tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post3443383528676790324..comments2023-06-25T11:17:11.810-04:00Comments on The Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship: Norfolk to St. Thomas USVI, November 2008Rita Hansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15309756656369744260noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-62508473362174887742008-11-16T15:40:00.000-05:002008-11-16T15:40:00.000-05:00I tandem sailed with Celestial earlier this mornin...I tandem sailed with Celestial earlier this morning passing through Current Cut off the east end of STT. Met them on the dock at Crown Bay and took docklines around noon Sunday. All safe and well - the crew enjoyed a pleasant lunch and is headed to the showers. Celestial performed well and all aboard are fine and walking the dock with a smile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-86988676611434677812008-11-16T13:44:00.000-05:002008-11-16T13:44:00.000-05:00At Noon, CELESTIAL was approaching Current Cut bet...At Noon, CELESTIAL was approaching Current Cut between the E end of St Thomas and Great St James Island. I expect that they will arrive at crown Bay by 1330...Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-83624195276027526352008-11-16T10:54:00.000-05:002008-11-16T10:54:00.000-05:00Thank you Barbara! I wil head over to Crown Harbor...Thank you Barbara! I wil head over to Crown Harbor in a few hours. It is gorgeous down here! There are coming in on a beautiful day...will give them a chance to dry out their gear.<BR/><BR/>AlisonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004363157873978376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-38333374335225665392008-11-16T10:50:00.000-05:002008-11-16T10:50:00.000-05:00Received this email from CELESTIAL at 0830 EST on ...Received this email from CELESTIAL at 0830 EST on Nov 16: <BR/><BR/>Cleared west end of Jost Van Dyke. Crew tired but happy with scenery & prospect of shower. JCaptain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-51780143474087684512008-11-16T10:13:00.000-05:002008-11-16T10:13:00.000-05:0011-16-08Good morning all - just had a cell phone c...11-16-08<BR/><BR/>Good morning all - just had a cell phone call from my husband - Celestial is circling St. Thomas and anticipates being in the harbor mid-afternoon today. <BR/><BR/>All is well ...<BR/><BR/>Barbara CarlsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-57668870088357139082008-11-15T19:51:00.000-05:002008-11-15T19:51:00.000-05:00Greetings, Norfolk to St Thomas'08 crew,Bob Hickey...Greetings, Norfolk to St Thomas'08 crew,<BR/>Bob Hickey here do to work overload, just now catching up on your fantastic journey I was a member of the Bahamas to Norfolk crew last May aboard Celestial.<BR/>Congratulations and happy landings.<BR/>Thanks, Tom for the blogs so we can all follow their progress.<BR/>Posted 11-14,20:50Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-90193947346616386202008-11-14T11:32:00.000-05:002008-11-14T11:32:00.000-05:00At 1000 EDT on Nov 14 CELESTIAL reported their pos...At 1000 EDT on Nov 14 CELESTIAL reported their position at 2312N-6430W or about 280 miles from St Thomas. With this position they've made their planned progress eastward and were able to ease sheets a little and head straight toward St Thomas. Weather forecast continues to promise Trade Winds of E 20-25. If it goes SE, they may need to tighten up to windward to maintain their longitude E of St Thomas.<BR/><BR/>They've had good sailing for most of the cruise with little more than one day of motor sailing. Made 300 miles in previous 48 hours, and at this rate they should be in to St Thomas by midday Sunday .<BR/><BR/>Blockage in the aft head has been corrected; they found a broken toilet seat fitting stuck in the head. No doubt it broke while a crewmember sat and hung on for dear life in rough sea conditions. As far as I know, the holding tank still requires pumpout using the jury-rigged deck setup.<BR/><BR/>They've also experienced battery charging problems, but have it under control and manageable. Also experienced damage to the dinghy carried on the stern arch. And a crewmember fell against a locker door in rough seas stoving in the door... Crewmember is ok; door is not.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise... All's well.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-62957783316240428312008-11-13T14:20:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:20:00.000-05:00CELESTIAL expects to arrive in St Thomas on Sunday...CELESTIAL expects to arrive in St Thomas on Sunday, Nov 16 if winds hold as expected.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-85898908095282977452008-11-13T08:27:00.000-05:002008-11-13T08:27:00.000-05:00As of 2230 EDT on Nov 12, CELESTIAL was located at...As of 2230 EDT on Nov 12, CELESTIAL was located at 2627N, 6537W or about 480 miles from St Thomas. They are now fully into the Trades and experiencing NE winds of 20 knots allowing them to sail close hauled toward point "X" although it looks like they'll hit it maybe 150 miles to the south of 27N. Forecast is for winds to clock to E 20 knots keeping them close hauled and making easterly progress challenging.<BR/><BR/>CELESTIAL reported a jam up in the marine heads requiring manual pumpout overboard using a jury-rigged setup from the ondeck access... A messy situation, but the crew performed well despite heavy seas.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-11105889885072064322008-11-12T19:49:00.000-05:002008-11-12T19:49:00.000-05:00Ahoy Celestial: Jim Wallace here.... I was part of...Ahoy Celestial: <BR/>Jim Wallace here.... I was part of the crew that brought Celestial from Gratitude to Little Creek/Norfolk... We had a wild, wet and fantastic ride in the Bay... Have been following your progress and am exceedingly green with envy.... I had told Capt Eric that I would have tried to stow-away for the ride South.... Please make sure the Celestial is 100% since we'll be taking a class in Feb on her... Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy..... The only thing better than reading about the action would be "living" the action... Keep up the good work... til later... <BR/>Jim WAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-14390506485558212912008-11-12T14:49:00.000-05:002008-11-12T14:49:00.000-05:00Received the following email from CELESTIAL at Noo...Received the following email from CELESTIAL at Noon on Nov 12:<BR/><BR/>Winds E at 20 knots. Great sailing under double or triple reefed mainsail and full jib. 0800 position 2737N, 6616W, Course 145T Speed 6.5 knots. Repairs: Mainsail track restraint bolt rope pulled out 1' near tack. Goose neck; 6 of 8 machine screws were loose; retightened with medium locktite. Macerator overboard pump not operative; still trouble shooting; rigged manual pump out through deck fitting. All crew busy, happy and learning. J.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-86717001961878787252008-11-12T12:10:00.000-05:002008-11-12T12:10:00.000-05:00Here's a weather forecast summary I sent to CELEST...Here's a weather forecast summary I sent to CELESTIAL at 0930 this morning:<BR/><BR/>I have you at approx 28N-66W. Big High persist for several days. E winds settling in. Some SE. None expected over 25 kts. New cold front coming out on weekend; doubt it will reach you.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-7225571326554781902008-11-12T12:05:00.000-05:002008-11-12T12:05:00.000-05:00At 1130 EDT CELESTIAL was at 2732N, 6618W or about...At 1130 EDT CELESTIAL was at 2732N, 6618W or about 800 miles from Norfolk and under 600 miles to St Thomas. Winds have filled in from the eastern Trades and they're sailing close hauled to point "X"Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-79171293237660130302008-11-11T16:26:00.000-05:002008-11-11T16:26:00.000-05:00This time I was actually able to hear CELESTIAL fo...This time I was actually able to hear CELESTIAL for a few seconds on Maritime Mobile Net.<BR/>Position on Nov 11th at 1608EDT 28.55N X 67.02W <BR/>150T<BR/>Sailing well.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>AlisonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004363157873978376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-6225226957931161512008-11-11T14:51:00.000-05:002008-11-11T14:51:00.000-05:00HELLO CREW!!!!!! I've been avidly following the cr...HELLO CREW!!!!!! I've been avidly following the cruise via the blog and have plotted the course on Google Earth! AWESOME!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02445293677022179123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-87429434587074179792008-11-11T14:33:00.000-05:002008-11-11T14:33:00.000-05:00It's great to keep up with school courses this way...It's great to keep up with school courses this way. Makes me think I should sign up for another class.Robert J Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01959029547177379849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-28910993674620934022008-11-11T13:20:00.000-05:002008-11-11T13:20:00.000-05:00Hi Rita, Tom, and the Captain and crew of Celestia...Hi Rita, Tom, and the Captain and crew of Celestial! I am jealous, and vicariously accompanying you on your passage. I was originally signed up to sail with you, but learned early this year that my daughter and son-in-law were expecting quadruplets! That is an event that trumped my sailing plans. The two boys and two girls arrived on October 21st, about 11 weeks premature. They remain in the hospital, but are doing well for being so tiny. We hope to see them home for Christmas.<BR/><BR/>I wish you all well and hope to again sail with you in the future. Best Wishes. Pete SchlossAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-18698350810058437182008-11-11T08:15:00.000-05:002008-11-11T08:15:00.000-05:00At 0150EDT on Nov 11 CELESTIAL's position was 2956...At 0150EDT on Nov 11 CELESTIAL's position was 2956N, 6802W. I sent the following weather summary to them this morning:<BR/><BR/>A big High pressure system is moving over eastern US will give you E to SE 15 knots for the next couple of days. Paloma remnant remained local to Cuba and expected to dissipate by Friday. A new Low developing over NJ Friday expected to move NNE and drag a cold front, but doubtful that this will reach you. No other prominent features noted.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-12079687565582601982008-11-11T06:55:00.000-05:002008-11-11T06:55:00.000-05:00Hi Peter!It's good to see you are following this c...Hi Peter!<BR/><BR/>It's good to see you are following this cruise vicariously through this blog! Have those grandchildren arrived yet?<BR/><BR/>For all reading, Peter has done this cruise 3 times with the school! http://www.mdschool.com/Letters/Schloss.htm<BR/>and almost made it a 4th time this year!<BR/><BR/>RitaRita Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309756656369744260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-4986369888501238272008-11-10T20:09:00.000-05:002008-11-10T20:09:00.000-05:00Alison: It's really too early to give a reliable e...Alison: It's really too early to give a reliable estimate of arival date, but it normally takes about 11 days for the trip so Nov 17 is an approximate estimate, but don't hold me to it... TCaptain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-31843136467725412572008-11-10T19:53:00.000-05:002008-11-10T19:53:00.000-05:00From the Maritime Mobile Net at 1620hrs November 1...From the Maritime Mobile Net at 1620hrs November 10th:<BR/>All is Well<BR/>Position: 30.38N X 68.28W<BR/>155T @ 5.0 knots<BR/><BR/>Can't wait to see them. I am heading to St. Thomas Wednesday AM ...hopefully will see them early next week? <BR/><BR/>Tom: any idea, within a day or two, on when they will arrive?<BR/><BR/>AlisonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004363157873978376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-40216438333718825062008-11-10T18:55:00.000-05:002008-11-10T18:55:00.000-05:00At 1240pm on Nov 10 CELESTIAL reported that they w...At 1240pm on Nov 10 CELESTIAL reported that they were motoring at 4.2 knots in calm winds under overcast skies. House banks batteries were good at 13.2 volts. Today they conducted man overboard (MOB) drills and celestial navigation training, and all crew members were into it and lovin' it. They also sent Happy Birthday wishes to the daughter of First Mate Louise.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-30248195606270169162008-11-10T11:50:00.000-05:002008-11-10T11:50:00.000-05:00At 0145 on Nov 10 CELESTIAL was located at 3118N, ...At 0145 on Nov 10 CELESTIAL was located at 3118N, 6924W or about 480 miles SE of Norfolk and about 220 miles WSW of Bermuda. They made good 145 nautical miles in the last 24 hours which is a good rate of progress and indicates that they are sailing well.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-46372209080263064952008-11-09T20:47:00.000-05:002008-11-09T20:47:00.000-05:00At 8:30 pm on Nov 9 I spoke with Captain Jochen by...At 8:30 pm on Nov 9 I spoke with Captain Jochen by radio telephone. He reported their position at 3131N, 6939W and sailing well toward their point "X" at roughly 27N, 64.5W where they will turn south toward St Thomas. <BR/><BR/>Jochen said all the crew are doing well and enjoying the exhilerating sail in wide blue water seas. They were successful in getting some good celestial shots of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter and used the results to improve their ocean navigation plot. <BR/><BR/>The boat has been sailing well and making good speed, and all the crew are in high spirits with the joy of sailing.Captain Tom Tursihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12988113216550217016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905303742742380403.post-64199138823590704252008-11-09T17:40:00.000-05:002008-11-09T17:40:00.000-05:00I,too, like Peter, Joyce and Alison am very gratef...I,too, like Peter, Joyce and Alison am very grateful for the daily updates on the blog ... it is so reassuring and helpful to hear that all is well and it is so much fun to be able to follow Celestial's progress. Thank you!<BR/>Barbara CarlsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com