S/V L'ORIENT

Never thought I'd say it, but as Kirstin and I walked through O'Hare in our sailing shorts we felt very fortunate. While we had a relatively benign sail through the gulfstream and on to Tortola, some friends in the Caribbean 1500 were not as fortunate. Several boats were victims of mechanical failure, diversions, fuel issues, lack of water, and even crew scheduling conflicts - one is currently making its way through the Atlantic using an emergency tiller and with a fouled prop. More than a handful are still not in Tortola, 4 days after the official end of the race. A special shout-out to our new friends Mark and Eileen on SV Wavelength, a beautifully restored Cherubini 44. They diverted to Bermuda and hopefully aren't facing the 40-50 ft rollers reported by others in the vicinity. We're tracking their progress and wish we were still in Tortola to greet them when they arrive. We look forward to sailing with them this winter. Kirstin has figured out how to post videos t

OK, so we didn't exactly win. According to the so called "judges", we came in 7th out of 35. But do we live in a world where style counts for nothing ? What good is speed when you're not sitting in faux ostrich luxury ? Anyway, officially nine days and three hours after departing Hampton, L'ORIENT arrived safely in Tortola. Here is our Caribbean 1500 report: First of all, the positives. We saw two whales, had numerous dolphin encounters, and the crew caught three fish including a 44 inch dorado, which was totally yummy. We also learned a lot about weather and wind forecasts, which was definitely a blind spot for us prior to the trip. Sailing in high winds in pitch blackness at night was also thrilling. Also among the huge positives was our new friend Bob Poole. He was a much needed voice of reason and calm during the trip. A special thanks goes out to Herb........no not Herb Hilgenberg, the guru of offshore weather. Our Herb was better. Herb Hellwig was the si

  The crew of "big L" is surly, salty, and so ready to sail. Tired of standing around; fixing things that don't need fixing.........re-tying and re-securing that which is already secure. Watch starts at 8:00 AM. We're jumping the starting gun by 2 hours to avoid the traffic. Our goal ? To hit the gulf stream in 20 hours and begin "fishpocalypse". Our provisions are now five days old so we need something new and non-toxic. Nothing really more to say. It's time. Just a quote from my favorite movie comes to mind. "Das boot ist seeklar". (the boat is clear for sea). Remember to watch the progress at www.carib1500.com (look for the tracker).

Another day and another delay. Now the race has been pushed back to Thursday morning as the tropical depression "Sean" is basically stalled in the path of our trip to Tortola. A bored sailor is a dangerous thing so we decided to make the best of it and headed out for a day of sightseeing. One stop was Fort Story which is located right at the opening between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic. The Fort is an active Army base but we were able to get in and see the two lighthouses on the coast. We look forward to the day when we see the light from a boat - not a Subaru. This area is also notable because it was the first place that the English settlers stepped onshore in the 1600s - the settlers then proceeded on to Jamestown. We have been in Hampton for over a week now so even the Atlantic waterfowl museum (yes, there is one) looks interesting. Weather and the location of the closest liquor store now dominates all crew conversations! Please Sean - go away. I need my liver.

In an attempt to stay out of the deluxe accomodations shown at left, the race organizers have decided to delay until Wednesday morning as there is a significant tropical low off Florida that is working its way up the coast. Few of us dream of sailing in 35-40 knot winds headed the wrong direction and that is what currently is happening in the Atlantic. We are so disappointed as the weather here is nothing short of gorgeous and it would be a beautiful day to head out. The only ones ecstatic are those who are still working frantically on their boats - a truly astonishing phenomenon that we have commented on all week. We have seen heads replaced (ie. toilets), new engines installed, anchors welded and more money spent at West Marine than you could imagine. The local vendors are certainly happy as this gives them another two days of business. Bottom line: you don't mess with mother nature (or Murphy). Another night of crab dip and football - based on the picture, it could be worse.

Hard to believe that the moment has arrived! Tomorrow morning L'ORIENT heads out to the high seas - next stop Tortola, British Virgin Islands. So much time, effort and blood has been shed in the engine room to get to this point and we are eager to get underway. We have been joined by our great crew members - Bob and Pat - for the almost 1500 mile sail down to Tortola. Over 60 boats are taking part in the Caribbean 1500 this year - while we won't be able to update the blog from the ocean please follow our progress at: http://www.worldcruising.com/carib1500/viewer.aspx  - select the C1500 2011 tab and search for L'ORIENT to see where we are in the ocean. We have so enjoyed this week in Hampton - it was wonderful to have Kirstin's parents with us and their support (and car) made the week much easier. We estimate that it will take us between 8-10 days to reach Tortola - a highlight is sure to be the "Fishpocalypse" that Tom and Pat assure will take place with the

It's pre-regatta Friday in Hampton. The national media has descended and focused on LORIENT. Credentials are checked and a particular journalist is selected for an exclusive. Why all the buzz ? Kirstin is cooking. Alot. Kirstin made 7 meals for freezing and storage (consecutively), and this Caribbean 1500 reporter decided to chronicle the event. Sparks were flying as Kirstin made jambalaya, meatballs, chicken ole, and even shrimp creole................and looked so stylish in her heels and mid century apron. Kirstin's work with the American Society of Interior Designers prepared her well for the moment.............handling the press and shaping L'ORIENT's image for the media. We're pretty sure our lifestyle company will be launching in a few days, and can a line of fashion and logo-branded cookbooks be far behind ? I smell a Colbert appearance..........cha-ching !!!!!

It was definitely a treat to get to Hampton on Halloween! The trick was that we had to come in past aircraft carriers and through the winding Hampton channel to reach the slip at Hampton Public Piers. It was comical to listen to the VHF radio on our way in- especially around the tight confines of the channel, where warships and pleasure boats must pass each other at close range. "Sailboat, sailboat, sailboat.....this is Warship 79.....do you intend to cross my bow ?" Considering that the warship is generally 1000X larger, the frightened pleasure boater would generally back off after a snarky exchange.  Coming in we topped off the fuel tank to make sure we had enough diesel for the trip to BVI - our range right now on the boat is 900 miles under power. Hopefully the winds will be with us and we won't have to motor that much. Pictured above is L'ORIENT turning toward the fuel dock and our shore team (Kirstin's parents). Kirstin is still wearing 14 layers of clothes