Daily Logs

First Edition lll - Not so good

The saga continues with the alternator - we replaced a dead alternator in Bermuda and -----While I would like to report everything is rosy, actually not so good. Mentioned in previous blog about rigging issues - we are also having issues keeping the batteries charged. The problem is that the alternator is not charging the batteries. Oh it may throw a few amps in and then not supply any more charge, the charge indicator flashes on and off. Our only reliable means of charging is with solar and because today has been very cloudy and stormy weather to come, the prospects of getting ample charge is bleak. Batteries are needed for communication and the all important auto pilot, as we are only a crew of two. Hand steering the remaining thousand miles brings frowns not smiles to this short. read more...

First Edition lll - Rigging work 1000 miles from shore

Just a couple of days prior to leaving Hampton, Virginia all standing rigging was replaced on s/v First Edition. Today, a thousand miles from shore I noticed shavings and slivers of wood in the cabin at the base of the mast and found many of the wooden wedges between the mast and deck to be loose. Clearly the mast was wobbling! After rummaging through the boat a hickory axe handle was found that I once thought might come in handy, though I had no idea what for - with hammer, chisel & saw, wedges were fashioned from the axe handle, the boot around mast at deck was removed and hickory wedges pounded into place. Then while sailing in light wind tightened the leeward shrouds; tacked and tightened the remaining shrouds and then found plenty of play in the backstay to tighten. So very. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Goodbye Lonesome George

We just learned that the worlds last remaining Pinta tortoise has died. Bernie, David and I checked him out when we were in the Galapagos.We are all saddened by the news which brings home the fragile nature of many of the world's species... especially when man is involved.Ted. read more...

Crazy Horse - Feb 15

Our position is 12 53.246S 38 41.266WYesterday was Valentine's Day and we spent a nice day in the town of Itaparica. The crew and passengers aboard Chessie and Brown Eyed Girl shared a nice waterfront meal with us. Later we walked to the Chocolate Factory which was also a bed and breakfast. Daniel and Natalie run the place. Daniel is a native of Brazil and the house is owned by his grandfather. Natalie is his wife who is a native of South Africa. They grow the cocoa and make their own dark chocolate. It was good and not too sweet. We also tasted the raw seeds of the cocoa which was quite good but a little slimy. Natalie explained the whole process of drying and making the chocolate. They have a wonderful plot of land along the water with avocado plants, cocoa trees, and various other. read more...

Windflower III - Auf dem schwarzen Kontinent

Endlich!!,mal wieder ein Lebenszeichen von der Windflower.Die hinter uns liegende Zeit auf Mauritius und Reunion diente wirklich dazu Schiff und Besatzung wieder auf Vordermann zu bringen.Ein 2-taegiger Werftaufenthalt,bei dem die Windflower gekrant wurde ,reichte aus, um die Ruderanlage zu reparieren und dem Unterwasserschiff einen neuen Anstrich zu verpassen.Sightseeing,Baden,Bummeln und kulinarische Genuesse standen danach fuer die Besatzung auf dem Programm.Mauritius,asiatisch gepraegt, mit quirligem,geschaeftigem Treiben lud uns mit seinen Straenden zum Baden ein.Reunion ca. 130 sm entfernt und typisch franzoesisch hat eine atemberaubende Bergwelt vulkanischen Ursprungs.Die Ausfluege ins Inselinnere u.a. zu einem Dorf,welches auf 2000 mtr. in einem erloschenen Vulkankrater liegt. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World, ( presently in Salvador, Brazil )

 MONDAY  14th  FEBRUARY   2011  This morning was put aside for cleaning and scrubbing on the boat,  ie, some housekeeping, The deep freeze needed a complete clean out, this took a few hours, Aileen was not happy with Skipper using her hairdrier to defrost the ice, but it had to be done, and proved to be a very usefull tool  for a slow tortous job. Aileen did a load of washing in that wonderfull ss Bosh washing machine. plus cleaning out the forward cabins,  We also booked ourselves into the " Oyster " regatta in Granada in April , this should be a great event, However it does clash with the final World ARC rally in St. Lucia, so we are trying to figure out how we can be in 2 places at one time. After lunch, we took off on a tour of the. read more...

Aniara II - May 22

 22 May We are now more than halfway towards the Azores and have not more than 750 NM to go. We plot our exact position at 13.00 every day, and calculate our speed and make up our plans after that. It´s now just after 13.00 and we have done it again. During the last 24 hours we sailed 192,4 NM, which gives an average of more than 8 knots. This is as long distance as a Stena ferry goes on two return trips Gothenburg - Fredrikshamn. Wind is moderate, 12-15 knots, from North and we are still heading 80 degrees directly towards Horta. Total distance sailed on this leg is 1039 NM and our total average speed is 7,2 knots. Bosse, one of our favorite crew members, asked in a mail about our night watches. We have three 4-hours-watches starting at 20.00. We rotate the watches. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Quasar V log for 9th, 10th and 11th November

Sunday 9th November2008   THE USUAL SUSPECTS   The usual suspects, namely John, Judith and JB,have re-boarded the good ship Quasar V making the numbers on board 6.  That includes Malcolm and John, thegeriatric pensioners, with criminal and juvenile tendencies, Judith theenthusiastic cook, Lindsey the needle happy quack, Ian the ship?s boy andJB.   We left Mauritius today at 3.30pm localtime, headed for La Reunion, a small island 130 miles off the south west coastof Mauritius.  With light southerlywinds we unfortunately needed to motor sail.   However, a treat was in store for us.  Within 30 minutes of leaving Port Louis,Judith spotted a pod of sperm whales. John, on helm, immediately abandoned the heading in pursuit of thesewhales to have a closer inspection. We stopped within 50 metres. read more...

Sapphire II - Passage Making, 22 June 2012 in Fiji

We are all, of course , struck by the beauty of the destinations we reach and savor. But we tend to skate over the details involved in getting to these  places. For those non-sailors who read the blogs, I thought it would be worthwhile taking one blog to sketch what is involved in getting from Paradise A to Paradise B!  Our passage from Tonga to Fiji is typical and so, gentle reader, we can do a thumbnail sketch of it.First we decide roughly on what date we should leave. Not as easy as you might think. Check the weather forecast. Is it OK? Check with other crews to see what they might be thinking. See if there is something that one wishes to stay in the anchorage for ( a party, or in our case, the Rugby Test between Ireland and the All Blacks). We decided to leave on the Sunday. read more...

Anastasia - Bekana Island and Bounty Island resorts

17:40.1S 177:18.7E  Last night we anchored off Lautoka, Fiji's second largest town after Suva.  We were hopeful that there would be a nice place on nearby Bekana Island for a cocktail, but the resort has been closed for several years.  We still went ashore on the island to have a look round.  The place opened in 2003 and closed after only five years of operation.  The problem with this part of the coast of Fiji is that there is a lot of organic run-off from the mainland and the water is quite green and cloudy.  There were just too many resorts nearby with whiter sand and clearer water.  Today we are travelling down to Port Denerau, but we probably can't get a mooring there until 4pm so we have made a detour to Bounty Island resort for some. read more...

Luna - Log 12 - What to do?

Det så ud til at blive endnu en dag, hvor vi stille og roligt cruisede af sted. Men så skiftede vinden retning, så den blæste lige mod Azorerne. Desværre var der for lidt af den til at kunne fylde sejlene, så de stod konstant og klaprede. Vi besluttede derfor at ændre kurs til at gå lidt mere nordligt for at få vinden mere skråt ind.Sådan sejlede vi lidt tid, inden vi så, at der var meget sort ude foran. Vi rebede ind for at komme evt. vindskifte mm. i forkøbet. Det viste sig at være fornuftigt, da vinden pludselig skiftede retning igen og kom lige forfra. Efter at Jørgen var blevet gennemblødt af at sejle os gennem regnen, fortsatte det grå foroven med at give direkte modvind ved. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Leg 20 Day 10 - Arrival in Richards Bay

Cleone arrived in Richards Bay at 2315 GMT on 10 Nov 08.   And we are very glad to get here.   Tomorrow (actually today) the bad weather should pass through, but we don'tcare - we are tied up in the Zululand Yacht Club and enjoying the party. And what a fantastic welcome we had here, undoubtedly the best since we left theCarribean.  The Zululand Yacht Club turned out in force to welcome Cleone,even though it was well past one o'clock in the morning.  Champagne, aband, a police escort through the harbour entrance, and the yacht club committeewaiting to take our lines in the marina - nothing could have been betterorganised.  Even at this stage, I can see we are going to be sorry toleave here!   All is well with us, and best wishes to everyone.  James, Norfy (Chris) and AlexYacht Cleone. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 240 - A Sunday Sail

13 February 2011We have a natural curiosity. We always want to see just what is around the corner. So to that end we lifted the anchor early on Sunday morning in company with Tzigane and Tucanon and headed across to the northern tip of Itaparica Island. A posse of World ARC yachts were anchored off the town but we will save that for another day. Civilisation gradually petered out as we made our way down the Canal de Itaparica lined with mangroves on either side. At its deepest point it is 22 metres, its shallowest depth, 5 metres. It is all part of the adventure and if you don't try these things you would never go anywhere. Every now and again an isolated village would appear nestled on the banks of the channel. It was well marked with port and starboard hand buoys. Here you have to. read more...

Irena - Dan 7

Po dolgem casu mirna noc. Jadrali smo v vetru 13 do 18 vozlov proti jugovzhodu.Proti jutro, ko sem bil na strazi ,pa sem opazila, da se veter obraca proti vzhodu in ne proti zahodu kot sem pricakoval. Obrnili smo nazaj proti severu, vendar tokrat lahko jadramo v smeri severo-vzhod, kar vceraj ni bilo mogoce. Temperature so res nizje, saj je sedaj samo 19 stopinj tako, da smo vsi kar dobro obleceni. Ves cas nas spremljajo jate delfinov in nas zabavajo s svojimi akrobacijami. Do sedaj nismo videli se nobenega kita. pocasi se priblizujemo polovici poti, imamo se 1049 milj do Horte. Veter je sicer ponehal in malo motorimo tako, da skupaj z jadri dosegamo slabih 5 vozlov. Moramo priti na 38 do 40 severno, da tam dobimo kaj od zahodnih vetrov.. read more...

Samsara - sailing along to Fiji

June 24We've been sailing for about 30 hours now and so far the wind has been pretty good - a bit heavier than we would like perhaps but not too bad. We've got roughly 20-25 knots and seas are about 3 meters on the beam and aft of abeam - so no pounding which is really nice!We're making pretty good time. Still planning on checking into Suva. It's chilly at night now so we're wearing jackets and long pants - we're almost 19 degrees south of the equator.Looking forward to reaching Fiji - probably only 2 more days to go.Pauline  . read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

Sunday, 13th February 2011 We have just returned from a trip to the Foz do Iguacu falls for 2 nights and then Rio de Janeiro for 3 nights.  The Waterfalls were fantastic. When we arrived on Tuesday 8th, our driver took us to the Brazilian side of these falls and were we impressed. The number of falls varies from season to season between 160 to 270 and they border Brazil and Argentina. We have been to the Niagra Falls which border USA and Canada, and we think these falls were much more spectacular. 1,300,000m of water per second fall over the cliffs here, so you can imagine the volume and roaring waters as they cascade down the cliffs. Later we were taken to our Hotel, "Loi Suites" which was on the Argentinian side, and by now , the rain was comming down in. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Leg 20 Day 9 - Variety is the Spice of Life

The most variable weather we have ever had.   Unquestionably, this leg has produced the most difficult, unpredictable andchangeable weather that we have had on our round-the-world Rally so far. Against Bruce's prediction of strengthening Northeasterly winds developingthroughout the evening and night, the wind dropped just after we had finishedsupper.  Looking at the Skipper's hand-drawn schedule (which showedour ETA in Richards Bay at various speeds), we started the engine straightaway.  John from Chantelle had warned us about the current.  Althoughthe boat speed through the water was always an impressive six and a half toseven knots, our real progress was slow - around 5 knots.  And this meansthat we are going to have to battle to arrive in Richards Bay before the nextlow-pressure. read more...

Kasuje - Durban - yee haa!!!

We arrived in Durban around lunch time yesterday,Sunday.  After a thorough clean up of Kasuje, it was straight into thenearest yacht club (there are three here) for some beer that stays where you putit down and a really nice meal in the fish restaurant beside themarina.  Bit of a hangover this morning.  But, hey it was worthit.   We, along with the rest of the fleet had a prettyrough crossing at times, which was actually quite exhilerating.  Especiallywhen you realise that Kasuje can actually take in her stride everythingthat was thrown at her and a lot more if necessary.   It is probably quite difficult for those whohaven't experienced "heavy" weather in an open ocean to appreciate what it islike.  It is also quite difficult to describe.  However I would liketo try to paint a picture of. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 239- Alone at Anchor....

12 February 2011With a few days to spare before our five day land travel trip we had a fancy to explore some of the anchorages that abound in the Baia de Todos os Santos. We cast off our dock lines and headed deep into the bay. A gentle downwind sail 13nm from Salvador brought us to Ihla do Frade. Giving the reef at the southern tip a good offing we rounded Ponta de Guadeloupe dropping the hook some distance off a white sand beach. It was so lovely to be swinging to our own anchor once more. Apart from our one night in the river at East London we have not had this treat since Cocos Keeling as long ago as September. It was so far back I had to look up our log sheets to check. With only one other yacht at anchor and off the now deserted beach, it is all peace and quiet, away from the heat. read more...

BRIZO - 23 June 2012

We are 856 miles from Suva, expecting to arrive Thursday which is really Friday because we will be crossing the International Date Line just before arriving. We have had a lively discussion onboard during dinners as to whether we are gaining a day or losing a day, we'll find out on Thursday.Everyone has recovered from seasickness and are doing well. The weather conditions are somewhat rougher than forecast but still okay. We have had to further shorten sail with the current conditions of 25-30 kts on the beam from due south, still making over 5 knots nearly straight to Fiji. Passage Weather is still calling for favorable conditions throughout the remainder of the trip but we have generally found wind strength to be about 5 kts greater than forecast. Still, their forecast areas are so. read more...

Sookie - Leg 2 Day 6 Wwelcome to the Nothh Atlantic

From midnight this morning the winds were generally 25 knots gusting up to 35 knots so we sailed with reefs in both the Genoa by two thirds of the sail and half a mainsail.  The sea conditions were also what one would call considerable but not concerning (for all you relatives).  As dawn approached we encountered a large squall with variations in wind speeds and direction followed by two further smaller squalls.    The result that followed was a change in wind direction from SW to NNW, some 112 degrees.  The genoa is slightly damaged on the foot line and leech lines but there is no damage to the actual sail structurally.  Two visits to the pointy end were required in the testing conditions.  One to run a Genoa sheet (rope) around the. read more...

Matilda - Fabulous Fiji

It's been almost 2 weeks since our last blog from Tonga, and now we are in Fiji. You may remember that I had just started with a nasty cold, which I am almost over now. Unfortunately Heather contracted the cold and suffered quite badly with it. She is on antibiotics and it seems to be on the way out at last.The last few days we spent in Tonga were a little traumatic. A 50 foot Bavaria that had been moored next to us, Navillus, smashed into an island on the way to Australia with two lives lost. We had spoken with the guys aboard the day before, mainly because one of them blew onto us in his dinghy when cleaning his hull and we towed him back to Navillus. We timed our departure until after bad weather had passed through, but they decided to go the day before as they didn't think it seemed. read more...

La Boheme - La Boheme

Day 9 - We are now 10 miles from Richards Bay - hurray!!!!Sailing from Reunion to South AfricaWe chose to sail at least 130 miles south of southern tip of Madagascar to avoid the potentially dangerous conditions known to occur there including thunderstorms, strong winds and freak waves: our other challenge was to sail through the seas close to the South African coast, where the strong south Agulhas flowing current can create dangerous conditions when opposed by the frequently occuring southerly wind changes originating from Antarctica. Strong winds opposed by up to 5 knot current create steep, high and short waves making the eastern coast of South Africa one of the most dangerous seas in the world.Anna, Greg and PeterLa Boheme. read more...

Hanami II - Que va piano va sano ....

Lundi 21 mai 2012, 20:19 UTC   6eme jour de mer.   36 16.0 N 50 42.9 W cap 90 vitesse 4 N, au moteur contre le vent.   Bon et bien ca y est, le vent s'est affaibli, quoi que ..., et a vire au NE apres un grain ce matin. La pluie n'a pas dure et le barometre reste haut, stable a 2024, nous ne sommes donc pas sur le bord de la depression, tant mieux. Le seul inconvenient est que ce vent souffle exactement depuis la ou nous voulons aller et pas assez fort pour que nous puissions louvoyer. Nous voici donc revenus a la "Brise Volvo" apres avoir essaye de multiples allures, tangonne le Genois des l'autre deux cotes, successivemment bien sur, et finalement enroule le genois et borde la GV a plat pour garder un peu de propulsion velique tout en avancant au moteur et en. read more...

Crazy Horse - Feb. 13

A few of us from the World ARC have invaded the harbor here in Itapatica. We are anchored out here off the island where there is a sandbar which we visited last night to watch the sunset.A few of the younger members of the fleet were known to be on the sandbar later calling themselves "beach party". Their names I won't mention but you can probably guess. However, they all made it back to their respective boats in good spirits.Jeannius, Brown-Eyed Girl, Chessie, and Crazy Horse are here and ready to see the town today. They have a very dominant church at the center of the town which you can obviously see from the water. Last night they had fireworks going off on parts of the island. At least that is what we hope they were. They have various old oil platforms around us here in the harbor.A. read more...

La Boheme - La Boheme

Day 8 - What a change!Yesterday at 11am it came all of a sudden (although we were prepared) the winds building in gusts to 50 knots. The prediction was for conditions to ease after 6 hours but 12 hours later we were still battling winds gusting to 40 knots. No cooking today, we tried to make a cup of tea most of it ended up in sink. Well a bit of starvation won't kill us, so we dreamed of 2 minute noodles....promise finally fulfilled at 2am when the boat action allowed me to open the cupboard. Finally at around 5am this morning the wind dropped to 20/25 knots and the sea began to subside. We were in storm for 18 hours. I finally went to bed at 5am to wake up at 10am to different world. That was a change!Anna for La Boheme. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 238 - Baianos of Bahia

8 February 2011Two lovely local Baianas ladies come to our pontoon and everybody is given a ribbon bracelet, tied with three knots, and for each knot you were granted one wish. But it was not just any knot. This can only be carried out by a true Baiana specially trained in the art of knot tying. They also practice healing like the African witchdoctors. Wearing traditional dress, of huge wide skirts like a crinoline with hand crocheted broderie anglais tops and a colourful wrap around headdress they certainly do look the part. Party and Prize Giving TimeNow for all the World ARC boats having arrived with the exception of Ocean Jasper who are still on passage and Grand Filou who entered the Cape to Rio Race, a party was held in the yacht club. We were served very fine finger food, the. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Suva prawn seller

Ah yes, you have to admire the entrepreneurial skills of this Fijian woman!The people here have been very welcoming. Bernie and Dave enjoyed a japanese dinner with Beatoo last night, and we've all had a few good curries.We'll be out with the morning high tide to Denarau via Frigates.. read more...

Hanami II - ARC Europe, a summary at midway by Darren

The story of ARC Europe so far could not be more different to the outward journey in Nov with ARC 2011. The 900 mile first leg from Tortola to Bermuda took six days on a course almost due north, a leg necessary to escape the northeast going tradewinds of the Caribbean for the more favourable southwesterlies that are generated around 35N. Hanami II is currently about midway through leg two - Bermuda to Azores - with about 1000 miles more to run. As we're currently heading east, this feels most like the return crossing of the Atlantic before the boats split up in the Azores - one group heading on to Portugal, the rest heading north towards France and the UK.This leg has been a constant challenge from day 1. The ever present beam sea has made the usual onboard tasks somewhat more. read more...

Anastasia - From Vanua Levu to Viti Levu

17:24.4S 177:45.2EFor the past couple of days we have been working our way westward between the Fijian islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. Viti Levu is the main island with the capital Suva on the south side.  We are taking the northern route around Viti Levu because it has good breezes, but calm seas and many anchorages so we can do the passage as a series of short hops each day. Curly's chartlets give us the waypoints we need to navigate safely through the reefs, which is fine provided you enter the waypoints correctly.  And when you enter them incorrectly then there is always Serendipity to call up on the VHF and ask why you are deviating from the plotted route and heading directly towards a rock. On our way down to Viti Levu we stopped at the islands of. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Leg 20 Day 8 - On Target?

A sleigh ride last night, continuing this morning.   When Alex asked the Skipper over supper, having looked atthe line of black clouds ahead of us, the Skipper said that he thought itwould be a quiet one, probably with the motor going all night. The band of South West winds, which many of the other yachts wereexperiencing, was due to pass to the North in front of us.  Well we knewthat was asking for trouble.  After supper, a gentle breeze could be felt,so the Skipper and Alex put up the mainsail, all of it.  The Skipper wasnext on watch, so after he had cleared up the meal, Norfy and Alex went happilyoff to bed.  The Skipper was delighted when the breeze began to strengthen,so soon the full Genoa and Mizzen were flying, and the engine wassilenced.  At this point, the Skipper must have. read more...

Tucanon - Salvador is stunning

Monday morning we caught a bus from near the marina and went to Barra shopping mall. We bought a local SIM card and looked around the supermarket.  It was more of a reconnaissance visit than to do much in the way of shopping  but I did buy some fruit and vegetables to keep us going for a few days  until I know what provisioning I need to do prior to the 15th, when we go on a 5 day trip to the interior.The bus drivers seem to be wannabe racing drivers and the bus stops are more like pit stops. You have to get on the bus by the rear door, where you hand the fare to a conductor who then lets you pass through a turnstile into the bus. You exit the bus via the door at the front, next to the driver. However, if you are a pensioner, you can get on via the front door as you. read more...

Ninfea - Daily Log

Mid Point  We finally crossed the mid-point of our journey and begin the countdown to our destination. Yesterday we celebrated Pino’s birthday, his first ever at sea. The chef (Paolo) prepared a nice dinner and we toasted with a bottle of Chardonnay. The night was the most difficult yet. We started with light winds and a gennaker on, perhaps a bit too optimistic given that we expected a front to go by. And it did! At 1.00 am an alarmed Francesco woke us up. Winds were reaching an 25 kn and climbing.  We retrieved the gennaker with serious difficulties, but after a struggle during almost an hour it was safely stowed away. We continued with a genoa only, but the wind kept gusting up to 30 kn. But what was the problem was not the wind. The waves grew up to 3-4 meters broken. read more...

Common Sense - Getting started

With just six hours left to the start of the ARC Europe Rally, there we were with no sails, no clearance out of Bermuda and seventeen jobs still on Padraig’s to-do list. It seemed impossible, but Team Common Sense lived up to its name, working our way calmly and methodically through everything that had to be done – perhaps not quite so calmly when it took us us three goes to get the jib on the right way round! With just minutes remaining we ticked off the last few jobs, executed a perfect exit from our slip and there we were, bringing up the tail end of the fleet as it headed through St Georges Cut, farewelled beautiful Bermuda and sailed off into the wide blue Atlantic!So far it’s been reasonably smooth sailing at an average of five knots, apart from a calm patch on. read more...

Crazy Horse - Feb. 12

Today is Saturday and many of us are going off to anchor out off a little island called Itaparica. They are supposed to have some nice beaches and good snorkeling. There are some little villages to visit on the island. Not sure if we will do that but adventure away from this marina and city is on our minds.A group of us went on an interesting tour of the historical part of the city with the Tours Bahia co. Carolina was our guide and we actually had an a/c bus with the a/c actually working. Some of the vehicles we have been on in many of the stops have been pretty primitive but this one was wonderful. We had a delicious lunch with the traditional Brazilian food and those wonderful caipirinhas. Later Carolina took us to a store she recommended we buy gemstones. I didn't buy anything as by. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Leg 20 Day 7 - The President Elect

Barak Obama's success has stimulated conversation on board Cleone as muchas anywhere else.    But unlike most places, we've a resident (and captive) expert to talk usthrough the subtleties of American Politics and of American Life itself. As well as politics, we have also taken time out to deal with other, perhapsmore important, aspects of US culture.  The Rules (such as they are) ofAmerican Football are no longer a mystery to us, but sad to report, try as wemight, Alex will never understand cricket, let alone Rugby. Wehave touched on Cycling (come clean, Lance, we know all about you) and Baseball(do you know the difference between a curved ball and seam bowling?), and thedifference between Ivy League and non-Ivy League and the Ozarks (separatesubject; we now know that they are a. read more...

Samsara - off to Fiji

June 23 We're leaving Tonga today and heading off to Fiji. Should be a 3-4 day passage. We've enjoyed our time here in Tonga and if the weather was better would try to do a last bit of snorkeling, however it's windy and cloudy so we'll get going.  Unfortunately the two sailors I mentioned in the earlier blog (their boat hit the reef of an island west of here) were not found. They called off the search. I can only imagine how hard it is for their families. Finishing the last preparations for the journey. Went to the market yesterday and got eggs, bananas, pineapple, cucumbers and tomatoes. Lee has to send a form to Fiji that they require before we check in so he's heading into the cafe for a last bit of internet work, then it's stow the dingy and off we'll go. Pauline. read more...

BRIZO - 21 June 2012

Things are looking up: conditions have moderated somewhat while still producing very favorable progress toward Fiji. The crew is recovering from seasickness, the girls are back to normal and Corinne is getting there. We are still experiencing gusty winds and light rain with the squalls passing through but over-all the winds have diminished to a more comfortable level. We are about 100 nm away from an island called Palmerston. It is one of the countless little places literally in the middle of nowhere! We have read that there are a few people living on the island but since there is no good harbor they do not encourage visitors. Apparently if you want to visit you need to anchor offshore and wait for someone to come out in their small boat. We don't plan to stop there but our course takes. read more...

Cleone - Leg 20 Day 6 - NSTR

Nothing Significant To Report. We have made great progress, with 172 miles logged towards Richards Bay.  It was a boisterous afternoon yesterday, but we reeled off the miles under reefed Genoa, Main and Mizzen, and the favourable winds kept up all night.  This morning has been a bit more difficult - the wind has gradually backed and eased, and is now right behind us.  And with the seas coming up from the South still, we are rolling along somewhat uncomfortably, and the wind is blowing over the top of a South-going current.  We  have yet to down-load Bruce's forecast, but from this morning's chat on the net, we understand there is an uncomfortably small window for us to get into Richard's Bay.  So we may have to hang around a bit before we get there.  As usual, we will keep you. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 237 : Salvador - Jesus Christ City

7 February 2011Salvador, known as Bahia, was built on the top of a group of hills at the entrance of a 300km long bay, Bahia de Todos os Santos, the Bay of All Saints, so named when the first European to sail into it, Americo Vespucci, arrived on All Saints' Day, 1st November 1501. It was the capital city of Portuguese America from 1549 to 1763 when it was transferred to Rio. Now it is Brasilia. From 1889 it became a republic, now it is a democracy. Its economy is based on tobacco, sugar cane, coffee, mining (there are rich mineral deposits) and supposedly tourism. I say supposedly because there are plans to renovate a beautiful building near the docks to be the new Hilton. They are hosting the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016, but they will have to improve on their English. read more...

Zingara - Via Inmarsat:

Guten Tag Ihr Fans der Zingara! Ja, es gab ne Sendepause. . mailasail hat mein account leer gefegt, alte mails kamen zig mal. Egal, uns gehts prima trotz Sturm u Regen u Welle letzte Nacht ohne Schlaf. Dafuer gings gut voran, unsere Analyse der GRIB Files hat uns den richtigen Weg waehlen lasen. Hoffen, der Progress setzt sich fort. Gruesse von Bord, ernst, ruediger u reinhard. read more...

Common Sense - Early days

Hey you guys, we didn’t think it was meant to be a race! Anyway, most of thefleet is well ahead of us at this stage, but we’re enjoying the fine weatherand 15 knot breeze, bobbing along at about five and a half knots average.We are, perhaps, a little bit less complacent after the bad news about OuterLimits’ encounter with a whale – so glad to hear that everyone is safe afterwhat must have been a frightening experience. Without SSB, we haven’t hadcontact with any other boats since Day 1, but it’s good to know they’re allout there somewhere, and to see the impressive distances covered by some!The pleasant conditions have allowed us to enjoy pretty decent meals –steak, fish cakes, chicken curry, not to mention a loaf of Terry’s. read more...

Ariane - Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da BahiaLiebe SegelfreundeDas Einlaufen in Salvador war ein eindrückliches Erlebnis. Die Stadt liegt auf einem Hochplateau, gut 80 m über Meer. An den Hängen sind einige Favelas (Armenviertel) sichtbar, die jedoch alle aus Stein gebaut sind, somit wesentlich besser, komfortabler und sicherer als in Südafrika. Vier Lifte, von denen nur zwei funktionieren, führen vom Hafen und der Unterstadt in die Oberstadt. Dort liegt auch die eigentliche Altstadt. Die Aussicht von dort oben über die Bucht, den Hafen und die Unterstadt ist sehr beeindruckend. Das warme Klima (auch das warme Wasser!) lassen uns wieder aufleben. Ernüchternd sind die sehr teuren Restaurantpreise; dort können nur Touristen und gut verdienende Brasilianer essen. In der Altstadt treffen wir auf einige Sambagruppen,. read more...

La Boheme - Day 6 - Close encounter

Yesterday afternoon in the middle of Indian Ocean, we had a large ship overtaking us on our starboard side and on collision course with us. We thought that we were highly visible but when "China Fortune" kept coming without altering her course we had to call it on VHF and to our amazement we had discovered that it did not see us before our alert. We had to change our course and the ship hers and it passed us in front by a short distance.It pays to be alert!Anna for La Boheme Team. read more...

Serendipity - Winter Solstice - the Shortest Day

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A Lady - Log Day 17: Still holding on tight!

MONDAY  21st  MAY  2012   Last night was a tough night,Having had a Pizza for dinner, (simple and quick in rough conditions) we settled down for the night, The wind was building all along as were the seas,We reefed the sails down further, ie  4 reefs in the mainsail, 4 reefs in the genoa, and 2 reefs in the staysail,The night was as black as the " Ace of Spades" and the seas were growling all around us, and no fish on the line.  Denis and Vera came on watch at midnight and experienced speeds of 13.50knots as the wind screemed through the rigging, we recorded winds of up to 40 knots, Is the glass half full? well, at least we will make a fastpassage to the Azores if this holds till next friday,  Skipper & Aileen came back on watch at 04.00hrs, then at. read more...

Crazy Horse - Feb 10

Still in Salvador at the Terminal Náutico.We are still here in Salvador and plan on being here and going on some of the many tours available to us. Last night we went out for a dinner and show of the typical Brazilian dances.The dancing was really fantastic. The food was mediocre. The dancers were very acrobatic and really strong and athletic in their moves. They just kept going on and on. I was exhausted watching them. That was worth the price of the tickets.Tomorrow we go on the city tour with many of the cruisers from the fleet. We are looking forward to learning more about the history of Salvador.We had a little party for Ocean Jasper to celebrate their arrival. I think they were glad to arrive and we were all happy to see them safely across the Atlantic. They had a long trip like. read more...

Samsara - a cave, paella and a goat

June 20We're enjoying our time in Tonga - the weather wasn't so good for about 2 days but now it's beautiful - we're almost 19 degrees south of the equator and it's cooler. Lee is in heaven - he can actually sleep at night. The water is about 79 degrees - it feels cool compared to the 82 degree water we've had for the last few months.Yesterday was a full day. We went to Mariner's cave, it's a large cave and it's a bit tricky to enter. You have to dive down about 6 feet and swim about 12 feet forward to end up in the cave. A bunch of people from At Last, Zoe, Southern Cross and Lee and I all entered the cave. I wouldn't let the kids try it - too dangerous in my opinion for them. Lee and I were among the last to enter so we could see the feet of a few of the people in the cave, otherwise. read more...

Talulah Ruby II - Talulah's Fish Tale

HiWe managed to miss the thunder storms earlier this week and so far the wind has been kind,but this is not an easy bit of water to cross. At the moment we have a strong current with us long may that continue. Yesterday was the most memorable day at sea ever, off the bottom of Madagascar we sailed into an area full of Humpback Whales, we must have seen at least 60 during the day, all of them beating the water with their fins or leaping straight out of the sea, which as they can reach 18 mts.in size is some sight! We had to steer round a few of them as they were in our path, so got very close, but the unforgettable sighting of all, which also explains their behavior, was of 2 mating Whales their tails high out of the water for 10 min. or so. We sailed nearby what an absolutely fantastic. read more...

La Boheme - Day 5 - half way competition

Yesterday we passed our plotted half way mark to Richards Bay. We all tried to guess the ETA at half way and I won. The prize - a nice bottle of South African chardonay which we all drank to celebrate half way. We have also guessed ETA to Richards Bay - the winner gets taken to a good restaurant for dinner, preceded by an exotic cocktail on board. Last night the sky was blinking thousands stars, there were some shooting stars as well and as usual on my watch several ships. We are making good progress but we may have to slow down to avoid storms closer to Africa.Anna for the La Boheme team. read more...

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