Isbjorn - ISBJORN OFFSHORE: Sail fast, to get to the pub!

June 17, 20172011A grey evening 120 miles off the west coast of Ireland. Grey ocean, grey horizon. A very fine mist hangs in the air, and while the fog has come and gone over the past 24 hours, the visibility is good currently. A variety of seabirds circle the boat, gannets among them which is a sure sign of land drawing nearer. As are the fishing boats. We've had a dozen or so at any given time appear on AIS, meandering around haphazardly at 2-3 knots, only one coming close enough to get a visual on. It was a good opportunity to teach the crew how to use the radar and what a target looks like on screen. Isbjorn sails fast under spinnaker on a waning breeze, 8.5 knots steady and surfing into the tens once in a while, 11.7 our top speed today. We're racing towards Ireland now, committed. read more...

Isbjorn - ISBJORN OFFSHORE: Ireland Bound?

Friday, June 16. Day 70449I woke at 0345 to Martha & Bruce rousting Mia, who in turn rousted me. I'm not taking an 'official' watch this passage, but promised to do Mia's first half this morning. Getting up to see the sunrise sounded like a great idea last evening when I tucked into my warm bunk in sweatpants and a hoodie...A clear horizon was already visible by 0400 in the grey dawn, and it's light out now (it doesn't get fully dark until 2300 in the evening). A waning but bright half moon peeks through low, scudding clouds every few minutes. The cockpit is wet, though it's not raining. I'm dressed, fully - long underwear beneath sweatpants, wool socks, two long sleeve shirts under my puffy coat, my merino neck gaiter, hat, all under my waterproof foulies and PFD. It's not THAT cold. read more...

Isbjorn - ISBJORN OFFSHORE: Alone in an empty sea

14 June, 20171255I'm a manly, manly man. Just took an ice cold shower in the cockpit outside. I sent the crew below so I could be comfortably naked. But man is that refreshing! The seawater temp is 62, and the tank water perhaps a degree or two warmer. Wakes you up!It's cleanup day on Isbjorn. We've been at sea now almost 4 days, have sailed 575 miles and been through some rough weather. The skies finally cleared around 0300 this morning and the wind & seas have abated slightly, so time for showers and a boat cleanup today (partly inspired by a full French press of coffee that exploded in the galley, grounds and all, earlier this morning...). I'm in charge of heads, Mia galley & floor, the crew scrubbing the cockpit. Nice to get a fresh start in the cleanliness department.Not. read more...

Isbjorn - Isbjorn Offshore: Astro Push-ups & Spinnaker Blasting

29 May, 20171008 - Day 12Mia's in the galley making oatmeal, and it's a good morning for making oatmeal indeed. Low, scudding grey clouds hang over the boat and horizon. A damp, cool westerly breeze. Droplets of dew on everything, stuck fast to the crystallized salt that cakes most parts of the boat after nearly two weeks at sea. The Portuguese man-o-wars continue to glide by our stern in regular procession. Sea turtles eat them, I'm pretty sure. I'm in black sweatpants and a black t-shirt, doing morning exercises in the cockpit. Mostly 'sumo squats' and what Mia & I have dubbed 'astronaut push-ups.' These would be just normal push-ups when Isbjorn is stationary, but offshore, the rolling of the boat changes your perceived, or in keeping with our sailorly theme, your 'apparent'. read more...

Isbjorn - Isbjorn a Offshore: An Ocean Thick with Phosphoresence

28 May, 20170240I put too much hot sauce on my leftover rice & beans just now. 'Jack's Bay Pepper Sauce' from St. Croix. Really tasty, but runnier than anticipated out of the bottle, which I shook with a tad too much fervor. My lips are tingly.Isbjorn is running down the miles on the home stretch. 300 miles to Horta. Under another dark black sky, just a few stars peaking out through some misty cloud cover, she veritably FLIES along, touching double-digit surfs and doing a steady 8.5 in the lulls. We bravely have the spinnaker up, 'Ol Whitey,' a recut chute from an old race boat that we got in time for the Caribbean 600 race back in February. It's a downwind A-sail, but we've got it rigged on the pole to windward like a symmetric sail. She's very stable, and the autopilot is managing. read more...