Daily Logs

Salamander - and Ralph's Reflections on ARC 2022

Well, time has passed astonishingly quickly considering we have travelled almost 3,000 miles at barely jogging pace. The main question I had before coming on this trip was is it possible (for me at least) to sit still for three week? Yes it is, and adapting to it has been a joy. There have been things to do, but the ever changing sea and sky, especially at night, have been mesmerising. I've learnt new knots, how to identify stars and a bit about passage making, such as weather but also big stuff like safety and the importance of leadership and communication. Almost the number one surprise success factor for a group trip like this though goes to freshly prepared food, eaten together, what a treat, thank you Sue!So, now I know that doing more open ocean passages would be feasible and. read more...

Skye Blue - The Skye Blue Penultimate Countdown

Hi all, So hopefully this will be our second last post. It's been a challenging few days in many ways... -Conversation is running dry - in fact we recently had a 30 minute conversation about nail clipper design, something about a 'self-retaining-storage-compartment` to prevent loose nails landing on deck. -Our route to the finish line has been less than straight through necessity - due to lack of wind. But it did lead this writer to wonder when the lower case letter 'h' started to appear as a trail on the chart plotter, was the skipper trying to spell out the word 'help'?!? But I've been reliably informed this is more the 'mark of Zorro´ with all the tacking and gybing required - zigging and zagging our way home. -The constant anticipation of squalls bringing variable winds and rain and. read more...

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 18 - Tropical Low 28

Der Tag beginnt mit einer überdimensionalen tropischen Regendusche in Form eines Squalls. Wind hat er nicht viel im Gepäck - aber Wasser. 20 Minuten werden Linus, der Käpt‘n und ich geduscht bzw. begossen. Dicke Regentropfen prasseln wehement auf uns nieder - wäre es nicht stockfinster, könnte man glatt das Shampoo rausholen und den Haaren die ersehnte Süßwasserspülung verpassen.Treiben im NirvanaNach dem Squall bricht der Wind völlig in sich zusammen. Wir treiben im dunklen Nirvana - ohne Fahrt im Schiff und ohne Ruderwirkung. Die nachfolgenden Wachen sind mit der Suche nach dem Wind beschäftigt - erfolglos! In der Morgendämmerung rollen wir die Genua ein und stellen das Steuerrad fest. Morningcoffee im Cockpit. Ulfilas, Jelli und Linus nehmen ein Bad im großen Teich - Atlantiktaufe. read more...

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 17 - Nikolausi

Angesichts des Wetters könnte man denken, wir wären nicht brav gewesen und Knecht Ruprecht gibt uns mit der Rute. Wir stecken in einer Squall-Front, die uns im 20-Minuten-Takt heftige Regenschauer und Starkwind beschert, um uns dann wieder kurz Luft holen zu lassen um das nächste Wolkenungetüm zu schicken. Die Wache und der Käpt‘n sind ganz schön gefordert!Bremer KlavenAm Nachmittag hellt es etwas auf und wir können den Nikolaus-Kaffee bei blauem Himmel und Sonnenschein im Cockpit genießen. Auf Am-Wind-Kurs machen wir Strecke nach Westen - und das ist auch notwendig, da der ARC-Wetterbericht für unser aktuelles Atlantik-Planquadrat QQ nichts Gutes vorhersagt. Wind bis 35 kn, in Böen bis 40 kn, See bis zu 6 Meter - hervorgerufen durch ein tropisches Tief, dass sich vor den karibischen. read more...

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 16 - Eispartag

Ab heute wird gespart, und zwar am Ei - am Spiegelei zu Frühstück, am gekochten Ei für Zwischendurch (gerne gesehen bei Constantin und Gerd in der Ölzeughosentasche) und sogar den abendlichen Labskaus von Dirk gibt es ohne Spiegelei.Auslöser für die Sparmaßnahme war der Abgleich zwischen den SOLL-Eiern zum IST-Eierstand. Zwischen der Inventur durch Jelli und der Hochrechnung unseres Eierbeauftragten gibt es eine negative Diskrepanz von 10 Eiern. Uns so wird von fast allen Crewmitgliedern gespart, nur Ulfilas haut vier Eier in die Pfanne, bzw. in die Schüssel und backt leckere Pfannenkuchen zum Frühstück. Ein adäquater Ersatz zum Spiegelei!P.S: Der fehlend gemeldete Eierkarton taucht im laufe des Tages wieder auf - macht einen Restbestand von 29 Eiern!. read more...

Escapado - blog 9/12 - Very busy day on Escapado

OBR Thursday December 9thVery busy day on Escapado. Winds gusting to 30 Knots, Making our way west beating to windward in confused seas . Ironic statement of the day by Morton, and I Quote “Bloody Waves”.Deck and cabin top getting a wash. One wave made its way through the closed hatch.Galley was transformed by Chef David into IHOP (International House of Pancakes) making crepes accompanied with crew members choice of any remaining filling still on board. Waitress Sam provided excellent work conveying the various requests to the gallery.Beautiful sunset, furled jib and 3 reefs sailing on a moonlit ocean Got to love sailing!GregAt the helm. read more...

Escapado - blog 1 & 7 Dec

Escapado Blog - Thurs 1st Dec & 7th Dec. We’re currently 1,071 miles from St Lucia, (7 days away, as wind is set to decrease), having traveled 1800 miles to date. Tongue in Cheek !!Since a week last Sunday by the time we tie up in St. Lucia, we will have traveled circa 2,800 miles. In that time there has always been someone helming the boat and she has been moving, never stationery. No port nor jetty has been visited and the mooring wraps never saw the light of day. We have become people living and working by the watch clock, not the standard time piece, relying on each other as never before, as last nights events testify, despite becoming en masse part of the “Great Unwashed”The best food has been eaten and an audit of both bottled water and (believe it or not), toilet paper has. read more...

Salamander - and finally ... Tim's Reflections on ARC 2022

But before proceeding Sue and I, Alan, Andrew, Clive, Fredrik and Ralph, together the Salamander ARC 2022 Crew, partners and friends ashore and who can know who else, would like to thank Tim for all the time and thought he has put into producing this Pamphlet of the Seas for sailors and non-sailors alike, who may not have crossed an ocean, but just maybe are considering doing so.Thank you Tim.Chris - Salamander Skipperand so finally to Tim's Reflections on ARC 2022................It's been the experience of a lifetime, and it's inspired me to do more in the future. Here are my reflections on this amazing trip.Great sailing achievement - we've crossed an ocean! Totally epic, crossing the Channel will be a different experience now!Benefit of simplicity - life on board has been very simple,. read more...

Joanna - Blog update Joanna - Over & Out

At the start of the trip we all put our estimated arrival date and time in a sealed envelope. No one knew each other's guesses and there was a lot at stake - the winner would have all their drinks paid for in our first night in St. Lucia. The child-friendly prize was unlimited ice cream for a day if a record could be broken for the amount consumed, Inés and Vincent would be up for the challenge.In hindsight, this little competition *may* have encouraged an environment of adjusting sails, changing engine speed and coming up with ploys (e.g. let's slow down and go for another swim), to meet individual self interests. Pretty understandable really.It seemed like ages ago we wrote down the estimates but it was now becoming real. The end was in sight but a sense of melancholy was felt. read more...

Artemis celebrates

Today we celebrated that we are more than half way from Gran Canaria to St. Lucia. Pretty late in the rally one might say, well that is because we made a pit stop in Mindelo for a boom repair. Measured from Mindelo to Rodney Bay we are on one third of the way. This is great, since another reason for a celebration is not far away.Departure from Las Palmas was exciting. Seeing all these sailboats headed towards our shared destination.The large swell made for funny displays of appearing and disappearing boats in the waves. On our third day we saw the first group of dolphins along side the boat, approximately 40 in total!After four days ARC rally control said "hope everyone is adjusted to life at sea" and they were right. Non of us ever crossed the Atlantic before, but life at see suits us. read more...

Circe - Around the World in 21 Days

Around the World in 21 DaysCrewman Barry is so enjoying the meals on board that he has requested a blog be written to memorialize his gastronomic glee. I’m happy to comply as it is every cook’s desire to feed an appreciative crew and an honor to be asked to write about it. It’s no easy task to plan a menu, provision, store, and prepare meals for a transatlantic passage.But as this was my one and only duty on board, then by golly I was going to try to do a stellar job of it. I started months before our November departure by reading everything I could find online about how best to feed a crew with limited storage, a small refrigerator and freezer, and a galley moving under my feet.I instinctively knew that variety would be key and my international recipe file came to the rescue!While our. read more...

Salamander - Alan's Reflections on ARC 2022

You may be reading these blogs, as I did, thinking "is the ARC for me?"So for what it is worth here are my observations as a novice sailor about to reach St. Lucia:-Leave your Ego on the Dock - You may have a fancy job title or enjoyed great success but once on board it's "skipper's boat, skipper's rules". Crew harmony could be your greatest asset ar sea.Take a Look in the Mirror - Does your personality suit a 3 week journey with strangers in a 58 foot space?Choose Your Boat Carefully - Are you looking for a hard core adventure (Racing Division) or a cruise in air conditioning under auto helm?Best Bits - Helming, crew mates, night sky, 360 degree vistas in the day, dolphins, time (time to read, chat and mind wander) and a memorable 57th birthday.Tougher Moments - sea sickness (only the. read more...

Salamander - Using a Sextant

Andrew is doing his RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Practical on this trip and as such needs to tick a few boxes. One of the boxes that needs ticking is the use of a sextant to take positions at various times of day and night.Salamander has a sextant on board for use. It looks incredibly fragile when you consider where it's principal place of use is! It's complex combination of arcs and mirrors with a couple of adjustable dials to accurately record the elevation of celestial objects.Taking the reading however would seem the easy bit! The size of the Sight Reduction Tables and the calculations that are required make this whole process massively complicated and it's definitely something that requires regular practice to become anything approaching proficient.It's a great sight seeing Andrew sitting. read more...

Sunbeat VI - Day 19 - finished!

We arrived in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia at 1920 local time. Champagne sailing, rum punch arrival. Met by local ARC crew, rum punches all round and a fruit hamper.A great crossing, albeit somewhat frustrating at times.Special thanks to Andy Pickering for shoreside support - position reporting and weather advice.Congrats to Angela for surviving 3 weeks with five men!!!And well done to Steve - 5 Arcs…!Sunbeat crew - Arc 2022 - signing off. read more...

Endeavour III - Day 18

We made it … and now off for a drink. More to followKevin - 8th December. read more...

Avventura - Log Day 19: Di bolina

An atlantic crossing usually involves a huge amount of broad reach sailing in the trade winds, all downwind from the Canaries to St. Lucia, and a tiny bit of upwind sailing around the corner of St. Lucia into Rodney Bay. However, this time, it is different. A large storm in the north atlantic has disrupted the trade wind regime. This was noticeable already a couple of days ago, when we had different wind conditions. Today, we are even sailing upwind - against approx. 4Bf wind directly from west (instead of the usual 4-5Bf from the eastern sector). Position at 23:40 UTC (14:00.0N 53:13.1W). read more...

Jo - Tag 18 - die Strategie und der Mond

Gestern Abend haben wir uns verabschiedet mit der Aussicht auf die heutige Strategie. Über die haben wir relativ lange gegrübelt, dazu die Wetterprognose der ARC im Detail zerlegt und die PredictWind Vorhersage Stunde für Stunde analysiert. Bei dem groben Ergebnis waren sich alle, Crew wie Skipper, einig - wir wollen wie auch gestern schon lieber nach Süden als nach Norden. Denn im Norden wartet und warnt immer noch ein Sturm. Nach Regen kommt zwar bekanntlich Sonnenschein (in unserem Fall der Passatwind, der uns nach St. Lucia bringen soll). Allerdings würde es im Norden viel länger (ca. zwei Tage) länger dauern, bis uns dieser dort erreicht. Also halten wir es mit dem Song "ab in den Süden, der Sonne hinterher, hey jo (Jo) was geht...?"Das Problem ist allerdings aktuell noch der Wind. read more...

Amandla Kulu - D18_ Wonderful Sailing

Captain’s Log. Star Date 08 Nov. Day 18. Nineteenth day on the water.2248 GMT.2048 Local.///bearskin.gibbet.corsagehttps://w3w.co/bearskin.gibbet.corsageEvery day is a school day. One of the most privileged parts of my role onboard is the opportunity to learn from each and everyone of our great team, each day. Everyone has been through significant personal battles mentally, physically and emotionally. Jumping on a boat for three weeks, with a bunch of people you have never met before is a massive undertaking. Throw into the mix you are then knowingly entering a hostile environment with an infinite number of unknowns. Experience is what you get, just after you most needed it. We cleared the boat above and below today. An over needed boat clean. It has been a rolling and challenging few. read more...

Sabine - (118) ARC blog update - 8 Dec 2022

Hello interweb friends, Captain Stape on sail boat Sabine right here (///sucking.bloating.refillable)Thursday, and it seems those on watch overnight had an exciting time sailing through squalls. There are many damp items in the saloon when I awake. Kia tells me that the wind went from 8knots to 30knots in the blink of an eye. With rain. Lots of rain. The wind settled but the rain persisted for nearly 6 hours. Polina is hoping for a dry day. The morning is calmer and we’re now heading west as the wind has shifted to come from the south. Richard takes watch from Kia and we’re motor sailing as the wind has dropped. Kia is off for a well deserved nap and Polina is sleeping on the saloon couch as she was also up helping Kia overnight. The fishing reel clickety-clicks occasionally, but it’s. read more...

Navasana - Day 19 Getting lifted to St Lucia

We started sailing early this morning after motoring to a position that would allow us to get to St Lucia on one tack while getting lifted as the wind veers around. Still, we are close hauled at around 40AWA getting beaten up by wind waves and swell. Winds are around 17 knots making for some fast bumpy sailing. Birdy died this morning which was very sad, we had got really fond of her. She wasn’t scared of us at all and would let us stoke and also hold and carry her around. We left water and food out for her but she obviously had different tastes. We had Jessy’s left over lentil curry again for dinner, yum yum. Back to the bash!More on sailingnavasana.com. read more...

Betelgeuse - Wednesday-Thursday 07-08/12/22 DAYS 17-18

A good dose of motoring helped us finally reel in our rival (oops fellow) Grand Soleil 50, IMPULS, who lack a hydrogenator and generator so I guess have been preserving their fuel for battery charging. The engine went off as the wind filled in at 1400 on Wednesday, albeit from the direction of St Lucia, where it has remained as I write this over 24 hours later. Not to worry, BG is superb upwind, with a 2.7m led keel and well-shaped sails. We are adjusting to life at an angle.Barbados was sighted on the port bow, 25nm away this morning which had Will scampering to his bag to produce a single malt, one dram only (American size naturally) to celebrate. The wildlife is gradually coming out to meet us with boobies, skuas and a variety of other birds, together with the ever-present flying. read more...

Jadamama blog day 18

A general indolence hit the crew as we were forced into motoring a few days ago or more accurately, a focus that has shifted to finishing and cleaning up.Although motoring had seemed unthinkable, it has become routine with either no wind or impossible wind angles that elicit groans as the forecast models come through. We have been using the WRI and ECMWF forecasts primarily and spending data in the hunt for better conditions to little avail as staying on the rhumb line nearly always seemed to be the sensible course. Fuel anxiety has declined as we have been measuring usage over longer terms rather than relying on the erratic feedback from the gauges and are now more consistent with the manufacturer figures and our own historic numbers. It will still be tighter than we would like but with. read more...

Salamander - All Quiet

We're motoring along quite happily. The sun is beginning to set and the sky is ablaze with vibrant hues of orange and red. The sea is calm and the wind is lowThen Silence. The engine stops. We are now drifting!We've just gone through the 300nm to go marker.Chris dived into the engine room and quickly assessed the problem and within an hour the engine is back running again. Genius!This brief moment allowed us to watch the sun set and the full moon to rise. In quiet eerie silence. The path a full moon casts on the sea is one of the most magical scenes you can ever witness. Tonight just below the moon we can also see Mars, also shining brightly.The crew were so confident in Chris's ability no one expressed any concerns whatsoever. Sometimes these moments are to be savoured. We slowed. read more...

Salamander - Living It Up!

I've just been reclining in the front garden, as the foredeck on Salamander has become known. Quietly minding my own business, catching a few quiet moments of reflection and the the quiet was shattered by my fellow crew mate Alan, pretending to be an ice cream van and delivering ice popsicles!What a perfect addition to suck on whilst looking out on a flat calm ocean, totally devoid of the trade winds normally powering us towards our destination.Finding things to keep ourselves amused is quite important as we still have quite a way to go before reaching St. Lucia.Even something as simple as an ice popsicle helps in its small way! The joys of crossing an ocean ever present.Happy sailing (ok we are motoring) but we can still be super happy!!Tim - Salamander Tour Manager and Guest Social. read more...

Salamander - Andrew's Reflections on ARC 2022

As I draw near to our destination, so many things spring to mind about this trip that have been exciting and challenging at the same time. As a first ocean crossing I have been very luck to have been on a well founded vessel with excellent provisions, superb food, good company and like minded crew. I have eaten like a king and laughed until tears were rolling down my cheeks. I have been helped and supported on this voyage by crew mates who were strangers to me a short while ago but I now count them as friends. The camaraderie between the crew has been exceptional. I have shared things on watches that I haven't shared with anyone else and the advice and guidance I have been given has brought clarity to what to do next. The skipper has been excellent and, as with all my sailing. read more...

Peristera - Tropical Low nr 28

This was not what my crew expected when they came onboard in Las Palmas. I had talked about downwind sailing, while air and water got warmer and warmer. I alsodescribed squalls, so they were prepared for sudden wind increase and heavy rain. For a short period, I said. 20 minutes.Not this. Not having rain for hours from a scary sky. Not needing to flee south when both wind and current come from south. Not getting mail from a younger brother asking: 2,8 knots? Can't you sail faster in a 47 feet boat???We had started preparing for landfall. We wanted to arrive to St Lucia Sunday afternoon, and we put a "Bonus report" on the wall. On the Bonus report, we wrote how many miles, over or under, the average amount we needed to do, to be in Rodney Bay at 16 hours on Sunday. The last row on the. read more...

Circe - Earning the Red Pants

Earning the Red PantsThere’s a lot to be said of what is gained at the end of a transatlantic passage - that sense of accomplishment, a feeling of pride, a whale of a tale, and for some, a sense of relief. However, what I didn’t know was that I would be gaining the right to augment my fashion choices by the addition of one particular item of clothing.Quite the juxtaposition when you consider how narrow and repetitive my wardrobe choices are during this passage: do I wear the shirt I wore yesterday or the one that’s been worn three times already? Enter the sniff test. During an early morning discussion with the more seasoned of our crew, I learned of the tradition that entitles anyone who completes a transatlanticpassage the right to wear red pants! Great news for me as red is my favorite. read more...

Blue Moon - day 17 blog blue moon

We entered squall zone. We’ve heard so much about it from our skipper Thalita who prepared us well for such very short lived local storms. You can spot them well during daytime and even so during night time when the moon lights up the clouds around her. When you see cloud formations afar and you can not distinguish the horizon from the clouds, it’s a squall filled with rain, wind gusts up to 40% more and without a clear wind direction - wind coming from all sides. Simplified, let’s call it a washing machine ;). When Blue Moon hits a squall we need to reef as much as possible and hold on tight. So last night’s shift was purely focused on trying to navigate the Blue Moon through a squall mining field. It’s kind of a Russian roulette, which watch team will have to deal with it first. So. read more...

Salamander - Clive's Reflections on ARC 2022

It seems a long time ago now but the start was quite tense. We had brisk winds, a lively sea and many boats to avoid.Next day came sea sickness. It wasn't too bad but I had hoped to avoid it because I'm a regular sailor however within 48 hours I was feeling great again and the sea sickness never returned.Being in a 58 foot boat for 3 weeks with 7 complete strangers could have been a problem but it proved to be fine and I'm sure I've made friends for life now with my shipmates. Maybe coming from a large family and 2 years in the Royal Navy helped in that regard.Finally, being on a boat that's as well provisioned as Salamander is definitely a bonus and that's something I will check for future trips.Clivethesalamandersailingadventure.com. read more...

Salamander - Our Favourite New Knot

Since we turned the engine on a couple of days ago we have extra time on our hands to read books and explore different new things.It was Ralph who was flicking through his book Stress Free Sailing by Duncan Wells who came across the Rustlers Hitch.Using the tail end of one of the now redundant lines on the aft deck he gave the new knot a couple of tries and indeed it is a genius knot!You could use it to make fast with the incoming line while using the outgoing line to use as a release cord to completely undo the knot!I'm guessing this type of knot may be employed by escapologists as you can demonstrate that it is very secure one way and completely undone the next!Check it out when you can and see if you agree with us about the knot.Tim - Salamander Tour Manager and Guest Social Media. read more...

Salamander - Strange Weather

We now have less than 350nm to go until we arrive at Rodney Bay. Our decision to put the motor on several days ago has been fully vindicated as we still haven't seen wind above about 10kts apart from when a squall comes through.The very large low pressure system sitting to the north of where we are has meant that instead of enjoying easterly trade winds that are normal for this location we now have wind on the nose and it's barely above 5kts most of the time! There is just no way we would have made it without the use of our "iron mainsail' aka the engine.The squalls are coming at us from in front rather than from behind and we are busy taking regular hand bearings to see if we are going to get a dousing! They take around 20 minutes to pass over so it's not so bad, indeed it can be very. read more...

Sunbeat VI - Day 18 - Nearly there…

The winds eventually filled in nicely from the NNW. Now able to point directly to Saint Lucia. With a distance remaining of around 150nm, should be able to arrive sometime Thursday evening.Weed has been a continual problem. Having to put the engine on and go into reverse every hour of so to clear it off the rudder. At one point we strapped Drac into the bosun’s chair and suspended him from the spare spinnaker halyard over the side of the boat in order to check whether the rudder was clear. Needless to say, crew onboard felt Drac needed to be a little lower over the side in order to see under the boat while it was heeled over, which resulted in an impromptu ducking. With water temperature above 28 degrees C it wasn’t too much of a hardship for him!We ate the last of the frozen meat. read more...

Lothlorien - Tag 18 auf See - Wir sind wieder in der Flaute

Die Nacht über hatten wir Squalls. Das sind kleine lokale Winderscheinungen mit viel Regen. Zum Glück sind die berüchtigten Böen ausgeblieben, aber dafür sind wir einige Male kräftig geduscht worden.Der heutige Tag empfängt uns aber dann mit Sonnenschein und keinem Wind. Jetzt geht wirklich nichts mehr und wir müssen die Maschine zur Hilfe nehmen. Gegen 18 Uhr soll es wieder besser werden, aber bis dahin läuft der Motor.Wir nutzen die Flaute, um im Atlantik schwimmen zu gehen. Schon ein komisches Gefühl im weiten Ozean zu schwimmen, wo man nur das eigene Boot und sonst nichts sieht. Wir haben es genossen und jeder hat sich eine Süßwasserdusche gegönnt. Wenn der Motor läuft, kann auch die Entsalzungsanlage mitlaufen, so hatten wir genug Süßwasser, damit alle sich abduschen konnten.Die. read more...

Mairmade - Day#18 - Last Full Day at Sea

Not an especially noteworthy day otherwise.Sunrise made a strong showing, although Claudia was the only audience member (she does the last shift of the night).By 1pm, we had covered 143nm since the same time the day before, bringing our total distance covered for the passage to 2750nm. Spare time was used to start preparing for "post-passage"...Watermaker ran to fill our tank while the washing machine cranked out 4 loads of laundry.We oscillated between sailing and motoring all day, with the hope that, as forecasted, we could cover the last 150-200nm on an upwind tack (where Mairmade is much more comfortable sailing), but the wind shifts and calm periods kept us waiting.We're sailing now as I write, but with below forecasted wind speeds.We also have a strong desire to make it to St.. read more...