Jayne
In 2019, Jayne crewed on a crossing of the Atlantic in the Clipper 60 Starling. Maybe next time it’ll be on Scout?
Recent posts by Jayne
The Yasawas, Fiji
After the Lau group, we made our way to western Fiji in late July, and settled in for a week at Musket Cove in the Mamanucas. From there, we headed north into the Yasawas.
Tonga
After our week or so in Samoa, we had a great sail south to the Kingdom of Tonga, and arrived in the main northern archipelago, known as Vava’u. Another new flag!
A Cook Islands Detour
After saying goodbye to Bora Bora, we headed west to our last stop in French Polynesia, the remote atoll of Maupiha’a. One day we were just snorkeling the reef there when we heard… the distant sound of distant relatives!
Three Weeks off Scout
From Tahanea we sailed west to Tahiti, where we would be leaving Scout for a few weeks. Our final passage from Tahanea was a relaxing one.
The Tuamotus: Amanu, Makemo and Tahanea
After more than a month in the Marquesas, it was time to set Scout up for another passage. This time we were heading south east from Nuku Hiva to somewhere even more remote: the atolls of the Tuamotus.
The Marquesas: Hiva Oa, Tahuata and Fatu Hiva
After 24 days at sea, we had made landfall on Hiva Oa in the Marquesas, and we were now in French Polynesia. Once we had cleared in and restocked the fridge, it was time to explore. It didn’t take us long to discover that the sunsets in French Polynesia are pretty great.
The Galápagos
After nine days at sea, and our first crossing of the equator, Scout had arrived in the Galápagos. But before we could explore, we needed to check in, and checking a sailboat in to the Galápagos is a (big but friendly) team sport!
Las Perlas
Now that Scout was through the canal and in the Pacific, we spent some time hiding out in Las Perlas, a beautiful archipelago south of Panama City.
Bocas del Toro
After our time in the San Blas islands, we headed west along the coast of Panama to Bocas del Toro. It was a gentle beam reach most of the way.
A Hurricane Season in Cartagena
With Scout safely in Cartagena for the hurricane season, the plan for the next few months was to stay put. But we didn’t stay entirely still, and one outing was a week in the Islas del Rosario, just south of the city.
Belize: The Old Stomping Ground
From the Bay Islands of Honduras we sailed north to Belize. We don’t go hungry on passage! Beef chili, avocado, sour cream and plantain chips at sunset.
Honduras and the Bay Islands
After our time in the Cayman Islands, it was time to head further west to a new country. We had a relaxing downwind passage from Grand Cayman to Guanaja, the most easterly of the Bay Islands of Honduras.
Jamaica: Port Antonio, Nanny Falls and Blue Mountain Coffee
Our last blog post left us raising the courtesy flag as we approached Port Antonio, on the north eastern side of Jamaica. But before we arrived, there was one more thing to report from the passage from Bonaire.
Grenada to Jamaica
Since June, Scout had been sitting out the 2023 hurricane season in Grenada, but by the end of September (and once Jayne was back on board) it was time to set off on our sails again. Our plan was to sail further south, and to the north east coast of a new continent - South America, specifically Guyana. But first we wanted to stop off in Tobago and experience the sights and sounds of the annual carnival in Scarborough.
A Hurricane Season Hiatus for Scout
Since our last blog update in June, Scout has been sitting out the hurricane season down in Grenada.
Puerto Rico
Scout’s arrival to the west side of Puerto Rico via the ominous Mona Passage could not have been more contrary to its reputation. We had a comfortable motor sail in becalmed water. A magical full moon and breaching humpback whales guided us in to the town of Puerto Real, just north of Boqueron.
The Bahamas to the Turks & Caicos
Going south east from The Exumas Islands in The Bahamas is considered a big, transitional step for many sailor cruisers. Beyond the relative safety of The Exumas lie the Out Islands of The Bahamas, and this also means some true, bluewater Atlantic sailing.
The Bahamas, Part 2
Apart from the painfully early, pre-dawn start, the sail from Little Harbour in the southern Abacos to the north of Eleuthera was perfect with a broad reach all of the way. We realized early on that Scout was part of a flotilla of sailboats also making the most of the early start to Eleuthera.
MD to SC via the Three Capes
Scout’s presence in Annapolis was dominated by one event - the annual Annapolis Sail Boat Show, and Scout was a display boat, no less. The 5-day show was a frenzy of everything nautical, and it didn’t disappoint.
Sailing Cape Cod and the Sound
We spent a few days in Plymouth reprovisioning, and being what most visitors are - a tourist. A tour of the reconstructed Mayflower mark II gave visitors a flavor of what it must have been like for the first pilgrims to sail from England to the New World in 1620. With 132 passengers and crew on board, plus various domestic animals and cattle, it must have made those 10 weeks at sea fly by!
Belfast to Bar Harbor, Maine
I have joked that every day of sailing comes with some sort of drama that offers us a challenge—thankfully normally minor!— to overcome. Our departure out of Belfast brought the first such drama to deal with.
Peaceful Penobscot Bay
There’s a storm approaching! Our PredictWind app was forecasting gusts of 35 knots in the Penobscot Bay area of Maine. With this info, we decided this would be a good time to seek out a protective hurricane hole and sit it out for a few days. The place we had in mind was beautiful - yet remote - Seal Bay, which was accessed via a meandering channel on the east side of Vinalhaven Island.
MA to NH via Witches and Lighthouses
Farewell Boston! It was fun while it lasted, but we were itching to spread our sail wings and ultimately head down to Maine as locals say, meaning downwind sailing. Our plan was to hop along the coast for reasonably short day sails from 12 to 25 miles a time. This stretch of the coastline from Boston, Massachusetts to Portsmouth, New Hampshire would have us stopping off for the night at Salem, Gloucester and Rockport.
Scout's Boston Layover
Now that Scout was safely docked in Boston, the only thing missing from her interior was us. Once jobs, graduations and homes were dealt with, we promptly took the red-eye from the west to east coast of the US. In what we hope will be the last of the large luggage for a while, we found not one but three of those over-rated inflatable travel neck pillows. I already have a purge pile as I practice living minimally.
Scout Sets Sail for Southampton
After a winter of hanging out on the hard at the Garcia yard, it was time to get Scout’s hull wet again. At 4:45am on March 16th, Scout finally said farewell to France, and ventured out into darkness towards England and across the Channel.
"Scout": The Name Is Official
Since the sea trials back in late September and early October, Scout has been hauled-out by Garcia and winterized for the season. While she has been sat on the hard in the French shipyard, one of the final tasks before we set sail in the Spring has been to confirm her name and port of registry - and then have it all marked on her transom.
Scout's Sea Trial & a Celebratory Local Cocktail
Warning - this post starts heavy on the sail-speak, but finishes light with a local, celebratory brew. As part of the handover of Scout, team Garcia is expected to test Scout’s sailing performance with the many different sailing manoeuvres. On day three of our handover we tagged along with Garcia for the sea trial and combined it with our own test sail in the sailing playground outside of Cherbourg.
Scout Gets Her Saltwater Splash
I had a chance to settle into, and savour, the French lifestyle for a couple of days before the ultimate joie de vivre, namely the splashing of Scout. The symbolism of this was significant in that, what had initially been merely a dream-like vision some years ago, had — after careful planning — now become a reality. Scout will no doubt be hauled out and splashed many, many times throughout her life, but the first time is full of extra excitement and a little trepidation (a.k.a. any leaks…?).
Scout Has Skin (And More)
Today was a big build milestone for Scout. She finally made an external appearance in readiness for the stepping of the mast, and was dressed for the part, too.
Propless in Seattle
I recently took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to spend 9 nights with Mahina Expeditions sailing a 2015 v1 Garcia 45 North of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. During this time expedition leaders Amanda and John of Mahina, plus 6 other crew members including myself got to experience a diversity of sailing conditions and locations. The trip involved cruising the beautiful San Juan islands, some night-time sailing in the choppy waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a further passage out into the Pacific, and the loss of our propeller at midnight as we sailed into a reasonably unknown anchorage…more on that later.
You Give Me "Sea-Fever"
In anticipation of our future boat Scout, and, as a recent birthday gift, James surprised me with a first edition collection of poems from John Masefield called Salt Water Ballads (1902). The first book of the future British poet laureate was one of only 500 copies printed, and included the poem Sea-Fever. For many who have an affinity with the sea or a thirst for poetry, the line “all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by” is probably the most well known. I think it is because it casts an endearing, simple need to be at one with the water.
Hull Construction Beginnings
Scout is now more than just a name! This week the French welding factory started the construction of Scout’s super-sturdy aluminium hull. There are various stages to the metalwork welding phase, from plasma cutting, forming, assembly, plating, turning over, finishing and finally sanding - who knew! Once all the stages within the metalwork phase are complete, the hull will then be transferred to the Garcia shipyard in Cherbourg, France, to start on the follow-up phases of construction. We expect the metalwork phase to take about two months or so.