Daily Logs

Glamorous Galah - Up the mast

We have fitted most of the equipment we will need for our ocean passages. Here is David, up the mast fitting our back up navigation lights and anchor lights. Jeff from cay electronics, the local raymarine dealer here in Road Town BVI, has been helpful.Not long after this photo was taken we had a big rain cloud descend but dave worked on through it. "I actually started getting cold for the first time here in the caribbean!" he said. We are now waiting for a new fridge unit to be fitted which is the last of our major works.. read more...

Cleone - ARRIVAL

Cleone Arrived in Hiva Oa at 0225 GMT Will Streatfeild was waiting for us on the Harbour Wall! All well and VERY happy to be here! James, Chris, Elizabeth & Will Yacht CleoneHiva OaMarquesasFrench Polynesia. read more...

A Lady - " A LADY TRIP " Sailing around the World, and avoiding the doom and gloom in Europe and Home

SATURDAY  29th MAY 2010      ( presently at sea between Rarotongaand Nuie,)   05.30hrs Total distance .............................. 585 miles Distancetravelled.........................   245 miles Distanceremaining.......................   319 miles   Position.......................................20.22 S      164. 22 W Wind  .........................................20  /  22 knots Sea state, ...................................good Weather.......................................good SOG.............................................7.5knots   09.00hrs  We have 3 flying fish on deck, wehavent had many of these for a while, meanwhile, the fishing line isstill flat. read more...

Lexington - Caribbean 1500

Dear Friends and Family,Today is Monday 14th, we are now into our fourth/fifth day of our travels. The Lexington has kept us at a speed of 5.9 knots. We are now at 29.49 latitude and 70.37 longitude .The first three nights we had winds of 20 knots which made it perfect for our Gulf Stream passage. We left Thursday by 2:00 PM and by Friday morning we were entering the Gulf Stream. We were greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming in and out of the water. The waves were perhaps 20 feet high for about 11 hours, fun! . The mainsail and jib were adjusted constantly to make sure we utilize our wind to the maximum capacity. The weaves and the current indicated us that we had finished crossing the Gulf Stream by 6PM.Saturday was a day to repair and replace a few things damage during the GS crossing.. read more...

BRIZO - St. Lucia Bound

Lew and his crew departed set sail yesterday from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, bound for Saint Lucia, in the 26th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).  I remained at home to wrap up the work/home/school details before we all depart in January.   Wishing them the best of luck and a Happy Thanksgiving at sea!   Corinne BRIZO                                                                             . read more...

Cleone - Leg 4 Day 20 - Nearly There

It's been hard going, but we are nearly there! It seems odd, but light-weather sailing is harder work (in many ways) than heavier-weather sailing.  Sailing in a decent breeze, you put up a judicious amount of sail - taking account of the wind-stregth and sea-state - set your course, trim your sails and, all being well and you are not having to tack up-wind, away you go.  But light-weather sailing requires much more careful sail selection and trim, and much more concentration from the helmsman and sheet trimmers too.  It's been like that since night-fall.  And because the wind won't fill the sails properly, and the ship slops around in the seas instead of cutting through them or rising over them, everything bangs and rattles and shakes and creaks.  We have had to fight for every mile. . read more...

Crazy Horse - May 29

Today we spent a good part of the day waiting for the canoes to arrive fromNew Zealand. Matt, Bill,Maggie, Bob, and me all sat waiting at the lagoonfor the boats to sail through the pass. They were late and we just gave up.The Prime Minister from New Zealand was here and all the confusion wasamazing for one little island road.Earlier Matt and I went to the Cultural Market which they have every Sat.am. It was like a harvest festival with dancers, music, drums, food, andcrafts made by all the people from the island. There was lots of homemadefoods and fresh fruits and veggies. They were selling so many of theirhomemade pareos, purses, jewelry, and quilts.We ended up at the Aro'a Beach Restaurant and Bar for dinner andentertainment. Joe, Judy, Jerrod were there from Brown-eyed Girl, the. read more...

Lady Kay - Marquesas

HiWe are due into Hiva Oa this afternoon, all being well. No sight of land yet. In many ways the time has passed incredibly quickly, although night watches with no stars have been long. We feel a real sense of achievement having done (or almost done) the passage. There is a three and a half hour difference between the Marquesas and the Galapagos. We have noticed the time change as we have gone along, and have altered our meal times in line with the sun, rather than our watches, which for ARC purposes are still on Galapagos time. Last night the stars were fabulous before the moon rose, and the sea was quite flat which aids star watching. It has been good to learn many of the unfamiliar southern constellations. My new favourite is Scorpius, which is a wonderfully shaped large. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 99 - Safely out of Suwarrow

28 May 2010The wind blew all night and I was restless in sleep. At 7am there was a lull and we all prepared to leave. But one by one three of the other boats had difficulty getting their anchors up with chain wrapped around coral.. First Tucanon had a spot of bother, then Liza who were well and truly stuck, finally it was Ciao's turn. Tucanon got free first and they set off only to return to assist Liza. Dick donned diving gear to help. Without his help I doubt they would have been able to get free. Finally everyone was on their way with Voyageur first through the pass. It was now 9am and the wind was back up to 20knots. The pilot says that you should not attempt the pass in anything but a calm sea. It was anything but a calm sea! The easterly wind met the outgoing current making our. read more...

Samsara - All of new new rigging is installed

We had a few snafus with eye bolts vs T fittings and a discrepancy in the way the forestay and staysail stay were measured but finally the new rigging is complete. Now it's time for the new sails! We still have a number of electronic items to install and the new name (with the renaming ceremony of course) but things are moving along. We're planning to pull out on Friday for Ft. Lauderdale where we'll finish preparations. Can't wait to actually go sailing!. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Road Town out fitting

We are currently staying at Yvonne Remington's Humminngbird House, while we fit a few things to GG. Our radar arch arrived yesterday and, weather permitting, we will fit it today. She will be hauled overnight Tuesday for grounding plate fitting and we will apply some prop speed to our feathering propellor. The prop works well and should assist us to stay up with the fleet. Next week we'll fit the SSB radio, AIS, solar panels and wind generator. Then Dave and I will spend some time cruising the BVI waiting until co-owner Bernie arrives. We have met another couple of Aussies, Doug & Adam, who intend to sail Eva Louise, a Leopard 47, back to Oz about the same time as the rally. I will update more when we are on the water. TedTed Bainbridge. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

Friday, 28th May 2010 (Presently at sea, between Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, and Nuie)  Crew  :-  Stephen Hyde, Skipper              John   Chesbrough total distance to Nuie....585 n.mileswind  E  ......................18 / 20 knotsSea state.....................Moderate / roughWeather.......................beautiful  / high pressure, full moon and no clouds.Distance travelled ........60 nmDistance remaining.......525 nm 02.00hrs Sitting here on the transome watching the moon drizziling down the mast like champaigne down thr side of a flute. magic. We are scooting along westwards at 7 knots, and with the full moon, its almost like daytime. The Islands from. read more...

Graptolite - Nearing the Marquesas

09:52.56W 135:05.10S 0300 Sat 29th March 200 miles from Hiva OaWe fiddled around a bit with the batteries today. Suspecting one or both of the domestics are not in good shape as we always seem to have the generator on. Could be they were damaged in the Aruba meltdown. They are supposed to last 15 years and will be impossible to get out of their locker as they had to be jumped on to make them fit.The sky was particularly good for stars this evening. We are fairly sure we recognise the Southern Cross although groups of four stars are not exactly rare hereabouts. Heike was excited to see a light on the horizon but it turned out to be just another star. Reminded me of the time Lori and I nearly took evasive action from the moonrise off Morocco.Colin has had the pointy bits of a few hooks. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 98 - Last sunset in Suwarrow

26 May 2010For our last day here we walked round the other half of Anchorage Island. Around every corner there was something new to see and we now understand why it is a nature reserve. Walking through the shallows on the reef, dozens of baby black tipped reef sharks came darting in to investigate when we agitated the surface of the water. My, they can swim fast! Rock pools were teeming with white eels, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, bright orange coloured crabs and purple rock lobster. We came across the two tamanu trees that the islanders tied themselves to when the 1942 hurricane swamped the lagoon with five metre waves, still there, still standing. With enormous bases and roots that looked immensely strong, it was no wonder that these two magnificent specimens saved their lives. Ciao. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Via Inmarsat

Test BVI email from sat phone, prep coming along well awaiting some install of electronics and radar arch all good.Please note your reply is limited to 160 characters.Sent via Inmarsat. The mobile satellite company. read more...

Ideal - Tuna!

We caught our second fish this morning. A beautiful Yellow Fin Tuna!Sashimi for lunch, seared tuna for dinner.There are some good things about still being at sea...155 miles to go and beautiful flat seas (unfortunately the winds dropped off too with the waves(10 knots)... you can't have everything).. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Trafalgar day, Jim, HM and RBVIYC

Here is my father in law Jim, being interviewed on Aussie TV during HM Queen visit to Melbourne on his 92nd birthday near Trafalgar day. We dined at the Royal BVI Yacht Club today and they still had some decorations up from their celebrations. Part of the impetus for this adventure was watching Jessica Watson returning to Australia live on Jim's TV. . read more...

Crazy Horse - Rarotonga

Today Dreamcatcher, Ronja, and Jeannius left for Niue. We bid them farewell at 7:30am. We enjoyed our time here with them.Yesterday Stephan and John left on A Lady for Niue also. Donal was not able to go and is nursing his injuries after an accident on his scooter. He looks a lot better but is not able to travel on the boat according to his MD. We are planning on visiting Donal tomorrow at his land location here in Rarotonga.It has been and exciting stay here since they did an interview with Jim Geddes and photo shoot of all the boats here in the harbor from the World ARC. Everyone on the island seems to know who we are when we travel round.Today Maggie and I circumnavigated the entire island in 1 hour. Before we knew it we had arrived where we started. There are some lovely lagoons and. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - log

Went for a drink on 'Into The Blue', where Ed showed us the picture of the DIY diarrhoea kit they had emailed to us (which we had failed to retrieve). The kit was a stethoscope, a hammer a 4 wooden plugs! Then off then to a hotel for dinner, where we met Peter from Asolare. A good night and a little recovery time was needed the next day!clip_image002. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Loneliness of the long distance sailor

Here's Dave getting a run in on the Road Town BVI sports stadium. We're staying at Yvonne's Hummingbird House, while Glamorous Galah gets some electronics and other works done. Yesterday we managed a surf at Carrot Bay, followed by refreshments at Bombas!photo. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

THURSDAY  27th MAY 2010 (Presently in Rarotonga )  08.00hrs  A bright beautifull morning in Rarotonga,  we cleaned up the boat after the mess the army of kids made last night, but they were great, and we all enjoyed the day and evening on " A Lady" S. read the emails from lots of well wishers , all enquiring about " Fats " and how he is doing. S. tried in vain to get a seat on the Daily Helicopter sight seeing tour.  booked up again,  These guys are busy, busy. So , S. got on the scooter and motored up the mountain to the Hospital to see how " Fats" is doing, and will he be returning to the ship today! On arrival, there was your man sitting in the hallway reading a news paper, and whats more, he looked much better. The colour on his. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Quasar V Log

Friday 28th MarchTHE GRAND TOURWent across this spectacular island with Pifa O'Connor as our driver and guide.Pifa (second name Robert) and about 100 of his relatives are descended from needless to say a gentleman from Ireland! A very personable young man, who had been to college in Hawaii and spoke perfect English, he drove us expertly on mainly dirt track roads sometimes with shear drops either side amid some amazingly rugged coastline and mountains! JB thought it was the most beautiful island she had  ever been to!The drive across the Island took over one and a half hours and inevitably at a restaurant, belonging to one of his cousins, we had a lunch of pork, goat and raw fish not to mention bananas cooked in the ground, various coconut dishes and bread-fruit. Not really my taste and. read more...

Lady Kay - Smell of land

Hi.We almost have the smell of land now, and have seen more birds and some dolphins. Michael also caught two good sized tuna in a row (just as we were having supper of course). Wind has dropped so we are having to motor sail some of the time, but it also means that the sea is calmer. All being well we should get in late tomorrow afternoon.Run out of pictures out here, hopefully tomorrow we may have one of land, so have sent one of Lonesome George instead. He has three lady friends of a closely related species with him in his large enclosure, but apparently shows little interest in them.All the bestJackie, Kerry & MichaelIMG_0385. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

Wednesday, 26th May 2010   (presently in Raratonga, Cook Islands, South Pacific)  06.30hrs Up bright and early. Skipper got into the blog and emails, emails from Marilyn, Donals sisters, Sarah, Aileen, all sending best wishes for Donal (Fats) who is still in Hospital. 08.30hrs We got a top up in Diesel, 198 L. and we are full again. Our next leg is to Niue tomorrow, a distance of 585 miles. We worked out that if we leave here tomorrow night at 20.00hrs, we should arrive in Niue at 08.00hrs on monday next morning, and leave Niue on Tuesday night at 18.00hrs we should arrive in Vava'u on thursday next at 12.00hrs. Aileen and Margaret how are due in Vava'u at 16.00hrs that day. All going well. That's the plan.  09.30hrs Skipper and Rory Quirke took. read more...

Matilda - Parasailor

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Crazy Horse - May 26

We now have 7 boats here from the Arc at Rarotonga. It is a warm and friendly location. We have been challenged with getting off and on the boat due to the bouncy seas. But we have been enjoying the island, meeting the locals, and tasting the local foods. There are lots of good shops to reprovision and wonderful beaches and sand. Who knew this little gem of an island was out here in the Pacific? They have an airport and a large plane which has international flights. This could just be an alternate to some of the expensive vacations we have been used to expecting in French Polynesia. It might just be worth checking on anyway.We probably will be staying here til the weekend. We hope to make a trip around the island. Some folks are taking a plane ride to survey the island. Other folks have. read more...

Samsara - Preparations Continue - still much to do!

We did a complete bottom job, boat is back in the water. Some of the new rigging has arrived so we have to prepare that before the mast is stepped next Monday. New radar, instruments, SSB are here and ready to install.   We have just moved onto the boat and are busy unpacking and organizing. The "to do" list is very long and we intend to pull out in two weeks to head for Ft. Lauderdale before heading south to St. Lucia.I joked with Lee when we bought the boat that we would be pulling out making a beeline for the starting line - it's not quite that bad (yet!) but we aren't going to have as much time to adapt to the cruising life as we'd hoped.....   Samantha and Sarah love that we're living on the boat now. We're also getting back into the. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 97 - Treasure Island!

25 May 2010I couldn't wait to get ashore to explore and in a small clearing among a coconut grove we found Tom's house, in front of which was a statue carved out of stone in his memory. It was of course very dilapidated having suffered from a quarter century of storms but low and behold there was a book swap in the very first room we entered. Amongst the general detritus that time and neglect bring to a place there was evidence of many artefacts and gave an insight into how he must have lived. Batteries to run a radio transmitter, a list of radio schedules and frequencies, but sadly we could not find the log book we had read about. The verandah of the caretakers house built 2001 was festooned with a colourful display of courtesy flags from all around the world. Ciao and ourselves added. read more...

Cleone - Leg 4 Day 19 - But We're Still Out Here

There are still a dozen or so yachts who have not yet reached Hiva Oa. And Cleone is one of them.  We are all feeling quite tired.  This is a time when we need to have our wits around us - the wind has gone light, which is frustrating, it is dead aft of us, which is slow and potentially dangerous, and there is the prospect of a night-time arrival into what is probably a crowded anchorage in Hiva Oa.  We have also been beset with problems of breaking spinnaker gear and chafe, resulting in the loss of a snap-shackle, lots of cutting rope and re-whipping, and (believe it or not) a certain amount of bad language.  But on the other hand, the weather is warm and sunny, and we are in close company with Lady Kay, which is very pleasant and is forcing us to think carefully about our sail-plan and. read more...

Glamorous Galah - One way ticket

Here's Dave at Melbourne airport. Along with Ted they have a one way ticket to Road Town, Tortola - BVI, via NZ and LA. We managed to get our luggage of surfboards, spinnakers and assorted gear checked in without too much excess. It's been a busy week of good byes and packing. Leaving the family and friends is never easy. Caribbean here we come!  . read more...

Glamorous Galah

Satellite phone test and sutures. This is a test run for our sat phone from Australia. Today Bernie and Ted had a lesson with Dr Flanagan administering nylon sutures into a leg of pork!. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

TUESDAY 25th May 2010 (presently in Rarotonga, The Cook Islands, South Pacific,)  07.00hrs   Another cloudy Morning, and we still have that big swell charging into the small harbour, even though there is only 21knots of wind. The trouble with the swell is it makes getting on and off the boat very difficult, however, no one has fallen yet. We have the boat on long stern lines, which are tied to the Quay walls, so we have to use the rib for going ashore. All the boats are in the same situation.09.30hrs  John and Skipper hopped up on the scooters and took off up to the Hospital to see how poor old " Fats" is doing.!  has he survived ? When we arrived , the neck support and all the bandages had been removed. Oh my God !  He looked positivly afull, all. read more...

Graptolite - 2644 Miles Out

09:19.26S 132:38.34W Thursday PMLife has developed into a routine of breakfast, siesta, lunch, siesta, dinner, siesta, nightwatch, sleep, breakfast. Obviously, in reality it's a bit more complicated than that. But not much.You could insert catch fish and talk on radio, before lunch and have showers and sundowners before dinner and you might get some idea of the hecticsocial whirl of our existence. It's more tiring than you might think.All this is preamble to me saying nothing much has happened today.Bikini of the day - green string with butterflies. M. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - nearly there

Wednesday 26th MarchNEARLY THERE!Not much happening today! The Marquesan courtesy flag is hoisted in preparation for our arrival tomorrow!clip_image002. read more...

Glamorous Galah - First aid freakiness!

Bernie and I attended a course run by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria on the weekend. Incredibly, we sat next to Jeff Young who has his 36ft yacht Sea Falke in the Caribbean. He intends to sail her back to Australia in January after cruising more of the beautiful islands of the West Indies.Ted Bainbridge. read more...

Destiny - An awful night

25.5.2010Wir hatten einen gemütlichen Pfingstmontag und kamen mit ausgebaumter Genuamit 20 kn Wind aus Ost gut voran. Als der Wind um die Mittagszeit auf 18kn nachließ, setzten wir. unser Paradestück:, den Spinnaker. Abends warenwir noch ca. 24 Stunden vom Ziel Niue entfernt; der Wind hatte sich weiterreduziert auf 13 kn ONO. So ging es in die Nacht. Die Wettervorhersagehatte zwar Gewitter und in Gewitternähe Starkwind angesagt, aber dieVorhersage hatte schon die ganzen letzten Tage nicht zugetroffen. SeitKachelmann nicht mehr verfügbar ist, ist auch auf das Wetter kein Verlaßmehr. Nach der üblichen Wacheinteilung ging die Mannschaft schlafen; dieerste Wache übernahm Wolfgang.Bei mäßigem Wind zeigte sich vor uns ein spektakuläres Wetterleuchten, dassich gegen 21:30 Uhr rasant nähert. Ein. read more...

Crazy Horse - May 25

Crazy Horse just arrived at Raratonga today at 4pm. We were warmly greeted by other World ARCers. We had to med moor in some wild wind and weather. Thanks to Charles from Dreamcatcher and Stian from Ronja we tied up safely. It could have been very ugly without their help. Ronja is here along with Dreamcatcher, Brown-Eyed Girl, Jeannius, and A Lady. Ocean Jasper should be arriving early tomorrow am.Everyone has commented on how this is such a warm and friendly island. Prices are much better here than in French Polynesia. We are joining the others at a local restaurant for dinner tonight. Since we haven't been off the boat yet today I will write more about this island tomorrow. We may stay here a couple of days until the weather improves. There are lots of confused seas now and. read more...

Glamorous Galah - Preparations

It's down to the wire for Dave and Ted as they make final preparations to join GG in the BVI. A one way ticket has been booked on Air NZ for each. We are weighing up our gear, and starting our good byes. Bernie has scored a couple of spinnakers, thanks to Rimmo, so, as the smallest mono hull, we are hoping to well and truly stay up with the fleet. Our 3 bladed Autostream feathering prop should also assist!Ted Bainbridge. read more...

Asolare - in the Marquesas

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }Friday 28th March 2008 Over half the yachts have now arrived in Hiva Oa and there have been some great parties! Two nights ago everybody that had come in, went to a hill top restaurant for a superb meal and entertainment. Today’s photo was taken at the restaurant and is a local dancer in traditional dress and movements to match! There are very unfortunately three yachts still in the Galapagos awaiting spare parts all “stuck” in Ecuador in customs! The parts have been delayed there up to three weeks and one of the owners is flying today to Ecuador “to start World War III”. This is a totally unacceptable situation and the peeked capped customs officials with gold braid applet’s, need to be told very firmly that they are doing. read more...

Glamorous Galah - About us

Glamorous Galah is a US made 2005 Berret-Racoupeau designed Beneteau 393 sloop, owned by Bernie O’Hanlon and Ted Bainbridge from the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, Australia. She has a fully battened main with three reefing points and a self-furling jib. On the World ARC Rally we will carry a spare main and jib, asymmetrical and symmetrical spinnakers. Powered with a 56hp Yanmar diesel, we have fitted an Aussie made Seahawk Autostream self-feathering propeller. Instruments are Raymarine. She carries 150 litres of fuel and 500 litres of fresh water. Her fin keel draws 1.9m with a beam of 3.96m and LOA 11.94m. She has three cabins entering on to the main saloon with navigation station to port and galley to starboard. She carries four surfboards, a 3m RIB and 9.9hp 4. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the world

MONDAY  24th  MAY  2010    ( Presently in Rarotonga, The Cook Islands, South Pacific.) 07.00  Cloudy Morning with lots of Cocks crowing in the background. We took some photo's of the damaged toe rail and paintwork on the starboard side caused by the French men in Raiatae as they left the dock on their way to the start of the practice race. Laurent needs the photo's for the Insurance co. so we emailed them to him. Laurent, our yacht agent in Tahiti, was terrific, he really looked after us and the boat and seemed available at all times ,nights, weekends, holidays,  etc,, excellent! On the other hand, Arnaud in NautiSport was the exact opposite, He actually went on his annual leave for the couple of weeks that the World ARC fleet were in. read more...

Whitbread - It's a bit wobbly.

Had a close encounter with a non-WARC sailing boat this morning a German sail boat that passed within a few boat lengths, not sure they looked to be heading to the Marquesas though. It was a bit of a worry that the VHF transmission was so broken up when we could have literally shouted across to them, so either his set or ours needs a look at - put it on the list. Ah yes, the list. A few items that need attention which continues to grow and expand as if it has taken on a life all of its own. Think we are going to be busy in the Marquesas.The other thing that happened on the sunrise watch, which is the most amazing time of day as the darkness fades away, the sun pops up behind you and all those menacing looking clouds reveal themselves as fluffy white ones, was a murder. In fact it was. read more...

Lady Kay - 18th day at sea! Cleone picture

Day 18 of the leg and boredom has pretty much kicked in! Great news is that Michael has fixed the generator and so can make water. The GPS is giving us an ETA of the 29th and less than 300 miles to go which was duly celebrated with a beer at lunch time!We finally spotted another boat last night and today crossed paths with Cleone (photo attached), James on Cleone put up the spinnaker in an attempt to pass us but with some furious sail triming we are currently holding our own (just!).Our boat will have done 15,000 nm later today. Another reason to celebrate maybe.Kerry, Jackie and MichaelIMG_0603_1_1. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 96 - Drookit!

24 May 2010In Scots speak it means soaked to the skin and we fitted the bill perfectly. A humdinger of a rain squall heralded the beginning of our last night at sea. The sky went black. It was like a curtain being drawn across a stage. Unfortunately for us we were the actors, not the audience! Visibility was reduced to a few yards. The surface of the sea was flattened as the heavens opened and rain like "stair rods" hit the surrounding water like gunshot. I had to reach for my rain jacket a rare occurrence on this boat. Voyageur had fully poled out genoa and mizzen and for half an hour we before it reaching speeds up to 9knots though not in the right direction.Desert Island Risks! We entered the pass just before high water. Ciao and Asolare were already at anchor and Thor V1 arrived. read more...

Andante of Mersey - Dorado

We have 283 miles to go and should be in Saturday lunch time. Life goes on in the routine of b'fast, reading, doing the roll call of positions on the SSB radio, doing the emails, reading, lunch, catching up with sleep from doing the night watches, reading, listening to music, happy hour, evening meal and then setting the sails for the night watches. We usually reef a little as the wind often increases at night.We had a particularly bad Bank holiday Monday. We attempted to gybe on to std and work back North. The yellow uphaul got wrapped around the top genoa swivel so that it had only allowed part of the sail to come out. The pole would not come down because of the friction around the sail. I eventually managed to throw a rope over the pole to get to a position where Matt could reach the. read more...

Crazy Horse - May 24

Yesterday the wind piped up and we had some good sailing in the afternoon and through the night. Just took the sails down as they were making a racket and doing not much good. Winds in this part of the Pacific are flooky and come from all angles. Just when you think things are humming along the wind changes direction or just dies off. Now we are motoring and will probably do that throughout the night. No signs of any other boats out here. Hoping to get into Raratonga tomorrow. Bill does talk with Jim on Ocean Jasper inthe am and pm on the SSB. There are lots of clouds out here. Then the sun pokes through again. We will be passing by three small islands before we reach Raratonga.Rosemary, Bill and Matt. read more...

A Lady - Sailing around the World

 SUNDAY    23 rd   May  2010     (  Presently in Rarotonga, The Cook Islands, South Pacific )  It is a cloudy morning and no one on board was in any rush to get up . Then Fats decided to do a cooked breakfast, a very rare thing on this boat, as skipper does not approve, basically, cooked breakfast's stink the boat for a long time after. so, generally not allowed. We went to the church and listened to Sunday singing. absolutly the best choir singing you would ever hear. Lift the souls. We then did a little scouting around on foot, before hireing scooters at lunch time, Then, like three little boys, we reved up and vanished in different directions to explore this lovely looking Island,  As mentioned. read more...

Graptolite - Life is a Minestrone

It's amazing what golden oldies people have buried in their iPods. 10CC is playing as I write.The skipper (me) gave one of his masterclasses this evening over cocktails and nibbles. This one was on the subject of knot-tying. My party-piece is tying a one-handed bowline and a true anecdote about me, bowlines and the Duke of Edinburgh. (Another time gentle readers if you have not already heard it).Colin was mainly interested in knots used for terminal tackle, hooks and line-joining when using heavy monofilament. (The uni-knot system works well for those who care). Heike was mainly interested in knots that can be used to secure wrists, ankles and necks. Bikini of the day - orange one-piece with blue and green piranha fish.Losing the plot in the Pacific at 08:49.69S 129:50.73W Wednesday PMM. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Log

Tuesday 25th MarchSAILING IS THE EASY BIT!Passage making is easy! You just put up the white fluffy things, set the autopilot, look at the weather forecasts, trim or reef occasionally, check the course and keep watch! You just sail for days on end with the same sail plan and with steadyish winds.The real skill is overcoming all the never ending mechanical and gear problems, as you progress! Malcy is a very experienced and very competent yachtsman (about 130,000 miles), but where he has few equals is his ability to fix things, which as an engineer was once his profession!JB: Yes. over the last week or so it has become apparent that Quasar V is suffering a leak, of the salt-water variety, which is never a good sign. We have had to regularly empty the bilges, however, they just keep filling. read more...

Ariane - Suwarrow: Ein Fisch beisst zu und Haie umkreisen die Schiffe!

Hallo liebe Freunde  Tönt das nicht gefährlich? Ist in Wirklichkeit nur halb so schlimm. Zuerst zum Ort: Suwarrow ist ein Atoll, wie wir das von den Tuamotus recht gut kennen. Eine einzige Einfahrt führt durch das Riff und bedingt gute Sicht, um die Karte mit den sichtbaren Riffen zu vergleichen. Die Motus sind bewaldete Palmeninseln, die sehr gut aussehen und auch Strände aufweisen. Der beissende Fisch war ein kräftiger Wahoo von ca. 1,4 m Länge, die ein Crewmitglied des Katamarans "Destiny" vor Suwarrow gefangen hatte und an Bord hieven wollte. Das Tier hat sich gewehrt und den jungen Mann ins Bein gebissen. Hier zeigt sich wieder einmal, wie gut es ist, nicht alleine umher zu schippern. Denn kurz nach dem Vorfall war die Destiny im Atoll und ankerte neben der Yacht "Lady. read more...

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