Ships Log
| Date | From | Quote of the Day |
| July 19th | All | "Please check back in the next week or two for more site updates. We will be posting several pictures from the trip." Also, please visit the animated map of the trip from Horta, British Virgin Islands to Lagos, Portugal. (Please note: The animated map is 984K and may take a while to load over a dial-up 56k connection.) |
| July
18th Lagos, Portugal |
Captain Wayne | "This trip exceeded my wildest expectations. The company was grand, and the navigation adequate, and after 35 days at sea, I deserve a beer." |
| Crewman Kevin | "Shout out to St. Peter and family and friends. Thanks for the inspiration and prayers." | |
| Crewman Dan-O | "Thank you Stormy Duchess, Captain and Crew for the trip of a lifetime. I learned more about myself, family, friends, and the sea." | |
| Crewman David | "Sorry, I overbooked. My quote is........" | |
| Executive Officer Jon (per Captain's field promotion) |
"A trip of a lifetime, it was accentuated with a dramatic arrival of super high winds and no seas as we shot, literally shot, eastward along the southern coast of Portugal as the sun was rising. As father-son experiences go, it was the very, very best. We only wish dear Madre was with us, which she will be soon." | |
| July 17th | All | "The Yanks are coming!!!!!" We are less than 50 miles away and happy as happy gets. |
| Wayne, Kevin, & Jon | "Anybody can fly to Europe." For each, this marks our first trip to Europe, crossing the ocean like our forefathers before us (minus the tar and feathers). | |
| Wayne & Jon | "Happy 2 month anniversary to Kevin!" | |
| Kevin | "Sponge." | |
| July 16th | Wayne | "Stormy plowed a sweet furrow through the North Atlantic." |
| Jon | "Like a rabid whale..." Awesome sailing today averaging 7 to 8 knots. | |
| July 15th | Kevin | "What, are you brewing beer up there?!?!?" Kevin was shocked at the stank from Dan and Dave's V-verth cabin, but had to sleep there nonetheless due to rough weather and limited space. |
| Dan | Rock-A-Bye Dan-o in the V-verth, When the bow breaks, you will die first. If this shocks you, tough shit its true, And down will go Stormy, V-verth and crew. | |
| July 14th | Dan & Jon | "Regards and regrets to our Rice Lake High School class reunion. We hope the past 5 years have been as enjoyable for you as they have been for us. See you in 5!!!" |
| All | "Muito excelente!!!" Captain perfected his bread recipe, much to the delight of the the exhausted crew. Raisins, granola, wheat, and honey... A high point for today. | |
| July 13th | All | "Thunder Flush!!!!!!" Dire straight breeds heroism, and today it was Captain Wayne who answered the call when the head malfunctioned. Assisted by each crew member at times, the job of disassembling, cleaning, and re-assembling the head took almost 9 hours. Poseidon rewarded us with a great wind when it was all over, however, so spirits are high. |
| July 12th | Dan | "Polly want a pancake?" Captain rewarded the crew with pancakes this morning, probably to help the Super Bock detox process. Other recovery efforts included weightlifting, situps, and more crooning and guitar playing. |
| July 11th | Dave | "Like rockets out of a missile silo." We saw a pod of whales jumping today, a first for the captain and crew. |
| July 10th | Margarita | "Not anymore" in response to Kevin's question "Do you know where I can get a beer?" An incredibly fun time was had in Horta, highlighted by crooning with fellow sailors and locals. We set sail at 3:00pm, minutes before liver failure overtook the crew. |
| July 9th | Peter's Bar in Horta | Jon - "I left my heart in Horta."
Kevin - "You're going to hit me with your HELMET!?!?!?!?!" Dave - "What do you mean, 'You're out of Super Bock!?!?!?'" Wayne - "The locals have renamed our vessel 'Stormy Debauchery'". Dan - "Hi, I'm Dan....the Anti-Kevin." Chloie - "I'll be right back...I'm going to help Kitty throw up." Adam - "Kevin, I will break you." Josefin - "No Dave, she's too young for you." Les - "Les is more." Barbara - "Les is less." |
| July 8th | All | A picture of The Crew sending e-mails from Horta. |
| July 7th | Kevin | "I have set up an e-mail address while in Horta. Please contact me at kevinmcclone@hotmail.com." |
| July 6th | Kevin | "It feels like Christmas Eve." |
| Wayne | "In other words... 'Can I shower now?'" | |
| July 5th | Jon | "Land Ho!!!" Midnight watch revealed the light of Flores, the western most island of the Azores. That sight, with a nearly full moon makes this an awesome watch. Approximately 158 miles to our final destination, Horta, on the island of Saial. There we'll restock provisions, rest a bit, and pickup newcomers Dave and Dan Charron (friends from hometown Rice Lake, WI now living in Las Vegas). |
| July 4th | Kevin | "Two if by sea, baby, happy 4th of July!" (Editorial comment: Certain Irishmen are not known for their knowledge of American history.) |
| Wayne | "We hope to gain 'Independence' from the sea on Saturday of Sunday and we'll catch up on celebrations then." | |
| Jon | "Hats off to Blaine the Ex-Patriot's 4th of July party in Poland. I spoke with him today, and the party was in full swing... Classic Blaine." | |
| July 3rd | Kevin | "Same as it ever was." - David Byrne. All is well with Stormy Duchess. Fair winds & clear skies including a full moon tonight. |
| July 2nd | Jon | "I meant a pair of 40 Ouncers!" Today Stormy hit lat/lon 40-40 rolling like a train toward the Azores. Fine sail today but still chilly. Nearing a full moon four our clear night watch. |
| July 1st | Wayne | "So much for the day of rest..."b Busy since daybreak with engine repairs (Wayne), trips up the mast (Jon), deep sea fishing (Kevin & Jon), more whale and dolphin sightings, and the rise and fall (again!) of Big Blue. This time it split in half. |
| June 30th | All | "Who invited Jack Frost?!?!" Although Stormy is 300 miles from the North Atlantic iceberg limit line, it feels closer to 3 miles. Temps plummeted following yesterday's second gale, with wind chills dropping into the high 40's or lower 50's. |
| June 29th | Kevin | "The houselights are on, but I still think Poseidon still wants to party." This was uttered by Kevin to Jon at 4:00am at the end of Kevin's shift after suffering high winds and the first gale of the evening. We had another gale this afternoon with winds up to 40 knots and seas up to 15 feet. Spirits are high... we've weathered the first couple of rounds. |
| June 28th | All | "Batten down the hatches - take one. True to her name Stormy prepares for her first storm of the trip. Both seas and winds are increasing... more to follow." |
| June 27th | All | "Spinnaker Down, Everybody Up". Big Blue looked cocky and strong in the early rounds, but proved no match for Poseidon who dealt a fatal blow at 12:30am snapping the spinnaker halyard and sending Big Blue into the sea. The nimble crew dragged it in promptly and order was restored. |
| June 26th | Jon | "Play of the Day: Big Blue was up today folks, and we're not talking about IBM. Our massive blue spinnaker went up, up, up and... with the help of 10-30 knot winds... Stormy Duchess was gone, sporting more canvas than a three ring circus. And in our own freak show, I hung off the bow strip and touched a dolphin with my foot." |
| June 25th | Kevin & Jon | "You know you're roughing it when the galley smells like a French bakery. Captain Wayne perfected his bread recipe today, and all hands (and mouths) were pleased. Ingredients included honey and seawater." |
| June 24th | Kevin | "E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-eeee" as Kevin tried to communicate with 20 or so dolphins jumping all around the boat. |
| June 23rd | All | "Thar she blows!!! We had our first whale sighting today, and one passed within 15 yards of the Stormy late this morning. We also saw a giant sea turtle this afternoon. Adding these to the dolphins we saw the other day, all that remains is mermaids." |
| June 22nd | All | "It is like deja vu all over again. We are experiencing good winds and fine sailing much like after we left Tortola. With any luck the winds will continue and we'll have a fine sail to the Azores." |
| June 21st | Jon | "Like Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed in that Classic Smokey and the Bandit, Stormy Duchess is 'East Bound and Down' on the way to the Azores." |
| June 20th | All | "Stormy Duchess has been reclassified as an oil tanker after acquiring two 55 gallon drums of diesel to equip her for the trip from Bermuda to the Azores and Portugal. Spirits are high - wish you were here!" |
| June 19th | Jon | "Bermuda or Bust! Unexpected and unseasonably large high pressure system causing little to no wind is forcing the Stormy Duchess to go to Bermuda to refuel before crossing to the Azores." |
| June 18th | Kevin | "Mirror, Mirror on the Sea, please send some wind for Stormy D." |
| June 17th | Kevin & Jon | "Happy Fathers Day!!!" |
| June 16th | All | "'Light & Variable' should be a four-letter word." |
| June 15th | Jon | "Coffee and raisins... The Breakfast of Champions!" |
| June 14th | Kevin | "I rolled around like a hot dog at 7-Eleven" (when asked how he slept last night during high seas) |
| June 13th | Wayne | "If I can make coffee, then corn beef and cabbage cannot be far off." |
| June 12th | Jon | "The journey is underway! We are in good spirits!" |
| June 7th | Wayne & Kevin | "Sunny and warm, awaiting arrival of Jon and enjoying last days of 'land lubbing' before Monday." |
| June 6th | Jon | "The Web Site has launched... and only 5 days left until the Stormy Duchess launches." |