Daily Logs

Sweet Dream - Friday November 22, 2019

Lars’ sister, Nancy arrived this morning. After a quick cup of coffee they lost no time in zooming off for walkabout in Neseleni wildlife park. I began to read ‘The Elephant Whisperer’ in preparation for visiting a Thula Thula on Sunday. We took possession of a rental car in the afternoon and made a run to the shopping centre. Here we bought Captain some Keane hiking shoes, me a pair of sandals, Mosquito bracelets for the safari trio, and a few more snacks, along with plenty of WiFi access for all the phones. Supper was the Friday night bbq or brai, as the locals call it. We introduced Nancy to pap and sauce as a side dish...maize cooked and served with a rich tomato onion gravy on it. We hung out with Dave, Peter and Jo, had a lively discussion on the other world and turned in quite. read more...

Amari - Day 4: Cockpit Gym

Day 4: The Cockpit GymWith 1609 miles to go, we are about a quarter of the way through now. All tasks have been done, winds are light, and the seas low. Now what?Dottie and I are both people who need to stay busy, so on this long passage with a sail plan that needs zero tending, being active can be challenging. There are only so many times I can go back to check on Pinky the Lure. “You okay back there baby? Catch me a fish now, you hear?!”So we have developed what amounts to a workout that can be done in the cockpit, overseen by cockpit manager Mojo the Camel (see pic as Mojo mugs for the camera).Of course there’s no way that any of us are going to want any others witnessing these little routines, so we do them on night watch. Perfect! Nights have been stunning by the way, with clear. read more...

Zaurak - Zaurak's Bimbling Blog

Zaurak's Bimbling Blog24 hours in, 140nm behind us, some unfathomable four-digit number of nautical miles to go. Land is out of sight; the sea meets the horizon in all directions. Not long after the start line on Sunday, lined up excellently by tactician Claire, we drank afternoon tea and cake. This was in order as we started our Atlantic adventure on crew Caroline's birthday!Sunday to Monday was the first overnight watches for our three pairs. The density on the water last night is unlikely to be matched in the nights ahead. A line of red to our right, green to our left and stern lights ahead. I spent my watch following AIS points representing ARC boats on the chart gradually moving closer to each other, I then put my ear to the VHF radio, nosily waiting for the entertaining. read more...

Celtic Star - Blog 1 Monday 25 Nov

 I had been told that onthe ARC you rarely see the other boats, because everyone sails in their ownlittle patch of the ocean. However, despite knowing this I was really surprisedto see how quickly this happened. Yesterday we had every boat jostling forspace in a quite small area at the start line; each within hailing distance ofmany, many, others. A few hours later we could only see 17, by midnight this hadreduced to 10 lights on the horizon, at dawn only 3. Its odd, that given weall start and finish in the same place, that everyone disappears so veryquickly. Ian Jenkinson, Celtic Star  Skipper adds: the best place for the spinnaker is in thegarage!  Up and flying despite every effort to refuse at everyhurdle!. read more...

Next Step - Start Day

Day one of the ARC 2019, a busy morning was spent sorting out the remaining things that had to be done on the boat before we left the marina in Las Palmas. At 1130 we let go our mooring lines and carefully exited the marina past the spectators and band playing on the marina edge.After a bit of sailing around, the start sounded and we are off… we are a bit slow off the start line, but we have plenty of time to catch up. The wind has been great as we made our way down the island of Grand Canaria fairly rapidly. Nicole prepared sandwiches for lunch before we left and David had brought with him a shepherds pie for supper so no meal time preparation was needed. After the dishes had been washed up in the evening, we slotted back into our night watch system.. read more...

Zan - What the point of a radio net?

The radio net on SSB radio runs twice each day , to share positions, technical problems ,report any emergencies and simply chat about the weather, sail plans and how many fish caught ( not many so far!) even share the odd joke! Its a virtual help line across the fleet for those who have SSB . We have around 17 boats participating on this leg.Today was a great example of why a net can be useful.Saphire 2 of London had a problem - they needed a replacement impeller for their generator , they asked the net if anyone had any spares? and in the absence of courier services out here even offered to collect ! Those who had generators quickly looked into their spares lists and boxes and offered support, hopefully it will be of help if not this time the next whether its a medical emergency,. read more...

Layla - "That sail" 24 Nov 19

As you might have seen we are staying south, roughly the same direction as the humour on the boat is heading.The new watch system is going well with the sun rise shift voted as the best whilst the one before from 3am to 6am not seeming popular! (It’s dark when you come on… dark when you go off and you might be sleeping when breakfast is served) Fishing attempts have not been that successful – 2 fish snagged by H but lost it before he reeled them in, 1 wooden plank hooked with the loss of the tracer and lure… still we are going 7 1/2 knots and it is quite fast for a fish to hang onto the hook. The flying fish are sympathetic to our cause though and a small one was found on the galley floor this morning… how it made it there we can only imagine.Yesterday we tried to get the furling. read more...

Saoirse - The Saoirse Diaries -11- Morabeza

Cape Verde was a whirlwind, a fantastic, colourful, lively, and heartwarming few days.Mindelo, an unexpectedly pretty city, with some beautifully maintained old colonial buildings took us by surprise.It was edgy, artsy and relaxed.A sort of gritty Afro Caribbean vibe.Wolf and I took a walk around the first day and were struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people.Everyone had time for us.Morabeza, the essence of Cabo Verde culture.The notion that everyone is welcome.We were not hounded by people looking for money or trying to sell us something, and despite the obvious poverty all around us people were smiling.Those great broad smiles that reveal the beauty in a heart.One of my most favourite parts of our stay in the Cabo Verde’s was the gathering by drum.We heard them practicing. read more...

Cadences - Energiemanagment // Energy Management

Die meisten Segler dürften schon von "normalen" Törns wissen, daß Strom an Bord ein heikles Thema ist - und die Batteriekapazität eigentlich immer etwas zu knapp bemessen ist. Wenn man nach ein oder zwei Tagen wieder am Landstrom hängt, ist das kein wirklich großes Problem, aber für zwei bis drei Wochen auf dem Atlantik muß man sich ein paar mehr Gedanken dazu machen. Als ich die "Cadences" vor einem Jahr gekauft habe, dachte ich: "Prima, das Boot hat eine Brennstoffzelle, Problem gelöst". Das hat sich dann schnell als Irrtum herausgestellt ... PROBLEM #01Der Stromverbrauch ist zu hoch ... Nur ein kleiner Auszug aus meiner Verbrauchserfassung zeigt das deutlich. 72 AH Kartenplotter (24h x 3 A)72 AH Sonstige Elektronik (UKW-Funk, GPS, Log/Lot, Beleuchtung: 24h x 3 A)96 Ah Autopilot Furuno. read more...

Salamander - Day 1. We’re off!

Hello Salamander Nation!After some final preparations while on the pontoon, including buttoning down the boat, we’re happy to be off. We took the opportunity to practice some sail maneuvers as a team while waiting for our start time. As it approached, we were in a great position and crossed the line nicely at the gun.  Captain Chris had a sighting of his son who is captaining one of the racing boats, Scarlet Oyster. Chances are we will not see that crew again until we reach St. Lucia.Now underway. It’s quite a sight to see the rest of the fleet under sail.   Everyone is working well together and enjoying our first day as we sail south along the coast of Grand Canary.   Kay and Tim IMG_0126. read more...

Amari - Pics for day 3

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.5e6f02e7-2743-46a4-ad8d-a1fe982334266936649349288811501. read more...

Amari - Day 3: Champagne Sailing and Squiddy Redemption

Today’s weather has been ideal and idyllic. A gentle 16 -19 knots easing in over our stern quarter with very low seas, sunshine warming my pale chicken legs, and sails set on the poles and preventers so my job is simply to enjoy the ride. Nice.As we warmed ourselves on the aft deck in the sun, sharing a glass of white wine, we understood why they call this Champagne sailing. I know, we should all be on dry boats for passage, so I guess what we had was “white not-wine”, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more! The entire moment was made that much sweeter because we had successfully replaced the Tri-Light switch just this morning, through the bathroom ceiling. Somehow, and this remains a complete mystery to me, it happened without either discovering or causing three more problems that couldn’t. read more...

Zan - Settling in nicely

Well after a speedy departure from Cape Verde Zan is now getting into a groove sailing under spinnaker , we are into our 4th day out and 2nd night sailing under the new white sail pulling us along at somewhere between 6 and 8 knots. All are happy on board and well fed- prawn curry from Paul tonight, The Radio net is going well with around15 boats participating ; lots of talk about sail plans and the relative size of our spinnakers but no bragging about fish caught yet.Martin, Paul, Dan and Peter.. read more...

Idefix - day 0: Resting before departure

Saturday 23th, Day minus 1. Everything is supposed to be ready and today was supposed to be a resting day to hangout with friends...In real world: final cleaning, police and Arc clearance, get code0 back from shop, waiting for Sylvie suitcase (lost during flight), adjust code0... doesn't work, will need to go up the mast tomorrow.Get the dingy back in, set up and verify email, talk to family, check out children situation, final food check and pack, etc.Probably the most exhausting day of the last two weeks.It is really time to go!. read more...

Y Knot I - Opening ceremony

Laurence, proudly representing Canada at the opening ceremonyIMG_2423. read more...

Mareas - Important Provisioning Completed

Come and get it! Ready to Share. image0. image1.. read more...

Agua Dulce - Agua Dulce Pre-Departure Day

We are just about as ready as we will ever be. We’ve been cleaning and doing laundry, touching up caulking, lashing the drogue and parachute anchor to the deck, and stowing all loose items. We’ve put new 80lb test line on our fishing rod, and I’m determined we will not be skunked this time across the Atlantic! We’ve received deliveries from the butcher, the produce stall at the market, and the supermarket. We have fruit hanging from nets in the main saloon and have stowed all the provisions. For the next three weeks, instead of going to the market, I’ll just go to the port side cabin lockers to get fresh eggs, milk, snacks - you name it, we’ve probably got it. We’ve reviewed emergency procedures and checked our pfd life jackets to make sure everything is in working order. We’ve planned. read more...

Moin Moin von der Meltemi

Vielleicht interessiert es ja den einen oder die andere. Wir, das sind Beate als Skipperin, Dye als Schassi (Assistent der Schiffsführung), Achim, Holger, Klaus-Dieter, Thomas, der Marcel und Wolfgang als Crew, haben uns zusammengefunden, um in diesem Jahr die SY Meltemi über den Atlantik zu bringen. Mit der ARC 2019.Unser Schiff ist eine Beneteau Oceanis 54, Baujahr 2010, unseres Vereins DHH, Deutscher Hochseesportverband Hansa e. V., in dem wir selbstverständlich alle Mitglied sind (und auch schon bei einigen anderen interessanten Törns dabei waren). Länge knapp 17 m, Breite knapp 5 m, Tiefgang 2,35 m, Motor von Yanmar (neu!), 108 PS.Eigentlich wollten wir ja über die Kapverden in die Karibik segeln. Aber dann kam ein defektes Ruderblatt dazwischen, und wir mußten alle umdisponieren.. read more...

Sam - TheFinalCountdown

Crew all prepared and raring to go...Follow our great adventure here.. read more...

Mabetica - SMS from [email protected]

23.11.2019 - Leg 2/Day 3 - wonderful downwind-sailing since yesterday afternoon - weather is fine and the crew is fine :) Bettina. read more...

Amari - Day 2

Weather weirdness. The temps are warming as we nudge off the African coast and head West. Not sure why it’s bucking the whole north=cold south=warm thing. I’m SO not complaining though, having gone from fuzzy jams and long sleeves to bathing trunks and a Soggy Dollar t-shirt. Where’s my pain killer?!?!The winds are perfect, at 15-18 kts from our stern quarter. We have the ginny poled out to starboard and every inch of our main out to port. This it toally a set-it-and-forget-it sail for the next 1816 miles!Fortunately (sarcasm alert), the dang tri-light on top of the mast, which we turn on at night to make us visible to others so we won’t get plowed over by passing Russian tankers or whatever … no longer works. Great.We’re pretty sure it’s not the bulb, but instead the stupid switch in. read more...

Cadences - Finding the "perfect" sail-Set for sailing in the trade winds?

Sailing in the trade winds - all I knew before, this should be a dreamful and simple experience: Leaving the harbour, putting up two genoas/headsails, one to port and one to starboard. Attach the tiller in the middle of the boat (or: switch on the auto-pilot, tomorrow more about this!) and: relax! Two or three weeks later, after reaching the other side of the atlantic, just get the sails down again. Smile and be happy! For us, this seems to be a bit different. We are still trying to figure out the "best" configuration. A compromise, between relaxing and "active sailing". You want to know a little bit more? First of all, "Cadences" doesn't have a "double forestay" and only one genoa and one spinnaker pole. But we have a cutter rigg, so a second (smaller) headsail for heavier winds. This. read more...

Cadences - Optimale Besegelung im Passatwind?

Segeln im Passatwind - nach allem, was ich vorher gelesen habe, eigentlich ein Traum. Und ganz einfach: Ablegen, zwei Vorsegel hochziehen, jeweils eines nach Backbord und eines nach Steuerbord ausbaumen, die Pinne mittschiffs festlaschen - und zwei oder drei Wochen später die Segel wieder runternehmen, wenn man auf der anderen Seite des Atlantiks angekommen ist. Entspannung pur und nix zu tun für mehrere Tage.Bei uns scheint das irgendwie anders zu laufen, wir sind immer noch am experimentieren. Oder am "aktiven Segeln", je nachdem, welche Sichtweise man bevorzugt. Warum das (zumindest bei uns) nicht ganz so einfach ist? Zum einen hat die "Cadences" kein doppeltes Vorstag und zwei gleich große Vorsegel, so daß diese eigentlich optimale Variante mit zwei gleich großen Vorsegeln schon mal. read more...

Salamander - Pre Departure on Gran Canaria

Hello Salamander Nation,Departure day is fast approaching! Hailing from the U.S., the U.K., and France, our crew is excited to learn about our future home at sea.  We’ve been busy learning about Salamander’s layout, our communication system and the safety measures in place.  The seminars have been excellent and were capped Thursday with a demonstration of a helicopter rescue at sea.    We are getting to know each other while still on land, with crew sundowners, and dinners.  We have also explored beautiful volcanic mountains and the coastline of Gran Canaria. Fittingly, we took time to visit Casa de Colon, where Christopher Columbus once stayed and in whose wake we will soon be following as we cross the Atlantic.  We learned. read more...

Layla - Fleet Sailing :-) 22 Nov 19

The loneliness and simplicity of our leg 1has been replaced with a more interesting environment but one that requires a lot more vigilance. It was great to hear the VHF active and with a few maneuvers around slower boats needed, it kept us all occupied in the small hours.Today after yesterdays hectic turnaround and the excitement of the start and first night we have all realised that we did not get quite enough sleep. We are now settling into the new 4 person rota with the usual "when do I" questions flowing freely.Today we have tested our sail plan, one that can be changed easily even at night.... as I write I can smell dinner being prepared in the galley (with some head scratching over the recipe) and we are looking forward to smooth and relatively quick nightLayla out.. read more...

Zan - Cracking start from Cape Verde

After 5 days of R and R in Mindelo team Zan are back at sea heading for Saint Lucia. We could not have had a better start and led the fleet away from the islands in 20 knots of wind. The Saint Vincent fleet started 30 minutes before us and it wasn’t long before we were overhauling boats. By the following morning we led the multihull division and second boat on the water. We put our good progress down to favourable winds, not bad navigation and the power of a good supper, last night chilli by Peterand tonight Dan’s delicious chicken surprise. Our sail plan is constantly changing but tonight we are sailing under spinnaker at 8 knots heading West. Here’s to a speedy passage.Martin, Paul, Dan and Peter. read more...

Albatros - DAY 0 - Vorfreude !!!

9 Männer, 8 Schüttelbrote, 7kg Hirsch, 6kg Schokolade, 5 Zahnbürsten, 4 Wachgruppen, 3kg Speck, 2 Piloten, eine Frau und unzählige Witze. Albatros ist bereit für die Atlantik-Überquerung. Für Manfred Kerstan (Skipper) ist es die 25. ARC-Teilnahme. 1986 segelte er das erste Mal die Rally und siegte bei 5 Regatten in seiner Klasse. Die Vorfreude ist bei allen riesengross!. read more...