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06/12/2022

Sabine (118) ARC blog update - 6 Dec 2022

Hello interweb friends, Captain Stape on sail boat Sabine right here (///mogul.extroversion.begins)It was a very bumpy night overnight and I don’t think anyone got any sleep. And we awoke to a very wet morning, with a very wet Kia at the helm. And this is supposed to be the ‘dead zone’. I imagine a scenario where Sabine visits the ‘Weather Store’ before the trip to buy the weather we need for the crossing.‘Can I help you miss?’ Says the weather assistant.‘Can I have the Goldilocks, champagne sailing weather please.’ asks Sabine. ‘Oh, I’m sorry miss, those are all out of stock and on back-order for at least another month.Can I tempt you with some storm weather? We have plenty of those available. ‘Oh no, thank you.Ummmm, just give me a random selection of right wind but choppy, wrong wind. read more...


06/12/2022

Jadamama Blog Day 16 - A Reel or a Merry Dance

A Reel or a Merry Dance?Not much fishing experience for this author, so when the Las Palmas fishing shop was offering a complete rod/reel package it seemed too good to pass up. Add some lures, tracers and other paraphernalia and I expected that the fish would jump into Jadamama almost by themselves!And so it seemed; on our first attempt, two lovely fish were caught, which Maryrose turned them into a delicious fish dinner. Move on a few more days, lighter winds, “better” speed for fishing, and out goes the line again. No fish, but what of it, plenty of time. Then a few days ago, still no fish but lots of weed, and the reel begins to make odd noises, the line slips, can’t wind it in. We notice two screws missing, which must be compromising the internal mechanism, only alternative the. read more...


Jadamama Blog Day 16 - A Reel or a Merry Dance
Jadamama Blog Day 16 - A Reel or a Merry Dance
06/12/2022

Jo - Day 15 - ARC Christmas Song

Melody: Jingle BellsLyrics: Katrin, skipper JOPicture: Peter, skipper JO Dedicated to: Santa Claus (Nikolaus) Date: 6.12.2022Location: SY JO, at sea Live performance by entire crew and video to follow in Saint Lucia...****//: A-R-C, A-R-C, that's the place to be. Sailing safe and having fun far far out at sea.://1. 160 boats, cats and monohulls, gather in one place, excitement daily rolls. Coloured flags and shirts, yellow helps a lot, skippers and their crews, dreadlocks, beards and skirts. //:A-R-C, A-R-C...://2. Alisios, Rolnautic, Accistillage Diffusion, closer Sunday comes, and with it the hectic. Last minute safety checks, deliveries to the boats, briefings, mails and tasks, sleep's only for the cracks. //: A-R-C, A-R-C...://3. Work hard, play hard, they say, sundowners, GT, beers,. read more...


Jo - Day 15 - ARC Christmas Song
Jo - Day 15 - ARC Christmas Song
06/12/2022

Avventura - Log Day 17: Rovesci

Today, we had a fair amount of squalls. Squalls are a weather phenomenon every atlantic cruiser knows (and by now, we know them, too, however without fully understanding them yet). Squalls are tropical rain showers (sometimes heavy rain, gore tex doesn't really stand a chance after maybe half an hour), with changing wind direction and forces (we had up to 6Bf, hence,no too strong). An eventful day so far, that has brought us closer to St Lucia - about 600nm to go (600nm would be the direct route, therefore we'll sail somewhat more). Position at 20:45 UTC (14:30.80N 50:39.84W). read more...


Avventura - Log Day 17: Rovesci
Avventura - Log Day 17: Rovesci
Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Monday 05/12/22 DAY 15
Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Monday 05/12/22 DAY 15
06/12/2022

Betelgeuse - Monday 05/12/22 DAY 15

The day started very overcast and calm with a first and very welcome swim. Will managed to acquire a new bonnet during activities. The wind then picked up unexpectedly and we had a lovely sail in the morning with the spinnaker flying. Richard and Jonnie made a delicious lunch of gnocchi and pesto after which it was decided we would drop the spinnaker. Richard, Pete and I went forward to do the honours but the wind decided to stay with us a little longer so we enjoyed a relaxing half an hr on deck snoozing and having a crack at a bit of a sing song which must have sounded awful as we only knew the words to the first two lines of most songs! The rain arrived mid afternoon and gradually got heavier. Poor Richard got a good soaking whilst helming but at least his oilies had an outing! We. read more...


Betelgeuse - Monday 05/12/22 DAY 15
Betelgeuse - Monday 05/12/22 DAY 15
06/12/2022

Lissy III - Die Flucht vor dem Sturm

Die Flucht vor dem SturmZurzeit werden Wetten abgeschlossen, wann unsere Ankunft in Saint Lucia sein wird. Sie variieren sehr. Die letzten 2 Tage mussten wir einen Südkurs eingeschlagen, da wir im tägl. Wettercheck gesehen hatten, dass ein heftiges Tiefdrucksystem, welches auch zu einem Tropical Sturm wachsen und somit ungemütlich werden könnte, in unserer Nähe war. Wir wollten keinenfalls eine auf die Nase bekommen. Nun sind wir wieder auf Kurs Richtung Saint Lucia bei 250-260 Grad, ca. noch 1200 NM zu segeln. Aktuelle Wetterlage: Schwell, bewölkt, schwül, Wind tw von 8 – 25 Knoten. Wo ist unserer Sommer hin?!Das Steuern mit der Bavaria 51 ist nicht einfach und variiert je nach Windstärke und Kurs sehr. Die Doppelruderanlage gibt zu wenig Druck und dann buechst das Boot aus.Unter. read more...


06/12/2022

Occhi Indaco - Burned freckled bums and broken rudders

After a completely calm day with no winds at all, the night showed itself from a completely different angle. It was actually a lovely night to start with, not as foggy as it had been the night before. We still kept an eye on the radar all the way out to 24 nm for these tricky squalls … oh boy they are tricky. We saw a few spots here and there but nothing to really worry us as they soon dissipated. It got a bit greyish and foggy and a big squall went in front of us and we just had to adjust course a few degrees to avoid it, a little rain and mild breeze passed us. We went on trying to zig and zag our way between the squalls. At one point we thought we were going to thread the needle between two storms but then, of course, they merged together leaving us in the middle. And it was pouring. read more...


06/12/2022

Endeavour III - Day 17

Daily Blog       - one day late!Angling report       Elapsed time 14 hoursRods in use 2Fish count 0Wildlife reportA short visit by 3 dolphins3 small white heron-like birds took a rest on the bimini for while, the photo of them sparking a caption competitionMany Portuguese men of war sailed pastSundry other birdsNo mosquitoesSupply shortage reportOnly decaf tea left - leaving everyone very chilledLast of the icing sugar - no glaze for the fresh sourdough cinnamon rolls (obviously a catastrophe)No more butter - see last item0.0% beer - oh dear…Progress reportA good run of sailing close hauled with the code zero and mainNow motoring with what little wind there is against usFrantic calculations as to how many hours of sailing we yet need to avoid. read more...


06/12/2022

Circe - Fellowship

FellowshipFor you Tolkien fans.One morning last week at 1030 ship’s time, I served what I told the crew was “not lunch but a second breakfast” because, you know, we had turned our clocks back and thanks to Hobbits, such a thing exists!It was then I began to see the symmetry between our journey and the journey of that infamous Hobbit and his pals. To begin with, our crew.Which of the characters in the novels do I see onboard with us? Bernie:our Frodo, not only the reasonfor our journey but as the boat owner, our carrier of the biggest burden.Steve: our Gandalf, with the greatest sailing wisdom of us all, currently working on the gray beard.Barry: our Meri, whose name matches his optimistic disposition and who comes from our same shire. Dave:our Gimli, with a mental acuity as sharp as an. read more...


Circe - Fellowship
Circe - Fellowship
06/12/2022

Skye Blue - reflections over land

So near, yet so far. The trades have not really been much help so far but we have picked up a nice Southerly and have been reaching through the warm Oceanic waters at almost 7 knots. The sun is shining (between the showers and squalls) and the crew are all happy to be sailing again towards St Lucia and land. Stable and unmoving land, a place where you can stand without having to hold on. Land, a place where you can sleep without fear of being rolled out of your bunk and landing on the hard floor. Land, a place where you can stand under a shower of fresh water and use more than 1.5 litres! Land, a place where you can sit at a table and eat a steak with a knife and fork. Land, a place where you can put down your cold beer or cold glass of Sauvignon, or your rum punch, or all three of them. read more...


06/12/2022

Blue Moon - day 15 blog blue moon

Soft fingers in hair signal the call to watch. I clumsily wrestle with damp clothes and a disagreeable buckle, and I’m ready again to leave the heat and sweat of the cabin and venture outside. Greeted with purple and pink, the sky surreal as if on canvas. The sea still calm, but now 8 knots of wind and we are sailing once more towards our goal. The morning rituals pass quickly, the routines now habit, and soon the rest of the crew appears. One by one they shuffle through the galley insearch of caffeine and nourishment. A quick count and now fresh fruit is rationed, one piece per day. But no one minds, the day is glorious and smiles abound.The call goes out and it‘s all hands on deck. 11 knots of wind and time to wrestle the monster from his cave once more. But no snarling this time, now. read more...


Salamander - Fredrik and Clive in the deck saloon
Salamander - Fredrik and Clive in the deck saloon
Salamander - Deck Shoes and Reading Material
Salamander - Deck Shoes and Reading Material
06/12/2022

Lothlorien - Tag 17 auf See - Wir sind unter 500 Seemeilen zum Ziel

Wir haben doch noch mehr Wind als wir in den Wettermodellen vor einigen Tagen für heute prognostiziert bekommen hatten. Anstelle eines schönen Passatwinds aus Nordost bis Ost haben wir gerade Südwind. Dieser soll sogar über Südwest nach West drehen. Und nach Westen wollen wir ... Daher genießen wir die schnelle Fahrt, die wir gerade machen und hoffen, dass wir nicht zu sehr gegen die Winde ankreuzen müssen. Für das Ende der Woche soll es dann zunächst Nordwestwind geben. Damit könnten wir wieder St. Lucia direkt anpeilen.Mit einigem Glück sollten wir über das Wochenende ankommen.Die 'Racer' unter den Teilnehmern sind schon teilweise angekommen. Der erste hat es in 11 Tagen und 12 Stunden geschafft. Davon können wir nur träumen. ;-). read more...


06/12/2022

Salamander - Evening Meals

On Salamander we are eating like kings! You've heard how we start the day and what we do for lunch. Now let me share a typical evening meal.Our evening meal is something that's going to get us through the night. It's served at or shortly after 6pm boat time which is UTC. Strangely as we've moved further west this has become a sort of late lunchtime but it's much easier for the watch system and for keeping sane to keep everything on a single time zone for the whole trip.This meal is going to last us for 12 hours so it's important that it ticks all the boxes, and that's exactly what it does.Sue spent ages preparing and freezing loads of meals ready to add a few extra veggies or pulses along with rice, pasta, couscous and noodles.Meals like Moroccan Lamb Tagine, Venison Casserole, Pork with. read more...


06/12/2022

Salamander - Moonlight Mermaid Wave Mail

Communications in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is not exactly first world! We do have limited communication facilities and our YB Connect doesn't always play ball, well not for me at least as my credit card failed to register so I have no means of communicating other than using my fellow crew's credits on their phones.In its place I've devised Moonlight Mermaid Wave Mail. This came about following a discussion with Desi on board Solis, when she and Peter invited me on board for a cup of tea.The idea is to write a letter to family, friends & loved ones both present and departed and post it on the waves. I'm in my happy place here so what a perfect way to share the love.Watching the paper float away on the waves in the moonlight is pretty special, ready for the mermaids to take it. read more...


06/12/2022

Bluewater Mooney - 06.12.2022

Guten Morgen!Gestern am späten Nachmittag und heute Nacht gab es immer wieder Ansätze von Wind - ion der Nähe von Squalls bis zu 15 kn -, wobei wir versucht haben, diese bestmöglich auszunutzen.Das heißt jetzt - Groß und Genua auf am Wind- bis halber Wind Kursen.!Das wird sich voraussichtlich auch nicht mehr ändern.Wir haben noch 248 nm zurück zu legen. (06.12.2022 - 10:31 UTC)Seit über 24 Stunden segeln neben uns, im AIS angezeigt,die Neptuno sowie die Endevadour III.Beide offenkundig damit bemüht, jede Windphase unter Segeln auszunutzen.Derzeit messen wir uns mit der VAHINE, die deutlich nördlicher von uns segelt.Daher vielleicht ein paar Worte zur VAHINE:Bei der VAHINE handelt es sich um eine Nautor Swan 65, seinerzeitdas non plus Ultra einer Regattayacht mit. read more...


Bluewater Mooney - 06.12.2022
Bluewater Mooney - 06.12.2022
06/12/2022

Katy - Monday 5/12 Day 15 - Some wind but very light

We now have a bit of wind today but not really more than 6 knots so still slow progress. We have the parasailor up which gets the best out of the wind but still slow, around 3 knots. We lost one of the lines overboard which go stuck round the prop but it wasn't turning so was not all snarled up. Larry once more plunged in to the deep cool Atlantic waters to resume his role as shark bait. He very quickly retrieved the line and we got going once more. We still have a lot of south in our course as we need to get to the 12s and ultimately our medium term goal is still 12N 40W. Larry also fixed the fishing reel so fishing can once more resume. So far the tally is just 2 Mahi Mahis of which one went back and we ate the other.. read more...


05/12/2022

Lomvi - Day 18 - The end...

Dear floating devices,We have reached our final destination, Grenada. Arrived this morning at 7.30 to a wonderful reception from the other Norwegian boats (benefit of being slow, and nice people).Today, we are trying to comprehend what a crazy achievement this is! It has been a dream for many years, and now we are here!! We would like to extend our eternal gratitude for your patience and excitement when reading our blog. Our journey have now been formed multiple times through your imagination, which makes everything more great!This also mean that our pen friendship over the satellite has come to an end. If you like what you have exposed your eyes to here, feel free to follow our Instagram: team7steps. More of this jibberish there, including photos of people in the sun. May your future. read more...


05/12/2022

Mairmade - Day #16 - Bonus Day

Today's 24-hour distance travelled at 1pm was an unremarkable 139nm, our second lowest for the trip!But what made today feel like a bonus is that shortly after that 1pm reading we finally got just enough wind for Chloe to play, and with the wind direction being about perfect to maximize our boat speed in a direct line to St. Lucia, Chloe played all day!The wind was a light 6-8 knots most of the day, but we were still able to achieve 6-7knots SOG.Normally we wouldn't fly Chloe at night, but we just didn't have the heart to take her back inside, so we let her play as we enjoyed the sunset on the bow.... And then we let her play some more 🤣. Finally she got to rest for the night at around 11pm UTC, and we're back on our main and jib for the night watches.Fingers crossed for a better. read more...


Mairmade - Day #16 - Bonus Day
Mairmade - Day #16 - Bonus Day
05/12/2022

Sunbeat VI - Day 16 - the sun shines on the righteous

Progress was better today than we had anticipated, since winds were stronger than forecast. This helped to make up for 3 heavy squalls last night, which involved lots of wind from all sorts of directions and lots of rain. The worst thing about these squalls is that, after they have passed, the wind dies completely for 1 - 2 hours before it builds again.Over the last 24 hours, due to the varied conditions, the full wardrobe of 6 sails has been put to good use. Including the code zero, which was used for the first time today, as the wind moved round to the south.Steve has officially hung up his fishing boots, on the basis that sustainable fishing wasn’t very interesting. Having trailed 2 lines for over 2500 miles, we have not caught a single fish. We have, however, caught lots and lots of. read more...


05/12/2022

Jo - Tag 15 - SeaLab Meeresforscher für Ambiente Europeo

Ambiente Europeo (AE) ist eine spanische Non-Profit Organisation, die sich den maritimen Umweltschutz zur Aufgabe gemacht hat. Großangelegte Strandsäuberungen, die Sammlung von Meeresplastik, die Unterstützung von Projekten zur ökologischen und ökonomischen Wiederverwertung des Mülls und die Teilnahme an wissenschaftlichen Studien sind einige Schwerpunkte von Ambiente Europeo. Organisiert werden die Aktivitäten von mehreren spanischen, meist in Küstennähe gelegenen, Standorten. Für die Kanaren zuständig ist das Segelteam von AE mit Sitz in Puerto de Tazacorte (La Palma), das koordiniert wird von Luise Wagner. Luise haben wir bereits während unseres Aufenthalts in Gran Canaria über eine gute Freundin kennen (und lieben) gelernt und waren direkt Feuer und Flamme, als sie uns von der. read more...


Jo - Tag 15 - SeaLab Meeresforscher für Ambiente Europeo
Jo - Tag 15 - SeaLab Meeresforscher für Ambiente Europeo
05/12/2022

Sabine - sabine (118) ARC daily blog update - 5 Dec 2022

Hello interweb friends, Captain Stape on sail boat Sabine right here (///nuzzle.scribbler.brat)During the night watch Richard tells me there was almost, but not quite, enough wind to sail without the assistance of the motor. Almost…The wind was teasing us: it increases, we speed up, we lift the motor to sail, it decreases again and the motor is lowered again, but unlike the wind, the motor is reliable and quiet. It’s only when Maria is turned on that there’s drama and noise, at 2am! It’s Monday: Happy Birthday Richard! His ‘One in a Minion’ birthday card from his partner Emily is proudly on display in the saloon. Kia asks if he likes the Minions, whilst suggesting that Richard looks like one! Personally, they’re too yellow. They should have been red, like me as that’s a splendid colour.. read more...


05/12/2022

Navasana - Day 16 We have a new crew member!

We picked up a new crew member today. She flew down and would not leave. We spent many hours shooing her away and then she perched on our iridium satellite antenna and she knew she had us. Right now that is our most valuable piece of equipment and if she picks at the wires we are done for. No more blog updates for you :-) So we have resigned ourselves to her presence and hope she signs up for a watch and doesn’t poo everywhere. Lots of squalls today luckily with not much wind increase. Hopefully will be done with them tomorrow and we get back to blue skies, sunny weather and continuing “find the wind”.More on sailingnavasana.com. read more...


05/12/2022

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 15 - Advent, Advent, die Sonne brennt

Die Nacht vor dem 2. Advent steht im Zeichen der Suche nach dem Wind. Der Himmel ist sternenklar - die Wachen halten vergeblich Ausschau nach Wolken, die das ersehnte Gut bringen könnten. Aber nichts - still ruht der große Teich.Die große SchaukeleiWir treiben im weiten Atlantik, das Großssegel ist geborgen. Das ständige Schlagen geht auf‘s Material - und das brauchen wir noch, wenn der Wind wieder einsetzt. Die CHARISMA schaukelt in der Atlantikdünung durch die Nacht. Und dann, in den frühen Morgenstunden - wie kann es anders sein - findet Gerd den Wind. Großsegel setzen und los! Mit 2 kn Fahrt über Grund schleichen wir in die Morgendämmerung.Das große TuchDer Wind stabilisiert sich am Morgen und wir setzen den großen blauen Leichtwind-Spi. Unter 222 qm Segelfläche (180 qm Spi, 42 qm. read more...


05/12/2022

Avventura - Log Day 16: "Capitano, o mio capitano" - Riflessioni delle donne di bordo

In the sailing sport, women arestill underrepresented. Even at the ARC's skippers' meeting on November19th the female presence was remarkably low.   Is women's way of sailing different frommen's? Probably not - but we can explain what sailingfeels like to us.   Since we met, at the young age of 12-13 years,sailing has always meant condivision, shared decision making, confrontationabout doubts and insecurities. Problems have always been solved together. Butover all ... condivision doubles all the joy!!!   There still is no greater feeling than surfingwhile reaching with the Kite (Gennaker) and singing out loud 'parabailar la bamba...!!!' together     Ale e Ju     Position at 21:25 UTC (14:43.84N48:33.79W)  . read more...


Avventura - Log Day 16: "Capitano, o mio capitano" - Riflessioni delle donne di bordo
Avventura - Log Day 16:
Avventura - Log Day 16: "Capitano, o mio capitano" - Riflessioni delle donne di bordo
Avventura - Log Day 16:
05/12/2022

Occhi Indaco - Big Squal and Burning diesel

It’s just past midnight and we have been sailing for 12 whole days now. We have finally reached calm seas, but maybe a little too calm. We have had to put on the engine and have been motoring for the last 6 hours. The forecast does not really give us any hope that it will change any time soon. We are heading a little south to see if we can find any sailable wind. We really hope this will be our only night of motoring. The engine has kept our crew awake with its rumbling. Yesterday evening it was a bit windy. Crew was on deck - one playing the guitar and having to secure the music with laundry pegs. Throughout the evening we were ahead of Skye blue but alas, they passed us and we ran into terrible squalls. A double whammy. Right around 22:00 we registered on the radar 3 fronts that seemed. read more...


05/12/2022

Oceano - Log Day 16 - Dixit charms and exit fears

Our favorite game on board is Dixit. I am not a paid fan of it, it is my genuine opinion that this board game ( pun intended ) is perfect to play while sailing. It consists of a set of cards - images depicting certain emotions, states, actions, archetypes, personas through surreal imagery, dream-like logic, fairytale visual narrative. They look like taken from a dream, from a myth. Winged horses in the forest, open cages with butterflies coming out, dead trees holding flowers, spirals, open crests, bejeweled jungles, starry skies, monsters and angels. They bring to mind magical realism, paintings of Salvador Dali, psychoanalysis, childhood. Playing it flexes the imagination.  How does it work exactly? Each participant receives five cards. One person has to come up with a. read more...


05/12/2022

Jadamama - Blog day 15

Alas, our strategy of following a deep southerly route to stay in pressure, died late Sunday afternoon, with the dwindling wind.The forecast outlook has us motor sailing most or all of the way to St Lucia, and at 13.10 with 620 miles to go we reluctantly turned on the engine.With an ETA of Friday the mood on board is more relaxed.2 fishing lines are out, but no joy so farAnother game of scrabble has commenced with Maryrose attempting 3 wins in a rowAll thinking about the 3 items to present at dinner on Thursday reflective of our experiences on the trip namely a picture, model and a haiku.Cheers,Marc. read more...


05/12/2022

Bluewater Mooney 04.12.2022

Warum Segel ich eine Hallberg Rassy, warum eine 54érIch muss es vorweg sagen, aber Ihr werdet es sofort bemerken:Ich bin ein totaler Fan von dem Gesamtkonzept meines Schiffs, und damit von einer Hallberg Rassy. Alles stimmt.Ich würde dieses Schiff jederzeit wieder kaufen. Trotz Baujahr 2008 habe ich nichts auszusetzen.Warum Hallberg Rassy? Als ich 2006 auf der Suche nach einem neuen Schiff war, hatte ich hinsichtlich der Werft keine Festlegung.Absolute Hochseetüchtigkeit mit höchster Qualität beimstatischen Konzept und Qualität beim Ausbau.Alles hat meine 54 er.Allerdings gibt es beim Kauf einer Yacht mit Weltumseglungstauglichkeit weitere Auswahlkriterien. Denn: Wer darüber hinaus Extremsegelei möchte, sollte eine Stahl- bzw Aluminiumyacht in Erwägung ziehen, um auch extreme. read more...


05/12/2022

Betelgeuse - Sunday 04/12/22 DAY 14

Looking around; the horizon is a perfect circle with us bang in the centre. Obvious, yes, but there are no rollers or white horses, the sea is calm and sky overcast. Difficult to grasp that we are still miles from land in the Atlantic Ocean. It feels as if we could be anywhere, except it is December and the sea is 29 degrees C and air must be 36 at least. The cabin is roasting and we’re melting.Spirits remain high and we are beginning to dare dreaming of our destination St.Lucia. I think a Betelgeuse rum cocktail needs inventing, along with a Bellatrix, Sirius, Polaris etc.The crew is slowly going mad, currently Claire, Richard and Pete are fully life jacketed up and attached on the foredeck, awaiting orders to drop the spinny, whilst singing ‘we are sailing’ at full volume. Ear plugs. read more...


Betelgeuse - Sunday 04/12/22 DAY 14
Betelgeuse - Sunday 04/12/22 DAY 14
05/12/2022

Skye Blue - Skye Blue Christmas Cheer

Well as you will know doubt be aware the festive seasonis upon us - well it is here! The saloon on Skye Blue has taken on the guise ofSanta's grotto!   It is now  time to put such trivia as 'no wind tofinish the ARC' behind you and concentrate on more pressing issues such aswhat theme you are considering for your Christmas tree this year. You canrest in peace. All such troubles are now behind you thanks to the craftskills of the crew of Skye Blue.   After considerable coaching from the Danish contingent -well not Baldrick - the crew's well hidden craft skills were coaxed to thesurface (well somewhere near the surface in a number of cases) to produce aselection of tree decorations for your delectation and delight! (See attachedphoto) These remarkable products. read more...


05/12/2022

Lothlorien - Tag 16 auf See - der Nikolaus war da

Wir haben zwar erst den 5.12. aber da in den Niederlanden Sinta Klaas am 5. gefeiert wird, hat uns schon heute Felix mit einer roten Mütze und Süßigkeiten überrascht. Wir wollten uns direkt auf diese stürzen, aber der Nikolaus aus dem Norden ist die tropischen Temperaturen nicht gewöhnt. So haben wir die Schokolade nicht gegessen, sondern zuerst in den Kühlschrank getan.Wir haben erstaunlich viel Wind im Augenblick. 3 bis 4 Beaufort ist mehr als wir zu hoffen gewagt haben. So konnten wir auch durch die Nacht segeln. Wir haben uns vorgenommen, jeden Tag um Mitternacht mindestens 100 Seemeilen auf das Ziel zu schaffen. Diesen Punkt haben wir heute wahrscheinlich schon um 18:00 Uhr erreicht. Das freut auch die Dieselreserve, die nicht angefasst werden muss.. read more...


Games Maker 2 - ARC Weather Forecast
Games Maker 2 - ARC Weather Forecast
05/12/2022

Disa - Nothing... Nada... Zero... Zilch

Zero wind - Mother Nature’s sting in the tail at the end of our Atlantic crossing.Having sailed two thousand nautical miles, and with only two hundred to go, the ocean has turned as calm as a mill pond.There is not a breath of wind to fill our sails and we’re bobbing along on a glassy sea.Sailors of long ago would have had to ration their food and water and pray for wind.Fortunately for us, our 1988 Perkins engine is a real beauty!Thanks to Henri Amel’s foresight, our fuel tank holds eight hundred and twenty litres of diesel.If the wind doesn’t return, we can chug along all the way to Grenada.We’ll be taking our time - our engine is an old lady and if we treat her kindly she purrs her gratitude.With a bit of luck we’ll arrive just before the cut-off time tomorrow.Meanwhile, there is no. read more...


05/12/2022

Joanna - Blog update - a lull in the wind

Seeing the sea state change so quickly is mesmerising. One minute it's a big swell with waves; the next it's glassy and something more recognisable from Mediterranean summer coastal waters.We hit a lull in the wind (what happened to the predictable trade winds!?) with speeds reaching a lofty 6 knots if we were lucky. The first two weeks was excellent sailing but the coming days looked to be very challenging. Within our sail arsenal, we have a parasail which works very well in light winds but even this struggles with such light winds.It's been a bit of a waiting game for more wind / making some progress under motor but it's also been an opportunity to try out some sea-based activities, some we'd recommend, others maybe not!Take a swim - the lack of wind makes you constantly hot and it's. read more...


Oceano - Log Day 15 - Calm - 550 nM to Caribbean
Oceano - Log Day 15 - Calm - 550 nM to Caribbean
05/12/2022

Circe - The Big Off

The Big OffOne of the things I love about this crew is the camaraderie that has given birth to humorous turns of phrases and nicknames. I learned of one this morning.We are a crew of 5 but one of the conditions of my coming aboard was that I wouldn’t be required to sit a watch. So I was only on the fringe of discussions about the watch schedule. The crew decided on 3 hour watches.Last November, Dave and Bernie crewed on s/v Lorena from Hampton to Antigua in the Salty Dawg Rally. Bernie had photographed the watch schedule put out by their captain.Apparently this schedule, based on four crew with three hour watches, is arranged such that every 5 days you get an 18 hour break. They both liked it enough that we adopted the schedule on Circe. It was Dave that coined the phrase“The Big Off” to. read more...