SSB radio/pactor works again..

Had problem with conection cumpu/pactor.. solved

You have to see this KLM 747 land here...

www.travel.blog.nl/nieuws/2007/06/15/extreem-lage-landing-van-klm-vliegtuig

(you have to copy it, this link does not want to auto load... strange

The runway here is short... There actually is a bar there at the beach to see it yourself with a drink etc.

I am curently parked near the entrance to the bridge to the Lagoon, so i just Google the names of the nice boats and I moostly get to see all about the ships...

Big Aron

Big Aron, 46m looked bigger last night with me in front and lights.. http://www.bigaron.com/ http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=luxury-motor-yacht-big-aron-1169 US$165000.00-195000.00/wk ... but not yet realy Mega

3 times lucky, 1 win, 1 scarry, 1 realy lucky...

1 Yesterday I was called by my Dutch phone provider KPN, I won something, I can call 1 month for free!!! The only problem is... It is only for calls in the Netherlands, well, since I'm not there... it is worth nothing to me. I even have a contract for 20e a month, aparently these 20e are also only for calls in the netherlands, so I throw this away every month.. I should take prepaid the lady said, that does not work, where do i get credit overhere???

I have to look into this mather..

2 At 0400 (I was asleep in back of Condor) I wake up because of horn sounds and lights. When I get out I apear to be swept of my anchor and ended several 100m further infront of a large ' Mega' Motor boat Big Aron. I'm just 20 m infront of it. It takes me 2-3 minutes to start engine..

3 After all this time I'm still infront of motor boat, how is this possible, has my dragging achor caught his and is that holding me?
After some time I finally get the anchore above water (hand power) and there is an other chain around it. It takes some time to get the havy chain of my anchor and it is not his.. So I caught a left anchor chain while slipping my anchor through the Simpson Bay and just caught something befor I hit this boat..

It is light now, I can see that I would have been out at sea if this boat and or left anchor chain would not have been there..

Ofcourse anything can happen if anchor fails to hold suddenly. I missed the other boats I was infront and just slipped out without hitting anything..

NB I have all power of to save power, so no anchor alarm, no light outside no VHF16 on... Only a few of the smaller boats like me actually have lights on etc..

ach ja...

new St Maarten Phone nr 00 599 556 2799

pics

Safety firts.. down to rescue boats etc



2 formerly flying fishass bottom left corner..

Change again... SXM = St Maarten it is

Hello Kiki and Thomas,/ and the rest, I have limited time so this to all... (Kiki and Thomas were/are also in Trinidad)

I'm here at Mc Donalds, my only way to connect to the world in St Maarten..

My phone receves your sms, I see 5 call's missed but i can not call or sms, very strange..

OK, I decided to do more sailing when I was at Grenada aftre one night sailing (I left Trinidad 09/12 at 1600), so i did not go in but went on,
i tried to mail from ther boat but it would not work, so sorry for that.
I had a lot of wind but was very nice, only thing I arrived ad 3 am (13/12) and it was very dark, so I waited outside.. (Tired and with a lot of wind anchoring in between I do not know how many boats is not a good idea) This waiting was the real hard part, boat not rely moving, left right about, so things broke.. Also your XMAS chocholate thing, i had put in fridge (otherwhise it melts) but now it was squashed and I have a layer of chocolate every where.. ahh, pitty

I came in this morning, tried phone.. nothing.
Anchor was draging, etc etc. I just cleared in an went for thr yachtclub.. no internet, so..

Mc Donalds it is, where there is free internet, and my only way to communicate at the moment, sorry.

Well, the new rigging works very well, I had 20+knots of wind almost all the time, and the new added backstays work very well, no pumping of the mast any more, a safe situation.

At Grenada I already heard my auto pilot hydrolics pump make strange sounds, but was still working, so that was also a reason to go on, see what the problem was/is and if it failed, I would find a way out. It still works, but makes other alarming sounds, but here at St Maarten is probably a solution to be found, and for the rest, problems are never over. The wind meters (2) worked at the beginning, one stoped after a day and the next a day later, so I could not see how much wind it actually was, and notr the direction. That is nice when going up wind to see how good everything is compaired to the wind etcd etc.
The mail thing did not work, so no wind info, just go and see. The installer is here at SXM, a electo expert, so maybe he cvan help me with the auto pilot. windexes and also with battery problems, or he will hopefully know where to go..

I payed 3 weeks here (20us/week just to anchore) so I will be here for XMAS and old/new I think..

Probably I get internet to morrow on board, so beter connection with the rest of the world.

I have to find my 'chippy' phone card and other phone, then you can try

00 599 58 11 695

my antillies nr if it still works

I go on.. to sleep, it is 1300 here now, 34gr blue and windy.. no sleep, relax, maybe a book, and a rum or so and coke..

cheers

To Grenada again

9 dec I wil go up north, the best way I learned is to leave here at 1400, so I will be out and north of Trinidad at 1600, and current will take me up east a little so it is easier to make it to Granada, up wind.
I will probably be there at 0500 or something like that, so no hurry. Will be rough ride 20-25 knots, maybe more..

No Curacao

I will slowly move up north from Trinidad, my visum here ends 14 dec, so I have to go before that date...

Moving on

Simon the diver cleaned the bottom and the prop of the Condor today, it was totally covered with hard shelled sea animals.. It was an hours work, but essential here because the Orinoco 40 miles south puts a lot of things in the water making sea live growth abundant here..
What next, well I probably will leave Tuesday and go to Curacao. It is not the best plan there is, because it will be long upwind to get to St Maarten or something like that later.... Time will tell.

Back at Peake

Moved, but now my outboards do not work anymore.. read http://www.teamhan.com/ (I can not copy it here)

Project engine head

New head, got in 12 oct..

A push rod bus was pulled out, removed side of engine...

Injectors are hard to get tight

We made a special tool, but still one is blowing small bubbles.. not perfect

Thanks to Wiro Bakker (and Ester) and Jan vd Bollemaat...

Maybe see them in Curacao if I get there.. zeezwervers.waarbenjij.nu/reisverslag/?page=messages&intTravelId=140219

one year

27 Sept 0700, it's 1 year ago that I left Scheveningen... 8.5 days to Cascais, later 4.5 days to Lanzarote, 1 day to Las Palmas, 25 days to St Maarten, 4 days to Grenada and then 1 day to Trinidad... = 44 days sailing.
on shore.. Cascais 20+8, Las Palmas 20+8= 56 days living at 4m high..


Now place between 2 metal things in water and shore, palm tree 1m from my boat until 26th of October... Waiting for engine solution

NY was good to be, 55 FD's, and a lot of people I know, 8 nights in a normal bed, nice temperature... very good..
5-14 sept I was in NY to sail Flying Dutchman races on the Hudson, next to the Statue of Liberty. All part of 400 year NewYork ..
www.ny400.org/events.php I sail with Peter van Veen in FD 69 (bownr 33)
more pictures and stories on http://www.sailfd.com/

No news.....???

no news... it really is no news, even the only 12 month old and hardly used NEW Mercedes engine ......... guess what .........

no news

Here you see the crack in the cylinder head, and metal parts found in the rest of the block..

bey bey Mercedes om 636. The bill was dated 30/07/08, a fully revised block from Drinkwaard Rotterdam.... Since then only 94 hours used

What next

..Local Trinidad Mobile nr: 00 1 868 757 1524

More then a week in Trinidad now, weather better as expected, it is warm, and if it rains it really rains. But then the sun shines again AND I have a cover over the entire boat now. Thisway the boat stays more or less dry, I do not have to worry that the hatches are open if it rains (only some water comes in) and the direct sunlight stays of the deck.. So simple blue Gamma sail does the trick..
Tomorrow I move to Powerboat where I'll be in calmer water, here at Peake it's rocking and rolling. There I'll be able to do some work on the mast etc..
Yesterday I was with friends at Maracas beach, nice drive to the otherside of the island though the rainforrest. and then perfect big beach with hte palmtrees and nice waves to play in.

Weather nice if you are swinging under cover...

Position of Condor is nice, 30sec walk to restaurant and arconditioned pool tables.. We made sunroof over entire boat and a hammack under it. Even in the boat it is very good now. I've biked to TTSE yachtclub yesterday, where laser sailing etc is, but the summer is of season here, it start in novenbre again..

Tomorrow work starts again, the clutch is slipping, the diesel pump to daytank keeps running (leek in line somewhere?), mainsail lost all battens, so take it off and have repaired, find the rigger and see when he has time to have a look, find some one to have good look at my engine.

I already found some one called David (local plummer) who can fix my cooker, but first appointment satureday.. NO SHOW.. I made appiontment 1 hour before and he knows the place where I am.. very strange ..

And much more to do.. I'll tell all about it later..

cheers Han

Kiki and Thomas

I'm on http://www.sailblogs.com/member/kiki/ ...

Nice trip

See you later, Rik and Annette Versteegh

Simon and Anita Apperloo with the Aura, see you in Trinidad..

So we left at 1530, an hour motoring to get in the wind and then we were on the move..
Full sails on almoost up wind and soon my wind indicator started making warnig sounds: 30knots or more wind. It stayed making the sound for an hour and a half, I could not get it shut down in the dark..

But sailing was great, 8.5 and over 9 knots all the time, I gave the main a little and kept going perfectly.. Boat was very ok, only I lost 2 sail battens, ok, sails of and to sailmaker, have it made better.

It was only 90 miles, at 9 knots thats only 10 hours, and I did not want to arrive at 0300 (was expecting way less wind) so when we ran into a lot of lightning I put in 2 reefs and roled the genoa half away..

Nice entry to Trinidad trough rough landscape and havy currents, need to get work done on engine now, the clutch is slipping.. slow speeds..
Through customs and immigration at 1100 and found nice parking space at Peake and have dinner now with Kiki and Thomas at their Catamaran which is on shore for repair.. Also Jan van de Bollemaat is anchored just in front of me, he knows everything here on the island.. good

So, everything fine here, wet and warm, and internet.. (almoost)perfect

To Chaguaramas Trinidad

I'll sail 85nmiles down south (175) with 15 knots E/SE.. Leave here at 1500, be there the next morning..
Visit Kiki and Tomas with their Catemeran Kiki on shore at http://www.peakeyachts.com/ with anchoring in front for me.
See if they there know a solution for my rigging and have a look around and ...

Computer shit apears to be over, so hd with importand boat programs works again, had a few bad sectors at the wrong place..

Ahum, geheel onverwacht....

niet aan zien komen...

lijk ik toch weer de baas te zijn over een van mijn Laptops, de ouwe Acer, ik heb alle eerdere anti virus programma's (waaronder het net aangeschafte CA 50$) er afgegooit en nu AVG8.5 free (trail neem ik aan) en ik heb plotseling, lijkt wel, volledige controle over mijn laptop, hij loopt niet eens meer vast, en internet verbinding is permanent en geeft nauwlijks problemen, uitzending gemist kijken is een weinig hakkelig, prima te doen tegen voorheen helemaal niet.

Blij blij blij.

Das lekker zeg, een werkend aparaat.

Enige wat me wel zorgen baart is dat AVG dan ook niks vind, zeer apart.

Ga ik morgen naar een winkel waar ze misschien iets meer kunnen met de HD van mn nieuwe, misschien kunnen ze daar CA ook wel afkrijgen en doet hij het misschien weer.

Overegens had (of heb ik nog?) een Trojan: Frethog. Dat heeft alleen tot doel om je passwoorden te stelen.. MELD AUB ALLE 'RAARE' MAILS als ze van mij lijken te komen..
AVG scant ook mijn uitgaande mails nu.. Ik hoop dat ik iets vind zo, want ik vind het maar niks..

First not so nice weather day today here in Grenada, no sun and sometimes a lot of wind, several boats had problems anchoring. The ground is here coral (dead) with a small layer of sand over it, I had no problems.

Unfortunately I do have problems with my Laptop, it does not work anymore, so no more emails with the pactor, a pitty.

No idea how, when and where to solve it, I have had a little bit enough of that shit lately.

Futher just relaxing, reading a book, and out at night.. one way or the other.

Grenada is OK

I'm still at St George's, Grenada is nice, everybody speaks English, no criminality, nice weather and wind, no insects... perfect.
There are 3 other dutch boats and Germans, Belgium's, US and Canadians. Sunday I toured around the island with a American couple who rented a car, and we visited 7 falls, a nice walk through the 'Forrest' to is were it was nice to swim under the falls..

I play pool and watch films with other dutch, swim every day, and also every day something breaks down again, so always something to repair. last night the 2 weeks old inverter (12V to 220V) broke down, strange, nobody understands, its the 2nd in 4 weeks, so what do you do, buy a new one? Yeah, no choice..

Since Trinidad is very warm, and high crime (6 death a day) so I stay here for a while I think now, but things may change, and here you have to be able to move out quickly since it is at the edge of Hurricane risk area, so we will see..

for now... Cheers Han

Position report

You can (always) see my position on the next link, I'm pa3bxt at the moment..
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/winlink.cgi?call=PA3BXT

Best place to go out is Banana's at prickly bay, I'll move there soon probably

Anchor out at St George Grenada

930 anchored outside between 10 other boats, no dutch..

800 I'm behind Grenada now, little wind so 2 more hours to St George where I'll stay first and do customs etc. Trip was fine, nothing broken, only lost one fender.. so 370nm in 3 days, last 24 hours fastest 140.., but now slowly to the end..

Update

1610 100 miles to go, really nice, just had a shower while the Condor is doiing 7 knots..
1435 Blue skies again, clouds run very high up.. cource 165 6knts, nice at the moment
1200 wind drops 20 again
1000 I can do 140 now, pick up some hight, and with 15 knots wind speed is over 6 knots now. Sky is blue behind me, gray in front..

No sun yesterday!!

It was a day with 25 knots and rain for 2 hours and then the wind was nothing until the night.. Then thunderstorms ahead and above, so I rolled away the genoa and waited sleeping, was little wind anyhow. Later I began sailing again and thunderstorms moved away in front of me.. was OK.
At night the wind was 18 nots SE, and still is, so I can only make 185, should be 165.. Upwind the condor does now 4.8 knots at 50gr to the wind, so I need E=90gr to make it to Grenada, very interesting, not really nice going upwind against the current at low speed..

So, only 95 miles yesterday, there is a position report somewhere, but here the numbers 14.16.4N 62.28.0W at 0741 here. Sun is shining now, looks way better because yesterday was strange..

later..

Simply very nice

8oo here, 135 nm done in 24 hrs, 240 to go. N 15.51.6 W 62.39.9. Simply sailing with genoa and dubble reef in main, works fine since wind upto 20knts good to handle this way. Had 6 hrs of sleep, but its warm.. Winds 15knts expected all the way so looking perfect for 2 more days to Grenada..

Finaly left SXM

14 june 800 nice weather, nobody in sight, doing 5.5kn 180 on the way to Grenada, everything looks well.. and everything works!! Later more from the Condor and cheers
Han

Delay delay SXM 10/6 departure to Grenada in a few days

I'm not in a hurry, take some more time to get rested and organized.. Looking in to going to St David's Harbour now: http://grenadamarine.com/ Grenada Marine is a "one-stop shop" boatyard providing quality services in the storage, repair and maintenance in accordance with international standards for yachts in the Wider Caribbean Region. The boatyard is located on Grenada's southeast coast in the parish of St. David, occupying ten acres of beachfront that embraces the well-protected St. David's Harbour. Latitude: 12° 01:00 Longitude: 61° 40:05 Grenada, West Indies ... It's less then 400 nmiles, 4 days?

Map and route

Back in Simpson Bay

I got out the Lagoon Sunday, took all day because the French bridge only opened at 1800 and I was there at 1100, ran aground several times on the way over and in the small spot for the bridge it was hard to anchor.. It took 10 tries before I finally got hold..I looked down in the water and was right above a ship wreck, just enough room above it, but the water is so clear it made me scared that the anchor would get stuck on or even in it.. Did not dare to get off the boat,

The inverter (12V to 220V) blew up, same as the normal adapter, so today I bought some new of thos, and 2 of each, I really need them nowadays...
The new fridge works good, nice cold drinks, but batteries do not like it, this morning fridge was 9grC, because batteries were low..

New plan is to leave Wednesday or Thursday, and go to Grenada in one go, 5 day's I think, hope I can make it against the current and halve/upwind..

cheers Han

Change of plans.....

Lennart is not coming along, he got a better offer to fly (immediately) to Hawaii and sail a Swan to Vancouver... So I'm alone again, I will go down south any way shortly, but will see where the Condor lands.. 

 

Anyone available?

St Maarten

Getting out of St Maarten ... The bridge on the dutch side is closed for 4 weeks so I have go out Simpson Bay Lagoon via the french bridge at Marigot, I hope I get out that way since it is very shallow, and wreks every where since th last hurricane, there, small canal to the bridge, Lennart will be on the bow and look in the water for the deepest places I hope..

cheers... Han...

Card / printout and more pictures on www.picasaweb.google.nl/HandeBruynKops

Blog reason.. St Maarten

Hello, this Blog is made because I can send an email from the Condor and that will be published here I hope..

Condor is doing fine at the moment, in a small harbour in Simpson Lagoon at SXM.. (Koolbaai at Island Water World=Shop for boat things)