Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Grounded...,

Everything was going so well...
We haven't posted since we anchored at the amazing Tortuga bay on the island of culebrita. Surrounded by turquoise waters and the occasional head of a sea turtle. White sands and all, this was truly what we came here for..
The kids were having the best time and so were we. When we first got there we didn't even bother to launch the dinghy and all of us just jumped off the boat and swam to shore and back.  An amazing feeling of freedom ! When we finally realized we were way past our lunch time I simply swam back to the boat, made sandwiches for everyone , stuck then in a dry bag and swam back to shore. Good times!
The next morning we've decided to launch the dinghy to get to shore. To our surprise the engine didnt start and Oren spent the entire day fixing it while I was on shore with the gang. Fixing the dinghy׳s motor (aka the outboard motor ) would have deserved a seperate post if it weren't for what was still to come....
On our third day there we hiked for a couple of hours and then got ready to leave the bay. 
Winds and currents were strong and within seconds after leaving our mooring we were drifted over the rocks. Trying to turn the boat away from the rocks didn't work and within a minute we heard the roaring sound of the boat tearing. 
We have lost control over the vessel. 
A few seconds later, a dinghy from a Neighbour catamaran whom we've met earlier came over and tried to assist, the two man, later to be known as our guardian angels, tryed to tag us off the rocks but to no avail. I kept checking the bildge (bottom side of the boat ) for water and was happy to see there were none. Which was quite surprising considering the loud noises of cracking and the pieces of fiberglass that started floating around us. The kids were already in their life jaqets but now I also had them wear their water shoes thinking we might have to evacuate soon. At some point I went to check the bilge once more to find it still dry but opened the bathroom door .... This was like a scene from the titanic.. As I opened the bathroom door I was washed by a wave of water coming in from
The engine compartment. At this point I've changed my radio call to mayday... 
Coast guard responded and asked for our location and status. All that time Oren was throwing lines (ropes) to that dinghy and a larger boat who tried to assist trying to get us off the rocks. 
At that point I ran downstairs, grabed a dry bag, and stuck our passports, phones wallets and birth control pills into it. Yes. That. 
Kids stayed calm but alert and when our neighbors suggested taking the kids I handed them one by one to the dinghy and climed on after them. Bill and Don, our soon to be best friends, took us to their catamaran, where their wives, Andrea and Becky, awaited us with open arms, a hug, a ton of empathy and 4 yo Max who opened his boat, games, snacks and what not to our kids. 
Bill and Don, together with Don's 14 yo son Ben, went back to our boat and worked with Oren, trying to save the vessel. As soon as the kids felt comfortable I got back to the boat and tried to salvage as much as I could. By then, the whole starboard (right) side was under water. The propeller (yep, that famous one from previous posts) hit the rock and tore the whole boat open. 
On a few trips I made back and forth to our boat I saw valuables float and disappear under water. 
We tryed to save as much as we could. 
All that time the port side of the boat stayed completely dry! The batteries were still working and power was still on. 
It took about 3 hours for the tow boat to arrive, and about 5 more hours for them to get our boat off the cliff and close to shore. 
The incredible people who helped us, cleared a room for me to sleep in with the kids, fed us, and provided us all the phisical and emotional support possible. 
The next morning, Bill and Oren went back to the site and Oren scuba dived to rescue what ever he could find from he bottom of the see. 
Then we left Oren to wait for the salvation crew to return and try to patch the boat in order to transfer it back to fajardo, PR, where only a few days ago our journey has begun.
We were so lucky to have met these amazing people ! 
Bill, Andrea, Max, Don , Becky and Ben, words can not describe our gratitude to you for all your help!!! We love Y'all!!!!!

When we got back to marina Puerto del Ray, the owner, Brooks Proutyy, and his crew did and are doing, everything they can to assist. 

The boat is still out there. They have managed to float it to the island of Culebra and hopefully tomorrow, bring it back to Fajardo. Will we get to sail her again? It is too early to say... At this point we're taking it one day at a time...

I have an amazing husband, great kids, and now great great friends, who helped make this nightmare into another page in the adventures of the (not so) floating Eliases. 

May 2014 bring happiness and unfold new adventures ,

Happy new year! 
Darya 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

AND we're off!!!!

Long day, short post :)
It took a little over a week but we finally said goodbye to marina puerto del ray, and sailed off towards the island of culebra!
The passage was long and somewhat bumpy, and challenging for the kids, but they pulled through and we are now anchored off the island!!!

First thing we did was pump the tubes and jump in the water!

Let the fun begin!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!
Darya

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Totach

Well, I did promise to teach you a little about sailing, but today I'll contribute to your Hebrew vocabulary...
The Hebrew word תותח (Totach),
Literally translated, a cannon. Used in Hebrew slang to describe man like Oren, who single handed installed the missing prop, replaced its partner, and got us going! All the way to the fuel dock, around the Marina and back to our dock. Clearing the way for the next phase of our adventures! 
Totach!

In the photos:
Justifying our reputation as coffee snobs, with an onboard, stove top espresso machine

Story time, with the little Prince (toda, Doda Tamar!)
 
Read the full story on Oren's post

Good night,
Darya

Xmas present

Just when I thought Jews don't get Xmas presents!

We spent the day in a crazy race to get the boat operational. Installed new Props (underwater), Fueled (yes, we got the boat moving all the way to the fuel dock!), changed engine oil, changed saildrive oil, replaced watermaker filters, cleaned up, and a bunch of other preparations (more on changing propellers with boring technical details most will not care about, in a separate post).

We are planning to sail to a small island named Culebra. It is one of the Spanish virgin islands, off the east coast of Puerto Rico. The only issue is that the prevailing wind around here always comes from the east (Trade Winds) and we need to sail east. And sailing dead into the waves pounds against the boat, which is extremely unpleasant to children and adults alike. Add to that the fact that these past few days had very strong winds and high seas. Fortunately, this afternoon it quieted down and right now seems that tomorrow will be the same. So hopefully it will be smooth sailing (get it?) tomorrow - low waves, some wind but not too much, and good visibility. As always, some rain, but nothing too annoying.

So if the weather gods (and the propeller gods) will agree, we will be on our way tomorrow morning! Just in time, too, since the kids have been going crazy around here!
Oh, BTW, we will be turning on our tracker tomorrow and we added a little widget to the blog that shows where we are.

Monday, December 23, 2013

closer to water

Almost there...
Yesterday we finally closer to the water and went on our first dingy ride. the dingy, to those of you who haven't met Arbel in the last 6 months, is "the small boat connected to the big boat that goes zooming fast"
about 3 minutes into our ride, rain arrived and soaked us to the bone... it was still great to get closer to the water. We even found an authentic pirate ship, right around the corner




After the dingy ride we finally sat down to have our first cocktail. No umbrella but a cocktail non the less!!!


We got 'provisions' (cruisers word for went to the store) and put the pressure cooker to good use with a yummy Gulash (that's Hungarian for stew)
Another thing that  came in handy faster then expected was the diving gear... Oren used it yesterday to take the other propeller off, thus making sure he knows how to put them on.




Today we raced against the clock once again, when we had to drive to Bayamon to get the spacer  for the propeller installation. the address was street A... after the GPS got us to avenue A, at 4:53 (they close at 5) we called and begged them to wait for us while we drive to street A... guess what? there are more than 1 Calle A in Bayamon.........
They were however sweet enough to wait for us and we got the part! while on the road we got a call from the marina saying our propellers arrived too, and once again we had to beg for them to leave them for us with the security guy, so we can install them first thing tomorrow morning....

Stay tuned! sooner or later, these Eliases will float!

Darya


Not just yet...

Not just yet...

I know what you're thinking... By now, 7 days into their trip, they have found themselves a nice sandy beach, umbrellas in their cocktails and hats on their heads, and their only worry is re-applying sunscreen every couple of hours while checking frozen snow images on the Facebook walls of friends they left behind in the cold...

Well... Not just yet...

We landed in Puerto Rico on Tuesday afternoon, and got to Fajardo that evening. The boat with the crew arrived at the marina around the same time and we have agreed to meet them in the morning. 
It was good to meet them, and great to see the boat again. They reported a good yet bumpy voyage. The boat held well except for multiple tears that must be fixed on the front sail (known as the  JIB. Yes you will be learning to talk the talk). The other 'small thing' they reported was that somewhere in the last miles of the 1200 mile journey, the right engine (aka starboard engine) stopped working... Well it was running, but not turning the propeller...
Being professional sailors, they managed to safely dock with only one engine, but being less professional it is obvious we can't go anywhere before fixing the problem...
Oren took a quick look, and when he couldn't find any obvious problem, called a mechanic, who explained how the whole engine needs to be taken apart in order to find the root of the problem. Just before agreeing to take it apart Oren decided to eliminate one last usual suspect. Snorkel and mask on, he jumped in the water and dived under the boat to find the reason the engine wasn't turning the propeller was that there was simply NO PROPELLER!!!!! 
Simple, right? Get a new propeller, put it on, and off we sail!

Well... Not just yet....
Turns out there are no such propellers on the island and they must be shipped from the US. Turns out they need a special spacer, which can not be found on the island either, and has to be shipped in as well... And now the race begins. Christmas is  but a few of days ahead and many of the suppliers are about to close shop for 2 weeks. The marina we're staining at is nice, but it's not where we want to be for the next 2 weeks! Oren dropped everything and used his data searching talent to the max, while the kids and I focused on unpacking the boxes.


Yes. Boxes... Remember, storage space is extremely limited on the boat, and so we couldn't just pack ourselves into nice suitcases, because there's simply no place to put them on board. We did just pack our entire house into storage, so we used 3 more boxes to bring the last of our things on board.
The kids are re-adjusting to the boat fairly quickly, but it will take time (and some actual sailing) to adjust to life on a boat...

These Eliases will sail!!!
But not just yet...

Stay warm and happy,
Darya

Sunday, December 22, 2013

This is it

This is it.
Flight attendant just announced that we're ready for take off, and the adventure of a lifetime is about to begin.
In fact it already started.
A thought about facebook: not everyone is there. Not everyone who's there really sees everything you write. Some of my friends have no idea what we're up to. This blog is here to help.
If you clicked the link and got this far you must guess that it has something to do with a crazy boat trip. Well that's the plan.
Long story short (we ARE ready for take off)
We are the Elias family. With 3 kids aged 7,5, and 3, we've decided to get off the roller coaster of life, take a time out, and embark on an adventure.
We bought a 36 foot catamaran and plan on sailing it in the Caribbean for 6 months or so.

Longer story will include moving back to Israel after spending 4.5 great years in Boston.

We'll post updates and pictures, and try to share this  adventure with you.

Fair winds,
The floating Eliases


*post originally written on December 17th, but technical issues kept it unpublished. 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013