Thursday, November 15, 2007
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.
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At 1530 EST today, Saturday September 17, 2007, Captain Jochen Hoffmann reported by cell phone that Celestial was 10 miles from Key West and expecting to be berthed in a marina before nightfall. Due to weather conditions of the past two days, Celestial did not stop at the Berry Islands as previously planned, but sailed non-stop from Marsh Harbor to Key West a distance of about 200 miles. All crewmembers are doing well and are in high spirits as they prepare for landfall.
Captain Hoffman plans for two days of rest and relaxation for the crew at Key West, and to depart Monday morning for Punta Gordan with an intermediate stop overnight at one of the islands dotting the west coat of Florida.
At 0800 today, Monday November 19, 2007, Captain Jochen Hoffmann reported by cell phone that the crew of Celestial is rested, and preparing to leave Key West and head for their final destination Punta Gorda, Florida. The crew had arrived at Galleon Marina in Key West on Saturday evening, after sailing through the Gulfstream then along the Florida Keys at night. It was a challenging sail, but Captain Hoffmann reports that they crew did very well and is working together as a supportive team.
For this final leg, Celestial will travel approximately 150 miles from Key West to Punta Gorda Florida. The captain and crew have decided not to stop on this leg, but to continue straight through. The trip will take approximately 36 hours to complete. The crew will practice their heave-to maneuvers if a rest is needed. Captain Hoffmann reports that the weather conditions and winds are favorable for this leg, with winds blowing 10-20 knots from the Northeast, then East for the latter part of the trip.
At 1700 today, Tuesday November 20th, Captain Jochen Hoffmann called to report that Celestial and her crew had arrived at their destination in Punta Gorda, Florida. All is well with the boat and crew. It was a successful trip, covering approximately 400 miles. A trip report will be posted soon on our cruise reports page
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