Chanto - Week 3: Weed, Whales and Flapjacks

Once Chanto had reduced the total miles to St.Lucia to below 1000 miles the crew onboard began to take 'Bob's 12 o'clock stats' a little more seriously, as the competitive juices started to flow. The spreadsheets that had kept us happy for 2 weeks were no longer enough. We were demanding graphs, histograms and much more detailed statistical analysis to make our final push to St.Lucia as competitive as possible. With the front 3 positions in our class a distant dream our best hope was to hold on to 4th place and try to work our way up through the overall field.With our earlier tactical nudge further south on day 8 we were now benefiting from stronger winds. A great 2-3 day run saw us average over 7 knots. The only obstacle stopping our progress was weed, and a lot of it!! The hydrovane,. read more...

Chanto - 2nd Week

Chanto Blog - 2nd WeekThe second week saw a continued move south with the aim of capturing the stronger winds that had been eluding us for a few days. The tactic appears to have paid off as we're now pushing along at 8.5 knots having just completed our most profitable 24 hours of the crossing so far covering close to 190 miles!We've continued predominantly with the twin head sail set up which has meant most nights we've avoided the need to reef down.With impeccable timing the fishing took a decidedly more positive turn. With hours to go until the half way mark to St Lucia was crossed, and following a fruitless 2 days up until that point, the addition of a second lure paid immediate dividends with not one but two Mahi Mahi secured!Once on board they weighed in at a mighty 4.5 and 5 kilos. read more...

Chanto - Blog - Week 1

Chanto Blog - Week 1After a few last minute provision runs and following a great send off from Las Palmas including late night fireworks, brass bands, and hundreds of spectators lining the marina walls we were greeted with overcast conditions and strong winds for the beginning of our Atlantic crossing. With wind speeds consistently pushing 30 knots and waves averaging 4 meters there was little easing into the voyage. Indeed it proved too much for both Andrew and Nicky (Mum), the former (aka the stealth bomber) having to more than once make a sneaky dash to the side of the boat.Although tough on crew the strong conditions were no problem for the boat (Chanto) and we made great progress for the first 4 days averaging over 170 miles a day at an average of 7 knots. The race updates provided. read more...