My return ticket to New York is now locked in for the 6th of February! It’s been a very productive and fun time in Australia, however soon it’s time to resume things and continue the trip. Thank you to Mari for the latest photo of Constellation – It was nearly 39C (about 103F) the other day here in Melbourne, and as can be seen, it’s considerably colder back on Long Island:

Right now, I’m getting quotes and trying to organise the somewhat complex overland trip that has to happen this year. I expect to be trucking Constellation sometime in April, and for myself to be over on the west coast for when she arrives – This is for a scheduled departure across the Pacific in May or early June… Right now I’ve been getting quotes from uShip.com, and the best one so far is around $3,500. If anyone is familiar with hotshot trucking, or has any contacts in the industry who might take a backhaul west, please let me know. I need to confirm a trucking solution very soon, to ensure everything goes to plan.

Much work remains to be done on Constellation, however I hope to get 90% of it done before going overland. With the generous support of Mike Acebo who runs runs the Greenport Brewer Yacht Yard, Constellation has been under his care ever since I first docked way back in June/July of 2008. Mike and everyone at the marina has been exceptionally generous, and we’re also hoping to re-do Constellation’s rig, and install a furler on the foresail before leaving New York. Without the support of Mike and the Brewer yard, there is definitely, and absolutely no way I’d be moving on this year across the Pacific. So, if you’re ever on a boat in Long Island, be sure to visit Brewer Yacht Yard in Greenport and say hello!

In other news, Lee Winters has successfully made it across the Gulf of Mexico. I watched his position closely over the last week, and this evening he managed to jump behind an island in Mexico before the wind picked up too much. Lee’s expression of ‘crying for the first time in his adult life’ and the elation you can detect in his latest blog post, brings back tremendous memories of my own sailing last year… Simon has also just made it across the Atlantic ocean alone, from the Cape Verde islands – He hasn’t updated his map yet, however I know he’s quite happily anchored in St Lucia, the Caribbean!

The feeling of achievement, relief, sadness, and pure joy after a long distance passage alone, is nearly incomprehensible to someone who hasn’t done it, yet I can assure you that both Lee & Simon deserve a really big pat on the back. Congrats!

Nick.

Happy New Year!

I’ve had a comment and quite a few emails asking what’s going on. Well, not a lot really… The project is still on, and I’m at home in Australia working, and scheming for the next leg. I’m still adamant about trucking the boat, and will do so sometime in April. We’ll go somewhere on the West coast of the US (obviously), most likely Berkeley because I have a couple of contacts in the area… I also like Ginsberg, and I hear he wrote a poem there. While my blogging has slowed down, the project hasn’t – So for anyone thinking I’ve just thrown the towel in, you’d be more than wrong… ! It also remains to be seen how I will get myself across the country, as the original idea of cycling may have changed slightly in recent weeks.

I continue to work with Bluemapia.com, which has been fantastic – If you’re a sailor, go there, sign up, and share your tips & info on your local sailing area. When not working with Bluemapia, I have the great fortune to be working on my own ideas. They involve the web, and sailing… And another project may involve helping someone else begin an enormous and seemingly impossible voyage. More on all of that some other time.

After Christmas (which involved no snow) I went on a small trip – Photos are below. My return ticket to New York is booked for the 19th of January, however, due to a lack of housing options, and the fact it’s much easier for me to survive here than in a foreign country in the dead of winter, it is more than likely I will stay another month or two. There is little I can do on Constellation right now, and she will probably not touch the water again until April or early May. Much work remains, and she’s in a state of disarray, however 2009 is set to be the year Constellation is more seaworthy than in any other time of her life!

More photos in the usual place.

Skandia week is coming up, and with any luck I might get to sail then… I may finally get to write about sailing again!

Nick