Leaving July 18 Boston to Scotland

[artisthos]

Planning a passage from Boston to Scotland as soon as a weather window opens up. Looks like Tuesday, July 18 is doable.

The lows coming up from Florida are interfering with the normal lows coming off New England. Around July 18 things change back to normal and we'll leave.

Any advice is welcomed.

Thank you for a wonderful site. Click here for Beer.

https://www.passageweather.com

https://www.weather-forecast.com/maps/North-Atlantic

Frank's Advice
Trans-Atlantic Weather - Franks-Weather - The Weather Window

Marine Zones
https://www.weather.gov/marine/offnt1mz

[Solafide]

I hope you have not left us hanging? - I was reading your post and thought that it was a rather great idea of a passage, I think our ancestors' may have taken the same route to build our world as it exists today. Post up some photos and the great stories, or sad. I hope all godspeed.

[artisthos]

Thank you for reaching out. Yes, we made it. All feelings were hurt. Nominal damage to the port trailboard. Now to bring her back! We never landed in Scotland, rip tides were too strong west of Stromness to make it.

We are back from our 4.744 nautical mile voyage from Lake Erie to the border of Russia. It took 5 months and a great toll on Chuck, my identical twin, and the owner. Being their first crossing, they did not know what to expect. This was my fifth crossing, first as captain.
It took 37 days to cross from Saint John's Newfoundland to Kristiansand, Norway. Way too long for a first voyage but we were on a mission for the owner to follow the route of John Quincy Adams the first ambassador to Russia in 1809.
The owner got me started on this project 15 years ago when he discovered I had crossed the Atlantic in 2009. He, being a PhD. A Russian history professor originally wanted to sail into Saint Petersburg but that is on hold. In fact the boat has been mothballed in a gigantic super yacht building made for Russian oligarchs in Kotha, Finland. Maybe once the war is over, he can sail it into Saint Petersburg.
The building is immune to the 18 month rule for visiting sailboats until they have to pay a 20% value added tax so it can stay in the building until Russia opens up.
It took 7 years to rebuild the 32’ Bayfield. The owner even got his captain's credentials from the Coast Guard, I got my 25T. Still decompressing the voyage. I now see it as a delivery without a lot of stops.
I was too hard on the crew expecting competent deck work. I wish I was more comical and could make light of deck issues so the receiver would not feel intimidated or put down. I never intended to make them feel incompetent. I've turned into the regular terse and guff captain. Irene, my partner and daughter, Helen know this and have been telling me to emulate others who seem to have the touch for teaching, even in times of stress on deck. You can always communicate with humor, even in a sinking ship!
Three things are needed when you have a small crew and boat:
Thick skin
Long fuse
Optimism
Ability to resolve conflict

Clio Goes to Russia

The hour long version of the voyage. Thank you Chuck Lohre for supplying the meat of the footage. Thank you Willard Sunderland for your dream and making it happen. It was a 15 year effort, 7 year rebuild, finishing off with 4,744nm four month voyage with few stops. 800 nautical miles from Port Clinton, Ohio on Lake Erie to Boston just to begin the real voyage: Following the route of John Quincy Adams on the Horace on his way to Saint Petersburg, Russia as the first ambassador to Russia in 1809. More like a delivery where you are underway all the time. Not the normal sailboat cruising where you have a pleasant day sail tucking into a beautiful harbor every evening.

https://youtu.be/NvACmh6izB8

Complete list of videos, blogs and links at
Artist of Real and Fantastic in High Key Impressionist and Dutch Traditional in Faux Gold Frames


The scariest part was sailing through 1000 crashes off Saint John's. Though we bought the 1976 Bayfield because she could take it, you never really know until you have several bouts of 3 day, 25 kt headwind and 12 ft seas.

By the end of the trip we knew she could handle it but we still looked carefully for hull integrity every time a crash happened.