Currently Dauntless is wintering over in Waterford, Ireland, a wonderful town in the southeast of the country, full of really nice, interesting, outgoing people. Ireland has so exceeded my expectations, it will be hard not to return next winter, but we have six months of exploring and cruising before that decision must be made.
Dauntless in Waterford November 2014
As of now, I am subject to the 90 days out of 180 days Schengen Visa requirements. Worst case, this means I can only be in the Schengen area for 90 days and I would then plan those 90 days to be 1 June to 1 Sept. There is a possibility that the Schengen area countries will offer a 180 day Visa in the near future. That clearly would solve my issues and I could stay in the Schengen area for April, May and September.
Ireland, Scotland, the U.K. and the Channel Islands are all out of the Schengen area.
So worst case, only 90 days,is once I leave Ireland in the spring, stopping in France and Belgium only for a week or so, before retreating to the Channel Islands. Then by the end of May, start heading east, first into Holland, then Germany ending up in Gdansk by mid-July, starting our Baltic explorations as described below.
Spring and Summer 2015 Cruise Plan
When
Where
What
March
Waterford, Ireland
Prepare Dauntless for the cruising season
Early April
Depart for France/Belgium
Channel Islands, enter French Canals, Dunkerque-Escaut, in NE France or go to Belgium direct
April, May
France/Belgium or Channel Islands
Explore NE France & Belgium Canals, subject to our Air Draft of 4.5m
June
Head NE, Belgium, Holland and Germany
Find the most interesting route to the Kiel Canal, the Baltic adventure begins
End of July
Germany and Poland
Eastern Germany and Poland, Gdansk last two weeks of July
I’m an eclectic person, who grew up in New York, lived overseas for many years and have a boat, Dauntless, a 42 foot Kadey Krogen trawler yacht. Dauntless enables me to not only live in many different parts of the world, but to do it in a way that is interesting, affordable, with the added spice of a challenge.
Dauntless also allows me to be in touch with nature. As the boat glides through the ocean, you have a sense of being part of a living organism. When dolphins come to frolic, they stay longer if you are out there talking to them, watching them. Birds come by, sometimes looking for a handout; sometimes grateful to find a respite from their long journey.
I grew up on the New York waterfront, in the West Village, when everything west of Hudson St. was related to shipping and cargo from around the world. For a kid, it was an exciting place of warehouses, trucks, and working boats of all kinds: tugs and the barges and ships, cargo and passenger, they were pushing around.
My father was an electrical engineer, my mother an intellectual, I fell in between.
I have always been attracted to Earth’s natural processes, the physical sciences. I was in 8th grade when I decided to be a Meteorologist.
After my career in meteorology, my natural interest in earth sciences: geology, astronomy, geography, earth history, made it a natural for me to become a science teacher in New York City, when I moved back to the Big Apple. Teaching led to becoming a high school principal to have the power to truly help kids learn and to be successful not only in school but in life.
Dauntless is in western Europe now. In May and June, I will be wrapping up the last two years in northern Europe, heading south to spend the rest of the year in Spain & Portugal.
Long term, I’m planning on returning to North American in the fall of 2017 and from there continuing to head west until we’re in Northeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, where we will settle for a bit.
But now, my future lies not in NY or even Europe, but back to the water, where at night, when the winds die down, there is no noise, only the silence of the universe. I feel like I am at home, finally.
View all posts by Richard on Dauntless
2 thoughts on “Dauntless’ Spring & Summer 2015 Cruise Plans”
Hi,
I am a fan of Kadey-Krogen vessels and living near Paris France. It would be an honor and a great oppotunity for me to shake your hand and have a good wine party (with the other hand 🙂 but with moderation of course). I own a small 23 feet boat in Mediterrannean sea. I am 59 years old delivering people management consulting an training. I have been working in Standardization processes for IEEE in the US and for this reason I know many places of your nice country.
I will of course bring the wine, Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks a lot for your blog. You are doing one of my dreams, And by proxy I enjoy a lot your travel.
Hi,
I am a fan of Kadey-Krogen vessels and living near Paris France. It would be an honor and a great oppotunity for me to shake your hand and have a good wine party (with the other hand 🙂 but with moderation of course). I own a small 23 feet boat in Mediterrannean sea. I am 59 years old delivering people management consulting an training. I have been working in Standardization processes for IEEE in the US and for this reason I know many places of your nice country.
I will of course bring the wine, Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks a lot for your blog. You are doing one of my dreams, And by proxy I enjoy a lot your travel.
Pierre-Jean
Great to hear from you.
Of course, e-mail me, Wxx3@Verizon.net
Richard