Blue Dolphin - Day 24 - Blue Dolphin arrives in St Lucia

After 23 days and 9hours the crew crossed the finishing line in Rodney Bay.  The 1st land they had seen since leaving Las Palmas on 24 November.  They were met by the crew of HEBE who came out on their tender.  Sephina were on the dockside cheering them home and the crew’s families were waiting for a long awaited hug.   It was a tough trip, much harder than any of them had anticipated but they had made it!!!  Time for a rum punch – in the pouring rain. Awards as follows:Best cook  - KathyAce provision manager (and treat dispenser)– SallyMr fix-it – MikeMember of crew most relied on – George It was an experience of a life time that none of them would have missed and will never forget.  As skipper of the boat, Carol says a big, big, thank. read more...

Blue Dolphin - Day 23 - almost there.

The crew is starting to look forward to arrival in St Lucia and the list of things they have missed (beds that don’t move; flush toilets; rooms that don’t rattle and howl with wind; being able to stand upright without holding on and for Sally and Kathy a big hug from their partners) now seem a real prospect again.   With the end in sight, the crew have also been reflecting on their experience of crossing the Atlantic.   Whilst on the trip, Sally has been wearing a badge showing the handprint of Danny Barber.  Danny died in June 2009, aged 24, and donated his organs to save and improve the lives of others.  Danny never got the opportunity to live the life he expected and his mum, Kathy, encourages people to take his handprint on their adventures in his memory. read more...

Blue Dolphin - Day 22 -

Another day (and night) of tossing and rolling.   The ship’s bell has continued to clang as wave after wave has knocked the boat over, driving the crew demented - until Carol found a good use for the jumper Kathy brought for the teddy!!   (Insert photo) As Mike was helming the crew pointed out the squall that was fast approaching  -“No it won’t be bad and we definitely won’t need to reef” he said.  Guess what!   The crew refrained from saying “told you so”.  Yet again, Kathy has wet knickers. The mood has lightened as the crew are confident there is only 2 more nights to endure!!!  Sally was finally woken prematurely from a sleep when a huge wave found its way through the crack in her cabin hatch smack into her face.  The. read more...

Blue Dolphin - Day 21 - Oh what a night!

The night was terrible.  The winds continued to build and were gusting up to 35kns.  Sleeping was impossible (except for Sally who seems to be able to sleep through anything).  The crew wondered why they ever thought this would be a good idea!  The boat was tossed all over the place.  It was like being in a washing machine – on spin!!  Looking out at the seas was scary as the waves were huge – at least double decker bus size.  The only upside was the speed – the fastest time recorded was 12.1 Kts but that was only from surfing down a big wave. Doing anything was a huge task and opening cupboards was positively dangerous.  How did a jar of olives manage to hurl itself out of the cupboard, losing its lid on the way, scattering olives and all. read more...

Blue Dolphin - Day 20 - Paddling in the middle of the ocean

After their 3rd night of strong winds (gusting to F7) and rain the crew are feeling tired.  They ‘wake’ though to the most beautiful day yet, bright sunshine and sparkling seas.  To complete the spectacular scenery a large pod of dolphins arrive.  They are extremely lively, jumping and  turning, diving under and around the boat and guiding the boat at the bow.  To get  abetter view the crew go, precariously, up to the bow (Mike and George were left to mind the helm).  The girls sat with their legs dangling over the side and each time the boat lurched from side to side their feet were dipped into the warm waters. They all agreed that It was like being on a fair ride but even better ‘cos it wasn’t!  (Insert photo)  (They laughed in the face of. read more...