Boni Venti - LOG DAY TWENTY - ST LUCIA HERE WE COME!

v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} After quiet watches at midnight and 3am for Jonathan and Will, the wind picked up significantly during Robert’s 6am watch, with 55 kt gusts and sheeting rain, 14.5 kts with two reefs in main and genoa, keeping Robert on his toes to the end! We passed within approx. 30 miles of Barbados on the port side and headed on to our waypoint, north St Lucia, with Rodney Bay marina just around the headland past Pigeon Island. Bright blue skies, winds 20-22 kts and making 7-8 kts VMG so all in very good spirits following a challenging day with the steering problems yesterday. A quick pizza lunch (Karen’s last session in the galley – promise!) and  we. read more...

Boni Venti - LOG DAY NINETEEN - FLYING FISH AND WORN OUT STEERING CABLES

A quiet and uneventful night on watch for Will as he sat at the nav table at 6am completing the log, when suddenly a flying fish flew through the open porthole above the table, slithered across the charts and flapped its way across the saloon floorboards! Not what either Will or the fish was expecting! We found another five dead fish on the decks in the morning, so we were obviously hit by a shoal/swarm/ school(?) of flying fish overnight. Today’s photo shows a re-enactment of the scene! About 6 inches long, big Nemo fish eyes and pretty smelly, they also shed scales everywhere, so not the favourite sealife that we’ve come across. Big swells, decent blue skies and a consistent 20 kt wind for our last full day on BV – we should arrive at Rodney Bay between 4-6pm tomorrow evening.Jonathan. read more...

Boni Venti - LOG DAY EIGHTEEN - GREAT WINDS, BIG SWELL

Uneventful night with a couple of squalls as daybreak approached but no lightning or significant rain, just a decent increase in wind strength as the front of the squalls approached from the south east. Lumpy sea state so  very rock and roll in the cockpit.Big swell and 20-25 kt winds so a happy crew as we power on to St Lucia. Cloud moving away in the early afternoon to leave blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Gybed at 14.30 onto starboard tack pretty much onto the right bearing for St Lucia (298 degs) – genny and main both on same side as the wind isn’t at the correct angle for a poled-out goose winged genny. Trip down memory lane with Robert’s ipod – Pink Floyd, Dire Straits – and lots of reading in the cockpit – just what the doctor ordered! I’d like to think we’ve seen the last. read more...

Boni Venti - LOG DAY SIXTEEN - MAKING PROGRESS

v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} We moved ship’s time back by another hour in the afternoon, so we are now operating on GMT/UT -2. Having daybreak at 0830 and daylight until 2015/2030 was not what we wanted, so the adjustment was made. St Lucia is GMT/UT-4 so we will probably make another adjustment in the next 48/72 hours depending on daylight hours. A quiet afternoon yesterday so caught up on some clothes washing and rubbish disposal. A four man crew creates a significant amount of rubbish from a packaging perspective & following the ARC Rally Control’s advice, we are throwing unfinished food, tea bags etc over the side to the fish, together with paper and cardboard. read more...

Boni Venti - LOG DAY FIFTEEN - A CHALLENGING NIGHT

The first watch last night passed uneventfully, with a squall passing to the south east that didn’t affect us. A small moon emerged for the first time on the passage which gave some light for a few hours up to midnight. Between 0200 and 0400 squalls continued to approach from the south east and we were caught in the middle of a violent squall when suddenly the wind died down and we were becalmed – red all over the radar, thunder, lightning and torrential rain, and us sitting in the middle, taking time to find the right wind angle to get away from the squall. Which we did eventually so by day break (0830 ship’s time) we were heading away from the worst of it. Today sees us back on the rhumb line, the direct course between Cape Verde and St Lucia. We sailed 177 miles yesterday, our. read more...