OOROO1 - End of the Epic Adventure - now lets explore the Caribbean

I’ve been in denial for two days, drowning my sorrow in Rum Punch. After 17days at sea and the finish line in sight, I didn’t want it to end. We Parasailedto about 500m from the finish line then did a quick sail change and sailed theMain and Genoa over the line at 0643. Mike felt the stress of having to actuallysail between two points. We’ve just completed the world’s largest transoceanicrace (sorry I meant rally). St Lucia and the ARC met us at the wharf, helped usdock, presented us with a basket of fresh fruits and a bottle of St Lucia rum,then it was rum punches all round to the sounds of a Caribbean steel drum.Breakfast was champagne and a rum shot !!!! Since arriving we have been having afew quiet ones, catching up with fellow ARC participants and meeting the locals.St Lucia is. read more...

OOROO1 - Floss has joined the Marlin Club !!

Floss hooked and landed a 1.5m Marlin (bigger than her) at 6 knots !! Greateffort, however ... the Marlin had the last say when it gave her a jab in thefoot .. ouch !! “That’s it” she says “ throw the big sucker back”. Score16-11-7. Got a hookup of a different kind today ... The Parasail managed to getcaught on the spreader bar during a regular sail adjustment so it was all handson deck controlling an out of control sail and up the mast for Mike on the openseas. Interesting times !! Managed to get a game of cards in with our secondsunset before a busy night with lots of squalls coming through, almost like theAtlantic giving us one last taste of what she is like. Dolphins paid a nightvisit, zooming around the boat leaving trails in the phosphorescent waters,great sight. Trade winds are. read more...

OOROO1 - Straight Lines and Tight Lines !!

Well we’ve crossed the Tropic of Cancer, sailed over the Mid Atlantic Ridgeand the Canary Basin, crossed waters as deep as 6,380 metres and are now sailingjust below 15 degN. Celebration last night as we got our first sunset on theAtlantic, shortly lived by another rain cloud, but we’ve had a spectacular full moon and beautiful starrynights with phosphorous waters. 2200 songs on Floss’s ipod andwe’ve been through them about four times. Fishing hasreally picked up now !! Two Mahi Mahi on board yesterday with Tess’s name allover them, one 92cm and one 65cm both at about 6 knots. Score is 14-9-5. We hada Captains lunch yesterday with beef teriyaki surprise served. Many discussions have been had about thecurvature of the earth and how it affects our direction and they have all endedgenerally. read more...

OOROO1 - Light Winds

Sunshine is back !! Will be great to get some amps out of the solar panels.Starting to feel the Caribbean heat and humidity building each day. Deck showersare a daily occurrence now. Water temp is 28.2 deg and water was alive withphosphorous last night. Awesome full moon to keep us company and one yacht onthe horizon. Had pumpkin soup and fresh Mahi Mahi for lunch ... yuuummmm ..Parasail still up so we are purring along. Quiet day on the water which waswelcome after the previous hectic 24 hours. Spent the day drying everything outafter a night of torrential rain. Lots of reading got done and a great catchupon sleep. We are now fully detoxed after 15 days alcohol free so getting readyfor our Rum Punch at St Lucia. Only 460nm to go !!. read more...

OOROO1 - Fish, BBQ, Muffins and Squalls

Another great day to be alive on the Atlantic !! Gennaker up in the earlymorning to give us some speed through the light winds and after checking theGRIB files the Captain decided we should head South to 15 deg. This should getus on better stead for the trade winds for the remainder of the sail into StLucia while hopefully dodging some squalls. About 20 dolphins joined us for acruise and frolicked in and out of the bows. Fishing hit fever pitch yesterdaywith the excitement of bringing in a 90cm Mahi Mahi by a very excited Jeno. Mikewas on the gaff and together they landed him at 8 knots. a lot of skill requiredto surf a big into the back of OOROO at that speed, gaff him and get him onboard. Mahi Mahi on the menu. Fishing status is 10-7-3. Some toothy crittersdecided to steal another two. read more...