Captain's Log

MV Gazette Article

2010-09-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

A nice article posted this week in the MV Gazette about "When And If". Please read and share.

For Sale

2010-05-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a while due to the fact that When And If has been put up for sale and I wasn't quite sure what to say. But I've decided to say just that.

Please visit our website www.schoonerwhenandif.com and contact the owner for more information.

It's a great day for sailing!

Cheers!

Nassau to West Palm

2010-03-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

Location: West Palm Beach, FL

Weather: Winds W 15-20 overcast and raining. Temp 75 degrees

Update: We are currently anchored in West Palm Beach, FL, making plans for the delivery North and trying to stay dry. They promise good weather for the rest of the week. fingers crossed. We had a great delivery from Nassau. 3 days sail, just Seychelle and I. Hers the log from the trip.

3/25/10:

Position: 25.48.86N 77.53.65W

We are currently anchored in Great Harbor on the Northern end of the Berry Islands. It is a large and fairly deep anchorage with good protection and should suit us well for the night. We left Nassau at 0600 this morning and made a pit stop at Lyford Cay for water and ice before leaving New Providence entirely. The winds started light this morning, but soon increased to a nice 10-15 off the beam. We had a perfect sail with all of our beautiful, new sails set. Let’s see, it’s now 1800, so the entire trip took us 12 hours. That’s a long day of sailing and I am sun burnt, but it was worth it.

3/26/10

Position: 26.31.36N 78.46.15W Freeport Harbor, Grand Bahama

Weather: SW winds 15-20. nice beam-reaching weather, but it rained ALL day.

We are docked at Bradford Yacht and Ship in Freeport Inner Harbor. Not exactly the nicest place for a yacht to be, but as we realized on the way here, there is no other harbor in Grand Bahama deep enough for a 9ft draft. Surprise surprise. Freeport Harbor has recently been upgraded with a multimillion dollar deal that is going to turn it in to the commercial shipping hub of the Western Hemisphere. So, as you can imagine, there are many ships. But, it is deep and we are protected. Now we will wait for the winds to clock back to east. And it has stopped raining!

3/28 Crossing the Gulf Stream

Weather: E 15-20

Sailing DDW (dead down wind) Wing and Wing. Absolutely beautiful! Even in the best conditions, The Gulf Stream has a way of making you feel like a cork, tossed and bobbing in the vast expanse of Ocean. Luckily for us, we have When And If, who rides ocean swells like a surf competition. Should be to West Palm by 4 pm. :)

News from Nassau

2010-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

So, interestingly enough, just as we are getting geared up to leave, we realize we have become a fixture in Nassau Harbor. Daily Harbor tours are given all day everyday and we hear them quite clearly as they go past our boat shouting in their load speakers... "Dat is da House of Sean Connery..da real James Bond"... It is always the same animated speech they give trying to make their crowded passengers laugh. I probably have most of it memorized, but I will spare you the details. ;)

Yesterday, however, we heard something different as they cruised past When And If. "Ya see dat boat der, it dates back to de 'ol Pirate days in Nassau..." and so on. His voice trailed off as they got further away. Seychelle and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. They had added us into their harbor tour speech. At least they made someone laugh with the fresh addition. It's too bad, they will have to take it out as soon as they have added it.

It's not uncommon for the locals to say.."Oh, you is on de Pirate Ship! Ya, dats a pretty boat"

Well, they got one thing right... When And If is once again the prettiest boat in the harbor.

Bahamas Passages

2010-03-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Location: Nassau Harbor, New Providence, The Bahamas

Weather: Warm and sunny!!! (Finally) The weather this week has been phenomenal! And it looks to continue that way.

South East Trade winds have begun to blow bringing temperatures in the upper 70s

Update: Headed back to the States this weekend and eventually up to the Vineyard for the summer. It looks as if we wont be doing our normal spring circuit this year. Plans are to stop in West Palm Beach to collect some provisions, crew, and stored gear, then head straight to Martha's Vineyard for the summer months.

(Subject to change. keep checking back for more updates)

Ship's Log: For those of you that were asking... here is an abbreviated look in to our Bahamian excursions. As you know, or don't know, When And If draws 9ft and the Bahamas are a shallow draft playground at best. Basically we were very limited in our choice of harbor. After studying charts and cruising guides, we found many places, surprisingly, that could take a 9ft draft. Most of them requiring a bit of crafty navigation and larger than normal "cojones." We decided from the get-go to keep it simple. We also needed to stay close to Nassau to receive and drop guests.

Here's our basic cruising schedule... with commentary

1/31 - Nassau arrival

2/2 - Sailed from Nassau Harbor very deep and well charted due to Commercial shipping traffic and Cruise Ships to Hatchet Bay, Eluethera.

Heading: 075 degrees magnetic: through Fleming Channel, south of Six Shilling Cay. Very wide and deep, but not marked. The banks of Eleuthera are fairly deep, 16-25ft, as is Hatchet Bay Pond. which we found to be an excellent all-weather harbor. Free moorings, which are not maintained, but held our 50 tons in 20+ kts, and decent holding.

2/10 - Sailed back to Nassau Harbor to pick up the owners for a week of cold sailing. Still warmer than New Jersey. ;)

2/14 - Back to Eleuthera. This time we anchored off of Gregory town for one night. Eleuthera has a gorgeous coast line. Lime stone cliffs and lots of caves to explore! We also sailed to Current Island and found a deserted gem of an anchorage on the South East corner of the island. Here we found 11-14 ft of water up to 200yds off the beach. cuttting it close, but thats where the cojones come in.

2/18 - Back to Nassau to say goodbye to the Ruitenberg Girls - attempted Current Cut, but chickened out at the depth sounder reading 9.8ft. Instead took Fleming channel again, and every time since.

2/20 - Motor-sailed to Lyford Cay Bay, New Providence. Beautiful, sandy bay with good protection from anything but Westerlies. The trick is getting through the reef in and out. With the help of a friend with better local charts, sending Lyle Ahead in the tender with the lead line to take soundings, and Seychelle up the ratlins eye-balling the way, we squeezed in with 12-20ft of water beneath us. The perks being getting out of Nassau harbor, yet still being near by if need be, and great snorkeling off of Goulding Cay.

2/22 - Said good bye to our good friend Lyle Zell. Then spent a week as a guest on the dock at Lyford Cay Marina. very lavish.

2/26 - Back to Nassau to pick up a part for the perpetually broken generator. Got stuck in Nassau with some bad news, bad weather, bad hangovers, and the like.

3/12 - Back to Current Island, Eleuthera for a couple days of R&R and then to our old stand-by Harbor of Hatchet Bay. If you have never heard of Hatchet Bay, by the way, it is an interesting story. It used to be a Pond surrounded completely by lime stone rock. An 'cut' was blasted through the rock in the early 1900s creating a 70ft wide entrance and one of the safest harbors in the Bahamas.

We are back in Nassau now, like I mentioned., making plans to head back to the states. We did explore lots of places with our tender, places we could not get with. When And If. Please feel free to comment and ask questions. There is a lot of the last two months that I have left out, of course, I can't cram it all in to one Blog posting. (My fault for falling behind)

All in all, our draft would have been an issue had we been trying to cruise the bahamas as most people do, moving freely form one island to the next, but because our cruising was limited to two islands, we did not run into too much trouble. You know the ol' saying..."Keep it simple."

We do plan on stopping for one night each in Great Harbor, Berry Islands; and Freeport, Grand Bahama on our way to West Palm Beach this weekend. Wish us well. It is just the two of us.

Thanks for your inquiries. It keeps me writing.

Cheers!

Key West to Bahamas passage

2010-02-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

01/30/10 0400

Position: 24.33.74N

81.32.20W

Conditions: Clear Skies, Full Moon. Winds SE 10-15, seas 3-5ft.

Update: Close reaching up Hawks Channel. A bit of shoal dodging. We left Key West just after 12 midnight. We were waiting for the wind to make a shift to the South East as to not be beating our way up the Keys. It is a lovely morning. Just a few stars and a big, bright, full moon over the shoulder. Now, to get some sleep.

01/30/10 1200

Position: 24.57.17N

80.23.58W

Conditions: Winds SSE 15kts seas 2-4ft.

Update: Riding the Gulf stream like a champ! We are making 11 kts steady, beam-reaching and just having a fantastic sail. Perfect Schooner conditions. When And If is loving it! Our heading is just North of NE on a course for North Bimini Rocks. We plan to bi-pass Bimini and head straight for New Providence (Nassua) as the winds will be shifting North tomorrow offering us no protection to anchor in Bimini ,and a nice ride down Northeast Providence Channel. And here starts the saga of a boat with 9ft draft tooling around the Bahamas... some of the island most well-known for being shallow, but they sure are beautiful!

01/31/10 0800

Position: 25.30.23N

77.36.93W

Conditions: Winds SW 10kts seas short and steep 2-4 ft. S swell.

Update: Almost there. Caught a glimpse of Bimini just as the sun was going down. Spent the night time hours sailing around Bimini and the morning hours skirting the Berry Islands chain. We thought about pulling in to Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands for some rest this morning as the winds had increased to 20 kts and had not veered SW as they were forecast to. (go figure) Instead we decided to put 2 reefs in the main at 3 am and by 5, the wind had died. Of course. We set the D-sail (engine) and have been motor sailing since. About 4 hours to go to Nassau. Can’t complain. It has been a fantastic sail. (a very wet, salty, tiring, fantastic sail.) The sunrise this morning was one of the best yet, mostly due to the fact that the full moon was setting at the same time and the color contrast was intense.

Bahama Bound...

2010-01-29T05:09:00.000-08:00

The good ship, When And If and her mighty crew of 2 (joined by Lyle Zell for the trip) will be leaving Key West tonight headed for the Bahamas. Not that we haven't had fun, but man o man are we ready to get out of Key West Harbor.

The winds look to give us a good two day window through the seemingly endless cold fronts we have been experiencing this winter. We will be crossing the gulf stream early Saturday morning. Should be fun. 3 kts of current used to our advantage.

Look for our updated blog in a few days, I will try and keep a running log while we are sailing they seem to be the most fun to read. :)

Wish us favorable winds and seas. and we'll see you in the bahamas!!

~Schooner When And If~

Holidays, Honeymoons, and what's next...

2010-01-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

Location: Back in Key West, Fl

Weather: Mostly Sunny. 80 degrees. winds SE 15-20kts

Update: Well, sorry for the long absence of blogs entries. You know how things get a little crazy around the holidays. :)

Extremely belated, but...

Happy Holidays and Merry New Years from the Schooner When And If!!!

We spent Christmas with Seychelle's family in Key Largo and then headed to this awesome spot called The Dry Tortugas National Park. Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, its legends of pirates and sunken gold, and its military past. It was a long, bumpy day sail to get there, but it sure was worth it! We visited the Civil War era Ft. Jefferson and snorkeled around it's moat. Relaxed on the beach and witnessed some spectacular gulf sunsets.

Heading back to Key West for some New Years excitement, the Schooner Wharf Bar was the place to be. A crowd of people gathered to see the Schooner Wench dropped at midnight from the mast of the Halie Matthew, a local charter Schooner docked at the Wharf.

More recently: The Crew returned from two weeks Honeymoon in Roatan, Honduras. The ship was left in the caring hands of Lyle Zell, our former third crew member, and Christian Cabral, another friend from the Vineyard. In the Summer they run a small wooden sloop Liberty doing charters out of Vineyard Haven.

We recently fabricated and installed ratlins on the Starboard fore shrouds to ease in going aloft. This will come in very handy when we are cruising around the sand bars and coral reefs of the bahamas. The higher an angle you have on the water, the easier it is to tell the depth and see what's ahead.

Ship's News: When And If will be departing for the Bahamas this weekend!!

Bye Bye, Key West. This week we will be stocking the boat with spare parts and supplies.

Okay..more to follow soon.

Cheers!

Brand New Sails!!!

2009-12-18T06:03:00.001-08:00

Location: Key West, Fl

Weather: Rainy and windy with Tornado warnings to boot. yuck.

Update: This week Ben Sperry of Sperry Sails in Marion, Mass came down to install a brand new complete set of sails for When And If. They are 9oz. cream fabric with maximum UV protection. And they look amazing!!! Please check out our photos from Tuesday's sail. I posted an entire album on Facebook. Check it out and tell us what you think.

We invited crew from the schooner Adirondak II and Appledore to come help us try them out. It was a fun, successful day, We are VERY psyched about our new sails. Sperry did a great job and the boss is happy. (We're comin' for you, Juno)

Key Wierd...

2009-12-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

Location: Key West, Fl

Weather: It's been mostly sunny and in the 80's since we arrived. Very nice.

A few thunderstorms here and there.

Update: Our first week in Key West has been interesting. Key West is a colorful community. This tropical US oasis is full of vibrance, not to mention thousands of tourists, flamboyant gays, and crazy street vendors. Some would go as far to say "this is where crazies go to go pro." and "The US was stood on it's side and shaken, and all of the loose nuts and bolts fell to Key West."

But, mostly it is a pleasant, accepting community. There is a large boating community, liveaboards, fishermen, and several Schooners. There is an entire wharf dedicated to Schooners. Upon arrival, we were greeted on the dock by other schooner bums wanting to lend a hand, locals offering knowledge on anchoring, shopping, and places to eat, and just plain admirers come to look. Over-all, (if you ignore the occasional drunk encounter) Key West is a very friendly, fun place to be.

We are currently out on the hook (anchored) in a very pleasant location. There is quite a tidal rip through the harbor, but it seems no matter what the wind/current direction, it stays fairly calm out here, which is great news!

We have made a few friends and because we are on a boat, a schooner no less, (which is the cool thing to be around here) we have immediately been accepted as locals. A rare feeling for our lifestyle. We have tried to explore some of what being a local Key Weirder means, but mostly we are just sitting out in the anchorage working on When And If.

This week we have managed to sand and prep almost every bit of above deck varnish. (minus the spars) We have applied one coat of Epiphanes high gloss so far with hopes of applying a second coat today. Just a few hatch trims left to prep and maybe next week we can tackle the spars. The boat is looking mighty shiny with her new paint and fresh varnish. "The best looking boat in the harbor" once again. ;)

Well, speaking of work, it's about that time.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

The Florida Keys

2009-11-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

Position: 24.33.21N

81.36.86W

Weather: 80 degrees N winds at 10-15kts

Seas 1-2 ft Beautiful Sailing conditions!

Update: When and If is currently sailing at a lovely 7kts, broad-reaching down hawks channel.

It is a beautiful day for sailing!

Our trip through the Keys so far has been a fun time. Our first day out of Ft. Lauderdale we made a good 60 miles and anchored off of Turtle Rocks in North Key Largo. It was a very rolly night as the wind was blowing on-shore and we only had a shallow reef to hide behind. A front passed through and kept us awake all night with lightning and thunder. It was high-time to leave in the morning as we motor-sailed 30 miles down the coast to the southern tip of Key Largo and anchored behind Rodriguez Key, a much nicer spot. We spent the Thanksgiving holidays with Family and friends. Seychelle is from Key Largo. Her family was very happy to see us. *A huge thank you to Snappers Restaurant for letting us park our dinghy and use their dock.* (mm95 oceanside. great seafood ;) )

We sailed on Saturday from Rodriguez Key straight down Hawks Channel to Bahia Honda Key. It was another 60 mile, beautiful day.

Hawks Channel is this deep water (10-30ft. deep for the keys) channel that runs the entire length of the Florida Keys from about 1 mile offshore to the inner edge of the reefs. The water is calm and the winds is constant.

There are only a hand full of places that we can anchor with a 9ft draft and still be moderately protected. Bahia Honda Key has got to my favorite. The entire key is a state park. There is camping, a nice beach, BBQ pits, and deep water. To get to the anchorage you have to sail through a break in the ruins of Henry Flagler's railroad bridge. It is one of the only remaining segments of what once was a railway from Miami all the way to Key West over 100 years ago. It's a great spot and not well known by any other than locals because the break in the bridge is not shown on the charts.

I must go back to sailing now. We should be in Key West in 2 hours.

Until next time..

Cheers!

A few photos

2009-11-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Here's those shots I promised of the hauling and painting. All said and done, two new coats of Brightside on the topsides and a fresh slathering of anti-fouling on the bottom and we are ready to launch in seven days. Key West, here we come.

River Bend Haul-out days 3, 4, 5 I think

2009-11-17T17:51:00.004-08:00

All is going very well at the River Bend Marine Center. I am pleased to report that we are ahead of schedule! Yes! That never happens. We have prepped and applied 2 coats of fresh, new, shiny black polyurethane paint to the topsides, both port and starboard. We feel very accomplished. It is quite a task for only two people, and not one that many yacht crews will take on. And only in 4 days.

Tomorrow we will work on the boot stripe and the cove stripe, and the bottom gets painted Thursday.

I just figured out how to upload photos directly to the blog, but the connection is painfully slow. I will try again. You can still view the "Haul-out" album on facebook.

Cheers!

River Bend Marine Center - Day 1- 2

2009-11-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

Location: River Bend Marine Center - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Weather: 80 and sunny.

Update: I sit here completely exhausted from a hard day's work, barely able to move my finger tips, it feels, or keep my eye-lids up. Here's how the day went.

8:00 am - Safely maneuver When And If from our docking space to the lifting slip. Not an easy task with less than 80 ft of turning space and 6 people yelling different instructions at you, all of which think they know exactly how it is you are supposed to maneuver a 50 ton, full keeled schooner and none of which actually do.

I know Seychelle and I look young, but we are professional yacht crew and we are good at what we do. Every once in a while we run into people who want to treat us like children and not professionals. This place is full of them. Needless to say, it was a frustrating morning.

10:00am - When And If is blocked and snung in the Southeast corner of the yard.

We procure some scaffolding from the resident painter and spend the rest of the day building a platform to work from around the entire boat. Tough job, but it will pay off in the end to have all the prep work done right.

Day 2 - Saturday -

Decide to work through the weekend to take advantage of the good weather and the fact that the yard staff are not around. Make a Home Depot run for a few supplies and manage to sand the entire port side. Feels pretty good.

Check out Facebook for a few photos of today and yesterday. I will keep posting them as work progresses.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vineyard-Haven-MA/SV-When-And-If/24782432236?ref=ts

I hope the link works.

Ft. Lauderdale

2009-11-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Fl

Weather: Sunny, cool, Northwest breeze. Very pleasant. :)

Update: We had a lovely sail today down the south Florida Coast. Condos as far as the eye can see and fishing boats everywhere. The water is deep right up to the beach so you can actually sail so close that you can see the people swimming on the beach. Much more fun than the South Carolina coast. It was blowing about 15 knots out of the West. Perfect for a beam reach with no fetch or wind chop that close to shore.

Now I have to say, Ft. Lauderdale is wild! It is "The Venice of America." Narrow, deep rivers and canals extending throughout the entire city. We managed to navigate our way a few miles down the New River to our destination, The River Bend Marina. There are so many canals and sharp snake turns in the river and no channel markers past the first mile, it is easy to make a wrong turn. Heaven forbid if you do, there is definately not enough space to turn around. Then you have the worry about meeting the Jungle Queen, a huge river cruise passenger ferry that takes up the entire channel and doesn't slow down. Oh, and there are 5 lift bridges to go under as well and the charted depth is only 6 ft. in places. (we never saw less than 10, phew!) This all makes for a very exciting afternoon.

The best was the bridge tenders. Although they were very quick to open for you, they all use different, far from standard operating procedure for radio communication. My personal favorite...

"SE 3rd St. Bridge, SE 3rd St. Bridge, this is the Schooner When And If approaching. requesting a lift. over"

"keep a' comin"

uhhh... and just as I was going to call back, because I thought it couldn't have possibly been the bridge responding, we look up and see the lift start to open. Amazing ... radio skills that is.

Viewing the houses that are on this river is quite an experience. Multimillion dollar homes with pool, patio, jungle gym, lawn decorations, fountains, huge trees, private canals, docks, and your very own yacht parked outside.

So, we are all set to haul at 8:00am tomorrow morning. I'll post pictures and keep you updated as to how it goes.

Cheers!

Savannah, GA to Fernandina Beach, FL

2009-11-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

11/2 1400

Position: 31.40.01N

80.50.12W

Weather: Winds NW 15kts Seas 2-4 ft partly cloudy 70 degrees

Absolutely gorgeous sailing conditions!!

Update: 20NM east of the Georgia coast and life couldn’t be better right now. We are sailing at 7-8 kts. Just finished a champion’s lunch of chicken soup and black olives out of the can. (Seychelle’s secret favorite) The sun is shining, the dolphins are jumping, and the Lonely Island’s “I’m on a boat” is blaring. Like I said, it couldn’t be better.

We plan on pulling in just North Blackbeard Island and finding a spot to anchor for the night. Savannah was fun. Old-world elegant. Colonial houses and everywhere you look large oak trees covered in spanish moss. We especially enjoyed the haunted pub-crawl. Savannah is apparently the second-most haunted city in the United States.

Next Port-of-call is Fernandina Beach, Florida where we will re-provision, re-fuel, and hopefully pick up some crew for the trip to Ft. Lauderdale.

11/3 1600

Position: 130.48.89N

81.15.63W

Weather: Winds N 20kts Seas 4-6ft Sunny 70 degrees

Update: Currently making for St. Mary’s Entrance. (also the entrance for Fernandina Beach). Surfing along at a nice 8 kts. We will make it by nightfall. Exhausted and sun burnt, but thankful for the last two days of sailing. I think we needed this. It’s nice to disconnect every once in a while for a couple of days, anchor far away from everyone and watch a beautiful sunset.

Last night was fun getting in. We had to head up quite a bit to make it through this narrow, poorly marked channel fraught with shoals. Our speed shot up to 9.5 knots as we caught the flood in to the sound. We healed her over and thought, “here we go.” It must have looked quite incredible, When And If flying in to this channel in all her glory, everything up. But, there was not a soul in sight to witness our feat. (okay, so I admit, I’m a little vain.) ;)

Savannah, GA

2009-10-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

Location: Well, the title says it all.

Weather: Warm, sunny, beautiful.

Update: Kicked the boys off in Charelston (Lyle and Harry, that is) and Seychelle and myself headed down the coast Savannah bound. The conditions were not quite what we expected and a bit hectic for just the two of us on a 75 mile day sail. 15 knots from directly behind us and steep rollers due to the shoals all along the SC coast. We jibed back and forth all day and finally pulled into Hilton Head for the night. We found a good spot to drop the hook. No other boats around and no one to tell us not to anchor where we were. It was a quite, starry night. We left in the morning in "Pea Soup" as we like to call it. Fog so dense you can't see the foredeck. Gotta love that chart plotter. Made it up the Savannah river on a foul tide and are currently on a down town floating dock. I told the dock master our length was 80ft and that's how much dock space they gave us. 80ft exactly. They really pack them in here. I managed to squeeze the old girl in with a crowd of about a hundred passerby's watching. They all applauded when the job was done.

We will probably head to Cumberland Island on Monday. Check back for and update this week.

Cheers!

Ships log from Hampton to Charleston

2009-10-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

10/26 0800

Position: 35.05.62 N

75.24.22W

Weather: ENE 20kts 6-8ft seas 60degrees and overcast. Threatening to rain.

0800 and we are due East of Cape Hatteras, just as was predicted. We are making a good 9-10 kts, headed for Charleston, SC. It’s been an awesome evening’s sail. We are skirting the North Carolina Coast so as to stay inside the Gulf Stream- a current of warm water that rushes North at 3kts along the coast of the US and Canada.

Big sets of rollers keep coming in from the North Atlantic. Boom dippers we call them. We could be miles out to sea, but when I look off our starboard, I can see the beach. It’s an interesting feeling.

On Board, we have Seychelle at the wheel; Lyle Zell, our former 3^rd hand; Harry Ricciardy; and Myself. A little short handed, but it’s a short trip at this speed. We can also pull in to several other ports along the way should we run in to unfavorable weather or exhaustion, whichever comes first.

10/26 1800

Position: 34.22.48N

76.20.15W

Weather: E Winds 10-15 3-5ft seas 70degrees and mostly cloudy

When And If has been sailing like a dream. We are currently 20NM off of Cape Lookout. I find myself awed once more by the genius of yacht design, When And If in particular. I could never describe the way a boat rides on the ocean swells. It is something you have to experience for yourself, a magical, sensual dance. When you catch a wave just right, it’s more than just physics and formulas. It’s awesome. Provided you are a romantic like myself, and are not prone to seasickness, of course.

We have been visited by two pods of dolphins today. One of them was at least 50 strong. There were 30 of them around the boat and many more jumping up to a mile away. (check our facebook for a short video of the second school) Also, a yellow-breasted bird no bigger than a humming bird sat and ate kiwi with us in the cockpit while his wings dried out. Probably the cutest ocean visitor ever. (camera battery was unfortunately dead)

Now the sun is setting and the dolphins are gone. Are little birdie friend is hopefully on his way to the safety of shore and it’s time for me to get some rest before my next watch. Hopefully we hold this good weather for the rest of the night.

10/27 1600

Position: 32.56.52 N

79.18.57 W

Weather: E Winds less than 10kts 75 degrees with scattered showers

The wind has all but died out on us. A motor-sailing we go. It’s been a very uneventful day. It sure beats a hectic one, but it makes for a bored crew. The sails are all strapped in. 30nm to go. ETA 2200. Should be fun coming in to a busy commercial harbor at night, one that we’ve never been to before.

Then it’s a good night sleep for the four of us.

10/27 2300

Location: Anchored inside Charleston Harbor. No problems on the way in. Safe and sound. Having a glass of Chimay, then sending the crew off to shower and sleeeeeep.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

2009-10-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Location: Hampton, VA - When And If is currently docked at Bluewater Yachting Center making plans to head south.

Weather: Mid 70's and mostly sunny. -thank goodness- Last week was in the 40s and rainy! definitely time to head south

Update: When And If just competed in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. A 130 mile race benefiting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "Racing to save the Bay" is the motto. The race starts in Baltimore, MD and ends in Portsmouth, VA.

It is a complete blast. Run almost completely by volunteers, the race really exemplifies Schooner Camaraderie among owners, captains, crews and all participants.

There were 53 schooners racing this year. When And If came in 5th place out of 13 boats in her class. Not too shabby for a 70-year-old lady...

The pre and post race events are worth checking out even if you don't have a Schooner to race on. There are free concerts, open boats, and a huge Pig-and-Oyster-Roast.

check it out for next year www.schoonerrace.org

Here's a peak in to what's ahead for When And If...

next move: Depart Hampton, Va for Charleston, SC

Exact departure date unknown. Possibly this week

Eventually make it to Ft. Lauderdale for a quick haul and some paint

Spend the months of December-January in Key West, Fl

And February-March in the Bahamas. It's going to be tough on a boat with 9ft of draft, but it sure beats being cold!

Ships News: I know this is kind of old news but I have not posted it on the blog yet... CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. and Mrs. Hattingh!! We were married on September 19th at Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven

I'm sure there was more and I will post it when it comes to me.

Until then, for more information on classic sailing aboard the Schooner When And If visit our website at www.schoonerwhenandif.com or find us on facebook - I'll figure out how to do a direct link one of these days. :)

Cheers!

Summer's Closing

2009-08-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I am way behind on my blog. Sign of a great summer!

Update and recap: Started out the month of August with an annual visit from the Coast Guard. We hauled out for a hull inspection in which Emyl spent the entire time explaining and re-explaining the construction of When And If to the inspecting officer. Not that knowing what double planked, double sawn frames and bronze floors are is common knowledge, but you would think someone who is trying to give you an 'official Coast Guard' inspection would have an idea. Or know the difference between a ceiling board and the hull, at least. SO, of course, they passed us on our hull, but flagged several other things that just 'caught their eye.' Like brand-new fuel lines and our all-time favorite, stability. Would we have made it safely through the knarliest of North-Atlantic gales last November if stability was an issue? But it's no use explaining that to the big man on a power trip. It's all protocol to them.

When And If attended the 2009 Opera House Cup in Nantucket. www.operahousecup.org The weather was absolutely perfect this year. We had a blast sailing around the race course and definitely had the most fun. Check out our pictures on facebook and the newest addition to the When And If apparel line. (for those of you who were there..."bikini!!!") :)

Thank you to everyone who came out sailing with us! All of our Sail MV friends and charter guests.

Sorry if we missed you.. We'll see you next summer or maybe somewhere down the coast.

Our Schedule for the next couple of months (which can also be found on our website) is as follows...

Sep. 2nd When And If departs for Newport, RI to be a mothership to Sprig for the 6 meter world cup championships. www.6metreworldcup.com

Also in Newport at that time is the Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta, which we will spectate with our charter guests. Look for us in the parade on Sunday Sep. 6th! http://www.moy.org/NewsEvents/ClassicYachtRegatta/tabid/478/Default.aspx

Sep 14th Return to the Vineyard

Sep 19th 22nd annual Gaff Rig Race hosted by Gannon and Benjamin

and Wedding of Emyl and Seychelle crew of the When And If

Sep 25th Depart Martha's Vineyard for the season. :(

Sep 28- Oct 5th Nyack, NewYork

Oct 8th Annapolis, Maryland

Oct 13th Baltimore, Maryland - Start of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race www.schoonerrace.org

Oct 16th Arrive Norfolk, Virginia

...and begin our passage down the East Coast. This year When And If will be leisurely sailing down to Key West, Florida for the winter season. Let us know if you can suggest any nice stops along the way. We hope to make it to the bahamas as well this winter.

visit us at www.schoonerwhenandif.com or on Facebook!

Its a beautiful day for sailing! (actually it's not. right now we are getting pelted with rain from Tropical storm Danny. :/ )

Cheers.

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Location: Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Weather: Mid 70s, mostly sunny, occasional rainy days. Summer is finally shaping up.

Update: Home Sweet Home. When and If has returned to the Vineyard just in time for summer to kick in to full swing. Everyone says we brought the good weather with us. Things have been busy and crazy lots of fun. Seeing old friends, making new ones, and being back on our mooring in Vineyard Haven Harbor. Here we are surrounded by our granddaughter ship Juno and fellow Nat Benjamin Design Liberty as well as the two Black Dog schooners Alabama and Shenandoah. The rest of the harbor is filled with other beautiful, wooden boats and of course a few fiberglass visitors. Even some motor yachts (stink pots as we like to call them) to mess up the view. Vineyard Haven is a port well known for their fondly kept tradition of messing about in boats. Gannon and Benjamin is a fully functional wooden boat building shop almost cooperative in it's operations, http://gannonandbenjamin.com/ Sail Martha's Vineyard offers free sailing programs to any child interested as well as sailboat racing and rowing camps, http://sailmv.com/ and on any given day you can watch dozens of boats just out for an afternoon sail in Holmes Hole and maybe even join them.

As for When and If, we are up to our usual summer schedule of private and chartered sails. This year we are trying to explore a few of the lesser gotten-to harbors and anchorages around the Elizabethan Islands.

Ships News: The 2009 Vineyard Cup was held last weekend. There were 3 days of racing this year. The short course on Friday was called off as we were drifting past the furthest mark due to the wind dying out completely and a foul tide. Saturday was an all day race with a beat up to Quick's Hole around Lone Rock and a fast run back to the Chops. This was a huge test of seamanship as there was heavy fog all morning and a tidal switch 1/2 way through the race. Sunday was a short course again with a pursuit start for a change of pace. When and If came in 5th overall in our class. Not to bad for a mostly green crew. http://vineyardcup.com/

When and If is looking forward to the 37th annual Opera House Cup on August 15-16th this year in Nantucket. http://www.operahousecup.org/page/ohc

Well. That's enough for now.

For more information about classic sailing charters aboard the schooner When And If visit www.schoonerwhenandif.com

or find us on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vineyard-Haven-MA/SV-When-And-If/24782432236

It's a beautiful day for sailing!

Block Island

2009-07-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Location: Block Island, Rhode Island

Weather: Cold and Rainy

Update: The Good ship When And If left New York yesterday after an epic final hurrah around Manhattan and New York Harbor. We went out for a sail at about 9pm just after the sun went down and the city light began to come on. The feeling was magical. We did a salute to the Statue of Liberty all lit up and silhouetted in pink clouds. Remnants of the day light and afternoon showers slipping away. We came about to view New York City in all her glory and I realized the truth of the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Except I made one personal addition, "Beauty is in the perception of the beholder." These monstrous buildings, when view from an old General's Schooner in the middle of busy New York Harbor at 10:00 at night, were an absolute piece of art. We were stunned and awed and the reality of what we were actually looking at (a metropolitan mess?) seemed to melted away.

Our sail to Block Island was not as peaceful. The mother of all lightning storms, cloudy skies, and not much wind made for a "Let's just get there already" sort of trip. It was a little scary at times, and very wet, but it makes you appreciate the places you visit more when you have work to get there.

Block Island is a cool little spot. Nice for a one night fling and perfectly placed for a stop over from New York to Martha's Vineyard. If you enjoy the "island life" New England style, it would be worth checking out.

We'll keep you posted. Should be in MARTHA'S VINEYARD tomorrow!! When And If is returning home! Very exciting!

Until then keep checking our website for more info on Schooner Sailing Charters.

www.schoonerwhenandif.com

you can also find us on Facebook!

Cheers!

Hudson River hang-time

2009-06-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello and sorry for the delay. It's been a few weeks since the last post. And I know you were holding your breath... :)

Update:An Update on our current happenings. When And If is snugly anchored off Julius Petersen's boatyard http://www.juliuspetersen.com in Nyack, NY. We are surrounded by lovely green rock faces and tidal flowing waters. It has been raining or nearly raining everyday, but we are still managing to have fun aboard the good ship and have some great sails.

It's an exciting time on the Hudson River right now. The beginning of summer mixed with the River's 400th birthday. The Quadricentennial, as it's called, marks the 400th anniversary of the first European expedition to sail up the river led by English Captain Henry Hudson. Nyack was host to a very special event, A flotilla of boats from Manhattan to Albany, led by the Hudson's own S/V Clearwater, www.clearwater.org, and joined by S/V Onrust, S/V Woody Guthrie, and the Mystic Whaler. Get more information and check out a list of other Quadricentennial events at http://exploreny400.com/Home.aspx. If you live in the area, its definately worth checking out something!!

Speaking of... Saturday, June 20th, When And If will be at the Clearwater Festival at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson for some live music fun. http://www.clearwater.org/festival/

More fun Hudson River events in the near future for When And If... you tell me. We are in the area until July 1st.

Upcoming: We will be in Martha's Vineyard for July 4th and then in Cape and Islands area in our home port of Vineyard Haven for the remainder of the summer.

July 11th : Sail Martha's Vineyard Seafood Buffet and Auction, Vineyard Haven, MA

http://www.sailmv.com/subpage.php?id=11

July 17th-19th: Vineyard Cup , Vineyard Haven, MA

http://www.vineyardcup.com/

August 16th: Opera House Cup, Nantucket http://www.operahousecup.org/page/ohc

September 5th-13th: 6 meter World Cup support vessel, Newport, RI http://www.6metreworldcup.com/Welcome.htm

Looking forward to a great summer!

As always for more information on Classic Sailing Charters aboard the Schooner When And If visit our website www.schoonerwhenandif.com

Cheers.

2009-05-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

Location: Annapolis, MD

Update: When And If has arrived safely back in US waters. We spent a short stint in Fernandina Beach, Fl/ St Marys, Ga, where upon arrival from St Thomas we were greeted by "Pirate Ships," live music, and an amazing firework display. The town was holding their annual "Shrimp and Pirate Festival." Awesome! Needless to say, we joined right in on the festivities in the morning. Fried food, art work, antiques, and good 'ol southern hospitality. You gotta love the south. The boys soon learned that all the girls in town were either pregnant or married, but just as keen on having a good time. And I got made fun of on the dock for not using the proper terminology of "Y'all" to greet others.
We sailed up the Southern East Coast, around Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras, arriving in Hampton, Va at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. There we dropped of a crew member who had to get back to school (shame) and took on water and diesel. Then it was a nasty beat up the Chesapeake bay with 20-30kts on the nose and steep 4ft chop. not awesome. Annapolis is a great little town. Its the perfect blend of southern hospitality and northern sophistication. We feel so welcome and everyone is eager to help out. The Blue Angels show off for the Navy Graduation every year which we go out and watch.
Life is Good and so is being back in the US of A. :)

Ship's News: Lyle Zell is leaving our crew this week to go back to Martha's Vineyard and work on a friend's 40ft gaff-rigged sloop called Liberty. We are going to miss him. :( He's been a great asset to the crew. (even if we had to kick his butt a little)

The Skipper's Birthday is this weekend. May 30th. Happy Birthday Emyl!!!

When And If will be in New York by Tuesday. We will be spending most of the month at Julius Peterson's Boatyard in Nyack.

For more information on classic sailing charters aboard the Schooner When And If, please visit our website www.schoonerwhenandif.com
Cheers!

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2009

2009-04-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Location: Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, Leeward Islands

Weather: 85 and Sunny :)

This week: When And If performed beautifully during Antigua Classics. 68 stunning boats sailed in the regatta. It was amazing and and a total blast. We came third in our class of Vintage Schooners. Paul, Candy, and 3 friends came down to enjoy the racing. There were four races. Each day a different course. And of course besides tearing up the race course all day there were festivities to enjoy like the Mount Gay Party, Dark and Stormy Party, Galatea's 110th Birthday Party, Maine Party, Champagne Party, and I can't remember the rest. (probably due to too much partying ;) )
We really want to thank our awesome "race crew:" Paul, Candy, Emyl, Seychelle, Lyle, Louise, Don, Paul, Jacemo, James, Frankie, Ben, Zack, Nick, Bunch, Harry, Kelsey and all of those who stood in for a day. We had such a great time. I have never seen the fisherman come down and go up so quickly. Cheers!
If you ever have a chance to participate in Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, do it.
There are amazing pictures posted. Check them out www.antiguaclassics.com, www.lizakirwan.com, www.corysilken.com, www.ianroman.com

Ship's News: Let's see. 3rd place in Class at Antigua classics.
Seychelle put the boat stern-to and Antigua Yacht Club.
Our delivery north will be the end of April. We plan on making landfall in St. Augustine, FL. Our crew is finally all lined up. Exciting stuff.

That's it for now.
As always, for more information on classic sailing charters aboard the Schooner When And If please visit our website www.schoonerwhenandif.com

bye bye BVI. Antigua bound

2009-04-08T03:41:00.000-07:00

Location: Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbor, Antigua

Weather: 85degrees and super sunny.

This Week: When and If finally left the BVIs. Its a bit sad to go. We really like the crusing grounds and all the new friends we have made, but on the other hand it is really exciting to finally start visiting some more of the Caribbean. We left Tortola in light easterly trade winds and sailed 20 hours to St Barths. Not bad time at all. Just the three crew on board, we arrived early in the morning exhausted from sailing through the night.
From the mate's log: "...We are sailing along beautifully and I just wanted to savor this moment. We are close hauled in 10-15kts, headed SE to St Barths. The flying fish are jumping, the fishing line is trolling, the sky is nearly cloudless, and the sun is slowly setting behind us to the west. Life is good."
Upon Arrival in St. Barths we had a pleasent surprise when we learned that our grandaughter ship "Juno" was still in the harbor planning on leaving for Antigua in the morning. We planned a little "no holds barred" race to Antigua. We ended up leaving St Barths a good 2 hours before Juno and arrived just after sunset in English Harbor. I guess that means we won the race, but nothing was mentioned of it again.
From the mate's Log: "Whales off the port bow!!!"...This morning started off so cloudy and wet, now everything has burnt off. It is blue and sunny and we are surrounded by St. Kitts, Nevis, and Monseratt. 25 miles to Antigua. Sailing 7 knots to windward with everything up. I love When And If."
So that was our big trip of the week. Now its back to buisness. We are on the dock because, of course, the generator is not working. [note: NEVER buy a fisher panda generator, EVER] We removed the sails to get a nice coat of varnish on the spars and sent the fore off for a new batton pocket. going to do some painting as well this week. Get the boat all spiffied up for Antigua Classics.

Ships News: April 16th-21st Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta www.antiguaclassics.com

Caribbean departure date: April 26th, weather depending

For more information on classic sailing charters aboard the Schooner "When And If" visit www.schoonerwhenandif.com
also check out our facebook page. :)

It's a beautiful day for sailing!

Found a new spot!

2009-03-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

Location: Little Harbor, Peter Island, BVI

Weather: 80F mostly sunny and calm.

This week: Chill out.
We left Nanny Cay on Wednesday and headed out to Norman Island for a bit of a detox/relaxation period. After a couple of days of hiking snorkeling and Willie T's, ( a floating bar known for it's craziness) We moved to a much quieter anchorage and are currently stern-to the beach in little harbor, Peter Island. Or as the local yacht crews call it, "unemployment cove" because it is where all the charter crews go when they are not on charter. It is so lovely here. A real detox. (Well, I guess there is still a bit of drinking that goes on.) Cleaning, fixing, painting, oiling, tarring, and of course varnishing a bit every day and spending the evenings amongst new and old friends.

Ship's News: We leave for St. Thomas tomorrow to pick up Lyle, reprovision, and then pick up our first real charter of the season. Excitement.

This is long over due!!

2009-02-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

Location: Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola, BVI

Weather: Perfect!

This week: We Splashed!! When and If is back in the water and looking better than ever. 3 coats of paint on the topsides, 2 coats on the bottom, new gold leaf on the transom and When and If is popping! Brand new propeller works like a charm. Yes! Lots of torque and power and we even painted a coat of propspeed on it. Right on time we are so psyched. Oh and by the way, if anyone ever needs a place to haul in the caribbean, Nanny Cay comes highly recommended. Wooden or fiberglass. These guys did a great job. And if you are a wooden boat, come in February for Wooden Boat Month. You'll recieve awesome discounts and be treated lke a king.

Ships News: We are currently without a computer (hense the reason this has taken so long to get out.) You never realize how addicted you are tot hese things until you don't have one. So no internet for a little while.

Also, no camera so I cannot finish my album of the haul-out yet. visit www.picasaweb.google.com/roberts416/nannycayhaulout

By the way, Nanny Cay Marina has the best marina shower facilities in the world.

Now it is time to kick back and relax for a couple of days.

As always, for more information about sailing charters aboard Schooner When And If visit www.schoonerwhendandif.com

"It's a beautiful day for sailing."

blue tape, bad butts, and bottom paint

2009-02-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Current Location: Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI

Weather: winds NE 15-20 83F/27C Partly Cloudy

This Week: This weeks has been brutal. We sanded and fared both topsides, applied 1 coat of primer and black paint so far, reefed out, dryed out, and re-caulked a few seems, replaced a section of planking, made a couple copper tingles, and we are finally getting there. We plan on going back in the water on Monday. We have two more coats of paint to apply and the crew painting on the bottom is almost finished as well. Then comes the best part...clean up time!
Check out some photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/roberts416/NannyCayHaulOut#

Ship's News: Feathering propeller has arrived and is ready for a test run!! Very exciting.

Lyle Zell, our current 3rd crew member is headed back to the cold north for two weeks. Silly Bugger.

We are looking forward to being back in the water and to our upcoming charters in March.

As always, for more information on Classic sailing charters aboard the Schooner When And If, visit http://www.schoonerwhenandif.com/

On the hard

2009-02-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

Current Location: Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI

Weather: 80F Mostly Sunny and raining (that's the Caribbean for you)

This Week: We are currently hauled-out at Nanny Cay Shipyard. This weeks plans include prepping the topsides for some fresh paint and reefing out and re-caulking a few stubborn hull seems.

Ship's News:

We are currently being hosted by Nanny Cay Marina as a part of Wooden Boat Month. Classic and modern boats alike, this event includes two weeks of no lay-day charges with your haul-out, discounts at the ship store, and a bit of wooden boat camaraderie. Although there are only 3 boats including When And If this year, Nanny Cay hopes this event will grow with years to come. And so do we

Very Exciting News this week...We are finally getting a new feathering propellor!!!! Our old Prowell was taken off in April with the addition of our new Lugger engine (unfortuantely the two did not get along) We fitted a "temporary" fixed propellor until the issue was solved. 10 months later, we are very ready and eagerly await the arrival of our new Hydralighn feathering propellor. Just in time for Antigua Classics. Keep your fingers crossed.

For more information on Classic Sailing Charters on When And If visit www.schoonerwhenandif.com

Cheers!

Caribbean Dreamin'

2009-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a go at this whole Blog thing. I like to think of it more as an online Ship's Log. I thought it would be a good idea to start a place where people could write back and be interactive with our Website. So, Please, any comments, questions, input, ideas, or just to say hello, don't hesitate. We'd love to hear from you.

Caribbean Update:

Current Location: Tortola, BVI

Weather: Northeast breezes 10-15 kts. Partly cloudy. 82F/28C degrees.

This Week: Varnishing projects. Yippie! Yesterday I got a nice thick coat down on the bowsprit just in time for some rain clouds to roll in and leave rain droplet textures all over the wet varnish. A new method of non-skid perhaps? Unexpected rain showers are one of the few perks of tropical weather. Oh well, try again tomorrow.

Ship's News:

Our new website is up and running!! Check it out, if you haven't already! www.schoonerwhenandif.com

The Crew is getting Married!! Captain Emyl and First Mate Seychelles announced their engagement on January 1st.

Happy Birthday When And If!!! She turned 70-years-old this year and still going strong!