Ship’s logs have been written for centuries, providing records and accounts of sailor’s lives and experiences at sea. They are in fact a legal requirement under the International Convention for the Safety of Life as Sea (SOLAS) 1974, their primary purpose is for navigation and safe passage. In a log you record fixes, courses steered, weather forecasts, wind speed and direction, periodic readings of the ship’s heading and speed and its barometer. They should also record watch changes, changes and sail plan, regular maintenance checks whilst on passage and a record of battery voltage, engine running hours and water and diesel consumed.
A more recent (in relative terms!) record of a vessel and/or crews time at sea comes in the form of a ships ‘blog’, a much more informal record, detailing all manner of activities onboard. Our participants are invited to submit blogs via email which are then published on the Daily Logs page on our website. Others, whose participation in a WCC rally may only from part of their adventure, choose to create their own websites to chronicle their sailing adventures, or use other yachting blog providers.
Blogs provide an amazing insight into life onboard, from tales of spectacular sunsets and night skies, whales and dolphin visits, turtle rescues and flying fish repatriation, to baking successes, mysterious snack provision disappearances, crew banter and everything in between! They are a great way to keep family and friends informed about life onboard, but also offer the opportunity for others to get a glimpse of ‘rally life’.
Thanks to the wonders of Starlink technology, two of this year’s youngest participants, Gisele (13) and Jaques (11) on Uno have also been vlog-ing as they have crossed via their YouTube channels as part of their ‘boat school’ work!
This year’s ARC+ and ARC blogs have been incredible - in the past 2 months over 1300 logs and participant photos have been published on the WCC Daily Logs webpage. There are so many to recommend but we particularly enjoyed Tahira’s daily blogs and especially their “Senses of the Boat” entry. Skyelark 2 posted’ The Arc of Christopher Columbus and the ARC of Atlantic Rally Cruisers Today’, inspired by one crew members chosen book for the passage and Freedom whose blogs even included a brutally honest crew SWOT analysis and many chuckles:
“A top cabin mate. Great company and a superb ship mate. Always first to jump up, and get on with something. Even if you are, after 17 days at sea, still guarding your Granola like it was the Crown Jewels."
We’d also recommend Tinman’s Blog which documents their ARC adventure from leaving Portland, UK in August 2023, their passage to and preparations in Las Palmas as well as their ARC crossing. A small snippet of one of the many entertaining and informative entries:
“Apparently, we are hoping to get a Tuna. I'm sceptical but supportive of this venture even if the idea of trying to get a massive Tuna reeled in when we don't have a rod, and on board, and then in a state which is table ready, horrifies me. Needless today we won't be having Tuna sashimi for dinner just yet…”