Isbjorn is north of 50 degrees north and continuing! Read about accomplishing boat projects at sea, rolly-waves, and varying visibility.
ISBJORN OFFSHORE: Ireland Bound?
ISBJORN OFFSHORE: Alone in an empty sea
HARD TRAVELIN': Mac's Atlantic Crossing Part 2
Part Two of Isbjorn crew 'Mac's' trans-Atlantic blog, part of his round-the-world by land and sea journey. "The strongest winds we saw peaked at 44 knots, with 34 knots sustained over several hours, which are really strong, creating 15 to 18 foot swells. That is classified as a gale. It was a big weather system on a small boat in the middle of the night, and I enjoyed the adrenaline-charged thrill of being at the helm on night-watch during part of this. It was a “Lieutenant Dan” storm, if you remember Forrest Gump. As reported previously- an ocean is a damned awesome thing, y’all."
HARD TRAVELIN': Isbjorn Crew 'Mac's' Trans-Atlantic Blog #1
The following is an excerpt of our crewmember Kevin 'Mac' McMahan's travel blog, hardtravelin.net. "I walked out of my Texas ranch on May 1 with my pack on my back, hitch-hiked to the train station, rode the Amtrak to New York City, hopped a cruise ship to Bermuda and here I am on Isbjorn, ready to sail across the Atlantic with y'all."
PHOTOS: '17 Leg 6: Bermuda - Azores // TRANS-ATLANTIC
Mia at the helm during the heavier weather! Boat and crew did just great!
2017 Leg 6: Bermuda to Azores
Isbjorn Offshore: Astro Push-ups & Spinnaker Blasting
Isbjorn a Offshore: An Ocean Thick with Phosphorescence
Dolphins occasionally streak by the boat and we kill the steaming light, letting the darkness settle. The ocean is itself black under the black night sky, and the dolphins GLOW. No exaggeration. The phosphorescence is so thick in these parts that anything that stirs up the water leaves a fluorescent trail...
Isbjorn Offshore: A Mid-Ocean Swim
Andy, Mia, and the crew expierience dying wind but are determined to not start the engine. Whales show up less than 100 yards from the boat and new friends are made over the VHF. All the while Mia is making delicious dinners to keep the crew well fed! Check out the latest update as Isbjorn crosses the Atlantic Ocean from Bermuda to the Azores.
Isbjorn Offshore: A Black, No Horizon Night
Low, grey clouds overhead. They're moving off to our right, carried by the chilly northerly wind. A few hints of blue sky are visible to the north. Thane & Brenda are on watch. It's dry outside, but cool. They're in fully foulies, gloves & wool hats. The wind has a bite to it, especially without the warming sun overhead. It's a proper North Atlantic day today.
Isbjorn Offshore: Moseying Downwind
Isbjorn Offshore: Riding the Azores High
PHOTOS: '17 Leg 5 BVI - Bermuda // CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
The start of a bigger adventure! Many times this year, we have started our trip in the BVI but every time we have come back after exploring the southern parts of the Caribbean. This time we left the BVI knowing we won't be back from may years! Back in the Caribbean on 2019, but maybe not the BVI, a bit hard to wrap our heads around since this been our 'base' for a while!
Isbjorn Offshore: Ghosting Through a Placid Night
I think this quote captures the beauty of sailing offshore (- Liz):
"I can't decide which way to look. To the east the sky is ablaze with a new, clear dawn, the sun's rays piercing the heavens through some fluffy clouds over the horizon. In the west, the moon follows Jupiter, sinks lower and turns a blood red before dipping beneath the horizon." - Andy Schell
Isbjorn Offshore: Squalls, Calms & Navigating by the Stars
Isbjorn Offshore: A Good Day's Run
ISBJORN OFFSHORE! Bound for Bermuda
This will be the last time Isbjorn plies the waters of the Caribbean for nearly two years. What is really an ‘end’ to our time down here, is a very exciting new beginning for us. Isbjorn will be pointing her bows ever more north over the next 18 months, culminating in our adventures north to the Arctic in summer 2018, when we hope to get as far as 77º north or more as we explore the coast of Svalbard. Both of us are absolutely ready to leave the heat, and very much looking forward to going back to the Azores. In fact, this is the 5th anniversary of our first passage there on Kinship, with ARC Europe in 2012, so a bit of nostalgia here at the same time as we look towards the future.
Photo by Jake Albano, from his DJ Mavic Drone!
"Come on Arlene!": Facts on 2017's 1st Tropical Storm
I asked WRI's Jeremy Davis to elaborate on 1). how the storm formed; 2). what makes a system 'tropical' anyway, especially these that form outside the actual tropics; 3). could this have been 'missed' in the past prior to the high-resolution imagery weather forecasters have now; 4). how rare it actual is; and 5). if this means we're setting up for a busy hurricane year. Jeremy's discussion follows:
PHOTOS: '17 Leg 4 BVI - Grenadines - BVI
The last Caribbean trip for a while and it is a bit bittersweet! Crew joined us up in Trellis Bay, BVI and the plan to stay there for the night changed quickly. The wind swung us around a bit too close to a nearby boat and since we had to re-anchor anyway, we decided to head over to Spanish Town straight away where we had to clear out of custom before departing the BVI.
Navigating the Tobago Cays
...Sideways to the wind, the mainsheet is at the knot. With wind in the sail, we start to accelerate. I think we can thread through the first two moored boats, then jibe and slide out into the channel. Just beyond though lies the inner reef, in the center of the mooring field, right where we’re pointed...
Photo by crewmember Nick W., taken from the masthead!
