Puddle Jumper - Captains Final Entry

Stardate 23rd December 2012 The last few days were typified by night time squalls and high winds. Arrival date 04 27 55 on 13 December during the hours of darkness.The welcoming committee was, as expected, on the pontoon with champagne andlager.  We all agreed that the experience was of benefit to us all and the maincriteria was that we arrived in St Lucia safe and still friends – both of which wereachieved. Damage was limited to PJ.  Having heard the tales of other crews damage and incidents on many of the other boats we feel that we did very well indeed.  Our positions was 81st overall which was better than expected due to the breakageon the 3rd day and our handicap.  We received the prize for the “best account of lifeat sea” – which was a meal at the. read more...

Puddle Jumper - almost there

Hi All. So near yet so far. Progress the last few days has been slower than we would like due tocombination of wind direction & quite high seas. At last we are beginning tosee a few more boats & we had 3 near last night one of whom we had to takeavoiding action as he should have given way to us but didnt. It is still astrange sensation sailing through the night with no moon visible & plenty ofclouds & sometimes in sheet rain with only the AIS navigation screen beingable to warn you of whats around. Wind in difficult direction today & we are having to sail off coursewhich is frustrating so near to our destination but should be OK for ustomorrow. Making the most of heavy rain showers in the squals to try to showerourselves I think we all appear alright. Cooking for John. read more...

Puddle Jumper - Blog

Not so far now.A solid day’s progress today with improved weather conditions and increasing excitement amongst the crew who will be meeting their loved ones on St. Lucia, although Captain Flint has also pined for the Norwegian fjords.Also more sails sighted today and contacts  made on the vhf.Water usage on board has been restricted on the skippers instructions due to problems with the generator, so both Blofeld and I took advantage of the squalls to have nature’s own showers.   SKIPPERWet weather yesterday has made Puddlejumper looks more like a Chinese laundry,but a much better day today. The generator has chewed up its impellor, normally a simple fix. However on PJ we have to remove a lot of the transom to get at it. Its possible but very difficult, especially with. read more...

Puddle Jumper - Captains Blog Star Date 09/12

Hi All (& Hey C)  Hansel (or Harry apparently) the Navigator here with another guestblog. FAQ of the Navigator: Where are we? What’s the depth!? What are the skull and cross bones you have put on the GPS?, Charlie veryworried. What happens if I press this button? oh no, too late. How fast are we going? But mostly, are we nearly there yet?   I guess we must be getting there, the taste of the air suggests we are alittle up north and the length of our beards suggests we have been going a longtime.  There are no stars to go by at the moment, in fact no sun and nomoon to sight on as we have clouds all across the sky and a lot of rain. After a Parasail run yesterday we put up the white sails as the windspicked up.  During the night we had a couple of all hands to. read more...

Puddle Jumper - Day 11 - 8th Dec 2012 - I think?!

During the clear starlight night I found two more flying fish landed at my feet. They are beautiful powerful little creatures which take a bit of holding to be able to throw them back in again. In the day they glide about a foot above the surface for up to about 100 metres singly and in small shoals which is fascinating to watch. After a very still 24 hr. period we started to sail again around 7 am PLT (Puddlejumper Local Time) which is currently 3 hrs before  GMT (aka UT...). By 9:00 we were on with working out a rig to fly the Parasail on Starboard tack for the first time. By the time we had tried one sheeting arrangement and changed it for another an hour had passed and we were well ready for the bacon butties we had been promised for breakfast..... after the usual cereal,. read more...