Here we are now! Last Friday we got after a very strenuous crossing from Nassau / Bahamas to Maine in the north of the USA, finally reached our goal. The good 1300 Nautical miles long cruise simply did not want to end. The tropics, with the unusually high temperatures for us, simply make you limp and sluggish in the long run. After all, we stayed in this hot region for a good seven months. The circumstance also made matters worse, that the time of tropical storms in the tropics had already begun and the general wind- and the weather situation for a route to the north is by no means trivial in terms of sailing technology. In plain language that means, that we always face harsh conditions, Wind from the front and strong currents had to be expected. As it turned out, we should go through the full program!

Already on Wednesday, the second day of our tour, ging is the. In the morning at 02:45 That’s what happened on a pitch black night, which we actually always wanted to prevent. In anticipation, that the wind would pick up, we had already reefed the sails vigorously before dark. We learned from past experiences and got used to it, rather on number “for sure” to go, even if we lose speed as a result. Nothing is worse, than having to go to the forecastle at night and work on the mast in wind and a lot of inclination. One look at the radar screen made me shudder! I had to realize, that we were trapped in the middle of a huge low pressure cell. Within a radius of 16 Nautical miles were clearly the heavy rain- and see thunderclouds. Everything was bright green on the screen, no escape possible. After a quick last look around the deck, we closed the companionway and hoped, that everything would go well this time too. I had barely wedged myself back in my seat in the navigation corner, the first thunderstorm gust hit with full force. I had never heard the noises from the rigging and the groaning of the bandages in the hull so loud before. The wind gauge read the number 48,5 Node. Wow! On the Beaufort scale, this roughly corresponds to the wind force 10! I remember, That I felt a little like on an ejector seat. When a ship from 23 Tons only under the mainsail in the second reef suddenly from 7,5 on 11,5 Node is accelerated, then the worry lines grow on their own. It's the moments, in which you have to trust the boat and hope sincerely, that the rig can withstand these insane forces. There is nothing more you can do and you are only a passenger. As always, our CESARINA mastered your job with flying colors. With her typically stoic calm and poise on the rudder, she didn't leave her course and just ran away from the wind. The permanent violent flashes of the many thunderstorms brought some light into the darkness of the night, but they were less conducive to wellbeing below deck.

At seven in the morning the situation had still not calmed down. Constant gusts of 45 Node (Wind strength 9) were our companions even after daybreak. Even after good 4 With the best will in the world, it wasn't possible for us to drive for hours, to get used to the situation and noises. The foothills of the “Tropical Storm” with the name “Colin” really did a great job. Step two came around half past seven. Heavy rain with the intensity of a dimension, at least for us, new. The rain was so heavy, that through the small gap between mast and deck approx. 40 Liters have run into the bilge. The view was partially under 30 Meter. Because of the interference, it was no longer visible on the radar, whether other ships were nearby or not. That was a very uncomfortable thing, since we were practically flying blind.

At some point the storm was over and we were both pretty exhausted. A check on deck then revealed, that not a single part was broken. In general, we were very lucky again, because everything went well. We thanked our CESARINA for the good job and once again I was a little happier, that we are allowed to sail such an ingeniously seaworthy and stable ship.

After this experience, which no sailor will be spared on such a trip, we first felt the need for a break. That is why we decided, to call at the next port. On Saturday, on June 11, we have then reached the Little Creek Marina in Norfolk / Virginia. As so often in the past, kamen wir schnell mit den Menschen über unsere CESARINA in Kontakt und hatten eine schöne und entspannende Zeit dort. Am nächsten Morgen hatten Lynn und Dick, die direkt an der Marina leben, eine nette Überraschung für uns parat. Zum Frühstück haben die beiden uns Erdbeeren und Blaubeeren ans Schiff gebracht. Einfach so. 🙂 Am Abend haben wir dann an Bord gemeinsam einen schönen Abend mit interessanten Gesprächen verbracht. Im Allgemeinen haben wir hier das Gefühl gehabt, herzlich willkommen zu sein. Die Mentalität der Menschen ist so absolut konträr zu vielen Teilen der Bahamas. Eben viel persönlicher und offener als tiefer im Süden, wo scheinbar eher das Portemonnaie im Vordergrund steht.

The last 600 Seemeilen nach Maine haben wir dann in den nächsten Tagen leider meist unter Motor zurücklegen müssen. Der Wind war einfach zu schwach oder er kam eben von vorn. Es war sehr auffällig, dass die Temperaturen mit fortschreitender Reisedauer immer weiter in den Keller gegangen sind. In der Nacht war es ohne Mütze, Pulli und Socken an den Füßen an Deck nicht mehr auszuhalten. Später mussten wir sogar tagsüber dicke Socken anziehen. Maine liegt ja hoch im Norden der USA und die Wassertemperaturen liegen hier bei kuscheligen 11 Grad. Da hatte sogar ich keine Lust mehr an Deck zu duschen:-) No wonder, denn wir hatten ja noch vor wenigen Tagen 29 Grad warmes Wasser 🙂

On Friday 17. Juni haben wir dann endlich Southwest Harbor erreicht und an einer Boje der HINCKLEY Werft festgemacht. We were lucky, on the way to see some whales and many seals. The guys probably robbed the lobster traps. Maine is the US state of lobsters. Thousands of buoys with lobster baskets on the bottom are laid out here, even in the middle of the fairway. We had to go slalom all the time, so as not to get any of the lines into the propeller. The landscape is incredibly beautiful and is very similar to Sweden. Pure nature and wonderfully green! After our time in the tropics, it was the absolute contrast to the last 7 Months.

Here at HINCKLEY some of the most beautiful and high-quality sailing yachts in the USA are built. A traditional shipyard with a high reputation among sailors around the world. Die Menschen sind außergewöhnlich freundlich und bodenständig. Die Werft wurde uns von Freunden wärmstens empfohlen, die selber eine bekannte Werft in Deutschland betreiben. Hier wollen wir unserer CESARINA unter anderem eine neue Lackierung nach dem Crash in Kuba zukommen lassen. Das Teakdeck soll ebenfalls überarbeitet werden und der Motor braucht auch dringend einen größeren Service. Die Werftzeit wollen wir nutzen, um einen längeren Heimaturlaub in Deutschland zu machen. Katja ist bereits gestern geflogen und mein Flieger geht am kommenden Montag. Bis dahin werde ich mich noch um unsere CESARINA kümmern und alle anfallenden Arbeiten mit den Mitarbeitern vor Ort besprechen. Unsere CESARIANA hat es sich redlich verdient 🙂