BlueFlyer - Day 4, sunny

Hi all, Day 4 and we are now about 60 miles off the coast of Colombia. Light winds, 10-12 kts still from the East but due to go ENE and increase to 13-15 kts later.Very warm, no clouds and very sunny. We are too lazy to change the rig to jib & main and go reaching, so only doing 5 kts SOG at the moment. But we keep saying its not a race! All is well on board, although I would have happily thrown the entire Raymarine set up into the sea last night, no VHF, no SeaTalk and no plotters which keep flaring when turned down at night. I suspect a fault in the PCB in the SeaTalk box. I hope that I can get it sorted in Colon or Panama City. Otherwise I might just return the whole lot and fit B&G instead. The new poles for the jibs are working really well. We only pull the control ropes. read more...

Blue Flyer Day 3

RobFirst try at fishing today.  Hope we have some luck.  JR is resident expert and has set a lure for Dorado.  He expects to catch at sunset in the last round-up as the fish are rushing to their equivalent of the pub on their way home to the pub.  I'll have to explain to him that he will only catch old fashioned males or testostrone filled young female business fish with these tactics. We're less than 100 miles from our turning poin where we head more southerly past Colombia.  Due to more severe weather near the coast we've been advised to stay 60 miles off the land by Bruce the wether router.  Hugh picked up on him from two Aussie boats Storyteller and Southern Princess both Beneteau 57's. We're well up with the fleet but we loose a bit by keepiong north but we don't want to go any. read more...

BlueFlyer - Day 2-sailing

The first days sailing from noon to noon yielded 185 miles as the crow flies! Furthest single day trip on this boat!! Dinner is once again being prepared by Val- a delicious spaghetti bolognese and salad, really going to go down well. Lots of birds around today, Frigates we think. One bird we passed was sitting on his own aircraft carrier in the shape of a wooden box lid, very creative. There was a big flock at one stage, hunting dinner presumably. Conditions are very nice but rolly. Sea is about 2 to 3 metre swells. Rob -Ran with a single pole until about miday today.  Since then running with both poles.  The rig looks more solid.  Val is searching for her sea legs- doesn't know where she can have put them.  I have to say for someone who claims not to have them she is pretty good about. read more...

BlueFlyer - Day 1-the GPS

BlueFlyer is finally on the high seas again, it seemed a long time over Christmas getting repairs and then waiting for the start yesterday. About 90 minutes before we left the GPS on the Raymarine failed. I managed to get the local agent to come to the boat and check it out. Problem appears to be a bad/intermittent contact on a fuse holder in the brain box, which is hidden behind a cupboard in one of the cabins. There are now 5 spare fuses on board, just in case. The boat is going well, one jib is poled out and the other free flying, and no main up at all. We are surfing at up to 12 kts and averaging about 8 kts. Conditions are good with a full moon and a regular swell. After the ARC crossing we are all  wondering about the first squall and when is it going to appear. We are now approx.. read more...