Barbara Jean - Day 3- November 13, 2015-Another choppy ride

Day 3-Friday  During morning roll call there wasn't a readout of the weather however, WRI said we should all head for 300 nm south of Bermuda. Annabella once again relays weather information to us.It is nice to have someone looking out for you. No boats in sight, neither visually nor on radar.Bob mentioned on morning roll call that several boats reported equipment failure. These choppy seas are hard on the boats and people.It's almost safer in the cockpit than it is below deck.We are doing well despite the constant rolling back and forth of the boat. This is when you find out how well you have secured things below.We started out with a golden rule of no salt down below except for in the salt room (aft berth/storage area) but, things are so bouncy that it doesn't make sense to take. read more...

Barbara Jean - Day 4-Saturday Still no boats in sight

We continue to sail SE towards the 300 nm position that was suggested.Winds are directly behind us with the swells still mixed.We have a hammock netting that has fruit, potatoes, bread and buns on top that is hanging from the portside ceiling hand hold.It has been adjusted and secured several times as it is one of the traps or potential hazards down below.The seas have settled a little so I will attempt to make breakfast….scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese wrapped in a tortilla. It was delicious!!!!Morning role call went well except several rally boats did not participate.I like to write down the positions of each boat to get an idea of where everyone is at.I later learn that not everyone can hear the roll call, depending on their location. I tried hailing Annabella on the VHF earlier. read more...

Barbara Jean - Left Portsmouth?headed out into Atlantic-11-14-15

We start our shifts….4 hours on and 4 hours off. We tend to be a little more lax during the day.Day1--We left the dock around 9:25am on Wednesday, November 11th. The ride started out with choppy seas and continued throughout the today. After leaving the southern portion of the Chesapeake, we went south and followed the coastline down to Cape Hatteras.We were given a suggested latitude and longitude to enter the Gulf Stream. After we turned East to head out into the Atlantic, Bob grabbed the whisker pole to be able to sail wing-on-wing.This setup lasted about an hour and then the pole bent……it has now been taken out of the equipment list. Winds were out of the North at 15/16 knots. The seas have been choppy with swells at 5-9 feet.Dinner was coney islands and chips.Day 2-7:30 amI just. read more...

Barbara Jean - Delay to our start and more time in Portsmouth—11-8-15

We were scheduled to leave today for Nanny Cay in the BVI however, there are two tropical waves being monitored in the North Atlantic for development.   So for now, we will be patient and wait the weather out, fine tune the boat, get a couple of more projects done and enjoy the area.   Last update from the WCC suggests that we will depart on Tuesday or Wednesday.    So, an update on how we have been staying busy these last several days……Captain has been continually working on the boat changing the antifreeze and engine oil, making sure the SSB radio is operating, rigging a boom preventer, and working when he gets a chance to.I have done laundry, gone to the grocery store, taped all of the ring pins and cotter pins that could potentially snag something,. read more...