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01/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Day 1. a spot of bother!
Started out at 10.30am in glorious sunshine and virtually no wind at all.Opted to motor for a while to get clear of Plymouth and pick up some decent wind, but 7 hours later we still only had 2 knots of breeze! Some of the boats came across a pod of basking sharks which they photographed, but all we managed was a solitary dolphin. 6.30 pm and we had our first real drama. We were motoring along on at 7 knots when suddenly the engine choked as we picked up something very substantial around our prop. We cut the engine and debated our next move. There was less than 2 knots of wind still and the sea was glassy calm, so Sarah (who does not do swimming in anything less than 30°C ) decided to go and take a look! We trailed a line behind us, tied to a fender, we also tied a diving knife to another.
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02/06/2008
Bali Hai - 2nd July 2008 - Somewhere in the Bay of Biscay
All seems to be going well at last. Weeventually left Plymouth yesterday at 2:30pm together with Vision. Unfortunately there was very little wind and apart for a brief one hour spellunder sail we had to motor until 3 in the morning when the wind eventuallypicked up. The upside was that it was a pleasant night motoring along invery calm conditions under the stars. With two of the crew never havingbeen on a boat at night before it was a gentle introduction. The onlynegative was the Sainsbury's microwaveable beef stroganoff we hadfor dinner (looking at it you had the impression that someone had alreadyeaten it before you). To our surprise in the morning we foundourselves very close to Blue Beyond (Moody 54) and not far fromothers.
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03/06/2008
Blonde Moment - day 1 part1
Day 1 After leaving Mayflower Marina we think we confused the rest of the RP fleetas rather than turn left towards the start line Sarah wanted to review the RoyalNaval fleet in Devonport dock yard. We only had time for one ship , HMSGloucester, but the crew waved and wished us well. And so to the start..... light or no wind but it was agreed that BM would tryand cross the start line without engine....and so we did , about 12 mins afterthe gun with about 0.1 knots of boat speed . As we crossed the line the windstrengthened and we tacked our way out of Plymouth sound under sail but it wouldseem that most of the fleet had started their engines by this time and were wellon their way to Bayona. The winds remained light for most of the day and as long as BM did not spendmore than 10 mins below.
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03/06/2008
Bali Hai - 3rd June 2008 - Somewhere else in the Bay of Biscay
After the first night's gentle introduction to night sailing it was all change last night with strong winds and gusts of up to 30 knots. In fact last night was a bit of a disaster all round. Enjoying a lovely sail in the evening, cruising along at 8 knots, we overheard Jacky on Arwen saying how they had put in two reefs on account of the black clouds that they could see in the distance - for a quiet night. What rubbish we said, does she not know that night is coming and all clouds look black at night, so on we went with full sails up. Well, after spending forever putting in our reefs at two in the morning in the pitch dark, with rocky seas and howling winds, I will now look on Jacky as the all knowing Weather God and will bow down before her. In the morning most of the crew were.
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03/06/2008
Arwen of Bosham - Rally Portugal day 3
45.54’N 008’ 36WNow sailing in lovely sunshine after a windy and sometimes wet night. We had an excellent geography weather lesson at dusk with a line of squall clouds approaching rapidly from the west. We took in two reefs in the main and shortened the headsail down to one third. The wind duly arrived and the boat responded well with speeds of 9 knots recorded in the night. Saw several small coastal ships, fishing boats and some yacht tricolours too. We found out this morning that Sea Lion was close astern of us during the early part of the night. We had the company of two small porpoises playing round the hull at 0945, but since then we have had the sea to ourselves with no ships, yachts or visible marine life!We ate lunch in the cockpit and celebrated reaching half-way.
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04/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Day 2 Dolphins
First night was fairly uncomfortable as the wind remained quiet, whilst the seas built up around us. However, we were able to stop the engine and sail which at least reduces the noise! Monday dawned dull but dry and the wind freshened up, so we sailed all day at a steady 7 knots. We both tried to catch up on the sleep we had missed during the night (first night always difficult). Visibility was not too good in the morning but finally the sun came out mid afternoon and we had a great sail.All the days excitement came along at 10pm just as were changing watch. Firstly we found ourselves surrounded by dolphins (we counted 6 or more) who were playing a game based on diving under our bows and seeing how close they could get! Wonderful time, but sadly not one that our digital camera could.
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04/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Day 3 No wind
The rest of Tuesday became very boring as the wind vanished and eventually we started up the engine again, both to charge the batteries and make some progress. (worth perhaps mentioning that the generator failed to work today. Same fault that it had back in UK which had been fixed or so we thought.)Rather losing our awe of visiting playful dolphins as this is now a regular occurrence! Sarah has been sitting on the bow with her Whales, Dolphins and Seals book (good present from her Dad) noting what each group are.Weather forecast for later on was for a good deal more wind, so we put in a reef in preparation as it got dark, but in vain as the wind still did not come. This means that we roll quite a bit as the Atlantic rollers pass under us, but it is an easy motion.Wednesday morning.
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04/06/2008
Bali Hai - 4th June 2008 - Somewhere near Wales
The highlight of the day was spotting a whale which surfaced only about 6 feet from the boat. Using the handy whale spotter's guide provided by the organisers (no-one should be without one) we think that it was probably a minke whale. John estimated it to be about 10 metres long, but then he is a fisherman and his judgement of the length of fish is a bit suspect. My main concern was that we were going to hit the whale as it dived under the boat. After the sight of John rising in the morning earlier in the trip, yesterday was the day for beautiful creature spotting as there were numerous dolphins that swam alongside us. There must be something about Andy that frightens them off though as he is never around when they appear and I suspect that he thinks that we are making up stories.
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05/06/2008
Bali Hai - 5th June 2008 - Safely in Bayona
We crossed the line in Bayona at 3:55this morning - in third place (before handicaps). The good weather continued from yesterday morningand we sailed across to the inner approach to Cape Finisterre. It was abit overcast but with 12-15 knots of wind a very good sail. The majorhighlight however was the egg and bacon butties that John prepared, Andrewattempted to catch the moment on camera for posterity but unfortunately thesandwiches were so good that they had been gobbled down before he had achance to get his camera ready. It was close to Cape Finisterre where we caught upwith Arwen. We were coming up behind when she suddenly put on a burst ofspeed and pointed up wind much better than we could. We were commenting onhow well the Hanse.
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18/12/2011
Cattitude - Arrival and more parties
Inwindless conditions we eventually crept across the finishing line at 2.15 am onTuesday 6th December. Champagne corks were popped as we completed ARC2011. Once tied up we drifted off to catch up with some sleep, but in true ARCfashion soon began the round of partying and catching up with everyone else?sexperiences. There were many tales of damaged sails, torn spinnakers etc, anindication of the sparky conditions in mid Atlantic. RodneyBay Marina has pulled out all the stops and the ARC staff as usual has organisedthe entertainment to a T. The ubiquitous rum punch helps a little. We hada great couple of days at anchor between the Pitons and in Rodney Bay itself,where we able to play with the onboard toys. These included inflatable kayaksand a water chariot. There were many shrieks as.
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18/12/2011
Halcyon of Hebe - Halcyon on the ARC - Epilogue
Well, the ARC is over. A great event and and great fun.The crewsand boats are dispersing to the 4 corners of the world.Some arecontinuing their journey on the World ARC, many are stayting in theCaribbean for a period, while some are already back in damp, drearynorthern Europe.On Halcyon, Sarah has gone back to England to relieve a beleaguedhusband, who had been defending bravely on all fronts but was inneed of reinforcements.Rachel has come out to see Alistair - you'llbe able to read of their travels in the travel section of the DailyMail around new year.Lynda has come out and taken Steve off to a nicehotel.Jo, Bridget and Lizzie arrived on Friday so that we 5 aretogether again after what seems an age.It is very good to be withthem again.Last night was the ARC prizegiving.A fun party.
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05/06/2008
Scott-Free - Land ho!
43:24.217N 9:10.957WThis morning brought the first sighting of the Spanish Coast - a welcome sight after an 'orrible 24 hours.Lumpy seas and a strong headwind which meant we spent much of it close hauled led to a less than comfortable ride. Add to that the rain and poor visibility, just as we were crossing the Finisterre traffic separation zone and you'll see why there was no blog entry yesterday!However, today is a new day and at least the rain has stopped.In terms of a shake-down voyage for Scott-Free it has been a fairly testing one.We have discovered a problem with water ingress somewhere in the region of the gas locker - as usual in an almost impossible place to investigate. Although not drastic, it has meant that we need to bale out the bilge under the galley on a regular basis to.
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05/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Day 4. Bayona
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}Finally arrived in Bayona at 1.30 am and were met by the Rally organisers who took our lines as we reversed into a slot. It seems that we are second to arrive with most of the others some way behind. In fact I am writing this at 1.30 pm on Thursday and only 5 out of the 15 have got here so far. Got everything stowed and sorted and as we called it a day, the heavens opened and it poured, so we did well to miss that! Just feeling sorry for the others out there still. Not much excitement during the days sailing although we got checked out by a low flying twin engine Customs plane and then a few hours later a Customs helicopter came out to us and.
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10/11/2011
Lexington - Caribben 1500 update
Dear friends and family,As many of you know the rally was delayed for a few days. The tropical storm Sean is moving North East away from our way. Our crew have decided to start our trip today at 2:30 PM. We spoke to the rally organizers and they gave us thumbs up to our idea. We are hoping to be there next Friday. Keep us in your prayers,Bob, Sam, Karen, Jim, Jerry and Nadxi----This e-mail was delivered via satellite phone using GMN's XGate software.Please be kind and keep your replies short..
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10/11/2011
Kalista - Kalista's finial prep
Radio net confirmed a Friday 10 am start, time to get serious about the final preparations for the 1300 plus miles to Tortola and the possible rough ride crossing the stream. Last night was spent meeting more of the crews at an impromptu BYOB at the end of the dock, ended up an early evening for everyone. There is more of a tense feel around the docks this morning, with a start time, everyone is checking and double checking rigging, engines, safety equipment, stowing away all loose items and filling water and fuel tanks. The weather is overcast today with gray clouds laying low and adding a somber feel to the marina. There is always tomorrow yet for any details left and preparation of easy to heat and eat food for the first full day of sailing and watches. Jack lines, PFD's and harnesses.
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10/11/2011
Kalista - Weather window opens
After being here in Hampton/Norfolk for a week, the window finally opens. At our Skipper's meeting this afternoon we were informed that the tropical depression just south of Bermuda will be moving out and a low front that is moving East from the coast will overtake and dissolve the depression between now and Friday. We are scheduled for departure Friday morning at ten AM. Winds are forecasted to still be in the 20 kt range with some rough, but not terrible sea conditions. Winds from the low coming off the coast should help flatten out the waves and with the winds being from the North North East, puts the wind on the aft quarter or close to dead down wind. All sounds good with the exception of the winds opposing the gulf streams Northerly flow, this normally causes some rough conditions.
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06/06/2008
Bali Hai - 6th June 2008 - Day 2 in Bayona
Within a few hours of arriving and after a sleep, one or two glasses of cava and a selection of Spanish cured meats that John bought everyone is refreshed. This was very much helped by the weather which has at last become sunny and hot. Even better, it is forecast to remain like this for the next few days. Yesterday Arwen organised an early evening drinks party on their boat. Unfortunately we arrived rather late but still managed one or two glasses of wine before heading up to the Yacht Club bar, where the amount of gin you have in a gin and tonic or rum in a rum and coke depends entirely on when you remind the barman to stop pouring. Then into town for some tapas with the crews of Serafina and Vision. A very pleasant evening was had by all and even I managed to stay awake until.
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09/11/2011
Trillium - Iced In In Maryland
The Frost is on the Pumpkin! Actually it was on the deck and dock and we were iced in the harbor. And it is only October 30th! Yesterday we had rain, sleet and snow. Thank goodness for our diesel heaters that have kept us warm in the cabin. Our plan was to leave on the 7:01 AM high tide Sunday just as the sun was coming up. The problem was that you could not stand up on the deck and there was no safe way to get onto the dock to release the lines. So at 5:30 AM the Captain made the call: go back to bed! It is actually a beautiful sunny COLD day. At 9 AM the ice began to melt, but the tide was too low to get out of the harbor so we are here for another day. It would be a beautiful day to sail - if we could get out there! ??????? The photo shows a beautiful day with.
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08/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Bayona
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08/06/2008
Bali Hai - Statement of Denial
We have received the following correspondence fromthe British Admiralty and responses purportedly made by the skipper and crew ofBali Hai. We wish to state that Bali Hai totally denies any involvement inor responsibility for the contents of this correspondence. Moreover wewish to make it clear that should four buckets be found attached to the keel ofBouzouki, it has nothing to do with us. Received from the British Admiralty 7thJune 2006 Captain’s occasional log – Mr. Hutton has taken the helm and I haveretired to the Admiral’s quarters for the evening. As I await the cabin boy toserve dinner, I hear the singing for the decks below as the retched crewconsumes their ration of rum. Finally Rob the cabin boy arrives with dinner anda bottle of claret..
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09/11/2011
Sialia - November 9th
November 9th We took a seminar on weather which was quite useful. I learned a new trick I’d not thought of before. If you stand with your back to the wind and extend your arms your left will point to the low pressure system and your right to the high. Pretty cool, huh? That’s up there with “mackerel skies and mare’s tails make tall ships carry short sails”. I’ll add it to the long list of little weather tricks and rhymes that prove useful when you are without your handy dandy Nova Communications Iridium Sat phone for weather updates :) Despite how much we’re enjoying the people of Hampton (and how much extra prep we’ve had the opportunity to undertake) we’re really anxious to get going..
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08/06/2008
Bali Hai - 7th June 2008 - Trip to Santiago de Compostela
Today there was on organised tour to Santiago de Compostela and we all bussed off like bunch of school kids under the watchful eye of teacher Kieran. Santiago is the town where many pilgrims walk or cycle to to pay their respects to the remains of St James, apparently one of the most popular pilgrimage targets in the world. It is famous for its cathedral and its massive swinging incense basket (the botafumeiro). It weighs 53kg and reaches 68km/hr as it swings over the heads of the congregation. It is only set swinging a few times a year and we were lucky enough to be there during a special mass and the thing was set swinging. It was quite impressive. The town is also famous for its almond cake and its cheese, the shape of which resembles something else that can be set swinging if not.
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09/06/2008
Bali Hai - 8th June 2008 - Another day in Bayona and a message for Helen Griffiths
A bit of friction on the boat today as the skipper thought that the crew should do some work on the boat to make us ship shape but a mutiny led by Mr Hutton, who thought that a jolly trip into town would be more fun, meant that I was left on my own to clean the boat all morning. The icy tension thawed that evening at the prize giving party when it emerged that we had won the "smiley miley" competition. The objective was to guess the number of miles the organisers had driven on the way to meet us in Bayona and clearly our strategy of blackmailing one of the organising staff had worked as it seemed that we had won the competition despite being only the fourth closest estimate. The better news was that it emerged that we had come second in the Plymouth to Bayona leg after adjusting for.
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09/11/2011
Kalista
We aboard Kalista are waiting out the cyclone that may turn into a hurricane. Upset at first, but foul weather sailing is not fun for anyone. We're finding things to do that help us pass the time waiting for our weather window. See our photo in the gallery section. Ted on the left, Bonnie, John and Dave. I guess drinking wine and eating cheese counts as doing something. S/V Kalista crew: John Swift Bonnie Swift Dave Hazel Ted Curriertrip and misc 068ATT0.
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09/06/2008
Arwen of Bosham -
We have spent several days here ‘re-charging’ our batteries so to speak. The weather has been warm and sunny although the wind does get quite brisk later in the day, which is the norm apparently.I have managed a swim in the afternoon most days and the water is lovely and clean, but still chilly (although warmer than when I was swimming in the UK before I left home).We went to Santiago de Compostela yesterday on a trip organised by the WCC. It was well worth the 1.5 hour coach journey as we were able to see some of the stunning scenery en-route in particular the views across the Ria of Vigo, it looks a wonderful area to explore by boat. The cathedral and surrounding buildings in Santiago were spectacular and the fact we were able to witness the ‘flying’ of the incense burner.
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08/11/2011
Sialia - update - new start time Thursday at 9
Sialia update - new start time Thursday at 9 The organizers came to interview Amy yesterday. There aren’t many kids on passages like this. And when they whole fleet is delayed on land.... Well they look for a human interest story :) Check the features page. Enjoy.We went out for sail and put everything up and worked through the logistics of changing headsails and the staysail and running backstays and tacking etc while tethered in. It was a spectacular day to be sailing... While the winds were light they were perfect for our purposes. The sky is an unblemished blue. Its sunny and warm. T-shirts, shorts and sunglasses are the order of the day. I hadn’t expected I’d need the sunscreen until we reached the.
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09/06/2008
Arwen of Bosham - Emailing: P6070273
This photo was taken in the square yesterday at Santiago de Compostela. Itshows the group of Rally Portugal crew waiting to start the tour of thecathedral.Your message is ready to be sent with the following file or linkattachments:P6070273Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may preventsending or receiving certain types of file attachments.Check your e-mailsecurity settings to determine how attachments are handled.P6070273.
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08/11/2011
Pajarito - Becalmed!
P { MARGIN: 0px }The water is perfectly still. Not even a ripple of wind. We've made no progress toward our destination for the past 24 hours. There aren't even any waves - save for the occasional wake from a cabin cruiser passing by... Did I forget to mention we're still tied up to the docks? Evidently, there's a storm brewing out there east and south of us, smack dab in the middle of the direction we're planning to go. The rally wisely postponed our departure to be Wednesday at noon. Then, most recently, Thursday at 9:00 am. Amidst the groaning at the skippers meeting yesterday morning, I overheard a distinct sigh of relief. After reviewing the many, and sometimes conflicting, weather data, most of us are happy we didn't have to.
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09/06/2008
Serafina of Maldon - Last day in Bayona and the first Prize giving.
Last night we had the welcome party and prize-giving for the first leg of the rally. One of the prizes was awarded to the skipper, who before leaving Plymouth, made the most accurate estimate of their boat's arrival time across the finishing line in Bayona. We all left Plymouth at 10.30 am on Sunday and in our case we didn't arrive until 1.20 am on Thursday morning, so you will be impressed that Sarah took first prize as she was just 12 minutes out! (See gallery of pictures) The stay here in Bayona has certainly given everyone a chance to get to know each other and the parties have already begun in earnest. Today we were also joined by a last minute rally entry ‘Lolli-pop’ who were already in Northern Spain and are cruising with us all to Lagos. Monday has been a day of finishing.
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08/11/2011
Sialia - November 8th
November 8th Another sunny and warm and very pleasant in Hampton. To a person, everyone we have encountered has been friendly and hospitable. The facilities here are excellent. The Caribbean 1500 team did a superb job of arranging, last minute, for us to tour Fort Monroe. It was recently made a national monument by President Obama. The break from getting the boat ready was welcome and also tied in very well with Amy’s studies at school. (Now we are free to call this a very long field trip) We saw where Edgar Allen Poe, John Smith, General Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis spent some quality and impactful time. It was very inspiring and educational. There was also a fascinating window into the world of the divas of the age. It.
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