Daily Logs

A Lady - "A LADY TRIP" Sailing around the world (presently in " TAHUATA" the Marquesas Islands, South Pacific)

Friday, 2nd April 2010 - Tim Cadogan's birthday - GOOD FRIDAY  07.00hrs All up and about and making ourselves busy as we are about to leave this Island. We went for an early swim first and then hauled the rib onto the dericks, Donal doing the hauling. Yesterday we towed the rib behind, but it was a much shorter trip only 35miles as opposed to todays journey of approx 60miles NW. 08.00hrs We weighed anchor and set sailWind: E28/34 knotsSeas: moderateSailing: broad reach, with full sailsS.O G.: 8.5/9.5 knots touching 10.5 at times Weather: What a beautifull sailing day, clear blue skies, deep blue seas, lots of bird life and lots of wind in the right direction. Again, it really makes appriciate the boat we have, solid, comfortable, stable in all. read more...

Cleone - Leg 4 Day 5 - Red Lion Mystery Deepens

Long-term Northamptonshire absentee identified - family and friends questioned.  Meanwhile, Cleone escapes a brewed-up battery and dives South to catch the Trades. There was consternation in the small sleepy Northamptonshire Village of Grendon, where it has been revealed that there has been no confirmed sighting of Red Lion Regular, local man Chris "Norfy" North, for several months.  Landlord Ian Fletcher confirmed Norfy's apparent disappearance late on Tuesday.  "His slate was full; he owes me 17 pounds fourteen shillings and eight pence, not counting last Saturday's Rugby", complained Ian.  "I searched the gents and the skittle-alley, where he normally retreats at pay-up time, but couldn't find him".  An ad-hoc committee of other locals was immediately convened.  Spokesman Mojo Mike. read more...

Southern Princess - What happens when a Boom Vang goes Boom?

Friday 14th March 2008                                    06:37S  102:46W Well not a lot really. I was asleep in my bunk to be woken by a rhythmic kerbang/kerclunk/kerbang etc. An ear to the mast revealed that might be the source but there again apart from the furler foil inside the mast, nothing could be really making that kind of noise. The Princess voiced the opinion that it was coming from the boom. We are sensitive about the boom as we bent it coming across the Atlantic and while we have patched it we still have a 3" to 5" bend in it. Anyway investigations continued and then I noticed that where the boom vang joined the base of the mast that each time the boat rolled and the mail sail took up some slack, this join would jerk sideways and voila we found the culprit. This connection. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 64 - Baie Hanatefau, Tahuata

1 April 2010The wonderful thing about sailing in French Polynesian waters is that you can day sail among and between the islands without having to do an overnight passage and of course it is our policy never to arrive or leave in the dark. We would never want to miss a daylight arrival at any one of these islands so spectacular is their topography. It is something that we anticipate with great excitement and infinite pleasure for nowhere else in the Pacific is landfall more dramatic. Perhaps it is because it reminds us so much of home but with any luck it will not be too long before that dream becomes a reality. Today was a perfect example of that feeling. Having spent three wonderful days and nights in Fatu Hiva we were once more ready to move on. The island of Tahuata, the smallest. read more...

A Lady - "A LADY TRIP" Sailing around the World (presently in "Tahuata", the Marquesas Islands, South Pacific)

Sailing from:Fatu Hiva to Tahuata   Distance: 40 miles NWWind: NE 26/28 knotsSea state: bumpyWeather: good, sunshine and clouds Thursday, 1st  April - Fools Day 06.30hrs  all up and about and had a light breakfast.07.30hrs  Weighed anchor and set sail for Tahuata. There were 8  W A  boats in our little harbour as we left.We decided to move on, we had seen what had to be seen in " Fatu Hiva " and we want to see as many of these Islands before we head SSW to the Tuamotu Archipelago's.  14.00hrs  We reached our new Island and again it was dramatic and beautifull. How can I describe them? Sheer green cliffs towering a thousand feet or more into the sky, casting magic shadows across the deep blue sea. 15.00. read more...

Asolare - Leg 4, Day 5 to Maquesas. Great Sailing!

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Friday 15th March 2008 Great Sailing!The whole fleet will now be enjoying good sailing now that the wind field has filled in with generally SW winds of 15 – 18 knots. “Asolare” is making between 9 and 10 knots over the ground as we also have ½ knot of favourable current. The weather is partially cloudy but very sunny and warm with no showers or squalls in sight. Now at 1515hr UTC we have 2236 miles to go and the computers tell me that at this speed we will be in the Marquesas in just 9 days time! This is most unlikely to be achieved as the long range forecast indicated light winds and therefore speeds for the last week or so. “Make hay whilst the sun shines” – and it is shining brightly. We are on a broad reach with the apparent wind. read more...

Crazy Horse - Happy Easter

We are here at anchorage in Nuku Hiva. We had hoped to get fuel and reprovision but forgot it was Easter this weekend. We are not sure what will be open. Things may be totally closed down until Monday. We are planning on taking the trip ashore in a short while. Ocean Jasper is here with us. ALady is supposed to arrive today. They may have realized Easter and decided to stay on another island.Wild Tigris is here with prop problems too. They sound very complicated. Hopefully they will be able to get it fixed and get on with their journey. We hope our prop stays together until Tahiti where we hope to have it replaced if all goes as planned.We had quite a rough passage from Fatu Hiva to here yesterday. The wind was blowing from one direction and the waves and current from another. It was. read more...

Gray Lady - LEG 3 ,DAY 5 ,Gigi helmscat

What can I say , 2000 miles to go , trade winds are setting in , Gray Lady is sailing at 10 Knots !!!We love our helmsman....sorry.......I meant helmscat , she is fit for this job , but I do not understand what she really thinks during those long hours steering Gray Lady ?It may be Cat dreams ?!Gigi the helmscat , says Miaoo.Imagen 016 copy. read more...

Gray Lady - Leg 3 Day 5 . Thanks to our shore based crew !!

Enthusiastic till the end , saying us good by at the start line, helpful to the limit retrieving and dropping anchors for the fleet, patient and always present on channel 77 , professional and organized on the briefings, pleasant and friendly always meeting you .Gray Lady is happy to have you as our shore based crew.Thank you and good luck World Arc Team , See you in the Marquesas!!Imagen 001. read more...

A Lady - "A LADY TRIP" Sailing around the World (presently in " Fatu Hiva " The Marquesses Islands, South Pacific)

Wednesday, 31st March 2010  Fatu Hiva 06.30hrs  The Skipper went on deck to survey the morning, It had rained heavily during the night. The other two were still zzzzzzzzzzz,  a bit early for them. 08.00hrs  Donal went ashore with the passports and met with the local police officer, who was just being very official, as we had already cleared our papers for the Marquises in pto Atuano. Anyway, its better to keep them all happy. 09.30hrs   Donal and Stephen went by local express  (14'  aluminium Dory) to the main Village, approx 2miles away to the south. Walking was out of the question, as it included a trip over some pretty high terrain and would certainly take 2.5 hrs each way. We intended staying about 1 hour, but in the french. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 63 - Fatu Hiva

29 to 31 March 2010Fatu Hiva At first light after another sleepless night we were thankful to raise the anchor. In a brisk force five we had a great sail, hard on the wind. It blew away the gremlins that seem to have plagued us since our arrival in the Marquesas. We were astonished to see the wind speed and direction dials suddenly spring to life. They had refused to budge since arriving in the Galapagos. The spare part which now awaits us in Tahiti may not be necessary after all but at least we have it in case of future problems. Fatu Hiva lay 49nm to the south east. It has long been an ambition of ours to come here as it is said to be the most beautiful island of the Marquises. It is featured on the front cover of one of our pilot books Charlie's Charts. Entering the Bay of Virgins. read more...

Kasuje - Daily Log Thursday 13th March

Hi AllGood news today. Firstly Skip managed to get through the night without another relapse, and is on the mend although is being restricted to water only for another 24 hours, that makes 5 days with no solids. He will be able to slide under the door soon!!  Secondly and most importantly, we think we have found the South East Trades. They started last night, came and went a few times, and have now blown about 18 knots for the last 8 hours. The inline six has been put to bed , hopefully for a couple of weeks, and we are now whizzing along at about 8.5 knots. Australian Bruce, our weather router, has done a fantastic job directing us to the winds and avoiding the worst of the storms. We did however catch a rainstorm last night that lasted 3 hours, drenched Ruby and I, and nearly filled. read more...

Lady Kay - Trade winds

HiAfter the stifling heat and no winds of the equatorial doldrums we are now at last getting some trade winds and sailing at a good speed. If feels quite cool after Equatorial climes and have even put on a fleece during night watches. We also have some waves instead of flat seas which is the down side. Conversation is dominated by either how many hours to got to Hiva Oa, which varies considerably as based on current speed, and what other ways are there to cook tuna (seared with sesame seeds & soy last night).Our picture today is a blue-footed Booby on Espanola. Its amazing that they just sit there, not bothered by your presence. On the blue footed booby front, Kerry is worried that after 3 months of not wearing shoes, on her return to cold London her feet will be this wide (and this. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 62 - A "FINE" day

28 March 2010For more than one reason we will not be sorry to weigh anchor tomorrow and leave Hiva Oa in our wake. Firstly the anchorage is subject to swell and there were just too many of us to be able to tuck in behind the breakwater for a calmer sea. As Voyageur's stern crashed up and down in the waves, I had to retreat to the cockpit to snatch what little sleep I could get. But we were told that it would be so. The concrete dinghy dock was downright dangerous and you had to carefully judge your leap onto its platform in timing with the surge of rushing water. At low water boats got sucked in underneath it and were prone to get trapped. Our new canvas cover was torn and the outboard narrowly escaped damage. In the anchorage at least three rally boats lost their stern anchors.. read more...

Crazy Horse - Leaving Fatu Hiva

After a day of repair and visiting with the local children we are preparing to leave for Nuku Hiva. Voyageur and A Lady have already left for other islands. Ocean Jasper and Crazy Horse are intent on refueling and re-provisioning in Nuku Hiva asap.Some of the local fisherman visited us 2 nights ago asking us to borrow our snorkling mask. We lent them one hoping they would sell us some fish and veggies as promised. Well, we were loosing hope until last night as Bill and I were onboard A Lady they came asking for the Crazy Horse lady with thesnorkle mask. They "gave me" all kinds of fish, papaya, bananas, and grapefruit. When I asked them how much they said no money. They did want wine. We gave them wine and all were happy. Later that night they returned the mask. The people here are very. read more...

A Lady - "A LADY TRIP " Sailing around the world,,, (presently in Fatu Hiva , The Marquesses Islands, South Pacific)

Tuesday, 30th March 2010 - Christine Hyde's  Birthday 06.30hrs   Very cloudy, but the scenery here in this Island is breathtaking, When the rest of the crew got up, we all went for a swim in the crystal clear water. Even in 10m of water, we could still see the bottom clearly with all the colourfull fish and the odd lobster swimming around. We cleaned the boat top again and booked a local "Restaurant" for dinner tonight. Thats for the 4 boats here, Voyageur, Crazy Horse, Ocean Jasper & A lady, 12 people in total. 10.30hrs   Aileen & the Skipper went ashore and walked/hiked 2 hours to the WATERFALL. This is the 3rd highest waterfall in the world, and it was pretty spectacular, even though there was not too. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - the doldrums!

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Thursday 13.03.08Position @12.00hrs;S;06.07 W99.21                      Distance in last 24hrs;164 milesMidday yesterday – engine on again- the wind has died. We take advantage of a level boat to clean a few bilges and do a general tidy. It’s flat calm until about 3pm when a breeze starts to fill in from the S/SW, but it’s still right on the nose! We motor all day and decide to continue S/SW to try and pick up the trade winds as soon as possible. Phil and Fay on Tramontana have emailed to tell us they are now below 6 degrees with good 15 knot winds. Worryingly , they’ve not caught any fish either! We enjoy a mid afternoon G&T with treble limes. Chicken soup for tea with the promise of red meat tomorrow to stall a mutiny! We stop. read more...

Whitbread - 13/03/2008

Well hello there cruise lovers!We left Santa cruz at 7pm and are finally starting the big leg to The Mauquesas. We had a few engine difficulties at the start so thought we would have to pull into Isabella Island but all is well on The Whitbread. Well today is my Birthday on board and of course have been intiltiled to a fab day off.  It has been fantastic!!!  Sam and Wolfie baked a cake!! A Cake!!! They all sang happy birthday and came bearing gifts. I have been really spoiled, i received a hand made necklace from shells collected from Santa Cruz from Wolfie, the most beautiful chain, a leather diary and organizer from jeff, a bottle of your finest Irish Liquer from Marcel and a group Whitbread Galapagos swinging chair for the deck, how cool is that!!!!A squall came thru an hour ago which. read more...

Crazy Horse - Fatu Hiva

We arrived here on Monday afternoon and saw the most beautiful sunset. We have a front row seat here as it sets right in front of us across the Pacific. Maggie even saw the green flash.Yesterday we walked up a rocky path to the one of the highest waterfalls we have ever seen. It took us about an hour and a half to reach the falls.They say you can't leave the island until you see the falls.All the crew from A Lady, Maggie and Bob from Ocean Jasper, Susan and David from Voyaguer, and Matt and I from Crazy Horse all went out to eat at one of the homes of the residents of this magnificent island. They were a large family who prepared a feast of the local cuisine and entertained us with live music. They were quite friendly and very hospitable. They seem to havethe same concerns about their. read more...

Tucanon - 3 weeks weed growth on the boat

 Monday 22nd and we have been at sea for 2 weeks, covered in excess of 2000nm(nautical miles) and have managed not to have to use the engines at all which is really great. The rest of the fleet used their engines soon after we left Academy bay, Galapagos and most of those, some 200+ nm ahead of us, have resorted to the iron sail once again. We are hoping that we might be able to sail the entire distance of 3000nm, which would be really brilliant..Today around 8am we reached the point where we had traveled ¾ of the distance. Around 16.30 we crossed yet another time zone so are theoretically nine hours behind UT (universal time) though we won't put this into practice until tomorrow when it is easier to absorb during the daytime, adjusting the watch system to incorporate that. read more...

Cleone - Leg 4 Day 4 - Rain but no Wind

It rained stair-rods last night*, but STILL there is no wind to speak of! Much of the chit-chat this morning on the Roll Call was to do with the weather.  Our thanks go to everyone who contributed to the debate - to Asolare, always generous with information and tailored advice, to Southern Princess, the net controller on a partiucularly difficult day, to Viva for her contribution, and as always to Quasar. And all this is underpinned by our very own router, the ever ready and willing John Dyer, whose help in technical matters over the last few weeks has been deeply appreciated, and whose special weather-routeing service for Cleone has so far gone publicly unacknowledged.  So John, a big thank you, hopfully this time spelt out on the Website! The distillation of all of this is that we have. read more...

Southern Princess - Net Controller

06:26S 99:18WToday we had to act as net controller where we did the roll call of all the yachts and their positions. The fleet is getting strung out so we can't hear all of them and so the positions are relayed up and down the fleet.Ships Log for 12th March.Heading 252° COG 248° BTW 257° SOG 5.8 knots Wind 109°  WOD 10.0 knots Turned motor off at 06:15 and following Bruce's advice have now headed 260° T or 252°M. The winds are trades? at 10 - 12 knots. They must get better for us to make any headway. Last night we motored at  230° to get below 6:15S as recommended. We is here but the wind is not! Buckets of rain however and the yacht is very clean.Ships Log for 13th MarchHeading 257° COG 25° BTW 257° SOG 7.0 knots Wind 113°  WOD 9.0 knots Distance run last 24 hours = 151nm. Today we are. read more...

Crazy Horse - Hiva Oa Day 5

We went on a very exciting drive around the island today with Jim and Ana of Ocean Jasper and all the crew from Noeluna. We traveled around winding and edge of the cliff roads all the way to the archeological site. We had two women taxi drivers who were quite adept at traversing the rocky ledges. The lunch consisted of goat meat, beef, and tuna cerviche, rice, different kinds of bananas, fried breadfruit, and a tapioca dessert. It was wonderful and quite typical of the food here. However, Bill was ready for an old fashioned cheeseburger when we returned.Everyone has 4 wheel vehicles around here because of the road conditions. No one drives around here til 20 . We are planning on leaving in the am for Fatu Hiva which is 40 miles south of Hiva Oa. We will probably be traveling with some of. read more...

Ronja - Pacific passage: Galapagos to Marquesas: Landfall

Position 09:48.22S, 139:01.94W Sailed distance: 3020 NM Distance to Marquesas: 0 Nm Dear readers, Landfall Marquesas - Hiva Oa - PARADISE . After 18 days, 21 hours and 28 minutes we crossed the finishing line just outside the harbor of Hiva Oa. Calling Rally Control we immediately got response from Paul on the VHF. After some minutes we where advised to our anchorage, where some other World ARC boats where waiting to help us with the anchorage. The harbor is quite small, and is subject to some swell so both bow and stern anchor is needed to have a comfortable and safe anchorage. Again we where greeted by the other World ARC boats that had arrived before us, creating a very special atmosphere of enjoy and happiness. We had safely passed the Pacific, having friends waiting for us, being. read more...

Graptolite - Fishing for Compliments

02:09.37S 093:06.42W PM Wednesday 12/3 150 miles southwest of the GalapagosColin caught just the one fish today but it was an 8lb tuna. To try to cut down on the usual winch-handle blood-splattering, this one was welcomed onboard with a shot of Bacardi in the gills. Even so, with me filleting and Colin and Heike turning it into kebabs, it was still a bit messy and I wish I had paid more attention while I had a sushi chef on the crew.Grapto has been motoring all day towards the southwest in almost no wind hoping to find the elusive SE Trades. We have little idea what the rest of the WARC boats are up to and what conditions they have. With most of thefleet being probably several hundred miles ahead, only a few crackly words could be made out from the daily SSB radio net this afternoon.M. read more...

Crazy Horse - HivaOa

Many of the boats of the fleet are now anchored here in the bay in Hiva Oa.We are waiting for Wild Tigris, Chessie, Liza, Thor VI, and Arianne. Some of us may be leaving Sunday or Monday for some of the other islands.Last night we were treated to some traditional dance performers from the island. They were magnificent. After their performance they picked out a few of us to try out some of the steps with them. Of course wouldn't you know they came right to moi. I should have gotten a clue when everyone around me started to scatter. Well, it was fun and it reminded me of the days when I took hula lessons at age 7 or so. Fortunately, we forgot the camera so Bill doesn't have it on film. We hope to see some of the spiritual burial sites on this island before we leave.Rosemary. read more...

Asolare - Leg 4, Day 5 to Marquesas

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Thursday March 13th 2008 Sailing Again!After 18 hours of motoring we have now just got sufficient wind of about 6 knots to sail again. The quietness and beauty of a serene sail in idyllic seas after a long time of motoring has to be experienced to fully appreciate. We had a few showers in the night, but the grey dawn soon gave way to partially cloudy but mainly blue sky with an intensely clear and hot sun!When you sail long sea passages you don’t sail in a straight line as drawn on a chart because of the curvature of the earth and the projection used in making a map on a flat chart. You sail what is called a great circle route which is the shortest distance between the two points. When you look at this route on a large “flat” chart it. read more...

Ronja - Pacific passage: Galapagos to Marquesas: Last night

Position 09:45.58, 137:57.85WSailed distance: 2962 NMDistance to Marquesas: 65NmDear readers,We are almost there - we can all hear the Marquesas hauling out for us. Lars, Stians brother, has already arrived Hiva Oua, after a 3 day travel from Nordreisa in Norway. Lars will be joining Ronja on the way to Australia. Since we are not completely there yet, Henning has invited Lars to sleep in Destiny for this night - what a grate friends the other World ARC boats are. We just spoke to Henning and Lars on the SSB (HF Radio), just to learn that they were on the way to a restaurant to have a dinner (oooh - do we wished to be there right now). No tears, we will be there tomorrow morning.The last night looks to be a real nice one. No clouds on the sky, big bright moon and little wind which gives. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Log 12/03/2008

Wednesday 5th MarchON THE WAY TO SANTA FEAll 5 of us went on this excursion, which involved a coach ride to the other end of the Island, a slow boat ride, an average guide, a very average snorkel, a lot of iguanas and not an awful lot of interest. What a contrast to the previous day when the service on board and the wildlife was great!Blue-footed BoobyIn the evening Mandy had organised a dinner at the Red Mangrove Hotel, which like most dinners organised by ARC was a great success, although the hotel let her down on the reservation and there were not enough tables. Sue and I arrived by taxi and were squeezed onto to table with Andante and David, Nick and Rosie from Kealoha, but the others and James pinched a Blue Water Rally table and a woman from it was absolutely furious and sat down. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Log 11/03/2008

Tuesday 11th MarchAMAZING, INCREDIBLE, OUTSTANDING - LOST FOR WORDS? NEVER!Good progress today until this afternoon when the wind died and we reluctantly put the engine back on around 18:30. The weather is beautiful and the sea is flattish and we enjoy a splendid lunch of another blue fin tuna, that Barry has caught the day before, with fried potatoes and salad (we seem have about 2 tons of potatoes on board - scrubbed and washed by the down trodden JB!). (Poor little JB. There were actually 3 of us involved in the washing, scrubbing and drying operation. RL)Things are so great that we open a wine box out of the fridge and then low and behold (and we didn't have that much wine) two 20-foot whales pop up either side of us less than 6 feet away from the boat and swam underneath. JB got a. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 60 - Land is nigh!

25 March 2010There is a part of me that does not want this to end. Yesterday afternoon David and I lay on the foredeck, Voyageur's great wide wings giving us perfect shade from the blistering tropical sun. Looking upwards to the sky like a couple of kids lying in a field of corn, her mast swayed in rhythm to the ocean swell. It has been one of the most relaxing ocean passages David and I have ever had. We cannot remember reading so many books, enjoyed so many sundowners, eaten so many good dinners. Far from being tired we feel rested and refreshed. The Pacific has been extraordinarily benevolent towards us. We have had good quality sleep and plenty of it too, apart from a couple of days of insomnia for me at the start. We have not encountered any shipping although from previous. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 59 - The one that got away

24 March 2010 I awoke to the sight of colourful balloons flying gaily from Voyageur's cockpit mizzen mast. The reason.... it is my birthday today. All morning Aeolus teased us mercilessly with fluctuating wind speeds and sudden erratic changes of direction. But during an afternoon nap he spirited one from right under my very nose. It would be the red one, bold letters with "BIRTHDAY" on it. This childish prank of his must have appealed to him for he settled down and before long we were flying along at a fine rate ok knots towards our first island paradise. Birthday wishes came over on the net from Ocean Jasper, Lady Lisa, Eowyn and Ronja, whose crew sang Happy Birthday in Norwegian followed by a musical rendition from the wandering mistrals duo, Vilde and Patrik.We have been. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Quasar Log

Tuesday 3rd MarchFLOREANAThe first day excursion and by far the best apart from the fact that Sue was ill and stayed on the boat whilst the others refuelled. On board there was just Mandy plus Don and Ann from 'Harmony' and I who spoke English as their native language.Ann & MandyThe boat was a high speed craft with 2 x 200 HP outboards and we had a good guide who led us into 2 different snorkelling locations, pointed out various interesting seabirds on the cliffs including some penguins at the end of the trip. The only downside was the shore excursion, which apart from the sea lions and the iguanas on the jetty was not very exiting and far too much walking for me! Generally however it was a really good day, but long as we didn't get back till 8 pm after starting 12 hours. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Log 13/03/2008

Monday 3rd MarchPUERTO AYORAWe arrive overnight from San Cristobal; unfortunately I only slept for about 2 ½ hours and am somewhat knackered! Sue and I retire to the Finch Bay Hotel for a splendid lunch in the rain and in my case rather a liquid one with a bottle of Argentinean Malbec disappearing rather well followed by a bit of a doze at the table.Another fairly boozy evening in town with the others followed and we met our chums from Andante in the same restaurant.Monday 10th MarchWE'VE GONE ELECTRIC!Hallelujah we have wind! Well at least temporarily! It kicked in at 03:30 this morning and we made decent progress all day with an average of around 7 knots over the ground with some assistance from the current of around 1-1.5 knots!Last night and tonight we have been experimenting. read more...

Crazy Horse - landfall in the Marquesas

We had the most glorious landfall ever! Schools of dolphin came from close to shore to greet us right before we made it across the finish line for this leg of our world tour. They were magnificent. Of course they swam faster than we were motoring and better than any human could ever hope to swim.They were following along with us for at least a mile and their presence captured a moment of exhileration Bill, Matt, and I felt after such a long trip over the ocean.Bill and Matt are getting the dinghy ready for us to go ashore and meet with the ARC people and the custom agent. We were informed that there will be group of local residents to greet us and welcome us to their island.The next few days will be hectic getting things repaired,cleaned, refueled, and restocked.We will try to get our. read more...

Asolare - Leg 4 day 4 to the Marquesas

Wednesday 12th March 2008 The wind has, as expected, died down to below 4 knots so we cannot sail. Since 10.00pm last night we have been motoring and expect to do so for the next day or two!The whole leg is about 3,000 so no yacht can motor even half way across so we all will need some good wind soon. Fuel is also needed to keep the batteries topped up so it is a logistical exercise to ensure you have enough fuel to get safely to and anchor in the Marquesas. We also know that we will have to jerry can all fuel to the yacht by dingy and with a tonne of fuel needed for an empty tank this is going to be quite an exercise!No dramatic photos of the sailing so far, and with a freezer full of fish no fishing photos – yet!I took the attached photo this early morning as sunrises and sunsets are. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 58 - "Cruising in company"

23 March 2010There has hardly been a single day when we have not had a sighting of another WARC yacht. To see a white speck of sail, popping up as if out of nowhere sets up a discussion about who it might be, and has us busily scrutinizing the daily positions reports. So long as we all maintain a safe distance it is very comforting to see another little light during the long hours of darkness, nearly twelve hours. It has also made for pleasant social contact via the short wave radio. In the days when we were in hailing distance of Ronja , we were all entertained with a nightly concert, courtesy of Patrik(guitar) and Vilde(vocals)! To begin with we were part of a small group, Eowyn, Ronja and Dreamcatcher. Gradually Dreamcatcher and Voyageur pulled ahead, sailing together for several. read more...

Crazy Horse - World ARC Rally, Part 1 How it all started?

It is always interesting how people end up being in certain predicaments.So here we are on Crazy Horse, our Sundeer 60 sailboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Our position is presently at 0605 S, 114 58W. We are 1500 miles from the Galapagos Islands and 1500 miles from Hiva Oa(Marquesas), our destination. We are in this 'position' because one day in June 2008, Jim Geddes from Annapolis called me at work inquiring about Sundeer sailboats.I asked Jim what sailing plans were in his future. He responded by saying that he was sailing around the world in the World ARC Rally 2010-2011. He knew I owned a Sundeer having gotten my number from Steve Black of the Caribbean 1500/Atlantic Cup Rallies. That little spark of a phone call got me thinking . sailing around the world! Just one big. read more...

Strega - log 12.03.08

Die Flaute hat uns im Griff und der Zeiger des Windmessers quält sich mühsam zwischen 2 und 5 True Wind.Nach letzten Telefonaten mit unsrem "Wettermacher" Ralf gehen wir nun doch noch weiter südlich und sollendann bei 6° hoffentlich auf eine Brise stossen.Die See ist erschreckend ruhig und teilweise, von der langen Pazifikdünung abgesehen, spiegelglatt.Kaum ein paar kleine Vögel sind zu sehen und ausser das wir in letzter Zeit immer wieder kleineKalmare an Deck finden (einen sogar im Bad, worauf ich wieder mein Mückengitter angebracht habe...) istdie See recht ausgestorben. Ständiger Begleiter auf allen Meeren lediglich die fliegenden Fische.Auch die grösseren, essbaren Fische wollen nicht so richtig. Hatten heute 4 Bisse aber keinerblieb an der Angel. Also gibt es heute Chili a la. read more...

Talulah Ruby II

Everywhere we have stopped just keeps getting better. The Galapagos was for all of us very special, the interaction with the wildlife was a dream,sharks, sea lions,turtles,penquins,blue footed boobies the giant tortoises and many more. Now we have embarked on the big one 2900miles to The marquesas,we are into day 4 had good wind for the first 2 days and now we are motoring in 2knots of wind.The sea is like a mill pond we are fishing but no luck so far.We had a new battery charger fitted in Santa Cruz but that has also broken it's just not man enough for the job, so have been in touch with Seaventures in Lymington they are going to send the correct model out to us.Because of the broken charger we are having to charge using the engine which uses a lot more fuel so are keeping revs to a. read more...

Crazy Horse - day 16 to Hiva Oa

Well, we had hoped to keep our motoring under 20 hrs as we headed to the Marquesas. But the wind just didn't cooperate.We ended up repairing our larger spinnaker fondly named "Joshua" after Joshua Slocum. He was the first recorded man to have motored around the world solo. Joshua handled the light wind okay so far with our makeshift repairs. We are only doing around 5 kts with the spinnaker- no engine. We are praying to our special angel Jimmy for more ( a little) wind and our safe landfall in the Marquesas by Wednesday afternoon.With just under 200 miles to go we have recorded only 31 total hours of engine time. That's not bad considering we have sailed 15 days and 1 hour and 45 minutes. That is 330 hours and 45 minutes without the engine and under sail alone. We have sailed our little. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - spinnaker !

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Wednesday  12 03 08, Position @12.00hrs; S04.37’ , W97.38’ Distance in last 24hrs – 138.5miles Well sure enough, yesterday afternoon the decision was made to put up the spinnaker. Amazingly we managed to do this without the usual debacle, and managed to increase our speed by 1.5 knots. We kept it up until sundown ,then sailed on the headsail  for a couple of hours before the wind completely died and we motored from 10.30pm until 8.30am . We didn’t catch any fish yesterday so chicken fajitas  for tea and another big pot of soup made! It starts off as a lovely starry  night with good light from the waxing moon. The moon is not up for long however, and it becomes hazy and very dark as the night progresses. It’s an overcast. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 57 - 500 miles to go

22 March 2010All day yesterday we waited for the breeze to fill in. It never materialised. By early evening trade wind clouds formed a low fringe just above the horizon.We were rewarded with the finest sunset yet. Not quite the green flash but almost. The sky was tinged with green for up to 30 seconds after it dipped below the horizon. It is so utterly peaceful out here David and I could quite happily stay out here for another week. We still have good supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables and meat in the freezer. The problem is that more time at sea, less time exploring the island group. From today's radio net it is apparent we were not the only ones to motor through the night. It depends what your priorities are. For some it is all about winning this leg. Our goal is very definitely to. read more...

Lady Ev.VI - Lady Ev. VI, Daily Log 20. march 2010

Heute hat unser Plotter zum ersten mal eine TTG von 98 Stunden bis Fatu Hiva angezeigt...das Ende der Pazifik-Ueberfahrt ist abzusehen!Schon macht sich ein klein weng Wehmut bei uns Vieren breit, dass etwas sehr Schoenes, Einmaliges zu Ende geht.Natuerlich werden wir froh sein, nicht alle vier Stunden Wache gehen zu muessen; natuerlich sehnen wir uns auch mal nach einem anderen als ecuadorianischen Bier und nach frischen Broetchen zum Fruestueck.Aber was haben wir nicht alles erlebt auf dieser, manchem Nichtsegler langweilig erscheinenden Tour:Joerg kann jetzt, jedenfalls theoretisch, eine subkutanen Wundverschluss machen, Christos hat seine Faehigkeiten, Operettenlieder fast fehlerfrei im Duett mit Joerg zu schmettern vervollkommnet, Gerd hat neue Witze in sein Repertoire aufgenommen. read more...

Southern Princess - Boring Boring Boring but a good G&T

05:27S 96:59WThe log states at 12:00 today states:Heading 233° COG 229° BTW 234° SOG 6.9 knots Wind 76° WOD 4.1 knots Seas glassy 147nm run in last 24 hours. Motoring since 16:00 hours yesterday. Huge down pour this morning for about 2 hours.That's about it really except that the girls wimped out on the Pisco Sours. Irene ordered a JD & Soda and Lorraine a G&T. As the T comes in quart bottles and goes flat really quickly, I joined Lorraine in a G&T and guesswe will do the same tonight until the T goes flat.Irene made a great fish pie for dinner and who knows what tonight's exciting menu will be?CheersJHSayings Of A Jewish Buddhist !!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?Drink tea and. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 56 - I told you so! You have been warned.

21 March 2010 We were warned. It is the year of El Nino, expect lighter winds. It is proving to be so. We have seen nothing above twenty knots since our departure from Galapagos two weeks ago and are now ghosting along at just over 4knots in around 8knots of wind after two days of slow but steady sailing, the twin headsails drawing nicely. But now there is not a cloud in the sky, not a white crest to be seen on this heaving undulating expanse of ocean. From the daily positions given over the net it would appear that everyone is reluctant to use the engine. The boats that stayed further north have had the best wind conditions overall. The Marquesas archipelago has come into view on the right hand edge of our electronic chart but the ETA in the navigational data box below us teases. It. read more...

Kalliope III - Log dia 14 de navegacion

Ayer una hora despues del amanecer pescamos otro atun de mas de 10 kilos,que fue diseccionado y convertido en lomos y filetes por Eduardo y pasado después al congelador.Para comer tartar y atun plancha del que estaba congelado desde hacia dos dias.Hoy para comer atun con pisto. Ahora estamos navegando con el Gennaker arriba desde ayer por la mañana  a una velocidad de mas de 8 nudos y  a menos de 400 millas de Hiva Oa.Saludos de la tripulacion del Kalliope. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - log

Sunday 2nd MarchKICKER ROCKAlthough we were eventually offered the Kicker Rock tour for Saturday, we had by then decided to dive there instead, aside from Sue who did well on her first attempts at snorkelling. We are joined on the dive boat, by Hilton from 'Lady Kay' and a Canadian girl doing field studies from her Uni. Hilton dives every weekend at home and used to dive professionally!It was just an everyday sort of dive: Loads of Galapagos Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks (including a 15 footer!), turtles, rays etc! Pretty stunning actually! So everyone really enjoyed it!I along with JB and Lindsey wimped out on the second dive, my excuse was the usual pain in my right leg which I didn't think would stand up to another dive, although we went snorkelling instead!Barry: This is my first log. read more...

Ronja - Pacific passage: Galapagos to Marquesas: Day 14

Position 06:29.35, 114:08.87WSailed distance: 2324 NMDistance to Marquesas: 699 NmDear readers,It is late evening, pitch dark outside with a clear sky painted with an incomprehensive number of stars. The night duties started 3 hours ago, but the kids are still up - full with expectations due to the rapid approaching landfall in Marquesas. We have been out at sea for 14 days and the life on board is now fully in balance. No stress, no shopping malls, no pressure from school / friends - just time for the small fellowship on board Ronja.The difference on our kids is enormous. Like right now, where they are sitting in the cockpit together talking about nothing, everything, the meaning of life. Big questions, questions I have never heard they have discussed before. To my surprise they are. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 55 - Painful progress

20 March 2010At 8am we ran finally ran out of patience and wind and fired up the engine. We had been sailing painfully slowly all day and all night. A turtle could have overtaken us, we were that slow! With sails flogging and poles clattering and banging we could stand it no longer. It wasn't good for the boat, or our nerves. Also it had been a terrible strain, for with the lack of wind speed and direction data sailing in light winds makes the task of fine tuning the sails very labour intensive. So for the first time in two weeks the sails were furled away and the engine roared into life. I keep thinking about the effect that the gooseneck barnacles are having on our speed.Last time when we reached Marquesas Stella had grown a beard of these molluscs all around her waterline. Shaped like. read more...

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