Daily Logs

Zulú - Dia 1

La salida ha sido emocionante. Con la camiseta del Zulú como enseña y la ilusión muy visibleen los ojos de cada uno, hemos colaborado en una perfecta maniobra de desatraque del patrón. Tratando de guardar el orden y evitando colisionar a babor y estribor o dar alcance al barco que nos precedía, hemos pasado el control. Al identificarnos como un barco español cargado de vascos nos han dedicado una bilbainada por la megafonia: "por el río Nervión bajaba una gabarra...". Todo un detalleDecenasde barcos haciendo evoluciones antes de la hora de salida es todo un goce estético. Una vez comprobado que todo estaba en ordenhemos izado la mayor. Bueno, no todo estaba en orden, porque los rizos trabados de la mayor nos han impedido izarla con limpieza a la primera.La cuenta atrás de la. read more...

Helen - Start day

Although one day later than planned, today has provided some good weather for the start of our sail across the Atlantic.The last ten days has been a very busy time in Las Palmas. Lot's of repair jobs to do from failed electronics to very blocked toilets. My credit card made a great friendship with a machine in the Chandlery shop!The weather in port was mixed with some days suitable for watching the sights on the beach and some much more suitable for ducks with waterproofs on. The parties all passed so quickly with great food and wine.We are enjoying a goodsail in winds that seem to dropping, we may get a comfortable night for our first night at sea.Philip. read more...

Northern Child - ARC 14 Blog 1

Less than 24 hours to go, Northern Child, a beautiful Swan 51, is all set to start the ARC 2014. After ten days of hard work by owners Christian and Lucy, our skipper Chris, first mate Xav and many others, she is ready to set sail tomorrow.  All nine crew have arrived and boarded, and one can sense a great blend of excitement and anxiety to get going on our trans-Atlantic adventure, sailing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to St. Lucia in the southern Caribbean.   Thanks to the truly excellent organization by the World Cruising Club, several of us enjoyed a good mix of superb parties and great seminars, but now the time has come to turn our respective dreams into reality.  Our sincere thanks to the ARC team for having done such. read more...

Easy Rider - Captain's Log...Day 5

Yesterday We had a pleasant morning sailing sedately down wind & sunbathing........by the afternoon we were dodging squalls. Large black clouds would come steaming up behind us, bringing with them high winds (upto 30 knots) & heavy rain. Fortunately they would only last for 10 minutes or so & then the wind would calm down again. One advantage of the heavy rain is that it flattens the sea. So during the squall we were sailing extremely fast without the big waves to contend with.Yesterday being a SUNDAY, it was roast duck for dinner with all the trimmings. From six till seven the wind & rain calmed down, allowing us all to sit and enjoy our favorite dinner washed down with an exellent bottle of Spain's finest red wine.We hadn't even had time to finish the washing up when. read more...

Aurelia - Day 1 which should have been day 2

Weather looking good. Today is the day after our postponement yesterday due to adverse weather. We all came here to avoid the Scottish weather, little did we know it was worse here. All good today though, so here we go!J. McLeish. read more...

Thula - Day 0 - One extra Day

This day started with a slight change of plan: due to stronger than expected winds the start of the race was postponed to tomorrow. Of course we are glad that we did not have to leave the harbour to find out about the strong winds (30 knots +). On the other hand, we were all very much excited and happy to finally depart. So the delay was a slight bummer… We ended up using the extra day for the last shopping trips, preparing the boat, sorting out the cabins etc. In the evening, our friends Jeroen and Arie from the Reina came over for drinks. We tried our best to secure ourselves a competitive advantage by offering them slightly stronger long drinks than normal. Today will show if it did the trick. The day was rounded off by a great dinner on the boat (Coq au Vin) followed by a delicious. read more...

Xanadu - Log 1: Last bits and bobs

Log 1: last bits and bobs  Well all the crew have now finally arrived and the last bits and bobs arebeing sorted out. Last night (Thursday) we had the X yachts drinks party whichwas well attended and was a great evening. Andy didn’t make too much of a foolof himself. This morning (Friday) Val and myself (Erin) were up early thismorning getting the last fresh provisions at the hyper dino aka the supermarket.The boys were busy; Iain has been up the mast and padded up the spreaders, Alan has whipped leather onto the guys to reduce chafing. Tonight is the ARCfarewell drinks party and we will all be on our best behaviour.  We stillcan’t find the gaffer tape, any ideas of where said gaffer tape is will be muchappreciated.  ErinNo. 1 blogger on Xanadu . read more...

Free & BrEasy - Dancing with High's and Low's

To safely sail the 850 nm from Richards Bay to Cape down requires a new skill: learning to dance with the weather systems! The good guy is the Indian Ocean High pressure system which sends winds from the North East, down the South African east coast and literally blows you down to Cape Town. The passage is further helped by the Agulhas current which flows a few miles offshore in the same North East to South West direction and can add up to 6 knots to your boat speed! The bad guys are the low pressure systems that come up from Southern Ocean or off the South African mainland and cause strong winds from the South West to blow up the coast. Not only are these head winds, if you are travelling to Cape Town, but the combination of these winds with the Agulhas current can produce "Abnormal. read more...

Miss Liz II - Log Day 0 - Excitement Builds

0630. An early morning and the wind has quietened down a little to a 15 - 20 Knot blow. Much more comfortable. For the moment no wind - a blessing!!! Crew is ready (Clean and shiny.....although not quite new!), Miss Liz II (Clean and shiney....and almost new) is ready, now we just need to go!. read more...

Nexus - Rainy day in Port Elizabeth, leaving for St Francis Bay

It's been a welcome rest in Port Elizabeth as it has rained all night, but we are tied to a horrible fishing peer with tires pushing our fenders aside, so we need to get out of here! The marina is old and the slips are in poor condition and only made for under 40ft boats, so we're tied up with the fishing fleet. We appreciate their hospitality as we came in during pea soup fog last night with thunder and lightening. The American Spirit crew was here to greet us and help tie us up, and brought some great caramel vodka to celebrate, which was really great! It's good to be part of the WARC family!This morning, as soon as we can clear in and out, we will set sail for St Francis bay, where NEXUS was built. We need to get into a proper marina before Wednesday as a large low with high winds is. read more...

Makena - Meet Todd

November 24, 2014Onboard Makena, Lagoon 620 crossing the AtlanticNoon Position17° 06.6' N40° 23.6' WIn the wee hours of the morning, while I was still asleep, the wind came up and the crew dropped the main and opened the genoa to port and the staysail to starboard. From the sound of the water rushing by the hull I knew we were going fast, there weren't the usual slams and bangs that are usually associated with that speed. Winds varied between 23 and 28 knots and we glided easily over the waves, occasionally taking off on a surf. This "no-main" sail configuration is easy on the boat and crew and we were making good time. The contrast was stark. The proverbial wild horses, wave tops breaking and crashing alongside us, whipped by the strong winds versus the easy rhythm of the Lagoon with. read more...

Purrr-fect - Leg Two - day 5: wind and squalls all day

Yesterday we hoped for more wind, and today we got more than we hoped for. The day dawned with lines of storm clouds all around, and squall clouds full of rain threatening. During the course of the day, we changed sails and direction numerous times, always hoping the wind would settle in that direction. Unfortunately, the squall lines meant that the winds would clock from 30-60 degrees, and we would need to gybe to maintain a favorable course. Exhausting day!And we got soaked making a sail change during the last heavy rain. At least there was a full rainbow this evening to enjoy. Finally it is after midnight and we have just completed yet another sail change. Maybe this will stay constant so the "offwatch" crew can get some rest during the night. With 3 of us on board, we normally stand. read more...

American Spirit II - Day 322; Arriving at Port Elizabeth in Heavy Fog & the Hydro Generator is Damages; Sunday, November 23, 2014

As I indicated in the previous log, I stayed up at midnight with Jeanine for the 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM watch. Too much going on for anyone other than Joel or me to deal with. No offense to Jeanine. Reef, jibe and collisions. At 1:15 AM the wind is 14/16 knots and we're moving at 7.1 knots thru the water and 6.9 knots over the land. We are now entering a counter current, a current going the opposite direction as the Aghulas Current. Its common for there to be a counter current when you have a large current offshore. Its the same way in Florida with the Gulf Stream. At 1:17 AM I sight the light from the light house on Bird Island, an island our pilot book says is a serious navigation hazard due to reefs coming out from it. We're 10 miles away, yet the light looks like its right next door,. read more...

Argalleiro - Tripulación completa

Se atrasó la salida de la ARC por mal tiempo , puerto cerrado , incluso los grandes barcos cruceros que estaban en el puerto tuvieron que quedarse .El clima ya mejoro y salimos mañana lunes 24 .Agradecemos a la gente de ARC , los yellow teeshirts..,toda su amabilidad y ganas de ayudar para que esta gran aventura sea grata e inolvidable .Hago mención especial de Oliver , que hablando en español nos ha apoyado y guiado muy positivamente durante estos días .un abrazo y hasta la vista ....Guillermo Ruiz P Argalleiro. read more...

Exody - Day 14 - November 23rd - Squally Squally Day - 1/4 way there!

We've barely seen the sun today as squall after squall marched through. The foul weather gear has been out almost for the first time since Scotland.We dispensed with the mainsail for its own safety and ours early in the day (for the second day in a row).Through last night and today the wind has constantly shifted and our track from last night probably looks like we started tacking- it appears finally to have settled this evening and we are now back on track under genny alone at 6 knots with 20 knots of easterly wind.We passed the quarter way point (523 miles) this morning and we'll need to improve our average day's run quite a bit to get in by our mate and crew birthdays both coincidentally on 4th December - current forecast is 5th/6th.The daily check-ins with the radio net continue to. read more...

Lydia - Leg 2 Day 5 - Sunday at Sea Chilling

Touching wood frantically, we can report that the repaired spinnaker boom isstill holding. The wind has picked up a little and the headsail rig issteady most of the time with the sail shake that worried us so muchyesterday happening much less frequently.Whatever the upshot of the fishermen's strategic rethink it has at lastyielded results. The dulcet tones of the reel on the skipper's new rodpaying out was initially mistaken for a sailing instrument alarm but minuteslater a 3lb dorado was onboard and had died a swift death, courtesy ofagood measure of the very cheap and nasty hooch bought in an off-licence inLas Palmas, poured into its gills. No one is prepared to taste the alcoholbut we can certainly endorese its fish-killing qualities!Less than 1 hr from sea to pan the fillets, fried. read more...

Makena - Meet Riki

November 23, 2014Onboard Makena, Lagoon 620 crossing the AtlanticNoon position:16.39.0N33.10.9WSqualls to the left of us, squalls to the right...We hoisted Tequila Sunrise at sunrise and flew with her as we made course slightly north of the rhumb line. When the squalls threatened us, all hands to bring her back down. 20 minutes later, back up she went. Repeat, as necessary. We were close to our fellow multihulls and wanted to make some good time down the track. This procedure of hoisting and lowering the spinnaker is not a very conservative method, but it worked. By the afternoon position we had pulled into the leading position. We do have one monhull, Eleanora 2, still ahead of us by 13 miles. The day continued with constant squalls hitting us. Oftentimes, they would pass just north or. read more...

Juno - Reprieve

This is my third ARC and the second time that the race has been postponed on my watch.  Last night the wind howled through the marina, shrieking in our rigging.  Yachts in the bay outside the marina dragged their anchors and one boat was on the rocks by themorning. In the nearby Santa Catalina hotel a car was crushed by a falling tree. Angry black squalls charge down off the hills and as they hit, they unleash wind and rain that bounces off the sea, whipping up the surface.  Despite our initial disappointmentit’s a great decision to postpone until tomorrow. Early this morning we took our seasickness pills, had our breakfast of mandatory scrambled eggs and settled down to listen to the final ARC radio broadcast on channel 9. I had received a weather update. read more...

Juno - We leave tomorrow

Its the night before the start of the ARC and a gale is blowing through the marina making every one feel slightly jumpy. In fact the forecast for the start is very good with 20 - 25 knots from the NW, slowly veering and decreasing over the next few days.  The elusive Azores high is becoming well established over the mid Atlantic which should bring us those perfect trade winds for the crossing.We are all prepared now and ready to go. The log has been cleaned and is back in the water (thanks Oxie for the reminder).  The food is all on board and our mid cabin looks like a market stall. The boat definitely has a different feel with the girls on board.Last night was the ARC farewell party. We decided to be sensible and have an early night but were awoken by the fireworks which were. read more...

Hera - Doch noch nicht los!

Die ganze Nacht pfiff es in den Wanten, so dass man einen gesunden Schlaf brauchte.Im Hafen gab es bereits die ersten Schäden. So ist auch unsere Backbord Mooringleine gebrochen. Immer wieder öffnet der Himmel sinnflutartig seine Schleusen.Beim morgendlichen Backen und Banken kam auf UKW-Kanal 09 die Mitteilung, dass der Sart um mindestens 18 Stunden verschoben wird.Eigentlich hat die Crew von der täglichen Hafenroutine die Nase voll und will nur noch raus auf See.Aber da von drauussen bereits der erste Seenotruf einging, sind wir ganz froh, noch einen Ganng durch die Altstadt machen zu können, nachdem nach einer letzten Einweisung in die Notrollen alle Vorbereitungen abgeschlossen sind.   Stefan. read more...

American Spirit II - Day 321; Sailing to Port Elizabeth in the Aghulas Current with a 4.7 Knot Current; Saturday, November 22, 2014

Relieved Jeanine at 6:00 AM. The wind was 3/5 knots and we were moving at 7.4 knots thru the water and 9.3 knots over the land. Low overcast clouds. The shoreline was visible to starboard, 13 miles away. Cliffs or sand dunes. Swells on the port bow. Port Elizabeth is 197 miles away with an ETA of 21 1/2 hours at current speed.At 7:50 AM the sun is shining and the sky is half white clouds and half blue sky. The swells are large, 10-12 feet and really broad. We sail up and then down the large swells. A lot of motion on the boat. The wind is still 3/5 knots and we're moving at 7.1 knots thru the water and 9.5 knots over the land. Ghost hosts the 9:00 AM net. Sweet Pearl, Adela, Nexus and Saphir are on the net with us. Nexus and Ghost say they're trying for Port Elizabeth. Someone says Folie. read more...

Defyr - Waiting to GO!!!

I could imagine how it felt in the (really) old days, when the whole family gathered around the radio to listen to news. That is how it felt, when the crew waited for the VHF morning broadcast to start. And what a disappointment it was, when we heard that cruising division will be postponet with at least 18 hours! We had anticipated something like 4 hours or so.Well, if it's postponed, then it's postponed. We decided to enjoy the day. We managed to meet some friends and family, so the day ended being quite nice. We wven managed to get on board of Tosca, the super-beautifull catamaran, skippered and crewed by two frenchman who were going to cross the Atlantic two-handed.We also went to eat and almost the whole crew managed to take part in the Sundowners, for the first time during. read more...

Bluewater Mooney - Startverschiebung

Startverschiebung auf morgen früh 07:00 Uhr deutscher Zeit wegen Starkwind…Update: Erneute Startverschiebung auf 12:00 deutscher Zeit - hier regnet essinflutartig und es kachelt!!Wir warten ab und hoffen auf besseres Wetter.Starkwind. read more...

BearBaloo - Tag 1 Verschiebung

Nach einer Nacht mit Wind bis 35 kn und starken Regenschauern ist der Start auf Montag 11:00 verschoben. Heute haben sich Sonnenschein und Regen mit Starkwind im Viertelstundentakt abgelöst, am Nachmittag nur noch Wolken, Regen und Wind. Die Verschiebung war eine gute Entscheidung, wir haben die Zeit genutzt, die Bilder der letzten Wochen zu sortieren. Im Moment regnet es grad wieder, für den Weg zum Sundowner brauchen wir wieder einen Regenschirm. Morgen kann es nur besser werden. Gerd. read more...

Rhumb - Log Day Minus 1

We have been treated to a further day in port, as poor weather has put back the rally start to 11am on the 24th. So although an understandable precaution and the right decision given the conditions, a bit of a disappointing day really, to which was added the further frustration of our quality british sausages for our 'bringalongabreakfast' being served to the table next to us. A 'catastrophe' as described by our distraught waitress, but with the saving grace of a free round of coffees.So it's off to a rather nice Tapas bar in the old town once again - tough stuff this sailing lark!!That's all for now folks - John and Rhumb crew.. read more...

Makena - Nov 22 PW reporting

November 22, 2014Makena: Lagoon 620 Crossing the AtlanticPosition at noon17° 08.6' N34° 31.0' WFish On! That was the call late this afternoon. More about that to follow.No grumpy sunrise this morning. Light fluffy cumulus clouds dotted the sky as the sun crested the horizon. Pale orange and yellow greeted us for a great day of sailing. The wind had gone light with lots of 10-13 knots. With the swell that ran from the Northeast, we had the wind blown out of the sail on every wave. The massive main would backwind and slam from side to side, literally shaking the entire boat. We ended up dropping the mainsail and running under maximum sail area forward. The gennaker was sheeted to starboard and the genoa to port. Flying wing and wing, dead downwind we were able to make the slightly. read more...

Makena - Nov 21 PW Reporting

November 21, 2014Makena: Lagoon 620Position at noonWe woke up to a grouchy sunrise. As the red and orange backlight filtered between the horizon and the low clouds, we imagined a row of jagged teeth biting at the rising sun. The deepening red lit wispy clouds shooting straight up over thethe sun erupting from the horizon. All around us we saw the dark heavy pockets of rain that marked the uneven rows of squall lines passing through our corner of the Atlantic. The saying “Red sky at night, sailors delight; Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning” would prove it's worth today. By noon, we had close encounters with four squalls, each bringing lots of wind and rain. The moonless night produced the first squall at 0340. Wind gusted to 30 knots and every exposed part of the boat got a. read more...

El Mundo - 23/11 - Postponement, a strange feeling

After a very windy night, involving a few sleep interruptions to check everything was OK on deck, it wasn’t a huge surprise that a postponement to the start was announced. The forecast reduction in winds turned out to be an increase, with gusts in the marina exceeding 40 knots.The reaction of the El Mundo crew was very different. It was the first time Amanda had smiled all morning, so no doubt about her agreement with the decision. Lincy retired to bow of the boat and had a few minutes contemplation on the bow seat, enjoying a brief sunny spell. Bob seemed to take it all in his stride but was visibly more relaxed. Me…well I just feel strange…wandering around the boat doing a few not so essential jobs, dodging the nasty rain showers.We joined the Juno for a ‘crew morale boostiing’ lunch. read more...

Makena - Nov 20 PW Reporting

November 20, 2014Makena Lagoon 620Position at noon16.49.136 N28.12.043 WThe amazing sled ride that we started at sunset last night continued all through the night. As a matter of fact, at about 4:00am we pulled in the first reef, lowered the gennaker and went back to the genoa. We have constant 18-24 knots on the beam. WE ARE LOVING THIS!!!!! We see Outrageous about seven miles ahead. They are sailing brilliantly. We just moved past Easy Rider at dawn, with Lir and Alia Vita right behind then. Off our port beam is Eleanora 2 and off the starboard beam is T&T. We are in good company and I am sure that everyone is really enjoying this ride.Two dorado have taken our lures. Neither made the decision to come onboard with us. Luckily, wedidn't lose too much time and more importantly, we. read more...

Makena - Nov 19 PW Reporting

November 19, 2014Makena Lagoon 620Position at noonMarina MindeloAfter several glorious days enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes and hospitality of Mindelo, it was time to turn our attention back to Makena and Leg 2 of the Atlantic crossing. In addition to the local experience, it was great to be able to spend a little time with the crew of some of the other yachts that are sailing in the ARC+. The atmosphere was very supportive and relationships were born that will carry through with many sailors as they continue their cruising. Aboard Makena we hosted a nice happy hour and were very pleased to have had as many as fifty fellow sailors onboard at any one time. The crew made ready the final provisioning, stowed the local fare throughout the boat. A new stowage addition to Makena was the. read more...

Makena - Nov 14 - Leg 1 Finish. PW Reporting

November 15, 2014Race to the Finish Just after midnight, we were treated to a spectacular dolphin show. There was just enough phosphorescence in the water to make the dolphins look like little torpedoes. What was really amazing was to see the flying fish, silhouetted in our starboardrunning light as they flew clear of the water. We watched in awe as the dolphin would make incredible course changes and grab the flying fish as they were darting away. Early in the morning, with a steady 15 knots of breeze, we put up Tequila Sunrise to try to make up some time. We sailed pretty deep and were making good speed and VMG. We began to sail a little higher course and really saw our speed increase. The sailing was really exhilarating through the day and into the late afternoon.At twilight, we have. read more...

Makena - Nov 9-10 PW Reporting

Report for November 9th-10th, 2014Lat. 25.52.293NLong. 16.56.446WToday we were the first group to start in the ARC 2014. Two departure times for the two groups. Those adventurers with a stop in Cape Verde, depart Gran Canaria today. For the straight line sailors, the departure from Gran Canaria directly to St. Lucia is November 23rd. Good winds for the depart, lots of fanfare with bands playing and many people lining the harbor mouth as we headed out of the Muelle Deportivo towards the start line, just outside of the harbor. Many tankers and container ships entering the harbor or anchored out in the starting area. In addition to looking out for the 50 boats starting, we had commercial traffic everywhere.No collisions at the start. This is good as it is not uncommon to have mishaps when. read more...

Makena - Nov 13 PW Reporting

November 13, 2014Life onboard the Lagoon 620, MakenaToday, like all the rest, started with a gorgeous sunrise. A few clouds on either side of the sun with the bright orb climbing quickly between them. Sunrise and sunset have become significant placemarks in our day. As with the previous daybreaks we have set more sail. We made over 180 miles yesterday, with solid wind throughout the day. Slightly less pressure today. We began with the gennaker and staysail wing and wing and a full mainsail. The GRIB files show that we should make a course slightly to the west of the rhumb line. After a few housekeeping chores the crew settled into more introspective time. Books came out and napping on the upper deck were de rigeur. We have passed the 2/3 mark and are homing in on the arrival in Cape. read more...