Baringo - Westren Atlantic - Friday 14 Dec

Dear All, This morning - Friday - the wind died.Before we turned on the motor, we had a long debate about it. But thoughts of land and a realization from receiving weather information that we were unlikely to get any decent wind for possibly days meant the old 'iron sail' was cranked up.However, before we commenced motoring, we had a swim in the Atlantic.As I swam I looked all around me and thought, north of here there is nothing but sea until about Newfoundland or Greenland ; south of me there is nothing until the Falkland Islands or the Arctic, west of me there is the Caribbean - the Leeward Island lay due west of us here (St. Lucia is in the Windward Islands which are a bit further south) , to the east of me as I swam there are several thousand miles to the coast of Africa. Below me. read more...

Baringo - Day 15

A gap in adding to the blog I am afraid as typing is difficult in these roly-poly conditions. We gybed yesterday onto a port tack to go more south and hoping for a more easterly wind which has partly emerged. The wind today remains about 25-30 knots with big following seas. Last night luckily no major squalls and a marvelous starry night with shooting stars and a thin slither of the old moon rising just before dawn. We been hampered by not having a proper genoa to pole out to enable us to go more downwind and it is impossible to repair in these conditions- the thought of getting it down in these winds is enough! We are now sailing with the main with 2 reefs and a strong preventer attached managing to sail about 160 degrees. But not ideal and last night we were a bit overcautious putting. read more...

Baringo - Sat 8 Dec 2012

Dear All, after a Thursday night and Friday (6th and 7th Dec) characterized by three things: rain; rain; and more rain - and a fourth namely such varibale winds that we were turning in all directions - we finally as of about 1800 hrs Friday (6th Dec) picked up a strong and steady north east breeze and have been making steady and comfortable progress since then. Crew morale is as always excellent and was improved by a celebratory slice of Christmas cake (generously donated to crew supplies by Brownen Richardson - my sister) as we passed the half way point in the rain on Friday. The crew sweepstakes on the most accurate forecast for the time at which we would cross 40 degrees W , was won by Professor Andrew Peacock - despiet the very best efforts of one helmsman to steer 270 / due west and. read more...

Baringo - Thu 6 Dec - Fishing Triumph

Dear Readers, Here on the good ship Baringo our deck mate 1st class David Surman has struck gold with a 10kg Mahi Mahi fish which will soon grace the dining table - its no.1 mess dress for the high table this evening. Crew morale has risen with the fishing triumph & the sunshine and a considerably calmer sea as we crack along at a comfortable pace towards 40 degrees west - our notional or psychological half way line of longitude. In respect of our sailing we are still somewhat hampered by the early loss of our main large head sail - the clew chaffed through - but are doing our best to make up for its loss and using what other sails we have; and have been fortunate to have fair winds that have generally favoured what sails we have. Thus far the rest of the boat is proving to be very. read more...

Baringo - Baringo - Triumph - Day 7 - Mon 3 Dec

Dear All readers of our not so daily blog, this is Baringo - named after Lake Baringo in Africa - and a long way from our home port of Hong Kong. Here on board the skipper and crew are having a wonderful wild downhill ride on the boat, nothing beats surfing 12 tons of plastic down the front of 5m waves at night with a following wind gusting to 40 knots true.Whilst we note we are slowly dropping down the fleet at present in terms of position, we are congratulating ourseleves on our current rig - storm sail and small inner stay head sail, because alas we wore out the clue on our main head sail. The rig looks great, nothing like a bright orange storm sail to enliven life aboard. It is a triumph of our on board committee, because of course we have the ideal trans atlantic compliment: 3. read more...