Logs

Excalibur - Excalibur - 12

Musings on an Atlantic crossing, 12News WithdrawalTell me that brexit’s been cancelledTell me an equal pay deal’s been reachedTell me that fracking’s been haltedTell me that trump’s been impeachedTell me that poverty’s endedTell me global warming has ceasedTell me there’s food for six billionTell me we’re getting world peaceTell me refugees are now welcomeTell me nhs treatment stays freeTell me all humankind stands togetherElse i think we’ll just stay out at sea. read more...

Excalibur - Excalibur - 13

Musings on an Atlantic crossing, 13Are We Nearly There YetSilks and spices, silver and gold,Pearls, jewels, riches untold,Proof god is dead (it’s just natural selection),New land for the queen, new folk for taxation.Treasure and glory the old sailors sought,At the end of this watery path.There are wonders untold on those glittering shores,But all that I want is a bath.. read more...

Hector - Tag 23 - der letzte Tag auf See - ein Resumée

14°38,1N 58°12,1WWenn alles gut und planmäßig verläuft, war gestern unser letzter voller Tag auf See. Der so schnell verflogen ist, dass wir erst heute zum Bloggen kommen. In wenigen Stunden wollen wir die Rodney Bay Marina erreichen. Die Pitons sind heute Früh aus dem Dunst in der Ferne aufgetaucht. Land in Sicht, das Ziel ist nahe! 23 volle Tage und Nächte werden wir dann auf dem Atlantik unterwegs gewesen sein. Zeit für den Versuch eines persönlichen Resumées.Der zweite Versuch (der erste war mal wieder ein ausschweifender Rückblick bis hin zum Start unserer und Hectors Reise vor knapp drei Monaten im Mittelmeer, der dem Abenteuer Atlantiküberquerung nicht ganz gerecht wurde). Es fällt schwer, für die vergangenen drei Wochen die richtigen Worte zu finden. Die Gedanken einzufangen, die. read more...

Gitana - ARC planting project with St.Lucia Rotary

Welcome to the tropicsI knew that by sailing into the tropics we would be shifting climates and ecosystems!, Sunshine, still a good risk of the rain we're used to at home (rainy season runs May-December), but much higher chance of it being warm when it does. St.Lucia fits the bill beautifully.Diverse geographyIts geography is so rich, from its rainforests and history to its physical form and position.  Money wise, it's quite different - as with many islands of the Caribbean, it doesn't take a long walk from places like the marina were in to see the wealth drop away and differences in lifestyle become ever more stark! Formation 101A tropical island forming one of the leeward Islands, it is part of the island arc that marks the edge of the Atlantic and Caribbean tectonic plates,. read more...

Hector - Tag 22 - Ankunft auf Saint Lucia und die Rodney Bay

15°02,1N 55°58,8WNein, noch sind wir nicht da. Aber das Ziel rückt stündlich näher. Stündlich berechnen wir auch unser ETA (= estimated time of arrival, die geschätzte Ankunftszeit) aufs Neue. Mit jedem Zehntel Knoten Speed, den wir mehr aus dem Segel raus holen können, verschiebt sich unser ETA nach vorne. Mit jeder gefahrenen Meile nähern wir uns der Ziellinie. Und zunächst dem Moment, an dem wir die Pitons, die Wahrzeichen Saint Lucias, und die Silhouette der Insel das erste Mal erblicken werden. Das erste Mal aus Osten kommend zumindest. Der Anblick der Bergspitzen, die imposant über das satte Grün Saint Lucias hinaus ragen, ist uns aus Süden, Westen, Norden mehr als vertraut. Ebenso wie die Einfahrt zur Rodney Bay. Denn hier fühlen wir uns seit einigen Jahren zu Hause, haben in der. read more...

Raritan - Raritan – 12/11/18 – Day 18 – Land Ho!

Well, we made it. Pete was right. After 17 days, 23 hours and 10 minutes, we crossed the finish line at St. Lucia.Early on the first day of our voyage, Pete announced that his statistical analysis of the situation had determined that we had a 100% chance of making it to St. Lucia alive. Each day we’d ask him for an update, particularly after harrowing events such as an unplanned jibe with snapped preventer or a shredded Code 0. Pete’s unapologetic answer each time was 100%.I’ll have to admit that, although I agreed in each case with Pete’s analysis, the trip has been harder than I’d imagined. Night watches in particular were quite taxing in a boat which is not designed to go directly downwind. An unplanned jibe can be devastating to both boat and crew, so unrelenting vigilance is. read more...

Murphys Law - Day 20 // Onions are king

The storage of fresh produce is declining.The onions have shown good sportmanship and are basically in the same condition when we left Las Palmas, even tough they are swinging back and forth in a hammock, in the sun. The carrots proved to show the biggest disappointment, as they started to rot already after a couple of days. We probably bought the wrong kind in Las Palmas.Eivind undertook the second visit to Carefour, with empty stomach, and ended up buying an unprecedented amount of chocolate. The last couple of weeks shows chocolate is not the preferred snack of choice in hot weather. I am trying to force Eivind to eat all the chocolate before arriving in St. Lucia, as I have already added to many kilos.image1. read more...

Hector - Tag 22 - Ankunft auf Saint Lucia und die Rodney Bay

Nein, noch sind wir nicht da. Aber das Ziel rückt stündlich näher. Stündlich berechnen wir auch unser ETA (= estimated time of arrival, die geschätzte Ankunftszeit) aufs Neue. Mit jedem Zehntel Knoten Speed, den wir mehr aus dem Segel raus holen können, verschiebt sich unser ETA nach vorne. Mit jeder gefahrenen Meile nähern wir uns der Ziellinie. Und zunächst dem Moment, an dem wir die Pitons, die Wahrzeichen Saint Lucias, und die Silhouette der Insel das erste Mal erblicken werden. Das erste Mal aus Osten kommend zumindest. Der Anblick der Bergspitzen, die imposant über das satte Grün Saint Lucias hinaus ragen, ist uns aus Süden, Westen, Norden mehr als vertraut. Ebenso wie die Einfahrt zur Rodney Bay. Denn hier fühlen wir uns seit einigen Jahren zu Hause, haben in der Rodney Bay Marina. read more...

Excalibur - Excalibur - 11

Musings on an Atlantic crossing, 11Two-upJust the two of you sailing?So romantic! they criedAll alone on the seas, Just the stars for your guide.Holding hands as sunsets blaze,Moonlit suppers and dolphin displays!Just the two of us sailing, so romantic, i agreedNot a day passed without heart-melting deedThe strong hand on my strap as i puked off the sideThe extra hour’s sleep when it’d been a rough rideThe smiling ah well when i gybed the boatThe cheery response to yet more beans on toastThe kiss on my head last washed who knows whenI fell in love all over again. read more...

Cerulean of Penryn - Cerulean of Penryn arrives in St Lucia

DATE:2018-12-16 20:48ZTITLE: ARC+ Leg 2 Arrival In St LuciaLOCATION: 14:27 060:52AUTHOR: Richard RowleyBODY:In all the excitement of arriving at Rodney Bay, St Lucia and finishing Leg 2 of the ARC+ I never got round to writing our final report for the ARC+It has been over a week since we completed Leg 2 of the ARC+ and sailed the Atlantic Ocean. We crossed the official ARC+ finish line at 16:37:20 (20:37:20 UTC) on Wednesday 5th December 2018. We had sailed 2202Nm since our last landfall at Mindelo on Sao Vincente on the Cape Verde Islands. The voyage took us 14days 8hrs 37mins, with an average speed of 6.39kts. Engine hours for propulsion 21.6hrs.The voyage started a rather pleasant hot sunny day at Mindelo, with a a light wind from the North East f1-2 barely enough to fill the sails.. read more...

In Tune - IN TUNE Sat 15th Dec. The last post!

Our last night at sea and on watches was very pleasant. Starry clear skies and half moon lighting our way west, like a glowing highway on the water. It was windy & rough but we're used to it now. Sailing under the genoa makes it relatively relaxing for sleeping etc.We were planning to raise the parasailor at dawn because the forecast was for lighter winds. However, this did not eventuate, but around 1000 we decided to use it even though the wind was still around 18 knots. We were all relaxed on our last day looking forward to our arrival.Just when we thought we had it made, the weather had other plans. Looking behind showed the mother of all rain storms catching us. We quickly got all hands on deck to drop the Parasailor, getting it down just in time. Back with the genoa again we. read more...

BattPack - Final BattPack Log - Days 19 & 20

ARC team - please note that we sent you our Log for days 17&18 on the 12th December but it hasn't been uploaded onto the log page. We then had trouble with our keyboard, thus the delay in sending this final log. Please could you ensure that days 17&18 are posted and also post the following, thank you so much: BattPack Log Day 19 - Dec 13th – We launch into action – today is the day, we will have landed before the day is out! Much cleaning and boat prep to do, sorting washing (loads!) ready for the laundrette, tidying away the things that we needed for the crossing and getting out the things that we need for cruising eg: paddleboard! There is much excitement on the boat. We all work hard and treat ourselves to the first fresh water shower – a warm one too – divine!! We are a. read more...

Murphys Law - Day 19 // Fishy fishy

Finally we got the beast, following us for days, and eating multiple of our bait. The hungry mai-mai, couldn`t resist the squid, and ended up on a lovely curry-based dinner.To be 100% honest, both myself and Halvor are afraid of touching living fish, so Eivind had to seal the deal, stabbing the fish in the head with a knife. The alternative solution was to pour some old greek ouzo/raki in the gills. However, given the aweful taste of this boost, we decided it was more humane with the knife.image1. read more...

Murphys Law - Day 21 // Visiting Whale

Today we had a royal visit. A compact chubby whale appeared, and decided to join us for an hour. It was easily entertained, as it required no more than swimming around the boat, sometimes casting a glanze on the weird creatures on deck. Also, it was briefing with its back-swimming-skills.We considered offering it some of our tuna salad, but assumed it would be taken as a an insult, as is most probably prefers krill.image1. read more...

Hector - Tag 21 - Crew Teil VII, der Blog und das Satellitentelefon

15°19,6N 53°54,8WSich selbst vorzustellen ist irgendwie seltsam, aber ich versuch´s trotzdem... Hallo! Ich bin Katrin, 38, Herzblut-Kölnerin und Herzblut-Seglerin/Chillerin. Letzteres allerdings erst seit ein paar Jahren, genauer gesagt seit ich Peter kenne. Vorher hatte ich mit dem Element Wasser wenig am Hut, war zwar gerne AM Meer, fand ein Leben AUF dem Meer aber ziemlich abwägig bis unvorstellbar.Aber widerspreche nie deinem Schicksal. Nun sitze ich also auf einer Segelyacht mitten auf dem Atlantik, den Laptop vor mir, die Sonne im Gesicht, das Rauschen der Wellen in meinen Ohren und frage mich, ob es ein schöneres Büro und einen besseren Arbeitsplatz geben könnte? Schwierig und ähnlich unvorstellbar wie der Gedanke an ein Leben auf einem Schiff damals.Ich erinner mich noch an. read more...

Gitana - Day 1 - post TransAt (St.Lucia time)

We've been in for over 24hours now and it seems like it was just this morning we arrived and the day we've been acclimatising. Yesterday was spent just coming to terms with the realisation of what we'd achieved, but also trying to work out why in earth the ground seemed to rise up to meet us with every step! That'll be the sea legs overriding the power of the land legs then!!After a decent lunch and dinner, we spent so much time with our friends from Degree of Latitude, sharing our adventures; meeting the crew of Safena who'd really been there for us in our moment of need, finally putting faces to the names of TinTin, MR, Attitude, Purple Rain and others who arrived alongside us after our amazing journey.Even met up with the family I'd seen at the airport with the year 11 lad, he'd. read more...

Gitana - Calm over the marina

All is quiet in Rodney Bay tonight! IMG_20181214_220258. read more...

Gauntlet of Tamar - All finished and found rum punch is quite strong

Hi allJust to let you all know that we finished at 0130 Caribbean time (0530 Uk time) despite the best efforts of our tracker which malfunctioned. Thanks to Charles Hunter-Pease for checking with arc rally control that we were ok! I’ll buy you a drink if we meet at some time. Hugo will of course give a more comprehensive analysis tomorrow but right now he’s a little diddled. Thanks allAndy. read more...

Paula Rosa - Sunday 9th December – Paul Rosa

Normal 0 false false falseEN-GB JA X-NONE/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria;}Sunday 9th December – Paul RosaLast evening we had a very lovely sail, the beautiful light of evening and a good breeze, we all did a final helm, slipping along at 9 – 12 knots.A small group of tiny dolphins appeared around the bows, it felt like they were welcoming us in.The asymmetric was lowered for the final time, you will be pleased to hear without incident, the main and jib up to. read more...

Glory - Glory Lagoon 42 Log day 20- “Glory out”

Last day at sea! I think I can now safely say I have sailed across an ocean. It probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone else but it means something to me. It has taken a lot of work to get this boat from Les Sables D’Olonnes, France where I took delivery on September 1st to here. The crossing was in some ways the easy part. Thanks to all the folks at the World Cruising for putting on a great show. It was all worth it. Maybe I’ll go get a tattoo or something...Glen. read more...

Gitana - When you have a dream...

Right at the beginning when I spoke to school about completing this amazing adventure, I said 'Imagine... What's your dream?'This was a dream for so many people, we believed in it, we worked hard and we've achieved it!I've been blogging but I always keep a journal too... This was the last full days sailing we had on the ARC, Gran Canaria flag still flying as we weren't quite into the St.Lucia flag 'zone' yet!But, I had a moment when I looked at the cover of my journal... It couldn't be more appropriate!!Crew are ashore sampling the Rodney Bay delights, just ducked back to the boat briefly and I'll rejoin them!My colleagues at home are out on their Christmas do in Portsmouth! Raising a glass to you guys, see you all soon!Kirsty X2018_1212_20310978. read more...

Bimble - Bimble log day 18 'ARC control this is Yacht 'Bimble'...'

‘ARC control this is Yacht 'Bimble'…...’WE CROSSED THE FINISHING LINE EARLY THIS MORNING AT 01.45 Hours local time…YIPPPEEEEE….WE have crossed an Ocean!!!!…….Wow what a final ‘ride’ through squalls as we approached St Lucia. Wind and rain lashed us, we donned our wet weather foulies for our last leg to the final destination. We went from a loom on the horizon, to seeing lights and clear shapes of land and then suddenly the island came into full view. The rain was biblical…..Stephen helmed for a while and the Rod helmed to round Pigeon Island into Rodney Bay. I couldn’t see a flipping thing with my glasses on all soaked and splattered with water….so I was the VHF contact with ARC control to give over our boat details and our ETA at the finishing. All eyes were peeled to try to find the. read more...

Makara of Exe - Makara in St Lucia 14 04 N 60 56 W

We finally arrived at 0700 on Dec 13th. We could have arrived overnight but slowed down to get in at first light. We sailed 3,158 Nm from leaving Las Palmas at 0130 on Sunday 25th Nov. A lot of zig zagging the rhumb line caused us to sail 400 miles further than the actual distance.On our last night at sea we were treated to a wonderful sunset and then a pod of dolphins appeared out of nowhere as the sun set on 12th Dec.I think everyone is sad that the passage is over but relieved to be back on dry land and having showers without stumbling over. The lows of the trip were the squeaky rudder bearing, which we managed to fix, and the rip in the main, which we managed to patch up and is now in the hands of the local sail maker.The highs were some fantastic sailing days, constant wind, great. read more...

In Tune - IN TUNE Fri 14th December. "Houston, we have a problem."

A clear starry night with lots of shooting stars, and mild enough weather to do night watch in shorts last night.This morning, however, all that changed. I was entering the log and suddenly we lost all power. Every effort to check led to the conclusion that all batteries were dead flat. This meant that we had no instruments, no water from taps, no engines, no auto-helm, no nothing. Just a sail boat - wind and sails, just like Columbus. We ran all sorts of tests, and to save you the long boring diagnosis, we think that one battery was totally stuffed, and dragged down the others. We had one thing in our favour - the solar panels were charging, and we had sunshine. So, led by Steve and Martin, we separated four batteries from the bank, leaving only two connected, believing that the solar. read more...

Excalibur - Excalibur - 10

Musings on an Atlantic crossing, 10NeptuneBlack shark eyesHagfish mawMuscles of slab rockBloated fleshRazor scalesCrusted barnacle heartDon’t be fooled by his crown of pink coral And carnival court of colourful fish.His robes are the sails of a wrecked Indies traderHis shield is the hull of a torn submarineHis wrath is hundred foot thundering waveHis roar is a deafening wall of tsunami He will pick you up and hurl you clean from coast to coastHe will knock you down and drag you deep to the icy black.All hail NeptuneHail, and beware. read more...

Theodora - Final blog

We arrived after seventeen days and a few hours at sea. The first shout of “Land Ahoy” was heard about twenty miles out. This was discarded as a hoax but then shortly after it was agreed that we had land in sight. It was quite a strange feeling starting the engine and getting the fenders and mooring lines out. In fact so strange that a fender got dropped overboard, an excellent bit of helming from the No 1 saw us recover it and continue into the marina. The mooring went fairly smoothly apart from the momentary lapse of concentration by the crew as we came into moor and there were new people to talk to on the boats alongside us. The the rum punch trolley turned up and not a lot happened for the rest of the day.It is a trip that is very worthwhile doing if you ever get the chance. In many. read more...

Hector - Tag 20 - Wunder der Natur

15°38,9N 51°47,8WWährend diese ersten Zeilen entstehen, ist es noch Nacht. Eine sternenklare Nacht. Eine sternenklare Nacht mitten auf dem Atlantik, wo kein Stadtleuchten den Blick trübt. Diesen Anblick in Worte zu fassen fällt schwer. Thomas sitzt am Steuer. Ich habe es mir im Cockpit gemütlich gemacht, in unser aller Lieblingsecke. Der Rücken angelehnt an die Salonwand, Blick zum Heck (nach hinten) raus. Aufgabe desjenigen, der hier während der Nachtwache sitzt, ist es normalerweise, den Rudergänger zu unterstützen und die Seite, die vom Steuerstand aus nicht einsehbar ist, im Blick zu behalten. Ausschau zu halten nach Bandits (so nennen wir andere Schiffe, die sich unserem Kurs nähern), die am Horizont auftauchen könnten. Den Himmel zu beobachten und die Wolkenformationen, in welche. read more...

Charisma - Tag 17 | Die letzten 24 Stunden auf See

Bei auffrischendem Passatwind (E-NE 6) segeln wir den roten Starkwind-Spinnaker dicht am Limit. Das schwere Tuch und das Rigg halten die Bedingungen auf dem Atlantik aus. Durch den zunehmenden Seegang und den bereits weit geöffneten Anstellwinkel zum Wind, wird der Korrekturrahmen für das Steuern immer kleiner.Spi in den SackAm Nachmittag führen wir ein kontrolliertes Bergemanöver durch: Ausrollen der Genua, Fieren des Achterholers, Greifen der leewärtigen Spi-Schot, Abfallen der Yacht vor dem Wind, Fieren des Spinnaker-Falls, Einholen des Spis auf dem Vorschiff, Anluven der Yacht auf Raumschot-Kurs, Einpacken des Spis sowie des laufenden Guts, Anschlagen der Genua-Schot am Spinnakerbaum, Einrollen der Genua samt Fieren der leewärtigen Schot, Ausrollen der Genua samt Dichtholen der. read more...

One Life - Day 19 - Saint Lucia Day

December 13 is Saint Lucia Day! We’d have loved to celebrated it on land. Ah well, only 250nm away, we made a cake and celebrated onboard! image1. read more...

Gauntlet of Tamar - The final day - possibly!!

So here we are at the near end of our voyage of 2800 nautical miles and 18 days at sea (I think) Its been a really great experience for all on board and for me particularly it has been something that I have wanted to do with this boat and friends for many years. There have of course been trials and tribulations along the way but all on board have given their best efforts at all times with only minor cajoling from me at times!! The shift pattern for the watch leads has been difficult as it always is with broken sleep and constantly changing watch times severely disrupting the normal sleeping pattern of all. There was only one minor slip up with confusion over times when Nick arrived for his shift 3 hours early at 3am! I think the four of them had a little midnight party. Its always. read more...

In Tune - IN TUNE Thurs 13th December. Showers at night

Woopee, we have now had 24 hours without rain squalls. The wind increased last night as was forecast so we dropped the Parasailor at midnight and ran under the genoa. This gives us all a calmer ride and better sleep, but we pay the price of slower speed. Last night was clear starry skies, and all of us on watch saw many shooting stars; maybe this was the forecast meteor showers. A light appeared on our port bow on my (Philip) watch and rapidly approached, passing in front of us a little over 1 NM ahead; it turned out to be a freighter en route to Brazil.The wind did not drop this morning as forecast, so still decided to put up the Parasailor about mid morning, and run with that until nightfall. Today has been a quiet day for us reading, and with Martin winning nomination whist - again!. read more...

Gitana - We made it

It's now 16:44 local time (20:44 GMT) and we're in St.Lucia! Sitting on the waterfront having had burger and chips we're sitting watching other ARC yachts as they arrive in the marina.Crossing the finish line at 10:44am St.Lucia time was just insane. Having had a few issues with the engine which was sorted, then returned, then being almost becalmed for 4hours yesterday afternoon, we watched our last few miles slowly tick away.The wind filled in and Gitana flexed her wings once again and off she flew. Running towards each waypoint on course at 6kts+ Gitana had a great 24hours to finish.There was an almighty shout of 'Land Ho!' this morning, James had been up throughout the night to watch the course and make sure we were going to get to the North coast of St.Lucia. As the sight of. read more...

Hector - Tag 19 - Happy Birthday, Marie!

16°02,2N 49°36,6WHeute ist mal wieder einer dieser besonderen Tage, an denen zumindest ein kurzer Kontakt nach Hause schön wäre. Denn Katrins Nichte Marie hat heute Geburtstag und würde sich wahrscheinlich sehr über persönliche Glückwünsche freuen. Da das leider nicht möglich ist, wird ihr zumindest der Blogeintrag gewidmet und auf diesem Wege gratuuliert...*************Liebe Marie, stell dir die folgenden Zeilen von uns gesungen (Katrin singt, Peter brummt vor sich hin) vor: "Zum Geburtstag viel Glück, zum Geburtstag viel Glück, zum Geburtstag alles Gute, zum Geburtstag viel Glück." Wir wünschen dir zu deinem 9. Geburtstag alles alles Liebe und herzlichen Glückwünsch! Hoffentlich feierst du heute schön mit deinen Freundinnen, Freunden und Geschwistern und am Wochenende dann mit der. read more...

Aurora B - Land ahoy for Aurora B - Day 18

All go on Aurora B as we prepare for a late night / early morning arrival in St Lucia tonight. Ted the Bear and the kids have been helping with the tidy up, they even have managed to find some body wash for a shower, everyone will be grateful for that! All in shock as we have made it and are so pleased with ourselves.. read more...

MR - Day 18: Land ho!

After 17 days and 10 hours we arrived safe and sound on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Last night our sailing boat was accompanied by perfect wind and we enjoyed several shooting stars during our night-watches. Unfortunately, the wind died during the next day and our speed over ground decreased for a couple of hours. Nonetheless, we were still able to arrive in the marina of Rodney Bay shortly after sunset and look forward to the welcome party tonight. We’re happy that we were able to complete the passage without any injuries and are ready to celebrate this success in the next days.. read more...

Bimble - Bimble log day 18

Well Rod will win the pre voyage ‘book’ for the days of our crossing, he was bang on the nose with his estimate with 18….Stephen voted for 19 and half days (I’m glad he’s wrong) and us girls were far too ambitious of the Trade wind strength and thought anything from15 to 16 days…..So here we are exactly 60 miles to go…no land in sight as promised but lots of fluffy clouds on the horizon which probably indicate land ahead. It is a strange feeling, we all had a bit of a mad moment as the mix of excited anticipation that it is going to finally end but sadness that it is going to be over becomes ever more real….how can it be that you can have such two powerful conflicting feelings at the same time.The final leg of the passage is slow with 13 knots of wind and about 5 knots of boat speed. We. read more...