Logs

Friendship - Welcome St. Lucia

Um 02.21.03 Uhr St. Lucia Zeit fuhren wir am 2. Februar über die Ziellinie. Über Funk spielte die ARC Rallye Control „We are the Champions“ für uns. Ein einmaliges und unbeschreiblich schönes Gefühl. Die letzten Stunden auf See waren nochmal ganz besonders. Um ca. 18.00 Uhr sah Rainer erstmals Land und machte uns darauf aufmerksam. Aber schnell versteckten sich die Hügel St. Lucias wieder hinter Wolken. Wir hatten unterdessen erneut mit dem Wind zu kämpfen. So richtig wollte er nicht wehen und so kämpften wir uns mit teilweise nur 3 Knoten Fahrt weiter. Hinter uns kam die SY ATARAXIA immer näher. Wir entschieden daher schon eher das Großsegel zu setzen. Wir wollten auf keinen Fall überholt werden. Unter Großsegel und Genua fuhren wir dann ab der Nordspitze St. Lucias mit. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 24 - Landfall

After more than 3 weeks on the high seas, we expect to cross the finish line and arrive at Rodney Bay today in the late afternoon, just in time for sun downers which will be a large double of whatever, extra cold. As our ocean adventure is drawing to a close, we reflect on our privileged position that our families and Parnters have allowed us to be in. We experienced near gale force winds to no wind, torrential rain and tropical sunshine, stunning moon rises, spectacular sunsets, a clear view of the Milky Way with a splattering of shooting stars on many occasions, from a near collision with a large whale to fresh Mahi Mahi prepared deliciously by our master chef. With St Lucia visible now on the horizon we look forward to a traditional Caribbean welcome to conclude this journey and look. read more...

Yellow - Update from Yellow

A few updates from Yellow:  We passed a 50+ knot storm:https://twitter.com/alexisyellow/status/1485338938743173121?s=21  Another day we realized the screws on the rudder where breaking:https://twitter.com/alexisyellow/status/1488047876680863747?s=21  The Autopilot ECU failed too from the pump failure. We has a spare ECU, Pump and compass we replaced. It was very messy. We steered with two motors only keeping the rudders centered while we changed the ecu, pump and compass and purgedthe hydraulic system.https://twitter.com/alexisyellow/status/1488066604906782722?s=21  Because it was messy and moving and we had to be fast we couldn’t add sealant so our hydraulic is constantly leaking but we devised. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 23 - RIP spinnaker

After another day’s hard work pulling us through the ocean towards our destination St Lucia, our trusted thread bear, longest serving sail, our colorful spinnaker finally gave up the ghost. With the recovery sock no longer able to douse the sail we had no other option than to ditch it on the deck, inadvertently catching a wave causing it to split and therefore leading to its untimely demise. Farewell trusted friend!The final couple of days are now on white sails only, setting back our arrival in St Lucia a little but still hope to make landfall late tomorrow afternoon. We are now researching the options for a new spinnaker with Yorkshire and tea close to our hearts. Yorkshire tea are now firm favorites for our next sponsorship deal with their logo emblazoned on our new spinnaker flying. read more...

Friendship - Tag 24 - der letzte Tag auf See

Nun ist also der letzte Tag auf See angebrochen. Wir haben nun noch gut 50 Seemeilen bis zur nördlichen Ansteuerung St. Lucias. Dort halten wir etwas Sicherheitsabstand. Von dort aus geht es dann noch sechs Meilen weiter, bis wir Pigeon Point passieren. Dann nur noch eine weitere Seemeile bis zur Ziellinie. Da wir aktuell mit rund vier Knoten vor dem Wind kreuzen, gehen wir von einer Ankunft heute Nacht bzw. in den frühen Morgenstunden des 2. Februars aus. Da wir eine Zeit von UTC-4 haben, ist es in Deutschland dann schon Mittag. Dass wir wirklich demnächst ankommen, lässt sich nur anhand der Seemeilen zum Ziel auf dem Plotter und der stetig steigenden Anzahl an Vögeln erahnen. Von Land ist weit und breit noch nichts zu sehen. Es sind gemischte Gefühle, die an diesem letzten Tag auf See. read more...

Friendship - Tag 23 - Genua statt Genacker

Wir wähnten uns wohl schon zu sehr in Zielnähe, freuten uns darüber, dass alles heil geblieben ist und wir bald ankommen würden. Die Vorfreude auf Klimaanlage und Rumpunsch stieg. Doch das war zu früh gefreut, denn gestern Abend erlitten wir doch noch einen schmerzhaften Verlust. Nachdem es erst aussah, als würde er einfallen, fiel er dann ganz und zwar ins Wasser. Unser Genacker. Obwohl es noch nicht viele Meilen auf dem Buckel hatte, war das Fall eines namenhaften deutschen Tauwerkherstellers aus Süddeutschland durchgescheuert. Ein Rückschlag, der uns traf, waren wir doch in den vergangenen Tagen fast ausschließlich unter Genacker unterwegs. Mit viel Glück und vereinten Kräften konnten wir das rund 180 Quadratmeter große Segeltuch aus dem Wasser bergen, ohne dass es sich im Propeller. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 22 - Darth Odin

As we have less than 300nm to go, it is time to talk about the metamorphosis of Ortwin who shall from now on be known as “Darth Odin”. He completely renounced beer and converted to the dark side of Yorkshire tea without milk and sugar but with a biscuit. His earthly shell never appears on a night shift in time as his spirit is fighting wars in other galaxies; he can break things onboard without touching them. Some say his skin is red as the glowing embers of hell and his butt cheeks can shatter a coconut at a twitch. His kryptonite is a bowl of light fluffy rice which unleashes noxious hell aboard which should have been left in other galaxies. Other than that we haven’t found out how to contain his powers yet. Our commiserations go out to his earthly mother who may not recognize her. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 21 - less than 500nm to go!

After some stronger winds last night under white sails and with a bit of swell we are back under spinnaker with 14-16kts of wind and some current pushing us West. In the last 24 hours we made 140nm towards St Lucia. Whilst tired, spirits are high that we will reach the finish line in time. We are on our final slab of beer now so hopefully that will last Ortwin to St Lucia. Yesterday under Ortwin’s inspiration Paul created a ham and cheese quiche using tortillas as a base. Paul will be serving us a shepherd’s pie tonight which we look forward to. It’s amazing what he can create after 3 weeks at sea without any freezer. So he definitely deserves some time out on the sun deck!image1. read more...

Maxim 46 - Log Day 21 250NM

Sunday morning, another hour back in time and since NEIT left us with full speed when the wind picked up we were alone for 2 days. When all of the sudden 2 whales joined us and stayed around the boat for at least 30 minutes. Circles around the boat, under and coming up in the waves. Magnificent! We have seen many dolphins on this trip but this is so special! The fatigue kicked in a bit the last couple of days and this brought a smile back on our face. Lisa is entertaining us with dress up parties, rollplays with her imaginary friends and wrestle games. In return she gets some yoga and work out and free music sessions. The ukelele and guitar are used now and then, so we will keep practicing when we are in the Caribbean. The sea temperature is getting warmer and warmer now, almost 28. read more...

Friendship - Tag 22 - Proviantierung zahlt sich aus

Heute vor 3 Wochen haben wir abgelegt. Zu der Zeit war der Plan 17 bis 21 Tage zu brauchen. Heute an Tag 22 wissen wir: Das hat nicht so ganz geklappt. Noch immer haben wir 320 Seemeilen vor uns. Dass wir länger unterwegs sind, ist aber kein Problem. Denn nun zahlt sich aus, wofür wir in Las Palmas von vielen Nachbarschiffen belächelt wurden: Unsere umfangreiche Proviantierung. Obwohl die Lebensmittel vor mittlerweile 26 Tagen geliefert wurden, gibt es keinen Mangel hier an Bord der SY Friendship. Ein paar frische Lebensmittel sind noch da, sodass wir heute nochmal Ratatouille zum Rib-Eye-Steak machen können. Das einzige, das knapp wird, ist Mineralwasser ohne Kohlensäure. Aber auch nur, weil wir das - entgegen unserer ursprünglichen Planung - zum Kochen von Tee und Kaffee genutzt haben.. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 29 Jan

29/01 @ 1835 14'18.92N 060'16.97W Before we begin this blog, Joe would like to publicly apologise for his slander of Jacob in last night's blog. "I was trying to be funny, but as you might have worked out, I'm not. At all. I am disappointed in myself for many reasons but, mainly, because he is my idol and he's probably the coolest bloke I know", Joe Burnip. So this is it, the closing curtain, the final blog post from the lyricists. Its been one day shy of three weeks since we left Las Palmas and what a story those three weeks have become. We encountered so much from whales to tropical birds, from Mahi Mahi to becoming international rescuers. In the final days of this voyage we have been slightly disheartened by the conditions we were being handed but tonight, as we are closing. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 28 Jan

28/01 @ 1938 14'59.80N 057'33.28W Right, hey guys welcome back to another edition of Jacob and Joe on the sea, Jacob and Joe to the Caribbean We Go. 'I don't like warm drinks at all' a little side note as Jacob attempted to contribute to a conversation, still trying to be apart of something, he's done this on more than one occasion. If you asked us this time a week ago where we would be right now, we would be saying sat at a bar getting absolutely swash-buckled. Our next milestone is to get less than 200 miles to go which we're only three miles away from. Joe and Jacob cracked open a cold one with the boys in the shape of a Thatchers Gold to wash down the Thai green curry Joe cooked up tonight to satisfy our hunger. We've also had some friendly competition today from. read more...

Brainstorm - Anarchy rising at the sight of land Ahoy

Cuban cigars inside, Vermont being downed on deck, land Ahoy so what the heck!At the current speed around 8 knots we expect to arrive in about 4 hours from now, clocking in before 11 pm local time!!. read more...

Brainstorm - Regatta’s are won at night

Yesterday started sunny as usual but with the trade winds seriously picking up to 25 knots. With the wind- and wave angle unchanged this enables us to ramp the Rhapsodie up to 9 knots over ground. Perfect cards to ensure our advantage over the I Neverland and What’s Next.After laying down our hooks with the fish we quickly found another goal for the day; doubling our advantage over the competition. For this we need focus and motivation so we turned to classical music for the day. Starting breakfast with Vivaldi’s four seasons we quickly escalated the volume and intensity with Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Grieg while Philippe inspired us with some daring regatta stories. By the end of lunch we’d ramped up to the heavyweights of Bach and Strauss. I could only imagine the. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 20 - finally some wind is here

Finally the winds are here. After a calm zone yesterday this morning we caught the trade winds and are now running under spinnaker at 5-6kts. Our Mahi-mahi Dorada has been devoured. Thanks to our master chef Paul we enjoyed evening meals of oven baked Mahi Mahi in a salsa sauce with rice, smooth and creamy Mahi Mahi Karalen curry with rice, and the ultimate Mahi Mahi fish finger tortilla wrap; washed down with a nice cold Sauvignon Blanc. We are determined to make the best out this harsh Atlantic conditions!image1. read more...

Friendship - Tag 21 - Hoffen auf Wind

Knapp 3 Wochen sind wir nun unterwegs und haben keine 500 Seemeilen mehr, bis wir St. Lucia erreichen. Die Vorfreude steigt. Wir freuen uns auf Ausschlafen, frisches Obst und karibischen Rum! Wann genau wir allerdings ankommen werden, können wir noch nicht sagen. Der Wind macht uns mal wieder einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Die aktuellen 6 Knoten Wind schaffen es nicht die SY Friendship anzutreiben. Und die Prognosen für die kommenden Tage versprechen auch nicht viel mehr. Maximal 19 Knoten Wind sind vorhergesagt, wo genau ist aber fraglich, denn die Vorhersagegebiete sind mehrere 100 sm groß. Also müssen wir uns erneut in Geduld üben und auf Wind hoffen. Indes erreichte uns aber eine gute Nachricht: Während die Crew der aufgegebenen SY Brainstorm in den nächsten Stunden auf St. Lucia. read more...

Mrs. G - Mrs.G 3044 Miles Report

Mrs.G 3044 Miles ReportSo, here we are, in the Rodney bay Marina in St. Lucia.We made 3044 Miles altogether. We started at 12 o‘ clock on Sunday, January 10th UCT time, and we entered the marina and docked at 13 o‘ clock on Friday, January 28th UCT time. But it is not necessary to give you these data , is it? As we found out, all our loved ones and friends were regularly following the ARC lates news and also now exactly where we are and when we passed the finish line. ( But they do not know where we hadlunch in the marina today :-) ) When we were young we believed Orwell was writing science fiction stories…. The last days of our passage over the Atlantic we were becoming slower and slower. There was no expected strong trade wind and the fact that we did not have a gennacker did not help. read more...

Brainstorm - In elation of the Caribbean vibration

The Caribbeans must be near, as our nightshift attire is now swimming gear. It’s midday with thirty plus degrees, Soul Limbo from Booker T and the MG’s is playing in the back, when I wake from a nap on deck. A scorching sun is high in the sky above the desert sea. Quite a lush dessert I must say. Sargasses. Spotted as a lonely twig with some needle leaves a day or so after our rescue, now stretches in streaks that can run on for miles. All around us, all the time, blooming adrift the Gulf Stream. Some of us read it must be a plague, but toxic in high quantities sounds a little vague. For the nose of a resort guest, washed ashore where they want to rest. More of us ponder, if it might be a wonder. For the earth as a whole, these pine twigs of the sea, must be created after all. No matter. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 19 - no wind, again!

After another night with a number of sail changes and uncomfortable swell we are back in a patch of very little wind with about 6-8kts under spinnaker only. To make the finish line for Thursday 3rd Feb 16:00 UTC we need to average about 120 nm per day. Currently with these winds we’re are not quite achieving our goal. However, we are determined to successfully cross the line and complete the ARC within the time constraints and celebrate with a glass of rum Punsch on the quay side.image1. read more...

Friendship - Tag 20 - Fregatt-Vögel gesichtet

Heute früh haben wir die 600-Seemeilen-Marke geknackt. Und obwohl wir doch noch sehr weit entfernt vom Land sind, tauchen die ersten Vögel auf. Heute früh konnten wir zwei Fregatt-Vögel und auch die ersten Möwen sichten. Ein unverkennbares Zeichen dafür, dass wir unserem Ziel immer näher kommen. Die Vorfreude auf unsere Ankunft wächst. Auch wenn die Ruhe und der Sternenhimmel wunderschön sind, so schlauchen die Nachtwachen doch ganz schön. Allein in der vergangenen Nacht mussten wir 2 Mal zusätzlich raus, um den Genacker zu bergen und anschließend wieder zu setzen, da wir Squalls auf dem Radar gesichtet hatten. Da man bei ihnen nicht einschätzen kann, wie sie sich bewegen und wie viel Wind sie aus welcher Richtung mit sich bringen, ist es doch besser, auf Nummer sicher zu gehen und das. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 27 Jan

27/01 @ 1943 15'47.80N 055'05'09W Is anyone out there?  Today has been a day of unpredictable nature. Mother nature has not been on our side, with Mr Night's hand upon our shoulder, this has brought very light winds forcing us to use what little fuel left we have onboard. Trying to not let our current situation dampen our spirits, further strategy has allowed us focus on being more efficient so that we have enough fuel to be able to motor in to Rodney Bay. This is something we're not worried about because with our day light hours being filled with good winds allowing us to sail comfortably and make good speed counteracts the need to motor at night. Morale is still up there and laughs are still being had so nothing is stopping us from having a good time. Talking about. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 26 Jan

26/01 @ 1842 16'32.25N 052'45.37W Good evening, The crew of 'What's Next' were busy on deck at the crack of dawn this morning eager to get the most of the favorable winds and utilise 'The Whoomper' (formerly known as 'The Beast'). We were then welcomed to lighter winds and choppier sea than expected, but make no mistake, our shining light of a vessel has not retracted and continues to drive us through this desolate watery desert. Joe and Jacob retreated themselves into a few games of cards, consisting of Snap, Go-Fish and 21. Jacob won every game (is what he likes to think). Due to the intense heat at these latitudes, every opportunity to escape the scorching sun was taken without hesitation. As of ten minutes ago, we are within 500 nautical miles of our destination!. read more...

Friendship - Tag 19 - Schiff in Sicht und Anglerglück

Der gestrige Frühsport zog sich noch bis in den Nachmittag und Abend hinein. Aufgrund von Squalls rollten wir den Genacker immer mal wieder ein und aus. Wir wollen ja möglichst viel Geschwindigkeit mitnehmen. Am späten Nachmittag, wir wollten die Genua eigentlich noch etwas eingerollt lassen, sahen wir erstmals ein anderes Schiff der ARC-Flotte auf dem AIS. Die SY ATARAXIA. Das spornte uns natürlich an und wir setzten direkt wieder den Genacker. Auf dem AIS war die ATARAXIA dann lange nicht mehr zu sehen, aber bis Sonnenuntergang konnten wir sie immer mal wieder am Horizont ausmachen. Nachts war die dann nicht mehr zu sehen, tauchte nur noch ein Mal kurz auf dem AIS auf. Da wir aber beide vor dem Wind kreuzen und eine ähnliche Geschwindigkeit fahren, gehen wir davon aus, dass wir uns. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 18 - Happy Birthday!

One might say that behind every passionate sailor out at sea is a patient wife who supports his dreams and puts up with the infinite number of hours maintaining, preparing, upgrading, and planning and all the resources spent on a hole in the water. In my case this supporting wife is Emily and today is her birthday. Unfortunately she cannot be with us on this journey as she is taking care of our otherwise enthusiastic and already well seasoned sailing kids back home.Happy birthday baby this rainbow is for you! Xxximage1. read more...

Friendship - Tag 18 - Frühsport

Seit nunmehr 51 Stunden segeln wir ununterbrochen. Auch wenn der Wind noch immer eine leichte Südost-Tendenz hat und wir vergeblich auf den versprochenen Nordost-Passat warten, kommen wir doch gut voran. Mit 6 bis 7 Knoten kommen wir unserem Ziel in großen Schritten näher. Über Nacht wehte der Wind konstant mit Windstärke 3 bis 4, schwankte nur mal leicht zwischen Südost und Ost, sodass wir auch über Nacht den Genacker stehen lassen konnten. Am frühen morgen, die Dämmerung hatte gerade begonnen, sorgten Wind und Genacker aber für eine Runde Frühsport bei Maren und Rainer. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit frischte der Wind auf und brachte Böen mit Geschwindigkeiten von bis zu 27 Knoten mit sich. Die Friendship machte teilweise 11 Knoten Fahrt, ziemlich genial! Aber da die Gefahr zu groß war, dass. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 17 - squall day

We finished the day yesterday with a nice Mahi Mahi catch that Paul quickly turned into a lovely dinner. The remainder will be turned into fish wraps and a fish curry today. Since today morning we play hide and seek with a number of squalls, varying winds, and rain as we count down from less than 1,000 nm to go. image1. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 25/1

25/01 @ 1933 16'59.74N 050'24.44W What a night we've had, it didn't stop raining until 0345. When we say raining,  it wasn't your casual summer time UK drizzle, we're talking about standing in a shower on full power getting absolutely drenched kind of rain. It was nuts! Once that had passed, the winds came in and thank God they did. Since then we have had a good strong consistent wind of 12-16kts gusting up to 20-23 at times from the north-east to south-east direction. Max speed so far has been 10.5 on a surf off a wave. Still goose winging it right now, we're going to keep like this for the night and at day light we'll bring the pole down, furl away the headsail and unleash The Beast as the conditions will be perfect for it. Having now passed 50 degrees west. read more...

Brainstorm - Oh happy trades ?? o HAPPY trades

Yes you’ve hear it correct: the spin-off from “oh happy days” is the hit of today “as Jezus walks, oh happy trades..” After more calms, more squalls, more weird wind angles and absolute mayhem, rumor had it brexit killed the trades but we’re happy to report that we now have steady winds coming from 90 degrees true east for the entire day! In other words, for the first time in 2100 miles, trade winds!!!!On other news this week we have Jenny’s 60th birthday coming up on the 28th. Rowan and her Polepole have about 2/3 days to go so no pressure there mate. We’re confident you’ll make it a land party, a little bit sceptic we’ll make that, but optimistic about helping you guys cure the hangover the day after!So after a 5 days of mayhem we now have a steady 13 and 23 knots from the east.. read more...

Maxim 46 - Log Day 18 Countdown

Since we crossed the “only 1000nm to go” mark the ambiance on board is festive.Reading some Lonely Planet books where to go to while on land and talking about a fresh juice and cold beer in one of the nice bars. Looking forward to the local cuisine and the carribean feeling. Meal wise on board we are blessed with our friend Alex as chef. No need to think about what to prepare and we are all feeling healthy! Still some lemons and oranges left for our daily vitamine C boost. Some real Dutch meals are served and the best “nasi with sate” is mandatory. Food is so important during this trip. If you have lack of sleep a nice warm soup is the best.We have made numerous photos and videos of this trip. Eventhough we haven’t spot much at sea besides dolphins, flying fish and now also some lost. read more...

Friendship - Tag 17 - Warum immer Süd?

Die positive und überaus erfreuliche Nachricht: Wir segeln seit mehr als 24 Stunden am Stück und mussten den Motor nur beim Bergen des Genackers mal kurz zur Hilfe nehmen. Aber die Frage die uns hier permanent umtreibt: Warum kommt der Wind immer wieder aus südlichen Richtungen? Wo bleibt der stetige Passat aus Nordost, den uns der Wetterbericht tagtäglich verspricht? Wir hoffen, wir finden ihn noch…Da der Wind seit gestern kontinuierlich mit Windstärke 4 aus Südost kommt, kreuzen wir also vor dem Wind. Aktuell unter Genua. Wenn die Böen aber nachlassen, wollen wir den Genacker wieder setzen und so dann noch etwas Fahrt aus der Friendship herausholen. Aktuell sind wir mit 5 Knoten auf einem Kurs von 230 Grad unterwegs, 258 wäre der ideale Kurs zum Ziel. Also trotz südlichen Winden gar. read more...

Bastet - Bastet - week 2

Załoga jachtu „Bastet” zgłasza się po raz kolejny z Atlantyku! Przede wszystkim chcemy pogratulować naszym współzawodnikom z chorwackiego jachtu „Movgli” dopłynięcia do mety na St. Lucia i zasłużonego zwycięstwa w ARC January 2022!Po tym jak w pierwszym tygodniu przepłynęliśmy 1002 nm nasze apetyty na dobrą pozycję wzrosły. Niestety drugi tydzień na morzu minął pod znakiem słabych i zmiennych wiatrów, włącznie z kierunkiem WSW, a więc w dziób… Zmuszeni byliśmy do płynięcia pod silnikiem na wolnych obrotach, aby oszczędzać paliwo Wynikiem były wyraźnie krótsze dzienne przebiegi. Tydzień zamknął się wynikiem tylko 790 nm. Obserwowaliśmy jak doganiają i wyprzedzają nas jachty, które były w stanie utrzymać wyższą prędkość na silniku pomimo braku wiatru! Pod koniec drugiego i na początku. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 16

After a tumultuous 24 hours followed by a period of calm we eased into our sailing prowess utilizing only the spinnaker to maximize the wind’s potential. This slowly but surely eats away at our miles towards our objective of St Lucia. Being an unforgiving sail in the wrong conditions, and it being not an easy decision, we took the courageous step to sail with it through the night under the Yoda-like guidance of Richard a leading skipper of Oyster Yachts. During our daily strategy discussion we considered lightening the load by having our resident recovering alcoholic Ortwin (rip van winkle) drinking all the beer but quickly dismissed this thought as we would have to undertake his watches (more than usual) ;)image1. read more...

Friendship - Tag 16 - Die letzten 1.000 Meilen

Nun sind wir schon 16 Tage auf See und noch immer vergehen die Tage extrem schnell. Zwischen den Wachen und der freien Zeit, die wir uns mit Sport, Gesellschaftsspielen oder guten Büchern vertreiben, scheint die Zeit nur so dahin zu fliegen. Heute erreichen wir einen nächsten Meilenstein auf unserer Tour. Wir brechen die letzten 1.000 Seemeilen an. Und endlich ist das Segeln so, wie wir es uns die ganze Zeit gewünscht haben: Ausreichend Wind von Achtern, der Genacker steht und wir machen 6 bis 7 Knoten Fahrt. So ist es ideal. Dazu scheint die Sonne und ein paar Wolken spenden uns vereinzelt Schatten. Ein Traum! Und wenn der Wetterbericht einigermaßen stimmt, soll es in den kommenden Tagen auch so weitergehen…. Die Nächte bescheren uns immer Squalls und Schauer. Doch schon nach kurzer. read more...

Oyster Belle - Log Day 15 - after the storm came the calm

After heavy nights, wind and heavy rain with a confused high sea state, the conditions abated during the course of the day giving us back the luxury of sailing into the sunset having our evening meal. The crew is now feeling a little more refreshed and cruising downwind with the spinnaker under sunny skies. image1. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next Jan 24th

24/01 @ 2014 17'27'17N 048'06'15W Good evening, Today, wow. We're exhausted! Since we pressed 'send' on the last blog we have explored every single technique of sailing, experienced every wind direction, navigated every weather form. We began this morning's watches with the main sail and code 0. We then swapped the code 0 for the genoa, put the main away, got it out again, rigged the pole for the genoa, hoisted the trade wind sail for the code 0, and poled that out, went goosewing (also called 'milk maiden' by our Dutch crew members), and did it all again. The rain poured for the majority of today and like Forrest Gump in Vietnam, we had every type. Today's weather has left the crew wondering if we are indeed on the warm Atlantic cruise filled with consistent trade winds as. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 23 Jan

23/01 @ 1922  17'34'94N 045'45'72W Well, lets divulge with you lot about what shenanigans we've had today.To be honest not a lot really. Today we've had a much better day of sailing. A persistent wind coming from the north-east has enabled us to make up some lost ground and begin to close down on our next longitude degree, 45. However with more stable conditions it has led to some decent rest bite. One thing that has come from today is reminiscence. Stories being told of days past and one thing this ignited was laughter. This has bought to light hour each of our lives are all quite different from our experiences and be it how maybe in the moment what was going may not truly have been as funny as you thought, now you can look back and truly let the laughter. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 22 January

22/01 @ 1900 17'35’42"N 043'18’34"WOnce again, we have come to the end of another day on our passage across the Atlantic. We’ve had a mixed bag of sailing, motor-sailing and just motoring today but it most definitely hasn’t dampened our spirits. As this is being written we are only 39 miles until we have 1000 left to go so we’re definitely celebrating this moment tonight with a glass of wine and a cheeky beer with dinner. Jacob has also gone all out in his attire tonight with pink and white striped shirt and his white linen trousers. He said, ‘the fans would want to know and I believe that whatever the circumstances, your appearance matters. It’s an augmentation of your soul.’ Sounds as biblical as Jesus himself.Today Michiel has cooked up an absolute storm yet again! This morning. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 21 Jan

21/01 @ 2030 17'58’66"N 040'55'97"WOn what has been another precarious day at sea, the winds have finally been good to us. We’ve been sailing now coming up to 24hrs and how good it has been. ‘The tiresome groan of an engine does nothing but stifle the ocean’s call.’  J.A. LineWe’ve updated our watch system now to include our new Dutch comrades and today they have been on chef duties. Lunch today was broken eggs with diced onion and tomato with fresh baguettes. We’ve had a little soy sauce and sushi this afternoon consisting of our Mahi Mahi which tonight will follow with some meaty steaks from yesterday’s catch and roasted veg, finished off by some utterly delightful, Angel Delight. At the moment we have constant eyes on the weather. We’re currently on the run. read more...

What’s Next - What’s Next 20th Jan

Just to clarify the World Cruising Club do not 'ruin a truly  professional event' they 'RUN a truly professional event'. You can blame that mistake on Joe! 20/01 @ 2010 18'22’84"N 038'00'69"WFirst of all, Jacob and Joe would like to apologise for the delay in our blog posting. Anyway, lets get back into it shall we?In day-to-day life, we live under the misconception that we are in control. An experience like this, in true Scooby-Doo fashion, the mask is taken off the illusion. Over 3000 miles, three years of planning, all led to three boats. Three boats next to each other in the same marina. Three boats that ended up in the middle of the Atlantic involved in a rescue mission. Everything happens in threes. This just reveals that indeed, we are not the one at the helm,. read more...

Brainstorm - Seamen hospitality at the courtesy of Godet

The first days on board the Rhapsodie have been tremendously fun and warm. The elaborate morning check-ins by both misses and mister Godet (how was your night, how do you feel, are you still ok about what happened, how do you think Menno is really doing?) have changed more to the regular festive: Bonjournee, how did you sleep, thee or caffee?! JJ keeps referring to us as his sons when younger, taking his boat, but stopped reminiscing how dreadful this must have been for Hans, ashore, when getting the nightmare call. Instead we notice that the Godet’s and Philippe held themselves -and the Rhapsodie- back the first days. Yes we had some calms and squalls but the gears weren’t rocket out with the potential cock out. The same goes for the hidden treasures aboard, from story’s in mind as well. read more...