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At this point in time – as we had reached the
midpoint of our journey - I think it is appropriate to mention a few facts
about our terrific boat that carried us safely from Spain to Greece. The J/92 is a 30ft/9m sailboat that was
introduced in 1992 by J/Boats of
Bristol, RI. Its beam is 10ft wide and
its keel draws 6ft (1.80 meters) and weights 2,275lb or 1,032kg. Her displacement (total weight) is 5,500lb or
2,495kg. She also has a 9hp auxiliary
diesel engine. The picture was taken the
day of our departure from the charming Aeolian island, Salina.
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The J/92 is a unique sailboat. It has a large cockpit and sailing systems are
as simple as those of a cruiser but its response and acceleration is that of a
finely tuned racer. The J/92 has won several
PHRF championships on lakes Michigan and Lanier and as our offshore passage taught
us it handles remarkably well in light winds and in stormy conditions alike. The name of the sailboat at that time was “Vol
de Nuit” but upon arrival in Greece, she took the name of “Okyrhoe” who according
to Hesiod was an oceanid, one of Ocean’s
daughters. Her name derives from the
Greek words Ωκυς (fast)
and ροη (unimpeded
flow). Ωκυροη was a water deity that
journeys unhindered from sea to sea and similarly to her our wonderful sailboat took us across five seas in our journey.
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Sailing under spinnaker in perfect weather.
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If the need arise and someone has to go up the
mast, the younger or skinnier sailor is drafted for the task. The younger in the crew, Kostas, volunteered
to go up and I gladly agreed to take a picture!
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Several of you wondered what we were eating
during our trip. We had one main meal,
usually an early dinner around 6 pm, which was stale bread, tomatoes, cucumber
and one of the following-salmon, tuna, sardines or mackerel-from tin cans. For seconds Kostas liked dolmades (stuffed
grape leaves) and I liked salted chips.
Bottled water, coke and beer kept us well hydrated.
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Sailing under spinnaker at sunrise heading east,
as the sun was at our bow, towards the Strait of Messina and Sicily. Sicily has enchanted visitors since the beginning of time. The Ancient Greeks were among the first who wrote about Sicily in their histories and mythology. It was here that Pluto abducted Persephone from Demeter and Helios (Apollo) pastured his flocks. Most of the events that Homer described in Odyssey took place either in Sicily or nearby islands. And anyone who has known Sicily brings with him a lifelong nostalgia for its people, food, music, history and culture. |
