It’s Sunday on the good ship Tres Hombres. We are somewhere North East of the Dominican Republic, our crossing home bound started a few days ago. The weather is fair, the sailing feels like something new, something we haven’t experienced yet during this whole journey since we left Den Helder in December: we glide softly […]
“80 miles from Ferrol”. Captain Arthur’s voice tunes in. The radio starts to yell in Spanish, it is a good sign. Our Johnny Nick Cash happily sings at the helm. It is a good Biscay day on board: deep blue waves and snow-white crests wash the deck, mesmerizing everchanging cloudy skies surround us, we shyly […]
I shouldn’t be the one writing for you, you know. Not only I’m not the best witness of what’s going on there, having arrived only a couple of weeks ago for my first time on Tres Hombres’ refit. But until last Saturday, I was busying myself from dusk ‘till dawn, happily templating, cutting and learning […]
Tres Hombres is always a pretty boat and the sea is always a charming place but some days and nights on board are simply too ridiculously beautiful to believe it. When we reached Getaria I got reacquainted with the chaotic life on land that seems to follow reaching port on Tres. A few days of […]
Over forty thousand bottles of wine are transported on Tres Hombres each year. This cargo sees less attention than our rum, coffee and chocolate, because it is not for us. When it comes to the wine, most of the time we are only the transport and not the label. Over the years Tres Hombres has […]
As I wake up for my 4 AM watch, traces of deep sleep still linger. Already, the dream I just woke from is slipping away as I layer thermals and jumpers, ready for a brisk morning on deck. I pause one last time to stretch and grab my jacket, and then open the watertight door […]
Giant cabbage leaves and Azorean banana skins were overtaking the ship while the sunset falls later and later. After some calm during the night, the full moon shone at the beginning and gave way to a cape of clouds. This morning, the mainsail needs to be repaired. The wind is increasing northwest, so it’s all […]
As expected, we have been hit by a front. We are closing the door on the Caribbean and opening the white horses. Royal furled at the end of the afternoon. Main sail brailed up before the night. And before the night, some thunder has been heard. Just in time to start setting the extra deck […]
At worst this ship is a compelling object. With her sails up, galloping over the sea, she is a thing of beauty. This voyage feels one part ‘Neverland, one part business, a dash of hippie and sprinkle of ‘Papillon. In the last few months I’ve bled, been beaten and bashed for this boat. I’ve only […]
In the evening a fair wind returned to bring us to the mysterious island of Los Aves. For many years, I have been sailing in the vast Caribbean Sea, and this light house, one hundred and twenty miles west of the Lesser Antilles, is something in the chart where you never go. Drifting there is […]
