Daily Logs

Northern Child - Daily Log #13 - 3rd December 2011

Daily Run towards St Lucia - 191nmDaily Logged Miles - 205nmDistance to Go - 478nmLunch -Selection of Freshly Baked Baguettes with a selection of fillingsHappy Hour - Freshly Caught Dolphin Fish (Mahi Mahi); 1/2 lightly pan fried in lime juice and olive oil, 1/2 Finely sliced served with soy sauce, Pickled Ginger & Wasabi. Dinner - Beef Bourguignon with Jacket Potatoes Yesterday our fishermen were finally rewarded for their persistence. Mid afternoon the fishing line whizzed away from the boat.There was a scramble of bodies to the back of the boat to retrieve the rod. The remainder of the crew furled away the genoa to try and slow the boat but even after this the boat was still flying along at 8 knots.Slowly but surely Rolf and David reeled in the catch. The aft cockpit was stripped of. read more...

Sookie - Day 13 (Eleven)

Another successful day - passed our ha lfway point today and celebrated with a cold beer and steak and sauté spuds. Jonny is working wonders in the galley but it's funny how everyone disappears topsides to get out the way of the bad language and pan throwing as another cordon blue special goes flying from galley to chart table. I think many a meal over the last week or so has originated from the floor, having said that all have been excellent. Any other boats reading this may want to hire Jonny if they intend continue cruising and need a good cook (he does have a few other strange habits but the food is well worth it). The fishing continues to be a disaster - I'm not sure these boys know what they're doing??? any tips will be gracefully received - that's if. read more...

EH01 - LOG DAY 14 - Kites up...

Kites up finally. and down again periodically as we sail though a swathe of squalls generated by the trough near 60W, south of 20N. Still in between squalls the wind is around 17 to 18kts so we can get away with the 0.6 fractional runner and dont have to break out the whomper which caused the drivers so many issues earlier in the week.A sustained squall saw the crew gathered on deck post kite drop for an impromptu group shower, however 'Wing Commander Bird' was caught a tad short when the tap turned off mid lather, much to the amusement of us all. Cries of "I'll swap you a bucket of water for your Rolex" and such like were heard. Needless to say that piece of footage (oh yeah, GOPRO action all the way) will be posted on YouTube ASAP.The Wing Commander seems to be the only one so far to. read more...

Annie - Log Day 14 by Graham

We reckon that we passed the half way point last night so it was time this morning to open my special card from Sheena and get moist eyed. This evening will be celebration time with Spanish Cava and other goodies. Let's hope we don't have a squall at supper time, like a couple of evenings ago, when Peter and I had to abandon our food to sort out the sails.The first half has been great with the vastness of the ocean, the skies and the stars and as an added bonus the three of us are still talking to each other. Let's hope that the second half goes as well. The winds are still light, in spite of a vivid pink mackerel sky at sunset yesterday and we have been pushed further north than we want so Peter and I need to spend a couple of hours on deck shifting our downwind rig from one side of the. read more...

Emilija - 3rd December

.hmmessage P { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } BODY.hmmessage { FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt }Hello all. Today has been a quiet day not a lot to report, the boat not doing as much rocking and rolling the winds have dropped a little and speed has dropped slightly, hopefully we will see a few squalls tonight to push us along however the twin headsails are brill you hardly need to adjust them. Sleep patterns have improved in the last 24hrs the swell is not as big the only thing making sleeps a little difficult are the rising temps. We spotted two boats today these were the first we had seen in a day or two. The position report says we covered 188 miles in 24hrs not bad. We taught we had a tuna biting the fishing line as the. read more...

Diamonds Are Forever - Blog - Day 13 - 3/12 - Wet, wet, wet!

Diamonds Blog - Day 13 - 3/12/12 - Wet, wet, wet!Hi everyone!Harriet here! After a night of dodging squall clouds on board Diamonds  our daily run has come to 144.8nm which gives us an average of 6 knots an hour. We're all very pleased with this as for most of the night the wind wasn't playing in our favour, our course we wanted to steer was 275 and the wind kept pushing us round and at one point we were heading due north!! Not great when St. Lucia is west!The squall clouds started at 1700 yesterday, when a large dark cloud came overhead and went on to soak both Bea and Bev who were on watch at the time. Squall's are BIG black clouds that follow the wind so generally come from behind us, they usually lead to a lot of rain (perfect for washing- grab the Radox Girls!), slightly. read more...

Island Wanderer - Day 14 - 17:13.217N, 48:51.580W

Saturday 3rd December.   No squalls today, and the wind has eased, so we are currently flying the gennaker. Life continues much as usual. After 2 weeks at sea each crew member enjoys their day off-watch as it comes up. Crew are finding they need to wash clothes now, but daily showers seem to have been enjoyed by all. It is now very warm during the day.   All fresh food is now consumed, so we are onto the frozen meals from the freezer, and freshly baked bread. Derek is relieved that fresh fruit is no longer being forced on him.   The grib files that we download to show us the wind strength and direction show that there is very little wind next week on the approach to St Lucia, so all of the boats will find the going a little slow. We have been able to see 2 other bots. read more...

Kealoha 8 - Not a good day in the office

A second blog from Kealoha today – although for sad reasons I’m afraid. Again I’ll start by saying that all are fine on board. However, the small tear in the main (mentioned in the last blog) was something we were all concerned about, but something which a sail repair wouldn’t have resolved. At some point we needed to gybe (change direction) & so decided to do this during daylight, with everyone on deck. Unfortunately the wind went behind the sail as we gybed, the mainsail literally tore across the middle. We have safely rolled the mainsail away, but we are now two sails down for this trip. We are now sailing with just the genoa and staysail, and so our speed will be maximum of 7 knots (we had anticipated 9-10 knots). So we wanted to let everyone know, in case. read more...

Kealoha 8 - A lesson to us all: spinnakers and squalls - guest written by Mandy

 Firstly, all the crew are doing well. We had an excellent day yesterday, with a good sail & good winds.Those of you who have been following the blogs will know that most days we are flying a spinnaker 24 hours a day (we have 3 on board - each for different strengths of winds). Some of you may also know about squalls - these are clouds which build & become darker and have stronger winds underneath them. Those that have rain tend to have stronger winds still, but until you are in a squall, you never quite know how much wind it will have. Squalls have become a more regular feature of the day as we near St Lucia, with probably about half a dozen hitting us a day. During the day you can watch for dark clouds and at night we watch the radar (as rain shows up on this). We then. read more...

Grateful Red - day 13

as we sail east the sun sets later and later on zulu time so my shift starts earlier in the night time. the shift schedule is always zulu time. For the first days the new moon peaked from under the mainsail. the past four days have been a steady starboard broad reach - moon hidden behind the main. Each night the moon rises farther west. Finally last night the moon - on my shift - was aft of the main. Can only mean - moon tans! no need for that greasy sun block just priceless reflected sunlight providing superb visuals and great moon tanning weather ..... and moon tanning always goes better while sailing at seven plus knots. The sky was clear - terrific view of the stare. i wonder if Columbus used his i pod to read the constellations. Much easier driving with a bright moon and sky full of. read more...

Great Bear - 03/12/2011 Great Bear - Julestemning ombord

Dét sørme, dét sandt, December!   Efter at have fået en pakke med Airmail d. 1 december, fyldt med julepynt, pebernødder og grankogler kom skibet hurtigt til at se helt eventyrligt ud. Ligemeget hvor man kigger er der guilander og små nissemænd.  Vi har haft radiokontakt med den anden danske båd Tao, og kæmper nu om førsteretten til St. Lucia med kun  993 sømil igen.D. 2 december fik vi også øje på et kæmpe skib i horisonten med kurs mod solnedgangen. Vi blev aldrig enige om det var et krydstogtskib eller et fragtskib. Aftensmaden bestod af den berygtede Jakabov vi havde snakket om lige siden Marselisborg d. 8. juli 2011. Fiskeriet er ikke noget vi snakker højt om. read more...

Chilli Chilli - Saturday

So this Saturday, instead of watching rugby on cold terraces, shopping with the Mrs or skiving down at the pub, we are racing through paradise. Usual stuff that I’m sure you have read on other blogs. Blue waters, rolling waves, perfect winds, stunning fishing blah blah blah.   However, one of those things is not applicable to Chilli Chilli and that is fishing. It would appear that our only two ‘fisherman’ had been blagging each other with their abilities and neither of them know which end to reel in or which end the fish is supposed to bite! They currently have more fishing gear than the Deadliest Catch spread all over the cockpit and have no idea which bits go in the sea! Looks like chicken again tonight!   I will now pass you over to Gorgeous Gorge.  . read more...

Halcyon of Hebe - Blog day x+1

Time passed, slowly.Without water and having suffered damage to their rig, your intrepid sailors struggle on towards st. Lucia at 3 knots. The whole crew have blistered hands from two days incessant pumping of the water maker, and all wish things had turned out differently. How life can turn on a decision to fly a bigger sail or turn on the water pump without checking all taps are off. There is no need for sympathy, this is a self inflicted misery made only worse by the sufficiency of time available to self analyse, chastise and regret.Being on that boat would make Halcyon seem like the land of milk and honey.This morning we indulged in a wash, one each actually, with soap and everything. Steve's clean and untrimmed beard makes him look more like Santa with every passing day. Rob's clean. read more...

Matilda - A Mid-Atlantic Dip

It was bound to happen at some point on this journey, and today it did - I had to go over the side to retrieve a line which had managed to get itself caught between the skeg and the rudder. It was a wonderful excuse for a swim, and what a fantastic place for a dip. I was of course tied to the boat, and I had my fins on, so I could easily swim faster than matilda was drifting. The line was a spinnaker rope which had inadvertently been dropped overboard; at least we got the line back and the spinnaker is back in action. Certainly one of the longest, slowest jibes we've performed so far...The weather has become very tropical all of a sudden; very hot and humid. This, coupled with the dramatic drop in wind speed today has made us all feel a bit lethargic. With the slower winds forecast for. read more...

White Knight of NY - Log day 2/11/2011 - Fresh menu keeps coming aboard White Knight of NY

Not satisfied we had to nearly stop the boat to hoist up this 13kg Dorado!06. read more...

Butterfly - 510 miles to go... ;)

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Cochise - 03/12/11

Day 14 The funny thing about sailing... is that you never really know what to expect. Early yesterday evening we were bowling along in perfect conditions eating up the miles and the lad's conversations were turning to palm fringed islands, beer and beaches. By midnight, the squall clouds were rolling in and the air was full of rain. Throughout the night, the wind played cruel tricks with us, varying by up to 60deg, usually just as we had set the sails. Today has bought no respite from the changeable conditions. At luchtime, we saw a window of sunshine and went for the spinnaker, only for a mass of cloud to break away from the horizon, and we rushed to get it down again before more 30kt winds and rain hit. For the moment we have a good 20kt SE wind, but humidity is near 100% and just. read more...

Challenger 4 - Day 12 - 03 December

Day 12Once again I find myself sat at the skipper`s navigation table entrusted with the writing of the blog. Firstly, the fishingupdate, not a great deal to report, the rapid speed of Challenger 4, averaging nearly 10 knots, has been sufficient to deter the fish from having a bite at the lures over the last week. We have also been plagued with a large amount of surface seaweed which has destroyed some of our equipment, mainly breaking the hooks on the lures. However, Steve the Mate did catch a decent size Dorado on an identical lure to the one I had been using, not that I`m competitive, but it was a little smaller than my catch of the previous day. As it was caught in the late afternoon, it was quickly prepared and found itself in the oven ready for the starter of that evening's meal.The. read more...

Elisa - Dag 13: Squall Alley, keuzes en innerlijke vrede

De laatste 24 uur zijn sterk bepaald door het instabiele gedrag van de wind en de keuzes die daaruit kunnen/mogen/moeten/zullen volgen. Duidelijk is dat we inmiddels diep in Squall Alley zitten, met afgelopen nacht een stuk of 4 van deze storingen, die regenend en windrijk over ons heen trokken. Één van deze vrienden verraste Jeroen in zijn nachtrust met een zoute douche, waarop hij zich meermaals beklaagde over zijn natte broek. Na de plakhandjes van Oscar en de Happy Pants van Tom onstaan er zo aan boord dagelijks gevleugelde termen en uitspraken die alleen voor ons een betekenis hebben, en zo hoort het ook. Terug naar de squalls: een strakke blik op de radar en de hand aan de draaiknop van de Autopilot leveren een voor buitenstaanders onnavolgbare zig-zagkoers op,. read more...

Sapphire II - 2 December “Lazy Day”

This morning we could see another yacht. The first visual contact with the fleet for more than a week. Sydney Rock Oyster took a more northerly course than us and we lost sight of her before evening. Our skipper was telling us about sailing on the Trade Winds in the Pacific. Set the course and sails and leave them be for days on end. No such luck for us on the Atlantic, though today we came close. We had nothing to do with the rigging all day until we gybed at 18:00. We put our local time clocks back by 1 hour today – the third such adjustment. So today was a little longer and now the scribe is a little more tired and the Muse a little more reluctant to compose. Mind you, after 13 days at sea, although everyone looks fit and energetic, and morale is great, it’s inevitable. read more...

Sibilation - Day 13

According to Hannah it’s day 13 today (i lost track after about a week). 15 13.36N  046 41.82W   We managed around 159nm yesterday, although we were hoisting the spinnaker at noon and didn’t get the log completed until 12.25.   With 852nm to Pigeon Island we have turned our thoughts from the day to day troubles (why can’t we catch any fish, if i wear these pants back-to-front and inside out can i make them last another week, will the spinnaker and the forestay stay a safe distance apart etc) to St.Lucia and when we might arrive.  After such a quick start we’d all like to make it in 18 days and x hours (exact number of hours isn’t important as no one remembers), but with a less than good forecast we’ll struggle to make the 150nm. read more...

Brizo - WCC Log Day 14 – Saturday 3rd Nov: Ode to the Perfect Crew member

Biggles endurance knows no bounds But his sense of humour can’t be found You can never get him to have a chat He’s just not one to chew the fat But we all think he's fantastic The way he helms this big piece of plastic Keeping us steady on our course No matter what the beaufort force He never waivers from his duty This is why he’s a real beauty A very important member of crew You never catch him having a spew He keeps on going day and nightEven if the sea puts up a fight As the day ends, we head into twilight Feeling safe in the hands of our auto pilot   (‘Biggles the Auto-pilot’ – as compiled by Craig-BRIZO). read more...

Spindrift of Jersey - Spindrift ARC Log - Day 14

Last night the genoa (headsail) ripped, so we had to roll it away until this morning. We tried both of the spare genoas to see which is best and now have one hoisted and the other tied on deck all ready to go if needed, but we lost hours of progress - and now the wind has died and changed direction. The log (that tells how fast and far you go stopped working too, but has now recovered - it may have been something caught on the paddle wheel under the boat. The sail change dominated the morning when we had a decent wind and now we are wallowing at 4 knots and not in quite the right direction. Fortunately the rip in the sail looks very repairable once we get to St Lucia and a sail maker. There isn't a lot we can do about the wind and we have tried different sail combinations. But everyone. read more...

Cruinneag III - Weather weather and more weather...

Saturday 3rd December 2011 15:14:00N 43:47:00WWe're on day 3 of the Advent calendar and are feeling quite festive after a visit from Balthazar, following a star, at happy hour on Thursday night courtesy of Susan. Gold (Lemon), Frankinsence (Gin) and Mhyrr (Tonic) all round and a festive game of pub quiz with retro sweeties (think sherbert dips and refreshers) for prizes. Lots of fun indeed. And a good chill out after a long night the night before...Wednesday night on mine and Trevors watch (everything happens on my and Trevors watch!) the wind started to creep up into the mid 20 knot range...no problem...27...ok...30...gulp...but the 43 year old sail, as yet untested, held on...and held on...unfortunatley the Red Baron was just too good for poor Otto Helms in the lazarette who couldn't. read more...

Lancelot II - Day 13 -

'Lancelot 2' at sea, 14.08N 52'54.7W 3rd December 20111530 UTC Speed ? 7 - 8 knotsWind ? E12-15  Simons Blog                 ========================================== Big wind!sail change, no sleep. Big rain! sail change,  no sleep, wet clothes.Big sun!  no wind, no sleep.         No sleep!  short blog.   ==================================== P.S. A longer blog will come in tomorrow updating you all on what's been going on... very sorry but very tired!. read more...

Skiathos - daily log

Liebe Leser,   die Mischung aus gebackenen Bohnen, Weisskohlsalat und Passatwind hat uns mächtig Vortrieb verschafft, so dass wir nun gerade noch 800sm von Saint Lucia entfernt sind - wir haben also 75% der Reise geschafft. Wie Ihr seht, herrscht an der kulinarischen Front noch immer Hochstimmung, wozu neben besagten baked beans besonders die Dorade beigetragen hat, die unser drei-Sterne-Däne Steen und Skipper Jochen nach einstündigem Kampf an Bord wuchteten und in appetitliche Häppchen verwandelten. Etwa ein Meter Körperlänge und circa 5kg Gewicht waren doch ganz eindrucksvoll, ebenso die Filettierungsschlacht im Cockpit. Frisch gebraten mit Zitrone und frischem Reis trug die Dorade erheblich zum Wohlfühlgefühl an Bord bei. Es sei das Tuch. read more...

Paraty - Tag 13 / nur noch 745 Seemeilen

Rasmuss ist uns treu geblieben. Und das, obwohl wir den meisten Rot- oder Weisswein doch lieber selber trinken und ihm nicht ganz so oft den ersten Schluck widmen. So segeln wir weiterhin mit meist 7 bis 8 Knoten der Sonne entgegen. Die Wassertemperatur liegt mittlerweile bei 28 Grad und es draengt sich fuer uns die Frage auf, ob ihr Daheimgebliebenen wohl schon den ersten Schnee gesehen habt?Die Aktivitaten an Bord haben wir im Vorgriff auf unser Ziel der karibischen Lebensart angenaehert. Seit vier Tagen haben wir die Segelstellung nicht mehr veraendert und so verbringen wir die Stunden mit Muessiggang: Lesen, Sonnen, kochen und ausgesprochen anspruchsvolle, man koennte auch fast philosophisch dazu sagen, tiefgreifende Maennergespraeche....Heute morgen haben uns wieder einmal zwei Wale. read more...

Whippersnapper - Day 13

We got a bad jam in the mainsail last night after furling it in a squall, it went in OK but after the squall had passed we couldn't get it out again. This morning I had to go up the mast to help it out, something I've done a few times before but never in strong winds or seas. Few heart stopping moments when I lost grip on the mast and flew around the stays but managed OK and the sail is good again.In a hope to improve the autopilot I 'got under the bonnet' and manually adjusted some of the software settings so it's works better in the heavy seas, realised all of my previous settings had been for relatively calm waters.We've just passed through another timezone so Mike put all clocks onboard back an hour, inexplicably though he forgot to put back his own and came to relieve me on night. read more...

Great Escape of Southampton - Day 14 (because the previous was 13 and I'm uncertain it was)

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me …. 2 reefs in the main, andA sun tan that will last until spring Back to the interesting things happening aboard the Great Escape…… At time of writing, we are 680 nautical miles from St Lucia and beer.  We’re trying to time the arrival to be in daylight because we’re vain and the photographs are better with the sun shining.  So Thursday it’s likely to be, given the forecasted drop in winds on the approach. The moon has returned, but only half of it and for half of the night.  We see it rise well before sunset, a huge white D in the blue sky and then after sunset, and you’d never guess we could, Robin was playing hand-shadows in the moonlight.  We could guess the rabbit,. read more...

Aniara II - Dec. 3

3 December 15.00 (local Aniara time) We have changed our Aniara-time twice so far and are now three hours after most of you in Europe. Last evening we had a Gratin de Mackerel with wine sauce and a touch of Fond de Lobster. We have stopped the allowance for fishing for the time being  since some of the crew members are longing for the Heinz White Beans and Bullens sausages we have stored somewhere. The gennaker has now been up for 30 hours, fixed with silver tape from Tesa, and we start our advance towards the top. We plan to pass two of the boats in our class today, and will than continue with the rest.. read more...

Glass Slipper - Saturday, 3 Dec 2011

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Twelve Moons - Es gibt kein Bier auf ....der 12 Moons

Das Bier wird knapp auf der 12Moons.Wir müüssen deshlb einen Zahn zulegen, vor allem aber da sich eine Flautenzone ab 5.12 vor St.Lucia ausbreitet. Da heisst es vor der Flaute im Ziel sein.Deshalb fahren wir seit 30 h wieder Spi, unserer Konstruktion zur Sicherung des Spibaumbeschlages hält bis jetzt.Der Wind hat aber auch etwas nachgelassen, so um die 5 Bft., und damit auch die Belastung auf den angebrochenen Rutscher. Nur die Halsen dauern 1 Stunde bis die Halteleinen umgebaut und wieder neu fixiert sind. Wir haben noch ca 380 meilen zum Ziel. Derzeit haben wir ein kleines Privat race mit einerm Katamaran, einer Catana 47, wie wir unter Spi. Wir sind einen hauch schneller.Es ist das erste ARC Schiff, dass wir seit über einer Woche sehen. Die Stimmumg an Bord ist. read more...

Skyelark of London - Day 13, 3rd December 2011

Day 13, 3rd December 2011As the net hammocks in the saloon sway backwards and forewards they occasionally give one a gentle nudge on the head as one lurches past.These are full of the fruit which was so carefully sterilized before stowing on board in Las Palmas."Oranges are Not the Only Fruit" the cry goes up; indeed one may be forgiven for that view as there is certainly a preponderance of them at present. There must have been a BOGOF when the boys shopped at Carrefour. The Sharron Fruit were delicious but ripened on day 2; plums are lasting well and kiwis mature slowly( the fruit,of course!), apples last well and red grapefruit have been successful.But it is the oranges and lemons, in true St. Clements style, which have been the stars.No chance of scurvy then, on Skyelark! Sir James. read more...

Scarlet Oyster - It's the final countdown 3/12/11

Hi All,Just about to check the rest of the fleets progress, but we are making nice swift progress with a little more wind than expected, bonus!The log is seldom dipping below 9knots, and we have put a quick gybe in on to port to enable us to capitalise on a left shift later and into tonight.Current routing has us on port for a few more hours, then stb till 1st light tomorrow, before hopefully our final gybe down for the run into st Lucia.Last night was some of the best sailing yet, quite unexpected! We had a few squalls, but keep old Forest flying the whole night, Chuck is probably feeling a little left out! I think Jo posted a few surfs into the 14's I saw high 13's a few times, but best thing was the consistent average.I find now that the 10knot rush of water past the hull now really. read more...

Engelen - Day 12 on Engelen

What has been a maybe in yesterday's post was confirmed 1200 UTC+1 ("Engelen time", arbitrary) yesterday. Our 24-hour total of 172 nautical miles has been a record for this boat. What is more, since about one (same arbitrary time) today we have less than 1000nm to sail to St. Lucia. The celebratory beer and the heat saw three of us (other than the helmsman who continues to be roasted in the sun) enjoying a leisurely afternoon nap. Best time to write the blog!We are still unlucky in catching some fresh fish, well in getting it aboard anyway. Yesterday evening a "huge", "epic" "12 to 15 kilo" (estimations vary) prehistoric dinosaur fish was on the hook and after we had pulled it in via one of the genoa winches we saw ourselves confronted with a problem not previously encountered: how to. read more...

Jacana of Ardmay - 2/12/11

Dear Family and Friends,   Woke up to a lovely hot sunny day (sorry to rub it in!), however the skipper was concerned as the generator had packed in that night, it had overheated and the impellor had burnt out!! So after a mug of tea the boys got on to fixing the problem, lots of stripping, lots of sweating and that was just getting the generator cover off. Margaret and I sat in the sun and kept watch!!! After an hour or so impellor replaced and generator back in action – clever are they not!! Next thing the gas runs out so another job for the boys, but that was swiftly sorted. A lovely dinner was prepared by young Andrew of prawn stir fry, plenty of hot chillies to get the mouth stinging, skipper needed water for the throat, tissues for the eyes and nose and wet wipes for the. read more...

Lone Star - 3 Dec - Day 14 - A Night Watch Moment

As you know from previous posts the Captain of Lone Star is all knowing and all seeing. Because of this omnipotent power I have identified a member of the crew that is starting to show a little too much of his feminine side. In order to prepare our shore support team for this change in feelings, I present you with the note he sent his wife."Hi Babe. You know how Craig talks about 98% boredom and 2% terror, well I had a 2% moment last night. I was on watch from midnight till 2am and a line of squalls came up behind us. Before I knew it I was doing the dodge the squalls dance. You can see the squalls coming on the radar. They look very ominous. For about 45 minutes I was steering in 25 - 30 knots winds with heavier gusts. The strongest gust was over 35 knots. We were really flying! Almost. read more...

Lancelot - Day 13 - How long will it Hold?

Morning All   Here we are on day 13 and we are still making good time! We had a watchful night with the squally conditions and it managed to pass without incident. The only one we got wrong is Pockets and I were on watch and quickly put 2 reefs in with a big black cloud approaching and no sooner had we done, the wind dropped instead and the heavens opened in a big way but at least the boat sails and crew have had a good fresh water douse! Our next question is how long will these good winds hold for? The forecast looks like we will see them die down a bit through tonight and then the forecast as we near St Lucia looks like there will be next to no wind which could really ruin the parade!!Hope everyone at home enjoys their weekend, Hello to my Opa who I hear is watching with interest. read more...

Felicity J - dreams

I think there should be some doctorate type chappy with lots of letters after his name from the dreamology department at Cambridge University carrying out a thesis on the dreams that sailors have at sea during the ARC - cos there is some weird stuff going on out here!    I'm not sure if it's the interupted sleep in the night, sleeping in the day, lack of sleep, constant movement whilst sleeping, the noises and creaks whilst you are trying to sleep or just the energy there must be in the seas around you when you try to sleep but some or all of the above create an environment for some weird dreams.  And lucid ones at that.  Actually I sometimes wonder if it's dreaming or actually more like mind travel, it lets your mind wander and go check. read more...

Spindrift of Jersey - ARC Log - Day 13

The wind continued at 20 knots overnight but early this morning it eased to 10-15 knots so we have slowed a bit. However we continue to average about 5.5 knots so are doing OK. As a result it has been a very quiet day with the autohelm steering and everyone reading (or blogging) and just normal activities (checking for chafe, generator oil check, running generator, watermaker, check/empty bilges, etc.) whilst rolling around. We currently hope to arrive next Sunday (or possibly Saturday if the winds pick up) but this will depend on the wind staying at 15 knots or more for most of the time.We had wonderful fresh fish for lunch and will have chicken fajitas fordinner. We spotted four yachts last night but none very close. The night is now split between a brightly moonlit first half and a. read more...

Emilija - Dec 2: just loving the trip

.hmmessage P { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } BODY.hmmessage { FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt } Hello all we are still sailing surrounded by sea glourious sea !!Today we did 191 nm in 24 hrs our best to date . We woke up this AM to the news that we are into our final 1,000 miles. Its is hot in the 30's Not only has the butter melted by the toothpaste has also melted. Lovely nights of 28c.Today we had the most faboulous waves .They came at us like a wall of water about 4 meters high(Martin says that this will be 6 meters when told with a few pints) and roll under the boat, others break before they meet us and the sunlight through the top of the wave is the most beautiful blue. We have tried to capture the waves on camera. read more...

Saltwhistle III - Day 13 - still light winds

Hi,we've still got lighter winds than forecast; well.... lets just say that they are at the bottom end of the forecast range. If it wasn't for the favourable current of 0.6kts we'd have made poor showing over the last 24 hours. As it was, we made 138 miles to 0630 this morning which was ok. We reset the rig at dawn from twin headsails to main and poled out genoa - itsgiving us 6.5-7.0 kts in the right direction.Fortunately the sunny weather yesterday allowed the girls to get the bikinis on and do some serious sunbathing so the day wasn't wasted.We found 1 large dead flying fish on the deck yesterday; this is probably a better result than the flying fish that hit one crew in the back of the head as reported on another boat a few days ago.We expect to cross the 1000 miles to go mark around. read more...

Skyelark of London - Letter to the Managing Director. Customer Appreciation 4.0

Dear Andrew.My dear chap, astonishing to think it has been two weeks since our glasses clinked over a farewell cocktail overlooking the floodlight pool in that salubrious yacht club nestled in the right part of Las Palmas. We hope that we are not ahead of ourselves in admitting it is our greatest hope that that next Friday we will press together plastic glasses with you, sloshingviscous punch onto those dimly lit streets that represent the only roads in Gros Islet, at the regular St Lucian Friday 'Jump Up'.Daily 'ARC Fleet Message' emails from Rally Control have nurtured a seasonal advent-calendar feel aboard that we have craftily supplemented with a bite-sized chocolate from stores. Although slightly taken aback by the news we have fallen some 800 miles behind the leaders in this. read more...

Casamara - RE: Day 13

Hi everyone   Busy night last night with squalls, so everyone has had a restful day today. The full English got put back to lunch and we duly sat down to the 'works' at 3pm after the ARC radio net reports.   This evening we had a simple supper of cheese and biscuits with some slices of apple. I think everyone is hoping for a quiet night tonight and some sleep! Tomorrow I will do report on how the vacuum packing has gone so far, certainly we are in no danger of running out of fresh food and have found that it also has many other uses for life on board!   As we get into the last 4 or 5 days of the crossing, I find my thoughts turning increasingly to life at home. I have been thinking a great deal about my family and friends and can't wait to see everyone. Our little. read more...

Clearlake II - Day 14 - Marlin Catch!

Current position "17:23.5N 47:29.4W”. A good afternoon yesterday was capped off somewhat dramatically. As Byron pronounced that we weren’t going to catch anything today, so let’s bring in the reels, Graham’s reel suddenly sprung into life. As we scrambled to slow the boat down and get the rod in the right position to haul in the fish it became clear this was a big one. After about 20 minutes of reeling, the fish surfaced some 500 metres away – it was a marlin! If not before we knew we had a fight on our hands now. Reeling was incredibly tough so it took to both Byron and Graham working it, with Byron and Graham hanging on, for dear life at times, Byron hauling on the rod, and Graham reeling in. As the marlin got close he went nuts, towing this way and that. read more...

Destiny - Log Day 13: Life at Sea - plates or bowls?

1200 GMT, Friday Dec 2, 2011 15 42 N, 46 41 W Distance sailed from Gran Canaria: 2150nm Rhumb line distance to go: 830nmDear Family and Friends,We are having a great time out here on Destiny! We continue to set our own records for distance in 24 hours. As of 10:00 this morning, we had sailed 217 miles in the past 24 hours. Very favourable winds yesterday and through the night have pushed us well en route. Boat speeds registered in the 9 to 11 knot range, and surfing down one wave had Graeme got us up to 14.8 and several 13's!Mid afternoon yesterday also saw us pass another nautical mile stone … we passed the "1000 miles to go" mark and thus are setting our sites on arrival in St. Lucia. We have a lottery going as to our arrival time, which thus keep us debating which sail(s). read more...

Foxy Lady - Log Day 13 - 3/12/11

We are running under a consistent stream of squalls that slowly overtake us causing wind shifts and sometimes long strong gusts of up to 30 knots plus wind speed. The sea is now up to 28.7C and the warm trade winds evaporate the water to form these rain clouds. This moist air condenses into dark clouds which eventually become saturated and discharge their contents as rain which then displaces the surrounded air causing local wind gusts. These are exhilarating as they passover us, sometimes showering us with warm rain, whilst the wind rushes us forward with noisy vibrating inertia. I am on night watch again as I write and one such squall has just passed and it now seems quiet, almost calm as we drift along again at 7 knots.We have maintained around 200 miles per day with these extra. read more...

Destiny - Log Day 13; A Different Perspective

1201 GMT, Friday Dec 2, 2011 15 42 N, 46 41 W Distance sailed from Gran Canaria: 2150nm Rhumb line distance to go: 830nmDear Family and Friends,We are having a mind boggling, incredible sailing experience. We have been either on a beam reach or downwind for over 2200 miles. The last couple of days have been a sailor's dream!!! For me (Skip) the boat has become an exercise in daily activities far different than life ashore. For example, when I go from the galley to my bunk it usually requires 3-4 times the number of steps to get there. On the boat I take 2 steps forward, 3 steps to the left, 2 to the right, and sometimes 1 backward. Good for daily exercise but not good for efficiency. I usually start 5 minutes earlier than I would if I were on land.When on watch at night the 3.5' steering. read more...

Cattitude - Cattitude Open

Day 12 Pretty dismal weather today with squalls and a marked lack of sunshine, so after breakfast the owner GT and guest GC played ten pin bowling followed by three rounds of golf. After some 4 x 4 off-road driving they moved on to go-karting. An exhausting day. In the afternoon, owner?s wife LT played tennis with several crew members, thrashing them all in both singles and doubles. The joy of Wii!! The ladies on board are now counting down the number of "sleeps" until arrival in St Lucia. If the wind holds this could be as few as three "sleeps"! Emergency manicures and pedicures required ASAP.   Dolphin fish recipes so far: 1)      Ceviche - Raw in lemon/lime 2)      Pan Seared in Lemon, soya sauce and ginger. read more...

Watergaw - DAY 13 - Friday 2/12/11 - All Downhill from Here

DAY 13 – Friday 2/12/11 - Putting Friday and 13 together in the same sentence – just as well we are not superstitious.   This was a good day, passing over what we had decreed as the official half way point on Martin’s watch in the hours. A fairly gentle night meant that we all felt pretty human when we emerged into the daylight. Just as well, as we had work to do… Weather and Progress The weather was not ideal for us, with winds lighter than we would like in the low to mid-teens, and forecast to remain like this till Monday.As a hefty cruising yacht, Watergaw is more in her element when the wind pipes up over 20 knots, and needs a bit of encouragement to get up and go (don’t we all?). Moreover, though the twin high-cut foresail set up is. read more...

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