Legacy: Transoceanic Expedition 2005

About an hour ago we anchored off Great Salt Cay, halfway to Abaco Island, to spend the night. Nuño decides that we cannot keep sailing without light because from here it is dangerous to sail at night. The waters in this part of the Bahamas are shallow and although the Oceana Ranger, like almost all … Read more

The Ranger has arrived at Bimini (in the Bahamas) ahead of schedule, at 6:15 a.m. We couldn’t anchor until the first light of dawn. The wait was justified: it was important to be able to see the sandy seafloor before letting down the anchor because in this area, Ricardo explains, there are many sea grasses, … Read more

8:00 a.m. The crew is ready to begin the day. We have to move the Oceana Ranger to the site where the press conference will be held, at Bayside Miamarina (right in the center of Miami, the immense Latin metropolis of the United States where if you don’t speak Castilian it almost seems strange). The … Read more

Yesterday a new sailor, José Carlos Corral, came aboard. He is also a diver, has been since he was 15. “You must have 3,000 dives logged,” Mar says to him. “Well, the truth is I haven’t counted…” José Carlos has been working as a dive master in Zanzibar for the past three months. For non-diving-experts, … Read more

“Indi, run, come on, come on, drop everything!” shouts Nuno, the captain, from the cockpit. You should have seen how Jose Pañalver (that is, Indi) left the Ranger kitchen. Well, Indi and myself, of course. He was chopping vegetables to freeze in bags. I, across the room, was watching him while writing this journal, of … Read more

Sole threw herself back into the water today to continue the cleaning of the hull and to take a few photos of its current state. Nuno, our captain, gave her precise instructions about the area and parts to check. “Today I asked here to examine in detail the mileage log, a tiny propeller that records … Read more

Nuño Ramos is the captain of the Oceana Ranger. His connection with Oceana is the result of years of engagement in environmental causes and, more specifically, with the marine environment. Also, of course, because of his friendship with Xavier Pastor. A few years ago Nuño was one of his collaborators in the founding of MarViva, … Read more

The Ranger has been docked for the past few weeks at Harbour Towne Marina, in Florida, and the crew, captained by Nuno Ramos, is toiling to bring the work to a close. Everything must be in perfect condition before the Atlantic crossing, headed to the European coast. Amidst everything, Ricardo Aguilar, Director of Research and … Read more

While our diving mates were enjoying their non-vacation, Nuño, Carlos, David and I were working on fixing up the catamaran. Trim the rigging, change the halyards, check the sailing gear, shopping list, inventories, check communications … We began preparing the Ranger for crossing the Atlantic, and the closest passage to the Bahamas. Now we have … Read more

April 1st. Finally we reached Fort Lauderdale! After more than two months aboard the ship, the diving crew – Mar, Houssine and I – got permission to take a short one-week vacation to rest. After several attempts to get a reasonably-priced flight to Jamaica, Puerto Rico or Cuba, we ended up deciding to drive to … Read more