We visited 20
harbors in the UK and the Isle of Man. Crossed from the Irish Sea to the North
Sea on the Caladonia Canal. Pulled in to Buckie Scotland for fuel and left to
cross the North Sea to Norway. Left in the morning for Sweden.
We docked in Goteborg May 31. Have been busy on the canals through Sweden on the
way to Stockholm; stopped at Sjotorp, Toreboda and in Motola on the Godt canal.
So much to do and see. Hard to believe we are here. People have been great and
some-one always speaks English. The Canal requires constant attention; Morena
has an 18’ beam and a lot of the curves are only 22 to 25’ wide. Light rain
to-day at times.
Elaine Sacco joined us in Norway. She is a licensed Captain and very good crew.
We completed crossing Sweden on the Godt Canal, 4 days and 60 Locks. She handled
the stern lines Did a great job.
Left Stockholm June 9th for Finland. Put our first fuel aboard since leaving
Scotland, 909 gallons or 3,459 liters. Boat holds up to 1130 gallons. For the
past couple of days I monitored the tanks every few hours while running to keep
them balanced. The tax on fuel is 80% in Sweden. Retail price 12 Kroners. I
convinced the manager of the fuel dock that, as we were a foreign bottom vessel,
flying the Cayman flag, we did not have to pay the tax. He looked over the ship’s
papers and said, “Oh, you’re commercial” (I don’t think he could read English)
and dropped the price to 4 Kroners, about 50 cents a liter, or $1.50 a US
gallon.
The Swedish archipelago is made up of more than 25,000 islands and, without
question is probably one of the most scenic areas we have ever had the
opportunity to cruise. Stockholm was a delight. Anne enjoyed the changing of the
Palace Guard, beautiful uniforms, great shops (like NYC’s 5th Ave.), theaters,
etc.
As we are still traveling East, we moved our clock ahead another hour. We
decided to bypass Oland and continue on to Turku, Finland, arriving at 4 a.m.
Friday morning in bright day-light. We have friends in Turku and had them for
dinner Saturday night. They showed us around Saturday and Sunday. The place is
so nice, that we decided to stay another day.
The Baltic Sea at this time of year is exceptionally nice to cruise.
Time sure flies. We left Ft. Lauderdale 2 months ago. Logged 2,945 miles to date
and visited 33 ports.
On June 19 we
berthed at Haapasarri, Finland for Passport Control before entering Russian
waters. We were challenged by the Russian Coast Guard soon after and several
times during the day. The boats were well armed and looked menacing, but
stayed a good distance away. They tried to talk to us in Russian on VHF 16
and we replied in English. Cleared Russian Passport Control at Kronstadt.
They use an old floating Hotel that is falling apart for an office. Was
advised to continue on to St Petersburg and report to Customs and
Immigration. located at a Passenger Terminal.
Arrived at 2025,
still daylight. Told we would have to stay overnight. Tied up at a sloping
concrete dock with ship-size bollards. I had concern for the location and
decided to keep watch till morning as I did not want unwanted visitors. In
the morning I was taken to Customs and Immigration. They decided "Morena"
was not mine as my name as owner was not on the ship's papers. A sail boat
came in after us that was a day early. They made him wait until the next day
to clear Customs, and the people had to stay on the boat. They were out of
water. We had brought 4- 25 liter jugs of water with us from Finland as I
knew St Petersburg water was polluted, and I was advised not to put it in
our tank. A big fellow, I assume KGB, followed me back to the boat so I
could get the paper work to prove ownership. Soon after, we were on our way
to River Yacht Club, which could be a classy marina but is really very
unkempt. We had to tie up alongside a Russian boat, as there was no room at
any of the docks. The entire area around the marina was like a dump. Before
leaving on 6/24 I topped off the fuel tanks at about 50 cents a liter.
We left on 6/24 (had to leave). They made us go back to Immigration to
clear.
Officials came out to the boat asked for all passengers to come out in the
cockpit. An Officer came aboard to look for Stowaways. They checked each one
of us against our passport to make sure the photos agreed.
It's great to live in a free County. God Bless The USA
Regards,
Anne and Len
Arrived in St Petersburg, Russia June 20th. Cleared Russian Customs without a
problem. Spent the day on a tour of the City. We left on 6/24 so had time to
visit the Hermitage and a few other Historic sites.
The run from Kotka, Finland to St Petersburg was 115 miles had the wind and 2’
to 3’ seas on the port bow for most of the trip.
Left Helsinki on June 17th after a 3 day stay. Rented a car for 2 days, did some
shopping and picked up several charts for Russia that we did not have.
Stopped at Hanko, Finland on June 14th, a pleasant stop with a nice Museum, etc.
The weather has been exceptional for this time of year, bright sun, clear skies
and cool evenings. Sure hope it continues.
Puzzle: There is only one bridge that crosses the Atlantic Ocean. Do you have
any idea where it is?
Sorry about all the rain you’re having.
Regards,
Anne and Len Tower
Further
dispatches from Len:
6-30-05: We were held up Wed the 29th by Strong winds and heavy sea. Left
Tallon Thursday at 6:00 am for Roomassaare, Estonia, arrived about 8 pm, winds
were down and sea flat most of the day.. Plan on visiting the town and on old
castle Friday, etc.
Everything going along well. Hope to leave here Saturday for Riga, Latvia.
7-04-05: Had a nice ride from
Tallon, Estonia. Cleared Customs at Roomassaare, Estonia and left on June 30th.
Baltic Sea was calm on the way to Riga, Latvia. The City is located 8 miles
north on the River Daugava.
Sunday was a children's festival in Latvia, we walked from the boat at
Andrejusta Yacht Center to the Old Town Center to watch some of 35,000 children
march in a stimulating parade with music and colorful Costumes. Latvians have
only had their independence since 1992. The Russians burned all the synagogues
but one, which is still intact, this was saved by the minister of an adjacent
church who convinced the Russians that by burning it, his church was so close it
also would be destroyed.
Today Monday, July 4th we are on the way to Ventspil, Latvia about 115 miles. We
are enjoying excellent summer weather. Sea is calm, Sun bright and warm and have
18 to 20 hours of daylight.
After Ventspils we stop at Liepaja, Latvia then Klaipida, Lithuania before
Gdansk, Poland. Have 2 more stops planned for Poland, 2 for Denmark and 3 on the
German Baltic Coast before Kiel.
Had an exciting experience on the way out of the River Daugava, we past a
Sailing Ship the "Sea Cloud" that Anne and I also Ruth and George have had the
pleasure to cruise on several times.
This has been a great trip. Sorry you're not with us. When we exit the Kiel
Canal we leave the protected waters of the Baltic Sea and will be on the open
Atlantic Ocean's west coast of Europe to Gibraltar.
7-09-05:
We are enjoying Gdansk, Poland very much. Our yacht is about 7
miles up-river in the center of the Old Town. Anne and Elaine spent over 4 hours
touring today while I shopped. Expect to leave on Tuesday for our next stop in
Poland.
Found a Caterpillar Dealer in Town and will have some service work done on the
engines Monday.
Made final arrangements to ship the boat back to Ft Lauderdale from Toulon,
France about the 25th of October.
The past 2 weeks we have noticed a marked improvement in Anne. Her attitude has
been great and she seems to have a lot more energy. Friday I took her to a
Polish hospital for her monthly Coumadin check. Let's hope this continues.
Regards;
LHT
More from
Morena: Monday, July
18, 2005
Left Poland Saturday, July 18 after visiting Gdansk, Gdynia, Leba and Kolobrzeg.
Harbors are being built up and improved for pleasure boats but Customs and
Immigration Controls are similar to Russia. Major business like "Nauta Shipyard"
in Gdyna are run under Govt. control. Manager of Nauta complained that the
Polish Banks are ripping them off.
Shipyard Management are not allowed to accept payment for work done. They
prepare a bill and the Manager took me to a local Bank to arrange for "Sloty"
local currency. I was charged the exchange rate. Then the Bank changed Sloty to
Euros to credit the Shipyard account and made double commission on the
transaction.
There generally seems to be discontent among people we have talked to and in
various age groups,
Spent Sunday in Bornholm, Denmark. Tied up in Ronne Harbor. Yesterday we toured
Bornholm by bus, a very nice Island with many Tourist attractions. Left Ronne
this morning for Stubbekobing, Denmark before proceeding to Germany.
Every thing is going along well. An assortment of the usual mechanical problems
to keep me busy. So far I have been able to handle most of them.
Port Hydraulic Steering Ram popped the rear seal. Have not been able to drive it
back in place. Made a jig out of PVC pipe to use as a ram. Wrapped Teflon tape
on rod and tried Silicone and 3M glue to hold the seal in place, this did not
work. The recess in housing is only about 3/16th. Going to try and make a gasket
out of 5200 to see if this works. If I can't stop the leak I have a spare
Steering Ram which will require modification as the rod is 2" shorter. Will try
to find some locktite first to see if this works.
Anne is fine, seems to have renewed energy and has had several walks of 2 to 3
hours with Elaine site seeing, etc.
Regards,
Anne and Len
August 1, 2005
From Morena
Hello,
Last Monday we cruised through the Kiel Canal to
Cuxhaven. Joe and Debbie had sent FedEx's which arrived. The Cuxhaven Yacht
Club was crowded but nice, about 80% sailboats. The Yacht Club was a 15 minute
walk over the dike to town.
We had a set of props in the bilge that needed to
be worked upon. With the help of a local boatyard, I found a repair service
and they had them back to us Thursday.
The Dell Computer was not working as it should.
Elaine found a computer technician who spoke English and came to the boat. Our 3
computers are now up and running. We will be doing our e-mail in the future with
"Sky File" a French Telecom program, providing I can figure out how to use it.
The computers are fast but when you’re over 80, you’re a little slow to learn.
We left Cuxhaven on Friday, July 29 for Borkum,
Germany and Island off the coast. Had a nice ride. There are only the 3 of us on
board right now so I’m doing the navigation also. Thanks to Joe Kern, the CMap
program is great and I’m glad to get a chance to use it.
Had planned to leave Borkum Sunday but we were
hit with gale force winds and heavy seas. It was nice to be tied up to a strong
floating pontoon dock (big enough for cars to ride on). I doubled the spring
lines and had 4 lines on the bow and stern. The wind held us off the dock. Had
one braided line snap. Reminded me of a storm we had in Belize several years
ago. Dewayne would remember. About 2030 a large ship (56 Meters) tied up
opposite us and broke the wind, so I did not have to be concerned about the
lines and went to bed.
Expect to leave in the morning for Den Helder. On
this coast you run with the tide change which will be about 1000
To date we have logged 4,342 miles.
Regards;
Anne, Len and Elaine
Dorothy Anna
Clouse Tower
November 8, 1924 to August 4, 2005
by Leonard Tower
Thursday, August 4th, our 105th day aboard Morena, we were tied up at
a very nice harbor in Enkhuizen, Holland. After breakfast, about 9:20
AM, we started to walk into town. Elaine was on Anne's left side and I
was on her right, supporting Anne by the arms.
About a 1000 feet down the dock, Anne collapsed, and we slowed her
fall. Elaine turned Anne onto her left side, while I ran to get an
assistance. There were several people who came to help. One, a woman
doctor, administered CPR until the ambulance arrived.
I rode with Anne in the ambulance to WFG Hospital in Hoorn. They did
a brain scan and a CAT scan of her chest and determined that her aorta
was ruptured and leaking into her chest cavity. Due to the location
of the leak at the top of her aorta the only hope was an operation and
the doctor advised as she was in her 81st year and not in the best
physical condition that she would not survive the operation.
I held her hand for 6 hours until she died. She never regained
consciousness and left us peacefully.
Our insurance for the trip with Specialty Risk International covered
emergency evacuation and they helped coordinate arrangements with the
US State Dept. In Holland.
Anne was prepared at a mortuary in Schiphal Airport. We came back to
New York together on the same plane Saturday, August 6th. Visitation
at Moloney Funeral Home in Hauppauge, NY was on August 7th and 8th.
Burial in the family plot in Brentwood, NY, Tuesday morning, August
9th.
January 13, 2006 would have been our 60th wedding anniversary.
August 15,
2005
Dispatch from
Capt. Len Tower aboard Morena.
The past week
was one I won’t forget for a long time. My partner of 59
years was buried on Tuesday. She loved her boat.
I had many decisions to make and decided to continue on.
Today Monday August 15th was a good day. Bill and Bankie Benton arrived
from Florida. Bankie made some Southern home style Pork Chops for supper
which the 3 of us enjoyed.
The leaking steering piston had to be replaced. I called my friend Henry
in Moorehead City, the hydraulic expert, for guidance. He said ‘Len you
bought a new replacement piston from me when you were here last year,
it's on the boat wrapped in a black plastic bag on a shelf in the engine
room.’ There are so many spare parts on the boat it's hard to remember
where they all are, and what you have in inventory.
It took me 1/2 day to remove the old one and install the new one. I
learned a lot by doing it.
We leave Enkhizen in the morning and continue our trip to Belgium and
France.
Dick, the cardiologist at the hospital recommended a captain, who had
recently retired as a Harbor Pilot. He is coming aboard in the morning
for several weeks. Dick had me for dinner last night at his home which
was built in the early 1700s
Cruising won’t be the same for awhile.
Regards
LHT
Hi
August 17th left Netherlands for Oostenda, Belgium. Nice City, stayed an
extra day as weather forecast was not good. Very crowded harbor that had
to be entered through a lock. First night rafted on a large sail boat.The sail
boat left and we tied to the dock.
Left Belgium for Bologne, France on Aug. 19. Interesting trip through the Strait
of Dover which is about 20 miles wide between England and France. Cliffs on both
sides of the Strait are white. Rounded the point at Calais and spent the night
at Bologne. Saturday the 20th we had a 5-hour ride to our next stop "Deppe".
We were tied to a floating dock the tide drop was 27'.
Today is Sunday and we figured a 6 hour ride to Le Harve, phoned the Harbor
Master, there was no space available for a 22 meter yacht. Checked the Cruising
Guide and could not find a Harbor large enough for "Morena". so are taking
advantage of sunny weather and a fairly calm sea to run to Cherbourg and should
get in about 2000 or 8pm.
Spent a good part of the day in study with the tide and current books and charts
for the run to Gurnsey. We normally run at 1000 rpm and average 10 knots, use
about 9 GPH of fuel. This morning at 1000 rpm we were cut back, by the current
to 6.4 Knots and this afternoon are doing 12.4
That's all for now.
LHT
August 29
2005
Left Cherbourg,
France Tuesday, August 23rd for the Channel Islands and a stop in Guernsey. Had
a visit with a friend of Elaine Sacco's who took us on a tour of the Island.
Left on Friday for Camaret Sur Mar, France. Did a 14 hour night run and arrived
the following morning.
Left Camaret Sur Mar Sunday morning at 11 am, crossed the Bay of Biscay and
arrived at La Coruna, Spain 8 pm Monday. 346 miles in 34 hours.
Our new daily weather forecast for the area we are traveling, is a summary of
several weather forecasts taken from the net and relayed to us daily via Skyfile
from Boston or wherever my son, Len-the-Weatherman, happens to be. A great help
in planning and keeping us safe.
This was a week of mechanical problems. First the large generator, our 20 KW,
stopped working. It took me part of 3 days to get it up and running; sure glad
we had the spare parts.
Next the starboard Cat engine was not happy and needed some attention. This
proved to be easy to fix compared to the generator. So before we crossed
the Bay of Biscay we had everything running smooth.
Len
August 22,
2005
Hi
August 17th left Netherlands for Oostenda, Belgium. Nice City; stayed an
extra day as weather forecast was not good. It has a very crowded harbor that
had
to be entered through a lock. We spent the first night rafted alongside a large
sail boat.
The sail boat left in the morning and we tied up to the dock.
Left Belgium for Boulogne, France on Aug. 19. It was an interesting trip through
the Strait of Dover (which is about 20 miles wide) between England and
France. Cliffs on both sides of the Strait are white. Rounded the point
at Calais, and spent the night at Boulogne sur Mer. Saturday the 20th,
we had a 5
hour ride to our next stop, Dieppe. We were tied to a floating dock the
tidal drop was 27'.
Today is Sunday and we figured there would be a 6 hour ride to Le Havre. I
phoned the Harbor Master there and found that there was no space available
for a 22 meter yacht. I then checked the Cruising Guide and still could
not find a harbor large enough for Morena. So, we are taking advantage of sunny weather and a fairly calm
sea
to run to Cherbourg and should get in about 2000 or 8 p.m.
I spent a good part of the day studying the tide and current books and charts
for the run to the channel island of Guernsey. We normally run at 1000 rpm and
average 10 knots, using about 9 GPH of fuel. This morning, at 1000 rpm, we were
cut back by the current to just 6.4 knots, but this afternoon we are doing
12.4.
That’s all
for now.
LHT
August
29, 2005
Hi.
Left Cherbourg, France Tuesday August 23rd for the Channel Islands and a stop in
Guernsey. Had a visit with a friend of Elaine Sacco's, who took us on a tour of
the island. Left on Friday for Camaret Sur Mar, France. Did a 14 hour night run
and arrived the following morning.
Left Camaret sur Mer Sunday morning at 11am, crossed the Bay of Biscay and
arrived at La Coruna, Spain 8 p.m. Monday. We covered 346 miles in 34 hours.
Our new daily weather forecast for the area we are traveling is a summary of
several weather forecasts taken from the net and relayed to us daily via Skyfile
from Boston or where ever my son Len-the-Weatherman happens to be. A great help
in planning and keeping us safe.
This was a week of mechanical problems. First the large generator, our 20KW,
stopped working. It took me part of 3 days to get it up and running; sure glad
we had the spare parts. Next the starboard Cat engine was not happy and needed
some attention. This proved to be easy to fix compared to the generator. So
before we crossed the Bay of Biscay, we had everything running smoothly.
Len
September
4, 2005.
Hi.
It is one month today that Anne left me and Morena on the dock in
Holland. Please remember her with a prayer. We miss her.
She would have loved to be aboard. The ocean has been as flat as the Bahama Bank
for the entire week. No swell, waves or wind. It was good to have Bill and
Bankie aboard when we left Holland; sorry their stay was so short. The forward
stateroom has been empty since they left.
Monday we arrived at La Coruna, Spain after crossing the Bay of Biscay in 34
hours. The bay was very calm, and with the auto pilot and radar we had little to
do on watch.
On Wednesday the 31st we left for Camarinas a short run of 48 miles. We arrived
at 1430 which gave us ample time to tour the city and watch the ladies sitting
on the sidewalk making lace.
Thursday we stopped at Baiona, a beautiful new marina outside of Viega. This
community is booming with millions of Euros in new construction. The waterfront
was crowded with small shops, restaurants and plenty of tourists. I thought it
was time to put some reserve Euros aboard, and went to a local bank for a cash
advance on my Visa card. This transaction took over 3 hours and I ended up
taking a taxi 20 kilometers to a city bank in Viega. So we spent the balance of
Friday at Baiona and it gave us plenty of time to wash the boat.
On Saturday we charted a route to Porto. Wanted to run up the Porto River and
take some photos of the Bridge that Eiffel designed. It was a beautiful Sunny
morning and I was sure my Son "Len-the-Weatherman" was not correct when his
daily report from Boston read "Fog in Porto". Several miles before Porto you
could see the fog rolling down the mountains like snow. I decided there was no
point breaking the inlet so we continued on to Figueira da FOZ, Portugal, where
we cleared Customs and spent the night. They are on standard time, we left 0700
this morning which was 0600 their time.
Expect to arrive in Lisbon late today.
Received a welcome email from Bill and Bankie this morning, which brought
our CRYC news up to date, and told a sad story about New Orleans.
Regards
Len Tower
September
18, 2005
Hello
Some facts on the Western Mediterranean Sea.
The South Coast of Spain consists of the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa del
Azahar, Costa Dorado and Costa Brava. For the most part it's arid, barren, hills
and mountain's, uninviting with no trees and very little green until you get
north of Cartagena. There are small man-made harbors mostly for fishing boats
where ever the coast is indented and they could build a road to it. Most of the
harbors can only accommodate boats up to 12 meters. As Morena is 20 meters long
it was not easy to find places to tie up. We have cruised through the
Alboran and Balearic Seas. This week we seemed to have most of the wind and
waves on our stern so the ride was good
On this coast most of the docking is stern to and you fender both sides of your
boat to avoid damage. Pick up a mooring line or drop anchor with 2 stern lines
to the dock. Then use the cat on your windlass to tighten your position.
Thanks to my son,
"Len-the-weatherman," from Boston, we have had excellent daily weather forecast
pinpointing the location we are in, and what to expect for the next 24 hours
ahead. These are sent each morning to
morena@skyfile.com
He is using a combination of forecast's from Spain, France and other locations
and covers 3 to 5 areas that we are near, this is important, for at times we can
be 30 to 40 miles off shore.
Monday September 12 left Aquadulce, Spain for Cartagena a large commercial
harbor. I try to concentrate and memorize the harbor entrances, as at times we
leave early when it is still dark. Keep reminding myself that green is on the
right over here!
Tuesday visited Denia, a beautiful 400 berth marina, and tied up next to 2
100' motor yachts. Ferries run from Denia every hour to the islands of
Mallorca about 60 miles east.
Wednesday and Thursday after 6492 miles from Iceland to Las Fuentes,
Spain, Morena came down with a mechanical problem that I was not able to
solve The starboard engine coughed and shut down while docking. Overhead warning
lights flashed RPM 1 and RPM 2. Cleared that up by cleaning all the system
electrical contact points and checking relay switches. Remembered that we had a
similar problem in Honduras and researched our files and the Cat manuals for a
solution. Decided to change the fuel filters as it was
possible the engine was starving for fuel. Noticed the air vents in the engine
room had closed FireBoy system had tripped. Cleared that up but engine still
would not start.
Glad that I was at a
dock and thought it time to try and find a Cat mechanic in "mañana land" while I
kept looking to solve the problem. The next morning the Cat mechanic showed up
with his computer to check the systems. The work I did had cleared up the RPM
light problem. He could not find any other problem. Reached over and
pulled on some cables and tried to start the engine. On the 5th try it started.
Said he could not be sure, but thought there could be a short in the ground wire
to the starter. So much for the computer.
Left on Friday at 1120 for Barcelona, 108 miles and arrived at 2220, tied up at
a fuel dock in Port Vell for the night. Nice harbor to enter at night. Spent
Sat. in Barcelona, a great city with plenty to see. Last time Anne and I were
here we went to see a bull fight and had all our luggage stolen out of our
rental car.
Today is Sunday and we are on the way to L'Estartit which is close to the
Golfe du Lion. That's for next week.
Regards
Len Tower
September 25, 2005
This could be our
last update on Morena's travel in Europe as we are
docked in Toulon waiting for a "Dockwise Ship" to take us home.
The Costa Brava runs between Barcelona and the border with Spain and
France. It was aptly named with steep forbidding cliffs rising from the sea for
about 80% of the coast. We rode about 3 miles off shore from Barcelona to our
next port in Spain, L'Estartit. The sea was calm and flat for about 4 hours. As
luck would have it, the sea started to build and we were hit with swells from a
storm out of Italy that moved faster than anticipated. Wind came up, gusting to
40+ knots, which is gale force 8 on the Beaufort Scale. The waves and swells
averaged 3 to 5 meters on the bow and we had another 4 hours to run. Decided to
pass the harbor entrance a mile and wait for a break in the swell to give it
full throttle and turn around looking for the entrance buoys on radar. The sea
pushed us in and soon we were protected by the jetty.
It felt good to be tied up at the reception dock of "Club Nautic Estartit". This
is an affluent club with well-maintained docks, club house and good facilities.
Enjoyed a walk in town and did the usual food shopping. L'Estartit is a tourist
area where many divers visit to dive the adjacent marine reserve. My knowledge
of the Spanish language was of little use as the locals only speak Catalan. The
Harbor Master presented me with a copy of their 40th anniversary hard cover
commemorative book. The before and after photos are great but I can't read
Catalan.
Decided to do the 14 hour run from Spain to France across the Gulf of Lion at
night so we would arrive in Toulon early enough to find a place to tie up. The
Lion did roar as we crossed, but it was on our port beam and Morena had
no trouble running at 10 Knots.
Arrived in Toulon at 10 am September 20. There are at least 5 marinas but
none had space for a 20 meter yacht. We had tried the day before by phone
but only 2 of the 5 answered. Called the Harbor Master of Central Control, and
he found space for us on the west side of the harbor at a Quay in La Seyne sur
mar. A quiet well protected pier with guard service. Two very large yachts tied
up in back of us, I'm docked at the stern of "Queen Nefertiti" a 100'+ sail
yacht out of Valletta which I think in the past I have noticed in Ft Lauderdale.
The crew is Russian and speak no English. Asked if we could use their water hose
to top our tank and the reply was how much will you pay us? Not very friendly.
Well guess what, there is a Big Orange Ship tied up opposite us. The Super
Servant 4 a Dockwise transport ship waiting to load yachts from a boat show
in Monaco to go to Port Everglades. The Captain came for a visit and said there
was no way he could make room for Morena on his ship so we would have to wait
for "SS3" another Dockwise ship. Captain Fop Leder insisted we visit his ship
and gave us a tour, they carry 22 crew members. He solved our water and electric
problems. This is a commercial facility. I carry about 500' of heavy duty
electric cable for 220 power, and had enough to reach a transformer. The Captain
sent over the ship's electrician to do the hook up and found us a water tap
without a meter.
There are still nice people in the world.
Morena is scheduled to be shipped home between October 30 and November
2nd. I'm very comfortable here and have plenty to do to keep me busy.
Dockwise allows riders to accompany their yacht if it is over 80 feet. We
are only 65'. I requested permission but was refused. I would like to ride back
with the ship if possible. After talking to some of the crew they told me that
the ship has power washing equipment aboard to clean the yacht's bottom
and running gear and some of the yacht crews take advantage of this to paint the
bottom during the crossing. You eat with the crew and have a choice of staying
on your boat or a berth on the ship. Unfortunately I don't have a close contact
in Dockwise as I'm sure the rule can be bent. I asked the Captain of the ship
that is here about it and he said there could be a chance for me to get on as a
rider, but I would have to wait to see what space is available.
It is 2 pm Sunday as I write this they have just started the engines on Super
Servant 4 as she is getting ready to move out into the harbor, drop anchor
and load.
Morena has completed it's trip in Europe.
Summary:
April 21st to September 19,2005
Iceland to Toulon traveled 6,806 N. Miles.
21 weeks + 4 days, Visiting 79 Ports.
Regards;
Len Tower
October 2, 2005
I thought
"Morena's" adventurers were over in Europe.
TOULON, France, Sept 29 - A ship that had been hijacked by striking
seamen arrived in the port of Toulon late Wednesday after being stormed
by helicopter-borne French troops on the island of Corsica as tensions
continued over the privatization of a state-owned ferry company.
Some 50 masked members of an elite commando force slid down ropes onto
the bridge of the cargo-passenger ship Pascal Paoli, which was trying to
enter the port of Bastia after being commandeered in Marseille the day
before by a group of trade union members.
The operation took just 10 minutes after which the ship, which belongs
to the debt-ridden National Corsica Mediterranean Company (SNCM),
immediately put back to sea and headed to TOULON on the French mainland,
ending a 36-hour odyssey.
Well Morena and I are looking across Toulon harbor at the Pascal Paoli.
In addition three Corsican Ferries were moved to the dock we are on for
security.
What an interesting week to be in the middle of this. Toulon is a
Military harbor so it looks like the strikers may keep their activities
in Marseille.
Rented a car for the weekend (with all the security on the dock what
better time could there be to leave the boat). On the way back there was
an angry crowd demonstrating in the City Center.
The drive south took me through Nice, Monaco with a stop for coffee in
Port de Font Vielle, where we had stayed for 6 weeks in 1984 on the 46'
Alaskan. Then to Menton and San Remo. Main purpose of this ride I was
trying to find a specific Italian make Moped that we had on the Alaskan.
After stopping at several Moped and Bike shops I gave up. Had left that
Moped on the 46 Alaskan when I sold it in Long Beach, California. The
week after I sold that boat it was run over by a tug pushing an empty
oil barge and sunk with the moped.
Due to the strike they moved 2 of the Corsican Ferries to another secure
location so cruise ships that were headed for Marseille, which is
blocked by the strike could tie up on the dock opposite Morena.
Yesterday the "Costa Fortuna" and today the Cruise ship "Aquamarine".
It was early afternoon Saturday when I turned north at Ventimiglia and
decided to take a side trip toward Cuneo on a road that ran along a deep
gorge. The entire route was like riding on the rim of the grand canyon
with a lot of curves and very scenic. Went about 1/2 way found another
route over the mountain and returned to the highway back to Toulon.
Found Morena safe and sound on my return. Another week in Toulon
Regards
LHT
October 31, 2005
GOODBYE TOULON
Hello,
We floated Morena aboard Super Servant 3 Monday 10/31 at
1500. SS3 is smaller than SS4, the yachts are loaded 3-across. We are the
first yacht forward on the port side. Good position, as there will be no
electric power aboard for 21 days. It will take some time to bring the
starting batteries up to 24 Volts, so we won't be holding another boat up
from leaving until our batteries are charged. .It was good to see a
familiar face, Captain Fop Leder of Dockwise; he had showed us the bridge on
SS4 and was helpful with advice while SS4 was in Toulon. I have invited Fop to
be my guest at CRYC between trips.
They let me stay aboard Morena for the night with the generator
running. The ship won't be raised until the divers are done placing
support stanchions. Then all the yachts will be sitting on the deck.. But
there will be no power on my boat so I emptied the freezer and
refrigerator and made a package for Yann Brouillard of "Comptoir General
Maritime, Vario," who was the problem solver during my stay in La Sein Sur Mar
and Laure Varloteaux; he is the Dockwise agent in Toulon.
I made a train reservation on Sunday to go to Paris and start the trip home.
Will leave SS3 by tender at 7 am. Yann will pick me up and get me to the
station in time to catch the 8 am express.
Len Jr "The Weather Man," emailed me a list of sites I should visit in Paris.
He was so descriptive that I feel that I've been there and done that. Let's
start with the Ile de La Cita, Ile St Louis, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saints-Chapelle
and Cathedral of Chartes to mention a few. He is so thorough that he gave me
detailed instructions on how to find each location.
Unfortunately I don't have Anne's hand to hold when I cross the street. We did
some of this together many years ago. Further, I remember World War 2 and what
we did for France and RIGHT OR WRONG they should have supported us in Iraq.
As it neared the date to leave, I had a number of concerns. When I tried to
start the port engine last Friday it stalled out. Had to be a fuel problem.
I'm down to less than 150 gallons in each tank. Often when this happens, you
will get a 2 to 3 inch void in the Racor filters. Opened the filter and this
was the problem. Topped the filters and used the hand pump on each engine to
assure there was plenty of fuel for today's start. Even with this I said a
prayer before pushing the start button today, and the engines started right
away
The hurricane has created other problems to be solved. Roof repair
or replace?. Side yard fence blown down, etc., etc. and still no electric
power at home. We are lucky, it could have been a lot worse.
Regards
Len Tower
Coral Ridge Yacht Club
2800 Yacht Club Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33304
954-566-7886
Fax 954-566-7889
