Andy's appendectomy and the associated delay has compressed Leg's 6 and 7, which now have overlapped in Lunenburg! The Leg 6 crew has now departed, and Leg 7 has arrived. isbjorn will point her bow north to Newfoundland tomorrow!
PHOTOS: '16 Leg 6: Annapolis to Lunenburg
The first trip for the summer and the start of our sailing up to Canada started in Annapolis. We had a great departure and sail up the Chesapeake and was out in the open ocean before we knew it. Th trip took an unexpected turn though when Andy started to feel stomach pain and the crew diverted to Newport. Andy had a quick appendicitis surgery and stayed ashore to fly up and meet the crew in Lunenburg. Andy's dad Dennis came up and captained Isbjorn up to Lunenburg, Canada.
Isbjorn Offshore: Upwind to Lunenburg
Offshore Medical Emergency: Dealing with Appendicitis 90 Miles Out
Andy gets appendicitis on Isbjorn's Leg 6, from Annapolis to Lunenburg. They were 90 miles south of Newport when the symptoms got bad enough to warrant a diversion. Here's the story of what happened onboard, how the surgery went, where the business stands and how Andy made it back onto the boat only 12 hours after entering the hospital. This will post as a podcast on Tuesday July 12.
Weather Forecast for Lunenburg Departure
The Leg 6 crew has arrived and we're about 18 hours from departure! It's thunderstorming in Annapolis right now, so it's nice to be at the dock, but the weather offshore looks like we'll get a mix of everything. Here's the latest from our partners at WRI, below.
Like what you see? Contact WRI to get customized forecasts for your own trips!
Video Tour of our S&S Swan 48 'Isbjorn'
PHOTOS: '16 Leg 5: Florida to Annapolis
After Andy's sister Kaitie's wedding in Key West, Mia, Andy, Liz & Thierry rendezvoused at Pam Wall's house to record the first episode of the new TV show! Then, crew joined Isbjorn on the canal across the street for the return voyage north to Annapolis. We tempted fate and left on a Friday - which I won't do again! Rough, upwind conditions dictated the trip, but it was punctuated by a calm ride around Cape Hatteras and a good finish!
Isbjorn back in the boatyard in Annapolis
Isbjorn Offshore: Hove-to!
Isbjorn Offshore: Hove-to!
Isbjorn Offshore: Weather from WRI, going direct to Annapolis!
Isbjorn Offshore: Sneaking behind the cold front
'Variable' is the word for the weather on this passage north from Florida to Annapolis. Since departing Friday morning, we've had it all - light downwind sailing, light close reaching, heavy downwind sailing and currently even heavier close reaching, which later today is going to become a dead beat to windward.
Isbjorn Offshore: Ft. Lauderdale-Annapolis Passage, T-Minus 12 hours.
The full crew is here and we're preparing for our chart briefing dockside tonight in the canal by Pam Wall's house, just off the 17th Street Causeway in Ft. Lauderdale. The weather looks marginal and constantly changing, so we're keeping a close eye on that (and keeping options open for a potential detour to Savannah or Charleston).
Hanging with Pam Wall & Etienne Giroire!
It's been a fantasy-camp of sorts since we got to Florida the other day. Both Pam and Etienne are heroes of ours, so it's super-cool to hang out together now as friends. I still have to pinch myself that we're so lucky to get to do all this! We visited Etienne's shop yesterday down past the airport, and after our little sunset sail, he joined us at Pam's house for a wonderful meal Liz and Mia cooked up for us all. Then we spent the rest of the evening drinking wine and listening to Pam and Etienne tell stories.
Sailing to Cuba & Exploring Havana
PHOTOS: '16 Leg 4: Puerto Rico-Cuba-Key West
Mia & Andy share some photos of what it was like to sail to Cuba this year! Feel free to share these galleries with your friends and family - if you've sailed with us and would like a high-res, un-marked photo of any of the below, email us!
Cuba Ho! Becalmed in the Straights of Florida...
Light Air Sailing in the Old Bahama Channel
Greg and I are on watch. I just had my second cup of coffee, and Greg just re-appeared from the galley with his. Isbjorn is meandering along the north side of the shipping lanes in the Old Bahama Channel, about three miles off the Grand Bahama Bank, sailing slow with just the mainsail up (the jib was slatting too much).
