Resolute of Thames - The Final Night At Sea

Really impossible to believe that there is some land with our name on somewhere in the distance.We have 2 other yachts on the horizon..but one is not an ARC yacht....no details of the other one yet...you will know of course from your yellow brick screen. Sorry to keep you all waiting for our arrival and know we aren't going very fast at the moment.The swell is not to be messed with and there are also squalls around which increases our wind speeds++ so trying to keep a steady course under headsail and the sweet little trysail which to my knowledge has never had an outing since we have had ROT.With the mainsail poorly little trysail is hanked onto the mast but has 2 sheets into the cockpit and she helps to keep us a little more stable in the swell...every little helps.The plan tonight was. read more...

Resolute of Thames - Day of reckoning

As the last nautical miles fly (226 remain at this moment) by it is natural that we are excitedly reckoning up how many miles we have done and how many more to be done.We are also reckoning up how much wear and tear has been sustained to ROT (Resolute of Thames - affectionately abbreviated by our Ozzie friends aboard Fanny Fisher) and what a list of priority repairs and replacements to be faced when we arrive.Looks like our Christmas funds will be casually wiped out..but heigh ho!Skipper reckons ARC should initiate a sea-miles reward scheme.Seamiles hard won on their rallies could be converted into points and what do points make? Prizes! Yes, you get the picture.Skipper had in mind that these prizes would comprise anything from free coffee or cocktails at any appointed hostelry or for. read more...

Resolute of Thames - BAAAAR HUMBUG AND COUNTING CHICKENS

No, dear reader, Gilly-mate has not elevated eggs to the same status as tomatoes but increasingly the question on both our lips is are we nearly there yet?To which my overly cynical response (after the mainsail drama) is not until we have crossed the finish line and started the engine but to which Gilly-mate's is once we get within 200nm (because that is my conservative estimate as to how far we might motor, in benign conditions, with the fuel we have left onboard).I estimate that we have only used the engine for propulsion during the crossing to do 10nm and I would very much like to cross the finish line without increasing that! We both feel that having been at sea since the 20 November we do need to get there.However, our reasons differ:I have already been in e-mail contact with a. read more...

Resolute of Thames - Oh, the stars!

We have very much focused in this log on how we have miraculously managed to continue to work as a team over this voyage which of course is essential when only double-handed.Sometimes the responsibility for each others welfare weighs quite heavy and at other times we feel we would not welcome the intrusion of anyone else in our familiar bubble. But the person you must get on with best of all when sailing double handed is yourself.If you don't like your own company then it would be intolerable as the watches can be very long and lonely.If viewed as a drag then that is what they indeed become but actually the time alone is such an incredible opportunity and such a rarity in our usually busy crowded lives.Initially to have so much time alone can seem rather intimidating and uncomfortable. read more...

Resolute of Thames - ON FLY-IN FISH AND SQUALLS

The fly-in fish, or more correctly Exocoetidae Beloniformes Actinopterygii, has been a regular visitor to the boat. I normally have to clear the decks of the dead each morning before Gilly-Mate assumes her first watch. In doing so I note that there are 2 types, Exocoetus has one pair of fins and a streamlined body to optimize for speed, while the other variant, Cypselurus has a flattened body and two pairs of fins, which maximizes its time in the air. They were actually studied closely in the early 1900s as a possible model upon which to develop an airplane. However, they have one major design fault in that they have no forward vision. Which is presumably why they all seem to impersonate second world war Japanese pilots. The difference is of course that they do us no harm - until last. read more...