Daily Logs

Renegade - 37:00.51N 09:00.92W

Position update as we rounded Cape St Vincent - dipping the Ensign in memory of Nelson  HPIM2265 [Desktop Resolution]. read more...

Emilija - Landlife in St Lucia

Having arrived in St Lucia in the early hours of thursday morning with some of the bars still open we escaped from the Betty Ford clinic only to crash at the first bend about two hours later,mind you we were going fairly hard at it. The rest of the day was spent getting our land legs back(excuse).One taxidriver when asked about drink driving said "no problem you can drink 15 gallons if you like". The facilities in the marina and the arc and marina staff are exellent with a lovely atmosphere in the bars and resturants. We were boat number 89 to cross the line which we are delighted with considering about 25 were in the racing division mind you when the handicaps and the motoring penalties are applied things will probably change. Still more boats coming in every day and some damage. read more...

Renegade - BBQ on the beach - Bobs final blog

Well here I am at the end of my month and this is my final blog (sob sob). Ive had a brilliant time and could not have asked for a better bunch of shipmates - Tony, Terry and John - are all stars and my view is that we came together and bonded into a great team. I have some fantastic memories (and 400 pics !!) to take home - so thanks to you all. Gail - my replacement as ships doctor, blog reporter and IT expert will do a brilliant job in keeping the boys under control and Im looking forward  to her updates. Now to the BBQ on the beach last night - another superb event (like all the events and organisation provided by the World Cruising Club). Attached are a couple of shots of Carol and Sue "showing them how its done". Adios and Andiamo - Bob the boy PS - Thanks to Terry for treating me. read more...

La Palapa - harder than it looks! 11 dec, 50nm to st lucia

since we got our fish yesterday we where basically complete with our underway checklist and we had a perfect final day at sea.we had been running on empty on fuel all night so first thing in the morning once the sun was up i got to work getting everything out of the lazeretee so i could get our 6 5 gal jerry jugs out.while i worked on this aimee got up and started on breakfast.we had breakfast quesadillas as we where out of eggs but still had some homemade salsa to go with them.after breakfast i got the remainder of the stuff from the lazzeret reorganized and re-stowed.by then it was time to get the fish prepped for the lunch fish taco event.i got the fish breaded and condiments set up and turned the kitchen back over to aimee for her ceviche preparation.the fish tacos where amazing i. read more...

Renegade - The Boy's farewell! & cruising on

So the crew has changed!.....Bob has arrived home as have Carol and Sue; motley crew of desperados have returned to Renegade and under the 'steely eye' of Gail who is setting new standards of tidyness and organistion.... With poetic license from Gail we have the following contributions: Ode to Rally Portugal - The Rally is over and the guys are delighted,to make it here safely, no matter how hard they party'd!They cooked and they cleaned, well I am so amazed,how they lived so close together for 25 days.Tony & John with nice clean chins,Terry and Bob like they rifled the bins!!The wives have arrived, with hope not a fright!to join in the Party on the Final night. Crew Change -The Rally over and Bob departed,we expect he feels so broken hearted!For back to work he must goas his boss. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 2

Andrew and John are still fine and are celebrating the end of the rain. Weather has been wet and misty, but has now begun to clear. We put the first 100 miles behind us at 07:00 UTC this morning; only another 430 to go! We have passed outside the Ushant traffic separation zone 40 miles to the west of the island and 50 miles offshore.At noon UTC we are 48' 35.8"N 06' 10.7WKind regardsAndrew and John. read more...

GUNVØR XL - Log Dec 11th - The Nostalgia of Arrival

The Nostalgia of Arrival It has been one week since our arrival here in St Lucia and only now are we relaxed and into the Caribbean spirit. But we also have a sense of bittersweet nostalgia as our crew has sadly departed. We have witnessed some indifferent or even tense departures of crews from other ARC boats after an obviously unhappy crossing, but on Gunvør, we were all a bit choked up yesterday when the taxi arrived to carry off our Danish crew to the airport. The crossing was tough, we really pushed the boat, hand-steering and ripping our 5 coloured sails several times each – but we were united in our ambition and had so many fantastic and funny moments – the Danes’ healthy sense of the ridiculous and their love of celebrating any sort of milestone. read more...

Adelante - ARC over and out

Liebe Freunde Am frühen Donnerstag morgen, 0323 local time, überquerten wir die quer durch die Rodney Bay liegende Ziellinie. Damit waren wir 17 Tage und 18 Stunden unterwegs gewesen und hatten 2890,2 nautische Meilen zurückgelegt.Giovanni hatte am Vorabend als erster "Land in Sicht !" gemeldet. Es waren die Lichter von Martinique, das knapp nördlich von St.Lucia liegt. Für die Zieldurchfahrt liessen wir zur Dekoration das Grosstuch stehen, aber es war schon die längste Zeit stinkflau gewesen, und wir waren froh, mehr als genug Diesel in separaten Bidons gebunkert zu haben und dem Motor beim gemütlicheln Brummeln zuhören zu können. So 100 Meilen vor dem Ziel waren in der Nacht am Horizont endlich wieder andere Yachten sichtbar geworden. Vorher. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 1

Andrew and John are both well and are getting Stealaway settled downWind is light and boat is heavy = progress is modest.More to followRegards Andrew and John. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 3 Dolphins Sighted !!

Well we have had some major achievements. We have covered more than 240 miles of the 530 miles and have passed the half way mark in distance from Plymouth to the traffic separation lanes off Cap Finisterre.We are at last sailing and have the boat steering a course to the wind using the Hydrovane self steering gear. It took a little experimentation! The wind is still a gentle 10 knots from the west. The forecast is for the wind to go to the northwest and the north.  That wind direction would be excellent.At 10:30 this morning the Oriana passenger liner passed in the opposite direction some 8 miles away. We did not see her as visibility is only some 2 miles! There are lots of ships going between Ushant and Finistere. At times we have 16 ships within a 15 mile radius.We saw dolphins. read more...

Nyda - Day 22: We can smell the rum....

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! LESS THAN 50 MILES TO GO!!!!!!!! The more perceptive of you may have realised we are quite excited as we are nearly there at last! I have to admit that the last 2 days have dragged a bit as the lack of wind has been a big limit on our speed. We've been motoring a lot of the time but still have been getting the sails up whenever possible. We do at least now think we have enough diesel to see us through so we won't be requiring a tug when we get to Rodney Bay. Yesterday was in fact so quiet that even I couldn't think of anything to say and those of you that know me will realise quite how unusual that is. Today however did bring some excitement early on when Graham made one last ditch attempt to catch a tuna: he didn't quite get that but rather the biggest Mahi mahi we. read more...

Jacana of Ardmay - 10/11/12

Hi Everyone,   We have arrived OMG it is so good to be on land. We first sighted land at 16.30 pm with 41 miles to go what an experience, we arrived in St Lucia and crossed the finish line at 11.30 pm. Young Andrew, went a stern and docked the boat what a star, between two ARC boats too no worries. A welcome rum punch, beer with a fruit basket and Champagne we now feel that it is a dream !!! It is 3 am and I am feeling a wee bit weary so sorry the blog reflects that!! Tomorrow we are sorting out the ropes, cleaning the boat inside and out and party party from there on!!!!   Thanks for all your support and have a lovely Christmas and all the best for 2012!!!   Love you all!!!   Team Jacana xxxx  . read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 4

We finally got the forecasted wind shift to the NE just after midnight and got some free sailing. Very busy with shipping in the early hours with 5 vessels at one time to both port and starboard in close proximity, i.e. less than 0.5 miles. The night was cloudy but not foggy.We currently have F5 or in excess of 20 knots of wind. Boat is romping along at in excess of 7 knots.The sun is out although it is still cloudy. The sea state is picking up. We about 100 miles north of Finisterre having covered some 350 miles with 175 miles to finish.We are managing to get weather information and forecasts.The dolphins just came just came back to play.John and Andrew are well if unshaven!Kind Regards From Andrew and John aboard Stealaway. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 5

Hi all from Andrew and Richard on board StealawayBoat is steady at the moment so you may get extra wordsWe have had an eventful 24 hours.  But first I forgot to mention in the last log that we did get the cruising chute out and sailed for 5 hours with it.With the NE wind yesterday we started to get some sailing in. The wind was forecast force 4 to 5 occassional 6.In the afternoon we had the force 5 and by evening force 6. The boat was doing in excess of 8 knots. For the night watch we put the first reef in the mainsail. When the wind speed went over 30 knots and the log recorded a boat speed of 10.8 knots we started to roll in the genoa. The wind then dropped to virtually nothing.The dolphins were around the boat several times yesterday. I could not get a photo but did get a short. read more...

Aniara II - Dec. 11

December 11, 15.00 St.Lucia- & Aniaratime We thank all of you who have folloved our crossing on the ARC-web-page. This is our final contribution to tyhe ARC-site, but if you are curious of our future adventures, visit our own web-page, www.aniara.n.nu I can promise you all some spectacular happenings in the near future. See you there, The Web-editor. read more...

Fri Flyt - 8. desember: Snart framme - eller er det snart over?

Det er bare noen timer igjen til St.Lucia. Jeg sitter på min siste nattevakt og justerer autopiloten med skiftende vind, men nå blåser det i alle fall såpass at vi seiler i 5-6 knop. Det har det ikke gjort på noen dager. Til dels oljeglatt vann i regndis eller måneskinn, og bading i lunket vann på 3000m dyp er også en utrolig Atlanterhavsopplevelse, men det er nå vind seilere helst vil ha. Likevel har vi nydt sommerferiefølelsen og godt selskap, og tatt motoren til hjelp inni mellom. At 6 mennesker har klart seg på under 30 m2 - inkl skapplass, uten rømningsmuligheter i 17 døgn og fortsatt har det utmerket sammen er ikke så verst. Ikke at vi egentlig er så overrasket - vi valgte jo mannskap med. read more...

Blue Chip of Cowes - Blue Chip's passage across Biscay

Day 1. Sunday 30th May. Our plan for the whole passage, but particularly for the start was to avoid breaking anything and avoid any collisions. Three of the crew had never sailed together and never sailed on Blue Chip until this morning. We made a safe but unspectacular start in the middle of the fleet and then headed to the windward side of the boats in front of us, trying to get clear air, which worked well. We had enough breeze to keep the boat going but not enough for her to stretch her legs and open up a lead on our fellow rallyers (It’s not a race!).  The skipper discovered from new crew that bananas were supposed to bring bad luck on a yacht so after our lunch of soup and sandwiches we were forced to eat loads of them that had been baked in the oven with butter and. read more...

Fri Flyt - 11. Desember: Karibiske dager

Det tok litt tid å finne fokus til å få skrevet noe igjen...Etter å ha sett land i ca. 6 timer - delvis fra nederste salingshorn imasta, passerte vi mållinjen i fin stil torsdag 8. desember kl. 20.14 UTCetter 18 døgn, 7 timer og 14 minutter til sjøs. Vinden blåste en sjeldengang her på disse trakter slik at det IKKE var motvind over mållinjen, og vikom dermed i mål med vår hvite og blå genaker og storseil oppe. Fotofirmaetsom har sitt årlige høydepunkt i disse dager hadde fotograf på plass, og hanhevdet å ikke ha sett noen passere mål med genaker de siste 12 årene. "- Youmade my day!",gaulet han over, mens ARC-båten gratulerte oss med "Aspectacular finish" på. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 6

Sorry to be late with the news. We have been busy resting after finishing at 18:36 yesterday.After mooring Stealaway we met up with our Belgium friends, Bob and Linsey on Nova Star for drinks. Then all four of us to dinner at the yacht club that was excellent.All are now gathered in and we are joined by another yacht. The day was hot and very pleasant followed by a sangria reception at the club and dinner in town which is just outside the gates of the club. The setting is really very nice with a beach alongside a fort with a square in front.This morning out came the rectangular frying pan for the fried brunch as it was 10:30 before we even got up. Today has gone in a blur of tidying up and meeting and swapping stories. Hard to believe that we have made it here.Tomorrow we are off to. read more...

Fri Flyt - Atlanteren - Skrevet av Henrik 12 år

Endelig har vi fått vår første storfisk ombord, en whaoo på èn meter og fire kg, to dager før vi kommer i land i Rodney Bay, på St. Lucia og De Caribiske øyer. Turen over hit har vært helt topp! Noe av det morsomeste var at vi lagde en gjettekonkuranse om hvordan turen ble over. Spørsmålene var f.eks: Hvor mange: -fisk-mistede roker-hvalobservasjoner-delfinbesøk osv. Vinneren får kun applaus, men taperen må spandere is på alle de andre. 4 ganger har vi sett hval; Det var ca. 6 spekkhoggere, en ukjent hval, ca 20 long fined pailot whale, men det tøffeste var da en ukjent hval på ca 8 meter lekte seg ved baugen til båten som en delfin i over 2 timer. I alt har vi tapt. read more...

Dignity - Log day 4 - rounding Cape Finnisterre at dawn

After a rough 24 hours on a southerly heading to round the NWAtlantic 'shoulder' of Spain DIGNITY awakes to a gorgeous dawn and calm seas. Another few and we'll be able to celebrate our arrival In Bayonna with the champagne that is already in the chiller! Paul, Jackie, Neil and Susie .............the DIGNITY crew!. read more...

Fri Flyt - ATLANTERHAVET - skrevet av Gerhard 10 år

Nå har vi vert ute i 17 døgn uten å se land, og jeg har fortsatt ikke spydd på hele turen. Nå er vi snart framme, og har bare 133 nm (24 mil)/19 timer igjen. Det har noen ganger vert gørrkjedelig, men jeg greier meg lenge med noen Donald pocketter og en i pad. Det er helt sinnsykt livlig uti her, for vi har sett en spekkhogger som plutselig stakk hodet over vannflaten, og en hval som fulgte etter oss i minst 4 timer og turnet runt båten. Vi trodde nesten at han trodde vi hva morra has. Og på morgenkvisten en gang så vi 20 småhval som heter long-finned pilotwhale. Også har vi selvfølgelig hatt noen par delfinbesøk foran baugen. Og vi har mistet 3 fisker, pluss en en gullmakrell på 1 meter som vi hadde. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 7

It is really day 8 here and I am late but we are in Spain, yes Spain on Rally Portugal! It really will be Portugal soon.Any way it was up bright and early yesterday with only time for cereal for breakfast before it was on the coach and off to Santiago. Unlike many others who walked hundred of kilometers to pilgrimage to the holy place we dozed on the 1.5 hour trip.Well the town has a medieval feel and we got the history from the guide. St James came from Palestine and spent 40 years getting the place going. He popped back hope to Haifa and somebody separated his head from his body. Clearly he had seriously upset a few people. So back he went with his two comrades in a stone boat. Not sure which one carried the body and which the head. Perhaps the drew straws. So lots more over the years. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 1 to 6 - Biscay Crossing

 An Ode to the Rally – Two miserable gits, a comedian and a nutter (aka “Team Portugal”) To Mayflower we went at the end of MayTo commence our crossing of the Bay of Biscay.Mervyn, Amanda and the Rosses times two,The autopilot played its part too.The start dawned fine with wind aplenty,Plymouth Sound and Eddystone Light were soon out of sight, the watch commencedAnd we sailed day and night.......  Many a story there is to be toldAs our journey began to unfold.The success of the water generator and AIS,Sometimes more wind than less and from where, one can only guess! The fishing boats that freaked “Mazda” out,Their use of radar sometimes in doubt!Watching the dolphins antics while dinner we ate,Photos of sunrise and sunset fit for the. read more...

Fri Flyt - 6. Desember: Sjømannskost

Hva lever man av når man skal være 2-3 uker til sjøs, og skal holde 6 til dels sultne folk i kosten? Når man i tillegg må regne med at kjøleskapet har høyst begrenset evne til å holde 4 grader og bare gulper etter frisk luft, og fisken heller ikke biter (eller lar seg hale ombord...) måtte man legge planer som om man hadde verken det ene eller det andre. Boksmaten fra Norge var etterhvert blitt mindre til å stole på - delvis pga rustanløp og medfølgende skroting når de sprakk, og delvis fordi jo varmere det blir, desto mer er boksmat akkurat hva det var ment å være for vår del: Nødproviant for ENKEL tilberedning når forholdene krever rask mat.Vi hadde bl.a med oss. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 8

Last night was drinks aboard Nova Star with Bob & Lincy, the skipper and crew of Aztec Dream followed by prizing giving at the yacht club.We won a prize, not for the position in the sailing but for the blog.John was really pleased with his ashtray and I was given a tart from Santiago.We haven't tried either yet!After the wine and tapas at the prizing giving it was back into town for some food and further fortification. Ross & Ross were on good form having been practicing heavily since our arrival. The more careful gave the Irish bar a miss.Slow day this am with boat cleaning followed by a pm circumnavigation of the castle ramparts and a look at the Pinto that sailed from America. Best if you to Google it as you will no doubt get the whole story.Weather has changed with the wind. read more...

Fri Flyt - 4. Desember: Hval på seilbåtsafari

Det var konklusjonen på hvalens oppførsel etter 3t - den må simpelthen ha forelsket seg i Fri Flyt og opplevd oss som en spennende variasjon i havlivet! Klokka 10 så vi den for første gang gli opp på styrbord side av båten, bare 10 meter unna, midt i kapteinens takketale til mannskapet fordi vi hadde klatret ytterligere 6 plasser på resultatlisten siden dagen før. Den var ca 8 meter lang og slank, grå på oversiden, hvit på undersiden og på styrefinnene og med en relativt liten finne på ryggen. Har ikke en god hvalbok ombord, og er ikke sikre på hvilken art det kan være. Først trodde vi det var en stor hai, for den svømte hele tiden under overflaten, og vi så den ikke. read more...

Fri Flyt - 2. Desember: Tallenes tale

Det er 5000nm fra Averøya til et punkt i Atlanterhavet vi passerte i går i 20-tida - riktignok med en del krinkelkroker underveis. Det er ganske langt, synes vi, rundt regnet 9260 km. Det var Gerhard som fikk æren av å stå til rors da det magiske tallet kom opp. Og nå er det under 1000 nm igjen til St. Lucia av over 2800 da vi begynte. Det har blåst "hatter og høy" de siste 2 døgnene, men med vinden i ryggen og seil som skapt for forholdene har vi hatt det helt upåklagelig ombord. Noe mer krevende å operere i byssa enn vanlig, men siden seilene er formet som en gammeldags drage som står opp-ned fremst på båten, dras vi framover uten av båten krenger noe særlig. En noe vuggende. read more...

Fri Flyt - 28. November: 1.søndag i advent

Trass i manglende kulde og kronisk ukedagforvirring klarte vi å identifisere 1. søndag i advent i går. Den falt sammen med feiringen av at 1. uke til sjøs er gjennomført med stil, og vi feiret med ferske sveler og tenning av adventslys. Stearinlys er det veldig lite av ombord, og det blåser jevnt, så mens Fri Flyt blandakor sang "Nå tenner vi det første lys" så det ljomet utover havet, holdt jeg en lighter brennende i le av den andre hånden. Måtte tennes flere ganger underveis, men det ble adventsstemning god som noen. Bortsett fra at det var helt malplassert på en måte...Hvis resten av turen forløper like smertefritt som denne første uka blir resultatet helt strålende. Det har. read more...

Stealaway - Log Day 9 & 10

Two days in one report today as I have fallen a little behind as a result of our busy schedule.We we sailed from Bayona at 09:30 (local) in the forecast SW wind rain and poor visibility for the 50 miles trip to Povoa de Varzim. Povoa is about 20 miles north of Porto; more on that later.Our leader Andrew from WC had tried hard to convince us that the wind would be NW at the skipper's briefing. But even with his best connections could not obtain the impossible. Anyway the rain stayed with us for most of the day on and off. The wind dropped light 45 minutes after the start and teased us all day by being around 5 knots from the SW, S SE. Lots of fuel consumed by the fleet to get to Povoa in time for the reception.  As the fleet arrived the wind strengthened to F6 and the rain became. read more...

Aztec Dream - Days 13 to 16 - Figueira da Foz

Figueira da Foz, our next taste of land,We have rarely seen so much sand!Like sardines the yachts were packed,Ask ”Manatees”, that’s a fact!Many a story there was to be toldOf fun with spinnakers, halyards and folds! The sardine BBQ we gave a miss,Poor Mervyn’s tummy in a bit of a tizz.Next day a trip to Coimbra the university to explore,The library gold, red and green,The bats amazingly keep it clean.Tales of students at their graduation,Stripped of robes and suits ending in degradation. Then to the medieval fayre, donkeys and syphilitic gummas to see,Much food being sold from small marquees.Lunch Italian we ate,With another Vinho Verde that was great.Moorish Montemor Castle our next stop,Endless panoramic views of the rice fields we got. Dinner at. read more...

Fri Flyt - 30. November: Over halvveis!

Cirka klokka 18 UTC i går passerte vi punktet der vi er halvveis på veien til St. Lucia! Vel og merke hvis vi seiler snorrett resten av tiden... Men vel verdt å feire uansett, og vi syntes det passet å sprette en sprudlende flaske! Med vinden rett i ryggen og seil som er skapt for akkurat det, er muligheten til å seile snorrett bedre enn for de fleste av medseilerne våre. Vinden har blåst friskt og ganske jevnt de siste dagene, og vi raser avgårde i 14-15 km/t. Merker at skuta er tung - vi utnytter vinden dårligere enn vi er vant til, så vi gjør vårt beste for å spise og drikke mest mulig hver dag for å flyte lettere :) De beryktende squallene (avgrensede, kortvarige byger med regn og markant. read more...

Fri Flyt - 27. November: En uke i havet

Nå er natta på hell og det er snart 7 døgn siden startskuddet gikk i Las Palmas. Dagene har gått fort, og vi har kommet inn i en fin rutine. Først og fremst dreier rutinene seg om å stå rorvakt, sove og lage mat/spise. Vi kjører 3 timers rorvakt og så langt har det gått veldig greit. (Første natta hadde vi 2-timers vakter for å "kjøre oss inn", men det blir for mye ut og inn av køya på sikt). 3 timer på 4 voksne gir oss 2 vakter i døgnet, og det er luksus! På dagtid er vi mer eller mindre våkne alle mann, og på natta sitter vi alene. I forgårs var månen tom, så det er temmelig svart på natta. Til å begynne med føles det uvant. read more...

Aztec Dream - Notions of Nazare

On a beautiful day, we surfed all the way to Nazare.Blue was the sky and the waves were rather high! Peniche had no dock, so Nazare was our next stop,Another marina full to bursting, we rafted to ‘Footloose’ after our surfing. We took the vernicular to the top, to sees views that would make your heart stop.A majestic church we visited in the square, with pictures in tiles that were very fair. Walking back through lanes down the hill, it felt very stillBut once on the front no more it lasted, our legs were sand-blasted! Our new crew, Ross and Sue, due to join us the next day,So a cleanup was needed to keep the dirt at bay. Up at 5am we sailed with the fishermen, Oeiras we were heading for,Sailing as the sun came up, who could ask for more!. read more...

Fri Flyt - 26. November: Dolhins under my bed

Det var tittelen på en bok skrevet av en langturseiler, og jeg bestemte meg der og da for å spare den tittelen til en Atlanterhavsblogg. Kunne tatt den i bruk allerede første natta, så historien er allerede 5 dager gammel - dagene går på en merkelig måte veldig sakte i rasende tempo... Jeg hadde sovet et par timer i påvente av den første nattevakta, da jeg bråvåknet kl 23 av at noen gråt - slike lange hikst på innpust som kommer når noen har grått lenge. Jeg sto fort opp og ventet å finne en av guttene i salongen med alvorlig anfall av hav-nerver. Men der var det ingen, i lugarene var det ingen, og gråtingen bare fortsatte i et kvarters tid. read more...

Manatees - Figueira to Nazare..

If the sea had a voice, What would it say?“Shall I be happy, shall I be vicious;Or shall I just be playful today?” If the sea had a mind, What would it think?“Should I blow on that boat;Or just let it sink?” If the sea had some thoughts,What would it know?“Shall I let them all die;Or let them all go?” If the sea had some feeling, What would it sense?“Should I roar like a lion;Or sleep in silence?” But it does have all of those, As we all know so well,It is rude; has a mood;And can play up like Hell. But when it’s on form, It may never offend,A considerate lover,A petulant friend! Barrie. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 20 to 22 - Oeiras Overture

Off to Oeiras we go, poor ‘Stealaway’ needed a tow,‘Pearl Fisher’ and ‘Casamara’ had a go, in this sorrowful tale of woe.All ended well I’m delighted to say, when Lisbon MRCC joined in the fray. The sea was of turquoise and blue, ‘Fire Dragon’ and ‘Serendipity’ were enjoying it too,Discussing lunch and what to eat, what ‘Fire Dragon’ were having sounded a treat.Oeiras a lovely marina they had, for some crew it was time to leave and they felt sad,Sue and Ross joined us....are they mad? Lisbon we visited the next day, only a short train ride away.We got a tad lost and ended up by the motorway.Having got back on track, we found the tram, which started rather packed,Views of Lisbon we enjoyed from the back and tram surfers we did not. read more...

Fri Flyt - 24.November: 4.dag har startet

Vi har nå nettopp ferdig med vår 4.natt på havet. Den første natta lå vi med lite vind og 60-80 båter bak/på siden av oss. Et utrolig syn med alle lanternene spredt over et stort område.  Natt nr 2 hadde vi ca 10 båter innen synlig rekkevidde, mens 3. natta var det enda færre. I natt har vi passert en båt, sett en lastebåt og skimter såvidt en båt fremfor oss. Dette er stor kontrast i forhold til første natta. Morilden lyser opp i kjølvannet, foran baugen, på bølgetoppene, i klosettet og på tauverket. Når delfinene tar en tur omkring oss på natta så ser vi stort sett bare delfin-spøkelser: Store lysende objekter som. read more...

Aztec Dream - FW: Log day Final - No more sardines!!

 The end of the rally is here,We celebrated with yet more wine and beer.To the restaurants of Lagos we did flockTo eat lots, including steak on a hot rock. An excellent final prize-giving and dinner,For the walking quiz we were a winner.Nicks photos entertained us allAs they were projected onto the restaurant wall. The next day and many a sore head to be had,A BBQ we planned to avoid feeling sad.Gordon proved his expertise at cooking And the pontoon seemed to sink as we were looking. And so the day arrived that people and boats started to leave,Thankfully we were given a reprieve.Sue and Ross did stay until SaturdaySo we day sailed and lunched in a bay. Having said farewell,With many stories to tell,We planned our next move,After the Rally it will be tough to. read more...

Fri Flyt - 21. november: Første døgn er unnagjort

Da har det gått 25,5 timer siden starten av ARC2011. Vi hadde en fantastisk fin seilas sydover langsmed Gran Canary, og var en av de båtene som gikk nærmest land hvor aksellerasjonsvindene regjerer. Dette er områder hvor det pga landskapet blir forsterkede vinder, ofte både 2 og 3 ganger så sterk som vinden utenfor disse områdene. Med våre spridde forseil suste vi avgårde i til tider over 13 knop, mens de fleste gikk langt ute fra land og dermed fikk en omvei. Senere på kvelden, langt ute på sørsiden av Gran Canary mistet vi vinden og det gikk vesentlig tregere. I natt har det vært ujevne vinder, og de siste timene nå har vi tydd til motor. Akkurat nå skal vi dra. read more...

Diamonds Are Forever - Blog - Day 21 - 11/12/12 - Mid Ocean Swimming!

Diamonds Blog - Day 21 - 11/12 - Mid Ocean Swimming   Hi all,   Yesterday was our last day in the wind-hole and during the baking heat of a hot and still afternoon, when the final breath of wind had finally disappeared, the crew of diamonds gathered, took down the sails and dived in to the deep blue sparkling ocean.  Over 350 miles from land and in an ocean that was over 5000m deep - I'll let the crew explain how that feels...   Kirsty: "Swimming 350 miles off any shore line suddenly seemed like a daunting prospect, but once the decision was finally made it was definitely worth it.  Very salty, very aware that it was very, VERY deep and, judging by yesterdays minke whale sighting, very aware of the amount and size of the wildlife.  Yet it cooled us. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 7 to 9 - Bayona

Ballad to Bayona In fair Bayona we stayed, visiting Santiago de Compostella filled one of our days.Lola our guide had the boys terrified. Green brolly aloft, she shepherded her flock,Showing us the cathedral magnificent and a market resembling a medieval pagent.Her tales of witches and cheeses and other interesting wheezes,Had us all laughing out loud amongst the pilgrim crowd. Back in Bayona, the crew took on a new persona,Partying until after three, they visited every bar in the city.After everything from beer to grappa, there were a few fracas!Trying to get up the next day, it was clear a few had lost their way.A siesta they needed to recharge, they ceded and to do it all over again. Laundry, refuelling and provisioning were a pleasure under the rays of the sun. And. read more...

Aztec Dream - Log day 10 to 12 - Povoa's Poetry

From Bayona to Povoa de Varzim it did nothing but rain,Cup-a-soup and Ovaltine helped to ease the pain!Dolphins arrived to play with the yacht,Their acrobatics entertained us a lot. The town in sight, fishing pots appeared,Avoiding them essential, for our prop we feared.Prize giving in the yacht club, a chance to dry out.Eat, drink and be merry whislt the guitarist sang and danced about. A trip to Porto where around Taylors wine lodge we ambled,Much knowledge was gained and white port we sampled,A new aperitif was created by adding  tonic, lime and ice,We bought two bottles, which should suffice. A lunch of salted cod and vinho verde,Followed by a trip to the cathedral passed the day.The weather continued grim into the eveningBut in the morning the sun came out which. read more...

Annie - Blog 20

Well, what an eventful 48 hours we've had and what a sense of humour failure I've had! The scene: Thursday 1700. The winds died down and became flukey. Then we hit a squall and thought good this will keep us going. Much merriment as we decide to have our celebratory drink a little early. Then, as the light faded, and I've now learnt that fading light is always the time when if things are going to go wrong, they will, the wind completely died and we were left wallowing around. The sea was oily calm so we thought we would motor on to try to find the wind.. Switched on the engine - nothing. We took it in turns to see if one of us would be lucky. Nothing. Graham then thought as we weren't sailing the hydrovane should be disabled. He found that in a short time of lolloping around it had been. read more...

Porto Santo - Porto Santo10/12

Fizemos 120m nas ultimas 24h,sempre á vela.Vento na casa dos 15n,mar com pouca ondulação.Agora á noite parece que refrescou um pouco,vamos ver se andamos um pouco mais depressa.Fomos ultrapassados por outro barco,com rumo paralelo,que foi detectado no AIS de madrugada,e que agora está 6 m á nossa frente;não houve comunicação.E continuamos,já ultrapassamos metade da distancia até Sta Lucia,tudo bem a bordo.. read more...

Avalon - getting ready for Rally Portugal

Monday 23rd May  Location Office  trying to work ! Looking forward to departing to Plymouth on FridayThink I have everything organised  Looking forward to meeting fellow rallyersFair winds and good sailingJonathan and Jackie. read more...

Libertas - Departure Nieuwpoort Belgium

Today we left Nieuwpoort at 10.15 LT. All crew present and ready for a Westerly 6. See you in Plymouth.Kind regards.Luc. read more...

La Palapa - Fish ho! 10 Dec 200nm to St Lucia

apparently someone else did think the red squid was attractive although the fish did bite a good deal after sunset so its not clear how well he saw our perfect lure.aimee and i where happily below finishing of a plate of meat and cheese and "bang" i heard the shock cord snap.i went on deck and low and behold there was a fish still attached to our line.i had the presence of mind to remove my sarong and grab the one fish glove we still have before i started realling the guy in hand over hand.i yelled for aimee to grab the gaff and as i pulled this nasty looking guy onto the swim step and before i could say anything to aimee she gaffed it right through!ok so thats done i thought.i decided to go with scotts method of tying a line around the tail to gain control of the thing (which was still. read more...

Spindrift of Jersey - ARC Log - Day 21

100 miles to go. No wind and we have been motoring continuously but then at lunchtime today the engine alarm started and we were overheating as the cooling water pump had failed. Exactly the same problem as we suffered in the Med at Messina which is supposed to happen only every 10 years or less!!!**%$! Maybe we have motored the equivalent to 10 years for a normal weekend and annual holiday yacht? After 5 hours of very hard work by the whole crew to try to jury rig a pump from the manual bilge pump without success I looked for a spare domestic water electric pump in the spares box (this wouldn't be able to run for very long but is better than nothing) and, whoops, I found a spare engine water  pump that I had forgotten was there! After 5 hours of fruitless work this was taken in. read more...

Yemanja - Friday 27 May

Friday 27th May.Left Mylor @ 0430 this morning with a NW 5 to 7 with little sea, boat speed 7 to 8.5 knts most of the way. Hope the rest of the sailing will be as good, only warmer!!David Tippett. read more...

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