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Ariel - from Ariel
Ariel - from Ariel
Ariel - from Ariel
Ariel - from Ariel
Blue Wonder - Ed is playing Monopoly deal
Blue Wonder - Ed is playing Monopoly deal
22/11/2023

Asante - Day 4 of the never ending poem

Day 4 of the adventure, has us motoring along.The wind is up, the wind is down.Predictions were not wrong.The fleet is pretty much spread out, as we look at YB Races.But until the boats turn west for home, no one really knows their places.As for life on board today.I awoke from a very deep sleep, as Kirsten shouted loud and clear, ‘fish on and it’s one to keep’.Nick and James were hauling in their first catch of the day.A glittering mahi mahi.Cerviche for lunch, hooray.Five more catches followed soon.But the sad thing I must add, was two of them were plastic bags.So really that was bad.To break the endless monotony of watches, food and rest.Ian decided to stop the boat, to let us - can you guess.Swim off the back in the ocean deep.Not a soul in sight.One by one and holding fast.To the. read more...


Asante - Day 4 of the never ending poem
Asante - Day 4 of the never ending poem
Asante - Day 4 of the never ending poem
Asante - Day 4 of the never ending poem
22/11/2023

Hot Stuff - 23:17.009N 19:49.100W

Yay the wind is back. Still fairly light but sailing at 7.8knots with the kite up and comfortable. Darren is Chef this evening with I believe a spag bol inspred creation. After Jack's great cooking with the chilli wraps which skinned my mouth this is pretty tame. I think I managed to have all the birds eye chillies on one mouthfull!Salt bucket showers on deck earlier pre a wash off on the transom shower have improved the boat no end. Although not many bananas left now. Re stocking the fridge for Sun Downers as we speak.I had an email on the laptop earlier which likened the journey to that to Mark Wallberg in the Martian find a problem and fix it. I quite liked the reference. We have power and water and plenty of beer so we will get there one way or another! We have added a picture for. read more...


Hot Stuff - 23:17.009N 19:49.100W
Hot Stuff - 23:17.009N 19:49.100W
Salamander - Champagne sailing with 4 sails flying
Salamander - Champagne sailing with 4 sails flying
22/11/2023

Blue Pearl - Blue Pearl log 10.

Another disturbed night for us on Blue Pearl, at practically the same time as the Yankee sheet chafed through the spinnaker sheet did the same thing, after only 48 hours of us. Taking the spinnaker down fell to Dad and I and we managed to get the snuffer nearly the whole way down but then we couldn’t get it any further, after looking we noticed the sheet was looped around the end of the boom. I was left holding the spinnaker while Dad used the boat hook to unloop the sheet. From there it was a lot easier and the soon manged to get the sail secure to the deck and the Yankee unfurled. By this point we were half an hour into our watch, which turned out to be rather noisy with flapping sails in the low winds. Anyway, this morning all is well again with the spinnaker back up and sailing to a. read more...


22/11/2023

Freedom - Blog 4 Wednesday 22nd November 2023

KGood morningTodays privilege to keep you informed and entertained is Ian Whits .The enormity of the task ahead became apparent to us all yesterday afternoon whilst gathered in the cockpit shooting the breeze. I said , “ Just think , we will be sitting here doing the same thing in a weeks time “ to which Nige responded as quick as a flash “no mate , we’ll be sitting here doing the same thing in 2 weeks time “ !Yep , she’s a big ocean when travelling at circa 6 mph. Personally, I have decided not to concentrate on how far to go and how long it’s going to take, in favour of soaking up where we are and enjoying the experience of what we are doing. Having been involved in dinghy sailing , windsurfing and other watersports all my life , I think this crossing has been long held desire . CJ. read more...


Loreley - Spinnaker doing its job! Going well! 22.11. 12:18 pm
Loreley - Spinnaker doing its job! Going well! 22.11. 12:18 pm
22/11/2023

Hot Stuff - 23:24.94N 19:34.57W

Making steady progress although wind has now died off for the time being. Kite is up and gradually making West South West to get the wind which should if the Grib files tell the truth fill in later or fairly soon. Then we can make as much progress as possible south. Engine ran again well started with my trusty wooden handled screw driver. Think it was made in the 40's but it seems to do the trick and what hair I have isnt  smoking yet.Some of the blogs seem to be bouncing back but hopefully this one gets though!C. read more...


22/11/2023

Saida - Saida day 3

Still trying to catch the trade winds off the coast of Africa but no luck yet. Instead, our fisher man Büsche is trying his luck to catch Tuna, but there is a bit of a struggle with the equipment… .Instead he prepares a nice Roastbeef for us in the evening. Perhaps more luck with the wind and the Tuna tomorrow….. read more...


Loreley - Good morning everybody.
Loreley - Good morning everybody.
22/11/2023

Blue Wonder - Leg 2, Day 5, 21 Nov

The days have started becoming a bit of a blur. I skipped a day 4 recount, which involved our first catch of this leg. A 1m wahoo landed by Audrey. Winds were super light and we made a swap from parasailor to white sails to a bit of motor sailing and back again.On day 5 we continued on with the parasailor in light winds of 8-11kn, making slow progress. The children made ice cream in a bag, for a science experiment. It was devoured much faster than it took to make. The adults have not been able to sleep during the day, but have been enjoying fresh sushi and poke bowls for meals. We have a case of the missing soya sauce bottle. 1 L of soya sauce has gone completely MIA. We are all looking suspiciously at Ed.Hoping for the E wind to set in during the night and push us along a little faster. read more...


22/11/2023

Hot Stuff - 23:40.71N 19:21.27W

A good sail last night. 8-9knots fairly consistantly until the wind has dropped. Its now a bit slow going waiting for the weather to change and head to us. This will potentially be a long day until it fills in.Shift pattern is working round with 6 hrs off watch in between watches. Darren is def currently sleeping from the sounds i can here currently. The kite is now up so we will see what we can get speed wise. Off to dolphin watch again shortly and see if we can spot any!C. read more...


22/11/2023

Blue Wonder - Leg 2, day 5

The days have started becoming a bit of a blur. I skipped a day 4 recount, which involved our first catch of this leg. A 1m wahoo landed by Audrey. Winds were super light and we made a swap from parasailor to white sails to a bit of motorsailing and back again.  On day 5 we continued on with the parasailor in light winds of 8-11kn, making slow progress. The children made ice cream in a bag, for a science experiment. It was devoured much faster than it took to make. The adults have not been ableto sleep during the day, but have been enjoying fresh sushi and poke bowls for meals. We have a case of the missing soya sauce bottle. 1 L of soya sauce has gone completely MIA. We are all looking suspiciously at Ed. Hoping for the E wind to set in during the night and push us along a. read more...


22/11/2023

Cats Pajamas - Cats Pajamas

Sorry for being late but we had a very frustrating day with fickle light winds and slow hard progress. Set to improve in next couple of days. Had to lower the sails and reverse the boat to help Tobin catch what we now think may have been a shark. Alas 2hours later the the line broke. The stuff out here is big. Anyhow a great steak dinner and more card games and all is well again. We are now quite far south so have gambled on finding more wind let’s hope this pays off. Love Cats Pajamas. read more...


21/11/2023

Graptolite - ARC2023 The First Few Days

Sunday 19th November 2023, 28:7.38N 15:25.39WWe have been in Las Palmas forever spending money on parts as fast as we can and loading up with huge amounts of food, but the big day has finally arrived and the ARC 2023 Las Palmas to St Lucia rally starts today. Graptolite's crew this year is myself, Martyn Pickup (UK) , Mrs P - Heike Richter (DE), old university and sailing friend Tim Relton (UK), Mrs R - Rosie Carnall (UK) and a recent find, John Eberhard (US/FR). Friends Mayk and Peter came to see us off and we had some celebratory fizzy before joining the queue to get out of the marina.Not for the first time, Graptolite crossed the race start line with a recently discovered major defect. In 2007 we started with a mainsail on deck and in-mast furling parts dropped inside the mast. A. read more...


21/11/2023

Aqualuna - Dancing With Dolphins

Atlantic Crossing - Day 5: We welcomed in the morning with a succession of dolphins racing over to check us out and carouse in the bow wave. The elation you feel when surrounded by these glorious creatures is extraordinary. So, here is the poem I wrote to try and portray the joyousness of the experience and to celebrate all the dolphins who have joined us for a brief moment in time on our journey so far …..Dolphins! we shout, and up goes the cryWave surfing, crest hurdling, they’re coming to raceOur boat is too tempting for them to pass byAnd tilting the rollers they joyfully flyTo join in our fun and to pick up the paceWe’re loving their mischief and glorious gleeOur hearts soar and thrill in the midst of the podAthletic and strong they are boiling the seaEcstatic to join us but wild. read more...


Aqualuna - Dancing With Dolphins
Aqualuna - Dancing With Dolphins
21/11/2023

Ipanema - Hello from the Ipanema

Dear all,   It was a good experience to prepare ourselves for thecrossing of the ocean in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. We have met many nicecrews, got useful advice and we appreciated the interactions with the staff ofthe World Cruising Organisation. Our final week in Las Palmas was very typicalfor an ARC team. We had our ship lifted out of the water to clean it from allkind of plants and animals that had started living on the underwater part of theship. New antifouling made it look super and we hope the antifouling willprotect us from new stuff that will slow us down.   We also did the last maintenance, bought new spare partsand worked on safety items that were verified by the experts from the WorldCruising Organisation.  Various shops and the mercado (market) at Las. read more...


21/11/2023

Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November

An all-around grey day out in the Atlantic today. We sailed through some dusty weather last night which has landed what feels like half a desert on our capping rails. Something for us all to look forward to cleaning at some point…  We took an hour to make tea this morning on our first watch as the generator and inverter decided to play games with us. No caffeine = not a happy crew (first-world problems I know!)  The day progressed and the fog lifted somewhat, however, it was grey overall with a slight splattering of light showers. The crew has taken today slowly with many catching up on much-needed sleep that was lost in preparation for the voyage.  We have had some excitement on the fishing line today, with not one but two Mahi Mahi caught!! The first was. read more...


Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Champagne Hippy - Champagne Hippy - Day 3 - 21st November
Spirit - Neptune arrives with gifts for the kids as half way across (from the Canaries)
Spirit - Neptune arrives with gifts for the kids as half way across (from the Canaries)
21/11/2023

Tahira - ARC BLOG D-Day 2 [21-Nov-23] to St Lucia

TAHIRA ARC BLOGD-Day 2 [21-Nov-23] toLocation: Open Seas - AtlanticLat: 24.44N Long: 17.59WCREW MOTIVATIONS So why is everyone here?You will get to meet each member of the crew over the next couple of weeks, but here is a quick summary of the team and their reasons for joining Tahira for this crossing.We hear common themes of: team, experience, challenge, but also some personal motivations specific to each member of the team. Bryan 'Q' - QuartermasterBryan's first experience of sailing was on the Winston Churchill sail training boat where he had to climb the mast in port which scared him to death, and the next day they sailed across the channel to Channel Islands.Sailing to other countries has always inspired him and feels much more glamorous.He has many years sailing experience, but. read more...


21/11/2023

Uno - Day 2 on Uno!

The crew are still adjusting to life out on the open ocean, as seems to be the way for the first 3 or 4 days of a crossing. No one has actually been sick, but a few are coping with some nausea. We are pairing up with our 2 new crew for nightshift duties until they feel comfortable, but it does mean the 3 hours on / 3 hours off schedule which can take a bit of getting used to. Sleeping in 3 hour bursts gets easier as you go! But this means great, long chats up in the helm station with the moon lighting our way. The bioluminescence has been beautiful! It is visible all around our boat once the moon disappears. We caught a mahi mahi in the morning & had delicious sashimi for lunch, then settled into a pre-prepared lasagne for dinner around the salon table, while watching an episode. read more...


21/11/2023

Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November

Cassini blog - dhobydayThis morning's bigteam event was to wash the laundry. There had previously been a small teamactivity with a gybe carried out in the dark (0600) during a watch change (4instead of 6 involved) safely carried out and well controlled (FOST staffplease note).  The small teaminvolved felt quite pleased with themselves about it. But back to thelaundry. There comes a time in any enclosed space in a tropical environment whenat least one of the 6 people present will run out of wearable underwear (note -wearable does not necessarily mean clean!). That is a good time for everyone toturn to and wash anything that might, until that point, have been sittingfestering in a pillow case in the corner of the cabin.So, soon afterbreakfast (scrambled eggs on toast - thank you Ronan. read more...


Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
Cassini - Blog #57 - Tuesday 21 November
21/11/2023

Northern Light II - Tuesday 21st November

Another champagne sailing day . Very light winds ( 8 knots or less since this morning ) blue skies and sunshine . The brave members of the crew have been reading their various books in the sun on deck - Sarah and Geertje today whilst Cat has been reading under the shade of the bimini.Last night we continued to sail with the Parasailor - a new record of 48 hours - and it looks as if we will do the same tonight .Fishing line went out at 6.00am and still nothing to report . Freshly baked focaccia today ( 2nd day in a row ) which again was demolished with a a great salad , iberico ham and egg mayonnaise.Update to the blog I got to the words above and a pan pan came in at 2.15pm from a yacht requiring assistance .We were the second closest boat ( 10 miles south ) so therefore put down our. read more...


21/11/2023

Blue Pepper - day 3 - 21/11

Blue Pepper has made good progress in some flukey, variable winds overnight and into the morning, when the wind picked-up and the Parasailor was hoisted for a great day of sailing.Our mainsail had decided not to be friends anymore with its furling slot and had started to unpick itself, but we managed to reconcile them and all is now as it should be.Lots of dolphins overnight and through the day - but not much sun! The sextant has therefore had the day off. All good on the good ship Blue Pepper. Pad Thai for dinner.. read more...


21/11/2023

JaZoFi - day 3

The new day brought fabulous sailing conditions - smiles all round at 2AM when we confirmed the previous 24 hour run. However, only a short while later, Mother nature showed her fury and threw a curve ball, The hound snarled and took a scar for challenging such a powerful adversary.We continue to average 8 knots at heading of 225 degrees as we sail offshore from Western Sahara and Mauritania towards Cabo Verde chasing the trade winds.Mother nature has provided a light dusting of Sahara sand to make sure we don’t ignore our cleaning duties.Fishing didn’t present today as predicted so dinner was Mushroom stew with cous cous which could earn the chef a Michelin star.. read more...


21/11/2023

Skyelark 2 - First days

All aboard the Skyelark (2)The atlantic ocean so blueNine fine men did set out to doWith fresh washed fruit & veg laid bareOther crews could only stareThe boat was packed and readyCrew dressed, life jacketed and steadyFarewells and good byes were sentBut not from the YB which was bentThe starting line we did get nearResisting the tempatation to shout “Starboard” to keep boats clearThe wind was light not breezySo the motor was used to make life easyThe first night Cap’n Dan did cookFrom a recipe from his fine bookThe first night we all did crewFrom a roster Cap’n did drewThe next morning the sun did shineCrew bright and lively from no wineThe fishing lares were setOne fish we did get“Too small!” did shout first mateSo supper it did not makeFurther fish did not availBut better we felt. read more...


21/11/2023

TicLuna - Low winds but a lot of excitement

Our second day had big parts of low winds but a lot of excitement with sightings of dolphins and whales, but the peak was when one of our fishing rods started singing. After some fighting, we managed to get onboard a really good sized Mahi Mahi that providedan amazing sushimi and garlic seared dinner and some more future dishes.  . read more...


TicLuna - Low winds but a lot of excitement
TicLuna - Low winds but a lot of excitement
21/11/2023

Asante - Day 3 of the never ending poem

I was wondering what I’d talk about, at the end of our day three.But, dear readers, rest assured no shortage as you’ll see.It all kicked off in the dead of night, as I sat alone looking out.Radar showing little boats, as they trundled all about.Nothing there to worry me when suddenly from the blue.A great pink splodge on the radar screen.This was something new.2 miles out and dead ahead.Too big to be a wave.I roused the skipper and said please come.I need more eyes to gaze.Soon through the mist that had dropped around, a small ship we could now see.Strange lights upon its fore deck gave concern to Ian and me.With talk of dangerous migrant boats we did not hang around.Turning engines on we sped away Carribean bound.But our troubles were not over.Bear with me and you’ll see.Life aboard a. read more...


Asante - Day 3 of the never ending poem
Asante - Day 3 of the never ending poem
21/11/2023

Valent - While waiting for the breeze

Another night, another day and still waiting for the forecast breeze to happen. We seem to be resolutely stuck in a gentle 7-9kts which wafts us along at 3-4kts. All very pleasant but not what we need if we are to arrive in the first few days of December. To fill the time in today we had ‘Hands to bathe’. This activity also allowed us to practice snuffing and recovering the Bora sail. After accomplishing that task the boat was prepped for swimming and in we plunged. The water is a balmy 28oC, very pleasant. Once in the water you become very aware of both how strong the current is and how daunting it would be if you were trying to recover a distressed person from the sea. Leaving aside those worries the experience was as memorable as one could wish for. By luck we had stopped to swim on. read more...


Valent - While waiting for the breeze
Valent - While waiting for the breeze
Valent - While waiting for the breeze
Valent - While waiting for the breeze
Blue Wonder - Ed is in charge of fishing today
Blue Wonder - Ed is in charge of fishing today
21/11/2023

Freedom - Blog 3 Tuesday 21st November 1500hrs GMT

Todays ed SPWA bit of everything weather wise today. We are heading south of the rhumb line, to the west of the Cape Verde islands, almost parallel to the African coast, in search of those elusive trade winds.I handed over watch to Ian at 2300 yesterday (Monday 20th) with about 15-20 knots on the quarter ie perfect sailing conditions. When I woke up we were motoring, the wind having dropped out at about 0300. The wind then gradually increased to the point we were overpowered by about 0900 and put in 2 reefs, which was increased to 3 due to some squalls. Some of the crew were surprised to find themselves wearing wet weather gear having been assured in the promotional material that it was shorts and T shirt weather the whole way. In fact we haven’t seen the sun all day today, it’s grey but. read more...


21/11/2023

Blue Wonder - Leg 2, Day 3 19 Nov

Day 3 on Blue Wonder started out with a reminder from the children that it's Sunday, pancake day! So we celebrated our first pancakes of the crossing with Canadian pancakes (pancakes with bacon and maple syrup). The morning was a bit of a struggle for the adults. We are both feeling very tired, even though nothing overly eventful happened overnight and we ran good shifts. As always the wind dropped during the night, slowing us down. But pickedup again during the day. The seas became a little bit more confused today. With a long side swell and some chop in the opposite direction, making things slightly more uncomfortable, but still 10 times better than the slop in leg 1. We have always had other boats within our line of sight, whether in front or behind. Cupid overtook us again last night. read more...


21/11/2023

Hot Stuff - 24:52.50N 17:40.45W

Whoop Whoop!!We are back in business for the moment at least. After some stripping fiddling head scratching. Trying to have a nap but pondering the task at hand I managed to get her back into life!So it would appear that one of the relays has given up the ghost in the control unit and this is likely causing the issue although of course you can aways start something another way working around the mechanics of the system!It starts and stops on demand (with the application the correct screwdriver). The intention is to continue at this time as originally planned keeping an eye on it over the next couple of days before we turn west. IF there is another issue we can continue back to Cape Verde as our bail out plan.We will of course keep you all updated. Although think we might have a beer to. read more...


Loreley is cutting through the sea like the bird is flying through the sky!
Loreley is cutting through the sea like the bird is flying through the sky!