Daily Logs

Aztec Dream - Notions of Nazare

On a beautiful day, we surfed all the way to Nazare.Blue was the sky and the waves were rather high! Peniche had no dock, so Nazare was our next stop,Another marina full to bursting, we rafted to ‘Footloose’ after our surfing. We took the vernicular to the top, to sees views that would make your heart stop.A majestic church we visited in the square, with pictures in tiles that were very fair. Walking back through lanes down the hill, it felt very stillBut once on the front no more it lasted, our legs were sand-blasted! Our new crew, Ross and Sue, due to join us the next day,So a cleanup was needed to keep the dirt at bay. Up at 5am we sailed with the fishermen, Oeiras we were heading for,Sailing as the sun came up, who could ask for more!. read more...

Fri Flyt - 26. November: Dolhins under my bed

Det var tittelen på en bok skrevet av en langturseiler, og jeg bestemte meg der og da for å spare den tittelen til en Atlanterhavsblogg. Kunne tatt den i bruk allerede første natta, så historien er allerede 5 dager gammel - dagene går på en merkelig måte veldig sakte i rasende tempo... Jeg hadde sovet et par timer i påvente av den første nattevakta, da jeg bråvåknet kl 23 av at noen gråt - slike lange hikst på innpust som kommer når noen har grått lenge. Jeg sto fort opp og ventet å finne en av guttene i salongen med alvorlig anfall av hav-nerver. Men der var det ingen, i lugarene var det ingen, og gråtingen bare fortsatte i et kvarters tid. read more...

Manatees - Figueira to Nazare..

If the sea had a voice, What would it say?“Shall I be happy, shall I be vicious;Or shall I just be playful today?” If the sea had a mind, What would it think?“Should I blow on that boat;Or just let it sink?” If the sea had some thoughts,What would it know?“Shall I let them all die;Or let them all go?” If the sea had some feeling, What would it sense?“Should I roar like a lion;Or sleep in silence?” But it does have all of those, As we all know so well,It is rude; has a mood;And can play up like Hell. But when it’s on form, It may never offend,A considerate lover,A petulant friend! Barrie. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 20 to 22 - Oeiras Overture

Off to Oeiras we go, poor ‘Stealaway’ needed a tow,‘Pearl Fisher’ and ‘Casamara’ had a go, in this sorrowful tale of woe.All ended well I’m delighted to say, when Lisbon MRCC joined in the fray. The sea was of turquoise and blue, ‘Fire Dragon’ and ‘Serendipity’ were enjoying it too,Discussing lunch and what to eat, what ‘Fire Dragon’ were having sounded a treat.Oeiras a lovely marina they had, for some crew it was time to leave and they felt sad,Sue and Ross joined us....are they mad? Lisbon we visited the next day, only a short train ride away.We got a tad lost and ended up by the motorway.Having got back on track, we found the tram, which started rather packed,Views of Lisbon we enjoyed from the back and tram surfers we did not. read more...

Fri Flyt - 24.November: 4.dag har startet

Vi har nå nettopp ferdig med vår 4.natt på havet. Den første natta lå vi med lite vind og 60-80 båter bak/på siden av oss. Et utrolig syn med alle lanternene spredt over et stort område.  Natt nr 2 hadde vi ca 10 båter innen synlig rekkevidde, mens 3. natta var det enda færre. I natt har vi passert en båt, sett en lastebåt og skimter såvidt en båt fremfor oss. Dette er stor kontrast i forhold til første natta. Morilden lyser opp i kjølvannet, foran baugen, på bølgetoppene, i klosettet og på tauverket. Når delfinene tar en tur omkring oss på natta så ser vi stort sett bare delfin-spøkelser: Store lysende objekter som. read more...

Aztec Dream - FW: Log day Final - No more sardines!!

 The end of the rally is here,We celebrated with yet more wine and beer.To the restaurants of Lagos we did flockTo eat lots, including steak on a hot rock. An excellent final prize-giving and dinner,For the walking quiz we were a winner.Nicks photos entertained us allAs they were projected onto the restaurant wall. The next day and many a sore head to be had,A BBQ we planned to avoid feeling sad.Gordon proved his expertise at cooking And the pontoon seemed to sink as we were looking. And so the day arrived that people and boats started to leave,Thankfully we were given a reprieve.Sue and Ross did stay until SaturdaySo we day sailed and lunched in a bay. Having said farewell,With many stories to tell,We planned our next move,After the Rally it will be tough to. read more...

Fri Flyt - 21. november: Første døgn er unnagjort

Da har det gått 25,5 timer siden starten av ARC2011. Vi hadde en fantastisk fin seilas sydover langsmed Gran Canary, og var en av de båtene som gikk nærmest land hvor aksellerasjonsvindene regjerer. Dette er områder hvor det pga landskapet blir forsterkede vinder, ofte både 2 og 3 ganger så sterk som vinden utenfor disse områdene. Med våre spridde forseil suste vi avgårde i til tider over 13 knop, mens de fleste gikk langt ute fra land og dermed fikk en omvei. Senere på kvelden, langt ute på sørsiden av Gran Canary mistet vi vinden og det gikk vesentlig tregere. I natt har det vært ujevne vinder, og de siste timene nå har vi tydd til motor. Akkurat nå skal vi dra. read more...

Diamonds Are Forever - Blog - Day 21 - 11/12/12 - Mid Ocean Swimming!

Diamonds Blog - Day 21 - 11/12 - Mid Ocean Swimming   Hi all,   Yesterday was our last day in the wind-hole and during the baking heat of a hot and still afternoon, when the final breath of wind had finally disappeared, the crew of diamonds gathered, took down the sails and dived in to the deep blue sparkling ocean.  Over 350 miles from land and in an ocean that was over 5000m deep - I'll let the crew explain how that feels...   Kirsty: "Swimming 350 miles off any shore line suddenly seemed like a daunting prospect, but once the decision was finally made it was definitely worth it.  Very salty, very aware that it was very, VERY deep and, judging by yesterdays minke whale sighting, very aware of the amount and size of the wildlife.  Yet it cooled us. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 7 to 9 - Bayona

Ballad to Bayona In fair Bayona we stayed, visiting Santiago de Compostella filled one of our days.Lola our guide had the boys terrified. Green brolly aloft, she shepherded her flock,Showing us the cathedral magnificent and a market resembling a medieval pagent.Her tales of witches and cheeses and other interesting wheezes,Had us all laughing out loud amongst the pilgrim crowd. Back in Bayona, the crew took on a new persona,Partying until after three, they visited every bar in the city.After everything from beer to grappa, there were a few fracas!Trying to get up the next day, it was clear a few had lost their way.A siesta they needed to recharge, they ceded and to do it all over again. Laundry, refuelling and provisioning were a pleasure under the rays of the sun. And. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 10 to 12 - Povoa's Poetry

From Bayona to Povoa de Varzim it did nothing but rain,Cup-a-soup and Ovaltine helped to ease the pain!Dolphins arrived to play with the yacht,Their acrobatics entertained us a lot. The town in sight, fishing pots appeared,Avoiding them essential, for our prop we feared.Prize giving in the yacht club, a chance to dry out.Eat, drink and be merry whislt the guitarist sang and danced about. A trip to Porto where around Taylors wine lodge we ambled,Much knowledge was gained and white port we sampled,A new aperitif was created by adding  tonic, lime and ice,We bought two bottles, which should suffice. A lunch of salted cod and vinho verde,Followed by a trip to the cathedral passed the day.The weather continued grim into the eveningBut in the morning the sun came out which. read more...

Annie - Blog 20

Well, what an eventful 48 hours we've had and what a sense of humour failure I've had! The scene: Thursday 1700. The winds died down and became flukey. Then we hit a squall and thought good this will keep us going. Much merriment as we decide to have our celebratory drink a little early. Then, as the light faded, and I've now learnt that fading light is always the time when if things are going to go wrong, they will, the wind completely died and we were left wallowing around. The sea was oily calm so we thought we would motor on to try to find the wind.. Switched on the engine - nothing. We took it in turns to see if one of us would be lucky. Nothing. Graham then thought as we weren't sailing the hydrovane should be disabled. He found that in a short time of lolloping around it had been. read more...

Porto Santo - Porto Santo10/12

Fizemos 120m nas ultimas 24h,sempre á vela.Vento na casa dos 15n,mar com pouca ondulação.Agora á noite parece que refrescou um pouco,vamos ver se andamos um pouco mais depressa.Fomos ultrapassados por outro barco,com rumo paralelo,que foi detectado no AIS de madrugada,e que agora está 6 m á nossa frente;não houve comunicação.E continuamos,já ultrapassamos metade da distancia até Sta Lucia,tudo bem a bordo.. read more...

Avalon - getting ready for Rally Portugal

Monday 23rd May  Location Office  trying to work ! Looking forward to departing to Plymouth on FridayThink I have everything organised  Looking forward to meeting fellow rallyersFair winds and good sailingJonathan and Jackie. read more...

Libertas - Departure Nieuwpoort Belgium

Today we left Nieuwpoort at 10.15 LT. All crew present and ready for a Westerly 6. See you in Plymouth.Kind regards.Luc. read more...

La Palapa - Fish ho! 10 Dec 200nm to St Lucia

apparently someone else did think the red squid was attractive although the fish did bite a good deal after sunset so its not clear how well he saw our perfect lure.aimee and i where happily below finishing of a plate of meat and cheese and "bang" i heard the shock cord snap.i went on deck and low and behold there was a fish still attached to our line.i had the presence of mind to remove my sarong and grab the one fish glove we still have before i started realling the guy in hand over hand.i yelled for aimee to grab the gaff and as i pulled this nasty looking guy onto the swim step and before i could say anything to aimee she gaffed it right through!ok so thats done i thought.i decided to go with scotts method of tying a line around the tail to gain control of the thing (which was still. read more...

Spindrift of Jersey - ARC Log - Day 21

100 miles to go. No wind and we have been motoring continuously but then at lunchtime today the engine alarm started and we were overheating as the cooling water pump had failed. Exactly the same problem as we suffered in the Med at Messina which is supposed to happen only every 10 years or less!!!**%$! Maybe we have motored the equivalent to 10 years for a normal weekend and annual holiday yacht? After 5 hours of very hard work by the whole crew to try to jury rig a pump from the manual bilge pump without success I looked for a spare domestic water electric pump in the spares box (this wouldn't be able to run for very long but is better than nothing) and, whoops, I found a spare engine water  pump that I had forgotten was there! After 5 hours of fruitless work this was taken in. read more...

Yemanja - Friday 27 May

Friday 27th May.Left Mylor @ 0430 this morning with a NW 5 to 7 with little sea, boat speed 7 to 8.5 knts most of the way. Hope the rest of the sailing will be as good, only warmer!!David Tippett. read more...

Halcyon of Hebe - What a welcome!

Pos: 14:04.47N60:56.94W What a welcome!We're now in Rodney Bay, St Lucia, gradually returning to earth both literally and metaphorically after successfully completing our crossing of the Atlantic. Going back 48 hours, we were about 70Nm off St Lucia in very light winds.During the night we alternated between engine and sail as the wind rose and faded between about 4-8knots.Anything over 6 knots allowed us to get 3knots towards Rodney Bay - which was about the threshold at which it was worthwhile from a competition point of view. Unfortunately, we needed to motor the last few miles across the line and finished shortly after sunrise.  We crept into Rodney Bay marina feeling as though we were entering a different world.Different people, different. read more...

Dragonfly GB - 28 May

Left Ispwich 11 May for passage to Plymouth for start of Rally Portgual and arrived 24th May evening. Our first planned port of call was Dover but we ran out of time and, not wanting to arrive in the dark, went into Ramsgate instead.  Other stops were Portsmouth, Yarmouth, Poole, Torquay, Weymouth and Dartmouth.  Most of the time we had a W/SW wind.  Had some great sailing from Portsmouth onwards.   Dragonfly behaved well and we are getting to know her.  Some bits fell off on the way - a reef pully, the bi-colour lens and a sail batten.  Also, David will hate me for telling this - but he motored off from a pontoon with the shore electric supply still connected so we've been without for quite a while but Dave from Fox's was a. read more...

Watergaw - DAY 21 – Saturday 10/12/11 - So near yet so far....

  Chris Tibbs, our weather forecaster is a really impressive guy, who has written the RYA weather guides, has sailed the world’s oceans in racing yachts, and does the seminars for the ARC on weather. More than that, he is really good company, willing to share his experience with you and give you positive advice. We have greatly appreciated his input, and reckon that his routing was largely responsible for getting us back up with the fleet, despite leaving a day after everyone else. In short, we like him a lot….but not this morning! We pick up his forecast at about 0900 UTC, and we are always on tenterhooks for the latest words of wisdom. Today’s epistle, however, concluded with the following: “I have not seen the trades fail this badly (…) in the 8. read more...

Yemanja - 29 May

Should be out past Rame head at the moment but start delayed until this afternoon so nursing a sore head after a bash at 'Jolly Jack's' last night. Will have a walk and a Sunday roast.....David Tippett. read more...

Hoedic - dressing overall in Plymouth

Your message is ready to be sent with the following file or linkattachments:plymouth 003.jpgNote: 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.plymouth 003. read more...

Saltwhistle III - Day 20 - We've arrived!

Greetings from sunny St Lucia! We arrived in Saturday morning at 8am and were greeted with a fruit basket and ice cold rum punch, very nice.We had a really easy crossing and got some good sailing in for the first two weeks before the wind left us and we motored the final three days.Highlights included catching a giant Mahi Mahi (about 5.5 foot long!)It was great to be welcomed into the marina by friends from the UK and Las Palmas.We were the 143'rd boat in over all classes and should get our final placement on Tuesday once the other boats have arrived. It's hot here so we have put the sun awnings up, mosquito nets over the hatches and wind scoops to guide the wind into the boat.This evening there is a jazz event and we will go along and enjoy. read more...

Psyche - To travel hopefully is NOT better than to arrive.....!

It seems a long time since we last saw a Rally Portugal boat, Dragonfly slowly being obscured by fog heading South out of Plymouth on Sunday night.  We sailed through the night, ending further south than I would have liked, and crept West through the next morning's mist and drizzle. Things cleared before the Ushant TSS and we had some lively sailing in rough F6 conditions through the evening. Around midnight Andy cracked his head in the saloon as Psyche continued to bounce around.  He had a prety bad gash, Susannah had earlier cracked a rib(s) - 2 crew down, 2 to go? Andy needed stitches and Susannah needed checking out. We decided to go to Falmouth some 85 miles North. We berthed in Falmouth at 17.30 on Tuesday 31st May, the marina (Port Pendennis) manager met. read more...

Diamonds Are Forever - Blog - Day 20 - 10/12/12 - Wind holes and Blowholes!!

Diamonds Blog - Day 20 - 10/12/12 - Wind holes and Blowholes!! Hi All, So its day 3 of living in a mid-atlantic windhole - the heat is up and the breeze is down! A whopping 51 miles has been sailed by the good ship Diamonds in the last 24 hours and my hat go off to the crew for their perseverance in what little airs there is to keep her moving along.Washing and preening continue today as the sun beats down on the small boat in the ocean.We are hoping for a pick up in the winds tomorrow - fingers and toes crossed!  Every evening we open a 'treat' from our goody bag - last night's treat was 4 brand spanking new toilet rolls!!!!!! Very very happy and excited crew!Our evenings entertainment consisted of watching another amazing sunset and gazing. read more...

Glass Slipper - 10 Dec 2011

Saturday, 10 Dec 2011 We learned yesterday around noon for the first time about the untimely passing of Andrew Nash. A very sad and tragic event our deepest sympathies to his family and fellow crew members. I looked at Tom and he said to me we’ve got some extra diesel – an email was sent to rally control offering our services – we were not the closest – I believe we are a bit behind, but if there are further developments – we stand ready to assist.   Yesterday was Ben’s (our first mate) 27th birthday. It pays to have your girl friend aboard for an event such as this – especially since she’s an excellent cook. We had a wonderful meal – even a Birthday Cake and an ice cream bar (it’s wonderful to have a freezer at sea).. read more...

Yemanja - arrived in Bayona

Biscay bites.......First couple of days were brilliant with 163 miles on day 1 and 187 on day 2. However, after Mary poked here thumb into the electric winch things went downhill (she is ok now and sitting on the back of the boat collecting sympathy from passers by). After this we motor sailed until Finisterre then spent 24 hrs in a force 10 (47 knts of wind over the boat) with waves breaking in the cockpit. Things calmed down and we eventually got to Bayona about midnight local time.Now on the terrace at Bayona marina, the sun is shining, a light breeze and lunch imminent.....Ps Saw a whale 100 meters off the boat yesterday. Will look up to see what it was.David Tippett. read more...

Minaxi - Counting the Days In instead of Days Out

So we are now in day 6 after leaving Cape Verdes, however we've stopped counting how many days we've been out at sea, simply because we had a 1 week stop over for repairs and don't really count that as "Under way" it was more "under the influence"! What is more important to us is our ETA and if we arrive in St Lucia in time for the Prize Ceremony on the 17th because what's the point of coming in last if you can't collect your "last place" prize. And we still have a chance of winning a prize in the Basil plant competition. Since Heidi has taken over Valerio's job of looking after Sybil, she has grown a few more inches and is even sprouting new tops, we think it is all the tea bags and coffee grinds she keeps feeding her. Heidi also takes her for walks on the deck every day for fresh air. read more...

Yemanja - in Bayona

Been here in Bayona for a couple of days now, a very chilled place with good food and wine. Went to Santiago de Compostela yesterday but didn't come back with any religious fervour. Highlight of the day was the 'Compostela Jazzman', a white bloke with a black stocking over his head and a set of fat red plastic lips playing jazz guitar. Sat and listened to him for a bit and bought the cd, which didn't work. Natalie commented on the wisdom of buying something from a man with a stocking on his head.......David Tippett. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 1 - Into the fog

Started well, 2nd off the line heading south before the fog started to close in. Then no idea where anyone was. Stayed on the same tack for a long time wondering when to start heading west and whether we were going to encounter any shipping. The wonders of AIS meant we picked up Avalon on the plotter and we decided to stay with them as long as possible under the cover of their tranceiver and safe from ships. Eventually tacked away west when the fog lifted and picked up Jansen. The wind died a bit and we couldnt point high enough so we started motoring and tried to catch them up. Went about 3 hours under motor then it overheated and Jansen disappeared off the AIS. By then the wind shifted and picked up so we through up the sails for a nice day of sailing.. read more...

Aniara II - Dec. 10

10 December 15.00 (local Aniara time) LAND IN SIGHT!  (We think and hope). It´s a strange feeling to see land after 20 days at sea. We know there is a party on the marina boardwalk tonight, but we might be a little bit late joining. We have started some cleaning and other housekeeping activities onboard. Today we emptied our fresh water tank onboard, yesterday evening we ate our last spaghetti carbonara with fresh bacon. We have had only one can of Bullens sausages served during the crossing, i.e. the provisioning got an OK. Tomorrow we might have access to our own Wi-Fi-network and will than relay some photos from the trip so far. A big hug from all of us to Erik, who kept our web-page alive during the past 20 days.. read more...

Porto Santo - 09/12

        Hoje á tarde,pelas 16h00 avistamos uma vela no horizonte! De inicio de forma intermitente,que exigiu a confirmação palo radar,estava a 6 m por bombordo. Depois com a aproximação,tornou-se evidente.E pouco tempo depois ouvimos o VHF,o catamarã LY,de bandeira alemã chamava o "sailing vessel at 15ª17`N 40ª50W"Eraa para nós!Claro que respondi,vão para Guadalupe,nós para Sta Lucia,talvez nos encontremos na Martinica em janeiro,queixas de pouco vento,esperança nos aliseos prometidos pela meteo,mas que ainda não chegaram.E agora ,noite,temos a companhia das luzes de navegação de outro barco com rumo paralelo.. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 2 - Going fast in the dark

Lots more wind and we reefed down the main and furled up a bit of head sail before heading into the night. Big black clouds forming and no moon made it very difficult to see racing down waves and often getting it a bit sideways. Very wet rainy night and after twelve hours on the helm Craigs hands looked water logged. Pam had also been quite sea sick and couldnt keep anything down, we were getting concerned she would get very dehydrated, but she put on a brave face and carried on helping control the boat feeling as rough as she did.. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 3 - Pam on the helm

After the previous night of fast sailing Craig needed some sleep so we dropped the main and despite being quite ill Pam sailed the boat for a good 4-5 hours. Later got the main back up and had some good sailing on a nice reach right through the rest of the day into the night which was nice and clear. Pam was still quite ill but got a good nights sleep. Luckily Pam had made masses of bacon & egg pie before we left and it was Craigs staple diet for the first few days as there was no way Pam could rustle up anything.. read more...

Nostra Vida - Ed har en lang tur over Atlanterhavet

Ed har nå, siden 1. desember, vært med å lese en bok som heter “Julemysteriet” av Jostein Gaarder. Denne boken leser vi i hver ettermiddag. Ed forstår såpass mye norsk nå (han hadde lært litt av Gaute ifjor) at det går helt fint. “Julemysteriet” er som en julekalender; vi leser ett nytt kapittel hver dag. Både Ed og jeg liker denne boken veldig godt. Det går jo litt saktere mot St. Lucia enn det vi hadde beregnet. Vi har hatt noen uheldige ting som har skjedd med båten (sprekken i bommen ble større slik at vi mistet kicken, vi revnet storseilet og vi har mistet propellen). Ed er flink til å holde humøret oppe! Når Torger, som er mannskapet vårt, spiller opp på. read more...

Grateful Red - day 20

missed day 19 - so slow that sun and moon came and went.Stupendous night last night - full moon, clear sky and crystal smooth seas.flew the spinnaker in very light winds - more for show than sailing progress.Hoping for the full moon wind phenomena - as the moon pull increases so does the wind speed (also known as the Sunnyside effect).Didn't happen - as in the Odyssey - the contrary winds were stored in the bag never to be opened but with the caption tied to the mast to hear the voice of the sirens the crew opened the bag of contrary winds and didn't return to their home port for three years.Not wanting to take this chance with my crew and the local winds I decided to motor the last fifty miles. Oh contraire. Daiquiris at noon in st lucia. ken. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 4 - The dodgy motor

Early hours the wind died right away. Then Craig thought he was halucinating when streaks of phosphoressence zoomed past and around the boat like torpedoes, before realising it was dolphins. Totally becalmed and lolloping about we decided to take a look at why the engine was overheating. Loosening off hoses we could tell water was getting to the motor but nothing was coming out. Pulled off a plate where the water exited the motor and could see alot of corrosion yet still the water came through. However noticed that what looked like a return valve component had come loose and was blocking the exit tube. Decided to remove the valve and plugged up the hole with a bit of blue tack. Also plugged up the return hose with an old peice of rigging and a jubilee clip, and it worked. So off we went. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 5 - Nice fast sailing

As the motor died the wind picked up and we had a nice gentle sail overnight. The wind increased more the next day and Pam got on the helm and was surfing the boat down waves like a pro, she was also over the sea sickness and really starting to enjoy the sailing. However we got some texts on the sat phone from Craigs brother saying wind was expected to pick up to 35 knots, and it did, steadily increasing through the day, but still some nice fast sailing.. read more...

La Palapa - Does this not look delicious? 9 Dec, 340 nm to St Lucia

today was meant to be another compete relaxation day and it basically was.around 830 am i was hungry and started rummaging around in the kitchen foraging for food.just as i was doing this aimee pocked her head out of the "cave" and shooed me out of the kitchen promising another egg stack breakfast with one of our last eggs, perfect timing.  i took the time to get our new high power dust buster wired up for palapa power.aimee picked up the dustbuster in las palmas just before we left and it is more like a mini vacuum with a hose and everything.it takes 18 volts 200 mamps and the wall wart provided only works with 220 volt.i rummaged around in our electronics gear and found a targus computer adaptor that put out 19.5 volts and even found the right plug so we are in business.just as i. read more...

Jacana of Ardmay - 9/12/11

Hi Everyone,   With only just over 100 miles to go we are ready to see and enjoy the comforts of St Lucia, we could certainly do with some wind here, we only got 6 to 7 knots and we have had to motor all day, like the rest of the ARC boats. A lot of boats have overtaken us now as they started their engines a lot earlier than we have. As there appears to be no wind forecast for the next couple of days either it looks like engine on to the finish line now. It has been so hot today ( I am not meaning to rub it in really!!) and we have had no sea breeze to cool us down, no time for swimming either as we have to get in to Rodney Bay before Lucy and Nick to protect our credit card, although we have missed them so much we would probably let them have whatever they wanted anyway. We have. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 6 - Mother nature bites back

Into the night the swells had begun to increase along with the wind and we decided to drop the main and just sail on the furled headsail, which we progressively furled more. We put in all the washboards as we started to get a bit of water over the top and Craig was concerned we might get knocked down and a load in the cockpit. Decided we both needed to be on deck with Pam calling the waves from behind. It was pretty hairy surfing down waves regularly clocking over 12 knots on the log with almost no sail up and waves crashing into and over the boat in the middle of the night with no visibility (no moon). We got knocked down and slid off waves countless times and with the adrenaline pumping we were both quite exhilerated but not really wanting to be there. The next day was the same surfing. read more...

Berserker 2 - Day 7 - The clean up

The previous night we were keen to get up and do the organised tour with the rest of the team however when we woke up we forgot to allow the extra hour, so missed the tour. It was probably just as well because we really needed to tidy up anyway. Despite having the hatches battened down we still took on alot of water and the bilges arn't that clean so there was greasy water all over the floor boards that we had to pull out and clean. Pam cleaned all the salt out of our wet weather gear an fleecies on the pontoon and cooked a nosh up lunch with all the food we couldnt cook on the way over. We then went out for a few beers and a steak with the crew of Maui (Jonathan Wilson also a Kiwi, not sure if we are related!). read more...

Nyda - Day 20: Thank heavens for Volvo

What a quiet day. There has been virtually no wind since yesterday though we did get the sails up for a few hours overnight and even managed to reach the heady speeds of 5 knots, for all of 5 minutes. Today has been spent looking at a flat calm ocean whilst the engine is faithfully carrying us towards our Caribbean Island. It is so flat that if you put a few ducks out there it would be more like a village pond than a massive ocean. I think we are all getting bored of eating on the boat and whilst we still are very well provisioned (Dad and Ann could sail for the next year I think without having to buy any tinned/dried goods!) we are all missing fresh food. Personally I am starting to dream of green salad, prawns, cold beer and icecream though the rum punch you reputedly are served on. read more...

Hanami II - Stowaway!

This has been a strange couple of days in that the usual Trade Winds have simply not blown.  We have had virtually no wind, and have had to motor.  Watching the weather for signs of wind, clouds, sea surface etc has been a regular activity, in between reading ... and it has given us a chance to get through a lot of books.   When we do sense wind, we try to sail, and some of these attempts have only lasted ten or twenty minutes before the engine has to go back on again.  At one point, when we could sail, we found we had the wind on our bows ... exactly the opposite of the expected down-wind sailing.   Maybe that explains the stowaway we found on board, and who has been with us all day.  A juvenile swallow landed on our guard rail and simply stayed there,. read more...

Dragonfly - Plymouth to Bayona

We arrived safely on Friday around lunchtime after our high seas adventure - a very steep learning curve! We experienced a lot of different weather, fog on leaving plymouth, followed by high winds and choppy seas until out past the Scilly Isles, then a day of relative calm (just one though) then increasingly high winds (up to Force 9) and heavy seas with high breaking waves and huge swells.  Being fairly novice we were quite apprehensive as to whether we would be flattened by the wind and waves but Dragonfly kept us safe.  We did heel over quite considerably when waves broke over the deck and into the cockpit and several times breaking waves crashing into the stern slewed us almost right round.  One lifebouy and light got washed away and the furler on the. read more...

Brizo - Sat 28th May 2011 (morning) - Do I cut the tooth brush in half?

The Portugal rally encourages some light hearted competition between stops - but neither we nor BRIZO are designed for speed. So fully loaded with Fuel and Water (just in case) the boat weighs in at some 27 tons, according to the lift we had at Dartheaven Marina a week earlier (that's another story) so there seemed little point in trying to reduce weight in any other way in order to compete with the lighter boats in the fleet and the eager competitive looking bunch of skippers at the briefing. For us 'cutting the tooth brush in half' as Pete had done famously when racing, besides ours are electric anyway!That brings me to a brief description of the yacht - quite simply 55 feet of luxury. The choice was simple if we intend to spend a lot of time on the boat lets make sure its as. read more...

Angerona - 10.12.2011 - Finnishing the Atlantic crossing by the captain

As the ARC crossing goes to end up in Saint Lucia, and we estimate to arrive around xxx o'clock today, Saturday 10, I am very thoughtful. This crossing has been dream for me for a long time, and I think this is the time to thank all the people that have made this possible to carry out.   First I want to thank my doughters: Mari-Amanda (20) and Anya-Henriette (29) who take care of our business when we are away.   I took my certificate for Deck Officer Class 5A at Arsile school in Oslo, and want to thank Lars S. Larsen for all he teached me about boats, navigation and living at sea.  I had never been sailing a yacht before we bought this sailyacht from Fjord Sail AS at Høvik.  The owner of the company, Tor Hove, gave us very good advise when we ordered the boat. read more...

Brizo - Fri 27th May 2011- 'Back in the Saddle again

'Back in the Saddle again'. (a bit of background - for those not interested skip to Saturday or for that matter the rally Dinner end of June)The last 20 years have been frantic but the last month some of the most frantic in our lives. Having sold the Maxi 1200 in 2006 to focus on a house build project in our home town of Dartmouth Devon. We had done little if any sailing during the intervening years, and soon realised that sitting pretty in our newly renovated house for several years we needed another challenge, so decided to 'sell down', much to the amazement of many, and go do some fairly serious cruising before we get too old !18 months later we are now sat on our newly delivered Discovery 55 BRIZO (Greek goddess of mariners/navigation) in Plymouth harbour having completed two house. read more...

Sookie - Day 20 (Eighteen)

Another nil wind day and our fuel for getting to St Lucia is marginal.  We have had diesel bug which is where the fuel jellifies and clogs the filters.  We changed filters again today and are saving old ones in case they need to be recycled.  We do have an emergency supply of fuel in Plastic Jerrydcans that will give us another ten hours of motoring should we need it.  Although we are a sailing yacht and we could sail the last stretch it would probably turn two days motor sailing into four days sailing with the current forecasts and the closer we get to our destination the more we want to get there.   Some of us have people already arriving from the UK to greet us.   However I forgot to mention we had a MOB (Man Over Board) or more accurately. read more...

Watergaw - DAY 20 – Friday 9/12/11 – Hello Sailor(s)

“Come here often?” were the first words exchanged with the crew of the 20 metre NZ yacht ‘Haereroa’ which drew alongside us during our evening pre-prandial tonight. We had seen them astern for a couple of hours, and they were doing a good knot and a half better than us (more of which later), so they closed the gap and hailed us as we sat snacking and imbibing.    They are also ARC participants, and we exchanged pleasantries (and promises of a beer in Rodney Bay), before they swept past us and disappeared into the distance. It left us contemplating the bizarre nature of the passage – hardly anyone within sight for 3 weeks, and then a boat onto which our pistachio shells landed! Night Watch Incidents We had a more complicated and absorbing night. read more...

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