Shallow Blue Waters of the Bahamas. Landfall The Abacos.

To whomever sent the congratulatory balloons we received as we crossed the Gulf Stream... thanks! Nice touch, we really appreciated it. One question; how did you manage to place them in just the right spot on the Atlantic Ocean? Actually, it's no joke, we appreciate efforts to prevent things like this from ending up in the world's oceans. 

Bahamas Sunrise Monday, January 12, 2009

Funny coincidence, Jan. 12, 22 years ago, Robert started work with the company he has just retired from!

Bristol Rose's bowsprit is reflected in the turquoise waters of the Little Bahama Bank

On Sunday evening, we sailed into Bahamian waters. We drop the hook off Green Turtle Cay in The Abacos on Monday at 11:00am. The sail across Little Bahama Bank was great with a full moon to guide us. We raise the yellow quarantine flag and Robert must dinghy alone to shore to clear Bristol Rose and crew through customs. All our paperwork, including Daisie's certificate from the Bahamian Government (thanks Betsy and Jim for your knowledge and help!), is in order so we expect Robert to return soon. Daisie does not understand why he's taking her dinghy without her.

After about 26 hours under sail, Daisie waits impatiently for Robert's return.

Once cleared, we waste no time getting our feet on Bahamian soil.

Picket Fences, bright pastels, shutters, golf carts on narrow concrete roads. Welcome to The Abacos!

The first thing we did once ashore on Green Turtle Cay was to buy a homemade ice cream. The peach ice cream brought back fond memories of my Grandmother's ice cream, made from evaporated milk. It's hard to believe we are only about 100 nautical miles from the U.S. as the crow flies. From Florida, it feels like a hundred years away. The horizon was full of boats just outside Lake Worth Inlet when we left. There was a blimp, helicopters, racing boats, container ships..... super busy! Here we are in Green Turtle Cay where the lady at the Post Office calls the Customs Officer back from her lunch break to come and check us in, roosters roam the streets, kids go to high school by ferry, and the bank is open two days a week.

The tide is in at the Tiki Bar when we go ashore in the morning to check out the beach.

We spend a blissful night at anchor at Manjack Cay, just north of Green Turtle, and dinghy ashore in the morning. A small sign on the beach reads "Pet Chickens are roaming free. Please leash your dog."

Tuesday. We listen to Chris Parker, the cruiser's weather guy, and make the decision to head south to Man O War Cay, the traditional boat building center of the Bahamas, where we hope to find a mooring in the well protected little bay. There's a cold front coming bringing winds from the south today and swinging around to the west tonight and the north tomorrow with gusts of 30 knots. We'll have to leave early if we want to make it through Whale Cay Passage and into Man O War with its shallow entrance before low tide. According to the Abaco Guide Whale Cay Passage is downright dangerous when seas build up. It has a history of wrecks. "You don't need strong winds for a rage to occur here".

The squall brought only light rain with winds of 25 knots and gusts over 25.

The five and a half hours crossing from Manjack to Man O War took us directly under a squall at one point. Bristol Rose handled the seas (a little bumpy) and the 25 knot winds with ease providing a comfortable ride. The most testing part came at the narrow entrance to Man O War (about 20 feet wide) with 6 feet of water and rocks either side. Again we are very thankful for the hull design and shallow draft of our Shannon 43!  Once inside we found a narrow bay with a minimum of water between boats either anchored or moored. We'll hunker down here for a few days while we wait out the weather and enjoy exploring the area.

We bought some bread from a lady driving a golf cart around the streets of Man O War. She told us that this candy bright building houses the equipment for the children's sailing school.

Not sure how the boat is launched.

Shannons Are Built for This and More

The minimum height for fixed bridges over the ICW is 65ft. However, like most things in life there is always an exception to the rule. The Wilkerson Creek Bridge crosses the Aligator-Pungo canal just south of the Alligator River, NC, with a vertical clearance of 64 feet! Bristol Rose's vertical clearance is 63 feet. It felt too close for comfort but we managed to make it without any problems except for a few more grey hairs. Good thing the tide was low. It's also a good thing Shannon 43s are built for this; cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway to the shallow waters of the Bahamas.  They are also built for a cruising couple to circumnavigate! Walt Schulz thought of everything!

The Great Dismal Swamp Aboard a Shannon 43

At the end of the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia - entering Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  It's quiet except for the sound of our engine and utterly beautiful. We savour every sight and moment in the Swamp, knowing we will probably never pass this way again. Trish, tending the lines in the South Mills Lock and doing a good impersonation of the Michelin Woman, all rugged up. It's cold out here!

River Tapestry - this one is for you, Dawn, a little quilting inspiration?

Walt Schulz designed the Shannon 43s with the ICW in mind.  Not only is the draft shallow enough to navigate the Great Dismal Swamp, the mast is just under the height of the many bridges that cross the 3000 mile (4,800km) waterway from Boston around the southern tip of Florida to Brownsville, Texas.

Five Foot Draft Pays Off Motoring Down the Intracoastal Waterway ICW

The Day of the Triffids, Norfolk, VA.

Anchored overnight at ICW Mile marker 0 in Norfolk, Virginia. We left Friday am between snow flurries and with wind threatening to blow us over crab pot buoys as we raised the anchor. We had memories of anchoring one dark night off Deal Island on the Chesapeake only to awake and find ourselves in a sea of crab pots. Robert had the joy of an early morning swim that time, hoping no crab men were watching as he cut the offending line from our prop. Fortunately we were positioned outside swinging distance of the pots in the anchorage this morning.

After the late start from Norfolk, we arrived after 3:30pm, Friday and had to tie up and wait for the 8:30am opening at Deep Creek Lock, Mile 10.5. We were the only boat in sight. Daisie enjoyed dinghying ashore for a run in the park at the lock. We motored all day Saturday through the Great Dismal Swamp. We're glad we took this route at the last minute. We'd planned to take the Virginia Cut route down the Virginia-North Carolina part of the IntraCoastal Waterway until a call to the North Carolina Welcome Center confirmed there was plenty of water in the canal for our 5ft draft. Times like this a fairly shallow draft (4'9" with a retractable centerboard lifted) really pays off in being able to get to places most 40-50ft boats can't go.  Clever Shannon Yachts!

Hardy Minnesotan Winter Training Comes in Handy

My first overnight sail south from Baltimore to Norfolk VA
 

Our overnight sail down the Chesapeake Bay provided us an excellent opportunity to re-live our four years of winter weather training in Minnesota. Winter survival lessons learned sure came in handy. We may have set a layering record with Robert achieving a 4 and Trish achieving a 5! Daisie decided not to layer-up, preferring to curl up on a settee in the warmth of the cabin. Comfortable, lucky dog! 

Amid snow flurries in freezing temperatures (the 20’s F) we’re sailing out of the Magothy River in Maryland, south under the Chesapeake Bay Bridges and on to Norfolk, Virginia. It will be 24 hours before we drop anchor at the Mile 0 mark on the Intracoastal Waterway, (ICW). We need to get south before it gets to the point where staying would mean winterizing the boat and waiting a year to make the trip. Bristol Rose and crew are leaving behind snow flurries and frosted docks for Florida. Come New Year 2009, we hope to be sailing the islands of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. 

Although we’ve sailed at night, this is our first overnight sail. We have a weather window that should allow us to get to Norfolk before high winds and snow is expected in the area. We’ve taken Dave’s advice (S/V Starshine), and timed our departure to arrive in Norfolk during daylight. We’re making good speed, up to 8 knots. Sails are set on a beam reach to close haul. It’s dark now, bitterly cold and cloudy but the sailing is good and steady with both of us managing to get in a few hours of sleep in turn. Close to the shipping channel in the Bay, there’s plenty to keep our attention focused and no chance of falling asleep at the helm, even with BR’s autopilot doing the steering. A glance back over the transom and, oh s#@t! Is that a container ship bearing down on us? Get the engine started, quick! better to move a little further away from the channel. 

In the heat of a Maryland summer you don’t have much appreciation for heating aboard a sail boat. You know it’s cold when ice falls out of the flaked sails onto the deck. We are now benefitting from outfitting decisions made during the semi-custom build of Bristol Rose. Walt Shultz, Shannon Boat Company in Rhode Island got it right adding Espar diesel heating to his Shannon boats. BR is very comfortable below decks right now. 

We had a wonderful farewell with our boys and all our friends coming to bid us farewell.  We’ve been very busy with last minute preparations during our short time at Ferry Point Marina. The owner, Al, John who manages the yard, and everyone at FPM have been very helpful to us and we're grateful. 

Shannons Memorial Day 2008 Cruise

Late in May, with the help of Patrick whose boat, Annie Rose, is slipped at White Rocks, Bristol Rose sailed from Baltimore to Back Creek. Robert has arranged for Jay of Annapolis Rigging to fit the new Monitor windvane from Scanmar International. Robert and Patrick were able to sail as far as the Bay Bridges then with the wind from the South, not helping, the engine took over.

Our first sail of the season is a meet up with Dave and Adeena of Starshine, a 38' Shannon. They introduced us to Pete of Spell Bound, a 28' Shannon. The three Shannons anchored in the Little Choptank on Saturday night, along with a Beneteau, appropriately named "Shannon"! What are the odds?


Sunday we sailed/motored to Back Creek, Solomon's Island. Elliot and his friend Josh joined us for Elliot's 19th Birthday. We ate at the Captain's Table and next day after a brisk sail, Elliot and Josh drove back home and we bid farewell to Starshine. On Sunday evening we moved around to Mill Creek for a much quieter anchorage.


We spent most of the week slowly making our way back to Baltimore, dropping in at La Trappe and Rhode River. I was very pleased to have great weather and some relaxing sailing during the week - my long-awaited one week vacation after a full year's work! Australian workers don't know how lucky they are with four weeks annual leave after the first year of service!

Bristol Rose Recruits New Crew - Monitor Windvane

“Shorthanded crews don’t steer offshore. Before we got our wind-vane, we had no self-steering on one passage after our electric pilot failed. That passage lasted three days - but it seemed like three weeks!” Beth Leonard, The Voyager’s Handbook. 

I can relate to Beth’s experience. Our first sailboat, Sandpiper was not fitted with self-steering and even on an 8 hr journey up the bay I found myself often looking for someone else to take the helm for a break.

“Many cruisers augment their steering with wind-vane self-steering. There is no question that the servo-pendulum type is the most effective. I would not consider any other type for offshore work” Nigel Calder’s Cruising Handbook. 

Bristol Rose is fitted with a top quality Simrad Robertson AP 22 Autopilot which works great.  The Autopilot is a drain on the 12 Volt power system and that is a concern on an ocean passage under sail. I wouldn't want to run the engine to compensate.

After some months of consideration I have ordered a Monitor Self Steering Windvane from Kopi from Scanmar International. Jay from Annapolis Rigging will fit it.

I selected Monitor for a number of reasons: 

1. The design is well proven, the first Monitor was made in 1975
2. The Monitor design seems to be the least intrusive, I really liked the Cape Horn but fitting it to a Shannon 43 looks difficult.
3. A number of Shannon 43's have Monitor Windvanes fitted, so I know it will work.

1. 
   

   

   Photo courtesy of Scanmar International
   
   

I can’t say I am overly excited about having a Windvane fitted to Bristol Rose. I love her classic lines and the wine-glass transom. Any windvane will change the way she looks, but then again Bristol Rose is a cruising sailboat and the design will accommodate a windvane. Having thought through the process of fitting a stainless steel contraption to the stern I am now looking forward to introducing myself to the Monitor over the summer. Who knows I may even weaken, like so many other cruisers, and give the new crew member a name.

Shannon Yachts, Rhode Island Boat Building Heritage. Finding Bristol Rose.

Robert in the cardboard cutout cast of Spamalot on Broadway

During his 53 years you could count the number of rash decisions Robert has made on one hand. Living in a good neighborhood on the US East Coast, married, raising 2 fine children, working for the same company for 21 years… in short, life was fine, on the road to…well, where? He couldn’t help wondering, if life is only about working towards security and retirement, maintaining the status quo? Shouldn't there be something interesting, even exciting, to plan for through all life's stages?

In 2004 while taking a Sunday afternoon drive to the Chesapeake Bay a spark was ignited. Who knows, maybe Bristol Rose sailed past that fateful afternoon as we happened upon a late summer festival at the John H. Downs Park. As we ate hotdogs and enjoyed the Bluegrass band, our eyes traveled with the boats across the Bay to Rock Hall. A plan was hatched to buy a boat of our own. This boat need not be fancy. Maybe a little center cockpit fishing boat, big enough to get out and catch some of the striped bass the Chesapeake Bay fishermen get so excited about. “Stop right there Robert, if you get a fishing boat look forward to lots of quality time by yourself”. 

Old Coot, found hanging around the Chester River, MD

We relocated to the USA in June 1996 with our two children Owen and Elliot, from Sydney, Australia. Like many Australians we’d spent a lot of time at the beach. Although we felt a strong affinity to the water, our collective sailing experience was limited to OPBs (other people’s boats) and the occasional Hobie Cat rental down at Balmoral Beach on Sydney Harbour. We couldn’t have imagined it then, but perhaps we were destined to one day be at the place we are now in our lives.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

In another time and place Charles and Anne Brackett had plans of their own. They’d done some sailing on their 38’ Shannon, also called Bristol Rose, and in 2001, planned to build their 43’ dream sailboat, Bristol Rose. Bristol Rose was designed by Walter Schulz and built by Shannon Boat Company in Bristol, Rhode Island. She was launched in October 2002 and the Bracketts sailed her to the Bahamas where she spent the next few years.

Bristol Rose receives her bottom paint, Shannon Boat Company, Bristol, Rhode Island

After months of book and online research, as well as time spent climbing over boats waiting in boatyards for new owners, we bought our first sailboat, Sandpiper in early 2005. Sandpiper is a 1979, S2 9.2A sloop and she opened our eyes to a lifestyle on the water that fitted us very comfortably. Just to be sure we could handle a 30ft boat on our own; we took sailing lessons with Getaway Sailing in Baltimore. This gave us the confidence we needed to begin sailing in the unfamiliar waters of the Chesapeake and to eventually take off on a two-week cruise down the Bay.

Quiet Boatshed on St. Leonard Creek, MD

We also learned from Matt, our affable sailing instructor, how to tie lines like a sailor (power boaters go round and round and round in knots), and how to laugh at anyone silly enough to be caught out sailing with fenders still hanging over the rails. Most importantly, Matt taught us that sailing is “all about lookin’ good!” Thanks Matt!

The Francis Scott Key Buoy, Baltimore is the site where Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled Banner, the morning after the Brits trained their cannons on Fort McHenry. "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there."

We've both always been travelers, inquisitive about the world and the many cultural differences that make travel so addictive. We’ve both lived and worked on 3 of the 5 continents. We’ve both experienced life in various parts of our homeland, Australia, from north to south, east to west.  As we’ve traveled over half of the 50 states of the USA, we’ve marveled at the cultural differences from state to state. Exploring by water adds another dimension to our travels. Sandpiper turned out to be the perfect boat for a family to explore the nooks and crannies of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. We’ve spent weeks aboard, exploring from the waterside industries of Baltimore to the islands and inlets all the way to Crisfield (Crab Capitol of the World) on the Maryland/Virginia border.

Container Terminal, Baltimore Harbor

Was it the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” or maybe that Christmas read “An Embarrassment of Mangos” about sailing the Caribbean? Who knows, but a search began for the boat that would take us to far away places.

In 2007 the decision was made to sell the much loved Sandpiper and buy the “dream” boat. Now, looking for a dream boat has a lot to do with the romance of sailing, of escapism, and above all else, “lookin’ good” while doing it. Our dream boat would be special; not brand new but one that previous owners had loved and cherished. She had to be an American design with traditional lines, solid, sea worthy, comfortable, sail well, have a good reputation, be big enough to live on for a year or more yet small enough for two of us to handle.

We did the research, hung out at the Annapolis Boat Show, read books about the cruising life and along the way, fell in love with Shannon boats. Sure, we looked at other boats, but we always came back to the dream, like others we've met, of maybe one day owning a Shannon.

Boat stands at Quality Boatyard, Tiverton, RI

As if by fate our search came to a happy ending with Bristol Rose; it was meant to be. When we first stepped below, Robert knew what Trish was thinking – Ahhh, American cherry wood interior! A standing joke is that Trish would have every piece of furniture in the house made of cherry, if she could. The closing date on our offer was 11th August, Robert’s Birthday. Bristol Rose’s tender is named Rosebud; we named our pets after flowers, Rosie Bud and Daisie Dog. The “signs” were stacking up. Bristol Rose not only met, she far exceeded our expectations of a previously owned, well-designed, much-loved and cared-for sailboat. Bristol Rose is a special boat that we feel is perfect in every way. Love at first sight!

Our first look at Bristol Rose 2007. Custom built American cherrywood cabinetry, teak and holly sole.

Bristol Rose is a Shannon 43, hull # 51, launched in 2002. She is the second-to-last of the 43’ hulls made by Schulz Boat Company in Bristol, Rhode Island. Walter Schulz’s experience working with boats began when he was still at school. In February 1975, he began construction on his own design, Shannon 38 hull number one, in the same building that now houses the Herreshoff Museum and employing craftspeople who had worked for Herreshoff. The boat was unveiled at the Annapolis Boat Show in October 1975. In the Fall of 1985, the first Shannon 43 was shown at the Annapolis Boat Show. Schulz named his Shannon yachts after the Shannon River in Ireland, where both his grandmothers were raised.

Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (1848-1938) revolutionized yacht design and produced a succession of undefeated sailboats for the America's Cup between 1893 and 1920. (Wikipedia)

One of the four boats built by Bill Koch's America3 Syndicate for the 1992 challenge.

When we visited the Herreshoff Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI in 2007 on our search for our “dream” boat, we learned about the legendary boat building skills of the Herreshoff brothers. It's clear that Walter Schulz has been greatly influenced by the Herreshoffs, as well as some other greats in sailing. “Also I never build a boat without twin headstays. With them you can wing and wing or have roller furling on one and hank-on jib on the other. I mean what the hell do you do when you roll up your furling jib? How can you run up a smaller headsail? I copied the system of Chichester’s boat when he was in Newport long ago. As soon as I saw that on Gypsy Moth I said to myself, ‘That is going on every boat I build’, Walter Schulz (Ferenc Máté, The World’s Best Sailboats, Vol I).

Herreshoff boats

Bristol Rose has the Shannon Sketch sail configuration. She is equipped with sails made by Clarke Bassett of Kappa Sails in Westbrook, CT, auxiliary power provided by a 75hp Yanmar diesel, carries 200 gallons of water and 100 gallons of Diesel.

So what’s it like owning a Shannon? The first thing you notice is a lot of rubber necking. If we are in a slip people stop to admire her. We are often asked, “What type of boat is that”? A woman walking past one day stopped and asked, “Is that really a Shannon?” She had never seen one up close but just as we had done, dreamed of owning a Shannon.

An earlier vintage Shannon called Sandpiper, caught our eye on the Chester River.

There’s an air of romance around the Shannons, thanks in large part to the character of the man, Walter Schulz. On a trip up the Patapsco River to Baltimore this Fall a large power boat was bearing down on us as we crossed the shipping channel. The power boat slowed down as she came near, while the passengers took pictures of Bristol Rose. As they powered past us we noticed the Australian flag flying proudly. Small world! They might also have noticed we were flying the green and gold, Boxing Kangaroo!

Bristol Rose at anchor, proudly flies the Boxing Kangaroo, as well as the Star Spangled Banner!

The people at Shannon make their owners feel like members of a large family. It was a delight to meet Walt, Bill Ramos and Walt’s daughter Erin Schulz at the Annapolis boat show in 2007. Trish proudly wore her Shannon cap, thanks to Bill, for the rest of the day. No ordinary hat; you can't buy one anywhere. As Bill explained, you have to own a Shannon to get one of these. Walt Schulz has designed over 20 Shannon models and the company has launched over 335 boats to date and still building. Even though we had just recently bought a previously owned Shannon, they knew who we were. There's no substitute for being able to speak with your boat's builders from anywhere in the world. Walt is quoted by Ferenc Máté: “….I like to hear where they are. I like to keep track. Before I go to bed I listen to the weather, and when I hear that there is such and such a storm blasting where one of the Shannons is cruising, I can smile and feel good and sleep well that night. I get a great kick out of that.”

Walt Schulz launches Bristol Rose. "Every boat Shannon launches, I launch with a few drops of blackberry brandy, some on the bow for good luck and a few drops in the water for the gods."

Sewing for Boats. Handrail Covers Lookin' Good

I love the brightwork on Bristol Rose and don't mind the upkeep. My problem is time; full time work and part time cruiser does not make for regular maintenance of brightwork. To solve this problem I have made a set of handrail covers to protect the brightwork.

For these covers I used Oyster White Sunbrella. I cut strips of material as follows:

• Forward Handrail 8" x 44.25"
• Aft Handrail 8" x 114.25"

Measure and mark 2.5" in to create a 1.25" hem on the long edges. Fold the material first to the marked line and use the back of your scissors to crease the material in place. Then stitch the hem first near the edges then fold over a 1/4" hem and stitch.

Fold the cover in half with the hems outside and trace the approximate curvature of the end of the handrail.. Sew this curved seam.

To add the snap fasteners, turn the cover right side out. Measure and mark 6" in from each end for the shorter cover. For the longer covers, measure and mark 6" and 46.5" from each end. Fit snaps to cover. You are finished and in shorter time than it takes to put on 10 coats of vanish, you have your handrails covered.

I also made some covers for the 3 big hatches while I was at it. It's all about lookin' good! and reducing the upkeep!