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Pannikin - First few days



--Sunday 24th November
The atmosphere in the marina this morning was one of excitement & relief that the big day was finally here. The crew on board PANNIKIN had breakfast (bacon on toast) & a couple of cups of tea & coffee. Only a few odd jobs needed to be done – dressing flags to be brought down, front water tank topped up & the gas bottle we’d been using during the week exchanged. We also bought a few more oranges & potatoes. The Gran Canaria marching band began at about 11am playing music & marching up & down the marina & the pontoons. Plenty of locals were wandering about the marina checking out boats & taking photos. We had plenty of PANNIKIN crew shots taken be Richard next door on SARAH JANE, so hopefully we will have a good photo for everyone. A lot of crews popped champagne & had a celebratory drink. At about 11.45am it got all too much for the skipper & he decided to throw the lines. We motored out of our finger with Men at Work’s “Down Under” blaring as other boats sounded their horns & their crew cheering. The line up to get out of the marina was amazing...lots & lots of boats heading out for a sail before taking the starting line. The marina walls were chockers full of people waving & cheering – it was quite a sight. As we sailed around waiting for our starting time we saw the guys on HAVACHAT – lovely cat from Newcastle skippered by Peter. We yelled out G’Day & hopefully we will see them on our arrival in Rodney Bay & have a few drinks (although their heads may still be hurting from the Farewell Party on Friday 22/11 – a big night was had by those guys!). The Multi hulls & Open division started at 12.30pm, the racing division at 12.45pm & our Cruising division at 1pm. We had a good start across the line & were happy with our position. We were soon approached by a large German owned yacht on our port side which tried to force us off our track, the skipper waving his arm to indicate he wanted to cross in front of us. The reply from PANNIKIN’s skipper & best mate cannot be written here, but you can get the drift (also a number of rude hand gestures were made as well!). Racing is so much fun!!!! We continued south west for most of the afternoon getting a little wet a one stage but not enough to dampen our spirits. The sight was one we will never forget – 236 boats – multihulls & racers in front with their spinnakers flying & the rest of as cruisers bringing up the rear. By night fall we were happy with our position. It seemed as though a lot of the fleet was caught in a wind shadow at the south of the island which we had managed to avoid. The crew started our watch system at 4pm & after dinner (paella prepared by Paul on Saturday) we settled down to get into the swing of things on PANNIKIN.

Monday 25th November – Day 1
We had a slow night last night. The wind dropped to nearly nothing not long after nightfall & to zero at about midnight so it was a rolly & uncomfortable night for the crew on PANNIKIN & not many miles were made. Shortly after dawn we caught 2 dolphin fish – one for breakfast & one for lunch – absolutely beautiful! Everyone is tired today after a busy week, but also getting used to our watch system & having disrupted sleep. PANNIKIN seems to be handling her load really well – she is very heavy but handling the swell & winds OK. Everyone on board is sleeping when not on watch to catch up & stay cheerful. We had a lovely chicken casserole for dinner prepared by Di on Saturday – we are eating really well – everyone is happy.

Tuesday 26th November – Day 2
Watches are continuing to go well & we had a lovely cruising night with good wind. At about 8am the wind dropped & changed direction & we hoisted the spinnaker much to Andrew’s delight. The crew spent the day sitting up on deck or sleeping until dinner (spaghetti Bolognese). We listened to the radio schedules at 1pm – it was great to hear how other boats were going & chatting about their days. It was also nice to know that many of them were either just in front & or behind us. We are surprised that we can still see other yachts – we thought we would be on our won by now.

Wednesday 27th November – Day 3
The wind gradually died through the night as predicted & by 4am we were just bouncing around on the ocean swell. We furled the sails to prevent damaged & were pulled along by the ocean current at 1 knot for a couple of hours. At 6am the skipper decided to start the engine so we wouldn’t be sitting in the same spot for the next two days. We know that is not “racing” but we do have a time limit to get our crew to the Caribbean for their flights home. The day was absolutely beautiful – sunny & cloudless – but no wind! Steve cooked scones which were a real treat – we have been eating so well! After lunch Paul gave Steve, Andrew and John a lesson with the sextant shooting sun sights for celestial navigation which they all did very well and proves we are somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. The evening saw the breeze pick up and we making good way by the time we fired up the BBQ for a steak dinner with Spanish sausages, roast potatoes and salad.

Thursday 28th November – Day 4
The wind stay constant thru the night till it finally died around 6am when we were forced to start the motor again. Angela came on deck and looked to the stern where our bag of onions were meant to be, the knot had come undone and they emptied themselves overboard (our first casualty).
The ocean became so smooth with the lack of wind it became glassy so Di, Andrew and Steve thought it would be a good time to have a mid ocean swim. We slowed the boat to near stop when Andrew took the first plunge only to find the boat was still moving and had to swim with all his might to catch up cheered on by the rest of the crew. The water was warm and clear and beautiful but we couldn’t help the occasional glance downward. The wind continued to evade us as the evening approached, but the calm conditions allowed some jobs to be done. Pannikin looked like a Chinese laundry with everyone washing clothes and hanging them on the lifelines around the boat. At 5pm the skipper allowed happy hour of one beer per person and nibblies followed by another awesome BBQ dinner of lamb chops, basil pesto pasta and salad.

Friday 29th November – Day 5
We motored throughout the night until around 6am when the wind picked up. We had a visit last night from a medium sized bird which landed in our cockpit & wandered around for a couple hours resting his wings. Unfortunately he left us lots of little presents so John sent him on his way! We continued on our path south with about 15-16 knots of wind with PANNIKIN sitting happily on 6.5-7.5 knots of speed on a close reach. Andrew outdid himself in the breakfast department, making us all excellent toasted sandwiches & cups of tea. We managed to get emails working & everyone had received an email from home apart from Di who then received constant “loser” reminders from the rest of the crew for the rest of the day. The day did turn overcast & a little rainy, but we were happy to be wizzing along after so many days of motoring or just bobbing around.





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