SuperTramp - Blog Day 17

Are we there yet????Likechildren on a long car journey we ask regularly how far we have to go. At present 250 miles. Our ETA is some time on Thursday night and although we would prefer to arrive in daylight we have got to the stage where we just want to get in……….whatever time!We are cruising along nicely at around 8 knots but still have a very uncomfortable side swell which kicks the stern around violently every so often making it difficult to helm and also sleep. But spirits are high and we are mentally working our way through the cocktail list. "Miss Wilson" the cabbage had a burial at sea as she was starting to decompose, so I'm back to being the only female on board! Yes a little Atlantic madness all round but you find anything to relieve the boredom and lift the spirits.Our new. read more...

SuperTramp - Blog day 14

It's getting warmer!Last night was the first night we were on watch in t shirts and shorts. Will is finding it hard to sleep in the little bunk cabin as it gets very hot since he can't open his porthole. The stars at night are amazing and at present Scott holds the record for seeing the most shooting stars…………………….that's a lot of wishes!Supertramp is performing beautifully, however, downwind is not her favourite point of sail and we have tried many combinations.Last night before dinner we set the sails goose winged with the Gib out on the pole. She settled well if a tad rocky as the swell is a little on our beam. At least now our VMG is matching our speed. Will's curry was AMAZING last night. His visit to the spice stall at the food market was well worth it. We will give him a break in. read more...

SuperTramp - day 13

After a couple of days of light winds and a very frustrated crew, we have again found the wind by sailing south.Yesterday was a hectic day catching up on 'housework' and washing. I'm sure the amount of ARCt shirts hanging out to dry gave us a few more knots!We had frittatas for lunch and the very last of our salad. I also baked my first loaf of bread on board which was a huge success and went down very well with our supper of turkey meatballs in a lovely rich sauce made by Will. He was going to make a curry, only silly me took minced turkey out of the freezer instead of turkey strips.But then we still have the curry to look forward to! It is so true that the highlight of the day is mealtimes.I am very pleased how our provisions have lasted and my thanks go to Sophie and Alison who helped. read more...

SuperTramp - Day 10

Happy St Andrews Day!So not only did Will,Scott and I have a mid Atlantic swim but we barbecued our steaks for dinner. My homemade chocolate fudge cake went down well too.Who can honestly say that they had a barbecue in the middle of the Atlantic ocean on a sailboat. Scott was in and out of the ocean like a rat up a drainpipe (although Brian didn't help by spotting a disturbance in the water on our beam just before we dived in).Will and I were a little braver and did a lap of honour around the boat. The water was like a bath and if it wasn't for the fact that there were hundreds of miles of water below me I would have stayed in a lot longer.I still remember 50 LeaguesUnder The Sea! We also celebrated our half way point with a glass of champagne at sundown and we launched our message in a. read more...

SuperTramp - Day 9

Today we reach the halfway mark and have a couple of bottles of Champagne chilling in the fridge. Steak for dinner and I have baked a chocolate fudge cake for desert. We had some good winds yesterday with plenty of sunshine so were able to sun ourselves on the bean bags on the aft deck. It was heaven! However the wind dropped at sundown and we were back under motor for the night. We have changed course taking us south as we can see the trade winds building, so hope to pick up some wind tomorrow. We may have to beat for a few days but it will be worth it when we pick up the trades. I am constantly busy on board as there is always something that needs doing whether it's checking the fruit and veg, hanging out the washing ( another Peggie Sue Amanda!) or preparing meals for the crew. Yes. read more...