BriZo - A very unique species found in Galapagos - Saturday 16th February 2014

Aside from the blue footed booby and a host of otherunique wildlife in Galapagos, it has a very unique species of Bureaucrat.Isolated out here, they have developed an exquisite blend of characteristicsthat sets them apart from Bureaucrats elsewhere in the world. Their prey isalmost uniquely on Eco-tourists such as ourselves, seeking them out at theearliest opportunity. Hunting in packs of sometimes as many as 12 at a time theyswoop in on incoming yachtsman before they even have time to set foot on land.Attracted by the Yellow Q flag that visiting yachtsman are internationallyobliged to fly as they enter a new country, they are on-board before the victimknows it. Their prey tries in vain to fend them off, handing out money for thisand that but they don’t let up and continue to raid the. read more...

BriZo - San Blas archipelago, Panama – Friday 10th Jan 2014

Had to slow the boatdown over the last 12 hours to ensure we arrived with good visibility into thereef strewn San Blas Islands. Anchored safely at Porvenir, which is a tiny sandstrip with coconut palms, and the Customs / Immigration clearance house, andthat’s about it -  Oh Yes, and avery short airport strip which is the length of the island.During thepassage from St Lucia our log showed 1111 nautical miles in 5 days 17 hours, soaveraging approx. 200nm per day in the first 4 days, whilst skirting the coastlines of Venezuela, Columbia and Panama. This was a surprisingly windy passagealthough renowned to be so, and so it proved to be - with 12 of the last 24hours in Gale Force 8 gusting 40 knots at times and very high, confused seas.As we were running with the wind and waves behind. read more...

BriZo - Downwind, Colombian Coast guard and Cheryl Cole - 7th Jan 2014 (St Lucia to San Blas passage)

With enough Marmite on board for 7 months we slipped lines Saturday late afternoon at Rodney Bay, St Lucia where BriZo had been during our return over Christmas and out into a Caribbean Sea evening. Pat and I would now be sailing for the next 6 days and nights 1200nm directly to the isolated San Blas islands, just off the Panama Canal entrance at Colon. We are sorry to leave before the main WCC World ARC event starts but after 5 weeks of prep since BriZo’s re-launch in Antigua the draw to get back to sea is irresistible and we have friends already in San Blas.For a cruiser, this is exhilarating downwind sailing, 20 knot+ winds to F7, a ‘white sail’ rig setup that allows the Autopilot to steer hour after hour down the swells, averaging over 200nm miles sailed on each of three days so far.. read more...

Brizo - Day 6 - Thursday - Yacht Prep for lifting and return to UK

Today Trillium and Cosmic Dancer both arrived in the marina from Bermuda. We are spending the day preparing the Yacht for its stay here for 3 months. We will remove sails – clean the watermaker and attempt to get it working again and re-calibrate the temperature sensor as its reading was far too low across the Gulf Stream (changing it to centigrade would be something I could associate with) and pack. Then its catch back up with work. We fly tomorrow early arrive Saturday back in the UK. Stu  . read more...

Brizo - Bermuda to USA Day 5 (Wednesday) – A ‘High Five’ signals the end of our sail all the way to the USA.

By the early hours the sea was calm and the sails flogged so on came the motor as we entered the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, we slowed to ensure we would enter in daylight, especially as a fairly thick fog had gathered at the entrance. Another Rally boat the new catamaran Escapade, skipper Neil was just 7 miles behind after taking his own route across the Gulf Stream. They were returning to their home marina after taking delivery of his new catamaran and sailing it back from South America. We followed Escapade for several hours to their Marina we were to share, as the fog cleared. The trip across the bay could not have been more different from the expectation we had been given from the cruising guide. Far from busy we saw just a handful of small vessels on the water and two larger and. read more...