Sailing Positive Waves

Somewhere off the coast of New England, going a little stir-crazy. Cruising by a calendar Every recreational, cruising sailor that I've met lives by the adage: don't cruise by a calendar . After staying in Bermuda for longer than planned due to Tropical Storm Alex , we transformed from cruising sailors to delivery skippers. Alex passed over Bermuda on June 7 and we needed to be in Maine by June 14. It was time to hustle.    When the wind started piping up, Hans went on deck and reefed the main. (Pulling some of the sail down to make the sail smaller and less powerful so we slow the boat down.) To start the summer off, we had flights scheduled out of Portland, Maine (where we're leaving the boat at a boatyard to get some projects done) on June 14. As we were sitting in Bermuda waiting out the storm, we decided that if we could get to Maine by the morning of the 13th, we could scramble and get the boat cleaned and prepped for our six week absence. If it was any time later,

St. George's, Bermuda. A UNESCO World Heritage site We loved Bermuda. The weather was markedly cooler and less humid than San Juan and the combination of the quintessential island architecture and dazzling blue waters made the island one of our favorite stops so far. St. George’s is a UNESCO National Heritage Site and we happily wandered around the town, exploring the cobblestone alleyways and streets that are lined with stucco houses painted in bright pastels. My favorite part of St. George’s is the town square, King's Square. It’s a big, open area and the town has provided shaded benches and picnic tables for local residents and tourists. They also have outdoor speakers playing a random variety of music, oftentimes Madonna. Kind of bizarre but also entertaining. The free wifi also adds to the appeal. The inner docks in St. George's, with the customs dock on one side and the town square on the other. And, most importantly for us, the dinghy dock and trash receptacles. Not

  The passage from San Juan to Bermuda is around 800 nautical miles, or approximately 6 days at our average cruising speed of 5.5 to 6 knots. We weighed anchor in San Juan on Tuesday morning around 10 am after doing last minute jobs like getting the dinghy on deck, mounting the Watt & Sea (our hydro generator), and sending me up the mast for a quick rig check. We were escorted out of the harbor by my “boyfriend,” one of the pilot boat captains who liked to pass by our boat at anchor every morning to say hi while I drank my coffee. He earned his nickname because, over the course of a week, he gave me his phone number, offered the use of his car, and, of course, greeted me with increased exuberance every morning. His nickname was confirmed when all of my morning greetings stopped the minute Hans arrived back home. Matilda was especially tickled by the prospect of another man outwardly flirting with me and she would tease me until she’d collapse into a fit of giggles. Goodbye Pilot ca