The Spirit of Freedom Voyages
of the
Trimaran Windwalker
In the USofA at Lighthouse Marina, Rouse's Point, NY, Oct 10, 2003 Until further notice my email while on this journey in life is bob_hardison@yahoo.com
Email bob_hardison@yahoo.com
Snail Mail "Bob Hardison, 14559 W. Riverview Drive, Post Falls, Idaho 83854
Link to the Daily Logs
The trip to Europe was first planned for 2003, but did not happen, as the boat needed more work than anticipated. The boat was put in the water August 6, the same day the mast wood finally arrived after a 3 month wait for it to air dry properly. Other unplanned for waits for backordered materials delayed the Windwalker leaving Canada until October 10, and then just to Rouse's Point across the border in New York state to wait for the sails to be finished and delivered. That move was necessitated by the closing of the swinging railroad bridge above the Canadian border on the Richelieu River. Larsen Sails of St. Bruno, QC, did a great job on the sails, delivering them the night before leaving Rouse's Point the morning of October 16 with ice on the decks for the trip south down Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal. The Hudson River was entered the 19th and the mast was raised the 22nd at Catskill Creek. The trip on down the Hudson to New York Harbor and salt water was another 2 days until October 24 arriving at Sandy Hook, NJ at midnight. Installing sails and waiting out some nasty weather held up leaving Sandy Hook until Oct 28. Cape May at the south end of New Jersey was rounded into Delaware Bay October 30. The Delaware and Chesapeake Canal is the beginning of the trip down the Intracoastal Waterway to winter in the Florida Keys. The Windwalker arrived at Key West December 16, 67 days after leaving Canada.
The PLAN had been to leave the south in the spring mid-April 2004 to make the voyage to Nova Scotia via the Bahamas and Bermuda and cruise the Bras d'Or Lakes of Nova Scotia in late May - early June, cruising there with Blad and Judi Hansen of the trimaran Freya, before making way to Iceland and Norway.
Those plans went awry, and the first attempt in 2004 was aborted in late July, 3 miles from open ocean at the St. Lucia Inlet, due to a mishap caused by an inconsiderate power boat throwing a 3-4 foot wake while the Windwalker was motoring in shallow water, slamming the boat on the bottom, opening a seam at the keel. I careened the boat and made the repairs, but deemed that challenging the North Atlantic late in the season was not wise and held over for the winter in St. Augustine harbor, where in September it was again damaged during Hurricane Jeanne.
Finally, in June 2005 I set course to Galway, Ireland via Bermuda, following the south side of the Gulf Stream to the Azores and on to Galway. From Galway, as the wind may blow, on to Portugal, Spain, and wintering in the Mediteranean or Madeira.
The Daily Logs
England, Portugal and South - October, 2005
Ireland to Portugal and England - September, 2005
The Azores to Ireland - August, 2005
Bermuda to the Azores - July, 2005
Bermuda, June, 2005 - Repairing Dismasting
To Bermuda, May, 2005 - Dismasted
St. Augustine, Florida, March - April, 2005
Florida - Georgia, Repairing Hurricane Damage, Jan - Feb 2005
St. Augustine, Florida, August 4 - Dec 31, 2004
Across The North Atlantic to Ireland -- 2004 -- ABORTED
Key West, Florida, May 1, 2004 - June 23, 2004
Key West, Florida, Mar 17, 2004 - Apr 30, 2004
Delivery of Sally Bum Bum to Bermuda, Mar 5, 2004 - Mar 16, 2004
Key West, Florida, Feb 20, 2004 - Mar 4, 2004
Ft Myers Area, Florida, Jan 25, 2004 - Feb 19, 2004
Key West, Florida, Dec 17, 2003 - Jan 24, 2004
Canada To Key West, Florida, Oct 10 - Dec 16, 2003
Voyage Photos - Bermuda-Ireland - 2005
Building and Rigging The Windwalker
Marine Weather Radio Frequencies
Forecasts and Conditions at SeaSight Reduction Tables - HO 249
Sailing Tunes The Impossible Dream
The Last Farewell
A Wild Colonial Boy
The Isle of Inisfree
Forlorn - The Quiet Solitude At SeaSea Shanties
Jack Was Every Inch A Sailor
Blow, Blow The Man Down
We'll Rant And We'll Roar
The Wild Rover
Sailor's Hornpipe
The Drunken Sailor
The Keeper of the Eddystone Light
The Walloping Window BlindSongs Of The Sea
A Web Page with Musical History of the Sea, Shanties, Lyrics and MidisLove and Peace, Barefoot
Barefoot's World
20033021
