Daily Logs

Northern Child - Daily Log # 5 - 25th November

Daily Run towards St Lucia - 179nmDaily Logged Miles - 189nmDistance to Go - 1914 Lunch - Mixed SaladDinner - Lamb Chops with Mash Potato, and Roasted VegetablesDessert - Fruit SaladWind - 13 to 17knots from the East to ESEA wonderful 24 hours of sailing. A wind shift over the beam required a change to the sail plan. Throughout the night we were able to sail comfortably on a broad reach, making it easier to steer than running dead downwind. We hit a key milestone today. There are now less than 2,000 miles to go to St. Lucia. We have covered a quarter of the journey.By first light the wind shifted directly behind us again. Within the first hour of the watch change at 6am and sunrise, the crew hoisted the spinnaker. Neil managed to record it on his spycam although the best hoist was. read more...

Adelante - ARC Adelante 1-3. Tag

Liebe FreundeDie vergangenen Tagen hat es gebraucht, dass wir alle an Bord "Seebeine" bekommen haben. Mich erwischte wie erwartet eine hübsche Portion, die ich nach 3 Tagen mit Hilfe vieler kleinen Pillen und eines grösseren Auswurfs loswurde. Ich war schreibunfähig !Am Sonntag herrschte Hochbetrieb im Hafen, als die 230 teilnehmenden Schiffe zum Start hinausfuhren, in einem Gewumsel mit vielen Zuschauerbooten. Die Startlinie ganz normal, 2 Begrenzungsbojen mit Komittee in der Mitte, Start gegen Süden, d.h. Vorwind. 3 Gruppen getrennt, die Cruising Class mit uns als grösste und langsame Gruppe zuletzt. Die Situation mit soviel verschiedenen Töpfen hätte Anlass sein können für Geschrei und Berührungen, doch jedermann verhielt sich. read more...

Cheeki Rafiki - Day 5

Some of the crew have been writing blogs/logs, so this is an extra update.  Faced last night with 2 conflicting forecasts, I was reminded of the phrase "A man with a watch knows the time but a man with two watches is confused." I planned our sail plan and spinnaker use around the more optimistic of the two with the other crew watch (the villains) briefed on what to do if we were hit by squalls with a lot of canvas up in the night. With the benefit of wonderful hindsight this was the right thing to do and there was nothing to worry about.   We have been chasing another yacht all night,we first caught a glimpse of them on the horizon just before dusk and now it's nearly dawn they are closer but still in front. We have no idea who they are yet but they do not have. read more...

EH01 - LOG DAY 6 - Update

OK Phil I get the idea. For those who are not sailors here is an update:1. Kite - aka spinnaker or large lightweight (easily ripped) usually brightly coloured downwind sail flown out the front of the yacht and only tenousley attached to the yacht. 2. Blow out of the above - wholesale and expensive destruction of the kite via the elements and aided by the actions (or inactions) of the crew (not what Alastair has for breakfast or what Dave dreams about in his pit) 3. Pit - nautical term for bunk or bed 4. Aka - also known as.... 5. Squall - sudden and destructive relatively short term period of high winds usually associated with rain cloud or clouds. Generally partnered with crew actions (or inactions) to assist in No. 2 above. Also noise skipper makes when Nos.1 and 2 above combine. 6.. read more...

Raparee .......later that same day

PM 24th Well weren't we smug today. After our Orca sighting and crossing into the tropics, things went swimmingly well. Proper Spanish lunch from our honorary spaniard, Nick. Attempted fishing for Dorado (loss of trace and squid lure thingy). Successful hoist of big asymmetric cruising chute, flown as a spinnaker. Flew straight and level until sunset and opened out the miles. Then came our problems. Never leave things too late. It gets dark very quickly very early in this here parish, and we weren't ready. When it came to lowering, boy did things go wrong. We got most of the sail down but the halyard and snuffing system took great delight in tying knots at the top of the mast so that a mess of lines and haliards now decorate the forestay trapping the genoa and leaving us a tangle of. read more...

Aztec Dream - 25/11 - Celebrating Thanksgiving

Progress on the water was a little slower yesterday, with wind speeds at the bottom end of forecast estimates, so life onboard was slow and relaxed, enjoying the pleasant temperature and sunshine. Although we have no-one from the US onboard, I spent a lot of time working with Americans and we have friends there, so we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving. We couldn't quite run to a turkey, but hotdogs and hamburgers did the job very well....and we took a Thanksgiving team photograph too. We saw no other vessels all day, by sight or AIS but we have a 180ft motor yacht close by this morning. The wind has also picked up a bit, with a more favourable angle, so we're sailing nicely and will hopefully make better miles today.. read more...

Cheeki Rafiki - ARC Day 5 Blog

Day 5 of the Atlantic crossing and it's Ksenia writing this blog post.   Today has been another sunny day with lots of ocean all around. It's funny how even seemingly insignificant things become of so much interest: a tiny squid that Doug found on board the other day (however has it got there), flying fish that Ivan has seen today (he says they remind of dragon flies with transparent wings), rare birds flying past. The time also seems of a different nature than that of a "normal land life". The days are long and the nights even longer, although obviously the time off watch flies quicker than that on watch, especially at night (when all you want is just some extra sleep).   We have enourmous amount of green bananas that look terrific, but are absolutely unedible. So we brought. read more...

Watergaw - DAY 5 - Thursday 24/11/11 - Thar She Blows! (at last)

We woke up to very light winds, pretty well dead in the water and sails flogging uselessly. We has had a false Man Overboard alarm in the middle of the night when one of the personal pendants triggered the system. Panic ensued, and the alarm noise is so awful that brains get fried, buttons pressed and bedlam ensues. After a few moments, nobody knows which device caused the problem, and once batteries are pulled out of the little devils, you cannot sort the mess out at all. To get people back to bed, and to stop the infernal noise, the navigation equipment was switched off till morning, so we have about a 25 nm “gap” in our track.In the absence of enough wind to drive the boat, and whilst the MOB alarm problem was unpicked (a pendant in a locker, not one that was being worn!). read more...

Watergaw - DAY 3 TUES 22/11/11 - Still Going....

Sorry if we have been delinquent for a couple of days, but we failed to translate intention into action, so neglected the electronic log (though not the real one). This is therefore a catch up day and we will try and do better...It’s always a bit of an uphill struggle getting used to 24/7 activity, watch systems and getting up in the middle of the night (except for that which afflicts us all as we age!). There was a bit of queasiness for some of us, not much sleep, and accommodation to the perpetual motion. Having done the 5 day trip from Portugal together, there were no surprises but weary acceptance that this is how it going to be for what now looks like far too long.There are, however, extraordinary highlights. Sadly, we do not have David Attenborough on board (except on video),. read more...

Watergaw - DAY 4 -Wednesday 23/11/11- 2 Step Forward/ 1 Step Back

This was the day when we all said we had begun to feel comfortable, settledin, more rested (but “not sleep as we know it, Spock”). Things were looking up,apart from the wind.... Our weather man pointed out that we were still in thewind shadow of Tenerife, which extends a very long way south of the island, butthat is not much comfort when we are rolling around with sails slatting andmaking 2-3 knots over the ground. We have been a bit disadvantaged by settingoff a day later than the fleet, since they have had somewhat better weather thatwe missed (apart from the rollicking 2 hours on Sunday that we regretted when wehad to turn back). The weather systems are not helping us now, and we are havingto work our way south and west slowly.The twin genoa rig was still working brilliantly, though. read more...

Angerona - From hydrophobia to enjoying the sailing and life on board!

Hello from Angerona! After a very busy time in Las Palmas, we are one the way to St. Lucia, Caribbean! The main sail with a new reef, and the spreader pool for the genoa, were ready just two hours before the start! To join the ARC has so far, been great! The "ARC people" have all been very helpful and nice! The ARC is a big arrangement, and many nice happenings have taken place. All from many parties, to interesting lectures and a lot of happenings and fun for the children. During the many and different happenings, we have met and become acquainted to many of the other sailors. Until now, we have had a great time on board. The night between sunday and monday was quite "restless" with waves from different directions. We have sailed with reefed sails during the nights and with spread sails. read more...

Mojomo - Day 2 arc 2011

24:23.6N 19:23.55W COG 230ish SOG 7ish at 0500GMTThe Almighty Weatherlord (aka BxWx aka Zefender on ybw) has given us strict instructions to arrive below the 20N latitude by Sunday night, so after the debacle the last time when we didn’t do exactly what he said, we’re rushing that way asap- mostly south with as much west as will still allow us to be at or below 20N by end of Sunday.Speeds are still quite good – the pink spinnaker belts us along and/or the gennaker (no main) when winds are higher. We’ll wait for squally stuff to use the Parasailor weaponry/sail. Actually we got the gennaker jammed on the k-lock thing so that’s gotta be released sometime, another excursion up the mast.I expect some readers are looking at the fleet viewer, much better software. read more...

Meltemi - 5.Tag

Mit dem fuenften Tag auf See liegen weitere 161 Meilen (Etmal) hinter uns. Die Ablaeufe spielen sich ein - der Koerper gewoehnt sich an den Wachrhythmus, die Reflexe an schwankende Gueter, die Geschmaecker an Gin mit Gurke (arbeitsbedingt leider zu selten) und auch den Spi kriegen wir inzwischen deutlich schneller hoch.Wir sind unserer Strategie der Grosskreisroute im Wesentlichen treu geblieben und machten unter Spi mit bis zu 8,9 kn Strecke direkt gen St. Lucia. Leider blieb der Wind getreu dem Motto "was interessiert mich der Wetterbericht von gestern?" hinter seinen Versprechungen/unseren Erwartungen zurueck und drehte mit weniger "Bumms" weiter auf Ost, so dass wir am Nachmittag das bunte Tuch wegpackten, die Genua setzten und einen suedlicheren Kurs einschlugen. Damit gewinnen wir. read more...

Outremer - dzien 5

Kolejny dzien za nami.Dzien bardzo ciezki od stresujacej flauty, deszczu po silne podmuchy wiatru.Jeden z tych podmuchów w dniu wczorajszym wieczorem zerwal nam fal solenta.Caly zagiel wyladowal na pokladzie.Ze wzgledu na silnie wzburzony ocean jak i pore dnia naprawe zagla przelozylismy na piatek rano.Cala noc plyniemy ostro na wiatr uzywajac zamiast solenta genakera.Musimy plynac bardzo czujnie bo w takich warunkach i przy takim kursie napiecie zagla jest 25% wieksze niz zalecane.Ostatni raport (w zalaczeniu ponizej) od biura regat potwierdza dalej nasza druga pozycje w klasyfikacji generalnej. Wszystkich serdecznie pozdrawiamy Last reported position for all vessels as at: 25 Nov 2011 04:05Rankings are calculated from the ETA in the destination port on this leg, based on the VMG. read more...

Vaquita - Nov 24 - Windless abbyss and out of jail

November 24, 2011Deja Vu in the land of the dark clouds.I have been here before, in the land where the wind dies and the rain comes and the wind comes back from nowhere and the rain stops. Sometimes rain and wind stay and sometimes no wind and no rain. The clouds look ominous, they send a black stripe on the water, all hands on deck and nothing happens, while another time you dont expect anything and within seconds its full on. Only the place is not right or the GPS wrong, doldrums weather at 21N.Today we worry about tomorrows sched. To our right a windless hole and o our left the fleet where wind should be. Still another 2000 miles to go, lot of wind games to play.Good news: all systems up and running again, found a little bug in the all the wires and eletctrons. A CPU reset helped,. read more...

Nix - Day Four (23rd) - Mr. Fix It

The days are now starting to blend into each other as we get into the on-board routine. Today was shift-change day. We started off with Nico and David, James and George, and Vicky and Chris. Now it's Chris and David, James and Vicky, and George and Nico.   We continued to fly the two headsails and main, making the same steady progress as yesterday at 9-11 knots for most of the day. Still no other boats visible and just two dolphins for company. Overnight we needed to point higher and so took down the second jib and sailed with the main and genoa. It was a relatively peaceful night and a chance for a better sleep for all. The only activity was some relatively easy squall avoidance.   On other news...the Gods are with us, or rather Nico Mr. Fix It is. The. read more...

Voahangy - Day 5 - En Francais s'il vous plait

Bonjour a tous,Comme nous sommes une famille franco-australienne, n'oublions pas nos lecteurs francais avec qui nous nous faisons une joie de partager notre periple.Les fiestas de l'ARC sont derriere nous, et depuis dimanche, nous suivons une routine beaucoup plus calme en mer. Apres un depart plein d'emotion, et les 2 premiers jours a naviguer en compagnie, nous nous retrouvons tous seuls en plein ocean. La traversee se passe bien, on a de la chance, jusque la la meteo nous a ete favorable, vent arriere de 15-20 noeuds qui nous a permis de faire cap a l'ouest directement. Ce n'est qu'aujourd'hui que nous avons vire un peu plus vers le Sud pour suivre le vent. Certains bateaux sont bien plus au nord, d'autres plus au sud (presque au Cap Vert!), tous a la recherche d'une bonne brise. On. read more...

Challenger 4 - Day 6 Blog - 25 November 2011

Day 6 Blog - 25 November 2011Having started their session well with French toast for breakfast, the mother watch (well Sam's fault really) take on the over ambitious task of creating home made pizzas for lunch. Daniel shows his prowess with the dough stretching and decides to ask Steph for a job. Despite Daniel's best efforts, the dough does not stretch far enough. Top tip to the rest of the boat, don't try to make pizza for 17 in a galley oven, making bread from Spanish packets you can't translate and think that the oven won't turn itself off !! At least the various toppings applied by Peter and Daniel prove popular. Desperately trying to make up for the starter size non-pizza, Sam resorts to the trusty favourite - custard & the first of Di's beloved ripe bananas! We have a few more. read more...

Malaika - Log Day 4

Thursday 24.11.2011, 22.07 UTC, SV MalalaikaAll day discussing which way to go further.Winds we have are not ideally corresponding with meteo we got.Friends at home calling us to tell what is going there, we got grib files to discuss, routine on board. All sails up. Nice speed. Soon airing time with friends at the Fleet. Dinner nice soup with fesh vegs. Desserts:)Pawel. read more...

Casamara - Day 4

Had rain last night for twenty minutes which was nice as it gave deck and sails a wash. Today has been another day of blue sky sailing. Cracking along at 7 plus knots on 245 degrees. We are now fully into seamless watches of three hours although pretty much everyone is awake during the day. We have pumped up the music today and have had the pleasure of Tim's 70's disco hits which requires a lot of on deck gyrating!I love being skipper - I even get breakfast in bed on occasions.The fleet are talking about a whole in the wind over the weekend - so we have had endless discussions on strategy (not really) and just ploughing on to get South.Fishing has so far delivered zero but something is biting all our lures!Over to Julian for the food update: SPMeals are very continental in style now as. read more...

La Palapa - New sail plan 24 Nov

Today was the best day of the passage yet. We pushed the watch schedule back a bit and aimee let me sleep in until 6am so i awoke nice and rested for the morning nets. We even had sun and warm weather later in the day! After the netsi played will the sails a bit while aimee was still sleeping and then when she got up we tried a few more sail configurations.On thing that did not work was pulling the storm jib down and raising it as a makeshift main on the main roller furler. we went through the whole operation only to discover that the luff line track on the main is a bit bigger than on the roller furlers so the sail would pull out of the track. one thing i did not try was raising it on the storm sail track on the main, this would work but i did not think of it until i had it back up on. read more...

Beyzano - Second Log

Having some lovely days at sea, lots of sunshine and blue skies but not that much wind.We have been casually flying the cruising chute and gently sailing along, fishing and enjoying ourselves but not making a lot of progress towards St Lucia! Everyone is settled well into our daily routines now, the watch patterns are working and we are all happy, safe and well.It has been great fun so far, we just should concentrate a bit more on getting going or we will miss Christmas ashore. Hooked a huge fish yesterday but it got away, probably for the best as we could barely reel it in.Dolphins came to play at sunset and we have sighted a couple of other boats but that is all. Hope everyone else in the ARC fleet are doing well and look forward to seeing you all again in Rodney Bay.. read more...

Ensemble - Chorizo Quiche

CHORIZO QUICHEMy husband David just loves spicy food. I made this quiche for lunch on day 2 of our crossing the Atlantic. I just got my sea legs back, so galley time!What do you need? • 1 round sheet puff pastry • 6 thin slices of chorizo • 5 small green peppers • 1 red capsicum • 5 eggs • 100 ml light cream • 1 cup freshly grated cheddar • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (or almonds) • 1 tsp grated nutmeg • ½ tsp salt • ½ tsp pepperHow? Preheat the oven on 220°C. Roll out the puff pastry and leave the baking paper on. Cover a round quiche tray with the dough, paper side down. Press well against the bottom and sides of the tray. Remove the seeds of the peppers and capsicum, chop them finely. Scatter them on the base of the. read more...

Ensemble - Log Day 4 - More Dolphins...

A nice cruisy day. Winds and sea swell were down - but good progress.We'd decided that there was enough room in the fridge to start fishing.Method 1: - some 3mm chord and 150lb line on a swivel and a bungy chord vs Method 2: - the more traditional rod and reel.No sooner had we dropped the lines in when we had some action. Dolphinaction. Three separate pods of dolphins entertained us with spins and jumps (always too quick for the camera) - over some three hours. Needless to say - the fish weren't that interested in a boat surrounded by dolphins... maybe tomorrow...Dave Signing off until tomorrow  . read more...

Nix - Day Five (24th) - Flying Fish

The 5am-8am shift brought much hilarity. James felp a slap on his cheek by something wet and slimy. Initial thoughts were "why has Vicky slung something at me?" only to realize that there was something still wet and slimy inside the front of his jacket flapping around. Yes, it was a flying fish. Of all the space in the Atlantic to fly into, this one chose James's face as a landing spot!   After an otherwise quiet night, the first day-time watch was a hive of activity. It was time for the spinnaker to go up. However, there were some communication difficulties. A No No No from the skipper at the foresail was heard in the cockpit as a Go Go Go, at which point the downhaul disappeared under the deck. The two sheepish culprits then had to endure a somehat uncomfortable breakfast. read more...

Sookie - Day 5

Last night was virtually windless for us and today is no better.  after rattling about for hours hoping each puff was the breeze we needed, my keen sailors capitulated and allowed the motor to be used.  Just as well because we found out we have a fuel/fuel filter problem.  The fuel filters were changed and kept for emergency and we have one other set available.  One can never find women's tights when one needs them but I think one of the crew might have some stashed away.  Keith   By lunch time with the engine running we had little to do so hairdressing for the captain became an issue so within five minutes the kitchen scissors were found and a cutting frenzy began he finished with a top quality job provided. read more...

Scarlet Oyster - Two trailer park girls (go round the outside) 24/11/11

Hi All,Been a tricky day picking our line around the light wind zone to our west. It is a bit of a balancing act between VMG to the mark and staying in good pressure, it seems our gybe a couple of nights ago was well timed, and we have been sailing a fast angle since then so far avoiding the hole.After a few kite collapses last night due to no stars and rolling seas we noticed a tiny hole near the head of the A-sail at first light, 'a stitch in time' sprang to mind, so a peel was made to our trusty veteran secret weapon code 'Obelix'.After a quick repair and yet another rewool, not to mention replacing all the rope shackles (to prevent the tylaskas grinding their way through the corner rings) we rehoisted.After downloading several grib files of differing resolutions and models, we picked. read more...

Skiathos - 24/11/2011

Liebe Leser,   die vierte Nacht ist vorüber und immer wieder sind wir begeistert vom unglaublich klaren Sternenhimmel und der unendlichen Weite des Ozeans. In der Bugwelle und im Kielwasser leuchten Planktonteilchen, immer wieder ziehen Sternschnuppen ihre Bahn, teils mit deutlichem Kometenschweif. Und wir mitten drin! Tagsüber machen wir eigentlich nicht viel: Navigation, Backschaft, Essen, Schlaf vor- bzw. nachholen, die Sonne genießen oder einfach mal aufs Meer schauen kann unheimlich zeitraubend sein und wir alle sind jeden Tag aufs neue erstaunt, wie kurz ein Tag auf See sein kann. Nur mit Mühe kann Skipper Jochen seine ausgefeilten Seminarbeiträge zu Segelführung, Umgang mit dem Sextanten oder Qualitätsanalyse spanischen. read more...

Brizo - Crew Blog Nov 24th

The last couple of days we have been cruising along nicely, 190 & 180 milers. The seas were a bit sloppy for a while which made moving around the boat tricky but nothing scary. We’ve seen a few dark clouds come over and the odd bit of rain but we didn’t really get more wind, so nothing too exciting.We spend our days checking the boat and fixing stuff that’s worn like the gen sheet which had almost worn through, already! Even though this isn’t really a race we are addicted to any information about fleet positions and trying to work out where we are. We take part in the daily radio net which includes position reports and weather conditions around the fleet. Stu is also getting loads of info across Sat coms from Lloyd at home, who appears to have officially taken. read more...

Aniara II - Nov. 24

24  November (18.00 local time) After enjoying a gastronomic breakfast we have planned and performed a repair project for our broken genacker-fall. One of us had to go up in the mast-top three times, with all the others as a great rescue team. We believe we now have fixed the problem, at least in a provisory way. Our solution will be tested tomorrow and you will be able to see the result on the leader board. We keep to our original plan to be somewhat closer to Cap Verde before we head towards St. Lucia. All of you should and will be very proud of us if and when we cross the finishing line.. read more...

VIA CON ME - Live on board has etablished

From other ARC's I know, that the crew need around 3 days, to established them self on board. First days are always difficult and some times they are ashamed for taking the daily bath on deck. But as you see, it works wonderful. We heading forward in direction to Cabo Verde, but we will leave them on port!. read more...

Spindrift of Jersey - ARC Log - Day 5

Day 5 was a quiet day. At midday we changed the rig - removing the pole from the genoa and came onto a reach in order to maintain our south westerly course, as the wind has gradually moved round to the East. The wind has eased to 10 knots so our progress has slowed to 5-6 knots but we are making good progress overall and a reduction in the swell combined with a change in our point of sailing means that there is less rolling of the boat and it is more comfortable down below. The forecast is for strengthening winds overnight so we may pick up speed later. Overall we are on course and and on schedule, eating well and in good health and spirits.The fishing was unsuccessful today, except for initial excitement when we caught something - that turned out to be a plastic sack! No fish for dinner. read more...

Kantara - Fresh Bread Today

Joe did us proud today with some stunning fresh bread and we have just had canapés created by Mike with black pasta with octopus to follow at sunset.   Last night was one of our less productive evenings with light winds mainly in the wrong direction and a very lumpy sea making it difficult to sail deep. We have had a glorious spinnaker run today holding 9 to 10 knots for around 5 hours, nearly all in the right direction. The crew are also developing into excellent downwind helmsmen with delicate kite control.   We were also accompanied by a very large pod of dolphins this morning for several hours who put on a very good show.   We have had two boats in view most of the day and it is pleasing to see them gradually drop back over the horizon. Hopefully wind will hold. read more...

White Knight of NY - Log day 24/11/2011 - Honour to Dorado

Picked up this little 11 kilo dorado along the way. it took Cicco, Marco e Mat a little while to reel it in, but as you can see it was well worth it :-)DSC_0202. read more...

Island Wanderer - Island Wanderer - Blog - Day 5; 22:02N, 24:55W

We are still making good progress. The shift system is working well, and weare getting used to sleeping in 3 hour stints.   After being “goosewinged” for 3 nights and 2 days, with the genoa poled outon the opposite side to the mainsail, when the wind eased we decided it was timefor some deck activity, and hoisted the gennaker (our large coloured sail). Wewere soon sailing along at about 9 knots but the wind increased again, and ithad to come in.   The communications are working well – emails and blogs by fleet broadbandsatellite connection, and chatting with other boats on the long range SSBradio.   We are now into the tropics, and temperatures have begun to increase,though it is still a little chilly in the early hours of the morning.   Mandy has encouraged us to. read more...

BRIZO - Log day 5: Happy Thanksgiving

We've started our westward run now that we think we're gone south enough. Every knot of boat speed is now a knot of VMG!We continue to futz around with various systems. Today was watermaker day since we all dream of a hot shower. We've got the system running and making water, but the high pressure pump makes some funny noises so we're not using it at this point. There are a couple of things to try still and the thought of water rationing and sponge baths will keep us motivated to find a solution. The electrical panel is stable and the house batteries are charging nicely. At least a few items are coming off the worklist.Daytime is still work time. No chance to read or fish, so the wassabe and soy sauce wait patiently in the galley.Thanksgiving dinner will be T-bone steak (the turkey. read more...

Cruinneag III - Day 5 in the Cruinneag Brother Household...and the housemates are getting to grips with life at sea...

21:59:86N 23:21:78W Thursday 24th November 2011It's a beautiful warm sunny day. The wind is light (by Cruinneag Standards) 10-14 knots from the East and we're headed South West under full sail. We've just had a very healthy lunch of carrot sticks and salad wraps to compensate for this mornings full Scottish brekkie (and to use the veg that was about to turn after I ordered a full veggie audit this morning after catching a whiff of something funny overnight...of course that could have been Steve's feet as he was asleep in the saloon at the time).Trevor is getting to grips with trimming the mainsail and controlling the flappy boom in the light winds...Steve is in full british seaside attire going for the 'best suntan' award and challenging for the orange peel skimming championship with a 3. read more...

Halcyon of Hebe - Blog from Sarah

Pos: 23:05.1N 23:45.6WA female view of life aboard. There is nothing more magical than sitting on watch at night surrounded by the stars and planets with phosphorescence sparkling in the boat's wake and the occasional pod of dolphins for company. Sleeping on board at night, however, is like trying to get some rest in one of those flight simulator pods you see at fairgrounds. The whole boat rocks and rolls making it impossible to sleep on one's side as you just roll over. Being deaf in one ear is definitely a blessing as the boat creaks and clangs and one of the crew is a heavy night breather ...I am grateful for my lovely forward cabin. I think as the trip progresses I might need to defend my possession of it from jealous crewmates. Rob is definitely a bit of a Russell Crowe leaping up. read more...

Flying Fish - Nachts auf dem Atlantik

Die Dämmerung beginnt ca 18.00 UTC, eine halbe Stunde später ist es dunkel. Die Vorbereitungen für die Nacht, insbes die Segelführung und das Aufklaren des Boots werden vorher abgeschlossen. Die Wachen stehen fest und wechseln im 3 Stundentakt. Eigene Dreifarbenlaterne auf der Mastspitze, Echomax (Verstärker d eigenen Radarreflektor) sollen uns für andere besser sichtbar und eigener Radar, Radarwarner und AIS sollen uns frühzeitig auf andere Schiffe in der Nähe aufmerksam machen; trotz dieser Hilfsmittel und  klarer Sicht, wie wir sie die letzten Tage hatten, ist das wachsame Ausgucken unerläßlich. Die kräftigen Winde der letzten Tage und die sie begleitenden hohen Wellen erschweren das Bewegen auf dem. read more...

Brizo - WCC Log Day 5 – Wednesday 24th Nov: Life Onboard (Pat)

Day 5 and am now settling down well enough to sit at thePC and let you know more about whats happening here onboard Brizo.  Day 1, last Sunday, was so full of excitement. Seems thewhole island had come out to wave us off – the marina was lined with everyonewaving, bands playing and opera singing. As we motored out some crews were infancy dress and one crew who seemed to have an entire band onboard were playingSailing as we passed out in a line through the entrance. Once outside thebreakwater was amazing – almost 250 sailing boats mingling about, hoisting sailsready for the start. First off was the racing division, then the multihulls,then us in the remaining cruising division. Boats were all over us like a rashas we crossed the line – having got a good position thanks to Craig. read more...

Sibilation - Day 4

So here we are.  Barrelling along at 7 knots under burning sunshine.  Life aboard Sibilation is on its way to becoming second nature.   After increasingly frequent polite suggestions of a cockpit shower, by Wed pm it became an order.  Incredibly refreshing.  A bucket of seawater and then 300ml of fresh to rinse off...   By early Thursday morning the wind had dropped off to about 8-12 knots.  Boat speed was down to 4 knots and after itching to get the spinnaker up again at first light before breakfast (we knew the Norwegians on ‘Tur-bo’ were close ;)),  I had barely had time to douse the weetabix in milk before we had the kite well and truly wrapped around the forestay...  Still, after a lot of faffing, it was flying again,. read more...

Clearlake II - Day 5 - Chafe prevention at work!

Current position "21:41.8N 24:32.0W". Making steady progress with quite a variety of conditions, from spinnaker up last night to goose-winging (one sail either side of the mast) all at around 7-9 knots, but then also losing wind. Today Graham managed to sneak in a sun sight at 10:30 hrs, but since it has been all clouds. Overall we are taking a more southern route than some of the leading boats, but it’s clear we’re doing well on boat speed. Others to look for in leading positions in Cruising Class B are Chosen One, the leader in a Dufour 45 (a more racer version of our boat), and Carrot, identical to this boat. Both are slightly ahead – in both cases because they’re taking a shorter route, but in Chosen One’s case probably also because they can generate. read more...

Porto Santo - 24/11

A bordo vai tudo bem, já estamos de t-shirt e calções, embora alguns chuviscos curtos.   O vento é que se foi... tenho menos de 10n, e depois de 2h a menos de 3n, liguei o motor e vamos  para o Mindelo. A previsão para as próximas 96h até aos 45W é de vento inferior a 10n, e assim o barco não anda! Se entretanto, a previsão melhorar volto ao rumo mais para W para St Lucia.. read more...

Cochise - day 5

Day 5 - into the Tropics We crossed into the tropics last night and can really feel that today with a rise in temperature of about 5 degrees. There are a few flying fish around and less dolphins and we have had to move all the chocolate treats to the freezer. Last night we dithered on whether or not to take down the spinnaker and finally did, unfortunately tearing a 2m hole in it - so some repair work to do! Once down the wind fell away and we slopped along in the swell more slowly than we would have liked.At first light we hoisted a spare spinnaker and are bowling along at 7-8kts in 15-18 kts of breeze -great sailing and in the right direction. We logged 151 miles in the last 24 hours and despite our set back, our rival has not gained much on us, closing just 2 miles to be 9M behind.. read more...

Sapphire II - 23 November

The generator has been a source of bemusement and befuddlement. The batteries are being recharged but the information on display - regarding temperature of the batteries, rate and state of charge - does not always accord with the design principles of the regulator/generator/battery package. While we are getting the hang of it, at times our DC Voltage drops below the level required for the boats WiFi. No big deal, you might think, while we are in mid Atlantic. But the AV system needs the WiFi so no movie tonight. Just as well the crew got their ration of entertainment by enjoying a game of Scrabble in the afternoon. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we will have a celebration meal. Preparations have already begun. More on this anon.Elaina informs her blog followers that her Swedish log may be. read more...

EH01 - LOG DAY 5 - Kite dramas

I wasnt going to write today due to being a bit p**sed off about the destroyed kite but what the hey. We had our first crack at flying the kite overnight last night and it didnt end well. Conditions were difficult for the crew as it was pretty dark with lots of cloud and few stars. Any way we thought we had finally cracked itand everyone seemed to be getting the hang of it when the kite just disintegrated. I guess the continual flogging did the trick and now its in bits. The crew reacted well and we did eventually get it down although we had a stuggle as it was pretty badly messed up with the anti wrap device - work that one out! Moral is back up and so is the masthead kite and we are heading in roughly the right direction although much further south than I wanted to be. Bertie One. read more...

Paraty - Tag 4 / 602sm

Heute griechischer Hirtensalat mit mariniertem Rinderfilet, abends evtl. Tunfischsteak, der Fisch dazu lässt noch auf sich warten und die gefangenen Goldmakrelen sind zu klein. Der Wind bläst mit 15 Knoten, wir haben den Kurs jetzt etwas südlicher angelegt. Die Nachtwachen sind sehr relaxed, der Sternenhimmel ist wunderschön und findet sich im turbulenten, luftverwirbelten Kielwasser der Paraty wieder (das Plankton leuchtet richtig toll) und in einem Monat ist Weihnachten. Mittlerweile wird viel gelesen und Musik gehört, wenn nicht gerade irgendwelche Sachen repariert oder gesucht werden. Es wird deutlich wärmer (Luft und Wasser). Highlight gestern, neben dem Rinderfiletsteak, waren Dutzende Delfine, die uns ein Weilchen begleiteten. Kein Boot weit und. read more...

Kealoha 8 - Donations to the Ocean

On the subject of vegetables coming aboard, our skipper Ben tells us that it is a custom to have a cabbage award on a boat. The winner must have done something pretty foolish and is honoured by having to carry around a cabbage leaf at all all times.   Ever competitive the crew have done their utmost to win this award. So far we have; “Crew A” – whilst trying to donate some vegetable waste to the Ocean, the person missed all 2800 miles of it and decorated the rear transom instead. Crew B – whilst shaking out floor mats over the side, donated one mat to the Ocean. Crew C – whilst repairing chafe at the bow, donated a shackle. It is going to be a tough choice at this rate.   To be fair our minds have been on sailing fast and despite lighter fickle. read more...

Hassebas - Log Day 2 - Life is beautiful

Life is beautiful. What a great experience and what a privilege to sail on this great ocean with this great team of people.  My objectives for this journey are:  to arrive in St, Lucia with the same people on board  (and in good shape) as we left Las Palma. To have a great time and lots of fun together and to become even better friends then when we left Las Palmas, and lastly to bring Hassebas to St. Lucia in the shortest possible time but in the same beautiful condition and shape as it left Las Palmas.  So far we are on target  (except a little damage to the Hassebas genaker) Update second day The second day started with an incredible sunrise and stable winds. All crew members were on deck at 8 o’clock and in good spirits. Most of. read more...

Cosmic Dancer V - The first 5 days

The first 5 days have flown by. It seem like only yesterday we were crossing the start line in Las Palmas. However we have already covered 620 nautical miles, averaging 150-160 miles a day. Later today we expect to have completed a quarter of the total distance to St Lucia and early tomorrow morning we should cross the Tropic of Cancer.The winds have been kind, but not easy. All but the first 20 miles have been with the wind dead astern and an awkward cross swell, conditions that the autohelm cannot satisfactorily cope with. It would have been so tempting to head up a few degrees onto a broad reach and let the autohelm take the strain - something that many other yachts appeared to be doing over the first couple of days.However, we have resisted the temptation and instead opted for the. read more...

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