Leaving Oregon, the HMS Beagle set a northward course to Everett Washington, just north of Seattle. Again the voyage was inland from the coast between the coastal mountains and the Cascade range to starboard. The most prominent mountain in the cascade range on this part of the journey was Mount St Helens, a volcano which…
The HMS Beagle crossed from California into Oregon near the end of April, 2016. Southern Oregon is quite mountainous and the Beagle followed a course inland from the coast as the coastal course, although beautiful, would have been more wearing on the ship than the Captain was prepared to allow. As well, the crew was…
The HMS Beagle continued its voyage north along the central valley of California, which at its northerly end is called the Sacramento Valley, so named for the Sacramento River that drains the area. The land is, of course, devoted to agriculture, but unlike the arid valley to the south, the Sacramento Valley is more lush,…
Heading north yet again, the HMS Beagle crossed the Santa Cruz mountains and descended into the Santa Clara Valley, sometimes called Silicon Valley. The Beagle continued on up the east side of San Francisco Bay, then crossed the bay at the north end on a very tall and long toll bridge, then veered north again…
Leaving Paso Robles, the Beagle set course for the Monterey Peninsula on the California coast, passing through the Salinas Valley, including the town of Salinas itself, the home of the great American writer John Steinbeck. Second only to the great Central Valley, the Salinas Valley is home to the most intensive agriculture one can imagine. …
The first stop for the HMS Beagle on the voyage north from Los Angeles was the inland town of El Paso de Robles (The Pass of the Oaks), commonly known as Paso Robles. The Beagle anchored at the Wine Country RV Park, the very name of which will give the reader a pretty good idea…
With some regret at leaving behind the beauty of San Diego and surrounding countryside, the HMS Beagle weighed anchor and set a northerly course for Los Angeles. It was not a long journey as predicted by the charts, but the shipping lanes in the Los Angeles area, while plentiful and wide, are so congested that…
After arriving at its first California mooring spot, Rancho Los Coches (where frankly, even the views from the Wal-Mart parking lot were spectacular), the crew of the HMS Beagle set out to explore the City of San Diego. The Captain especially was very impressed by the city’s fabulous mountain setting. Even in the city itself…
The HMS Beagle set out from Yuma, Arizona and with great enthusiasm headed for San Diego, California, but with Yuma on the Arizona/California border, our trip was almost entirely within California. Also, the course taken by the Beagle was for the most part very close to the US/Mexican border. As we travelled west from Yuma,…
After leaving San Antonio, the HMS Beagle headed west stopping in Fort Stockton Texas, then continuing through west Texas, past El Paso, mooring in Las Cruces New Mexico for a night, finally pulling into port in Tucson Arizona for a few days. On the way to and through Arizona, the Beagle travelled through…
The HMS Beagle left the port of Slidell Louisiana near New Orleans on Monday March 21. After an over night stop in San Jacinto just east of Houston Texas (the latter being truly one of the ugliest cities known to humankind, at least as viewed from the endlessly-snaking I-10 through it), the Beagle pulled into…
On a sunny but cool day, the crew of the HMS Beagle set off to the port of New Orleans located beside the great Mississippi River about a half hour’s sail in the Captain’s yacht from the Beagle’s mooring in Slidell, Louisiana. Captain Fitzroy and Master Chaffers had travelled to this port quite some years…
The Beagle set sail from southern Florida on the Ides of March, making two stops – one in Ocala and one in Pensacola – before finding safe harbour in Louisiana on St Patrick’s Day, March 17th. The Beagle enjoyed fair weather on this leg of the voyage but put into port just as the forecasts…
The crew of the HMS Beagle recently enjoyed a lovely day in the Miami Beach area. Captain Fitzroy ordered the Captain’s Yacht to set sail for North Miami Beach in the morning, making landfall at a place know as Haulover Beach. On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sunday’s the good burghers of Miami-Dade County have decreed…
The HMS Beagle is currently anchored at Goldcoaster Harbour, in south Florida, just at the head of the Florida Keys. There are quite a few other ships here as well, but many more of the moorings have been filled in and converted to permanent dwellings (or manufactured homes, as they are called here). Many of…
The HMS Beagle has a very efficient and compact galley (kitchen for you land lubbers). All the mod cons can be found here except for a dishwasher (of the mechanical variety). Captain Fitzroy has, with some zest, continued her interest in cooking and has so far produced many savoury and enjoyable meals for the…
Captain Fitzroy of the HMS Beagle had been in communication with an old school friend, Dr. Martina Feierabend, to the effect that she and her mother Inge would be staying for a week in central Florida near the Weeki Wachee River. Dr. Feierabend has a vacation home there and the Captain proposed to the Sailing…
The Crew of the HMS Beagle enjoys its diversity. Mr. Darwin, the ship’s naturalist, is of the canine persuasion and, on occasion, enjoys the society of other canines. Captain Fitzroy ensures that at our ports of call, we are likely to find the better sort of canine, well mannered and civil. None of this overly…
As with all vessels, the HMS Beagle requires maintenance and repair from time to time. Normal maintenance, like winterizing and repacking bearings, is anticipated and can be planned. However, the real problems arise when things unexpectedly go wrong. Such as…. The Furnace This year, winter in southern Florida has been much cooler than…
The Beagle is currently moored in an area of southern Florida called the Redland Agricultural District. There are literally hundreds of thousands of acres of farm land here. The produce includes fruits and vegetables, but there are also vast tracts of palm tree farms and tropical plant nurseries. This area of Florida is extremely flat…