Daily Logs

La Boheme - It is not so bad in water

-- Anna and Gregory HaremzaLa Bohemewww.labohemesailing.com 006105_DSC8542w. read more...

La Boheme - Our second female volunteer Danusia

-- Anna and Gregory HaremzaLa Bohemewww.labohemesailing.com 006110_DSC8555w. read more...

Ceilidh of Lorne - 28:09N 15:25W

We continued our preparations on board Ceilidh yesterday and found time totake a sail out of the marina to view the ARC invitation racing classstarts.   This also allowed us to test our steering system in around 18knots ofbreeze with the full main set.   Everything functioned normally so this was a very worthwhileexercise.   It was also great to soak up the atmosphere building from the supportersand brass band as we motored out of the dock.   Well done to the ARC organisers for managing these events and continuing anexten ded social programme to cope with the delayed yachts remaining in Las Palmas.   We will have our genoa back on board today and apart from a few minorequipment and stores organising, we are ready to go to sea.   Here are a few photos from. read more...

Matilda - Durban's Shifting Sands

We made it safely to Durban, a mere overnight hop from Richards Bay. We knew that space was tight here, and so it proved to be. Durban marina had no berths so we had to anchor in a very narrow channel with sand bars on both sides (a little disconcerting to watch a guy fishing in waders near where you are parked). We knew we would have to stay a few nights as the weather window had closed and the Southerly did come with winds of 30 knots and above. Unfortunately Matilda's main anchor (a CQR) does not like the 180 degree swings in this very slippery sand/mud (not great holding) and we found ourselves having to re-anchor and re-anchor with more boats piling in. We were getting to the stage where we were nervous to leave the boat unless we put another anchor down (we have three different. read more...

Talulah Ruby II - Log 3 Talulah Ruby 11

We are still here!!!!Presently moored in Las Palmas, waiting for our start which is now on Tuesday 27th at 11am. The start has been delayed due to bad weather conditions but Tuesday onwards looks fine for us. This has given us an extra 48 hours to prep the boat and of course socialize with the other crews! The Arc have organised a social event most evenings here so we have partied hard and about burnt out now. We have had friends and family visit us over the last few days  by Lesley, Tila, Pat and Geoff. Then Tila sprung a surprise and Josh flew in from Newquay, so it really has been a wonderful last few days.The race division of the Arc left on their scheduled start time yesterday so we walked down to see the. read more...

Jay Jay - 25-11-12 Non Starters!

We were all geared up to depart today, but the a combination of theimpending change in the weather and the decision made at the Skippers’ briefingyesterday put paid to that. However, we had the advantage of being able to standon the start line and watch the start of the ARC as spectators. As the startingsignals were being fired, I felt a pang of regret, but our day will come onTuesday instead. It has given us the chance to relax a bit after the freneticchecking of the various parts of the boat, provisioning, and generalorganisation. Our afternoon was more relaxed, a couple of beers in the bar onthe way back to Jay Jay after collecting our freshly baked bread from theminimarket. In fact, the bread was so fresh it came straight from the ovens intoa paper bag and into my hands. I learnt to. read more...

Rivendell - Log Day 1 - "Go Kart Mayhem"

Sunday, 25 Nov 2012Well it was a beautiful day in Las Palmas, but serious storms were brewingoff shore. The racing division (about 36 boats) took off at noon with largecrowds and several bands from the local community to cheer them on. Whilethe cruising division was advised to stay in the harbor and let the stormwinds (50 mph and 20 foot seas) pass.So the remaining 200 boats in thefleet will leave on Tuesday for St Lucia. By the way let me introduce the boat and crew: "Rivendell" is an 82 footsailing yacht, built in the United Kingdom by Oyster Marine, it is U Sflagged. Aboard are two Americans: Schaefer (the owner), and Bruce; fromGibralter is Ben the skipper, from the United Kingdom are Miles, Beau, Andy,and Ian; from Germany is Dom (Dominik); and finally our cook is Taryn who isfrom. read more...

Maunie of Ardwall - Safe, Happy, Fast

Safe, happy, fast Crossing the Atlantic in a 38ft yacht is no small challenge so we thought it might be helpful (and reassuring) to put some notes down about our strategy for the voyage - both on the ARC and beyond. So, whether you are sailing with us or just following our progress, you'll know how we're approaching the trip. Our order of priority will be: Safe, Happy, Fast.  Safe Safety is our top priority and our approach is a combination of safety by design, safety through training and safety through behaviour. Safety through design Fundamentally Maunie is a very safe boat. Her heavy displacement, immensely strong construction, massively over-specced rigging and the shelter offered by her deep cockpit and her pilothouse mean that she'll cope with. read more...

Murphy - All change - Day Minus 2

It's Sunday and Day 1 just became Day Minus 2 as we joined 95% of the cruising class in choosing to wait for the postponed start on Tuesday 27th November - those winds are very unreliable you know. So instead of setting off into the sunset on our big adventure we found ourselves flushing the spiders out of the bunches of green bananas that were delivered this morning and washing masses of fruit and vegetables in Milton solution before storing them away in the the last few remaining hidey holes on the boat. When I say we - someone had to supervise and take the pictures!  We then had a leisurely stroll along the coast to watch the start of the intrepid racing division (which went ahead despite the imperfect weather outlook). There we found these three old. read more...

Bardeau - Fishing with rock cakes

Still in Las Palmas. Woke up late this morning looked at my sun dial and thought we'd forgotten to leave for St Lucia. Then remembered the start had been postponed.Another boring day in paradise watching old films on the tv and trying to stun fish in the marina by feeding them home cooked rock cakes. The rest of the time sifting through weather forecasts trying to find one we like... iPhone suffering indigestion from weather apps... Brain suffering from attempting to use them. Tomorrow is yet another day ...Bored illustrious skipper. read more...

Ntanda - Log day 1- We arrived!

OK, so not in St Lucia but back in Las Palmas marina. With a rather sketchty looking forecast (upwind for the next 2 days in 25 to 35 kts and 4 to 6M sea) we have 'temorarily discontinued' racing. All within the race rules of course but what this does mean is once secure alongside we can't leave the boat. All together a slightly strange situation, we eat on board, sleep on board but can't fill up with water, connect to shore power, recieve any outside assistance or, worst of all, go for a beer! Still, moral is of course great. It's a rather strange feeling being here in the marina after so much prep and organising to sail accross the Atlantic, but after a review of the weather and sea state we feel we won't loose out too much by sitting out the potentially boat breaking conditions. read more...

Lancelot II - back in Las Palmas Marina

Position: LAS PALMAS MARINASOG: 0.0 knotsCOG: ------Weather: SunnyWind S-SW 10-25 knots Blog 2 -  still day 1Well here we are back in Las Palmas ( which you will know if you are following us on the ARC web site )Events of the day so far :Crew pleased to be on the water. Very slow start in very light winds – however Jacko (aided by his crew ) managed to get themselves in a great position  (we even sailed past Venomous!). Lots of discussion re the weather system and all seemed ok. However 3 hours later – facing into the wind (guesting 25 – 30 knots ), reefs just put in, bouncy high seas, it was decided to call it a day ! Of our class circa 9 yachts have come back and some have transferred to cruising class. Coming back with the wind “ up our chuff “ Sam managed 12.4. read more...

Sunrise - Erste Ausfahrt

"alea acta est". Wir haben uns nach langer Diskussion entschlossen, die von der ARC-Leitung empfohlene Startverschiebung wahrzunehmen und werden jetzt am am Dienstag mit den meisten anderen Booten starten.Wie unser Skipper Frank sagte: " Gesegelt wird mit Herz, entschieden mit Verstand ".Heute mittag sind wir dann aus dem Hafen ausgelaufen und haben uns von der Seeseite den regulären Start der Boote angeschaut, die sich entschieden haben, trotz der schlechten Bedingungen zu starten. Viel Glück und Mast und Schotbruch an diese Crews.Wir geniessen jetzt die beiden Gran Canaria-Extratage und freuen uns entspannt weiter auf den Atlantik.Frank, Frank, Andreas, Hans, Ulf, Dirk, Robert, Peter. read more...

Sam III - Countdown abgebrochen

Ich verstehe meine neue Crew nicht ganz,erst wieseln die herum wie wild gewordene Ameisen,tragen Obst und Gemüse herein - ich habe schon mal heimlich genascht, lecker - schrauben an allem rum was nicht schnell genug auf der Mastspitze ist, stehen schon bereit um bald abzulegen. Und plötzlich passiert nichts mehr. Habe mich unauffällig an Tisch geschlichen,ohne das eine Feder raschelt, und hörte dass der Start auf Montag verschoben wird wegen schlechtem Wetter und hohen Wellen. Was sind dass den für weiche Segler, hohe Wellen sind doch kein Problem für mich; meine Vogelstange schwingt vollkardanisch. Da passiert doch nichts. Naja,komme ich eben etwas später zu meinen Piratenfreunden in die Karibik zurück. Habe mir heute erstmal ein paar Flaschen Rum gesichert und versteckt, so kann ich. read more...

Capricho - Diario dia 1 - Partieron los veleros de carrera.

Partieron los veleros de carrera.Hay un gran ambiente de tranquilidad en la marina. La partida de los botes de carrera, mas unos 6 que se metieron de todas maneras a la salida hoy –siempre hay sapos en todos los rincones de la tierra y del mar- fue, muy inglesa, a las 12:30sharp on the dot sonó el cañonazo de aviso oficial de largada.Salimos Sergio y el escribano a verla y a tomar fotos, que desafortunadamente no puedo colgar por la ausencia de un buen internet. Fuimos en el dinghy y fue muy interesante ver como maniobraban 27 veleros para lograr posiciones ventajosas en el inicio de la regata. Realmente esto es mas por la emoción de la carrera propiamente dicha, ya que en una distancia como la del cruce del Atlántico que vamos hacer unos cuantos segundos o minutos no hacen ninguna. read more...

Miramar - Rum Drinks, Cat, and Youngest Skipper Trophy!

arrival. read more...

Miramar - Arrived!

We've arrived in Nanny Key, greeted with rum drinks! The hot topic of conversation for the crew of the Miramar is the tiled showers, and endless hot water -- we're all looking forward to it.Last night we spent moored in Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke -- we enjoyed our Spiny Lobster dinner and full night's sleep!We're posting a few pictures along with this -- dockside delivery of rum drinks, the full crew onboard with the boat tied to the dock, and Bill, Jamie, Quixote and I with our rum drinks and my Youngest Skipper trophy!Thanks to all the support from Andy, Mia and the entire Caribbean 1500, including all organizers and participants. We had a great time! We're looking forward to our winter in the Caribbean!We'll be posting all future updates on our personal sailing blog at. read more...

Surfing Petrel - First day at sea!

Surfing Petrel and a host of other ARC boats left the marina in Las Palmas under a glorious blue sky, watched by enthusiastic crowds on the breakwaters. The forecast was for an upwind start, followed by more upwind. But the seabreeze had a go at filling in, meaning a painful drift across the start line, and a couple of hours of slopping in fickle breeze. Eventually we reached the southerly wind, and have been beating ever since, tacking along the shore of Gran Canaria. Lots of boats around, and just to leeward we have Haspa Hamburg, a red German boat with almost identical rating. The race is on! (strangely enough, some of the Surfing Petrel crew often race in the Class40 fleet, and our favourite enemy is a red boat skippered by a German...) Miranda. read more...

High Yield - Tag -2: Startverschiebung

Der Wettergott hat für heute und Montag ein Tiefdruckgebiet über die Canaren geschickt. Das würde heute Nacht bis Montag Nacht 6-7 Bft. gegenan bedeuten.Die Regattaleitung hat daher eine Startoption für Dienstag eingeräumt. Die werden wir wahrnehmen, und nutzen die verbleibende Zeit den Gewichtstrimm für unser durch Wasser- und Essensvoräte recht schweren Bootes weiter zu optimieren. Wir rechnen für Dienstag mit munterem Wind (6 Bft.) von achtern, und können dann hoffentlich flott Richtung 20 N 25 W segeln.Unsere Stimmung ist dementsprechend heiter. Bis auf bald Hanns und Crew. read more...

Morpion - Presque prêts

Vendredi 23 NovembrePlus qu'une journée de préparation avant le jour J... La semaine a été pas mal chargée comme vous pouvez vous en douter. L'avitaillement a été fait hier, les derniers détails de sécurité ont été réglés aujourd'hui et la préparation du bateau continue jour après jour...Par exemple, aujourd'hui on a:* Installé une drisse de secours dans le mat* Fait quelques essais avec le Parasailor (un spi-aile) sur l'eau pour se familiariser avec la manœuvre.* Vérifié le petit foc et le tourmentain* Préparé sur papier tous les menus* Installé une poulie au point de drisse de spi* Fait les pleins d'eau et de gazoleMaintenant il nous reste à nous charger de l'Happy-Hour quotidien et du "ARC 2012 Farewell Cocktail Party"Au programme demain: Check-out, skippers' briefing, fin de. read more...

Lancelot II - Lancelot II

Position: LAS PALMAS MARINA SOG: 0.0 knots COG: ------ Weather: Sunny Wind S-SW 15-20 knots   Morning The Lancelot II crew have bonded well and has been split into watches –Jacko, with John, Oscar and Ryan and Sam withJack, Neil and Peter The boat is prepared with a lot of water on board as unfortunately thewater maker did not make it to Gran Canaria in time ( it was faulty and sentback to Italy and was promised to be return in time !!!!!  We had a great crew dinner last night which was a sober affair compared topreviously nights activities – the G & T’s whilst nice are rather large withalso some late night / early morning activities !!!! The weather system here in Gran Canaria is very complex with a low pressureapproaching us The cruising class is postponed till Tuesday. read more...

Fidelis of London - Start ARC Delayed 25 november 2012

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Ostrea - Uitgestelde start

Even een testberichtje via onze sateliet telefoon via de ARC website. Zaterdag 24 november besloot de ARC organisatie de start twee dagen uit te stellen ivm de harde zuidwestenwind en bijbehorende zeegang.Wij liggen hier dus nog twee nachtjes totdat we dinsdag aanstaande starten voor ons grote oceaan avontuur.Veel groeten van de Ostrea bemanning!. read more...

Kinship - Kinship Log - PreDeparture

The crew aboard Kinship are finishing up the last minute details, stowing for sea, and enjoying croissants as we await the first start of the ARC. We plan to watch from the shore and hunker down until the wind blows through before we make our departure on Tuesday. Feeling ready, these next few days should be relaxing with only few errands to run. Already the flags snap in the breeze and a gentle swell can be felt in the marina. It should be a fun start!. read more...

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