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19/11/2022

Charisma - CHARISMA | ARC Vorbereitung Tag 5

ARC Vorbereitung Tag 5 - nach dem gestrigen Pre-Check kommt heute der große Proviant-Einkauf. Wir rechnen mit 20 Tagen. Bei 8 Crewmitgliedern kommt da einiges zusammen.Mercado CentralUnser erster Gang führt erneut zum Mercado Cenral - hier gehen direkt zu dem gestern ausgespähten Famileinbetrieb. Wir werden mit "ah, die internationalen Kunden" begrüßt :) Mit dem Vordruck von der Konkurrenz und unsere ToDoIst Einkaufsliste ist die Bestellung in 30 Minuten aufgegeben. Am Freitagvormittag wird geliefert!El Corte InglesQuer über die Fussgängerzone geht es zum Supermarkt. Für jeden gibt es einen Einkaufswagen - und los! In Zweier-Teams arbeiten wir die Einkaufsliste ab und checken in der App alles aus, was in den Einkaufswagen wandert. Unsere Einkäufe gefallen auch anderen. Dem "Team Protein". read more...


19/11/2022

Charisma - CHARISMA | ARC Vorbereitung Tag 4

Vorbereitung Tag 4 – nachdem wir uns die letzten Tage um das Wohlergehen der CHARISMA gekümmert haben, geht es heute um unser kulinarisches Wohlergehen in den nächsten 3 Wochen. EinkaufslisteJedes Crew-Mitglied hat bereits im Vorfeld 3 Rezeptvorschläge eingereicht - eine gute Grundlage für unsere Einkaufsliste, die mittlerweile aus über 200 Einzelpositionen besteht. Über die ToDoIst-App haben alle Einblick in die Liste. Hier und da kommt jemandem noch eine Idee, die umgehend mobil eingetragen wird. Proviantplanung 2.0 - sozusagen.Mercado Central Nach dem Frühstück gehen wir zu Fuß zum Mercado Central und verschaffen uns einen Überblick über das Frischeangebot. Welche Stand hat das beste Obst & Gemüse? Wer liefert direkt ans Schiff? Wir entscheiden uns für einen Familienbetrieb, bei. read more...


19/11/2022

Charisma - CHARISMA | ARC Vorbereitung Tag 3

Vorbereitungswoche Tag 3 - unser Schwan glänzt. Pütz, Schwamm und Putzmittel verschwinden wieder hinter den (frisch duftenden) Kulissen. Heute bekommt der Motor eine Sondebehandlung.MotorwartungIn Dirk's 30 kg Freigepäck waren eine neue Lichtmaschine und eine neue MDI-Box versteckt. Die werden heute mit dem handwerklichen Geschick von Gerd eingebaut. Eine ziemlich enge und heiße Angelegenheit - viel Platz ist nicht im Motorraum! Aber alles läuft wie am Schnürchen - der Motor springt beim ersten Startversuch an und die Batterien laden. Nach der Mittagspause gibt es noch frisches Öl, neue Kraftsoff- und Ölfilter sowie einen neuen Impeller für die Seewasserkühlung. Für einen reibungslosen Energiehaushalt auf dem Atlantik ist jetzt alles getan.BordapothekeWährend im Motorraum geschraubt. read more...


19/11/2022

Charisma - CHARISMA | ARC Vorbereitung Tag 2

Vorbereitung Tag 2 - das Vorschiff, die Pantry und die Backskiste sind sauber, dazwischen müssen wir nochmals ran. Die große Reinschiff-Sause geht also weiter.BodenbretterAlle Bodenbretter kommen an Deck und werden über den Bugkorb an die Waschstraße am Steg übergeben: Einweichen, abschrubben, klarspülen - Doro und Andrea sind ein eingespieltes Team. Zum Trocknen geht es mit den Brettern zurück an Bord - Vormittagsgymnastik inklusive.BilgeWährenddessen in der Bilge –hier wird ebenfalls geschrubbt und gespült, dabei nehmen wir die Spanten-Segmente nochmals genau unter die Lupe. Alles wie es sein soll - keine Schäden zu erkennen. Nach der Mittagspause wird alles wieder zusammengebaut - der Salon ist wieder begehbar.Rigg-CheckAm Nachmittag ist es leicht bewölkt und windstill - gute. read more...


19/11/2022

Charisma - CHARISMA | ARC Vorbereitung Tag 1

Der 1. Tag der ARC Vorbereitung widmen wir dem Reinschiffs. Nach dem Frühstück und einer Portion Spiegeleier geht es los ...VorschiffIm Vorschiff schrauben Dirk und Gerd die Wegerungen an Steuerbord ab. Dahinter muss mal wieder gründlich sauber gemacht werden. Nach einer Bürsteneinheit kommt der Wasserschlauch zum Einsatz. An Deck werden die Holzlatten abgewaschen und kommen dann wieder an Ort und Stelle. Nach der Mittagspause geht es in die zweite Runde - die Backbord-Seite ist dran.BilgepumpePünktlich zum große Reinschiff gibt die Bilgepumpe den Geist auf. Skipper und Chef-Mechaniker ziehen los und kaufen eine neue Pumpe, die so dann auch gleich von Gerd eingebaut wird. Im Hintergrund tönt Udo Lindenberg mit "Einer muss den Job ja machen".PantryDoro und Andrea widmen sich der Pantry.. read more...


19/11/2022

Falcon - Crossing Day 1

Distance run 162 nautical miles; New Falcon speed record of 13.0 knots.Distance to Grenada 1998 nautical miles!Friday 18 November; our D Day has arrived!All around Mindelo marina you can feel an electrical air of expectation, and no more so than on Falcon where our nervous energy levels have been turned all the way up to 11; one could say we are inwardly fizzing, outwardly buzzing, and generally effervescing!On the theme of electrical energy, last night the skipper finally solved the wiring conundrum to provide power to our masthead Tricolour; I have awarded him a City & Guilds level 1 in marine electronics and, with apologies to Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber, re-christened our captain ‘Adrian and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamboat’!Meanwhile, below decks, Bev has instigated a new snack. read more...


19/11/2022

Bluewater Mooney - BLUEWATER MOONEY- 1 Tag bis zum Start

Unsere Vorbereitungen sind abgeschlossen. Gestern wurden die letzten Lebensmittel angeliefert. Das Wetter heute: Regnerisch, Starkwind bis 30 kn. Wettervorhersage für den Start: Starkwind bis stürmisch. Das ist für uns ok.So haben wir in den ersten 48 Stunden keine Veranlassung, die Genua gegen ein anderes Vorsegel auszutauschen. Vorgestern bin ich beim Ölwechsel der Hydraulikanlagen einen Meter tief in die Bilge abgerutscht und habe mir den linken Oberschenkel geprellt. Es ist nur eine Prellung, aber heute ist das Bein ziemlich steif, da kommen zwei Tage Starkwind ohne Segelwechsel sehr recht.Morgen um 13:00 hiesiger Zeit (14:00 Uhr Deutschland) ist der Start. Noch sind wir nicht aufgeregt, aber das kommt bestimmt noch.Klaas & Kollegen Rechtsanwälteimage4. read more...


Bluewater Mooney - BLUEWATER MOONEY- 1 Tag bis zum Start
Bluewater Mooney - BLUEWATER MOONEY- 1 Tag bis zum Start
19/11/2022

Xenial - Day 13 - Here we go again

This is it, this is the real deal! Today we set off to sail across the Atlantic. One would think that after a whole week in Mindelo we would be ready for a calm departure, but there are always last minute preparations to take care of. The captain went up the mast, I went to stock up yogurt for his breakfasts, the rest of the crew filled up the tanks with the last water on our cards, we had a medical consultation with Monica and so on. Never a dull moment! Finally we left our berth and set off for the start line. Everyone was very excited and there was a bit more wind than when we departed Las Palmas, so we had a lot of activity on board hoisting the main sail and then unfurling the foresail just at the right moment. The Captain seemed really happy about our performance on the start line,. read more...


18/11/2022

eXite - 18/11 Crazy times in the accelaration zone

It was a relief to drop the lines to the dock and leave for the crossing, even though the weather forecast could be better for the first part.The start had a little bit more wind than the one in Las Palmas, and all boats (around 80-90) seemed to get away fine. In Las Palmas we set out to be first over the start line, but this time we just wanted to get away in somewhat clean air, which we managed okay.The weather forecast from the ARC mentioned acceleration zones between the island with gusts up to 30kn, but it took almost two hours with much less wind to get there. But oh what a ride when we did.In a matter of a few minutes the wind went from 10 to steady 25, and we had gusts between 30-36 for quite some time. A lot of boats were running with their kites and para sailors, so really hope. read more...


18/11/2022

Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Friday 18/11/22

Today we spent the morning reviewing our safety drills with special attention to our man overboard drills.Hopefully we will never need to use what we have practiced!The decks were given a thorough washing down at the same time, as some heavy showers have been passing over the marina.Scenes in the mercado, shopping for fruit and veg were amazing, with Claire directing the purchases of a huge amount of local produce.With Will’s Spanish language skills ensuring that we knew apples from oranges, we are pretty sure that the final “store ship” will be done tomorrow.A well-established ARC tradition is to paint the name of your boat on the rocks near the harbour mouth, and there are some amazing works of art along the promenade of ARC boats going back at least 10 years.Of course we had to add to. read more...


Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Friday 18/11/22
Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Friday 18/11/22
18/11/2022

Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Thursday 17/11/22

The final crewmember, Will, arrived yesterday morning, fresh from running in the mountains and surfing. Will brings much-needed youth to the team, with the age rangespanning a full 32 years. Emma and Claire, joined by Charlotte on Wednesdy, have done a mammoth effort with the provisioning, working all week from dawn to dusk, unpacking, washing and stowing almost 120 individual meals for the next 3 weeks. Most is now onboard, with meat and diary arriving on Saturday. The rest of the crew have been worked by the merciless skipper attending to the dozens of jobs, the number of which never seems to diminish. The excitement in the marina is overflowing, the boats dressed overall with a truly international mix of crews, all eager share experiences.By Jonathan. read more...


18/11/2022

Kali - Kali is ready to rumble

Liebe Segelfreundinnen und -freunde, die Kali-Crew liegt in den letzten Zügen der Prep-Week, auf dem Pontoon merkt man schon langsam deutliche Aufbruchstimmung. In den letzten Tagen waren wir fleissig: Winsch-Service, Ausbesserung der Duschplattform ;), Anbringen von neuen Windspionen (Performance!), erste Segeltrainings nach herzlichem Empfang des Skippers, POB-Übungen, Testen der neuen Spinnaker, Auffüllen des Medical Kits (just in case). Viel Zeit verwendeten wir auf die Organisation der passenden Lenzpumpen, nun sind sie komplett. Auch lange Abende des gegenseitigen Kennenlernens der Crew sind nicht zu kurz gekommen. Dabei gingen langsam die Vorräte an Bord zu Neige, sodass wir heute wieder ordentlich Proviantieren. Die nächste Challenge wird es, die Vorratsmengen im Schiff zu. read more...


Kali - Kali is ready to rumble
Kali - Kali is ready to rumble
18/11/2022

Avventura - ultime preparazioni

The flags already enjoy the wind while we are busywith the last preparations. In less than 48h, we set sails and start theapprox. 2600nm-leg towards St. Lucia.  DDCF. read more...


Avventura - ultime preparazioni
Avventura - ultime preparazioni
18/11/2022

Sunbeat VI - Day -2 Boat preparations

Well, we are nearly at departure day. The Sunbeat crew are all busy with last minute preparations… The bulk of the provisioning is already done (and stowed).Angela is waiting onboard for the frozen meat to be delivered. Most of the rest of the crew are out buying fruit and veg. Then we will be doing the final boat prep (setting up spinnaker lines, wrapping shrouds to protect sails from wear, etc), plus the final visit to the laundry.This evening it is the Farewell Cocktail Party - presumably not held on the final evening in order to save sore heads on the day of departure! It is all getting very exciting!. read more...


Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
Disa - Email 2 of 2 for SV Disa
18/11/2022

Disa - Goodbye Mindelo! We will miss you. Email 1 of 2 (Photos to follow)

Who would have thought that in our lifetime we would be visiting this tiny archipelago of ten islands off the coast of Africa!We have SO enjoyed meeting people here in Cape Verde, listening to their stories and travelling around two of the islands.Mindelo Marina will always hold a special place in our hearts.The pontoons here are all very closely connected so we have been able to visit each other's boats more freely.We have admired the very, very beautiful boats tied up near us, with the same admiration we would have parking our Toyota next to a shiny Rolls Royce.Yachties are friendly, down-to-earth people and it has been a real joy getting to know more of the rally contestants.I have a feeling that we are making friendships that will last a lifetime.Having a nurse and a chef as crew has. read more...


18/11/2022

Xenial - Day 12 - Finishing touches

The excitement is palpable, tomorrow we depart for our Atlantic crossing! For most of us onboard, the journey from Las Palmas to Mindelo was already the longest we have ever sailed continuously. It’s hard to conceive that the next leg will be more than double that. With that in mind, we spent the day chasing down those last few items that will make our passage as agreeable as possible. The list is quite odd:We found grapefruit for Captain Ulrik. Hooray!We successfully hunted down not one but two different kinds of orange jam. Should make for some sweet breakfasts for Major Gustaf.The hardest item to find was the Herbes de Provence mix, which we finally tracked down and made Chef Janne very happy.What made me happy was finding Parmesan cheese, of which supplies were running low.We found. read more...


17/11/2022

Falcon - Cape Verde Wrap Up

Nautical miles run zero, beers and cocktails consumed many.Tomorrow we leave for the big push west, so time to reflect on our time spent in Mindelo and the Cape Verdes…Falcon had an inauspicious start to our stay here, being reprimanded for flying the courtesy flag upside down! If we have any defence, it’s that we arrived at dark o’clock and the difference between correct and inverted is rather subtle to those not enrolled in the Guild of Flag Recognitioners!In any case, the situation was quickly rectified and we were not ordered to the ‘naughty pontoon’ to reflect on what we had done!With a new set of boat neighbours, we have made new friends and strengthened existing relationships through our telling tales of ‘derring do’ south from Las Palmas, swapping hints on how to fix things that. read more...


Falcon - Cape Verde Wrap Up
Falcon - Cape Verde Wrap Up
13/11/2022

Bolero - ARC + Day 6

Day 613:00 marks the beginning of our last day at sea on this leg.We are eagerly anticipating our arrival in Mindelo, steadily making progress under our spinnaker.Flying fish continue to fly around us, the distances some of them travel above the beautiful blue water is incredible.The sea in the morning was very smooth with hardly a ripple, not what you expect to see in the middle of the ocean.Ian and Gwyn have been monitoring the boats in our class on AIS to check their progress against ours……. Once a racer, always a racer!We spotted the rugged mountains of Santo Antao at 15:00 as they peeped out through the haze.We continued to make steady progress towards our destination.Gwyn was on the helm and Nick popped his head up from down below and said that she could steer for speed, rather. read more...


17/11/2022

Xenial - Day 11 - Preparations continue

It was suggested to me by someone reading at home that if one day I don’t have anything to report on, I should just say so and don’t write a log. Luckily for me (or maybe not?) my fellow crew members have up to now been a continuous source of entertainment, so there is always plenty to write about.On the sailing preparations front, today there were multiple visits to the top of the mast, both by the local boat fixers and by the captain. Technically some new blocks should have been added, but whether that has happened remains unclear, so the captain is going up top tomorrow as well. On the provisioning side, we had a very fruitful (pun intended) visit to the local market. We’d love to hear from our readers what they think about some of these fundamental questions:How many tomatoes. read more...


17/11/2022

Skyelark 2 - Crew arrive

Five of our illustrious crew (Steve, Peter, Mike-R, Christian-R, Mike-W) have arrived in Las Palmas and preparations are underway. Of course, all prep starts at the bar and we have already found a few good watering holes. Peter and Mike-R are in the safe hands with partners (Yvonne + Alison) providing strategic direction and guidance to the provisioning for the trip. What would we do without such excellent guidance…. we thank the ladies.By the end of yesterday we had about half of the provisions on board.At mid-day yesterday and with great excitement we went over to the marina to find our boat - SKYELARK. She is a beautiful 62ft Oyster and has the biggest and best display of ARC flags amongst all the yachts. We met Dan and Emily (owners) and enjoyed our first beer sat on deck in the sun.. read more...


Skyelark 2 - Crew arrive
Skyelark 2 - Crew arrive
16/11/2022

Endeavour III - Getting Ready...

Endeavour III arrived in Las Palmas in early November after a great trip from Roses in northern Spain, via Gibraltar and Agadir in Morocco. Almost all the crew are back on the boat after brief trips back to the UK. We have one straggler (Tash) coming on Friday after a brief sojourn saving the world at Cop27. Her mission is to make us one of the greenest boats doing ARC2022. She will update everyone later what this means..#whatwouldgretasayOne pleasant surprise was the relatively small number of things that needed to be fixed before we set off. Fingers crossed this continues. We have replaced some parts on the swim platform motor and made some adjustments to our rigging. All our key systems are working well. The people who have been working on the boat have been great. A few minor things. read more...


16/11/2022

Disa - Arrival in Mindelo, Cape Verde

SV Disa arrived in Mindelo just as the sun was setting, outlining several of the islands in a rosy hue.After six days and five hours at sea you would think that we couldn't wait to set foot on land. In fact we were all getting into a good rhythm of watch-keeping, tasty meals and getting used to sleeping despite the constant movement of the boat.Our lee-boards kept us from falling out of our berths when the boat lurched. The allure of life at sea, with the problems of the world very far away and the beauty of nature surrounding us, meant that we could quite easily have just kept going in the steady wind.However the thought of an ice-cold beer in the Mindelo Floating Bar, along with fried fish and chips was too attractive to resist.We were met by the cheerful yellow-shirts, ready to catch. read more...


Disa - Arrival in Mindelo, Cape Verde
Disa - Arrival in Mindelo, Cape Verde
Disa - Arrival in Mindelo, Cape Verde
Disa - Arrival in Mindelo, Cape Verde
16/11/2022

Amokura - Day 4 - Parasailor power

Nic Homan and Mark Blomley making final tweaks to the parasailor.20221110_184825 . read more...


Amokura - Day 4 - Parasailor power
Amokura - Day 4 - Parasailor power
Amokura - Day 3 - We have company!
Amokura - Day 3 - We have company!
16/11/2022

Amokura - Day 5 - Landing our supper

Vicky Puttock on board Amokura landing a sea bream, which was delicious!20221111_085844. read more...


Amokura - Day 5 - Landing our supper
Amokura - Day 5 - Landing our supper
16/11/2022

Xenial - Captain Ulrik's comment on the first leg.

We actually finished 6th in our group of 18 boats. Ahead of us we had several boats that we should have beaten, but considering that we clearly had a weak first day and were last in the group, the pick up to 6th place was honourable.I thank the crew for their efforts and the great atmosphere we have on board, everyone contributes!Let's see what we can do on the next leg. But the safety of the crew comes first and we also want Xenial's sails and equipment to last. It's always a challenge to decide whether to reduce sail and perhaps drop speed. Full knowledge of the winds is only available backwards not forwards in time.. read more...


15/11/2022

Xenial - Day 10 - Santo Antão and Prize Giving for Leg 1

CJ and I took a day off from boat duty and went on a tour of the neighborhood island of Santo Antão. This required waking up before6am to catch the ferry across the channel, and we weren’t entirely sure it was going to be worth it…but trust me it was!The island needs some better PR, because it is absolutely stunning and we had no idea. The scenery switches between volcanic formed lunar landscapes, to cliffs plunging into blue water, to villages with colorful houses next to black pebble beaches, to hidden green valleys fed by irrigation canals excavated in the rock, to mountains lined with laboriously built terraces to grow sugar cane and corn, to basalt cobble roads winding to the top of ancient craters, to peaks covered in pine trees, and then back to deep red earth dotted with moisture. read more...


15/11/2022

Kali - Anmeldung und Safety-Check

Kali ist seit mehreren Tagen in Las Palmas und bereitet sich vor für die grosse Überfahrt! Da gibt es so einiges zu tun und zu planen für eine erfolgreiche Atlantiküberquerung. Beim Check-In im ARC-Office gibts eine Übersicht vom Programm und wir haben unsere Startnummer erhalten.Danach folgt auf dem Schiff der Safety-Check vom ARC Safety-Officer. Zusammen gehen wir alle Punkte der Safety Check-Liste durch und wir erhalten wertvolle Tipps und Tricks wie wir unsere Bereitschaft für den Notfall noch verbessern können. Damit ist Kali mal grundsätzlich bereit und angemeldet. Ab gehts zum ersten Sundowner!. read more...


15/11/2022

Xenial - Day 9 - On tour

Today we took a break from our frenzy preparations and took a tour of Sao Vicente, the island we are on. Who are we kidding? Our preparations are as laid back as can be!We picked up Gustaf from his lodgings, and discovered he had adopted a stray dog, who waits for him outside every morning and follows him everywhere. The more I think about it, the more I think it’s actually the dog who adopted Gustaf, not the other way round. (For all our readers out there concerned about rabies and fleas and all the other wonderful things that stray dogs carry around - don’t worry no one has touched the dog or been bitten by it.)We got onto a small bus and set off on the island’s ring road. The Cape Verde Islands are volcanos and they have so much lava rocks that most of the roads are made of basalt. read more...


14/11/2022

Second Wave -

Hi we are second wave. We had a ball at the parade . We are 5 crew, USAFrance and Australia.Here is the evidenceCaptain Annieimage20221113_11534620221113_12322020221113_11330020221113_122917. read more...


Second Wave -
Second Wave -
Second Wave -
Second Wave -
Second Wave -
Second Wave -