{"id":9229,"date":"2018-11-12T08:09:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T13:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=9229"},"modified":"2018-11-12T10:31:37","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T15:31:37","slug":"im-off-to-welcome-the-salty-dawg-fleet-to-antigua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=9229","title":{"rendered":"I’m off to welcome the Salty Dawg fleet to Antigua."},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Monday morning and I am heading to Antigua tomorrow to welcome the Salty Dawg Fleet to that beautiful island.\u00a0 That’s the good news.\u00a0 The bad news is that NOBODY has arrived yet and it’s still going to be a few days until the first members of the fleet will show up.<\/p>\n

The problem is that weather in the Atlantic in November is generally not all that great.\u00a0 As the summer SW prevailing winds begin to give way to the NW and NE winds of winter in the fall and early winter, things can be pretty unsettled.\u00a0 As November is toward the end of the hurricane season and when insurance companies say that it’s OK to head south, that’s when most sailors move their boats to warmer climes to enjoy the winter season of sailing in the tropics.<\/p>\n

Well, this year’s Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean<\/a> has been pretty challenging with persistent SE winds making it tough for the fleet to make their way south to Antigua or the BVIs.\u00a0 \u00a0Additionally, it was a pretty rough crossing of the Gulf Stream due to strong NE winds the day before much of the fleet crossed, kicking up a pretty confused sea, and a number of boats had to stop in Bermuda to fix broken gear.\u00a0 The winds after the GS were also fairly light and not from a favorable direction so many other boats had to make a stop in Bermuda as well for fuel before heading out again.<\/p>\n

Add to all of this, a low forming north of Puerto Rico that will cross the likely track of the fleet, and it gets pretty interesting.\u00a0 \u00a0As a result of all this, the fleet is running behind and I am going to push back some of the events I have planned in Antigua to celebrate their arrival.<\/p>\n

When I scheduled the first few events a few months ago I knew that there was some risk that we’d have to move it back and as of yesterday the full impact of delays to getting the fleet there in time, became clear.<\/p>\n

So, off to Antigua I go tomorrow to wait.\u00a0 However, my friends Bill and Maureen of Kalunamoo are already there, having sailed up from Trinidad last week so it will be fun to spend time with them.\u00a0 My friend Craig will also be flying down on Thursday to enjoy the fun so I’ll be plenty busy.<\/p>\n

Of course, staying at the Admiral’s Inn<\/a> won’t be particularly tough duty.\u00a0 It’s a really beautiful place.\u00a0 \u00a0 What a spot to sit and work on a nice cool G&T.\u00a0 \u00a0No, make that a rum punch.\u00a0 It’s the islands Mon!\"\"And, don’t forget about the infinity pool looking over historic Nelson’s Dockyard.\u00a0 Yeah, I could do that too.\u00a0 Now that I think of it, perhaps another totally excellent spot for a rum punch.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"And speaking of rum.\u00a0 How about hanging out a bit with my friends from the Tot club, better known as the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda<\/a> .\u00a0 As a relatively new member, there’s still lots of Royal British Navy history to explore, along with an appropriate, make that a responsible, measure of rum.<\/p>\n

I remember, well I sort of remember, becoming a member last spring and have a photo to prove it.\u00a0 \u00a0I say “sort of remember” as some of the details are a bit fuzzy.\u00a0 Of course, after all of those “tots” it’s hard to be clear about anything.\u00a0 But, it was fun and I, sort of, learned a lot about British Naval history.\u00a0\"\"That reminds me, I don’t want to forget my “official” Tot Club shirt.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I’ll make the best of this trip, one way or the other.<\/p>\n

So, back to the Rally fleet and their run south.\u00a0 \u00a0It’s always tough to make the run from the US coast to the Caribbean and this year is a proving to be somewhat more challenging than most.\u00a0 So far, only a bit of discomfort and some adverse winds.\u00a0“That’s easy for you to say Bob!\u00a0 You aren’t out there.”\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

That’s true.\u00a0 So, let’s hope that things continue to go fairly well for the fleet and that everyone arrives safely and without incident.\u00a0 \u00a0If you’d like to follow the fleet’s progress, <\/span>click here to see a map of the fleet<\/a>\u00a0as they make their way south.\u00a0 Put SDR in the “group” section along with the date range.\u00a0 The fleet began to head out on November 1st but you may find it easier to see what’s going on with a narrower date range.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the location of the fleet as of Monday morning.\u00a0 \u00a0The fleet is roughly split between Antigua and the BVIs.\u00a0 I have notated “the” destination, Antigua so you can see how much farther they have to go.\u00a0 Yes, it’s a long way off but only 90 miles farther than the BVIs.\"\"Conditions may get bit rough for the fleet with the low that is going to cross their path as they get closer to the islands.\u00a0 It’s fast moving and while it may bring winds in excess of gale force if they get stuck in the middle of it, it’s not looking quite as organized as it was forecast to be just a day or so ago.\u00a0 \u00a0 The low is the dark blue section to the right.\u00a0 \u00a0This screen shot is of about 06:00 EST today and is currently east of the fleet’s track.\u00a0\"\"However, by Wednesday, when many boats will be at about the same latitude as the stronger winds, it is expected to cross their track.\u00a0 \u00a0Chris Parker, the weather router for the rally, suggests slowing down to let the low pass.\u00a0 \u00a0Good idea.\u00a0\"\"As they say, when you are on the ocean in a small boat “it’s always something”.<\/p>\n

And, speaking of waves, which I sort of was, I came upon this video of the largest wave ever surfed, a 95′ monster a few years ago in Nazare Portugal.\u00a0 \u00a0 It’s huge, and yet, in this short video, predictably looks smaller than it really is, a frustrating reality for anyone that has been in heavy weather on the ocean and has tried to document the conditions to share with their friends.<\/p>\n

Ever wonder what those big rollers you see on the ocean look like when they reach shore?\u00a0 Perhaps they look like this.\u00a0 Ok, I said 95′ but who beyond the guys at Guinness care about such a fine detail.\u00a0 \u00a0It’s just a frigging big wave.