Thursday, November 15, 2007

Captain Credentials

"The Maryland School of Sailing & Seamanship boasts an impressive staff of offshore-savvy instructors and is notable for its high level of organization and dedication to real ocean sailing." Quote from Blue Water Sailing magazine, July 2002 issue, page S-10

Halimeda arrives in St Thomas

After a long ocean voyage from Norfolk to the Virgin Islands, Halimeda, the school's 45' Island Packet yacht, arrives in good form at Crown Bay Marina in St. Thomas today, November 15, 2007 with her crew of six -- Captain David Appleton, First Mate Carroll Christiansen, and students Rick Koubek, Peter Schloss, John Kalliongis, and Dan Stephenson. The crew has been at sea non-stop since November 2nd. We'll be posting a cruise report here and on our website on the cruise reports page.

Celestial Sets Sail; Bahamas to Punta Gorda Florida

November 14, 2007: Captain Jochen Hoffmann aboard Celestial reported this afternoon that all crew had arrived safely in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, and spent the day in preparation for their voyage. They will depart Marsh Harbor Marina at 4:00 PM Wednesday November 14th. Their plan is to anchor in the bay Wednesday night, acclimate themselves to the boat and living aboard, and leave early in the morning for the 70 mile sail to the Berry Islands. They will spend Thursday night anchored near the Berrys, and then will leave early Friday morning for Key West. This is a 120 mile run, which will take them 24-36 hours of non-stop sailing to complete. Their expected ETA in Key West will be sometime Saturday, when they will take a well deserved rest before heading toward their destination in Punta Gorda, Florida. A total of 5 crew members are on board, including the captain and 4 students.