Aditi - Day 25: The Arrival

Perhaps we should attempt to explain events of the last few hours.Most importantly we picked up the Reggae radio stations about 45 miles out. We sighted land about 30 miles out as the sun started to close the horizon and our key concerns were firstly not to hit it and second not to get blown past it. We had been working all day to avoid arriving in darkness as we wanted to take in the sights but it just wasn't possible. As we reached the northern point of St Lucia, about a mile off, there were 3 yachts all closing the point. Although the stand on vessel Ocean Breeze cut under our bow about 200 yards ahead - can the competition for something like 220th place so intense?Coming round the top into the lee of the island where the wind went from 30kn to, you guessed it, 30kn, we passed the. read more...

Aditi - Day 23: It's a Miracle

The 'I'm not working beyond 200 miles offshore'headsail furling system decided to operate again at 230nm off St Lucia! Perhaps the catastrophic mechanical noise that I was hearing was an airlock at a 1,000 psi or whatever the pressure is. Still taking it carefully...Last night we switched to staysail as it got dark and awaited the arrival of the Beast like a small village shaking in fear in a horror movie. The Beast was 4 miles to port and also to starboard so waited to be engulfed having sacrificed good speed. 18.00 hrs, nothing. 21.00 clear skies, nothing. 0300 hrs and surely it's coming...0600? A clear night for the first time in days.Sailing conditions were excellent this am with 15-22kn E so we removed and packed away the staysail.Darkness descended and clouds built. The Beast is. read more...

Aditi - Day 22: Squall Fever

Nurse(N): Doctor, Doctor, the patients are showing some signs of lifeDoctor (D): Ja? You zink?N: Ja, I mean yes, they are responding to a little music and are taking some fluidsD: Good, good, zo, they have suffered a trauma of post-ARC stress disorderN: They have been squalled out for over a week, no sleep and on staysail for over 3 days?D: Ja, it is the right dose for the level of squall fever zey have. Are zey delusional?N: They mumble something about 'got to get to Vegas'…D: And zis morning zey took a little genoa?N: For the first time. And there was some communication amongst them, a little nourishment was taken, they look squalid.N: Doctor, Doctor, a patient is asking for a winch handle at all times? He is blubbing furl, unfurl, furl, unfurl over and over?D: Zis is a serious defect. read more...

Aditi - Day 21: Sail review

Big seas, big wind, small appetite - again. Under staysail only, again. Hunted down by another squall, again...darkness now means OK bring it on we're ready...and if we have to go down to the storm jib (looks like a sail stolen off a windsurfer!) then we will take it there. Saw a sail on the horizon today but no contact. Later talked briefly to TA-B catamaran. VHF range seems to be under 5nm in these conditions.But rather not. Tonight's squalls seem mainly about rain but it's only 0100hrs so we will see.After over 4,000 miles we thought we would review our sails:Mainsail, big, powerful & fully battened. Great down Portugese Coast but far too scary for us in the Atlantic winds to set, reef or controlGenoa, great sail, battened, foam luff, let down by the reefing system. Sets OK at 30. read more...

Aditi - Day 20: 9 out of 10

As dawn broke after a sleepless drumming with highest wind at 46.7kn we stared at a strange phenomena; everywhere you looked to sea seemed to be uphill! It seemed we were sailing up a steep incline which messed with the head.With the heat after sunrise the squalls dissipated. By 0900 the seas were huge but beautiful, organised and perfect longwaves of azure with turquoise crests shining in the sun. They gave a smooth ride in 30kn E so we set about with our new arts & crafts project, storm sail or staysail? Not much in it but the staysail is cut lower and may have more power; it was hoiked out of the forward shower, manhandled through the companionway and clipped to lifelines for a kind of drag down the deck. Once out of the bag it was keen to slip over the rail but on went the hanks,. read more...