Life Aboard With Doug Campbell

Farewell. What’s next?

mlabella — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:13:07 +0000

We made it to Newport a week ago and were greeted at a slip by Robert Patenaude, the ever-effervescent Canadian, and his crewman. It would be a day later before the four remaining boats in our class still racing finally sailed into port. (more…)

The purpose of life

mlabella — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:04:30 +0000

When we were visited by a pod of dolphins, with the sails fore and aft sliding motionless through the air as Robin was propelled by her diesel engine, we were shown, I believe, the purpose of life. (more…)

60 miles to go

mlabella — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:16:58 +0000

Morning broke in monotone, a smooth, gray sky pressing down on a calm gray sea, weighty as a cast iron lid. The lid was cocked. It let leak in the first thin color of day, a band of yellow on the eastern horizon. (more…)

Relief, not grief

mlabella — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:45:17 +0000

The forestay, stretched tight from mast to deck, flashed across the starry night sky as Robin bucked over the modest waves, a fiddler’s bow searching for notes in the heavens. (more…)

They gave it their best shot

mlabella — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:24:50 +0000

Due to equipment failures and problems with the autopilot and windvane, Doug and Monica have decided to start the “iron genoa” and retire from the Bermuda 1-2.

They’ll file an update when they reach Newport. If we have anything to report in the meantime, we’ll post it here.

— the shore crew

Technical difficulties

mlabella — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:03:27 +0000

The computer aboard Robin has developed a problem that, unfortunately, cannot be remedied while Doug and Monica are at sea. We will continue to post blogs that Doug dictates over the sat phone, but they will be with less frequency.

— the shore crew

11 a.m. and 290 miles to Newport

mlabella — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:06:23 +0000

This voyage has come down to just getting there, at some speed. (more…)

Things that go bang in the night

mlabella — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:25:56 +0000

I don’t want to steal any of Robert Patenaude’s thunder in the true tall tales department, but I’ll report the events of last night and let you decide the veracity of this account. (more…)

Hove-to again, waiting for weather

mlabella — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:17:47 +0000

If it appears on iBoatTrack.com that Robin is going backward at about 3 knots, don’t be shocked. (more…)

Hove-to and doing OK

mlabella — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:24:05 +0000

Just a quick note at 11 a.m. Sunday, because it’s pretty lumpy here 90 miles south of the Gulf Stream, and occasional buckets of seawater are dropping on top of Robin, and a stray one could get into the cabin and kill the laptop on the chart table. (more…)