Holly S**t, it’s been a whirlwind since Brenda headed home from Antigua on March 1st.

In the course of only a few weeks, I helped out on the Caribbean 600 race, greeting boats at the dock upon their return, enjoyed some of the events associated with the SuperYacht Regatta and then took Pandora to Trinidad where she is undergoing a few more tweaks to be sure that she is in top shape to run to the Mediterranean.

Now I am back home in CT until I head back to Trinidad in late April.

On March 10th I headed south from Antigua, bound for Trinidad, some 400 miles distant, to address a few new items that I need completed as well as some “mop up” items from when she was there for her big refit over the summer, a few things that weren’t completed because I needed to be in Antigua by November 10th, done or not and just had to leave…

One major problem with having on a schedule is that sometimes the weather isn’t cooperative and our run south to Trinidad was true to form, in this case, with not enough wind. As a result, a lot of motoring. Sadly, being able to delay a few days would have made for a much more fun passage. When on a tight timeframe it can often be frustrating.

On my way north to Antigua, also on a schedule, we motored a lot as well. Normally, Brenda and I don’t move until conditions are favorable but when there is a deadline, you just gotta go.

When I leave Trinidad in early May, it is a very long way, almost 500 miles, to St Maarten, where I will join in a feeder rally, departing on May 18th, bound for Bermuda, to begin my run to Horta in the Azores. From Bermuda we plan to depart for Horta on or or about June 1st, when I will lead the 9 boats that are participating in the Salty Dawg Azores Rally.

One in Horta Brenda will join me for a month of cruising the Azores before she flies to Scotland and will head, again with crew, for Spain.

My run from Trinidad to Horta will be my longest since I retired in 2012. For the last dozen years, Brenda and I have been spending most winters afloat, beginning with a run down the Intra Costal Waterway, ICW, in 2012, as well as four seasons in the Bahamas, two months cruising Cuba’s south coast and most recently, 8-9 seasons cruising the eastern Caribbean.

This screenshot from my Garmin InReach shows Pandora’s tracks every season from the beginning of the pandemic until this current season. That’s a lot of back and forth. The run to the west from the US Virgins to FL, via the Old Bahama Channel, was our track back to the US when crew was not available.

With bad weather on that run and a very reluctant crew (Brenda), it was surely our most miserable passage ever.

When I return to Pandora in late April, I will begin what will be a marathon run to Spain were I hope to arrive by early August.

The total distance from Trinidad to Almaria Spain, where I will leave Pandora from August until the following spring, is nearly 4,500 miles. That’s a long way and will involve crew on every leg, nearly 10 individuals, my most number of crew in one year, ever.

It is unquestionably a very long way and I will admit that I am struggling to know that when I leave Brenda on April 27th to head to Trinidad, I won’t see her again until mid June. Not to put too fine a point on this but I will be at sea for both our 48th wedding anniversary and my 70th birthday. Not great.

The run…

After last summer I decided that I needed a break from long passages and opted to leave Pandora in Trinidad for some work after a decade of long passages back and forth from New England. It is ironic that after only a break for one season from the long runs, I am now planning on my longest run ever but as they say, “you gotta do what you gotta do”. So much for a shorter commute…

However, after so many years in the Caribbean and going to the same islands, again and again, it’s time for a change of scenery so off we go…

A particularly big negative is that this will take us away from our home for much of this summer, our favorite time of the year to be here. And, that also means that we will be here in the winter, the last place I want to be when it’s freezing.

And speaking of summer, a few days ago we went to a local nursery to get some spring flowers with the full knowledge that after they fade, we won’t be able to plant until sometime in August. Not great but after this season, we will be home for most of the summer following April and May in the Med and a return in the early fall for two more months.

I will surely miss seeing friends and going to our favorite harbors in the Caribbean, especially Antigua but four months a year cruising the Mediterranean with so much history, won’t be so bad. Right?

With crew settled for each leg of the run and Pandora getting last minute items dealt with, I am busy ordering stuff for the passage including spare pumps, medical kits and whatever I can think of to allow us to keep safe and moving if we find ourselves in a fix 1,000 miles from anything.

Whatever spars and parts that I have on board it is likely that something that I don’t have a spare for will break. As they say “everything on a boat is broken. You just don’t know it yet.” Sad but true…

And we won’t even talk about the possibility of an orca biting off my rudder along the way. A few weeks ago I actually ran into a guy on the beach in Falmouth Antigua who had his rudder bitten off near Gibraltar. I suppose when you think about the number of boats sailing around, getting your rudder “removed” isn’t all that likely but it is still common enough to be a real concern.

There is actually a website dedicated to tracking orca sightings and attacks to help boats transiting the area steer clear of harm, or at least try to steer clear of the pods. I have no idea of what the percentage of boats traveling through the area are hit but I’d hate to be one. Check out this site dedicated to sightings and “incidents”.

There are a lot of interactions with orcas in the course of a year. The blue are “we saw”. The red are “they bit”. Looks like a lot to me…

There are many more attacks in the springtime farther south, near Gibraltar. That is why it is not recommended to keep the boat for the winter in southern Portugal with the plan of moving into the Med in early spring as that is when the orcas are most active in the area.

That’s a bummer as I would prefer to keep Pandora in that area for next winter as it is reasonably priced and not all that far from the Azores. But with all the attacks, I will be bypassing that area and heading a few hundred miles farther and into the Med to Almeria, Spain.

Attacks April to June of last year. Lots of them and all over the place.

In summer, July and August when I will be passing the area west of Gibraltar there were not as many interactions but it wasn’t nothing. I am told that they migrate north as the season progresses, following the tuna, their primary food source.

For sure, the risk of being hit by an orca is a concern and I am hopeful that I can avoid the worse of it by consulting the “incident map” and see where the orcas area and going elsewhere.

After transiting the “orca gauntlet”, and making my way into the Med, I’ll head for Almira. Along the way I may very well stop in Gibraltar and Morocco to see some sights with my crew if they can take the time.

And, those plans do depend on my not having to stop along the way to have my rudder repaired.

Gibralter to Almeria.

So, where in the world is Pandora…Going?

From Trinidad to St Maarten, Bermuda, Horta, a month cruising the Azores with Brenda and on to Almeria. After that, in 2026, who knows.

I am looking forward to seeing sights like this castle in Almeria.

I am not looking forward to sights like this…

Orcas aside, here is to an uneventful voyage.

Wish me luck.

BTW: I will be posting regularly on passage so be sure to sign up in the upper right of this page to be alerted when I publish a post. Even if you signed up in the past and are no longer getting alerts sign up again as I had problems with the site but that’s now resolved.

I am in Trinidad and plan on heading home tomorrow for about 6 weeks before returning to bring Pandora north in preparation for the rally to the Azores.

Brenda headed home on March 1st to attend to a number of art shows that she is involved in and I stuck around to be part of the Antigua Super Yacht Regatta. This regatta is designed to attract the really big sailing yachts, some over 200′ long that do not normally race and to do so in a “gentleman sort of way” over a four day series.

To see these huge yachts move around the course, piloted by professional captains and very exprienced crew from around the world is an amazing sight. On the final day or racing I was lucky to be invited out on a photo boat that had been chartered by two professional photographers.

We followed the fleet around the course and to see these monsters pass us by was breathtaking.

The Caribbean 600 is over and the 65+ competitors have returned to the dock. It was a tough race with lots of wind and rough seas so there were quite a few that had to retire without finishing the race. More than normal, I was told.

600 miles in strong trade winds make for a wet race as they wound around 10 islands giving a mix of conditions from ghosting along in the wind shadow of Guadeloupe to beating into 30kts of trades. Not my choice, that’s for sure. A tough course.

A friend and I walked up high on the cliffs overlooking the starting line. Off in the distance was the race committee and lots of others, vying for a good look down the starting line.

And down below us some going for a swim in the surf.

While off in the distance the yachts were getting ready for the start, practicing their tacks and jibes.

As the various classes started, with the smallest ones going first followed by larger boats. Even the smallest weren’t small but compared to the super-maxi…

Rounding the starting mark.

It turned out that we were in the perfect place to observe as each boat came very close to where we were and tacked.

And there was a lot of tacking to gain an advantage, sometimes coming so close to each other that it looked like they would collide.

To see these huge yachts coming at us was an impressive sight. This is Lucky that ultimately won “line honors” being the fastest boat over the course.

This boat, is owned by Roy Disney and is campaigned all over the world.

The boats that are the most sophisticated have a “canting keel” that allows them to move the keel from side to side, up to about 45 degrees. This helps keep the boat more upright in strong wind. When the keel is moved over that much the boat needs to have a long dagger board put down to keep the boat from sliding sideways. This shows the severe angle of the keel.

No shortage of crew on these giants. Every ounce of “rail meat” is needed to keep the boat as level as possible.

To see these powerful machines beating to weather was a sight.

And, to make things even more exciting, there was a helicopter buzzing all around, often hovering very close to the water and banking over us.

More often than not, they passed very close and below us. Not common to see the top of a chopper up close.

One thing that is unique about this race is that every boat, regardless of first, last or retired is greeted at the dock when they arrive. I thought that it would be fun to volunteer and agreed to be on call on Wednesday morning, from 02:00 to 06:00, when the first boats were likely to show up.

All of this was organized by Helen, relentlessly cheerful and yet runs a very tight ship. And, here with her infectious smile and enthusiasm made it all so much fun. In honor of all the volunteers they had two parties for us. it was great fun.

My “crew” of greeters. Note at least one beer at 04:00. Oh, to be young…

The first to be greeted were a few boats that had to retire as they had broken stuff. Torn sails, a track ripped off of the mast, a broken rudder, just to name a few. Even though the arrived dejected from a race that did not turn out as they had hoped, we cheered them with enthusiasm.

We had a banner that they unrolled for the photo and we delivered beer for all on board which was a big hit, as you can imagine.

As my shift was the very first one, less than 48 hours after the start, only the fastest boats were likely to be completing the race by then.

That turned out to be quite something as Lucky, a boat that used to be called Rambler 88, was the first boat to finish, earning “line honors”.

I have to say that being there as they returned to the dock around 05:00 was quite a thrill. As you can imagine, being the first to complete the race was also a reason for press to show up in force so there was quite a crowd on hand.

Check out this video chronicling the win by Lucky. It’s a short piece but full of action. She is a huge white boat. Really impressive.

As she came around the corner from behind a huge motor yacht, it was impressive to see them back into the dock in the dark.

After a hard run, skillfully guided to the dock.

Quite a crowd had been forming to greet them.

Clearly, the Lucky campaign is well run. Even before we had a chance to give them the banner, dozens of hot pizzas arrived. I subsequently learned that a local restaurant opened hours early to prepare food for the crew.

And, there was additional food on the dock in coolers and boxes that was hoisted aboard as the celebration began.

Interestingly, they have a canting keel that can be moved from one side of the boat to the other to provide more righting moment and keep the boat more level, although they still sail on their ear. As the draft with the keel down is something like 20′, they have to cant the keel about 20 degrees to reduce draft in the harbor. However, this means that the boat will heel alarmingly so they hoist three huge water bags on the opposite side of the boat to compensate for the weight of the keel and keep her fairly level at the dock.

This is one sophisticated boat and I can only imagine what it costs to move her around the world for many the many competitions that they participate in.

Only a few weeks ago they received line honors in the RORC transatlantic race from the Canaries islands to Grenada and setting a new record run for the course. This 10 minute wrap-up on the race is worth watching.

All and all, it was a wonderful experience but I can say with confidence, that a 600 mile run, island to island, is not for me. I guess that I don’t like being salty all that much.

However, to volunteer and greet them as they arrived. Great fun.

And even better… the parties.

The Caribbean 600 race. What a spectacle.

It’s Sunday February 23rd and those tiny sailboats that have been hanging around Falmouth began their around the world race. First stop Panama and yes, in keeping with the news from Washington about the canal, they will get very special treatment crossing Panama.

Actually, given how small these boats are, less than 20′ long, they will simply be pulled out of the water and put on a truck that will bring them over the mountains where they will be launched into the Pacific Ocean.

And, speaking of the Panama Canal, I am trying to imagine how these boats would handle the line handlers necessary for navigating the canal. Not a lot of room on board, that’s for sure.

All of these boats, here in Antigua, completed a qualifying passage, most leaving from Logos Portugal. Everyone made it here safely.

Perhaps a good place to begin is with a short video of highlights of the qualifying voyage “race” to Antigua.

The start was at the mouth of Falmouth Harbor and began with a parade of all participants out to the starting line. I ran, err walked, up the Goat Trail to the lookout to see the procession.

Even big boats look tiny from up high. But these, well teeny tiny. Not a lot larger than the dinks following them to the start.

By way of contrast, some of the Caribbean 600 race boats were out practicing. Their crew involves more individuals than the entire fleet of minis, by about double.

And, surely this spinnaker on the 100’+ Leopard surely cost more than the entire budget of the mini fleet.

With about 40 minutes to start, I scrambled, and nearly ran, down the trail, jumped into my dink and motored out to the starting line to watch the participants jockey for position.

There was a lot of action and loads of spectator boats trying to stay out of the way. I expect that this is about as close to another participant any of these boats is going to be until they are on the dock in Panama.

Spectator boats are always packed with crew and this one a very capable offshore boat itself.

A few minutes before the 5 minute gun.

Almost to the line.

And they’re off…

So funny to see the jockeying to be the first over the line with so many miles to go.

Heading off toward the horizon.

Almost gone… Next stop, Panama and the end of leg one.

I am really looking forward to following the fleet for the next year. The other night there was a meet and greet at the Sailing Academy where many of the skippers shared their stories and why they were embarking on this remarkable journey.

Some may say that to take on the ocean in such a small boat is foolhardy but having spent time understanding the design and meeting the skippers, many of whom built their own boats, it seems to me that while there is surely risk, these boats and hopefully the skippers that sail them are plenty tough for the trip.

My plan is to follow the fleet and report on what I learn and expect that there will be a continual flow of information and photos in the coming months so stand by.

Of course, you too can follow the boats using the “yellow brick” tracking app. Install it where you get your tablet or phone apps. After you download the app select the “mini-globe race” and select leg one to see where the boats are.

God speed to them all.

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I mentioned that a number of really tiny sailboats were arriving in Antigua over the last week or so and marveled at how mini they really are.

And, they seem particularly mini when the harbor is so full of maxi and super and maximum maxi.

These boats, and there are 18 of them here now, have just finished a qualifying run to Antigua from Logos in Southern Portugal, in order to participate in the Mini Globe round-the-world race that starts from Antigua next week.

I am told that the race will begin off of Pigeon Beach which is right near Pandora.

Each of these boats are of the exact same design and yesterday I stopped over at the Sailing Academy in Falmouth, where they are all docked, to have a look at the fleet.

They are set up to be water tight. A good idea given the fact that they are likely to be banged around quite a bit as they make their way around the world. I’m imaging how it would feel to be inverted… Not great.

Even the companionway down below is a waterproof hatch so nothing will cause them to down-flood if they roll, and given how tiny these boats are, it seems to me that rolling might be likely.

I am sure that they will run into some pretty sporty conditions. I found this photo. And the waves aren’t even that big. Big wave, little boat.

With my own trans-Atlantic run to the Azores coming up, I continue to think about the threat of an orca biting off my rudder. These minis have a rudder as well as two dagger-boards on the stern, I guess for stability. I wonder if the “eyes” on these are to deter orcas or at least make them think twice about taking a chomp.

And, speaking of visibility, some of them have plexiglass domes on the cabin top so they can peek out when things are unpleasant. Perhaps they can also keep an eye on orcas if the boat is upside down.

These boats are a “one design” and are all built from the exact same plans. Many of them are home built and all are made from plywood. My impression is that they are finished to a very high degree.

While the group in the race number under 20, more than 100 of these boats have been built, many from pre-cut kits.

Not a lot of room below. To see them up close makes them look even smaller.

But the route is anything but small.

I met one of the skippers/owner, a guy named Jakub, born in Poland but hailing from Ireland with his boat “BiBi of Cork”. I should have taken a photo of him, but I didn’t. This is his photo on the race website.

His boat, on the outside rafted up, #185.

This is a short video that describes these boats in some detail.

These minis are not the only ones preparing to race in Antigua as they prepare for their Monday start, bound for Panama. If you want to keep track of the boats once they leave on Monday February 24th, follow this link.

Monday is also the start for the RORC Caribbean 600 ocean race and it has attracted a big crowd of yachts that are anything but mini. Try super-maxi. And, to track them as well. This link will be live as of Monday too, I expect.

This is considered one of the toughest ocean races in the world. The course, 600 miles, winds itself around a number of islands and back to Antigua.

There are dozens of go fast machines leaving and returning to the harbor every day as they participate in tune-up races.

The boats and crew are maxi in every way.

Tall mast, really tall…

And, they seem even taller when you note the tiny crew member perched up high on the mast.

One after another, they come back after a day or racing, accompanied by their entourage. And, all their “stuff” is carted around the world in big 40′ shipping containers. This one has a small dink…

Others, three engine dinks… I guess that they ship those in a container too. And most if not all of the crew are professional. A campaign, racing around the world must cost millions.

Well, there you have it, racing all over the world, or around the world. I guess with the Mini class you can even do it with a modest budget.

Me, I’d rather sit at anchor and watch the “boys with their toys” pass me by.

I understand that both the Caribben 600 and the mini race both start here on Monday. The mini race just off of Pigeon beach, behind Pandora and the 600 outside of the harbor. I hope I can somehow see both.

The action will surely be great. See this video of last year’s Caribbean 600 race. Many of the same boats are here again.

It is quite a show.

So, how big is Pandora? That’s a question I get asked a lot.

Well, compared to Minis, she’s a maxi but to others a mini.

Mini perhaps but not all that mini but big enough for me.

Well, at least until the waves get too big.

I can’t believe that Brenda and I will have been in Antigua for a month and, as of yet, have not left the mooring. It’s Valentines day and we are still experiencing Christmas Winds.

What did we get for Valentines day? Wind, just wind. And food.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy Antigua but to be here for this long without even turning on the engine, is not quite what we are used to. How many times can I motor to the marina and back in my dink?

At least the view is always wonderful at night, especially when a full moon is rising from the east.

We had thought about making a dash to Guadeloupe a few weeks ago when there was a two day lull in the wind, but those who did head south reported that it was “lumpy”, “sporty”, “challenging”. Whatever it was, had we left it would have been a CLM “career limiting move” for me with Brenda as we tried to claw our way back just a few weeks later as it’s still really breezy.

So, here we are, making the best we can although I will admit that I am going a bit stir crazy and have done more “busy work” to keep my self occupied than I normally do.

In addition to the many things, all small, that have been in my plate for the last month, I have enjoyed “yacht spotting” as Pandora’s mooring is directly adjacent to the main channel heading out, or into, Falmouth Harbor.

Because of the wind, there have been very few cruisers heading out but the big boats continue to come and go.

As it’s been so busy this season, with every slip in the marina fully occupied, there are always a number of really big boats anchored near the mouth of the harbor.

With the waves breaking over the reef at the entrance of Falmouth, large rollers are causing these huge yachts to rock from side to side, sometimes quite alarmingly.

One that seems to be pretty stable is Kaos, as huge as she is, is just over half the length the largest yacht in the world. Of course, that yacht is owned by someone from the middle east.

Many yachts are lit up brilliantly at night but none more dramatically than Kaos. Their bespoke launch is also a sight to behold at night, with lights under and above water. Sadly, I haven’t taken a photo.

Kaos is unique as she is classified as a ship as opposed to as a yacht. This is because she is in excess of 300 gross tons and therefore has to comply with a lot more rules, which is a very expensive proposition, I am told. However, he guest capacity is nearly double that of mere yachts, 31 guests, not counting crew.

As I mentioned in a prior post, Kaos is owned by Nancy Walton, heiress to the Walmart family fortune. Well, at least part of it. Enough, it seems.

At over 360′ long Kaos is huge, carries a compliment of 45 crew attending to a maximum of 31 guests. Imagine the complexity of such a vessel. And, at $300m an expensive one at that.

Well, is it sufficient to say that Antigua caters to the mega yacht crowd and Nancy and her “boat” are at the top of the pack.

Ok, enough about yachtspotting.

What about our plans this spring?

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am leading the first ever Salty Dawg Rally to the Azores, scheduled to depart from Bermuda on or about June 1st. After the 2000 mile Atlantic crossing and arriving in Horta, Brenda will fly and meet me for a month of cruising the islands before she wings to Scotland for a few weeks of touring with an old friend. At that point, I will continue on to Spain, likely Almeria about 150 miles past Gibraltar, in Southern Spain.

Why Almeria? Well, there is a website/app Navily that combines Google Earth images of the coastline overlayed with anchorages and marinas for the entire Mediterranean, and other areas. A terrific feature of the program is that you can fill in the details of your boat and inquire about dockage at any particular marina with a few clicks. Using this service I methodically worked through just about all of the marinas between Gibraltar and as far north as Barcelona, literally dozens of marinas, asking about pricing for the 7 months that Pandora will be laid up from early August until the following spring.

Each of the symbols mean anchorages, marinas and other features that you can zoom in on. This is a Google shot of Almeria, well part of the city.

I heard back from nearly all of them and learned that pricing for storage, most commonly in-water, ranged from a low of about 4,000 euros to more than 8,000. I have also spoken to a number of cruisers with experience in this area and Almeria came up time and time again as a good place to store for the winter.

The marina, Puerto Deportivo Almerimar was on the low end of pricing and also offers both in-water storage and on-the-hard. With 7 months away and basically unsupervised, I am inclined to have Pandora hauled instead of worrying that something might happen with her so far away. And, with her floating (hopefully) for that long, I’d feel compelled to have someone keep an eye on her and that would surely add up to even more money over the many months.

The marina is positively huge with over 1,100 slips. They also have space on land if I choose that route. Note that the marina is protected from the Med Sea by a large breakwater. Given the relatively featureless coastline, without any natural inlets, the only option for marinas is to build one into the coastline and that’s what nearly all of them look like, large or small.

This photo gives a feel for just how many slips there are.

The marina is not directly in the city with the beautiful historical architecture as that one is twice the price. and it’s not worth the extra cost to be closer to the attractions. One option, when we are aboard, is to move to the more expensive marina in city center or rent a car.

Based on some of the videos that we have watched, there are lots of beautiful places to visit a short distance from the marina. This video gives a good feel for what’s in store, as near as I can figure.

Lots to look forward to but for now, here we are in very windy Antigua. Not a bad thing in late February when it’s snowy at home.

Better think about Valentine’s Day and sunny beaches.

It’s time to go for a swim and think about what is to come.

Almeria? I go there.