Champagne Hippy - Day 13/14 - 2nd/3rd December

After days of very little happening with Rodney (apart from the endless sargassum weed, yesterday early in the day finally some action! Josh caught a small tuna (most exciting) however, it was too small for us to keep so back into the wild it went. Apart from that yesterday went by with very little else to comment on and was a fairly uneventful day. We have all commented in the last few days how the days are all blurring into one.  Today however has been full of activity! Rodney went off at speed and it was my turn to reel something in. After a small battle, I pulled in yet another decent-sized Wahoo! Josh guided me through filleting it and we’re all looking forward to cooking it up when we get to St Lucia (now only a day away fingers crossed!!).  We had a few green. read more...

Champagne Hippy - Day 12/13- 30th Nov/1st Dec

The last two days there really hasn’t been much new to update you on. We haven’t seen any wildlife in the daytime and have had fleeting visits from the odd dolphin here or there across night watches. Sunrises and sunsets have set the sky on fire and have really been something to behold. The moon has also still been massive post its full moon phase a few days ago. We have attempted fishing however after three exciting and exhausting reels in yesterday only to discover weeds on the hook disappointment was rife and Rodney was retired. This morning another attempt was give with a different smaller lure. Sure enough not long after setting up the reel ran hard and fast. How exciting this fish has to be huge we thought. Reeling it in was a short battle as whatever monster catch was on the other. read more...

Champagne Hippy - Day 11- 19th November

Most of us awoke this morning feeling like we had completed a round of “abs, bums, and tums” run by the strictest of sarget major gym leaders (you know the type), due to a night of battling to stay in bed with the current sizeable heel. Being asleep or sort of asleep but concisions of your muscles tensing to keep you in your bed is a feeling that (even 11 days in) will take some more time to get used to. The crew has spent most of today together seeking shade and breeze in the cockpit between watches. We have been enjoying each other's company and at some point, a competitive game of Eye Spy was initiated with Josh and Matt mainly winning each round. Proceeding Eye Spy was the classic of “Who am I” and then naturally following this an eye-wateringly funny round of charades. Jonnie's. read more...

Champagne Hippy - Day 10 - 28th November

Another wonderful day on Champagne Hippy, it all started with a beautiful sunrise and the wind holding speed at 15+ knots. After the sunrise, Josh and I were discussing breakfast and decided on pancakes as a treat for all. I got to work in the galley and soon enough everyone had a nice little stack to add whatever topping they fancied.It’s been another hot day but the pick up in the breeze has helped cool everyone down somewhat. This has brought about slightly higher swells and thus more flying fish on deck! Jonnie found one on the bow on his morning deck walk and later in the day one came pelting in from the starboard side to land at Becca's feet while she sat at the port helm.For the last three days, the radio has been silent, this acts as another reminder of how far we are from anyone. read more...

Champagne Hippy - Day 9 - 27th November

Tonight we finally have the full moon we have been expecting. The last two nights have put on a fantastic show, with those not lunar calendar aligned you could have expected last night to be the full moon with the size and amount of light it was giving off. Last night's moon also had a “moon halo”. Apparently this ring is created by an optical illusion caused by the refraction of moonlight from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. It was a beautiful sight. The wind has picked up today and is blowing between 18 and 24 enabling us to make more pace than the last few days of lighter wind. This evening we enjoyed fajitas cooked by Jonnie alongside our eagerly awaited mid-way beer! Champagne Hippy Crew x. read more...