Cleone - ARC SITREP 23

WE ARRIVED IN RODNEY BAY ST LUCIA AT 0000 UTC, all welland love and best wishes to you all!   Rum punches were well received.  James, Francesca, Louisa,Kaya. read more...

Cleone - ARC 2024 SITREP 22

 At 1623HRS UTCcame the longed-for hail of Land Ho! As he heard the answering cry from thehelmsman on deck, there was a break in the voice of the Lookout, perchedprecariously in the Crow's Nest near the top of Cleone's graceful (he meanschunky - Ed) main mast. Soon the rest of the crew were thundering up thecompanionway to check that this much longed-for event really had finallyoccurred. It was 3 weeks and nearly two days since the last sight of GranCanaria, and some of the crew had given up hope (really? -Ed) of ever seeingland again. Now surliness has turned to smiles, jokes are being cracked andeveryone is trying to decide what they are going to have tattooed where (really? Ed).Actually theonly sign that any unusual event is about to take place is that the Skipper hasshaved for. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE ARC 2024 SITREP 21

 Today was a dayof proper Trade Wind sailing. I almost wroteperfect. The perfect day would have been with steady wind, full sails and 6knots on the clock leaving us 144 miles closer to St Lucia. As it was, we had aday's run of 122 miles, which left us 119 miles closer to St Lucia with 190 orso miles to go. The Skipper has sent a guarded Estimate Time of Arrival to RallyControl, and has been walking around with his fingers crossed ever since. Youwill have to wait in a state of tension and expectancy until the reveal, thetime of which is also a closely guarded secret. The Crew have also sealed theirguesses selecting the time that we cross the finish line, and they too will berevealed in due course. I suspect that they will all be provedwrong!The rest of theday had its usual challenges. read more...

Cleone - ARC 2024 SITREP 20

It has beenanother routine day at sea on our epic voyage, with a modest day's run of 118miles. However, for the first time there are no missing miles, and we are now118 miles closer to St Lucia with only 310 miles to go. Modest trade-winds withthe occasion squall have kept the crew busy, and a claim for a sail-changerecord has been lodged. In other news, the fridge is back online and the Skipperhas owned up to a 'procedural error'.The Port Watch'sclaim for a record six sail changes in one four-hour watch has been sent to theAuthorities for ratification, and has not yet been officially recognized.However, a check by the Scrutineers has revealed that as of 0500UTC on13th December the crew of Cleone had notched up over 90 sail changessince leaving Las Palmas, and the forecast squalls. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE ARC 2024 SITREP 19

I may haveconfused the SITREPs (SITREP 17 accompanies this one) but this has been nothinglike as confusing as the weather!During the last24 hours, we have been through the longest and hardest deluge of persistent rainthat any of us have ever experienced, accompanied by the longest and most vividlightning show that any of us have ever experienced. During these storms, thewinds have randomly switched direction, boxing the compass as they did so, andvaried in strength from less than five to gusts of more than 40 knots. Atvarious points thunder has accompanied the almost continuous lightning.Throughout it all, the crew have remained calm, cheerful and enthusiastic, andCleone has dealt with it imperturbably. The storm, (or was it a continuous seriesof squalls?) started at about noon. read more...