Brian Blue Bear

[ishtar]

You mentioned Brian being in the newspapers. I made out that Brian had already been in the newspapers, in an article which involved a goat and some rubber gloves, but that it was not proven that anything untoward happened.

Not that I'm saying anything untoward did happen, I BELIEVE Brian's story.

[sheila]

What paper do you read then Martin? Sunday Sport?

[ishtar]

No, but on reflection, I think Brian would look great in a thong, but don't tell him I said so.

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Martin..... don't know how many magic fungi you have sampled.... but send me the links to your bread making and barbecue,,,,,, or missed barbecue moments...... people here don't understand water in Bridgend has filtered through the dense mushroom patches making strange habits appear as far as Twin town Swansea

[ishtar]

Here's the breadmaking post, Bri

cardiffyachtclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cruisingchat&action=display&thread=498

and the barbeque

cardiffyachtclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cruisingchat&action=display&thread=497


I picked the mushrooms for my tortoise - he loves them. They were not for personal consumption. I've got some photos of him breakdancing somewhere, I'll have to dig them out.

;D

[brian (Blue Bear)]

sorry Martin can't open them does anyone have the same problem

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Tried a bit of Lunch at True Blue bay at the Dodgy Dock one of the best places yet as Suellen pointed out the Food is Fresh indeed the crabs are wandering about under the tables

video courtesy of Roscoe

[ishtar]

You're right. They seem to have gone. Odd.

I can do them on Blu-Ray for you for $29.99? Stereo too?

[brian (Blue Bear)]

have not been cruising much and have had much time to check out weather at home and I can't believe how soft we have become in such a short period... I look at the weather around the UK and think back to the brave attempts to visit the Isles of Scilly and Lundy by a few members including myself only to become wet, cold and tired with little enjoyment sailing especially returning home passing the landmark Barry as the tide turns Knowing there's a few hours yet. I feel I have been in a Marina for too long Too hot well sheltered so no wind not so clean water so no swimming how Lucky we are to learn to sail in the Bristol Channel every one of us could sail anywhere we have visited yet with no thought of a Problem Tides winds waves all so much less a Problem.

[brian (Blue Bear)]

We Finally broke the Chains and got away what a lovely feeling... To the ABC´s The Dutch Antilles Sea is finally what I expected of the Picture Postcard Caribbean sea... Currently on moorings off club Nautico BONAIRE Marina.. $10 dollars pn Moorings,,, another $10 pw for using the Nautico Dingy Pontoon.... all Moorings are exposed and we have had some unfavorable weather several Moorings Broke.... A Dutch boat CONDOR broke it's Moorings sheltered on Anchor behind the Island But was moved on NO anchoring is allowed anywhere around the Bonaire Island leaving options limited and Poor.... Most boats shelter in the Marina expensive apparently poorly run a few hundred yards further up the Coast...... Nautico Marina also has very poor Shelter (safer and more comfortable on the Dodgy Moorings) the pontoons were also emptied in favor of the Main Marina. In good weather a friendly stopping place..

The sail here was Pleasant enough for Us to play a few Games of backgammon and Draughts without pieces sliding everywhere took 3.5 Days lovely breezes to cool us down, every Night gave us a splendid show of Lightening Storms far enough away to not worry us probably over Venezuela ... Customs and Immigration very easy..

This Place is adapted for tourism a very Lovely sea front with bars etc... Expensive!!!! Concrete Beaches?? The Official and only Currency accepted is US$... we opt for 2 streets back half price beers and some Handy Chinese food places.....Sea is so Clear and Such a Beautiful Colour with so many Species of Fish It must be one of the nicest Places on earth (sea not the land) ...., there is a Shelf that the moorings are on which is about 200 metres wide before Dropping straight to 60 metres deep probably the reason for so many fish. will hopefully post Photos soon...

[ishtar]

News from Neath. Flash floods have affected Port Talbot this afternoon and Sandfields was reportedly 2 feet underwater. And there's me thinking it was You that was in danger of hurricanes.....

Other news - Mike burned his hand on a BBQ, claims nobody told him it was hot, and there's a fight over the 50mile race, apparently Huw had bought a really fancy gun to start the race, but nobody was there when he shot it - they'd all gone the day before. Something like that.....

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Traveled up and down the Grenada and Carriacou Islands Following Events such as the Regatta the start went well amongst the Cruisers with a good turnout...

.

The winning Boat By far on the around the Island race was English owned SAGA



She sailed home with rivals nowhere in Sight another English Competitor on the yellow Ketch Yellow Bird sailed full sail almost to the bar


Sailing Downwind saw some skill in handling Spinnikers


Leaving Grenada Saw a Celebration BBQ with some fresh Fish which we had prepared by the local Fishmonger




Leaving Grenada a last Photo of one of the Beaches Sandy Island Carriacou

[sheila]

Glad to hear you are safe and well. This is just too fantastic for words. Great stories. Taker care.
Sheila & Vince

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Arrived Aruba 8 September after visiting Bonaire and Carusao, this the furthest west of the Dutch Antilles is where we'll spend at least a few weeks trying to assess what to do next we are alone now no cruisers here at Aruba Nautical Club...

Left Bonaire as soon as we Could not really a place to sit out the hurricane season although south of the Hurricane belt it was still affected by the weather systems surrounding the Hurricanes, the Harbor Village Marina was Expensive and very poorly maintained with no working Facilities at the time of visiting and away from the main town, but It was well sheltered, all the other places moorings that are available are Exposed to the sea, Moorings broke on several Cruisers, my own loss was another broken computer which I didn't stow Properly during a Particularly nasty Night on the moorings...



The Club Nautico was a very poor choice of mooring

An American Boat behind us Debonair also concerned about weather Deteriorating tried to clarify the forecast on Channel 16 12 and 14 but there was no response from the Harbor or Marina authorities who it seemed were making way at the Marina for sheltering boats...The Marina does not Charge when a Weather warning is issued and boats are advised to shelter in the Marina a Warning we all failed to recieve until too late...




Leaving Bonaire to Curasao we had a good wind for most of the journey with a flat calm affecting the last 10 miles we were accompanied by some rather large Dolphins which stayed with us for quite a while





We arrived at Spanish waters Curasao the largest of the islands early Morning the Island didn't have the Romantic look of a Caribbean Island



the Shores of the large salt water lake was spoiled by Holiday homes with pontoons and large Boats tied to them


Where the owners of the houses are affluent enough to purchase a garden some greenery could be seen.



Anchorage is good in Designated areas A B C D no anchoring allowed outside these areas we chose an Anchorage without Knowing the system amongst other boats and caught a bus into Willemstad to clear in The customs house easy to find 5 Min's walk from the bus station on the riverside seen behind the Ketch


and the harbor authorities 20 Min walk along the other side of the river which is reached by the Ferries or Pontoon bridge


Which is opened for even the Smallest of boats the swell in the river makes arriving here to clear in a poor choice

The town Itself very European with bars restaurants and cafes but some were incredibly expensive we spent most of our eating and drinking time at Terrace Plaza in the local side of town which had good food Internet and cheapish beer and EXCELLENT service.. all the towns Facilities spoiled by a very poor bus service. not surprising since most drove cars and amusingly the cars were usually huge Jeeps Super cars or Luxury cars such as Bentley Continental all on a tiny Island ?





The Immigration and Harbor masters is alongside the Cruise ship terminal under the bridge in the background...

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Aruba Nautical Club seems to have been the best option for staying in Aruba




The Downside is It is a members only Club, so we had to join the club. the upside is even with Membership fees paid It is still half the price of Renaissance Marina The bus service here is very good so getting about is easy and the Chinese dominate the supermarkets so there is a huge range of Produce available for very reasonable prices the range of fresh produce is better than we have seen for a long time...

The sailing conditions have improved but we will remain here a while longer since Steve will go on a few fishing trips to keep himself occupied with the local fishermen. The Nautical Club is Predominantly a fishing Club so hopefully he will gain quite a bit of extra knowledge.

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Spending Time In Aruba makes it Difficult to decide when to move on, It has everything we were looking for when leaving Wales a year ago sailing to Portugal.


Excellent fishing usually Barracuda Wahoo Dorada (Mahi Mahi) and Tuna (for Bait)




Steve spends most of his time with the local Fishermen who regularly catch more than 100 kilos with hand lines,.... If we eat any more fish we'll be growing gills BBQ is the best method of Cooking But we need a bigger BBQ







We prefer to catch smaller fish in our net which stopped when a Moray decided to feed on our Catch





Sue and I spend our time checking out the Island which has some great beaches the Tourist areas are Generally to the northwest but there are excursions to this area so we have to suffer a little Commercialism in an otherwise Paradise.








Excellent Supermarkets an abundance of fresh foods Easy to Knock up a Traditional British Sunday Lunch...



Good Bars and restaurants a good Clubhouse that during Happy hour is crowded with Friendly faces that seem to have accepted us.. numerous other Happy Hours at other local bars which include the Balashi Brewery Walking distance from here....... But!!! we are going to Move on with a reluctant Crew... The weather now has mellowed to the point we see very little wind of greater than F1/3 and we have unusual westerlies not the Easterlies we want so waiting for Stronger winds!!!! big contrast to this time last year off Spain.. The Locals here concerned for our safety mention 2 to 3 metre waves and say we should stay here. Sailing Conditions are usually Excellent compared to an Irish Sea or Bristol Channel in the winter


Photos To Follow

[Cardiff Yacht Club]

There's a thing on the reef, with big shiny white teeth - it's a Moray
If he's big and he's mean, and he's slimy and green - it's a Moray

Put your hand in the crack and you won't get it back - It's a Moray
When you're movin' your hands, best take care where they land - Watch for Morays

When some teeth catch your eye. and an eel wriggles by - It's a Moray
when something, bites your fin, and throws off your trim - It's a Moray

Keep your fingers in tight and you won't have a fright - It's a Moray
When you're moving by feel and then up pops the eel - It's a Moray

[Deleted]

ha ha just had half a cow on BBq in NZ, the thing was still moving. Nipper

[Deleted]

Been in Rena containers, Guard fell asleep, Mankie fish cakes, dam where were the BMW,S Nipper

[brian (Blue Bear)]

We now have plans to go Go Direct to panama we feel the wind will be more Favorable if we sail WNW for around 150miles then west for around 400miles eventually SSW and South to Panama hopefully north enough to avoid the apparently notoriously dangerous sea area above Punta Galinas on the Peninsula De la Gualinas local advise is the sea will be rough enough for ships to avoid in anything above a F4. the trip should take around 6 days weather permitting, we will leave as soon as we get a good weather window (winds more than F3) which seems likely tomorrow evening We will Consider Santa Marta as a Bolt hole for the first two days but apparently Customs there will not appreciate a detour from my route plan for anything other than an emergency....We are missing some Apparently excellent spots by going direct but we will be able to find out about the Canal regulations and how to go about transiting it and when will be the quietest Period... there seems to be quite a few places to visit both north and south of Colon and some very Cheap Marinas which we want to check out before Christmas If we don't like it and the Canal is Busy we can Backtrack a little, even as far as here (Aruba) where a Good Christmas is assured

[allan]

I think I have just won a little bet with myself. Off to NZ? Be safe.

[sheila]

Keep us informed of your progress Brian, and as Allan says, be safe.

[Deleted]

hi brian sound like you are going to move and you have a lot of things to think about, our trip is over now weather was not6 the best,hey bri and sue. col must have been looking the other way as the the weather was fine.windy across the nullabor desert but thet is normal. we did 12000 kms and our motor home ran beautifully. let us know in time when you are expecting to arrive in N.Z and we will meet u there.come to think of it, if we have problems getting a flight at short notice we will be so pleased to see you all we may even swim over!!!!!!col will try to send you some pictures of our trip.love to the three of you.

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Arrived SanBlas Islands after a rather uncomfortable 600nm Trip too much wind or no wind, we used up almost all our Diesel including our reserves to arrive at San Blas only to find diesel is difficult to Purchase along with most if not all other supplies, water can be found a few miles up a river where the locals go to daily by canoes cut out of tree trunks, we have been told we should be able to get there using our Tender.. Navigating The San Blas Islands without a Pilot guide and pilot charts is almost impossible with underwater reefs and sand bars in the most inconvenient places, apparent wide open sea between the islands has dangers less than a few inches below the water and there are no suppiers For Guides or charts here, thankfully an American Couple Mike and Gloria of Respite helped us out with the charts we needed… WiFi is also a problem, The WiFi we are using is supplied by Magel who lives on an Island smaller than an average uk council allotment but it is expensive, apparently they have wifi at the School in Nargara but we arrived during a Festival the School was closed so no success there to date.
Hopefully when we have a better internet Connection we can add photos..

[ishtar]

Excellent news, Bri. My understanding of the canal is that you need four very long ropes, as you may need to tie up to a large ship. Each rope must have its own handler, in addition to the skipper, and the agent, who you must pay, and feed. You also need to rent tyres, as additional fenders.

The normal procedure is that your crew would do the trip as rope handlers for a boat ahead of you, learning the ropes, as it were, and the crew from a boat following you returns the favour, acting as rope handlers on Blue Bear whilst they learn procedure.

Our friend Tom told me that there are places where they just dump Tyres and ropes, so you can save money if you find this out beforehand.

M.

[brian (Blue Bear)]

A ittle update, we've arrived at Colon the start of the Panama Canal and will stay in a Marina with all the usual Facilities until the new year.... Sue can't believe we have HOT! and cold water swimming pool with no Crocodiles really is 5 star but expensive our last leg of this year has been the SAN BLAS Islands really a step back in time (the good ol' Days). a real eye opener for us...



The Kuna workers live entirely on Islands and work in the uninhabited Jungle Mainland each morning rowing Dug out Canoes (Which take 6 months to Carve from special trees and last six years with alot of care)and returning at dusk...
There are so many Islands that most are uninhabited, although the one behind Sue is occupied



Internet was very Scarce we would travel to Magels at Elephante which was the only reliable..ish internet for around 70 Miles!!

Porvenir Airport Entry Port



I was lucky to be given Pilot charts for the area since Navigation would have to be done with a depth sounder such are the Shallows in apparently open sea.

Weather in this area Caribbean is also has to be treated with some respect, Squalls are common and accompany calms havivg been Caught in Squalls which were dangerous twice with full sail have made me a little more cautious maybe over cautious reefing when under these conditions was accomplished but took years off our sail life and tore the Mainsail at the reef points.

A potential Squall looking very Pretty


But all the weather Shallows and waves really make the trip exciting...

[sheila]

Wow!

[brian (Blue Bear)]

seems the luxury of the Marina will be cut Short it was our intention to stay until the New year But my son is returning to Wales For Christmas and before he leaves us we will Transit the Canal Possibly as Early as Thursday, we have rejoined Barrenjoey and may transit together

[allan]

Good luck with the canal. If your son needs any help with lifts and things at this end just say. I'm always around.
Allan

[brian (Blue Bear)]

Thanks Allan

ad-measures will inspect our Boats today we Have been assigned Craft numbers the transit of the Canal will cost $959us plus line Handlers we will need two, we have been Concerned about costs having been told It will cost as much as $3000us to transit, of coarse there are other Costs relating to Customs and Immigration cruising permit visa back handers (tips) to make things smooth which in this Country amounts to $300 the permit lasts 1 year six months for the boat 3 Months for us but easily renewable These costs will apply in various amounts in all countries Spain was the worst with a 60 euro per Month transit tax (Illegal I suspect but there it is) very anxious moments now but the locks are no worse than the Lock into Bristol City Docks at low water, Martins Post is correct 125foot ropes are needed we will have 6 tyres Wrapped polythene each side of the boat the locks will lift/drop us 9 Metres as with Bristol the Lines are adjusted with the change if water level. Concerns are (1) alongside the wall the mast will strike the wall (2) often small boats behind big ships are affected by their Propeller wash... ( a few Scare stories picked up along the way) will be great to get back into the middle of an Ocean