SV-Zanshin

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Sailing from St. Kitts to Nevis, the crew on Katzenellenbogen caught this picture of me sailing with the single volcanic hill on Nevis in the background.

Finally the full refit of Zanshin is finished and it is time for these web pages to once again be filled with a bit of life. After a lengthy refit after the ravages of hurricane Irma, Zanshin is finally back in the Caribbean and ready for further adventures.

Click for 2021-10-16 Blog Entry

“Zanshin” is a Jeanneau 57 model sailboat; with 57 feet (17m) there's a lot of room aboard for supplies as well as for people. She was built at the Jeanneau factory outside of Nantes in France, then shipped to Annapolis, MD in the USA where she was commissioned and from there I sailed down to the Caribbean, where Zanshin has been ever since.
Since then I've been sailing up and down the Caribbean island chain exploring the various islands for extended periods. I'm planning on going through the Panama Canal and heading into the Pacific for the long journey across the Pacific. Since the “barefoot route” around the world uses the warm tradewinds that blow to the west it means that heading back east is difficult and uncomfortable. Thus, once past Panama there's no going back and I'm enjoying my time in the Caribbean so much that I'm loathe to leave.
Since I single-hand Zanshin I like to avoid weather and seas as much as possible, which means that I'm most likely not going to sail the challenging route in the high latitudes going past the great Capes of the world - I'll use the man-made canals to shorten the journey.
This site has grown over the years and contains a mix of dated and new material, from manuals and technical details to stories and my daily blog. The blog is in actuality something of a daily dairy and I always post several pictures daily along with a brief description of my adventures (or lack thereof) each day.

Please enjoy browsing the site and, for those who find themselves sailing in unknown waters:

“Immer eine Handbreit Wasser unter dem Kiel.”
(May there always be a handsbreadth of water beneath your keel)

Random Site pictures

Shaun in the cockpit on his first day on the water
(2017-02-26 15:07:15 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/5.6, 1/200s] ISO 100)

This small bird proved an elusive photographic target due to its great speed but at least one picture turned out (from the many that I shot).

Despite being in a mooring field, I hoisted the day shape anyway.
(2014-02-25 14:36:04 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/6.3, 1/500s] ISO 100)

Southern Child
(2011-05-02 13:06:31 NIKON D7000 with a "18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6" lens. [f/7.1, 1/400s] ISO 100 Focus ∞)
[17°0'33.36"N 61°48'17.55"W ]

Under a lot of sail, this raceboat in the Heineken 2012 Regatta is about to make the last tack to the upwind turn.
(2012-03-04 15:59:49 DMC-TZ10 [f/5.0, 10/6400s] ISO 125)
[18°7'9.85"N 63°3'23.66"W ]

Somehow a mouse managed to get aboard and cause mischief for a day or so before going on. Here the paper around my storage cans has been shredded.
(2016-02-03 12:48:29 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/3.5, 1/20s] ISO 100)

Antigua Sailing Week - Sail Number GBR 976R
(2014-04-28 13:26:20 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/8.0, 1/200s] ISO 200)

"Sabina", our committee boat B for the Antigua Sailing Week 2015. The galley high-pressure water system had a serious leak.
(2015-04-24 13:49:15 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/3.5, 1/60s] ISO 100)

The flowers are incredibly colorful and bountiful at this cemetary by the beach.
(2014-03-16 13:24:29 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/11.0, 1/20s] ISO 100)

The big 2 meter seas at 13 second interval (which means a lot of power) breaking on the rocks of Green Island while there's barely a ripple inside the protective reef
(2017-04-23 15:44:30 NIKON D7100 with a "70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6" lens. [f/5.6, 1/1000s] ISO 100)

This course included classroom theoretical instruction as well as practical training in the wave pool, the flood chamber, the fire room and outside with the flares
(2016-11-26 10:20:13 NIKON D7100 with a "18.0-250.0 mm f/3.5-6.3" lens. [f/3.5, 1/400s] ISO 400)

A switchback on the walk up the hill on this well-graded and very wide dirt road; in parts it was steep enough that I doubted cars could drive down it and be able to control their descent during rains.
(2013-02-13 12:31:17 NIKON D7000 with a "18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6" lens. [f/5.6, 1/125s] ISO 125 Focus 7.94m)
[18°26'56.68"N 64°45'20.1"W (facing SW)]

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