Daily Logs

Jubilate Mare - Hooray!

Having paid a large sum for express delivery, our new cc finally got here yesterday - taking 10 days 😡!Never mind, better late than never and nothing like a bit of extra pressure for departure day. B🐝image0image1. read more...

Suffisant - Day 1 - 22.11.2020

Starting day. It is still quiet in the marina, but soon, there will be some movements for sure. Water has to be refilled, the weather report has to be checked, food has to be prepared and last checks have to be done.We are quiet and happy.Starttag. Noch ist es in der Marina ruhig, aber bald, da wird Bewegung reinkommen. Wasser muss nachgefüllt, der Wetterreport muss eingeholt, das Essen muss vorbereitet und die letzten checks muessen erledigt sein. Wir freuen uns.. read more...

Blown Away - Sailing Blown Away - Preperations in Las Palmas

http://blog.mailasail.com/blownaway/posts/2020/11/22/4-preperations-in-las-palmas. read more...

Kaizen - One sleep to go

Our fridge, freezer and cupboards are now well and truly full of food. We just need to fill up with emergency water and then we are ready to go. We leave at 1pm (local time) tomorrow. After years of planning, we are finally here. Amazing. The excitement isbuilding!!!. read more...

Khelios - Khelios

Vivez une transatlantique en course à la voile avec un équipage et son skipper L'équipage de KHELIOS postera son journal de bord ici sur le blog dédié de la course ARCA suivre dès le 22 novembre, jour du départ de l'ARC depuis LAS PALMAS de Gran Canarie !Nicolas BOIDEVÉZISkipper de Khelios . read more...

Kaizen - Let’s do this! Only TWO days to go.

We are the Chung family and we are SUPER excited about passing our COVID test today because it opens our way to Saint Lucia. With only “two sleeps” remaining until we set sail, the adventure is becoming a reality - fast. Excitedly eager to get going and yetteeny bit anxious!!. read more...

Jubilate Mare - Friday Evening. Celebrating Covid Clearance

We often refer to CCC as Coffee Cuddle & Crossword. But today it’s Covid Clearance Celebration. The whole crew got negative tests, so we can go. St Lucia here we come! We also had heard that alcohol hand-washing should be continued. So we shall take regular G&T precautions as a close second anti-viral measure.Early weather forecasts are indicating a classic trade-wind run. Touch wood. We don’t want to upset the wood fairies.The new cruising chute arrived today. BUT no thanks to DHL. They were 100% useless. So first hoist tomorrow.. read more...

For Tuna - Log 1 - Day 4

Hello Sailors,For Tuna is well on route and the wind and waves were good to us - the 2nd night was rough and rolly but the crew recovered soon after as we caught 3 mahi mahi - it all started with a 2.5 meter swordfish though, we saw it following the lures for a few minutes and the fins came out (not sure if it was a shark i initially;) after we release one lure towards the fish it bit, jumped a few times and after a few minutes of fighting managed to release itself...as we had fresh pizza dough in the making we prepared some tasty mahi mahi pizza and still have enough left for another meal:)All are well and our new Rolly Tasker Sails are superb - we manage to fly 5 knots with 4-5 knots of wind and the gennaker was already hoisted twice - a huge success for our first gennaker sail. read more...

Jubilate Mare - Zzzzzz

Sorry Chris - your weather talk was too intense for Robert! image0. read more...

Jubilate Mare - Weather

Crew can be seen enjoying Chris Tibbs’ very informative webinar on the weather. Pete, our trusty captain, is sporting sticky tabs having taken a tip from yesterday’s shop assistant. He is finishing off, final tweaks, to the V berth lee cloths. Oh, and good news our cc is now on the island. 😡 But still not with us! B🐝image0. read more...

Jubilate Mare - Testing and shopping!

Crew had their Covid tests today so 🤞 that we get the all clear tomorrow. We had a jolly trip to SuperDino yesterday, so whatever the outcome we won’t be going hungry. The girl who checked us out was helpful, fast and efficient - she’d obviously done it before! She stuck the prepared tags on her clothing and then was able to label the crates quickly with a minimum of fuss.image1image2. read more...

Jubilate Mare - ?? MASKS!

I’m looking forward to setting sail and not having to put a mask on! After all these weeks, you’d think we’d never leave the boat without one - well, you’d be wrong! I’ve hung one at the cockpit exit, as an aide memoir - and STILL we forget!!image2. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 6

Finally Friday! But Friday the 13th... We heard another boat calling on us and asking for Dan´s advice on a motor problem and on the VHF they could check that it must be something wrong with the propeller. At daylight, they could dive and see that the propeller was missing. Lost in the ocean. Luckily there is wind enough, but it is really scary to think about how lost you are far out on the sea with thousands of miles under you and as many miles to the next harbour. On the other hand it is good to get the experience, what to do in such a situation and how important it is to have spare parts on board. Today we tried the genacker, just as a practice and then continued with the parasail. The waves are long and gentle and it is warm both day and night. The water temperature is 24.5. 12. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 5

600 NM so far! Further than we have sailed in a row so far. We could hoist the Parasail and sail with a speed of 6knots. The menu of the day was a meal which we call; Finnisch elch meeting French cuisine. Very delicious Elchmeatballs made in a mediterrainean way with dry tomatoes and a lemon cremolata. It was delicious! It is true that more chefs on a boat brings variation to the kitchen. Thanks Ulf. The wind was not so creative this day and we had motor for some hours. But we keep the spirits up and make some music instead. Nilla plays the flute and Ulf the guitar. A boat far out on the Atlantic is the best stage one can have. It's in time and grand at the same time. And the waves contributing as an amazing surround system is perfect. Nilla. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 3

The winds grew stronger after midnight and in the dark night our jibstick broke. All four of us were quickly awake and we secured the stick and the genoafock. We continued to sail with our reeved main in force 8. The silvery waves were quite high and at least Nilla got a bit queasy. However,at noon we could celebrate that we had reached and crossed the Tropic of cancer. We are amazed, having come so far.It was also a sad day, as we got the message that a dear friend and sailor at home had died. Looking out over the vast Atlantic, the never ending waves and the sound of them crushing against the hull was comforting. Nilla. read more...

Cloudy Bay - Day 6: day of highlights

Last night was as predicted, a night on engine. Not entertaining at all! However, when daylight came we found out the boat had been invaded by little green bugs. They were literally everywhere, crawling all over the place. So, all day we were plucking Cloudy Bay, like monkeys plucking fleas! (Highlight 1)At 10 this morning after amazing pancakes we were able to raise the genaker again and we have been sailing since, whoop whoop :D (Highlight 2)After lunch while throwing some bugs overboard, I saw a shade in the water behind the boat. On first thought, maybe a dolphin, seal, shark... but it moved different from all of them. NOO, it is a Marlin!!! It must have been about two meters long and just swimming slowly along with us until it disappeared at the back. (Highlight 3)Later on this. read more...

Tohuwabohu - Day 5 Mythical creatures

Day 5 - Mythical creatures of the deepI forgot to mention in day 4s blog about creatures of the sea, during one of the more dramatic moments on board the boat so far I feel that it’s appropriate to let any of the readers (other than Simone who has editors approval rights) know about .I have mentioned that the skipper likes to test sail options throughout the day to find the best combination for the wind angle, apparent wind and speed.During yesterdays check with a double poled out code 0 and genoa, I was requested to go back to my cabin and collect a spray tin of WD 40 as the extension system on the pole had become stiff. I carried out the request and found the spray can “under my bed” (this appears to be the place where items that don’t have an actual home live in the stern cabin) as I. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 2

All night Ydalir sailed with a good speed and the wind was steady so we kept the parasail up overnight. The first 24 hours we made 161 NM. The first night at sea again was a condition we had to get used to again, the whirling water the noises of the shackles. it was not easy to sleep and relax. Those three who had the watch was neverthelss lucky to see the bright stars shining through the parasail. The morning light came a quarter to seven. We kept a good speed, but at noon the wind grew stronger, over. read more...

Cloudy Bay - Day 4 and 5: more sailing

Up until now we had a great sail! Mostly goose wing configuration (jib on one side and the main sail on the other side) and this morning we raised the genaker for almost the whole day before the wind dropped to 4 knots. So, for now we are going by engine...Two days of nice weather, wind and sun, have passed by and got us closer to Mindelo. Along the way we had ice cream, home-made pizza and burgers AND bucket showers, we all smell nice and fresh. Life is good! We saw many flying fish and Kristian even got attacked by one during the night hitting the deck, poor fish!We are surrounded by other ARC+ boats again on the plotter but can’t really see them on the horizon. It’s nice to hear everyone checking in on each other on the radio or just having a little chat about the weather forecast,. read more...

Tohuwabohu - Day 4 -still about technology

Day 4 And so to continue on our theme of tech We had a fairly uneventful night, the wind dropped and so did the power level, the auto pilot and fridges are the most expensive users of vital power on board, with this in mind it was nice to be able to stop the auto pilot and its groaning, and hand steer to allow the now repaired and working hydro generator to do its thing !We mad a bit of ground overnight and completed 116 nm which was good as we had little wind.This morning was the same rota, 8 am for a nice brioche roll with fresh fruit and cheese, some natural yogurt followed with a nice warm coffee.Breakfast has been prepared every morning by Simone who does a fantastic job at keeping the skipper and co crew fed and watered.In fact, with out her I don’t know that we would continue.We. read more...

Tohuwabohu - Day 3 Houston we have a problem

Technology and scienceare powerful tools, I find it amazing that I can call home using a satellite phone to check on how my family and loved ones are, I can find out what the latest dealings and issues are indomestic and international politics, I received word on potential break throughs on COVID advancement. Amazing.Following yesterday’s antics with batteries and retaining charge the hydro generator was used and produced enough energy to top the batteries to 100%.This is great new for the team as it means we can produce fresh water, which in turn means showers. As we settled down having made distance records with the boat and feeling rather smug, Holger proclaimed deck showers were in order for the early evening. I jumped at the opportunity to be first. With all preparations made for. read more...

Cloudy Bay - Day 3: Still going strong!

Still sailing, and how?! Last 24 hours have gone by fast, with an average speed of 7+ knots. Surfing on some big waves where we even touched the 10+ knots quite a few times. And to top it of, I think we are gonna make it a tradition to have delicious dinners with the most beautiful sunsets in the background.Last night was a dark and cold but clear night with bright stars and a lot of bioluminescence in the water. It is so cool to watch the glitter and little explosions of light behind the boat. Of course the one and only cargo ship around decides to have a close CPA with us to keep us sharp. Just two bright white lights and one green to show its presence.The whole day we could see other ARC+ boats around us at the horizon, but during the night we lost sight and we are sailing “alone”. read more...

Weyve - Tuesday 10th November

24:47.365 N  018:27.909WGlad to say that the repairs to the whisker pole fitting track have held up today though we have only been using the headsails half reefed which means that with an unusable main sail ( the repair lashings are preventing us hoisting the sail ) and reefed headsails we are only making slow progress .  It looks like we will have to motor some of the time to make the finish deadline which is a shame but needs must. The good side of going slowly is that we have seen  a huge tuna leaping out of the water alongside us , a turtle ambling along in the opposite direction and, just a few minutes ago ,a school of dolphins playing in our bow wave (little bow wave !). It’s been a beautiful day and batteries nearly fully charged though a big round of. read more...

Tohuwabohu - Day 2 - Where did everybody go !

We have all started to settle down and get into the routine of being at sea, although I think it’s fair to say that the sea will decide what routine you’re allowed to have.We have had some big waves overnight and this morning which means that we didn’t sleep as well as we initially thought.The way that Holger is running the watch keeping is easier on the body with 3 hours duty watch, this effectively gives us 6 hours rest, administrative time, sunbathing, whilst constantly looking for the elusive dolphins. We breakfast as a crew at 8am and try to take one hot meal a day interspersed with fruits, potatoes and oats. We decided that this allowed us time to catch up and talk about our days ahead.We hit our first issue of being unable to use the available solar energy to keep the batteries. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 2 Ydalir II

The first night, Ydalir sailed fast forward and we kept the parasail up over night. For the crew on watch, it was a treat to enjoy the stars shining bright, even through the thin sail cloth. To sleep was somewhat harder. The water passed the bow with gurgeling sounds and the shackles klonked now and then. After 24 hours we had sailed 161 NM. At noon though, the wind kept on rising and when it grew over force 7 we quickly had to take in the parasail. Our Viking hero sailors, Dan and Ulf went on deck and with all his strength and weight, Dan pulled the snuffer over the parasail. Then we hoisted the main and genuafock. At the same time we could gybe and correct our course a little. While changing the sails, a turtle passed by just a meter from the boat, but it was busy floating further. At. read more...

Cloudy Bay - Day 1+2 Ready? Set? Sail!

When do you know if you’re ready for an Atlantic Crossing? Is it after stocking every empty corner of your boat with food and water? Is it after watching every YouTube “how-to” video? Is it after buying the best equipment, training your crew and downloading weather forecasts? I guess you just have to toss the lines and head for the starting line. And we did... as the first boat to leave the ARC-pontoon, we cruised off 1.5 hours before the rally. We tacked back and forth a couple of times to make sure everything worked. We discussed racing strategies and prepared the gennaker on the foredeck.But nerves had arrived on Cloudy Bay and about 10 minutes before the start we were trying to hoist the gennaker with the code-zero halyard. It only took us 3 times lowering and raising again before we. read more...

Tohuwabohu - The adventure starts

The adventure starts.........This will be the first of many things that team Tohuwabohu are trying over the next few days and weeks. But for now a few introductions, the 3 person team on the Parker 33.5 is made up of husband and wife duo Holger and Simone.The couple live in North East Germany and own a beef farm which produces some of the Continents best steaks. They are joined by Dave from the Uk who has recently become a commercial yacht master and works as a freelance charter skipper on the South coast. The team met on ARC Portugal 2019 and forged a friendship across all boundaries including sailing, language and Rioja.In the weeks leading up to the ARC plus, there was huge uncertainty if the team could make it to Gran Canaria, however fortune smiled on us and we managed to meet on. read more...

Ydalir II - Log Day 1

We are finally on the way! Years, months and weeks of preparation has passed and the excitement grew day by day as the starting date came closer. Yesterday's firework display was a magnificient farewell to the planning stage and the smooth start with tender winds this morning was a beautiful beginning of the rally. We decided to start safe with the main and genua and as soon as we got on a safe distance from the anchoring tankers, we hoisted the parasail. It was amazingly beautiful to see and be surrounded by all sails from the other 23 ARC plus 2020 boats. The metamorphosis from all boats being tied to the pontoon and now sailing free on the horizon like butterflies in a summer gaden was breathtaking. Our sunshine parasail is now carrying us safely across the calm ocean. Nilla. read more...

Rivercafe - blog Rivercafe

One more week to goAs expected time flies in Las Palmas. There are only two important things to do on board before leaving on Nov11. A leaking window has to be replaced and the water maker should then start its service. Everything else was done last week. The Rivercafe is fueled up and almost ready to go.We have even stashed most of the provisions. Our Minister of Pleasure and Happy Life – Ka – will write separately about provisioning. It is unbelievable how much food 5 people need for three weeks. It feels that our vessel lies half a meter lower in the water.A productive week also included an invitation from OCC Port Officer Agustin to his house in the south of the island. Three crews from Ireland, Sweden and Luxembourg met corona-compliant for a BBQ and an entertaining afternoon. If it. read more...

Jubilate Mare - Getting closer

Really not long now before the off - well 🤞 that we can go! Meanwhile daily chores continue so I’ve had a jolly washing day. image0. read more...