Next leg a big one for Nathan and the Boys and Girls Club of Canada

Nathan rounded his third waypoint last night around 9:00pm and progressed slowly overnight. This morning he had 17-18 kts on the beam and boat speed was consistently between 7-8 kts, with the occasional surge 10 kts when riding a swell.

He is in great spirits but is looking forward to returning home to Kingston to see everyone and share his stories.

“Caz”, the man who took Nathan and the boat to Miami in early January called last night to see how Nathan was doing and when he would be in. Caz has a boat to deliver to Montreal and will be leaving Miami on Friday and offered to drive Nathan back to save him a little money. Caz would then bring the boat back to Nathan in the next few weeks when his schedule permitted. Although the timing is unlikely to work out, it was an incredibly generous and thoughtful offer…just another example of the enormous support that Nathan has received!

Many of you will have received an email yesterday that appeared to be from Nathan, encouraging you to support a company. Rest assured, Nathan did not send this email and we are working to find out the source of the email and put a stop to it. Thank you for your patience.

here is the latest position report
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=21.5037,-74.7516&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

John Curtis
Sport Law - Mediation - Conflict Coaching
613.328.4015

“Nathan has passed his first way-point, Hole in the Wall. He reports that yesterday was a beautiful day of ocean sailing with clear skies and winds between 18 and 25 knots. Now that he is so far off-shore boat traffic is limited to cruise ships which Nathan has nicknamed “floating disco balls”. These are much easier to see than the freighters he encountered at the beginning of his journey.

While making sandwiches yesterday Nathan had an unexpected visitor; a flying fish jumped on board. Preferring his peanut butter, Nathan tossed it back into the ocean. While at the helm during the night he was actually hit in the head by another of these flying fish! It too was promptly returned to the ocean.

The wind is light this morning, only 4 knots, and the next way-point is 181 miles away. ”

Nathan’s Position this morning.

Nathan left Shake-a-Leg Marina yesterday around 4:00 pm with a wonderful send-off. KYC friends Melodie and John were on hand to push Nathan off the dock and take pictures, as were a group of school children who were very interested in Nathan’s adventure. Before leaving, Nathan spent some time answering the students’ questions. As Nathan did his final preparations, the students left for their next activity, swimming. Nathan didn’t realize it at the time, but the students were headed out to a sand bar that he would sail past as he left the harbour. As he sailed by, the students shouted “Good Luck Nathan, you can do it!”. Nathan’s sails were filled by these positive words of encouragement from the young voices long before the wind filled in.

The port of Miami was very busy yesterday afternoon and last night with five container (freighter) ships and their accompanying tugs, making it necessary for Nathan to pay close attention to where everyone was and in which direction they were headed. This is something that can be particularly challenging at night.

As of 6:00 Thursday morning, Nathan had been unable to have his first cup of coffee yet. The six foot swells made turning on the “stove” challenging. The wind was blowing 20kts and he turned the corner towards Hole in the Wall, his first ocean way-point overnight.

All systems are working well and Nathan is looking forward to a good day of sailing ahead.

Here is Nathan’s latest position. Click on it to see him on google maps. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.849,-79.8952&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Well it’s Saturday morning and I am sitting in the most pleasant apartment in downtown Miami with a view of the city and the Port of Miami.

I arrived a little late after a great flight out of Pearson International. I had the joy of flying Air Canada Executive class this time thanks to Roger Ware’s generous donation of air miles. I must admit to being a little apprensive flying out of Kingston after the recent news of a Dash 8 crashing into a house near Buffalo, but needless to say we made it safe and sound. It was truly great to be well fed and watered and have a little leg room on the three hour flight down here from Toronto which gave me plenty of time to think about the coming couple of weeks.

For the next couple of days I’m staying with a women name Kerry Gruson (Corrected, very sorry Kerry) who is on the board of directors at Shake a Leg Miami. Shake a Leg is a centre around for disabled sailors, but also serves as a very valuable link to youth in the area, which jives nicely with our connection to the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’ll be writing a bunch more about Shake a Leg in the coming couple of days, as I’ll move the boat there as soon as I can get her in the water.

Kerry is a very cool women. Although bound to a wheel chair, she is a successful Sonar sailor with really big aspirations. (I’m told that she hopes to sail in every navigable patch of water on the earth, and from I know of her, she’ll do it.) Kerry is a writer by trade and is very well connected in the sailing scene down here. She is the type of women who takes in “strays” whether it be cats or lonesome Canadian sailors looking for a place to crash. (There were three of the former and the latter at her place last night, crashing on couches, cots, and the balcony…) I feel honoured to be one of those strays.

In the next few days I’ll be making my way through a rather large job list, trying to get the boat ready to sail as soon as I can. I still have some repairs to do after the last trip. Although I had a chance to clean up a bit after the last trip, I realized quickly how trashed the boat was as soon as I open the hatches for the first time in a couple of weeks.

I have already lined up a talk to a group of Sea Scouts that are down here sailing a couple of J24s out of Shake a Leg, so I am sure that I am going to have a full dance card between working on the boat and chatting with folks about the project.

Coconut Grove is hopping, with the Grove Artists festival going on at the moment as well as the in water boat show. The weather is beautiful down here, 25ish degrees and sunny, and it seems that the whole world is down on the waterfront enjoying the sun. Really wish all of the canucks could be down here too. I’m learning that there is a reason that everyone heads down here during the winter.

Generally, I’m feeling good about things, although a bit apprehensive about getting offshore again. There are so many things to remember and even something as stupid as running out of AA batteries can cause serious hickups in my plans.

Gotta get to work, more soon!

n

PS: For all of those that are wondering, the batteries were were hovering at 13.8V, exactly where they should be.

Showing perseverance and dedication, Nathan Baron is heading back to Miami to prepare for his 2nd attempt at circumnavigating the Bahamas. Sailing in the 21′ Boys and Girls Club of Canada, Nathan hopes to set off early next week. The 1000 mile solo sail is an effort to qualify for the mini Transat race between France and Brazil. The mini transat is a grueling single handed boat race covering 4500 miles of open ocean racing.

Nathan and his team hope to be the only Canadian entry in the Euro-centric sailing classic.

In coming blogs we will feature a number of contributors to Nathan’s campaign. Although Nathan sails the boat by himself he has a growing team of volunteers making this journey possible. A big thanks to all those who helped make the reattempt a reality.

Here’s a recent article from our friends at the Kingston Whig Standard.

Nathan Baron

View the course…

Nathan’s quest to be Canada’s sole entry in the 2009 min Transat race to start in September continues….

The quest continues but as with many things in life not quite according to plan. Nathan fly into SYR and into the teeth of a northern winter on Sunday night. Boys and Girls Club sits up on the hard in Southern Florida. Its mast up and almost ready for another qualifying attempt in February. Who would have thought that sailing a 1000-plus miles would prove such a challenge. But a challenge it is.

The current thinking is that Nathan will return early in February and set off again. This time better prepared and more knowledgeable of the boat, the course and himself. Working too, in Nathan’s favour is the terrific network and team. When the going got tough, a great number of friends and fans mobilized to help Nathan through some tough patches. Nathan’s courage inspired us.

But the current of time is working against Nathan. Specifically the time to get the boat packed up and shipped to Europe where a second round of qualifications continue. But first things first…

Nathan and the minimus sailing team will regroup, rebound and relaunch over the next few weeks. Nathan is honoured to have you on-board. Stay with us, your support is important!

Hello supporters of minimus sailing team,

Here is what Alison reported Friday…January 23, 2009

Nathan sounded fantastic this morning! He had eaten his “stick to your ribs” breakfast of instant oatmeal and coffee and was looking forward to another great day of sailing. He is currently sailing under reduced speed in order to ensure that he has daylight when he hits the bank. At 4:00 this morning he took down his jib and began luffing the main to reduce speed.

After all of the miles he has traveled on this trip, the remaining 50 miles on the bank and 40 miles across the gulf seem “short” to him. He has had almost no ship traffic and seen no marine life. Nathan did say that it was a chilly night that had him wearing several layers of clothing including a fleece jacket, foul weather gear and a toque. I fear the Kingston cold will be a shock to his system when he returns…they are calling for another deep freeze in the days ahead!

Nathan is optimistic that he will arrive in Miami around day break tomorrow and speculates that he may have to do what he did last night and slow the boat down so that he can navigate the harbour in daylight. He will call in with his position late this afternoon so that we can alert Grove Key Marina of his arrival.

Click on the link below to get his latest position.

News Flash….

We also want to thank Roger Healey for offering $500 towards a new long-shaft engine for the boat. Roger has suggested that the engine cold be nicknamed “The Jolly Rogers Engine” as Roger Ware is the other contributor.

We have also had several other offers of support and a few donation commitments. We will have these posted to the website as soon as permission of the donors is received.

Thank you all again.

John

Good Morning Friends of minimus sailing and Boys and Girls Club of Canada,

The last few days have been a roller coaster ride. Here is what we know.

1. Nathan has confirmed that the batteries were to root cause of the problem. They were not holding their charge. - At least it is a simple answer. He is buying new batteries today.
2. Nathan will have to come back to Kingston before attempting the qualification sail again. His employer requires his presence at work next week.
3. He will attempt the qualification again in February - no exact dates have been set.
4. No word as to whether or not the Classe Mini will approve a modified route, so with the weather looking good, Nathan left for Miami this morning.

Some Great News just in yesterday! Roger Ware has offered to put $500 toward the $1000 cost of a new long-shaft outboard engine for Nathan’s boat and he offered Aeroplan miles to help get Nathan back down to Florida. Thank you Roger. This will make a big difference. As yo will recall he had to get a tow in to the harbour in Eluthera because the short shaft version of the 4 hp outboard he borrowed does not go deep enough in the water to get a good grip. The plan is to make sure this issue is resolved before he does attempts the qualifier again.

Matt White also donated aeroplan points. Thank you Matt!

By the time Nathan gets back to Miami he will probably sailed at least 1000 miles. Although they won’t count towards the qualifier, it is always good to have more miles under your keel when preparing for a race like the Transat.

Here’s a link to the weather he will be contending with…

Nathan is tentatively planning to fly home on Sunday.

More as we know it.

Weather forecast for today and next few days..
Rest Of Today
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet near shore and up to 4 to 6 feet in the Gulf Stream. Intracoastal waters a moderate chop.
Tonight
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Near shore…seas 2 to 3 feet. In the Gulf Stream…seas 3 to 5 feet subsiding to 2 to 3 feet. Intracoastal waters a light chop.
Friday
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Slight chance of showers through the day.
Friday Night
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Slight chance of showers.
Saturday
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 feet or less. Intracoastal waters a light chop. Slight chance of showers.

Good Evening Everyone,

Lots has been happening, it’s a fluid situation and we want to keep you all in the loop the best we can.

We had a meeting tonight to talk through the issues the minimus team is facing and work on solutions. It was a very productive meeting. I know I felt better afterward. There is still some information missing before we can determine the best course of action but we should know more in a few days. Nathan is keen to re-attempt the qualification as soon as possible.

Here are some possible options:

1. Repair/ replace the batteries and/or charging system, sail back to Miami and start again. The re- attempt could happen soon or in a few weeks depending on other factors such as Nathan’s employer, the equipment needing to be replaced, etc.
2. Obtain permission from the Classe Mini in France to alter the qualification route and set out from Eleuthra for a 1000 mile sail ending in Miami. This would depend on similar factors as above plus obtaining permission from the Class
3. Leave the boat somewhere in the Bahamas for a few weeks (we have had an offer of free dock space in Nassau) and return in February to re-sail the qualification route as specified.

What we need to know:

1. What is actually wrong with the charging system? - (Patrick Sherwin on the Island will be helping with this tomorrow hopefully)
2. Can Nathan get additional time off from work now or later?
3. Would the Classe Mini alter the Course?
4. Can we leave the boat in Eluthera or is Nassau or Miami better?

In any case, it looks like the weather will not be favourable to go anywhere until early Thursday morning. There is nowhere to go but upwind at present and this is an exercise in frustration as the boat is not really designed for extended periods of upwind sailing in heavy wind and large seas even if the auto pilot and charging system are working. The Mini Transat (race he is trying to qualify for) is basically all downwind sailing , hence the design of the boat.

How you can help?

1. Any thoughts or information you might have that would impact on the decision making process would be useful.

2. We need to find Nathan a way of getting or converting his outboard to a long shaft. He was forced to get a tow into the harbour at great expense because the borrowed engine he is using does not reach deep enough into the water to be effective in strong wind and choppy seas. Anyone have a 4 hp long-shaft outboard?

3. We also need to get him a gas powered generator as a back-up battery changing option.

4. Aero plan points in case he has to fly home before doing a re-attempt.

5. Finally he needs a set of outriggers for a 70 ft Sport Fishing power boat. His mast became entangled in some when he was towed in and now the owner is demanding he pay for the damage. Unfortunately, they can only be ordered in pairs. I doubt anyone has a set, but worth asking You never know.

Nathan should have a detailed report out in the next day or so. Internet access is limited so that has not been easy.

I spoke with him tonight. He is in good spirits but not able to do much without someone there to help. It is very windy and he is staying close to the boat to make sure it does not blow loose and get damaged.

Thank you again for all of your support. It means a lot to Nathan knowing that so many people are wishing him well.

More as we know it.

minimus sailing central

Please leave your comments and suggestions using the comment section…