Blue Heron

Vessel Name: Blue Heron
Vessel Make/Model: Hallberg Rassy 43
Hailing Port: Delaware City, DE
Crew: Bob & Eric Frantz
About: Bob retired in January, 2011 from a career as an environmental attorney and manager, and Eric earned his Bachelor's Degree from The George Washington University in Washington, DC in December, 2010. They began their circumnavigation February 6, 2011.
Extra: In the words of that great American author, Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
19 June 2012
13 June 2012 | Fishing Bay Harbor Marina, Deltaville, VA
12 June 2012
09 June 2012
05 June 2012 | Cannonsport Marina, Palm Beach Shores, Florida
01 June 2012 | in passage to Bahamas
25 May 2012 | Sapodilla Bay
21 May 2012 | Jost van Dyke
18 May 2012
17 May 2012 | BVI
14 May 2012
07 May 2012 | Simpson Bay
03 May 2012 | Charlestown Harbour
01 May 2012
15 April 2012 | St. Lucia
13 April 2012
11 April 2012
06 April 2012
Recent Blog Posts
19 June 2012

The Blue Heron did it!

Today is the 500th day since we began our adventure around the world. We did it! We've completed our circumnavigation! We have not only crossed our wake but have passed the point from which we originally set sail on February 6, 2011. All that remains is to get us and the Blue Heron home. She has [...]

13 June 2012 | Fishing Bay Harbor Marina, Deltaville, VA

Waiting to get back on our way

We passed Little Creek Marina in Norfolk, VA during the middle of the night last night -- that's where our dream voyage began 16 months ago. We then made our way to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where we were greeted with a howling hello in the form of 30+ knot winds on the nose. Making any headway was almost impossible so, we have diverted for safe harbor once more to wait for this weather system to pass. If anything, the North Atlantic lives up to it's reputation as being predictably unpredictable. Now, we wait (impatiently) for another weather window so that we can make our way home.

12 June 2012

Big Fish - take a look

Our steady progress and, generally, uneventful passage thusfar was punctuated with excitement yesterday afternoon when Eric called out, "I've got one!" He caught a White Marlin in the late afternoon. The fish fought hard and we had quite a time getting the fish on board. The fish measured 6'4" and [...]

09 June 2012

on our way north

This morning we left West Palm Beach at 8:15AM and are making our way north. We're hopeful that weather will be in our favor the entire final passage home -- we'll see. We've started with the benefit of both the gulf stream and favorable winds and are moving along at about 9 knots.

05 June 2012 | Cannonsport Marina, Palm Beach Shores, Florida

weather detour

We're stopping in Palm Beach for a day or so to wait out some weather due to come offshore from the Carolinas. Then we'll continue our northbound journey for home.

Antigua

01 May 2012
Eric
The entire Frantz family was together for Antigua. Mom and Haessly flew down to meet us for a week. We couldn't have been there at a better time. We arrived in time to see parts of both the Classic Yacht Regatta and the Antigua Sailing Week. Both regattas are big sailing events. They provided for spectacular racing, and with regard to the Classic, equally spectacular eye candy.
Mom and Haessly joined us in Falmouth Harbor, a well-protected bay adjacent to the historic English Harbor. In an effort to show them some of the island by sea, we sailed to Nonesuch Bay, on the eastern side of Antigua. It is part of a marine management area and is home to a number of beaches and resorts. The snorkeling was decent, but the highlight of the stop was Harmony Hall, a boutique resort, restaurant, and art gallery. We ate lunch at the restaurant, which sits up on a hill overlooking the bay. The art gallery was also interesting with works from local artists. After two days in Nonesuch, we sailed back to Falmouth Harbor and into the Antigua Yacht Club Marina.
The Classics were ending, so we watched as the beautiful old yachts were replaced by modern racing machines... a stark contrast. It is safe to say that Blue Heron, decked out as she is for cruising with jerry cans and dinghy on deck, looked a bit out of place in both groups.
The adjacent English Harbor was a major British port during the 1700's and 1800's. Walking though historic Nelson's Dockyard, named after British hero Lord Nelson, is like taking a step back in time. The dockyard has been kept in original design, but was restored and transformed into a bustling commercial area, and the center of events for the race week.
Antigua, though small, isn't exactly walkable. We rented a car and toured the island to see some of the other areas and historical sites. Betty's Hope Estate was the first major sugar cane plantation on the island and, while it is open to the public, the ruins are likely visited more by goats than tourists. The saving grace of the sight was a restored windmill, one of many that were built on Antigua for the processing of sugar cane.
At the northwestern corner of the island is St. John's, Antigua's capitol. The town was relatively dead, likely because there was no cruise ship in port and it was a Sunday. This was disappointing at first, but provided a glimpse of the real Antigua that, for a tourist, is often hard to find in many places.
The island is not all that developed and there are still large areas of forest that remain relatively untouched by people, with the exception of ganja growers. We took a rainforest tour by zip line one morning, which was a pretty cool way to see some of the forest. After a quick safety briefing, we zipped one by one from platform to platform through the forest. Later that day, we hiked from Pigeon Beach on Falmouth Harbor over to English Harbor. The trail runs by the foundations of several British fortifications and provided great views of both bays.
It was a great week that went by all too quickly, but we look forward to making the most of our remaining stops before heading home.
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Blue Heron's Photos - Main
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