Johny Srodek arrived on Monday 15th to assist with getting Melina to the BVI. The weather forecast for the week is for a series of lows and fronts to cross the area with several bouts of strong southerly winds. We will just have to wait and see what developes, at least we are alongside with shore power etc, so life is warm and dry.
The hot water tank sprang a leak (probably electrolocis) and has had to be removed. So no more hot water for showers etc until it can be replaced. The fridge also packed up with a broken pipe, have fitted a new evaporator and it is now back in commision.
It looks as though we will leave for the BVI late 18th or Friday 19th (as advised by Herb on HF). ETA Hogmanay.
Ian
On Sunday the day after we reached Beaufort the Polish yacht Karolka came into port. We had last seen them in August 2001 in northern Spain. They had followed us down the ICW a day behind, from Baltimore where they had been for eighteen months finishing the yacht and replenishing funds.
Karolka was designed built in Wroclaw over 17 years by Roman an engineer, his daughter Barbera is the skipper aided by husband Jacek. Mother Bogusia has joined them for the first time and will fly home from Tahiti.
They are off to Porto Rica for Christmas and then heading west to Panama and the Pacific. Eventually returning home via New Zealand and South Africa in a few years time.
The following day Seafever V hove into sight. They are from Australia and we first met them when she had been damaged by a Spanish fishing boat. They were in Gomera (also returned their with us afte the gales last December) and we met up again in the Cribbean. They are going to Florida and Bahamas this winter and the eventually Trinidad next summer. They spent last summer in Chesapeake Bay.
Melina has eventually arrived in Beaufort, with the help of Savek Pardo.
We arrived Satuday morning and tied up at the City Docks (Marina).
The trip down to Norfolk and through the Intetcoastal was very cold, with the tempreature beteen 5 & 10C most of the time. Fortunately the strong winds were mostly in our favour. There has been heavy snow in New Jersey and even some in Washington. There has been no indian summer this year, just our luck!
The first night from Annapolis, after a great sail we anchored in Solomon Islands and the following night in Norfolk. On the ICW the first stop was in Coinjock and thePungo River with thick fog in the morning. After a three hour delay we continued on to Cedar Creek . The folowing morning it was a short trip to Beaufort NC.
We will be in Beaufort until Johny (Yogi's brother) arrives from Poland on the 14th. We plan to set sail 16-18th and have Christmas at sea, arriving in the BVI intime for the New Year.