We've culled some of the best quotes from ARC boat blogs from week one. Here is a selection of our favourites....
Berenice
Nov 30: Our 24 hour log shows almost 320 miles. Top speed 23.3 knots.
Dec 02: Seven miles. That's how many miles we've sailed today.
Berenice
Right there, on our bow, the light from the brightest moon you can imagine, being refracted by the little drops of rain of the passing clouds forming this huge arch of light, water and beauty. A night rainbow!
Milanto
So why do this? To sit in, or on, a 46ft by 10ft tube, with 7 strangers, being tossed around, without sleep, getting wet, and cold; what's not to like? That's it though: What isn't there to like? How wonderful to be able to do this. The open sea; the last great wilderness. No roads, no street signs, the open sky, the stars, the magnificent horizons, and to share it with a group of likeminded people; on a very small scale to learn and to experience what it must have been like to travel in centuries gone by. And we have all that still to come...
Champagne
We bought a book in order to distinguish between a shark, a whale, and any other fish or mammal that might get caught in our long line. Then we looked into the Collision Regulations and fitted the two cones with the top ends facing each other (like an eggtimer), and off went the line with the 'poor fishy' attached to it. And it was gone in a second! Not by virtue of having attracted a shark or else, but it was gone due to the fact that we did not attach it properly.
Northern Child
There was a point where the stars in the sky were more visible than the stars on my iPad StarWalk app.
Sumatra - (Maddy)
People say sailing is 95% boredom and 5% sheer terror... I would say, for this trip, it's more like 85% relaxation and 15% discomfort.
Sumatra (Maddy)
One crew member was enjoying his sleep so much last night that we had to wake him with the airhorn...twice.
El Mundo
If what we and other ARC crews have been experiencing was a ride at a theme park, it would be closed down by the health and safety police!
Bristolian
News from the galley - this tack is very good for cooking, less for washing up.
Selene
Bob has just shouted down that he has seen another ship - it is a large wooden construction with two giraffes, elephants and a lot of other animals on it. (with reference to th evolume of rain in week one! Ed.)
Johanem
Jim says we are sailing at about the same speed he ran the London Marathon in 2008
Johanem
Today we used an expensive Australian 3 times world champion shrimp lure that was guaranteed to bring success. The fish were indeed attracted by the lures, carefully eating the whole plastic fish and leaving the hooks intact on the end of the line.
Little Pea
The crew we rudely awoken on the morning of 1st December by Mike cranking up the stereo to the sound of 'Christmas Carols with Kings College' rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful. This would normally be accepted as a pleasant wake-up, however in the 3rd verse Mike regressed to his Choir boy days and attempted to sing the descount line. Ben quickly put on his headphones to listen to Aerosmith and Minkey grunted something that resembled 'barr-humbug'.
Poespas (Andy)
If I was in charge of morale I'd make a point of saying we were now on the home straight, just omit the fact that its 2010 miles long.
Poespas (Andy)
An exploratory deployment and voila, immediately hooked into another monster of the deep. The humanists amongst the crew quickly offered a bottle of single malt apparently to dull the effects of the coup de grace. Thankfully I can report that after drinking it I suffered no trauma and wielded the winch handle to deadly effect.
Senta
We did not know 20 ton boat can surf like a dinghy.
Ostrea
The night has a lot of "turbulence". It is amazing to observe my grandchildren coping with the hammering ship and even doing their schoolwork under these conditions.
Ace – (William)
I am at the wheel, flying in the night, with Ace surfing and ploughing her way forward at unbelievable speed. I have a huge, unseen grin on my face. This, I think to myself, is sailing.
Mary Jo – (Nick)
I am still haunted by the power, the speed and the sheer presence of the fin whale that joined us the other day. I love the way that she was keeping station next to our water-towed generator impeller, as if studying it. I feel certain that she was trying to work out what that thing is that makes all this vibration and sound in the water. After a few minutes she surged forward to come alongside before rolling on her side to show her white belly and then peeling off to starboard and beyond. I heard her breathe...
Mary Jo – (Nick)
The Ocean is huge, limitless; all moving, deep blue – shot through with sun-lightened sapphire and then going steel grey with the sun in the clouds - with white icing on the ever changing wave tops, dancing, marching, clashing together – alive, dynamic and very, very beautiful.
Skyelark (Dave)
Every so often a wave breaks just off our beam and once managed to create a waterfall cascade down the companionway stairs. This has created a no hatch open policy, which suits our Scandinavian crew: 30 mins in the sauna below, followed by a cold (ish) dousing on deck.
Skyelark (Dave)
Skipper Dan is having fun trying to unblock the girls toilet. He claims its going well but was last seen delving in the fridge for a cold beer…
Indulgence – Dec 3
We have now lost a winch handle, a fishing lure we had christened "The Big Fella" and a pair of Aidan's shorts. If we don't hurry up, by the time we get to the Caribbean, we will be using banana skins to cover our modesty.
Puddle Jumper – 3rd Dec
Last night a flying fish skimmed my shoulder and landed on Dickies feet, he had just had a bad dream involving a rat crawling on his face. He immediately took off across the cockpit.. but you dont get far when you have a safety harness on… pandemonium!