Season II on Appleseeds has begun with my return to Deltaville, Virginia in mid September. Over the summer we had decided that our return trip to the Caribbean would not be a reverse of the Intracoastal Waterway but instead would be a ten day sail offshore from Norfolk, Virginia to the British Virgin Islands, the Caribbean 1500. The offshore decision made the list of things to do pale the list of last year. It included installing a Single Side Band radio, a chart plotter, davits, solar panels, a dodger. It also included purchasing a new dinghy, shipping an outboard from Vancouver, [View Full Entry]

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The pace in Hampton was a tad more frantic than Deltaville. The boats for the 1500 were arriving every day and each no doubt had many things to accomplish. We arranged for our inspection for Monday morning as we wanted as much time as possible to rectify any shortcomings. Rick showed up bright and early the next morning and we went through the list point by point. Well it seems the frantic activity over the past 7 weeks paid off because except for a few minor points, we were ready to go. One thing he didn’t check though and I guess [View Full Entry]

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Latitude 30 deg 20 min N, 70 deg 20 min W; 400 miles SE of Cape Hatteras, 200 miles SW of Bermuda and 700 miles from BVI; wind NE 30 to 35 kts; seas 12 ft; 3 reefs in the main; 70 % of our small jib; surfing 9 to 10 kts. We have come through several squalls tonight and there is lightning all around; its 5 AM; black; the wind is fairly steady, the seas are building. At our last radio check the previous night at 7, several boats had reported waterspouts and all had reported squalls and lightning. However [View Full Entry]

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