FRIDAY OCT 31st
UPDATE FROM AUDREY:
Synopsis For Long Island Waters And New York Harbor
High pres will shift S of the coastal waters today. A cold front will track through the waters by Saturday afternoon. High pres will settle over the region sun and Mon. A storm off of the se coast will begin to impact seas on Tue night.
Today
W winds 5 to 10 kt...becoming SW 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt this afternoon. Seas 1 to 2 ft...building to 2 to 3 ft this afternoon.
Tonight
W winds 15 to 20 kt...with gusts up to 25 kt early...diminishing to 10 to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
Sat
NW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas around 2 ft.
Sat Night
N winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas around 2 ft.
--------------------------
LATEST UPDATE at 18:15 Sails up, main with 1 reef and jib. Water smooth, 16kts of wind.
------------------------
UPDATE at 17:29 EDT BOTH SAILS UP, JIB AND MAIN, SAILING BY KENNEDY AIRPORT. DOUG S. DOING WHAT HE LOVES BEST, (next to sailing), WATCHING THE PLANES.
--------------------------------
AND THEY'RE OFF! RECEIVED WORD AT 16:10 New York Time, (Saturday 7:10a.m. Melbourne time) FROM DOUG S. AS THEY LEFT THE HARBOUR! SAILING BY THE STATUE OF LIBERTY....off they go!
-----------------------------------
Received word from Doug S. this a.m. that plans have changed for day of departure due to favourable weather conditions and winds reported by commanders weather service. Estimated time of departure now is 16:00 New York Time Friday Oct 31st. TODAY! The crew have switched their clocks over to Australian time, therefore they are "officially leaving" on SATURDAY Nov. 1st 7 a.m. Australian time.
Please continue to send your good wishes to svfalcongt@yahoo.ca all messages are posted and fwd. to the boat.
More to come later today.........
Day 17 Liberty Landing N.J.
DAY 17
THURSDAY OCTOBER 29TH
(note: Doug S and Stuart, final two crew members, flew from Toronto to Newark today to meet up with the crew. Ready for the big departure into the Atlantic, Saturday morning).
From John:
Greetings from the now Gang of Five
P P P - Packed, prepared and pumped - today we 3 got going real early - 9ish - then after the SSS (we do create some BO with all our exertions) headed for the diesel dock whereupon the Senior Member managed to steer the FGT right in the way of 7 NYC water taxis so retreated ungracefully to the big water on the Hudson R.
Fuelled up and headed for our berth at 11ish. Scraped by to enter our berth, and settled down to prepare the boat for the 2 VIP's due at 1pm. (Stuart and Doug S). Then discovered we were v low on a certain brand of ale. Quite a disaster looming here. Plans were made.
Next thing we were happily reunited with our lost mates - in particular the Quartermaster and the Electronics Officer. Thank Goodness - new cooks and someone who knows how to use the SSB. V nice.
Quickly we sent them off for supplies, and when they returned all our concerns were gone. I'd like say a personal thanks to Dougie, Dougie and Stui. We got our daily exercise dragging the supplies over the fields to the marina. How come they rode back in a Lincoln?
All of us would like to express our sincere gratitude to our families. We, who are facing the deep blue sea, are having a relationship enhancing exercise, to exist away from our support, while our families are asking the question - don't worry about us you bleeps, just bleep bleep and leave us behind.
OK we are sort of joking,
Cheers,
Your almost obedient but complete crew.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 29TH
(note: Doug S and Stuart, final two crew members, flew from Toronto to Newark today to meet up with the crew. Ready for the big departure into the Atlantic, Saturday morning).
From John:
Greetings from the now Gang of Five
P P P - Packed, prepared and pumped - today we 3 got going real early - 9ish - then after the SSS (we do create some BO with all our exertions) headed for the diesel dock whereupon the Senior Member managed to steer the FGT right in the way of 7 NYC water taxis so retreated ungracefully to the big water on the Hudson R.
Fuelled up and headed for our berth at 11ish. Scraped by to enter our berth, and settled down to prepare the boat for the 2 VIP's due at 1pm. (Stuart and Doug S). Then discovered we were v low on a certain brand of ale. Quite a disaster looming here. Plans were made.
Next thing we were happily reunited with our lost mates - in particular the Quartermaster and the Electronics Officer. Thank Goodness - new cooks and someone who knows how to use the SSB. V nice.
Quickly we sent them off for supplies, and when they returned all our concerns were gone. I'd like say a personal thanks to Dougie, Dougie and Stui. We got our daily exercise dragging the supplies over the fields to the marina. How come they rode back in a Lincoln?
All of us would like to express our sincere gratitude to our families. We, who are facing the deep blue sea, are having a relationship enhancing exercise, to exist away from our support, while our families are asking the question - don't worry about us you bleeps, just bleep bleep and leave us behind.
OK we are sort of joking,
Cheers,
Your almost obedient but complete crew.
Day 16 Liberty Landing
DAY 16
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29TH
Written by Doug G.
Greetings from the stylish, urbane, yes you're right, downright hip, Manhattan adventurers. The rain has cleared and we have worked our way down the list to cheese and salamis. Our dockside friends, Joan and Jim suggested Citarella at Greenwich village as the best in town. Joan, right again. More later.
First we stopped off at Jim's office way above the financial end of town. We worked his internet and phones to keep the always vigilant CO happy with photos and a video. We sorted out US Customs, South African entry and marvelled at the magnificent view of the Hudson River, New Jersey, Brooklyn and beyond. Jim and Joan's hospitality has been overwhelming and a real highlight of our New York preparations.
Off to Citarella. (See link at end of log). The subway dropped us right at Sixth Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. Citarella is a very serious European deli. We met a young lady who seemed to understand our need for 15kg of smelly cheese that would keep for weeks in a damp smelly yacht filled with 5 smelly sailors. She produced huge wheels of Italian sheep parmesan and Amsterdam Reserve 18 month Aged Gouda. We tried and bought. Told you we were hip. Totally pleased with our days work we lunched at Lennies across the road and hoofed it back to the ferry.
Our Toronto boat electrician, Paul Thornton had arrived at our dock on the Toronto yacht Black Diamond 6. They cleared out for Florida at 1800 hours leaving us to enjoy HH in peace. CO, we did do some real boat work today, putting the main and staysails up on the mast.
Looking forward to the arrival of the Dougie and Stui tomorrow. Then you can read about the true adventures of the gang of 5.
High Fiving it in New York. Cheers from the FGT.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29TH
Written by Doug G.
Greetings from the stylish, urbane, yes you're right, downright hip, Manhattan adventurers. The rain has cleared and we have worked our way down the list to cheese and salamis. Our dockside friends, Joan and Jim suggested Citarella at Greenwich village as the best in town. Joan, right again. More later.
First we stopped off at Jim's office way above the financial end of town. We worked his internet and phones to keep the always vigilant CO happy with photos and a video. We sorted out US Customs, South African entry and marvelled at the magnificent view of the Hudson River, New Jersey, Brooklyn and beyond. Jim and Joan's hospitality has been overwhelming and a real highlight of our New York preparations.
Off to Citarella. (See link at end of log). The subway dropped us right at Sixth Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. Citarella is a very serious European deli. We met a young lady who seemed to understand our need for 15kg of smelly cheese that would keep for weeks in a damp smelly yacht filled with 5 smelly sailors. She produced huge wheels of Italian sheep parmesan and Amsterdam Reserve 18 month Aged Gouda. We tried and bought. Told you we were hip. Totally pleased with our days work we lunched at Lennies across the road and hoofed it back to the ferry.
Our Toronto boat electrician, Paul Thornton had arrived at our dock on the Toronto yacht Black Diamond 6. They cleared out for Florida at 1800 hours leaving us to enjoy HH in peace. CO, we did do some real boat work today, putting the main and staysails up on the mast.
Looking forward to the arrival of the Dougie and Stui tomorrow. Then you can read about the true adventures of the gang of 5.
High Fiving it in New York. Cheers from the FGT.
Day 15 Liberty Landing N.J.
DAY 15
TUESDAY OCTOBER 28TH
Greetings from the storm bound boys,
We had a very successful day, battling the storm before lunch time then after lunch the Senior Member and the CEO went over to Ah Poo's for nutritious fruit drinks.
The ferry across the MORRIS CANAL required our expertise to dock and undock, plus entertain the ferry crew for a solid 11 minutes. But we got the supplies ending up on the FGT safely.
Another day - and dinner is on the table - the chef says " this could be alright" . Then he said its good!
Tomorrow will be more Sunny
Your hungry crew
TUESDAY OCTOBER 28TH
Greetings from the storm bound boys,
We had a very successful day, battling the storm before lunch time then after lunch the Senior Member and the CEO went over to Ah Poo's for nutritious fruit drinks.
The ferry across the MORRIS CANAL required our expertise to dock and undock, plus entertain the ferry crew for a solid 11 minutes. But we got the supplies ending up on the FGT safely.
Another day - and dinner is on the table - the chef says " this could be alright" . Then he said its good!
Tomorrow will be more Sunny
Your hungry crew
Day 14 Liberty Landing N.J.
DAY 14
MONDAY OCTOBER 27TH
Greetings from your worn out crew,
'Monday, Monday - can't trust that day' - who sang that song? -starts with M
Your cheerful crew were hellbent on getting jobs ticked off the list , or perhaps doing some ticking off (inadvertently of course) so that meant hunting for meat.
A huntin' we did go to the Riteway supermarket. The CEO led negotiations with the meat dept gal then her interpreter then his boss. Ended up buying about 20 kilos of meat which was duly packaged by the chef du tour and stuck in the boat freezer - looks like it's freezing good.
Had a ride home with Tyrone in the 25 yo Olds - The crew had previous experience with Big T and opined he was not up to his usual standards of road behaviour as we only did 2 yellows and made one well-fed lady leap out of the way.
Weather doesn't look great tomorrow for the next tickoff but - hey- who's in a rush? HH was dutifully performed after the CEO posted 2 enlightening pictures in the FGT main saloon - he says to remind us of the priorities.
Cheers from your hunting and gathering crew
MONDAY OCTOBER 27TH
Greetings from your worn out crew,
'Monday, Monday - can't trust that day' - who sang that song? -starts with M
Your cheerful crew were hellbent on getting jobs ticked off the list , or perhaps doing some ticking off (inadvertently of course) so that meant hunting for meat.
A huntin' we did go to the Riteway supermarket. The CEO led negotiations with the meat dept gal then her interpreter then his boss. Ended up buying about 20 kilos of meat which was duly packaged by the chef du tour and stuck in the boat freezer - looks like it's freezing good.
Had a ride home with Tyrone in the 25 yo Olds - The crew had previous experience with Big T and opined he was not up to his usual standards of road behaviour as we only did 2 yellows and made one well-fed lady leap out of the way.
Weather doesn't look great tomorrow for the next tickoff but - hey- who's in a rush? HH was dutifully performed after the CEO posted 2 enlightening pictures in the FGT main saloon - he says to remind us of the priorities.
Cheers from your hunting and gathering crew
Day 13 Liberty Landing
DAY 13
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26TH
Greetings from your busy boys,
That wicked storm passed during the night - it was wet and wild for 12 hours - quite good fun as the FGT was warm and cozy. There was a degree of difficulty with the traditional methods of slaking one's thirst.
Amazingly the wind changed within 15 minutes from 40knots SW to 10 knots NE.
After a decent nights snoozing we got up to bright sunshine and the promise of a sunny warm calm day - not exactly what we want on the voyage but close except for the calm bit - 20 knots just aft of the beam would be nice thank you.
Doug G sorted out the storage of the water jugs to his complete satisfaction , now we really look like we are going places with 208 litres of water strapped on the back of the boat.
The Senior member, after his perambulations to the SS&S room, redid the toolroom , and the aft storage locker to his complete satisfaction, pausing only to swallow a much needed sando for lunch.
Brendan S fixed up the storage in Paft 1( port aft cabin locker 1) and worked on sending pictures to the lovely Audrey for insertion in the blog. Nice work B S!
The Senior member, forgoing his afternoon nap, walked to the local supermarket with the CEO.
Let's say it was successful twice - once in securing much needed supplies and something about the light rail ride home and the gun toting official.
En route ( that's on the 20 second ferry ride across the Murray Canal) we met J and J from the sloop 'Taronga' . You may ask the name of their tender and would be right if you answered 'Zoo' . This is a trick question for Ausssieophiles - anybody get it?
Can you imagine inviting 1 Canadian, 1 Aussie/Canadian, and one Aussie , for a superb dinner after meeting them for 30 minutes? American hospitality at the top end of the scale.
So the day started great, and ended up greater.
Tomorrow we hunt for meat and cheese.
Cheers from your domestic and recidivist crew
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26TH
Greetings from your busy boys,
That wicked storm passed during the night - it was wet and wild for 12 hours - quite good fun as the FGT was warm and cozy. There was a degree of difficulty with the traditional methods of slaking one's thirst.
Amazingly the wind changed within 15 minutes from 40knots SW to 10 knots NE.
After a decent nights snoozing we got up to bright sunshine and the promise of a sunny warm calm day - not exactly what we want on the voyage but close except for the calm bit - 20 knots just aft of the beam would be nice thank you.
Doug G sorted out the storage of the water jugs to his complete satisfaction , now we really look like we are going places with 208 litres of water strapped on the back of the boat.
The Senior member, after his perambulations to the SS&S room, redid the toolroom , and the aft storage locker to his complete satisfaction, pausing only to swallow a much needed sando for lunch.
Brendan S fixed up the storage in Paft 1( port aft cabin locker 1) and worked on sending pictures to the lovely Audrey for insertion in the blog. Nice work B S!
The Senior member, forgoing his afternoon nap, walked to the local supermarket with the CEO.
Let's say it was successful twice - once in securing much needed supplies and something about the light rail ride home and the gun toting official.
En route ( that's on the 20 second ferry ride across the Murray Canal) we met J and J from the sloop 'Taronga' . You may ask the name of their tender and would be right if you answered 'Zoo' . This is a trick question for Ausssieophiles - anybody get it?
Can you imagine inviting 1 Canadian, 1 Aussie/Canadian, and one Aussie , for a superb dinner after meeting them for 30 minutes? American hospitality at the top end of the scale.
So the day started great, and ended up greater.
Tomorrow we hunt for meat and cheese.
Cheers from your domestic and recidivist crew
Day 12 Liberty Landing N.J.
DAY 12
Date: Saturday Oct 25th
Greetings from your slack tourists,
Being Saturday we all slept in with some crew were demanding tea and toast in bed. They got short shrift from the Senior member until he remembered who was the chef tous de jour whereupon the requisite T &T was rapidly produced with appropriate insincere obsequesiousness.
Weather conditions today - overcast - cool, threatening rain, and windy.
After breaky of tea, vegemite on toast, SS&S and feeling good we settled into a routine of thinking up stuff to do. DG secured the supplies with 2 X4's in the shower room, ( 6 weeks of food) BS worked on the AV media, and JG was working on the deck hardware and spinnaker sheets.
Soon it was well after lunch and the weather deteriorated to over 30 knots with lots of spray.
Doug G and the Senior member ventured forth to secure the ale supplies and get the laundry done.
The path to the ale shop was via the ferry across the Murray Canal ( 1836 opened up N-W NJ) but the ferry boat captain docked his ferry and went home - 'too rough for me'.
We concentrated on the laundry and got the job done.
Reviewed the waterfront looking over to New York , and it was windy, showery and kind of hazy. We assisted and advised docking a 200 ton dinner boat as we are somewhat experts on that stuff.
Returned to the boat for HH where we went over details of the impending voyage while watching the wind speed go up to 46.7 knots generally averaging 25 knots - FGT heeled over 5 degrees giving us a taste of things to come. Doug G wonders what it will be like when we leave the dock.
Dinner of smoked beef sausages, rice and tomato and basil was washed down with a Cotes du Ventoux fabulous $10/ 1.5 litre Rhone Vallee vin extraordinaire.
Tomorrow the sun shines over New York
Cheers to all
Your disobedient crew
Date: Saturday Oct 25th
Greetings from your slack tourists,
Being Saturday we all slept in with some crew were demanding tea and toast in bed. They got short shrift from the Senior member until he remembered who was the chef tous de jour whereupon the requisite T &T was rapidly produced with appropriate insincere obsequesiousness.
Weather conditions today - overcast - cool, threatening rain, and windy.
After breaky of tea, vegemite on toast, SS&S and feeling good we settled into a routine of thinking up stuff to do. DG secured the supplies with 2 X4's in the shower room, ( 6 weeks of food) BS worked on the AV media, and JG was working on the deck hardware and spinnaker sheets.
Soon it was well after lunch and the weather deteriorated to over 30 knots with lots of spray.
Doug G and the Senior member ventured forth to secure the ale supplies and get the laundry done.
The path to the ale shop was via the ferry across the Murray Canal ( 1836 opened up N-W NJ) but the ferry boat captain docked his ferry and went home - 'too rough for me'.
We concentrated on the laundry and got the job done.
Reviewed the waterfront looking over to New York , and it was windy, showery and kind of hazy. We assisted and advised docking a 200 ton dinner boat as we are somewhat experts on that stuff.
Returned to the boat for HH where we went over details of the impending voyage while watching the wind speed go up to 46.7 knots generally averaging 25 knots - FGT heeled over 5 degrees giving us a taste of things to come. Doug G wonders what it will be like when we leave the dock.
Dinner of smoked beef sausages, rice and tomato and basil was washed down with a Cotes du Ventoux fabulous $10/ 1.5 litre Rhone Vallee vin extraordinaire.
Tomorrow the sun shines over New York
Cheers to all
Your disobedient crew
Day 11 Liberty Landing N.J.
LATEST FROM THE TOURISTS
DAY 11
Date: Friday Oct 24TH
Current Position: LIBERTY LANDING NEW JERSEY
Latitude: 40 42.664 N
Longitude: 74 2.786 W
Greetings from the tourists,
We woke up on the FGT to a beautiful day at Liberty Landing Marina, looked out the window to check the New York skyline was still there, and the stunning sight was right there.
Due to expected rainy weather on the weekend, we decided to head over to the Big Apple today. Brendan, Doug G and I took the LLM water taxi over the Hudson R to a spot near the World Trade centre at the Tribeca area. Checked out ground zero - kind of chaotic - Brendan hooked up his laptop to the internet at the Wintergarden in the World Financial building next to ground zero.
All concerned chose to visit one of NYC's cultural icons - the West marine store (37th and 7th Av)- this had the added benefit of keeping us from becoming addicted to places like the NY Public Library or the MMOA. (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Off we set with the Senior member as navigator looking for the #20 bus. The objective was reached after walking for 1.2 hours along Hudson st., The events committee then decided to keep walking ( you goose we are almost there)
Enroute we passed several interesting sights - e.g what do the NY Postal Police do? Apprehend malicious inadequate stamp lickers? Then there was an employment opportunity at a local hostelery ( code for seedy bar) for a Shameless S@#t bartender plus an adjacent sign hinting they served cold beers - this sign read 'colder than your ex-wife's heart'. This was judged to be gender incorrect, aren't we just a bunch of snags. (sensitive new age gents).
After a thorough inspection of the West Marine store, we rode the NY subway to Canal St to find a genuine Chinese resto. Which we did - our criteria was only Chinese customers - found one and sat down then found the customers were American Chinese - not a word of Mandarin or Cantonese was spoken - only English and later German. Food was good and plentiful.
Walked 30 minutes to the ferry and back to the hotsy tot.
Conclusion - another day in Paradise, and nobody yelled at us.
Cheers to all
Your obedient crew
DAY 11
Date: Friday Oct 24TH
Current Position: LIBERTY LANDING NEW JERSEY
Latitude: 40 42.664 N
Longitude: 74 2.786 W
Greetings from the tourists,
We woke up on the FGT to a beautiful day at Liberty Landing Marina, looked out the window to check the New York skyline was still there, and the stunning sight was right there.
Due to expected rainy weather on the weekend, we decided to head over to the Big Apple today. Brendan, Doug G and I took the LLM water taxi over the Hudson R to a spot near the World Trade centre at the Tribeca area. Checked out ground zero - kind of chaotic - Brendan hooked up his laptop to the internet at the Wintergarden in the World Financial building next to ground zero.
All concerned chose to visit one of NYC's cultural icons - the West marine store (37th and 7th Av)- this had the added benefit of keeping us from becoming addicted to places like the NY Public Library or the MMOA. (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Off we set with the Senior member as navigator looking for the #20 bus. The objective was reached after walking for 1.2 hours along Hudson st., The events committee then decided to keep walking ( you goose we are almost there)
Enroute we passed several interesting sights - e.g what do the NY Postal Police do? Apprehend malicious inadequate stamp lickers? Then there was an employment opportunity at a local hostelery ( code for seedy bar) for a Shameless S@#t bartender plus an adjacent sign hinting they served cold beers - this sign read 'colder than your ex-wife's heart'. This was judged to be gender incorrect, aren't we just a bunch of snags. (sensitive new age gents).
After a thorough inspection of the West Marine store, we rode the NY subway to Canal St to find a genuine Chinese resto. Which we did - our criteria was only Chinese customers - found one and sat down then found the customers were American Chinese - not a word of Mandarin or Cantonese was spoken - only English and later German. Food was good and plentiful.
Walked 30 minutes to the ferry and back to the hotsy tot.
Conclusion - another day in Paradise, and nobody yelled at us.
Cheers to all
Your obedient crew
Day 10 Liberty Landing New Jersey
Current Position: ANCHORED AT LIBERTY LANDING NEW JERSEY CITY N.J.
Day: 10
Date: Thursday Oct. 23rd
Latitude: 40 42.664 N
Longitude: 74 2.786 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~9 Nautical Miles
Distance from Oakville (as the crow flies): ~300 Nautical Miles
Weather: 8C Partly Cloudy
Greetings from your most obedient crew
Here we are at Liberty Landing Marina nicely tied up, plugged in and cleaned up ( well almost - the Senior member still requires a decent cleansing).
Yesterday night we came down the Hudson River at warp speed due to the tidal current and a stiff following breeze. Quite cold too. The good ship FGT loved those conditions, hitting 10knots frequently (over the ground - not actually over the water) however it did a true 9 knots which was very satisfying to your crew. We had the Jib1 pulling us like hecktor . The waves were interesting - looking forward you could see the crest but not the trough - it seemed we were sailing right over a brown watery
cliff.
We had anchored by the GeorgeWashington bridge in 15' nicely secured to a blue-grey muddy bottom - never moved an inch despite the strong winds and reversing tides.
Today the ride down the length of Manhatten Island was memorable. To see the skyline of NYC turn into buildings 200 meters away was a real thrill. The Empire State building remains dominant.
A chilly sunny morning on the Hudson River at New York. Donald Trump waved to us from the Trump Plaza. The Statue of Liberty said she would have a chat with us on our way out to the ocean next week.
The LLM is a very spiffy place with over 400 boats - it looks like most residents have everything on board - actually a lot of the boats are bigger than your average condo- so you don't see many people about the marina. -Exception is the US Coast Guard in small Ribs with gun mounts fore and aft - they tool about constantly so no worries with security.
Shopping has been done for our most urgent needs - i.e HH supplies and dinners - we are feeling just a little smug having arrived in great shape with expectations of a real thrill to come.
Friday it's tourist time in NYC
Cheers to all
Your obedient crew
New York City info.
Day: 10
Date: Thursday Oct. 23rd
Latitude: 40 42.664 N
Longitude: 74 2.786 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~9 Nautical Miles
Distance from Oakville (as the crow flies): ~300 Nautical Miles
Weather: 8C Partly Cloudy
Greetings from your most obedient crew
Here we are at Liberty Landing Marina nicely tied up, plugged in and cleaned up ( well almost - the Senior member still requires a decent cleansing).
Yesterday night we came down the Hudson River at warp speed due to the tidal current and a stiff following breeze. Quite cold too. The good ship FGT loved those conditions, hitting 10knots frequently (over the ground - not actually over the water) however it did a true 9 knots which was very satisfying to your crew. We had the Jib1 pulling us like hecktor . The waves were interesting - looking forward you could see the crest but not the trough - it seemed we were sailing right over a brown watery
cliff.
We had anchored by the GeorgeWashington bridge in 15' nicely secured to a blue-grey muddy bottom - never moved an inch despite the strong winds and reversing tides.
Today the ride down the length of Manhatten Island was memorable. To see the skyline of NYC turn into buildings 200 meters away was a real thrill. The Empire State building remains dominant.
A chilly sunny morning on the Hudson River at New York. Donald Trump waved to us from the Trump Plaza. The Statue of Liberty said she would have a chat with us on our way out to the ocean next week.
The LLM is a very spiffy place with over 400 boats - it looks like most residents have everything on board - actually a lot of the boats are bigger than your average condo- so you don't see many people about the marina. -Exception is the US Coast Guard in small Ribs with gun mounts fore and aft - they tool about constantly so no worries with security.
Shopping has been done for our most urgent needs - i.e HH supplies and dinners - we are feeling just a little smug having arrived in great shape with expectations of a real thrill to come.
Friday it's tourist time in NYC
Cheers to all
Your obedient crew
New York City info.
Day 9 Anchored near the George Washington Bridge
VIDEO FROM BRENDAN "SAILING DOWN THE HUDSON RIVER"
Current Position: Anchored near the George Washington Bridge opposite Manhattan NY
Daily Log
Day: 9
Date: Wednesday Oct.22nd
Latitude: 40 50.844 N
Longitude: 73 57.686 W
Wind: 28-29 knots
Beaufort Scale: 7
Written by Doug G.
Wow, what a day. We were officially gentleman sailors. We arose at a respectable hour after a perfect calm nights sleep on the GT. Our days were filled with motoring peacefully down calm inland rivers, watching wildlife and enjoying the beautiful autumn (fall) colours in the forests. Pretty smug were we. That is until our last 60 miles down the Hudson. After a calm anchorage near Poughkeepsie we resumed the voyage with 15 knots of wind behind us and the no.1 jib hauling us along at 8-9 knots. A cold
cloudy day but thats ok after a perfect sunny week. About 3pm (1500hrs Johnny) we started thinking about where to overnight. No drama but the wind is now 28-29 knots and we are dodging ships, barges and bridges. How can you get 5 foot seas on a river. We did and then it got dark or nearly. The marinas we passed were at the falling down stage so here we are, anchored near the George Washington Bridge, opposite Manhattan. Tomorrow - Liberty Landing Marina New Jersey, our home for the next week.
Doug G
George Washington Bridge info.
Manhattan NY info.
Poughkeepsie NY info.
Day 8 Anchored in the Hudson River off Port Ewen NY
Pictures by Brendan
John & Doug G preparing to anchor on the Hudson River
Mast being stepped.
Current Position: Anchored in the Hudson River off Port Ewen
Daily Log
Day: 8
Date: Tuesday Oct.21st
Latitude: 41 54.101 N
Longitude: 73 58.087 W
Wind Direction: South 15 knots
Temp: 10C
Weather: overcast
Greetings from your almost obedient crew,
Woke up this morning at the Hop-O-Nose marina at the salubrious town of Catskill. We made it through the night after the Italian resto meal which was characterized by huge portions from the previous nights meals (I only felt ill the once around 2am) and it was noted the rest of the clientele were large folks who presumably required adequate topping up.
The morning was kind of overcast but Holly and Sean stepped up to the task of stepping the mast. Their modus operandi was to have us get things done then complete the job. It worked as the mast stands 65' above the water ready to go.
After coffee and some comfort food we set forth down the Hudson R.
The Winter cloud formations over the Catskill Mountains, the magnificent colours, the odd Amtrack passenger train ripping past and going under a massive road bridge were noted as we tooled downriver at 9.2 knots then 7 knots as the tide reversed (what happened Katia?).
By 4:30pm HH was fast approaching and having endured an unexpected marina sting(fee) last night, we resolved to anchor.
Chef Douglas is preparing CCC (chili con carni) and rice -we are famished. By the way anchored in the Hudson, on a calm night approaches perfection - just missing some folks.
Cheers
Hudson River NY info
John & Doug G preparing to anchor on the Hudson River
Mast being stepped.Current Position: Anchored in the Hudson River off Port Ewen
Daily Log
Day: 8
Date: Tuesday Oct.21st
Latitude: 41 54.101 N
Longitude: 73 58.087 W
Wind Direction: South 15 knots
Temp: 10C
Weather: overcast
Greetings from your almost obedient crew,
Woke up this morning at the Hop-O-Nose marina at the salubrious town of Catskill. We made it through the night after the Italian resto meal which was characterized by huge portions from the previous nights meals (I only felt ill the once around 2am) and it was noted the rest of the clientele were large folks who presumably required adequate topping up.
The morning was kind of overcast but Holly and Sean stepped up to the task of stepping the mast. Their modus operandi was to have us get things done then complete the job. It worked as the mast stands 65' above the water ready to go.
After coffee and some comfort food we set forth down the Hudson R.
The Winter cloud formations over the Catskill Mountains, the magnificent colours, the odd Amtrack passenger train ripping past and going under a massive road bridge were noted as we tooled downriver at 9.2 knots then 7 knots as the tide reversed (what happened Katia?).
By 4:30pm HH was fast approaching and having endured an unexpected marina sting(fee) last night, we resolved to anchor.
Chef Douglas is preparing CCC (chili con carni) and rice -we are famished. By the way anchored in the Hudson, on a calm night approaches perfection - just missing some folks.
Cheers
Hudson River NY info
Day 7 Catskill NY
Current Position: Hop-O-Nose Marina Catskill NY
Daily Log
Day: 7
Date: Monday Oct.20th
Latitude: 42 13 N
Longitude: 73 52 W
Wind Direction: Calm
Temp: 15C
Greetings from your obedient crew,
What did we do today?
We came down the Hudson but before that we sucessively navigated the NY canal system, duly celebrated at HH with the financial manager's fine bottle of bubbly presented his friend Nadia. (Anika and find the 3 spellin errars.)
During our voyage down the Hudson, a 'salty' passed us upbound by Albany, a bright blue hull with a large wake. A little water came over the front of the FGT.
An observation - we are voyaging through an area which was industrial more than 100 years ago. Lots of ancient and abandoned buildings which indicate the power of the USA work ethic. The term 'rust belt' is applicable.
Bridges across the Hudson so big that the statue of Liberty could fit underneath. Lots of trains roaring along. And around here the the background is the outline of the Catskill mountains.
Cheers
Catskill NY info.
Daily Log
Day: 7
Date: Monday Oct.20th
Latitude: 42 13 N
Longitude: 73 52 W
Wind Direction: Calm
Temp: 15C
Greetings from your obedient crew,
What did we do today?
We came down the Hudson but before that we sucessively navigated the NY canal system, duly celebrated at HH with the financial manager's fine bottle of bubbly presented his friend Nadia. (Anika and find the 3 spellin errars.)
During our voyage down the Hudson, a 'salty' passed us upbound by Albany, a bright blue hull with a large wake. A little water came over the front of the FGT.
An observation - we are voyaging through an area which was industrial more than 100 years ago. Lots of ancient and abandoned buildings which indicate the power of the USA work ethic. The term 'rust belt' is applicable.
Bridges across the Hudson so big that the statue of Liberty could fit underneath. Lots of trains roaring along. And around here the the background is the outline of the Catskill mountains.
Cheers
Catskill NY info.
Day 6 Waterford NY
Photo by Brendon
Current Position: Waterford NY
Daily Log
Day: 6
Date: 18:00 Sunday Oct.19th
Latitude: 42 48.3 N
Longitude: 73 42.8 W
Weather Conditions: Foggy a.m Sunny p.m.
Wind Direction: Calm
Temp: 5C
Cloud Cover: 0%
From John:
Today was a magnificent display of Fall colours as we motored from Nelliston to Waterford on the Mohawk River to tie up just upstream of Lock 6. Lots of reds, yellows and oranges. On the higher hills the trees were already stripped of their leaves, leaving the rivers edge a colourful guide.
We listened to "Oh Shanandoah" as the most appropriate tune.
It was quite foggy for the first 2 hours then the 'smoke on the water' cleared away to a beautiful, warm sunny day.
Going through the locks is fun. Without exception the lockkeepers are friendly and interested in our voyage. Onlookers question us and are amazed we are going all the way to Australia.
For lunch the steward whipped up sandwiches to be eaten on the flybridge steering station - the radar arch - and dinner was bbq steak, sausages, rice and broccoli.
All the crew are happy and finally behaving themselves - with the odd exception.
Cheers
Your obedient crew
Day 5 Nelliston NY
Current Position: Nelliston NY
Daily Log
Day: 5
Date: Saturday Oct.19th
Distance from Oakville: ~226 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~42 55.950 N
Longitude: ~74 37.011 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
From John: Photo's by Brendon:
Greetings from your tired and satisfied crew at the central NY town of Nelliston, where the lockkeeper at #15 lock greeted us with - "You boys stay right there on the wall - what would you like? - oh - a shower & shave -use my lockhouse - open till 11pm. A bite to eat and a drink? Head on the bike path, turn right at the road and left at the lights to the Canal St Bar(CSB) for good food, drinks and a clean atmosphere. And take my pickup." (As renown health nuts we declined and walked. Later he saw us outside the supermarket completely coincidentally and was pleased we were ok and upright-how's that for hospitality?) We dutifully hove up to the assigned spot to find 30 years ago this town had 61 bars, now there's only the one you are in-something to do with the local constabulary and no doubt the clientel. We fitted right in masquerading as 2 Willy Nelsons, and one deer hunter.
The 'steamers' were tasty and the burger was huge-stuff the LDL-we're on bulking up mode, socking in the calories in anticipation to low calorific intakes on the Atlantic Ocean.
Now onto more interesting stuff-your junior member (Brendon) has been snapping lots of pics, busy scribing, and we expect a full report on arrival in NYC.
Your CEO (Doug G) has been exclaiming at the wonderful scenery of the NY canal banks and vistas, while producing breakfast, lunch (noodles and tomatoes)and a selection of engrossing stories.
The Senior Member, (yours truly), stationed himself high above the hoi poloi on the rear mounted radar arch whereupon he steered the good ship FGT via remote autopilot along the extremely narrow canal.
Todays highlights -
- Frost on the pumpkin and all over the deck this morning-makes one extra careful negotiating the deck during nightly activities.
- Getting our ration of fresh water at lock 20 and using it on the transom shower to refresh your Aussie members. Nice and hot-lovely.
- Superb and halloweenish mists rising from the canal waters as we motored at 7k this morning.
Cheers - Your obedient crew
Daily Log
Day: 5
Date: Saturday Oct.19th
Distance from Oakville: ~226 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~42 55.950 N
Longitude: ~74 37.011 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
From John: Photo's by Brendon:
Greetings from your tired and satisfied crew at the central NY town of Nelliston, where the lockkeeper at #15 lock greeted us with - "You boys stay right there on the wall - what would you like? - oh - a shower & shave -use my lockhouse - open till 11pm. A bite to eat and a drink? Head on the bike path, turn right at the road and left at the lights to the Canal St Bar(CSB) for good food, drinks and a clean atmosphere. And take my pickup." (As renown health nuts we declined and walked. Later he saw us outside the supermarket completely coincidentally and was pleased we were ok and upright-how's that for hospitality?) We dutifully hove up to the assigned spot to find 30 years ago this town had 61 bars, now there's only the one you are in-something to do with the local constabulary and no doubt the clientel. We fitted right in masquerading as 2 Willy Nelsons, and one deer hunter.
The 'steamers' were tasty and the burger was huge-stuff the LDL-we're on bulking up mode, socking in the calories in anticipation to low calorific intakes on the Atlantic Ocean.
Now onto more interesting stuff-your junior member (Brendon) has been snapping lots of pics, busy scribing, and we expect a full report on arrival in NYC.
Your CEO (Doug G) has been exclaiming at the wonderful scenery of the NY canal banks and vistas, while producing breakfast, lunch (noodles and tomatoes)and a selection of engrossing stories.
The Senior Member, (yours truly), stationed himself high above the hoi poloi on the rear mounted radar arch whereupon he steered the good ship FGT via remote autopilot along the extremely narrow canal.
Todays highlights -
- Frost on the pumpkin and all over the deck this morning-makes one extra careful negotiating the deck during nightly activities.
- Getting our ration of fresh water at lock 20 and using it on the transom shower to refresh your Aussie members. Nice and hot-lovely.
- Superb and halloweenish mists rising from the canal waters as we motored at 7k this morning.
Cheers - Your obedient crew
Day 4 Rome NY
Current Position: Rome NY
Daily Log
Day: 4
Date: 17:30 EDT Friday Oct.17th
Distance from Oakville: 185 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~43 12.443 N
Longitude: ~75 37.169 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: n/a
Total Traveled: n/a
Weather Conditions: Drizzly in a.m. Sunny p.m. chilly
Wind Direction/Speed N/A
Temp: N/A
Cloud Cover: N/A
From John: Photo's by Brendon: (larger images coming soon)
Kicked off at the crack of 9am'ish to hit the first lock at 10'ish. All good until asked for our lock permit which had flown the coop. Everybody understanding of doofisers so they fixed us up with a temp permit. Hit the transom shower but nary a dribble of water - probably saved the good citizens of Upper NY state a nasty suprise ("ooh did you you see that old fella on that old boat going by?"). Just left with a reminder of how good shore life is.
Motored along the canal-think 200 feet wide-Fall coloured trees for a couple of hours then across your classic blue lake for 2 hours into a narrow canal at 7.2 knots whereupon we tooled along for 30 minutes before tying up for the night. Just before that: HH was held early due to pressure from lockmaster22 who-"couldn't give a hoot, have a nice day boys"- so we took that advice and had HH at 4:45pm
The Chef bbqed chops and snags plus of course broccoli and completed the repast with Janet's yummy Cranberry cake plus of course Mike and Hjordis's red and perhaps a white? wine.
To complete our visual entertainment we watched Blades of Glory -tied up at Rome NY for the night.
Rome NY facts
Daily Log
Day: 4
Date: 17:30 EDT Friday Oct.17th
Distance from Oakville: 185 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~43 12.443 N
Longitude: ~75 37.169 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: n/a
Total Traveled: n/a
Weather Conditions: Drizzly in a.m. Sunny p.m. chilly
Wind Direction/Speed N/A
Temp: N/A
Cloud Cover: N/A
From John: Photo's by Brendon: (larger images coming soon)
Kicked off at the crack of 9am'ish to hit the first lock at 10'ish. All good until asked for our lock permit which had flown the coop. Everybody understanding of doofisers so they fixed us up with a temp permit. Hit the transom shower but nary a dribble of water - probably saved the good citizens of Upper NY state a nasty suprise ("ooh did you you see that old fella on that old boat going by?"). Just left with a reminder of how good shore life is.
Motored along the canal-think 200 feet wide-Fall coloured trees for a couple of hours then across your classic blue lake for 2 hours into a narrow canal at 7.2 knots whereupon we tooled along for 30 minutes before tying up for the night. Just before that: HH was held early due to pressure from lockmaster22 who-"couldn't give a hoot, have a nice day boys"- so we took that advice and had HH at 4:45pm
The Chef bbqed chops and snags plus of course broccoli and completed the repast with Janet's yummy Cranberry cake plus of course Mike and Hjordis's red and perhaps a white? wine.
To complete our visual entertainment we watched Blades of Glory -tied up at Rome NY for the night.
Rome NY facts
Day 3 Phoenix NY
Current Position: Phoenix NY
Daily Log
Day: 3
Date: 17:30 EDT Thursday Oct.16th
Distance from Oakville: 150 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~43 13.664 N
Longitude: ~76 17.939 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: n/a
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~17 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: ~157 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: Drizzly in a.m. Sunny p.m. chilly
Wind Direction/Speed N/A
Temp: N/A
Cloud Cover: N/A
G'day from the good ship FGT.
Today was reasonably momentous for your motley crew as we went through 7 - yes 7 - locks in one day.
But just before that adventure we all agreed we had an excellent nights sleep and awoke to a dull drizzly day - Doug thought the sun wouldn't shine again - so it was back to the sack until 8ish - then a breakfast of cereal and oranges, plus tea of course, then off to the first lock. Then the sun shone.
Pull into the lock and the gent in charge asked us to buy a lock pass. News to us - So $50 later we were off, or rather up as these locks take you up over 100 feet. Pretty simple stuff for these old hands and we (code for the senior member) only ran aground once!
The scenery was very colourful - banks of yellows and oranges in the river about 300 feet wide. Well marked channel - thank goodness.
Had lunch in Fulton from the Price Chopper where we stocked up on necessities - broccoli and a 30 can case of Canadian light for $18.
Which reminds me - Doug and Brendan are off visiting our new friends Mike, Cornealia, and 3 v young kids on their 47' hotsy tot. This means Happy Hour is delayed until they return. Not a good start after only 3 afternoons to miss HH. There may be punishment involved a' la Master and Commander! i.e listening to the Senior members music.
So here we are in Phoenix NY tied up just South of Lock 1 for the night. Slightly chilly outside - warm inside FGT.
The question was asked what would add to your happiness, and the correct answer was 'more fibre' no guessing who wanted that added pleasure.
When the chef gets back dinner will be served.
Cheers
Your obedient crew.
Erie Canal history
NY State canal info.
Phoenix NY facts
Daily Log
Day: 3
Date: 17:30 EDT Thursday Oct.16th
Distance from Oakville: 150 Nautical Miles (as the crow flies)
Latitude: ~43 13.664 N
Longitude: ~76 17.939 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: n/a
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~17 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: ~157 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: Drizzly in a.m. Sunny p.m. chilly
Wind Direction/Speed N/A
Temp: N/A
Cloud Cover: N/A
G'day from the good ship FGT.
Today was reasonably momentous for your motley crew as we went through 7 - yes 7 - locks in one day.
But just before that adventure we all agreed we had an excellent nights sleep and awoke to a dull drizzly day - Doug thought the sun wouldn't shine again - so it was back to the sack until 8ish - then a breakfast of cereal and oranges, plus tea of course, then off to the first lock. Then the sun shone.
Pull into the lock and the gent in charge asked us to buy a lock pass. News to us - So $50 later we were off, or rather up as these locks take you up over 100 feet. Pretty simple stuff for these old hands and we (code for the senior member) only ran aground once!
The scenery was very colourful - banks of yellows and oranges in the river about 300 feet wide. Well marked channel - thank goodness.
Had lunch in Fulton from the Price Chopper where we stocked up on necessities - broccoli and a 30 can case of Canadian light for $18.
Which reminds me - Doug and Brendan are off visiting our new friends Mike, Cornealia, and 3 v young kids on their 47' hotsy tot. This means Happy Hour is delayed until they return. Not a good start after only 3 afternoons to miss HH. There may be punishment involved a' la Master and Commander! i.e listening to the Senior members music.
So here we are in Phoenix NY tied up just South of Lock 1 for the night. Slightly chilly outside - warm inside FGT.
The question was asked what would add to your happiness, and the correct answer was 'more fibre' no guessing who wanted that added pleasure.
When the chef gets back dinner will be served.
Cheers
Your obedient crew.
Erie Canal history
NY State canal info.
Phoenix NY facts
Day Two Oswego NY
Current Position: Oswego NY
Daily Log
Day: 2
Date: 17:22 EDT Wednesday Oct.15th
Distance from Oakville: 140 Nautical Miles
Latitude: 43 27.694 N
Longitude: 76 30.565 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~140 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: 140 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: Bright sunshine/partly cloudy/
Wind Direction/Speed 5kt SW
Temp: 23C
Cloud Cover: 20%
From John on the boat at Oswego New York
Here we sat and waited for US customs inspection and clearance. Because we are going inland US we need a 'cruising permit', and Doug G needs an I94. We are docked alongside the Patz bar and resto waiting on a very considerate sounding US Customs officer. We introduced ourselves at the bar as the 'boat trespassing on your patio dock' to which a quick reply was 'oh stay as long as you like, enjoy and have a drink'. Later we had a drink being greeted as 'Hello studs' - they sure know how to flatter the guys around here.
We are thawing out curry for dinner.
It's afternoon snooze time - except for the cook that is.
Weather - bright sunshine, 5kt sw, calm in the river, 20% scattered cloud cover 23C in the boat.
Cheers
John
Oswego NY
Daily Log
Day: 2
Date: 17:22 EDT Wednesday Oct.15th
Distance from Oakville: 140 Nautical Miles
Latitude: 43 27.694 N
Longitude: 76 30.565 W
Boat Speed: Docked
Boat Heading Docked
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: ~140 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: 140 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: Bright sunshine/partly cloudy/
Wind Direction/Speed 5kt SW
Temp: 23C
Cloud Cover: 20%
From John on the boat at Oswego New York
Here we sat and waited for US customs inspection and clearance. Because we are going inland US we need a 'cruising permit', and Doug G needs an I94. We are docked alongside the Patz bar and resto waiting on a very considerate sounding US Customs officer. We introduced ourselves at the bar as the 'boat trespassing on your patio dock' to which a quick reply was 'oh stay as long as you like, enjoy and have a drink'. Later we had a drink being greeted as 'Hello studs' - they sure know how to flatter the guys around here.
We are thawing out curry for dinner.
It's afternoon snooze time - except for the cook that is.
Weather - bright sunshine, 5kt sw, calm in the river, 20% scattered cloud cover 23C in the boat.
Cheers
John
Oswego NY
Day One Tuesday Oct. 14th
Position: Off Olcott NY
Daily Log
Day: 1
Date: 18:21 EDT Tuesday Oct.14th
Distance from Oakville: 44 Nautical Miles
Latitude: 43 24.606 N
Longitude: 78 43.107 W Approx tonight
Boat Speed: 7 Knots
Boat Heading 90 degrees / East
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: 0 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: 44 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: unknown
Temp: unknown C
Cloud Cover: unknown
From John
Thanks for your help to get us started on our great adventure.We had a bit of a rolly start so by 2pm headed for Youngstown NY. At 3pm the rolly calmed down so now we are headed to Oswego NY. We are averaging 7 knots and getting used to the motion. We are pleased to report Happy Hour was held on time and attended by all present.
We were honoured by the presence of Les Patterson, Minister of Culture, Australia, who exhorted us to keep up the excellent work of the roving expatriates from Commonwealth countries by enjoying and conjoining the local social cultural activities - tonight was A Caribbean tribute with a local Jamaican product unfortunately watered down with a juice entitled "Paradise Juice". This lead us to verbal adventures about the Crazy Horse Saloon, Surfer Paradise, QLD, very educational. Right now Doug G is cooking Chilli con carne and spaghetti and doing that with aplomb, or tomatoes.
Summary - excellent - MANY THANKS TO THE SHORE CREW.
cheers
Your crew - Brendan, Doug, Misty, and John
Daily Log
Day: 1
Date: 18:21 EDT Tuesday Oct.14th
Distance from Oakville: 44 Nautical Miles
Latitude: 43 24.606 N
Longitude: 78 43.107 W Approx tonight
Boat Speed: 7 Knots
Boat Heading 90 degrees / East
Beaufort Scale: unknown
24 Hour Distance Traveled: 0 Nautical Miles
Total Traveled: 44 Nautical Miles
Weather Conditions: unknown
Temp: unknown C
Cloud Cover: unknown
From John
Thanks for your help to get us started on our great adventure.We had a bit of a rolly start so by 2pm headed for Youngstown NY. At 3pm the rolly calmed down so now we are headed to Oswego NY. We are averaging 7 knots and getting used to the motion. We are pleased to report Happy Hour was held on time and attended by all present.
We were honoured by the presence of Les Patterson, Minister of Culture, Australia, who exhorted us to keep up the excellent work of the roving expatriates from Commonwealth countries by enjoying and conjoining the local social cultural activities - tonight was A Caribbean tribute with a local Jamaican product unfortunately watered down with a juice entitled "Paradise Juice". This lead us to verbal adventures about the Crazy Horse Saloon, Surfer Paradise, QLD, very educational. Right now Doug G is cooking Chilli con carne and spaghetti and doing that with aplomb, or tomatoes.
Summary - excellent - MANY THANKS TO THE SHORE CREW.
cheers
Your crew - Brendan, Doug, Misty, and John
