Hi everyone,
Our arrival in Panama marks completion of a 22 month North Atlantic circuit. Along the way we visited Jamaica, Bahamas, USA, Canada, St Pierre & Miquelon, Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verdes, Antigua & Sint Maarten. It was bonza!
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| Zen Again OCC burgee on the wall at Peter's Sport Cafe, Horta |
Here's our overall track...
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| Track |
And here are a set of graphs...
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| Graphs |
The 8 month gap in the middle was spent with Zen Again out of the water at DYC in Deltaville, VA, USA. So Zen Again was in the water for 14 months.
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| Speeds |
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| Average Winds |
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| Temperatures |
The water temperature above gradually goes wild in the months leading up to haul-out. The sensor in our Airmar DST-800 failed. It was replaced in Deltaville with a DST-810 which added pitch and roll sensing.
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| Atmospheric Pressure |
It's interesting seeing the wider pressure excursions while outside the tropics. Entirely expected, but interesting to see it in reality.
Here are the vital stats for the circuit…
• Distances/Speeds
• Log Distance = 11,645nm
• GPS Distance = 11,868nm (using NoForeignLand's mileage calculator)
• Duration = 2 years 2 months
• Weather
• Variable!
• Scariest - a 40G50 knot thunderstorm in the Bahamas
• Engine
• 602 hours
• Stars
• The boat!
• WindPilot vane gear
• Icom HF/SSB radio
Our circuit was of course timed to match the seasons. We stayed in the Bahamas for the early part of the hurricane season, keeping a close eye on hurricane development. The next year we cruised "down east" to St Pierre earlier than most to optimise the timing of our 1200nm passage to the Azores. And our passages from the Canaries to St Maarten were timed to arrive in Panama a couple of months before our planned Panama Canal transit in April.
Here are a small set of photos of our circuit. For more detail enter the country name in the Search Box at the top-left of this page.
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| Touring Jamaica |
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| Bahamas! |
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| Bahamas! |
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| Cheeseburgers in Paradise |
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| ICW (Instra-Coastal Waterway in US |
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| Moored at an OCC Port Officer's dock on Chesapeake Bay |
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| On a mooring in wonderful, sailing-mad Annapolis |
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| Replicating a 1980s photo off Annapolis |
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| On the hard at DYC, Deltaville |
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| Flying over Greenland enroute back to US |
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| Chesapeake Bay sunset |
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| Guess where! |
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| New York, NY |
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| Anchored in the Essex River, CT |
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| Entering Eel Pool at Woods Hole, MA |
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| Beautiful Maine |
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| Canada-bound |
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| Anchored in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |
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| Foggy Nova Scotia |
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| Beautiful Nova Scotia |
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| Moored at OCC Port Officer home on the Bras D'Or |
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| Beautiful Bras D'Or |
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| Ramea Island, Newfoundland |
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| La Hune Bay, Newfoundland |
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| St Pierre |
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| Atlantic Crossing dawn |
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| Flores landfall |
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| Beautiful Flores |
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| Anchored in Horta, Faial with Pico in background |
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| Beautiful Azores |
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| Touring the Azores with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise |
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| Spectacular Porto Santo |
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| Touring Porto Santo with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise |
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Did we have fun?
(sv Metzi photo)
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| D'Abra Bay, Madeira |
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| D'Abra Bay Braai/BBQ |
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| Walking the Madeira Levadas |
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| Madeira |
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| Touring Funchal, Madeira with OCC sv Metzi |
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| Anchored off Graciosa, Canaries |
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| Touring Lanzarote with the OCC 70th Anniversary Cruise |
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| Fuertaventura |
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| Gran Canaria |
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OCC 70th Anniversary Pasito Blanco BBQ
(Agustin Martin photo) |
We had a marvellous North Atlantic circuit. Some great sailing and some not so great. Met so many wonderful people. Many of them were the marvellous OCC Port Officers. The weather was hugely variable of course, but with proper planning it's well within the capabilities of our 10m 1980s racer/cruiser.
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| Fun aboard OCC sv Metzi |
And finally thanks to my wonderful Admiral and "other half". What adventures we have!
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