Daily Logs

Graptolite - La Libertad

02:13.00S 080:55.31WFor the first time in my adult life, I have longer hair on my chin than on my head, although, in truth, my eyebrows are probably the longest. I recall the last time I tried this; parts of my beard were ginger. This time, I have distinctly snowy patches. It makes me look ancient. I believe I used to look much more distinguished.Most of today was spent trying to devise a way to turn the dingy into floating bridge to the marina wall so we could leave the boat independently. The swell and the oil covered mooring lines put paid to that. We also had a trip to the local mall by taxi to scout out the provisioning situation for when we leave. We left the mall with mosquito netting and fly-spray as the local insect life is a bit too friendly.Shin changed the engine oil today.. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 -

Saturday 3pm we’re still motoring along – no wind. 3.30pm Stewy catches a small skipjack tuna – smallest catch so far but perfect size for 3 – marinate in soy, lime , ginger and garlic. It’s even calmer now, we see a few birds but not much else.What little wind there is seems to be swinging round to the SE. It gets calmer  and calmer as the day goes on – at 5.30pm we see lots of splashing ahead – it’s dolphins leaping and jumping over a large area – surface feeding? – we watch engrossed at their antics as we motor past. After I’ve cleaned out most of our cupboards and bilges we find the source of the worsening smell – rotten eggs! We sort it all out asap – it’s a big relief as smells aboard our small living space are not pleasant! For the rest of the day we. read more...

Crazy Horse - Ecuador Puerta Lucia

We arrived at Puerto Lucia yesterday at 11:30am. The World Arc folks were there to welcome us and tell us about all the upcoming events. The Yacht Club is quite nice with tennis courts, a wonderful pool, and best of all-non moving showers.Today Maggie and I will venture into the town and see what the shopping has to offer. Yes, we will go with our Spanish dictionaries. My limited skills with speaking Spanish are getting quite a work-out. Should have bought that rosetta stone program for the computer.Will blog about our adventures in Ecuador after we take in some of the tours around the coast. Some folks are going inland to Quito and the mountains to backpack and hiking. There will probably be some interesting stories from them.Rosemary, Bill, Matt and the Crazy Horse. read more...

Lady Kay - Crossing the Equator

We are now sailing across the Equator into the South Pacific Ocean. The weather is good with clear skies. Preparations are in hand for a sacrifice to King Neptune. We expect to be in Salinas tomorrow evening all being well, where we will prepare to cross to the Galapagos.The last two days were not so pleasant we had wind ahead all the time and then got caught by a strong current. The result was we were making only about a knot of speed. This meant we were using more fuel than we planned and we became concerned that we might not have enough to get to Salinas. We therefore decided to go to another port in Euador to get fuelWe set off in that direction retracing our steps by about 40 miles. Then, another yacht offered us some spare fuel. This saved us possibly three days delay in customs. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 30 - Stargazing...

9 February 2010The first day was spent dodging fishing nets, the second, thunderous black squall clouds. Last night it was ships as we found ourselves in between a north bound shipping lane. We moved out west a few degrees to put them on our port side. Also it should keep up clear of more fishing activity which has been reported in on today's net. Yesterday after ten hours of good sailing the wind died and it was on with the engine once more but assisted by a two knot current. Around midnight we were opposite Malpelo Island. This landmark is firmly implanted in my memory for John Caldwell in his book Desperate Voyage spent seven days in the grip of this current nearly becoming shipwrecked on its barren inhospitable shores. We do not intend to get too near it. Three currents meet out. read more...

Maamalni - Leg 2 - Day 6 Tadpoles to Shellbacks

Well we have actually done it - We are now Shellbacks! So, what is a Shellback you ask? In accordance with Neptune's Law, those who have not passed over the equator are referred to as Tadpoles, Tadpoles having crossed the equator are forever to be known as a Shellback (crew has noted that with the addition of the shell, the cabin space seems tighter and there has been an increased in the consumption of alcohol).The 4 crew of the good ship Maamalni have matriculated to Shellbacks with the following;4 cans of Panamanian beer1 bottle of Champagne (courtesy of Lady Kay)1 leather kilt1 pair of size 8.5 stiletto pumps (photo's available by request)and 4 Bloody Mary's accompanied with smoked salmon and pickled home grown asparagus.The past day was full of fun and adventure... between sheet. read more...

Ariane - ARIANE: Äquatortaufe

Äquatortaufe!Nochmals für heute: hallo liebe Freunde!Soeben haben wir die unvergessliche Äquator-Taufe hinter uns gebracht. Der Skipper verkündete, dass jedes Crewmitglied nach erfolgreichem Taufritus die Berechtigung erhält, als Zweitnamen "Ecuadoriano" zu tragen. Jeder wurde mit süssem chinesischem Blütenschnaps getauft und musste anschliessend ein nicht ganz angenehmes Getränk schlucken: Es bestand aus Salz, Aromat, Suppengewürz und eben dem süssen Blütenschnaps. Es ist Tradition, dass bei derÄquatortaufe etwas "Grausiges" passieren muss... Alle haben die Prozedur lebend überstanden! Als Trost gab es anschliessend 2 Flaschen herrlich schmeckenden Champagner! Symbolisch wurden die beiden Champagnerflaschen nun im Südpazifik auf 3000 m versenkt! In der WARC-gallery unter Ariane finden. read more...

Ariane - ARIANE: Moskitos, Reparaturen, Landaufenthalte

Liebe Freunde in der KälteHeute gibt einmal eine kurze Abhandlung über verschiedene Themen. Im Moment sind wir unterwegs nach Libertad, wo wir morgen Mittwoch eintreffen werden. Leider mussten wir diese Strecke von den Perleninseln aus weitgehend motoren, weil wie hier üblich der Strom mit Wind und Wellen von Süden her wirken... Gerne denken wir an den Atlantik zurück, auf dem wir den Motor nur für die Hafeneinfahrt und -ausfahrt brauchten. Auch die Strecke nach Galapagos hat windmässig keinen sehr guten Ruf. Wenn aber der Südwind bleibt, haben wir Glück!MoskitosNun sind wir doch schon einige Zeit in sehr tropischen Gewässern mit üppig bewachsenen Ufern. Unsere Vorbeugung gegen die kleinen Biester ist ziemlich umfangreich. Ausser auf See schlafen wir unter Moskitonetzen.. read more...

Graptolite - Alongside Ecuador

02:13.00S 080:55.31W In the marina at La Libertad, EcuadorWe arrived early this morning, as did a number of other WARC yachts. Berthing in the marina was not easy. We ended up sitting on the fuel pontoon (without fuel) for most of the day. A problem with an oil spill nearby wasmaking a mess of everyone's hull and mooring lines. Another problem with the Panama clearance papers had Shin in danger of being repatriated to China for a while. Despite the fact he has never been there. Our Storm Petrel passenger had flown the coop by daybreak, having recovered from whatever was troubling him or her. It makes you feel proud to have helped out one of our nautical feathered friends.Eventually we got a mooring off the marina wall and put the dingy into the oil slick to go ashore for dinner. Met up. read more...

Asolare - Leg 2 Day 7

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Another great fish catch! Again a Mahi-Mahi but not quite as big, but still could not fit in the cockpit floor!Gutting, cleaning and filleting is always quite a task with such a large fish but on this occasion we had a surprise in store as the fish’s stomach contained another large fish!This time, having produced scores of fillets we cut the huge tail section into 15 or so vertical steaks, each about 1” (25mm) thick. We used our machete, normally used for cutting and opening coconuts, to chop through the central bone. We tested our creations this evening with a rich fish soup followed by the fish steaks nestled on a bed if spicy chopped carrots and served with sauté potatoes.All this on an otherwise literally dull day! The wind continued. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 29 - In the Doldrums!

8 & 9 February 2010We weighed anchor at 7am for the 600nm passage to Ecuador in company with Tucanon, Skylark, Ronja, Jeannius and Noeluna. It was a long day of boring, boring motoring through the sea area known as the "Doldrums". It is manifested by periods of calms interspersed with squall activity. Having had the former we await the latter. We had been receiving information via email from WARC about the position of fishing activity and nets, all well to the south of our present position but after just a couple of hours into our journey we found ourselves in the thick of it. Mile upon mile of black marker flags with white buoys every hundred metres in between marked nets to port and to starboard of us. So it was anything but a relaxed day for us as we had to sit out on the rail. read more...

Crazy Horse - Real Fishermen

As we were plodding along our course to Ecuador motor sailing this morning we were greeted by some fishermen yelling at us and waving their hands wildly. We had heard about these men who strung out long lines to fish way out in the ocean in their skiffs. These small skiffs may be only 20 or sofeet with no protection and 30 miles offshore. These fishermen had warned other sailors from the ARC ahead of us of their lines which could get snarled in props, rudders, and keels. Which way to go? I asked them and of course I speak no Spanish. They spread their arms in a wide arc and where in the whole ocean should we go to avoid these lines or nets? We ended up going in a circle and they cut one line off our prop. They tried to sell us a Dorado and of course we just wanted to get out of that. read more...

Asolare - Leg 2 Day 6 BIG, BIG fish!

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Bristol Rose - Oh Panama Part II

What have you done!First you showed us Kuna Yala, surely the most picture perfect of tropical islands. Spectacular!Now we are in the Las Perlas archipelago on the Pacific side of Panama. The Las Perlas islands are different from Kuna Yala in the same way that the Pacific is different from the Caribbean, however equally as beautiful.On the way, barely out of the anchorage and across the channel that is part of the Panama Canal, we hook a beautiful 20lb Mahi Mahi.The water compared to the Caribbean has a green tinge and is not so clear; cooler but teaming with sea life; fish are larger and not so easily spooked, white sand beaches with dense tropical dry forests; there's a richness here of flora and fauna. Many birds live on the islands and work the waters morning and afternoon. We now see. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 28 - The inequality of man

6 February 2010 Bahia PinasThere could not be a greater contrast. We are sitting here at anchor opposite an exclusive resort where a single person will pay 9000US dollars for a week to go big game fishing, and just around the corner the indigenous Embarra Indians eke out their own meagre living. Jan did his best to negotiate a mini rally dinner ashore at the Tropic Star Lodge without success. With 21 diners at thirty to forty dollars a head they stood to make quite a bit of money but they were not interested. Obviously they do not need our cash. The resort is protected by armed guards. We were discouraged in going ashore. Over in the village, the people were friendly but living in real poverty. Wishing to buy some fresh provisions we were led to a shop. Oh my, but it was quite the worst. read more...

Windflower III - 16/02/2008

Eine Fahrt der Premieren!Nach dem Start in Panama-City hatten wir zunaechst wenig Wind und sind deshalb weit nach Suedwesten gesegelt,weil der Wetterbericht westlich bessere Segelbedingungen vorhergesagt hatte.Diese Prognose traf auch zu,so dass wir zuegig vorankamen.Bei achterlichem Wind kam dann erstmals auf unserer Tour der Parasailer zum Einsatz,ein Spinakeraehnliches 140qm grosses Vorsegel,welches aufgrund seiner besonderen Konstruktion nicht nur fuer den Vortrieb sondern auch mit Auftrieb das Vorschiff entlastet und damit fuer ein stabiles zuegiges Segeln sorgt.In der Nacht vom 13/14.02 war es dann soweit,genau um Mitternacht suchten wir die fiktive rote Linie des Aequators. Ploetzlich,voellig unerwartet sagte Wolfgang I " Wir sind darueber ".Weil es fuer uns alle das erste Mal. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - logs!

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }As we leave the Gulf of Panama and the Islands behind, the wind starts to swing round behind us, NW 10-15 knots. At 6pm, after we’ve enjoyed the company of spotted dolphins for the best part of an hour, we goosewing the sails. We’re now bang on course @193*,sailing at 6.5knots. Since we’ve left the Islands, we’ve been dodging a forest of floating logs and full size trees, and also have to alter course to miss a bird stealing a ride on a large dead turtle. We clunk over one of these trees and this knocks off our impeller no more speed reading although we still have SOG. Another item for Ronnie’s(or Gordon and Val’s!) list!! Stewy takes the line in before dark – the waters too soupy for fishing now. The logs thin out. read more...

1 + 1 - Espèce de paresseux !

.hmmessage P { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } BODY.hmmessage { FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; FONT-SIZE: 10pt }Espèce de paresseux !Nous sommes au ponton de Marina Flamenco, un ponton qui n’est pas terminé.Malgré nos 6 amarres le bateau gigote un peu et il y a beaucoup de grincements de gémissements, ce n’est pas de tout repos.Le 25 janvier , nous visitons Panama city. Une ville qui veut singer New York avec des gratte-ciels toujours plus hauts. Les vieux quartiers sont un peu plus typiques mais délabrés. Ils sont inscrits au patrimoine de l’Unesco donc pour les réhabiliter, il faut suivre des directives précises. Cela a un coût alors, les maisons restent en l’état. Le taxi nous conduit dans un grand. read more...

1 + 1 - Passage du canal de Panama.

Passage du canal de PanamaDe Portobelo, nous rejoignons la marina de Shelter Bay. C’est un endroit retiré, mais très agréable , piscine, douches princières, accès à Internet, bar restaurant. Colon, la ville la plus proche, est une zone franche. Il est dangereux de s’y promener même de jour. Claude et Patrick sont allés y faire un tour. Le taxi les a déposés devant un centre commercial avec comme consigne de ne pas s’éloigner. Ils ont quand même voulu prendre une rue parallèle mais ont été rapidement remis sur leur chemin par la police avec ordre de ranger l’appareil photos. Ils n’ont pas fait les mariolles mais sont quand même rentrés avec quelques clichés . Le 22, nous sommes allés, en taxi, voir la première écluse , celle de Gatun. C’est. read more...

Talulah Ruby II - Welcomes Neptune on board

Sat 16thWe have just had 3 days of solid motoring,the sea has been like glass,we are eating up the fuel fast. Luckily today we have some wind, but it is right on our nose so we are tacking upwind towards Ecuador.We have had rain for only the 2nd day since leaving Lanzarote last November.Yesterday we crossed the equator at 1900 hrs with our feet dangling in the water,Neptune came aboard and joined us in the celebrations.For Andy,Maria and Brian it was their first time so they had to go through the initiation ceremony which involved a lot of water but ended up drinking Don Perignon and eating Fois gras.They also received a certificate honoring the occasion. Maria also celebrated her 44th Birthday this week so quite a time for celebrations. We are now looking forward to arriving in Ecuador. read more...

Maamalni - Leg 2 - Day 5 How do you like your shower?

It is raining... and when we saying raining, we mean its coming down in buckets. When it rains like this, it is hard to find a dry spot to stay warm... Do you remember the complaint about heat just a couple of days ago. Well today is the first time since December 23rd that we have donned a jacket. It is still warm at 74 degrees but with the wet of the rain it is easy to get a chill. Had to deal with an earlier squall, Steve our guest or 'victim' went forward, sat on deck and clung on to the windlass to clear some sheets (not to be confused with bed linen) while taking 3 salt water baths...thank you Steve. We are currently at 01.22N 080.16W and slipping through what is affectionately known as the ITCZ or Inter tropical convergence zone which the Admiralty (aka British Maritime Authority). read more...

1 + 1 - Panama, le continent

Panama, le continentNous mouillons derrière Isla Linton. Ce n'est pas sans mal car l'ancre hésite à se planter dans la vase, un peu chochotte quoi. Nous avons donc empennellé ( on a mis une 2° ancre devant la première) . Le mouillage est un peu rouleur. L'après-midi se passe tranquillement, sieste et baignade. Le soir, pendant le repas, nous entendons des cris déchirants ou plutôt rugissants. Patrick se demande même si nous ne sommes pas à Jurassique Park. Ces cris dureront une partie de la nuit. Au matin, renseignement pris auprès d'un autre bateau français : ce sont les singes qui appellent la pluie ! Pas très efficace comme moyen de communication avec les éléments car elle n'est pas venue. Nous décidons d'aller manger au resto tenu par des français à Panamarina, qui se situe. read more...

Graptolite - Will Arrive at Daybreak

01:46.99S 080:56.68W 02:00 16th Feb 25 miles from La Libertad/Salinas, EcuadorWe got some sailing in through the afternoon but the wind dropped and we are back under engine again using up the last few drops of diesel before the finish line. As we have been asked to arrive in daylight we are travelling very slowly about 10 miles off the coast. We can see many fishing boat lights all around. The locals obviously engaged in the traditional seasonal netting of fresh yacht.We also picked up a passenger today who just sits around on the deck waiting for food and drink to be brought. It's a weary-looking Storm Petrel. This could be either a very good or very bad omen. The luck seems to be with the bird so far.M. read more...

Crazy Horse - Feb 7th No Superbowl here!Only Mahi Mahi

I think this is the day for the Superbowl. Matt and Bill are whining that they won't be able to view it. I am just as happy without it! We had our own excitment yesterday since we caught our first Mahi off Crazy Horse. Guess I am the fisherwoman here because Matt and Bill just looked at me and said," now what do you want to do?" They were quite reluctant about the whole procedure trying to dissuade me at every turn. Of course being the undaunted fisherwoman I said, "reel em in, of course!" As I clumsily was reeling they started to help. They jumped right in with the lines, rum, and muscle. No, the rum is for the fish! We managed to get the 20-30 pounder aboard then they started with the," okay now what do you want to do?" I said,"filet it of course!" I grabbed the knives and started. read more...

A Lady - Log 8 - day 32 - 07 Feb, Las Perlas Islands

  On 02 Feb, we had a lovely sail on sea as smooth as a billiard table to the Las Perlas Islands, we flew the Parasail on A LADY for a while, it was a most enjoyable voyage and anchored off Isla Viveros. The Archipelago of Las Perlas consists of a large number of very pretty islands which we have just spent four days exploring. The islands consist of rock, large trees and very beautiful beaches, many are unpopulated, unlike the Carribbean they are tidal and the sea was not quite as warm.In 1515 the Spanish conquistadores robbed a large number of pearls from the indigenous King Toe and enslaved his skilled pearl divers, The 31 carat "peregrina" pearl of Mary Tudor of England came from these islands.We have been doing what the Americas call Gunk Holeing, which quite simply is. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - shark!

Up 7ish,tuna and egg salad for breakfast(!),watched the birds diving on shoals of fish all around. Local boys we met yesterday call by with bread and ice (they did understand my Spanish!) so we won’t bother going across to the village now. Ian and I go over to Tramontana so we can go over the specs for the new boat with Phil. Around 10ish we all head for the river in Tramontana’s dinghy. Just at the mouth of the river, I’ve just mentioned how clear the water is for snorkelling when we see a BIG fin and tale cruising out. Phil reckons it’s at least 8-10feet long, and could well be a hammerhead . We cruise towards it cautiously but it dips below the surface and we see the large dark shape making it’s way out to sea. No snorkelling today! We motor upriver about. read more...

Lady Kay - The times they are a changing

Yesterday pm was idyllic, the temperature dropped and the sea was slight and the crew lounged in the cockpit of busied themselves with jobs around the boat. A very pleasant evening meal of mahi mahi was enjoyed in the cockpit whilst under sail. During the night the conditions changed with an circle of misty gloom enveloping the yacht as the night wore on, culminating in a tropical squall with intense rain and winds up to 25 kn from dead ahead. This necessitated activity on deck in the wind and rain for the skipper and crew. It is amazing how quickly one becomes cold despite being near to the equator. Anticipating a lessening of the wind Lady Kay took the direct route out of the squall as indicated by the trusty radar. The wind moderated a bit but it remained stubbornly from ahead. We are. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 27 - Cruising in company

5 February 2010Isla Canas to Bahia Pinas 65.2nmUp at first light we left in a small group of six boats, Dick (Tucanon) intermittently calling out the soundings for the rest of us following behind as we made our way carefully over the sand bar. Being high water we need not have worried, there was never less than 3 metres under the keel. We sailed and motor sailed alternately until the wind died altogether in the early afternoon. The waters were fish rich, rays doing somersaults, dolphins idling lazily by and small fishes most likely tuna, peppering the surface like gunshot at intervals. Closing with the west coast of Panama the backdrop of mountainous terrain looked wholly impenetrable. A patrol boat appeared on the horizon ahead and turned to keep a distance abreast of us following us. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 26 - Iguana for dinner?

3 February 2010Islas Chapera to Isla Canas 18.3nmWhat a difference a day makes. This morning our anchorage was an idllyic place, infinitely more inviting than yesterday but with so much more to see in and around the Perlas archipelago we decided to move on. We motored south to enter the channel between the islands of East Isla del Rey and Isla Canas, keeping carefully over to starboard to avoid a reef, and rounding up behind a sandy spit of land, where we were perfectly sheltered from the wind and the current that is such a feature around these islands. There is a significant tidal range which makes the beaches appear and disappear. What differentiates these islands from the San Blas is they are spared of much the ocean detritus that gets washed ashore and the inland vegetation here is. read more...

Tucanon - An iguana on its way to the cooking pot

We arrived at Contadora from Flamenco marina around 2pm and dropped our anchor in a bay not far from the local airport. En-route we had been visited by two dolphins but of a variety which was new to us.Contadora is the most developed island within the archipelago of the Islas Las Perles and this was emphasised by the number of flights. The planes are not very big but we did find them intrusive so were pleased to move on the next morning.There was less than 5 knots of wind as we made passage to Ampora, a journey of just under five nautical miles. We had planned to arrive a couple of hours before low water to ensure that there was sufficient water over the reef for us to enter the bay. A large canoe, powered by an outboard engine and towing a smaller canoe, passed by us early evening and. read more...

Whitbread - Log Day 5 (D.I.Y. autohelms, pizzas and fancy dress!)

This leg has so far meant many engine hours added to Whitbread's log. Flat seas and with no auto helm have left the helms person with a somewhat tedious job. The challenge to set up an autohelm had to be set. An early version consisted of trying to rest the wheel on Nills' nose after he fell asleep next to the helm. A small sudden wave woke him. Not happy with the resulting red head meant an alternative needed to be found. Lyall's clever idea was to rig up two lines either side of the wheel. Unfortunately this still required a person to operate, however we do now have steerage from the bow.Lunchtime and with the lack of success in the autohelm department a moral boost was required. I opened my first Pizzeria. It may also be my last. The small ships oven meant only 2 pizzas could be. read more...

Maamalni - Leg 2 - Day 3 Woo hoo Wahoo

Nothing like a break from boredom at sea with a fish on... And what a fish! A 30 pound Mahi Mahi. And it was beauty with an incredible bright yellow, green and blue skin which quickly changes to silver soon after its landed. Steve could barely lift the fish up it was so heavy, but the tail is an excellent handle. These fish have a spine to match any animal its size, huge ball and knob arrangement, unlike any other fish I have seen...thus far. So with a combination of Danish boning knife, fillet knife, scissors, cleaver and hammer, we were able to prepare it for the table and the freezer. Dinner was fabulous... what with a touch of bonita from the previous day and mahi mahi too -who could ask far anything more?... all this was followed with chocolates saved just for Valentine's Day.We are. read more...

Bristol Rose - Leg ? - Still in Panama

Almost ready to leave Panama. The WARC fleet left on Monday for Ecuador and are due in today. Not good to be left behind.  We had hoped that Panama would be have good facilities to repair sail boats, not so.  The work took longer than expected and our mail delivery was very late.  All this is now behind us and we will depart tomorrow morning.  Looking forward to connecting with the rest of the fleet in the Galapagos around the 21st of Feb.. read more...

Crazy Horse - on to Ecuador

We left the Las Perlas today at about 10am. We have no wind and are motoring right now. Bill was hopeful and put up the spinaker but had to take it down due to no wind! We have already spotted dolphins and others have spotted  rays jumping out of the water. Bob from Ocean Jasper came over and got Crazy Horse set up to catch fish. We will attempt to put out the line and see what happens. Matt continues to worry about what will happen if we actually catch a fish. He has doubts about my cleaning and killing them. I Can Do It!We went up a river off one of the islands of the Las Perlas. It was excitiing! The tide was coming in so it pushed us up the river. It was like the movie The African Queen. We thought for sure we 'd see some crocs-thank God not! We heard all the jungle sounds and. read more...

Andante of Mersey - Equator

We crossed the equator at 0650 Friday 15.02.08. It was pouring with rain I (Bob) was on watch on my own all the others asleep. Not what I expected at all it is now 1046 and it is still raining, though now such a deluge as earlier. Ron is making tea though I am led to believe he had a tot of rum at 0900 to mark crossing the equator, Ann is making a cottage pie for our evening meal, Dave is on watch and Keith just come off watch. Last night another WARC boat Graptolite called us to say she had got stuck in a net. Somehow she was managing to sail but couldn't use the engine. All the nearby fishing boats when they saw what had happened turned off their lights!. I called him up at 0800 to find that they had been over the side and cut the net free and were now motoring again. I have had my. read more...

Southern Princess - Approaching Ecuador 150208 00:24S 80:54W

Today's blog will be easy to write! The last time I crossed the equator on a boat was in 1960 somewhere south of Ceylon as it was known in those days. I was 20 years old, dressed as Neptune, with false beard & trident and some kind of a loin cloth attended by a bevy of scantily clad beauties (think itzy bitzy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikinis) all crammed into a rather scruffy aft deck of the Castel Felice a ship which used to bring the ten pound Poms to Australia from the UK. We were travelling 'steerage' and there was also FIRST & SECOND - all too posh for us. We weren't allowed into those classes but those classes were allowed to slum so most of the itzy bitzy bikini birds were from FIRST. While the ship's crew counted down to the equator using a sextant, they were. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 25 - Empty Nets!

2 February 2010Contadora to Isla Chapera 4.1nmAnd I am not talking about the fishing! A pathetic response from the rest of the fleet on the SSB roll call this morning. Only a handful of yachts responded. It really is unfair to the net controllers. Just wait until one of them has a problem then they might sit up and take notice! Leaving Contadora is to leave civilization behind. Also … we have left behind the American cruising fraternity that is so much a part of the Caribbean Sea and around the San Blas Islands. It is now that you come to realise how few yachts actually make the transit between Panama and the Pacific. Jean and Mike (Jeannius ) came over for morning coffee and recommended the Romantica Restaurant ashore. Of course David and I just had to have lunch there! We moved on. read more...

Graptolite - Captain's Log Supplemental

00:00.00S 080:30.00W Early morning Friday 15th Feb on the EquatorWe had an unpleasant night when we ran into another unlit tuna drift net in a squall. It took some time to hack ourselves free but as we still had some net wrapped around our prop we had to leave the scene under sail. A few small local fishing boats stood off but offered no comment or assistance. The very heavy rain, and some big ships crossing nearby, didn't help the situation either. This morning at 07:00 Shin (James Bond) Terosawa used my diving gear (first time for the stuff in the water) and chopped off the remaining net and floats with a knife. Apart from some dodgy English, Shin has been a really good find. Besides needing no instruction in sailing he's an enthusiastic cook, photographer, engineer, diver and probably. read more...

Graptolite - Nearly 0 degrees South

00:30.23N 080:30.54W 21:37 14th Feb 30 miles North of the EquatorIt's been cold and damp again today. I must have been too long in the Tropics as somewhere on this trip 25 degrees Celsius became 'cold'.No success with the fish again today although Colin devised some heavy-duty tackle to get the lure deeper in the water and caught a drift net while we were distracted by a fast boatload of what we thought were pirates racingtowards us. The 'pirates' turned out to be fishermen trying to tell us about their net. Fortunately the very strong line Colin was using gave way first. We are fast running out of lures.The Equator should be crossed in the early hours of the morning, unless the wind dies altogether. This should sort out the old salts from the weekend sailors when everybody gets woken up. read more...

Lady Ev.VI - Daily Log, Panama City bis Las Perlas Inseln

Erstmals segeln im riesigen Pazifik. Nach 38 Seemeilen schwieriges Ankern vor der Millionärsinsel Contadora. Bei 6 meter Tidenhub und ständig starker Strömung schwimmen kaum möglich.Mo, 1 Februar: Weiterfahrt durch tolle Inselwelt, noch schöner als Sylt und Norderney ;-), zum nächsten Ankerplatz. Kurz davor "Petri Heil" in Form eines prächtigen Bonitos fürs Abendessen. Es gibt Rogen- und Suschihäppchen vorab, danach Fischfillets vom Feinsten. Chefkoch Christos macht uns das geplante Abnehmen schwer. Di, 2 Februar: In Köln brummt der Kaneval, in Dortmund hoffentlich bald wieder Fußballheimspiel, wir genießen den dritten und letzten Ankerplatz im Süden der Insel Rey. Thomas und Christof kaufen per Schlauchboot für 4 Dosen Bier Kalamaris satt vom Fischkutter. Danach 1 Kilometer den Rio. read more...

Ronja - Transit Panama Canal and Panama City

Dear readers, After some relaxing days at Shelter Bay Marina in Panama, (except for the normal nightmare of provisioning the boat with food and other needs supplies), we were ready for transiting the Panama Canal. The provisioning was taken to the limits this time when we found a cockroach running around in one of the packs with cokes. The captain ordered, with greate support from Vilde, full deification of all supplies on the pontoon before getting allowance to move the supplies on the boat. There was some murmur from the boys that it was time to replace the captain, but the job was done. At 14:30 we released the lines from the safe and good berth in Shelter Bay and went to flat F mooring area in the Panama Canal to wait for the advisor to arrive on the boat. After a while the advisor. read more...

Jus'Do It 3 - fish!

Didn’t get on to the beach yesterday as fishermen dragging nets sealed off the bay. We amused ourselves by watching the activities instead! Got a good bit of reorganisation done and found some space I never knew we had – room for more something! We relax aboard and invite Phil and Fay over for dinner. Phil and Fay contribute mackerel & potatoes, we do tuna and salad. I also make an apple crumble but nearly set the boat on fire while trying to toast the top – apple crumble flambé just invented! – spiced it up with some rum and Tramontana aerosol cream. Up early this morning and and busy with boat jobs – boys do up top & I do below – trying to locate the source of an unwelcome whiff . It’s a bit overcast today, although still dry and hot, so we decide to push on to Isla. read more...

Tucanon - 2010-WARC-week 4

We caught the shuttle bus from the marina to the shopping mall this side of Colon and bought some provisions.There are 2 courtesy shuttle buses per day. One leaves the marina at 8am and the other at 1pm. The bus holds 29 sitting passengers though there were also people standing on our second trip.Only one person per boat is supposed to travel on the morning bus which is free of charge. There is a charge of $4 US per person, each way, on the afternoon bus.Having heard that we will probably be rafted to another boat, or be at anchor, when we get to Flamenco bay marina, we decided to stock up with adequate fresh fruit and vegetables while at Shelter bay, to last us until we reach Ecuador.We purchased more than the requisite amount of shopping required for the supermarket to provide us with. read more...

Ideal - It's a whopper of a Fish!

See picture below.Also caught a very big Mahi/Dorado briefly before it snapped the line and jumped out of the water to free the hook from it's mouth!Today, the 14th, we caught a fisherman's net line round the rudder, Zac jumped in and freed us in no time, but there are lots of nets about just off the Ecuador coast.Now 150 miles from the equator, the champers is chilling!Should be in Salinas late Saturday or early Sunday morning as we can't enter in darkness due to bad navigation marks.Thanks for all the e mails, great to read them.Missing you all but, not the weather!Paul and SallyIMGP2925IMGP2930. read more...

Whitbread - 14 February 2008

today its german log on whitbreades war 11 15 und ich sass am steuerrad unseres grossen blauen schiffes als ploetzlich unser fruehwarn fisch system alarm schlug. nach tagen auf see nur dosennahrung und kein wind waren alle schnell an deck um die einholaktion mitzuerleben. ich holte meine arbeitshandschuhe aus meinem fach nachdem ich feststellen musste dass es ohne nicht ging. das 'ding' was immer es auch sein mochte war riesig und zog wie verrueckt. langsam und bedaechtig holte ich die schnur ein jeff wartete schon mit dem haken und sam mit dem messer und schneidebrett. jeder von uns sah sich schon am tisch sitzen vor ihm ein schoenes grosses stueck fischfilet auf dem teller. die morgenliche muedigkeit war verflogen und die spannung zum zerreissen. das 'ding' schwam auf unser boot zu und. read more...

Ariane - ARIANE - Las Perlas-Inseln

Las Perlas-InselnHallo liebe FreundeWir segeln in dieser interessanten und lieblichen Inselwelt umher und geniessen teilweise nette Sandstrände, teils urwaldähnlichen Baumbestand und vor allem leere Ankerplätze. Wenn man sich dann mal mit einer anderen Yacht treffen will, greift man zum Funk und ruft diese einfach auf. Klappt wunderbar. So sind wir morgen mit der"Lady Lisa" vor einem Fischerdorf der Insel Cania verabredet, um dort frischen Fisch essen zu gehen; wir freuen uns darauf.Heute sind wir in eine gut geschützte Bucht bei Casayeta eingelaufen, zum Glück bei Ebbe! Zu unserem grossen Schreck sind da ganz üble Felsen und Riffe sichtbar geworden, die weder auf dem Plotter noch in den zu ungenauen Seekarten eingezeichnet waren! Zum Glück verfügen wir noch über ein sehr gutes. read more...

A Lady - Log 7 - day 27 - 02 Feb, Panama City.

Flamenco Marina was very pleasant and gave us a base to relax and explore. The meal organised by WORLD ARC was superb. On Saturday 30 January the crew of A LADY arranged their own very interesting tour of Panama City which was followed in the evening by a party arranged by WORLD ARC and then the amazing PARTY BUS, all great fun and very exhausting. Retail therapy was undertaken by all members of crew, three of whom had to purchase quad band mobile phones, our phones from back home just didn’t want to know. Two members of crew took a taxi over the Bridge of the Americas to see an Air Display which was rather disappointing.Today we refuelled, cast off from the marina and headed for the Los Perlos IslandsKDSkipper's personal blog @ http://blog.mailasail.com/alady. read more...

Strega - log 14.02.08

Der Pazifik, der Sanfte...hatte uns tatsächlich sehr sanft empfangen -kaum Welle bisher- und hat uns nun ein sanftes Regengebiet geschickt, dass sich gewaschen hat. Seit zwei Tagen teils hefige Schauer, aber sanft, kaum Wind drin. Schön zum duschen also, aber langsam werden die Finger weich und die Haut schrumpelig. Der Dieselvorrat und die Reserve sind fast aufgebraucht und so hoffen wir auf etwas Wind um unserem Ziel näher zu kommen. Die Pos. ist 01°01'N und die dünne Linie des Äquators ist schon an der Kimm zu erkennen.undHappy Valentine Girls ! :-). read more...

Crazy Horse - Las Perlas, Mogo Mogo

Well, we are anchored here near the island where the TV show "Survivor" wasfilmed. I know some of you really got into that series. One thing, I cantell you it is very hot here! When it showed them hot, drinking lots offluid, and getting very tired - that is really true. Think Matt had a littleheatstroke yesterday after Maggie, Matt and I went exploring around one ofthe islands here. It was an interesting island where lots of frigate birdsseem to have their breeding area. We went climbing over rocks and sand andsearched for snails and other life. We saw pools of interesting fish trappedby the tide.There are about 7 or 8 other boats here enjoying the islands. Eowyn, LadyLisa, Voyageur, Jeannius, Brown-Eyed Girl, Sunrise, and Ocean Jasper are allhere with us. The rest of the boats are. read more...

Southern Princess - Towrads the Ecuador coast 14th Feburary. 01:50N 79:59W

Not a lot to report since yesterday. The fish tasted great for dinner last night and we have so much of mahi mahi it will be the staple diet until we land. The radio sched at 12:00 yesterday was interesting. 'Blue Flyer', one of our number was boarded by Columbian Coast Guard during the previous night. Must have been terrifying as it is sometimes difficult to tell the baddies from the goodies and to have shouts, lights, guns and fast approaching motor boats is not much fun. All the fleet was also in pouring rain but as we were a day or two behind it hadn't caught up with us at that time. Lots of rain during the night but no wind. We are now doing calculations to see if we have enough fuel to  motor all the way. Didn't hear anyone on today's sched as we are spread out over a lot of ocean.. read more...

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