco, etc. all must have been very similar to this before the advent of the steamship. As I said, I believe my journey back in time has only begun as Cuba awaits some 150 miles to the west.
Les Cayes is an unremarkable city, filthy and smelly yet lined with old French colonial homes that have been left to decay. The remind you of the Tennessee Williams play and subsuquent movie with Marlon Brando 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Keeping with Marlon Brando I felt that after hearing the echos of "Stella, Stella", I could see the young actor working as a longshoreman on the docks hauling charcoal off the gondolas and onto wheelbarrows. But that is as far as my imagination and analogy will go...!
Yesterday Geert and I rented two mediocre horses to ride and explore the island of Ile A Vache. When I asked what my horses name was the owner replied, "Horse". I was riding a horse with no name. Fitting as I saw it since I was the only American on the island. Regardless, what Geert and I found was breathtaking. We set off on our own to explore and came across countless people bringing fish to the market, hauling water, sweeping their dirt lawns, etc. We saw a husband and wife arguing, kids kicking a soccer ball made out of tape, and old men dancing to music playing on their new radio. How much of this place is the essence of mankind? They are without a million things that most of us have without thinking about and yet they still argue with their wives, play sports and dance.
This is not meant to further illustrate the cliche of western commercialism or meager happiness, rather to show how alike we all are. Our sorrows, our pleasures and day to day activities can be broken down to a common denominator across just about every culture in every part of the world. For me at least this is comforting. My individualtiy remains intact for my own joys and sorrows are unique to me, yet I find comfort in that despite everything the western world has said and done to Haiti, her people are like the rest of us. They love a sunny day, they love to run around and laugh, they cry, they fight and they survive. Maybe that is what I have learned from my short time in Haiti...we are all alike and no matter what we have going against us, as humans we endure and survive. Haiti has survived for 200 years and while we seach for ways to improve life here, we sometimes fail to remember her humanity and ability to survive.
Geert, Dick and I have many adventures ahead of us in the next two weeks before we depart for Cuba and I can only imagine Cuba will offer her own unique perspective on the human condition and my individual place in this world. For now, we are off to dinner with French sailor named Guy who is sailing around the world.
From the end of the world....
-dg

Landed on Ile a Vache - by Dick

2007-02-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

We landed on Ile a Vache, south of Haiti. The Netherlands are really far away. I just received an e-mail of a good friend Jan Roelofs. He is working on an initiative for a Dutch 'spiritual political party' in Holland. He trusts his country is heading in the right direction as it has a new government ‘guarding Christian values’ in ‘our world'. A world that’s far away from here.

This is an oasis; we are moored in a lagoon with little beaches, palm trees and huts where people live with their family, chickens and pigs. Fisherman are repairing their nets by hand and sailing vessels are being build the same way as they are for hundreds of years. Sailors are sailing up and down to the main island to transport people and food. Children are even going to school in uniforms and after returning home they try to sell us papayas and melons as they peddle to the Sea Scout in a ‘dug out’ canoe. They and all the other people here are very friendly; and curious as well.
There is a sign on the beach that the EU donated money to maintain their way of living. People seem to live relaxed. That is quite different from Port au Prince.

I am a week on my way now and it is incredible what I experience. I just swam to the shore (because David and Patrick took the dinghy for spearing lobsters) with my glasses, a towel and shirt in a plastic bag. There is an almost very nice, but not really very busy hotel run by French people.

After leaving the American civilization/culture in Miami in Port au Prince I landed in another world. I called Port au Prince a 'bustling city'. It may have been ‘the understatement of the day’. Of course we did not go into the really dangerous places as Cite Soleil. But it is anyhow considered to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world; moreover it was very busy, warm, full of people, full of trade and it smelled really bad because there is no service to clean the garbage from the streets. A ‘blanc’ is easily spotted. And, is as I felt, considered to be a ‘walking money tree’. But I also met people concerned with matters such as: where and how will I find food today? How to spend the rest of the day with no job to go (over 80 ! % has no work they are being paid for). Voodoo is serious business here. As is Catholicism, Baptism, and Jehovah’s witnesses. So, this is what’s on peoples minds.
There are also quite a number of American and European (and local) people making money by giving aid via professional NGO's and driving around is SUV’s. And there are people convinced that they are sent by God and thus have the power to start up an orphanage for at least twenty children with their own hands. There is no shortage of children who’s parents cannot take care of... All these tings are possible because ‘de facto’ there is no government. No structure. Of course there are also people working with a more balanced mind and heart. But in the end, it’s up to the strongest.

Jacmel compared to Porte au Prince was a provincial town. The fact that the waves were rolling from the sea into the harbor made Sea Scout rolling up and down. But the unrest that results in, is nothing compared to all the stories you hear about smuggling narcotics, relations, embargos, changes in who rules the country, very nice initiatives, big plans; about suspects who are three years in jail before they are brought to the court and then fall asleep in front of the judge, because they do not understand a word (the process is in French; a Haitian speaks Kreol). Haiti is more than any country a world of stories. Geert met in Jacmel the widow of a Dutch ex politician, who lives there: she created her own world.
You may have his report on carnival: read it, combine it with what I tell you now and you will know what I mean.

It took about twenty hours to sail from Jacmel to Ile a Vache. So we sailed on all night with a wind force three to five (and more or less the same speed) and a sometimes ‘bumpy’ sea. During watch there was nothing but stars and waves. The island was dark. Electricity is a scarce good here. But it was very much worth it. On board were also Patrick and Kate who initiate cultural projects in Jacmel. It all went well. Patrick and Kate just left with a motorboat to catch a plane back home. We are going to stay for a couple of days.
Here in this paradise. So that I can make up my mind again.

Dick

Carnaval - by Geert

2007-02-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

Giant bats that flap their painted plywood wings with a sharp, frightening sound, masked demons cracking long whips on the pavement, nearly naked men covered from head to toe with soot and shiny, pitch black paint, dragging rattling chains, long necked dragons, enormous insects and spiders, and many impersonations of the Voodoo devil Baron Samedi, carrying a coffin, or leading a band of zombies - there was a lot of scary stuff at last Sunday's Carnaval parade in Jacmel. And there were so many participants that it lasted all afternoon.

In the evening thousands dancing revelers took over the streets. They were spurred on by Ra-ra bands, groups of drummers and hornplayers, each with its own style. These bands don't march, they run - if there is room. Some streets were completely jammed with people. You could not move in any direction. I was warned against pickpockets, so I left my wallet on the boat. I did a little experiment: I put a banknote in each of my four pockets. At the end of the evening they were still there. I then lost some of the money in the central square, where dozens of little gambling stalls were set up. Many were handcrafted and painted roulette wheels, with very eccentric symbols and numbering.

I very quickly lost Dick and David in the melee, but that was all right. I must have hugged at least a hundred strangers, and this was only the first day of the Carnaval season.

We plan to set sail for Ile a Vache this afternoon. Meanwhile, Google made some changes to the Blogger website. All team members have to sign in again before they can post - a easy process.

Hailing you from California...

2007-02-13T02:59:00.000-05:00

My part in this story is so far in the past,
and given how exciting reports from Haiti have been, I don't
want to cover stories that have already been covered so excellently.

I'm only trying to excuse myself for not writing sooner.

Port-Au-Prince - by David

2007-02-12T14:53:00.001-05:00

This was originally an email but I decided to turn it into a posting on the blog. I hope you enjoy.

I am sitting on the roof of the Hospice St. Joseph in Port-Au-Prince. This city is hard to describe and it is quite unfortunate that i have only 2 days here. That said, I imagine most of the city is similar to what I saw today. Trash not only lining the street but composing the street. Beggars holding out their hands, hustlers walking with you and telling you names of thanks and demanding to be paid for this information.
It is quite difficult to look a child in the eye and deny them a dollar yet if i gave him/her a dollar i would have to give everyone a dollar. As my Haitian friend Patrick said...it is just about beyond hope for Haiti.
The city faces west into the Atlantic Ocean. It is bound by mountains on all sidesand slums within. The most notorious slum is called Citi Solei and it lies on the water next to the road leading to the airport. That is a major reason for most of the kidnappings. Gangsters in Citi Solei can see when rich blancs fly in and they make prime targets for kidnapping or robbing. Kidnappings, muggings, torture and shootings occur almost daily in this city and in the evenings you can hear in the distance the pop of machine gun fire from the slums.
I walked through the largest market in PAP. This borders another dangerous slum appropriately called Bel Air. The market is really unbelievable. People sell everything and anything you could want or buy in all of Haiti. From food, art and soap to collanders and prostitutes this market is so infested with humanity you can barely breathe when inside the wrought iron edifice. It is more crowded than the Arab quarter in Jerusalem. You cannot make out where you are supposed to walk and what happens to be just a small space between vendors (there usually isnt any space at all to walk and you often must turn around and find another route).
The triaffic is its own story. Hundreds of tap-taps ferrying thousands of people clog the streets. Vendors compete for space on the curb (the curb is just where the trash begins to get less dense). These vendors, mostly women protect their baskets of merchandise or food from the pedestrians, motorpeds, tap-taps and UN convoys that fill the streets with black smoke and the perpetual caucophony of horns blaring.
As I weaved my way in and around these vendors the constant honking of tap-taps kept me aware that i was not invulnerable to being hit. The joke in Haiti is: Q: How many people can you fit in a tap-tap? A: One more.... This is true as people hold on and squeeze in together in ways the Vatican would call indecent. They all wear long pants and many are in suits or at least outfits that resemble business attire. Despite this you could not find a bead of sweat on the whole bus. It is remarkable how they stay cool while I am in shorts and a t-shirt nearly soaked through with sweat.
By this time the sun had begun its descent into the ocean and I began to hike back up the hill where St. Joseph rests looking out over this destitute city. The kids at the house were so intrigued by my sunglasses they demanded to try them on. It was great fun for all of us as each child (about 15) got to pose as a Tonton Macoute (the notorious private army that killed dissenters during the Duvalier era) wearing my sunglasses as I took their picture. It was marvelous! There was such joy in these kids' smile and it so contrasted the hardness of life that I saw downtown. The girls would take your hand and lean in for a kiss on the cheek, even the littlest ones. I would bend down and greet them in this fashion and it would seem that all trouble they have seen and will see is irrelevant. "Bonsoir" is all you have to say for their eyes to light up like a flash of life. It is exhilirating, intoxicating and heartbreaking all at the same time.
Are these kids not rich in life? I should think so. Most of them live in conditions that would considered cruel for our pets back home. Their parents earn in a year when we spend in a week to kennel our dogs. It is not the money as I see it, rather the byproduct of money. A carelessness about the simple pleasures in life perhaps. They are rewarding for these children whereas for us blancs we require much more to satiate our appetite for pleasure.

As I explore further into this place and her people I believe my first impressions will be confirmed. This is a place of devastating poverty. Much of which is the result of foreign economic dependence and domestic political and social unrest. Additionally, many Haitians I have come across represent the mindset that the world is out to serve them. They complain that they cannot feed their families yet they refuse to work when it is available. However, despite all this, those who have not yet become hardened by the horrors of this place have in them a genuine humanity that rips through your soul and makes a nest in your life. It is in these people that the future of Haiti rests upon.

Bay of Eagles - by Geert

2007-02-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

I am very happy to be in Haiti. We had many challenges and some serious problems along the way, and we reached our first goal. Much more on Haiti later, I'm sure, but I first have to write about the extraordinary beauty of the Bahia de las Aguilas, our last anchorage in the Dominican Republic. Rounding Cabo Beata was tough, and getting past Cabo Falso, to the Northwest, even tougher. As soon as we were in the lee, Bahia de las Aguilas opened up like an immense zone of peace. The water was flat, there was a white sandy beach several miles long, rolling hills to the east offered protection against the trade wind, the north and south corners of the bay were dramatically marked by high cliffs.

It is an extraordinary anchorage because it is completely open to the west. Looking in that direction you have the feeling that you dropped anchor in the middle of a calm sea. Obviously, if the wind ever turned west, like during a tropical storm, you'd have to get out of there very quickly. But hurricane season is still many months away. We had splendid sunsets, while feasting on the lobster and octopus a local fisherman brought in every afternoon.

Jacmel - by David

2007-02-06T10:13:00.000-05:00

Arrived Haiti 1230 EST Feb. 5, 2007
I have entered another world where few of the rules that apply to life elsewhere exist. The street is like a warzone held together by the crumbling dust of the french colonial houses that used to line the street. The dock is in disrepair and many planks are missing but they provide enough support to take a running start from 20 yards away and do a flying squirrel into the clear blue water below. After spending several hours fiddling with the dock lines (we have 8 in total plus an anchor i swam out to set) we joined our friends Patrick and Kate for lunch across from the main plaza in Jacmel. Lunch was delightful and yet it provided me my first glimpse of this beautiful but hard place.
"Bonjour Blanc", said the woman who may have been only 50 but looked about 100 years old. She held out her hands through the holes in the concrete that separated the terrace where we ate and the street.
Women walked up and down the streets with enormous baskets on top of their heads carrying things to and from the market. Men waited on their mopeds to ferry people around, and children in their uniforms danced happily down the street as they were let out of school for the day. "Bonjour Blanc" they would say with smiles that revealed their white teeth.
Geert and I then left Patrick and Kate to explore some on our own. We were hassled by the hustlers that were so quick to jump on our arrival. "Capitan, capitan, you give me dollar. I watch your boat." And on it went until we had to take stern action and tell them we could walk alone without their help. Despite this, the Haitian people are incredibly friendly and nearly always have a smile on their face. While I have only been here 24 hours it is already apparent how hard working they are. As I talked with Geert last night I commented on how used many of them have been by the government over the past 200 years. I hope to learn more as I get deeper into the people and culture.
This morning Geert and I changed money at a local store that Patrick recommended and we walked through the market. This was another world in itself. People, food, goods, flies all coexist in this market and it is difficult to describe. Everything is sold, and it is quite organized with a meat section, a vegetable section a produce section, a fish section, etc. The flies can be sometimes unbearable but Geert came up with a wonderful phrase that he attributed to the writer Saul Bellow, we have just taken a "humanity bath". He and Saul were dead on in that description. Never before have i seen humanity work at its most honest. The constant political upheavals have forced these people to survive on a subsistence economy. Hundreds of women get up each morning from their homes in the mountains and walk the 20 or so kilometers with their goods balanced on their heads into the market of Jacmel. They then sit amongst the other vendors and flies that feed off their goods and sell what they can. In the evening they return through the same road. It is, as i say, the most honest form of humanity i have ever seen. I must explore further.
Today I am helping Patrick and Kate paint the gallery in preparation for the show on Sat. night. Another entry in the blog will be required for what is promised to be an amazing evening of art, food, dancing, music and culture. I will not reveal the extent of the show so as to whet the appetite of the readers but i can say that this weekend is the national carnival fesitval a full week before the real carnival. 50,000 people come from all over Haiti to Jacmel for their carnival as it is usually the best and Patrick and Kates show will be the event that kicks it all off. Very exciting.
As for our plans in the future, Geert and I are meeting with the mayor and his wife tomorrow and on Thursday I plan to go into Port-Au-Prince and meet with Dick to explore that city. More poverty awaits me there but hopefully more intrigue and adventure. Again I am very excited.
After Carnival this weekend, we hope to sail with our friends to Ile la Vache and Les Cayes and explore the hundreds of bays and islands that are scattered along the southwestern coast of Haiti. We will then return in time for the next and more regular carnival that precedes lent.
We have adventures ahead of us that will hopefully trump those we have left behind. Haiti was one of our main destinations and there is certainly a sense that we have finally arrived and can begin to really explore. For Geert, hopefully the boat can avoid any more trouble and he can get to work on his stories. As for me I am off to do some manual labor and paint. I havent found what im looking for just yet ( im not even sure I know what im looking for) but here in Jacmel i definitely feel one step closer. Till next time....

In Haiti!

2007-02-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

Sea Scout arrived in Jacmel. All is well.

Land breeze - by Geert

2007-02-01T09:35:00.000-05:00

One of te remakable things about sailing along the coast of large, mountainous islands like Puerto Rico and Hispaniola is the land breeze. During the day the tradewinds blow steadily out of the east. At night, when the land cools off faster than the sea, the wind first dies, and than shifts to the north (along the southern coast, at least). This land breeze is often strong enought for good sailing. It is aslo quite predictable.

In order to reach the Bahia de las Aguilas we have to round Cabo Beata. This cape is known for strong currents and especially for big swells. The waves are biggest during the day, when thay are pushed up by the tradewinds. We will try to reach the cape at daybreak, when the land breeze dies. The tradewinds usually pick up around 9 AM, and today blow at 25 knots.

In Salinas - by Geert

2007-01-30T11:13:00.000-05:00

This is Salinas: dunes of grey sand, beaches half a mile wide, salt ponds full of birds, a wide bay with crystal clear water, ridge after ridge of stark brown mountains in the distance. The most striking thing about the Dominican Republic is the variety of its ladnscape.

Salinas is a very lively fishhing village. The boats are small and open. Some are rowed out by five or six guys trawling a net for sardines and other small fry, others are outboard powered and fish for wahoo, dorado and tuna, with rods. The fishermen are covered from head to toe, like Arabs, against the blazing sun.

We are staying at a small and most economical marina ($3.75 per day). We had another repair to do. Sea Scout IS an old boat. Later this week we plan to sail to the uninhabited Bahia de las Aguiilas, and from there to Jacmel on the south coast of Haiti.

Moving on - by Geert

2007-01-25T10:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the invaluable help of Manuel Fernandez, of Santo Domingo, we managed to get the boom and sail repaired. We even had time to explore the city, nearby Boca Chica, and the mountains in the interior. The marina in Santo Domingo is far from brilliant, but affordable ($12 a night) and the location is hard to beat. From the cockpit we have a view of the colonial city, and almost everything we need is within walking distance.

We hope to sail overnight to the fishing village of Salinas, on the Bahia de las Calderas, about 60 miles west of here.

Soccer clothes and gear for Haitian kids - by David

2007-01-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

As a collegiate athlete I have enjoyed myriad privileges. I have been able to travel the country and world playing the game I love. A big part of my life as a soccer player has been the sponsorship by corporations like Fila, Addidas, and UnderArmour. They have provided countless supplies to our team all at no cost to the players. Maryland Soccer is one of the wealthier programs in the country and we can afford the best apparel and gear every season.

I have thus accumulated many t-shirts, shorts, socks, cleats, etc. in my five years as a Maryland athlete and much more from my time in club, odp, and high school. Seeing as I and so many of my former teammates have so many clothes I have asked our alumni and current players to donate as much as they could for me to distribute during my time in Haiti. Thankfully many people have responded and 5 large boxes of clothes and gear are currently en route to Santo Domingo for transport to Jacmel and Port-Au-Prince.

The honor of playing soccer at Maryland is nothing without the charitable donations we have provided over the years. I hope that the relatively small donation we are making to the children of Haiti can bring some joy and happiness to a people stricken by poverty and conflict. When I arrive in Haiti I will write another post on how the clothes were received and also contact information for those of you who wish to donate and help in your own way.

Seth Stammler, a former Terp and current member of the New York Red Bulls visited Haiti last month to help Wycleff Jean´s organization. He has been inspired and is taking the necessary steps to set up a foundation to provide scholarships and other much needed assets for Haitians. I hope to join Seth in his mission and possibly set up my own small channel for donating soccer clothes and gear to the children of Haiti.

More on the bamboom - by Eugene

2007-01-22T17:51:00.000-05:00

I met Geert in early January in Fajardo, on the east cost of Puerto Rico, for what should have been a short (300 nm.) and uneventful passage to Santo Domingo. Yet, from the very beginning I realized that my time on Sea Scout would be anything but uneventful. In Fajardo the boat was tied up at a dock in Puerto del Rey, a vast, supposedly secure, marina. Of course, everything is relative, especially the security which was purely fictional. The day after I arrived, the boat was burglarized in broad daylight while Geert was having a shower, leaving his vessel unattended for just a short while. Back on board he noticed hat something was amiss and that an I-Pod and charger had been stolen. That evening three burly officers from the local Policia came to the marina to investigate the theft. In fact, all they wanted to see was the boat’s documents and our passports, and off they went, obviously puzzled by the boat’s Dutch registration, which they couldn’t decipher. No doubt, their report, assuming there is one, will be gathering dust at the police station, awaiting a far from certain follow-up.

Still distressed by that episode we set sail on January 8. As luck would have it we were in the wake of a cold front and had to cope with erratic winds, confused seas, and adverse currents. We tried everything; reaching under spinnaker, wing-on-wing with two genoas, jibing back and forth under main and genoa. All to no avail. We could barely do 4 knots. Instead of reaching our intended destination on the west coast of Puerto Rico, we only covered 90 miles in 26 hours. That brought us to La Parguera, a small town close to the southwest corner of the island. Surrounded by a maze of narrow waterways that crisscross endless mangroves, La Parguera is known as the Venice of the Caribbean. There we spent a day at anchor in a tropical paradise, amid mangroves and reefs. On shore we did some provisioning, sampled the local bars and restaurants, and used the computers at the town library to check our emails. The next day we left just before sundown, headed for Isla Mona, a mostly uninhabited island, mid-way between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. That meant crossing the Mona Passage, where the North Atlantic meets the Caribbean Sea. Most boats sail south, down the passage, going with the flow. Since we were sailing westward across the passage we had waves coming at us every which way, except the right way.

Bouncing and rocking like a bronco, Sea Scout headed into the night, scooting along at over 6 knots on a broad reach. Down below, the din of clanging pots and pans made sleeping impossible. After securing the galley, Geert’s son, Nico, and I finally dozed off before going on watch at 2 a.m. Well, that didn’t quite work out. At a quarter to midnight there was sudden bedlam; a loud cracking noise and some expletives. Judging by the confusion on deck, something was wrong. What and why I wondered. It turned out that, to avoid colliding with a south-bound cruise ship, Geert and David who were on watch had done a hasty jibe. Everything would have been OK, but for the fact that the preventer was still attached to the boom. Under the stress of the jibe, the boom had snapped in half, at the point of the preventer! To make matters worse still, the mainsail was torn. Fortunately we were out of harm’s way, bobbing on the waves, watching the cruise ship disappear.

Regaining control of the situation we dropped the main, lashed to broken boom to the coach roof, and motor sailed under genoa and staysail. At daybreak we could see Isla Mona ahead, and a Coast Guard cutter astern. So we kept looking ahead. Because its waters are home to countless sea turtles Isla Mona is known as the Galapagos of the Caribbean. It also happens to be US territory, and beckons would-be boat people fleeing from Cuba and the near-by Dominican Republic. Hence the Coast Guard.

At anchor we came up with a plan; make a new boom with whatever the island would yield. Nico and David swam to shore and, ‘lo and behold, came back with a 30-foot bamboo pole, straight as an arrow and stronger than steel. Removing all the fittings from the broken boom, they set to task to make the bamboom. It worked, and the next day we left for Santo Domingo. The bamboom, rigged with the spare mainsail, worked so beautifully that we made good time—who needs a fancy boom! We arrived off Santo Domingo just after daybreak, averaging close to 6 knots over ninety miles.

Before heading into the harbor we tidied up the boat to impress the local officials. That was totally unnecessary. As in any poor country the only thing that impresses local officials is dollars, the more the better. To wit, the customs official demanded a ‘little present’ ($10), the immigration official brazenly demanded a fee of $80, the so-called drug enforcement agent also wanted cash, as did various other members of our welcoming committee. As for the local marina, its waters are strewn with flotsam, the bathrooms are dismal, and one has to pay for water. But the weather is glorious, the Colonial city delightful, and the local beer as good as any.

I am back in Washington DC where it is snowing, and Nico is back at university in Berkeley. For their part Geert and David are still in Santo Domingo, enjoying the weather and, no doubt, the beer, awaiting repairs/replacement of the boom. When that is done they will sail to Haiti where other crew will join them. As for the bamboom, it will stay on board, just in case.

Eugene Versluysen
Washington DC

Three Stories of Santo Domingo - by David

2007-01-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

I. Guirmo the Shoeshine Boy

¨Where you from¨?¨
¨Los Estados Unidos, I replied with a strange and awkward spanglish accent.
Ï shine your shoes,¨ and the boy began to get on his knees and grab my feet. I was wearing sandals. I don´t know what he was planning on shining. Maybe the rubber soles. It didn´t matter.

The shoeshine boys are as much a part of Santo Domingo as the cobbled street on which they chased after tourists. Their boxes are small rickety wooden pails that house an assortment of rags, polish and dirt. They run up and down Calle Conde looking for sympathizing tourists and the occasional Dominican who has the time to placate these boys´ business.
After convincing the boy that I did not need my sandals polished I asked him his name.
¨Como se llama?¨
¨Gueirmo¨, he said.
¨Me llamo David.¨

Guerimo could be no more than 10. His eyes were bright blue that seemed to have its origins in the Carribbean waters. His attire was simple, as is I guess most 10 years olds throughout the world, but characteristically ragged. Blue shorts and yellow t-shirt with a picture of the skyline of New York from the Hudson River silk-screened on the front. He was wearing a Licey baseball hat he must have found outside the stadium one night after a loss. Some agitated fan must have thrown it on the ground in his drunken anger and left it for Gueirmo to find.

¨Te gusta Licey,¨ I asked.
¨Si, si you like I shine your shoes, you give me 50 pesos.¨
We had been walking and talking as I saw no sense to indulge Guirmo´s sandal-shining proposition any futher when we came upon some sort of ceremony outside of the iglesia. Gueirmo commanded be to stop.

We stood in silence as we watched the Dominican flag being taken down from the top of the iglesia and in strict military code, folded neatly and returned inside the church. Cars had stopped their honking tourists had ceased thier chatter, and for a brief moment in a city of babbling geese, there was quiet. The hustlers had gone inside their shops, the chicas bandidas sat solemnly, the cab drivers stopped hailing tourists and while I knew it would last only a moment there was a sense of respect about the whole process.

And there I stood next to Gueirmo, holding his shoeshine box with his brightly colored clothes, his crystal clear eyes that fell softly on any passerby, and I caught a glimpse of what this city is really about. Its people.

The tableaux lasted for only a moment and when the military guard had secured the flag and gone inside the iglesia the world resumed again. Cars moved on, the cabbies lobbied tourists, the tiendas hustled people inside and Geuirmo began to polish my sandals. I pulled up a chair and sat there and watched it all as Gueirmo took his dirty rags to my feet and cleaned the straps and soles of my sandals. This was Santo Domingo.

II. The Chess Game

On the Calle Conde there are many things. While the policia tries to keep them away, even the chicas bandidas manage to get a spot on Duarte. There is La Despensa, the supermarket, La Cafeteria, where the old-timers drink their cafe and talk about Licey or other matters of national importance. The tourists dominate Calle Conde and there are enough sidewalk vendors and tienda hustlers to accomate the most unwilling cruise ship passenger.

Amongst the bustle of the ped-mall there is the chess game. Run by four or five regulars and complemented by several more sporadic players the Calle Conde chess game is the most out of place event on a street where hookers hide from the rain in the internet cafe.
Ricardo is the champion. While he loses occasionally no one considers themselves better than Ricardo. This is not Ricardo´s choice, for he is certainly not the kind of man to raise is nose to anyone. It is simply what the others have decided.

The game is speed chess. You have a timer that is acts on a hinge and after each player makes a move he switches the clock to his opponent.
Click, Click, Click. Those are the sounds of the timer as Ricardo and his opponent move their pieces. Someone more romantic than I could argue that the cadence of the game is part of the art. I, however am not one to exaggerate the importance of such things but only bring it up to show how graceful the game is.

I am the lone gringo in the group and my presence, while acceptable is certainly conspicuous. I watch with eager eyes as Ricardo moves in position to check and ultimately mate his opponent.
The men (they are only men -- i think a woman´s presence would be even more conspicuous then mine) huddle around talking quietly as to not disturb the players. They have formed an exclusive circle that for them is a kind of refuge. Around them Calle Conde continues on its frenetic pace as the next round of cruisers must be corralled and convinced to by the t-shirt they don´t need or a necklace to give to their wife or mistress. But inside, Ricardo is king and the men around him have nominanted him so. He is their king and chess is their domain.

Ricardo´s opponent concedes before he is mated but there is no animosity. The game exists beyond winning and losing. The next challenger sits down and the loser assumes his position in the circle. I slip away quietly and wander down the street.
¨Taxi, taxi¨
¨Gift for your wife sir, come inside¨
¨Hand job for 200 pesos¨
I make my way back to my refuge and salvation and drift into a quiet and lovely sleep.

III. Calle Conde

The stream of tourists had not ceased since 9am. They were let off the boat and given wristbands and instructions on when to be back. Their attire was fairly standard: white shoes with white socks pulled up to the calf. Khaki shorts, a flowered tropical shirt for the men and a souviner t-shirt from the last cruise for the women. The guide book and their friends back home told them to wear a hat and lots of sunscreen. Those who heeded this advice wore a straw hat and SPF 130. Those who promised to come back with a tan and impress their girlfriends´ best friend wore nothing and had already begun to peel and look like a lobster.

I sat in Parque Colon watching the delightful mix of school children, tourists and taxi drivers as they floated past. It was almost noon and the sun seared the truth of the tropics into every one it hit. This was not a paradise. The Corona commercials were bullshit. They filmed those in some studio in Malibu. You could see the looks on the faces of the overweight couple who had come from Iowa for their vacation in the tropics. It was as if they said,
¨Lets get the hell out of here and freeze our asses off in Cedar Bluff.¨

The cruise ships had an arrangement with the local tour companies to feed them their passengers. Thus, the path from the cruise ship to the tours was made very easy. The tour took them through the Ciudad Colonial around the fort and back down Calle Conde to the cruise ship. This was a very defined path and, since I had been there since 9 I had seen many groups make the loop.

In Santo Domingo as the day wears on and the sun rages, the trash on the corner piles up. The dogs and Haitians come out from under the cars and begin to rummage through the garbage looking for the days meal. As the day turns to night, the trash increases in size and dimensions. By morning, when the next cruise ship has arrived and started to unload passengers, the trash has been picked up and taken outside the city away from the wallets of the tourists.

This was the way Santo Domingo worked. However on this day, the day I was sitting in the Parque Colon, the trash had not been picked up the night before. Tourists were herded along their usual path down the Calle Conde and across Calle de Catolica. By noon the dogs and Haitians had begun to emerge and begin their daily feast of rotting trash and garbage. I sat there as Joe and Mary from Lima, Ohio listened to their tour guide talk about the Spanish architechure while just yards away a Haitian and a dog fought over the rotten head of lettuce that lay on the corner under the garbage bags. This scene continued for the next several hours as tourist and scavenger alike got a glimpse of Santo Domingo. And I sat there and watched as the sun faded, and the children went home and the taxi drivers left. But those who remained were the men and women forgotten by the Lonely Planet, unmentioned by the tours and left to fight tooth and nail to survive. I left the Parque and walked home leaving behind me a city of contrasts marked by the tableaux of poverty and indifference.

This log has been kept by crew and captain over the past several months. Pictures and wonderful essays have kept many friends and strangers informed about the adventures of Sea Scout. I have been in the islands about a month now and with Geert and Sea Scout for 3 weeks. My time aboard has been exceptionally enjoyable and the people I have met along the way have been incredibly friendly and nice.
I wrote these stories because I wanted to do something different than what had previously occupied space on this log. I hope I have not attempted something outside of my skills as an observer, writer or crewmember. Additionally I want to stress that these stories, while non-fiction, represent just a fraction of Santo Domingo. Its beauty and its people are first-class and I would not have been so moved by what I have seen if it werent so.
That said, I hope these stories offer a unique insight into Santo Domingo and more importantly into the type of adventures Sea Scout was built for. We have a long way to go and unfortunately our next destination is more destitute and poverty-stricken. I hope to find another unique way to contribute to the log of the sea scout after we have visited Haiti.
-dg

Bamboom - by Geert

2007-01-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

Around midnight a cruise ship came down the Mona Passage, brightly lit like a big hotel, and not paying any attention to us. We were on a reach, the genoa poled out to leeward. It took a while to take in the pole and secure it on deck. So, we were in a hurry to get away from the cruiseship, and sloppy, and gybed before loosening the preventer. The night was clear, wind and sea were perfectly managable (15-20 knots; waves 5-6 feet) The preventer should have held the boom in place. Instead, the boom broke in two and crashed on the cabin top, tearing a rip in the mainsail. We secured the ravage on deck, kept the genoa and the staysail up, and motorsailed to Isla de Mona. We soon discovered the cause of the break: years of slow corrosion of the boom's aluminum around the stainless steel screws of the vang plate.

Isla de Mona lies halfway between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The island has long white beaches fringing very high, sheer cliffs with numerous caves. It is uninhabited and only has one anchorage on the West side. You enter through a maze of coral reefs, following a range marked by two poles on the beach. It is an incredible place. Sea turtles swam around the boat in the anchorage; iguanas and birds occupy the beach. On the high land behind the cliffs (it looks like a New Mexico mesa) live the descendents of the goats and pigs left by the Spanish explorers to supplement their food stores. These feral animals have been hunted for 400 years, and the tradition continues today. About a dozen hunters, all Puerto Rican, camped on the beach. Two rangers keep an eye on them. The only other humans nearby are the crew of a US Coast Guard cutter that patrols the Mona Passage looking for drug smugglers and Haitian and Cuban refugees.

We searched the beaches of the island for a strong, straight piece of bamboo. With some very creative cutting, metal- and ropework, Nico and David made a new boom. We tested its strength by hanging and jumping on it. Next morning we lashed on the spare mainsail (and later, when the wind picked up along the South coast of Hispaniola, the storm trysail) and sailed in record time to Santo Domingo.

Eugene and David made pictures of our bamboom, which they will post as soon as they can get to a good computer.

We arrived in Santo Domingo yesterday. Nico flies back to Berkeley today; Eugene on Tuesday (to Washington). David and I will try to get the old boom repaired. The break is fairly clean, and the rest of the aluminum seems solid. Damage to the sail is minor, and easily fixed.

More pictures from Culebra, Fajardo and San Juan

2007-01-11T11:21:00.000-05:00

Jana and David in San Juan on January 6 Jana and Nico after scuba diving off Culebra on January 2
Dinner on Claude's Bohemia II on January 4 (l to r: Geert, Claude, Eugene, Olina, Isabelle, Nico, David, Jana)
Geert & the "trade winds rig" en route from Culebra to Fajardo on January 4
Olina in front of Hotel Playa in San Juan on January 8

More pictures from Vieques, Culebra and San Juan

2007-01-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

Sea Scout at anchor and Geert on beach in Vieques

Jana, Geert and Eva in Esperanza

David in St Germain bistro in San Juan

Fishing off Vieques

Watching the sunset with Norrine Mack's family at Casa Limones in Vieques

Pictures of the crew, beaches and fish - Vieques and Culebra

2007-01-11T07:52:00.000-05:00

Vendor kiosk with Culebra motto
Nico and David at the Dinghy Dock restaurant in Dewey, Culebra; among the people we met in the anchorage are Dick van der Waaij & Anita Idskes who are sailing Kind of Blue around the world - see http://www.kindofblue.info/ Nico and Olina, beating to Culebra
David and Nico, Tamarindo Beach, Culebra
David, Jana, Nico
Nico with barracuda (after pole rescue en route from Culebra to Fajardo)
David with lobster in Vieques

Barracuda alley - by Geert

2007-01-10T10:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we sailed from Fajardo, where Eugene came on board, to La Parguera on the South coast of Puerto Rico. On the way, in the Pasaje de Vieques, we caught two large barracuda's (1.2 metre and 90 cm) within half an hour of each other. Unfortunately, these very tasty fish are also poisonous, so we put them back, and stopped fishing for a while. Outside the Pasaje we tried again, and had a massive strike. David fought heroically, but the beast, whatever it was, was stronger than he, broke the wire leader, and got away.

La Parguera is a beautiful lagoon dotted with coral reefs and mangrove islands. We plan to sail on tonight, towards Isla de Mona between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. This isolated island had its very own evolutionary history, and is known as the Galapagos of the Caribbean.

Last fall, before I sailed, the editor of a sailing magazine asked me for stories about the trip. What kind, I asked. I don't care, he said, as long as they are written 'from the cockpit.' The reader must feel the experience, the tension, and the doubts.
I have not written anything for him yet. I've had plenty experience so far, but no doubt that cruising the Caribbean in a small sailboat is the right thing to do.

Beating to Culebra - by Geert

2007-01-02T08:51:00.000-05:00

Sailing in the Virgin Islands is a delight: steady 15-20 knot easterlies, moderate seas, high islands that are easy to identify from a distance, no outlying coral reefs. We stayed a week in Vieques, snorkeling and spearfishing for lobster, sailing and trolling for bonito, and exploring the island's many remote beaches. Nico and David joined us. Last Friday we sailed along the mountainous east coast of Puerto Rico to tiny Isla Palominos, and the next day to Culebra. This was out first upwind sail, and it required some planning. The tradewinds create a more or less permanent 5-7 foot swell. Tacking into fresh winds and waves is very hard work, unless you can sail in the lee of the many small islands in the area. This we did, but it still took us eight hours to cover the 16 miles to Culebra.

The sailing has been so good that since leaving Bermuda we have burned only 2.5 gallons of diesel. We use the engine only to get in and out of harbours, and to keep the batteries charged.

Thanks to a combined effort by Olina, Eva and Nico we now have all the spare parts we need to repair our Navik self-steering vane. We'll try it out on our way to Fajardo on the main island of Puerto Rico. First we plan to enjoy Culebra. This island is even more beautiful and laid back than Vieques. One of the shops has a sign that summarizes the attitude here: Open some days - Closed others.

Puerto Rico! - by Geert

2006-12-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

Olina came to the Virgin Islands last week. We sailed from Honeymoon Beach on St. John to Honeymoon Bay on St. Thomas, and on to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. A world of difference from the tourism and development in the Virgins. There are no big resorts here, no cruise ships, and no charter boats.The island is thinly populated and rural. Dogs, chickens and horses roam free. Many of the horses are of the Paso Fino breed. Half of Vieques is completely empty. Until a few years ago is was used for US military exercises.

We are anchoed in Sombe ("sun bay"), a bay near the south shore village of Esperanza. The beach is ahaded by palm trees, and a mile long. We saw a big sea turtle today, and a tarpon chasing flying fish. Yesterday Eva and Jana arrived. They stay in a cottage ("casita") in the village. They have to close the gate to keep the horses out of the yard. Nico will get here just before the holidays.

Merry Christmas to all!

Pictures by Leo of crossing to Bermudas

2006-12-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

Life on the beach - by Geert

2006-12-09T17:50:00.000-05:00

I sailed the boat to Salomon Bay on the North-west side of St. John. I am now moored next to a long white sandy beach. The anchorage is exposed to the west, but that's a treat, not a problem. The winds are always easterly, and I now have a great view of the windward passage to Tortola, Jost van Dyke in the distance, and the sunset over St. Thomas.

The beach is part of the Virgin Islands National Park. During the day there are some other people here, but at the best times (early morning and sunset) I have the place to myself. I collected some driftwood and made a writing desk. Under a palm tree, naturally. I try to do things in style. On the coral reef fringing the beach I have so far discovered two barracuda (small)and a beautiful ray (big).

There is a slow, very gentle swell in the anchorage. It puts you to sleep the moment you lie down. This afternoon I cranked up the old Realistic world band radio, and listened to the live broadcast from the Met in New York (Mozart's Idonmeneo.)

In Cruz Bay - by Geert

2006-12-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

We sailed from Jost van Dyke to St. John, and cleared US customs without any hassle. Astrid just left on the ferry to St. Thomas. I'll miss her, and the other crew, but I think I'll manage on my own. Sea Scout is anchored in a corner of Cruz Bay, well clear of the wake of the ferries. There are no facilities, but who needs them. In the morning I dab on some Castile soap, and jump over the side. I have my own private dinghy landing (an old seaplane ramp), and my own private pelican. He flies circles around the boat all day and catches fish like a dive bomber. To the east, where the wind is from, the anchorage protected by green hills, from which I get a daily serenade from crickets and whistling frogs. The sun shines bright, it's 82 degrees, and Cruzan, the local citrus rum, is only $8 a liter. I'm pretty sure I'll manage...

Passage notes - by Geert

2006-12-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

We made very good time to the Virgin Islands. thanks to sustained 25-30 knot north-easterly winds. We made 130 mile days on a broad reach, with only the staysail and the storm trysail. The seas built up to 15-18, and at times to 25 feet. The fist few days out of Bermuda we made more than 100 miles of easting to avoid taking these big waves on the beam. But occasionally they still crashed over the boat and filled the cockpit.

Steering in these waves was a challenge. Jennifer compared it to a rodeo, and she bruised a rib to prove her point. Steering was also quite tiring. We limited watches to two hours, and got in to a very strange sleeping pattern. Nap pattern is probably a better word.

Our eating pattern was simple. On many days it was too rough to cook, so we lived on sardines, water, granola bars, and crispbread with Nutella.

I try to keep this light, but the truth is that the passage from Bermuda was tough. It was also a bit of an endurance test, since we steered the boat ourselves all the way. The crew did a fantastic job, and 'Sea Scout' again proved to be an outstanding offshore boat.

We made landfall at Jost van Dyke, a high, lush tropical island with a beautiful harbour. The place is small, only 200 inhabitants, but there are seven bars on the beach...

Blind date on the ocean - by Leo

2006-12-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

From the 28th of October until the 18th of November I had my blind dates on the Atlantic Ocean, from Galesville MD at the Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda. We went sailing with a rather unknown crew, one of them I had never met before. It turned out to be a fantaxtic and exciting vacation, among other things because of the hurricane and gale we went through and survived.

In my opnion, we had to struggle to make progress almost all the way down to Bermuda. We began with delay because of the not functioning navigation lights and Geert had it repaired. Next day we had the wind dead against us, so we stayed at the harbour for another day.
Tuesday the 31st we sailed off. Because of the strong wind, Geert set a reef, maybe two. Unfortunately the wind blew a tear in the main sail, near a batten, so it had to be repaired. Fortunately Geert knew a wharf on Solomon’s Island, in the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. We sailed in in the middle of the night, it was pitch dark. We anchored in the bay and went to the wharf the next morning, where the sail was fastly and neatly repaired.

We finally sailed of to the mouth of the Chesapeake, encountering two black pelicans. Geert and I had the shift during which we reached the ocean. Immediately after coming into open seas I felt seasick. Of all the things I expected, this was not one of them. I only had been seasick on one occasion in my life before, when I was thirteen. Never after I sufferd seasickniss, though I was on high seas on many occasions. Pity for me, I was down under and mostly sleeping and feeling very miserable for over 24 hours.
So I missed the big sea turtle that Astird discoverd only a few feet from the boat, as well as the crossing of the Gulfstream. The crossing went by 7-9 knots they told me afterwards, extremely fast since the average speed of the Sea Scout mostly is between 3-5 knots. Although Geert expected it, we were not drifted to the North by the Gulfstream. We stayed mostly on course. One of the follwing days we did not. We encountered a real hurricane, 50 to 60 knots... Geert and Astid hove the boat to, so that we were always in the same and safe postiion to the wind. Waves were sometimes 30 feet accourding to the article in a Bermudan newspaper we read later on. It turned out that we were swung back for about 100 miles to the north, so we had to sail this distance again to get on course again. It was a bit terrifying, also because we didn’t know when it would end.
It felt like serious trouble when Geert ordered us to put on our clothes, sailing trousers and life vest while he was preparing the life raft. We were not sure that the mast and stays would hold to the immense power of the hurricane. During the hurricane we heard about two other sailing boats in deep trouble over the radio. One boat called Carpe Diem had the crew preparing to leave the vessel. We heard the coordination of the rescue action by the pilot of the coastguard airplane. They had to wait till the helicopter and rescue swimmer would arrive within only 30 or 45 minutes (we were in theri neighbourhood and at least 300 miles from the coast). The Bermudan newspaper mentioned a third vessel to be abandonned that night.

After this exciting night the storm held on during almost the whole day, though not as fierce as durring the night. We were unable to sail en kept hoven to. When Geert inspected the boat after the heaviest gusts and waves had calmed down a bit, he discoverd that the Sea Scout had some damage. At first it seemed that we only had lost the lid of the anchor locker. In the middle of the night we succeeded in maiking a temporary repair of the lid, so that we would not have a lot of water of the waves directly in the bilge of the boat. Our selfsteering device called Navik had not survived the storm. So we had to steer the boat ourselves fron that moment on. On top of that, we had another serious problem, the boom broke off from the mast. At this point I asked Astrid whether it wouldn’t be wise to try to get some help. She dryly remarked that it is not possible to get help when you are hundreds of miles away from land...Luckily Geert had a spare boom-connector on the front side of the mast, and we managed to fix this problem too. Imagine a repairing job on high seas with waves over 8 feet, sometimes it was not so easy. During one of the following days we encountered another storm, which was only a gail . By what we already had experienced, this was not as terrifying. But during the night with vigorous waves I had an accidental geep through which the boom touched Geert’s head and the sheet of the main sail slammed into my face. It hit the headlamp which made a bleeding cut in my eyebrow. The good thing about it was that during the rest of our trip I really looked like a pirate.

Because of unfavourable winds (no wind or dead against us), we sailed at least 1000 miles instead of the esteemed 700. We were hardly ever able to sail the set course. At the end, the last three days, we encountered better weather conditions, although we never could sail a flat course to our waypoints. Heading southeast, we had mostly southeasterly winds..As a result, I missed my plane home. At first, I was worried. Later on I considered it a chance to enjoy some extra holidays.
We had another serious problem, a threatening shortage of fuel. When Geert discovered that the wind against and the big waves increased the use of fuel dramatically, he decided to change the plan. Instead of directly going on course to Bermuda by engine we had to sail a zigzag course to save fuel for the final approach of the island. It’s almost impossible to reach the harbour entrance sailing because of the danger of the reef underneath the surface of the water. More than 400 steel vessels on the bottom of the ocean around Bermuda can witness that, apart from all the perished wooden ships that no longer can be traced. That’s what the supposed Bermuda Triangle really stands for: desorientated ships who encountered the reefs, in the dark I presume. Since GPS there were no more wreckings.
We had nightshifts of 3 hours, during whick we mostly sailed the boat alone. Advantage of these shifts are that everyone can sleep for 6 hours. These nightshifts were very nice, steering the boat in my own, feeling the responsabiltity, with or without the light of the moon, with or without the stars as means of help to navigate. Sometimes it was pitchdark so that we only had the compass or the GPS to stay on course.
During the whole trip Geert proved to be a very good captain. He was always in control in every situation. Geert likes to frequently check the waypoints, sitting on his chart table. He filled in the log frequently, although Astrid was the most accurate one in this case. He is always checking the material, and repairing things or changing them. He is always steady, secure of what he must do and thouroughly thinks over a situation before he comes to a decision.
Finally we reached Bermuda at about 8 p.m.., again manouvering the ship very gently between the beacons in the pitch dark, and in a pooring rain as a matter of fact. To our surprise Bermuda radio informed us that Jennifer was waiting on the dock, as well that the Windsong, another sailing boat with which we had had radio contact was standing by with extra fuel in case we could not manage te reach the harbour. It’s amazing how friendly and kind skippers are to eachother.
We disembarked, filled in the forms at the customs, drank a glass of wine to celebrate our safe entering to Bermuda.. Astrid and I had our first shower in two weeks, we felt like newborn afterwards.
After two weeks on the boat it felt very insecure on solid ground. Clearly it was our balance organ that had to adjust to the new situation, but I felt like drunk. Maybe it was the alcohol a bit as well.
We slept a very short night, we had to get off the customs dock by 6.30 a.m., and went only to bed at 3. The next day Geert succeeded in getting new tickets for my homeflight, without extra costs! We said goodbye and I was on the plane to New York only two hours after our breakfast. Which by the way folks consists of oats, honey, granola and peaches.
The excitement was not yet over. When I disembarked from the plane on Schiphol, I heard my name from the speakers to get in contact with the airport information desk as soon as possible. So I was immensely worried, and appeared to be right. My wife who was driving to the ariport was involved in a terrible accident. A truck hit our car from behind with a giant blow, smashing it to the railing. She must have had a guardian angel, because apart from a few scratches on her hand, some bruises and some pain in her neck and other muscles, she is unharmed. Our car is of course total loss, so I have to find another one asap because I drive more than 100 miles daily to my work.

Thanks a lot Geert, Olina and Astrid for this fantastic experience. It was by far the most exciting vacation I ever had. Thanks for the joy, your hospitality and good caring.
Geert you are a really fine skipper. I wish you, Astrid and Jennifer good luck for the the trip towards the Virgins, and Geert also further on. May you have favourable winds! Maybe we’ll meet eachother somewhere in the Caribbean, depending on your scheme and mine.
And, of course, stay on course mate.

Best, Leo.

(Pictures to follow; this posted by Geert on the island of Saint John, using Leo's email message...)

Sea Scout sails again - from Bermuda to Jost Van Dyke in 8 days

2006-11-26T09:26:00.000-05:00

Sea Scout left Bermuda on November 25 with Astrid, Jennifer and Geert on board, heading south to the British Virgin Islands. With over 800 nm to go, they should get there in 10-12 days, if the winds are favorable.

On November 28 at 5 pm EST Sea Scout was at 26 degrees 10'N and 62 degrees 35'W, half-way between Bermuda and the Virgin Islands, where they should arrive in about 5 days. The winds were strong but favorable; without the Navik self-steering vane, keeping Sea Scout on course had the crew working hard. They caught and ate a mahi-mahi!

UPDATE: On December 2 afternoon, Sea Scout reached Jost Van Dyke (the "barefoot island") in the British Virgin Islands. Jennifer, Astrid, and Geert are glad to be on land again!

Pictures - from Galesville to Bermuda

2006-11-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

Astrid in the mast checking the navigation lights.

2006-11-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

Geert navigating in the storm. Where are we going? How fast? Oops - 2 to 7 knots, but to the wrong direction!

2006-11-24T13:01:00.000-05:00

Our course - or where we were supposed to be. When we were hove too in the storm we drifted north, about 100 miles away from our courseline:

Nov. 9th 05:30 36 30 N, 69 57 W

2006-11-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

Leo enjoys a great sailing day after the storm

2006-11-24T12:19:00.000-05:00

Finally we arrived! Geert hoisting the Bermuda flag at customs.

2006-11-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

Royal Naval Dockyard. One of the clocks shows the time of the high tide, the other one the normal time.

2006-11-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Astrid and Jennifer in Crystal Caves

2006-11-24T11:53:00.000-05:00

Everything is pretty here in Bermuda, even the restrooms!

2006-11-24T11:49:00.000-05:00

Rock formations at Tobacco Bay

2006-11-24T11:44:00.000-05:00

Tobacco Bay - a romantic place!

2006-11-24T11:39:00.000-05:00

Fort St. Catherine near the town of St. George

2006-11-24T11:24:00.000-05:00

Approaching Bermuda, entering through the Town Cut. We did it at night, interesting to see how narrow it is!

2006-11-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

Colorful Bermuda!

Weather window

2006-11-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

It has been blowing 20 to 30 konts out of the South for three days, but tomorrow we may finally get a break. The wind is supposed to go West and moderate. We need several days of fair weather to reach the trade winds, about 300 miles South of Bermuda.

From Galesville to Bermuda - Sea Scout, the storm and Bermuda - by Astrid

2006-11-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wed., Nov. 1st - Mon., Nov. 13th "The Storm"

After a great sail out from Chesapeake Bay and a good crossing of the Gulf Stream (finally warm water to do the dishes!) we had to heave too in the storm. It was announced on the short wave radio, by a beautiful halo around the moon, by fascinating yellowish clouds around the sun and by the barometer, of course ... . We used the time to catch up some sleep, one of us was still on watch, inside now as we were drifting, partly with 7 knots ... away from our coursline, unfortunately. We decided to send a SECURITE every hour as we were really unable to manoever the boat. Finally a big sailing boat answered us, with great news - the wind will become stronger, gusts up to 60 knots, waves up to 20 ft. I don't know if it was that much and that high ... but certainly high enough. On the radio we could follow the rescueing action of another sailing vessel - coast guard helicopter, ... and they were much bigger than we are. The wind increased, all the knifes and everything that could fly around if we would roll over was already stored safely in the lockers. The life raft was ready, although we would never leave the boat if it wouldn't have a big hole in the hull. We put our foul weather gear on, the harnesses and the life vests, we had some bottles of water ready near the compaignonway ... and waited. We discussed who would cut the wires and who would cut the ropes if the mast would break, we talked about our time in Greenland and about three bottles of rum waiting for us in Bermuda who was playing really hard to get. Then the wind calmed down, as it was very hot in the completely closed boat we were happy to wear normal clothes again ... and finally sleep. Brave Sea Scout, she did it, but we lost the cover of our anchor cover (Leo and Geert made a great improvisation) and the rudder of our most important crew member Navik, the self steering vane. We went on sailing a bit, hove too again in the gale and finally tacked towards Bermuda where we arrived on Nov. 14th at 21:30. Jennifer was already waiting for us, a great welcome commitee together with Bernhard at the customs. After checking in there Bernhard offered us a great present - a hike in his car to the next shower - wow, clean again, what a feeling. Bernhard is the former harbour master, now retired, but still somehow in charge of everything, very helpfull and perfectly informed about whatever we needed. Fortunately we were allowed to stay at the customs dock over night, we were to tired to move the boat to any other space anyway. First dinner on land after 14 days, wobbling to a restaurant to get a Hamburger and a beer - no difference, still wobbeling ... .

No light - white light - where is green and red? Is it the sun reflecting in the glass or real electricity. While Astrid is tries to find out on the top of the mast Leo and Geert have a rest from grinding her up.

Excellent sailing conditions in Chesapeake Bay and the first part of the Atlantic, making great progress!

Astrids night watch at Chesapeake Bay - still a long way to go to the warmer Gulf Stream and the subtropics.

The blow starts, certainly enough wind to sail and not time to heave too yet. Sorry, there are no pictures of the real storm, no one of us wanted to go out ... and i was worried to destroy my camera as the water was flying.

Peaceful sailing after the storm, a wonderful sunrise!

"Laundry Boat"

Claude welcoming us for the steak party

While Geert and Astrid take the dinghy to visit the neighbours in the bay Jennifer takes care of Sea Scout

Wed., Nov 15th

After Leo's big shock on the phone - more than 2000 $ for a ticket back home to the Netherlands (he was supposed to fly out on Sun) he and Geert went to theairport where they could finally change the ticket for free and Leo left a short time later. Leo moved out of Sea Scout, Jennifer moved in.
Our boat looked like a laundry boat, while Jennifer and me were cleaning the boat, getting more water, doing inventory on our food stock (we discovered a broken can with disintegrating peaches ... hmmm) and drying everything on deck, Geert was looking for a carpenter to fix the cover of our anchor locker.

Thur., Nov. 16th

Geert still spent his time fixing things on the boat while Jennifer and me took a day off. We took the bus to Somerset to go diving there. While she went to discover a crashed plane with other experienced divers I got an introduction from the Tschech diving instructor Andre. On the next dive to the wreck Darlington, a sturdy iron hulled steamer that sunk 1886, I could join them - a great experience!

We spent the afternoon at the Royal Naval Dockyard to discover the former fortress and the Clocktower Mall. The former administration building hosts two 100 ft high clock towers reading differently: one shows the actual time, the other the time of high tide!

Fri., Nov. 17th

Another great day to discover the wonderful but incredibly expensive island. After we had moved the boat to carpenter Mickey's dock Jennifer and me went to visit Crystal Caves, a fantastic subterranean cavern with thousands of crystal-like stalactites hanging above a greenish-blue pond. We spent the afternoon looking for non existing parts for Sea Scout in most of Hamilton's sailing and hardware stores (the marine police marked all of them on a tourist map for us, very helpful!).
In the evening we had a wonderful steak party at Claude's Bohemia II. We got to know the French Canadian solo sailor at the free dock in front of a restaurant on Wed. where he told us his story about his broken fridge and all the steakes in it - what a pity! ... a steak party seemed to be the only solution to that problem. As his boat was on land for some repairs we enjoyed a great evening "at high elevation" with him and Petra, a Dutch lady from another boat.

Sat., Nov. 18th & Sun. - Thur. 23th

After fixing the sunbrella in the morning I did a great afternoon walk along the shore of St. George's passing the abandonned church, Tobacco Bay, Fort St. Cathrine, Alexandra's Battery and the Town Cut. Due to the weather forcast predicting stronger winds over night we went to anchor out in the bay over night, visiting the fancy boat Aria in the evening. Sunday was as relaxing as it can be, returning to Mickey's dock in the evening.
Wind from south again, we moved to the Dinghy Club to get some protection and to be able to walk to town, we can't row the Diinghy in 30 knots! St. George is a fantastic historical town, some beautiful walks and beaches around it!

Storm damage - by Geert

2006-11-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

The storm tore the cover of the anchor locker off the foredeck. We clamped on a piece of plywood to keep the water out and the anchors in. A Bermuda carpenter is now making a new cover out of teak.
The gooseneck fitting at the mast was bent out of shape, and the boom came flying off. We managed to get it on deck, and made a new fitting.
The most serious damage is to the self steering vane. The entire underwwater section broke off. This can not be easily and quickly repaired. We'll have to hand steer the boat to the Virgin Islands. With three people this is quite possible. We steered the last three hundred miles to Bermuda as well.

Bermuda is loveley, sunny, warm and breezy. We cleaned and dried out everything on the boat and Astrid made a new inventory of food supplies (plenty). Today she and Jennifer went Scuba diving in Somerset Parish.

Sea Scout landed in Bermuda !

2006-11-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Earlier this evening, Astrid, Leo and Geert met up with Jennifer on the dock in St. George's Harbor. The Navik self-steering vane and other equipment suffered some damage in a major storm, with 24 hours of 50 mph winds. The Royal Gazette published harrowing tales about the fate of other sailboats headlined Crew plucked to safety after 24-hour ordeal , Crew stranded as gale pounds yacht, and Fierce storm tests mettle of yachtsmen.

Sea Scout should reach Bermuda in two or three days

2006-11-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Mark Stapley and the crew of SY Cyclos e-mailed that they have been in radio contact with Sea Scout. Sea Scout's position Saturday night was 34 36.1 N 068 17.2 W, leaving them with around 215 nm to go. Sea Scout had been delayed by unfavorable winds and should reach Bermuda on Tuesday, November 14.

Sea Scout left this morning

2006-11-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

Sea Scout sailed out of Galesville, MD on Wednesday morning, November 1, at 7 am, with Astrid, Leo, and Geert on board. Also on board are many cans of chicken, tuna, vegetables, fruit, juice, evaporated milk ... stuff EVERYONE should have at home for the inevitable flu pandemic! The weather was great, with a high of about 70 degrees, wind from the southwest, then from the west. Sea Scout should reach the Atlantic tomorrow morning. The destination is Bermuda, with arrival there in about 10-14 days.

It's a small world! - by Astrid

2006-10-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

People keep asking me: "How did you get to know Geert?"
Well, it's quite a funny story how an Austrian gets to know a Dutch living in the United States.

The story starts in the year 2002, in the far north, above the Arctic Circle: I was working as a trekking guide in Greenland, guiding camping tours in the area between Kangerlussuaq and Disko Bay. On a warm sunny August evening my group and me were sitting at the beach in the black sand of Disko Island, enjoying whiskey on the rocks (with a thousands years old iceberg ice) and mousse au chocolat, watching the icebergs drifting by. But there were not only icebergs, there was something else in between them. I grabbed the binocular and discovered a small sailing boat! Looking closer I could figure out its name: "Sea Scout". I was staring at it with an open mouth, my guests were laughing at me "What's up with you?". I had never seen a sailing boat in Greenland before and I was fascinated to see such a small one, even made of glass fiber. ... then it disappeared and I almost forgot about it.

This happened in 2002. A couple of years later the travel agency I work for asked me for pictures from Eqip Sermia, a wonderful glacier in Disko Bay where the inland ice calves into the sea. As I had no photos that were interesting enough for an advertising brochure, I searched in the internet for some ideas, just entering "Eqi" to google. Not many pictures appeared, but there was one showing a sailing boat - I recognized it as there are not many people sailing in Greenland, and if they are, their boats are much bigger. I followed the link, came to Geerts web side and asked him in an e-mail if he was the one passing Disko Island with a small sailing boat in July or August 2002 - an he was the one! Since then we stayed in e-mail contact and he asked me if I would me interested to come along on one of his next trips. Here I am!

New York - by Astrid

2006-10-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

As there is still some time left before our departure to Bermuda I decided to see more of the States and took the Chinatown Bus from Washington to Chinatown New York. After about four hours I arrived in the middle of China, for only 35 $ for the roundtrip ticket. Exploring Chinatown was exciting, it reminded me of my journey to China quite a few years ago. Chinese signs, Chinese tastes, ... and I couldn't understand a word as everyone was speaking Chinese! As I had plenty of time I decided to do a long walk enjoying the very different neighbourhoods of the Big Apple, street theater, musicians, artists, the lively Times Square, ... . Passing through Central Park, a beautiful place in the middle of the crowded city, I finally arrived at the youth hostel at 103rd street. A long, but exciting walk. As it's a must to experience New York at night I went back to the resevoir in the park to take some pictures of the skyscrapers, reflecting in the water. Passing the colorful Times Square again, I arrived at the Empire State Building, where I wanted to go to the top to enjoy a view over the illuminated city. The weather foiled my plans, it started raining heavily and the top was mostly hidden behind fog. The day after the Statue of Liberty was waiting for me, passing with the Staten Islands Ferry. Looking at it you can somehow imagine how people might have felt when they first arrived after a long and hazardous journey from Europe a long time ago. Visiting the World Trade Center - the rest of it, just a big hole - sadly reminds of 9.11. Pictures drawn by children who lost their parents, photos of day zero, ... - a very impressive place.

Arrival in Washington - by Astrid

2006-10-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Washington the day before yesterday, just five days after arriving from Italy where I was guiding hiking tours on the south Italian volcanoes - a big difference! Geert and Olina picked me up at the airport, great people! One of the first things we did the next day was visiting our future home Sea Scout, a fantastic little boat, small and equipped with everything necessary, I saw it and liked it. Today we did a shopping tour to get food four about half a year - and bought an Emergency Food Box with more than 200 servings - an interesting experiment. We discovered that you can use it for emergencies, probably for emergencies only, ... fortunately we got loads of other stuff as well. I spent the afternoon discovering Washington, at least some parts of it like the fantastic Museum of Natural History, the Washington Monument with its fantastic view, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House. Washington is a great city, even much more interesting than I expected - parks and a lot of "green" everywhere and the museums are free!

About the log...

2006-10-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

This is the web log of the 'Sea Scout', a small sailboat due to leave the Chesapeake Bay in less than two weeks. All crew members can post their own stories and photos. Every reader can make comments, or send an e-mail. If you want to receive a short e-mail whenever news from the boat is published, simply enter your address in the form on the right.

The Plan - by Geert

2006-10-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

This winter I plan to sail to Haiti and Cuba with a crew of family members, friends and volunteers. Travel to Cuba is restricted by the US embargo, but I think I can go legally, as a writer. Haiti is shockingly poor and unstable, but there hasn't been much shooting since the recent elections. Both countries have fascinating history and culture, and their coasts, reefs and islands are virtually unknown to cruising sailors.

I tried to make a realistic plan taking into account natural constraints like the hurricane season and the prevailing winds and currents. Also, I want to involve my family as much as possible. Finally, I hope that frequent stopovers and relatively short stages will enable many friends to join Sea Scout for part of the adventure. Here's a map that summarizes the plan. You can click on it to make it a little bigger:

We would leave the Chesapeake early November, as soon as the hurricane season is over, and head for Bermuda. Stopping in Bermuda allows for a crew change, and will give us a better wind angle for the 1,000 mile trip to the Virgin Islands. Sea Scout would stay in the Virgins in December. Olina, and Nico and Jana (both at university) would fly in for their winter vacation. Early January I'll need crew again to sail to Haiti. We'll have a following wind most of the time, and can stop in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic to change crew as necessary. From Haiti we'll sail via Jamaica and the Caymans Islands to Cuba.

I hope Olina, Nico and Jana can join me in Cuba. This is still a legal puzzle. The alternative is that we meet for Spring Break in Cancun or the Florida Keys. I will certainly need crew to sail from Miami to the Chesapeake in the Spring of next year. We'll hopefully get a good lift from the Gulf Stream. Charleston is a possible stop along the way.

P.S. If we follow the route of the above map, we avoid the infamous Bermuda Triangle, where ships and planes mysteriously vanish, without a trace...