Easy Rider - Day 14 the final lap!

Well our trip is fast approaching an end....there is a feeling of elation as we can see St Lucy now and strangely a kind of sadness as we have come to the end of our adventures together. I allude to the voyage.....not the adventure that awaits at the bar.It has been an eventful crossing.......a lot of cheeky twists to keep us alert and frequently surprised by the very sudden changes that can occur when you just aren't looking for them.Our crew.......what can I say??? At the risk of sounding cheesy, they have be exemplary. Good sailors, full of optimism and best of all, full of humour. I shall miss Neil and Max a lot when they depart but will always rememberthe adventure that we have shared...Thank you both for joining us. Last one to the bar is a rotten egg!Soy n DavidAnd Neil, please be. read more...

Easy Rider - 28/11 Day 9 - Things that go bump in the night

Since we are very close to the tropics we get pretty much 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. What happens in the long hours of darkness? Well it's 95% routine and 5% of sweat when the squalls hit. Firstly our shift pattern changes such that Captain Dave, Cabin Boy Max and Midshipman Neil do 3 hour shifts, 9.30-12.30, 12.30-3.30 and 3.30-6.30 respectively, Soy does a split shift at the start and end of the night. This works pretty well as a fixed routine.However what has not been so evenly distributed has been the arrival of squalls,these take on a more threatening feel at night, it's pitch black and suddenly the wind speed doubles and waves are fiercer and the person on the helm is hanging on to keep the boat in a straight line preferably as downwind as possible to keep the. read more...

Easy Rider - 27/11 Cabin Boy's Log - ... what day is it?

Aboard the good ship Easy Rider,A mis-fitted crew sat inside her.With half way just nailed,The Atlantic they sailed,An Easterly blowing behind her.The captain Dave wanted to win,So they set every sail to begin.Along came a squall,And pissed on them all,And left them all needing a GIN!At sundown they needed to think,So a bottle of gin they did sink.A fish flew in side,A hatch open wide,And landed right into Soy's drink!So dinner was flying fish stew,After which Neil had a poo.So massive a dump,It ruined the pump,And totally messed up the loo!With rods and lines set to succeed,Some fresh fish they really did need.The rod bent up double,And with toil and trouble,They pulled in a HUGE bit of weed!With no fish to eat only meat,And really in need of a treat,A cake was supplied,Which Max. read more...

Easy Rider - Captain's Log...Day's 11 & 12

NEARLY THERE!!! It's hard to believe that by tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday 2/12) Soy & I will have completed our 5th Atlantic crossing in two years........we are so looking forward to another extended stay in the Carribbean & meeting up with friends made on our previous visits.For the last two days we have sailed slowly down the rumb line directly towards St.Lucia, watching the miles tick off 1 by 1........the last day always takes the longest!!We are now all firmly entrenched in the daily routine of sailing a catamaran 24 hours a day, the highlights of each day being breakfast ( full English), lunch ( Soy usually comes up with something a little different) & dinner ( always superb....yesterday being a Sunday we had roast lamb). The weather has been warm & sunny during the. read more...

Easy Rider - Easy Rider.....Head Chef.....Soy

A LITTLE TREAT FOR MY CREW.On impulse I decided that a little treat was in order for the crew.....they had been hankering for a rice pudding and...hey how difficult could that be? Had all ingredients bar pudding rice - cooking rice stuck me as a suitable substitute.Got a recipe that was idiot proof...or so it purported....threw ingredients together in 10 mins flat..banged in a low oven for 2 hours and felt very very smug.slight hickup as Max accidently turned off the gas but as will be revealed that was not entirely a bad thing.Turned the gas back on and added a bit more milk as the pudding looked a bit dry. well parched to be honest.After a little rest had a peek and the rice had fused into a solid mass and all the milk (2 litres) had vanished....ah well I thought we will have rice. read more...