Haji - Ship's log n°14 - Photo finish: Haji vs Jubilate Mare

It's 4am on day twenty at sea. After two weeks without seeing another ARC+ boat, Jubilate Mare is showing up on our AIS. She's seven miles behind us, and we're less than fourty miles from the finish line in Rodney Bay. An Oyster 47, she's a much faster boat and is slowly starting to close the gap. My night watch is finished though and I head to my bunk to get a few hours sleep.I woke up to find Jubilate Mare within two miles of us and the lush green hills of St Lucia a stones throw away in the early morning light. As with leg one, where we raced Tao to the finish, it was looking like it could be another race to the finish. Again, the Skipper is helming to get the most out of Haji who, with fifteen knots of wind behind her, had twin headsails and the main up. The Bosun was down below. read more...

Haji - SV Haji: Q&A With the Crew #2

After our last Q&A people wanted to know more. Yesterday we received a few questions via satellite phone and email. Once again the crew sat down to give you answers.Q. How much water did you take & what is your ration per day? A. Our water tank holds 140 litres which we reserve mostly for cooking and washing up. We brought approximately 120 500ml bottles (60 litres) for drinking, and four 6 litre bottles to siphon from if those run out. We then carry another 60 litres on deck.Q. Did our fisherman catch them tall in 1 day, i.e. going through a school, or does he like to catch 2 every day just to keep his hand in?A. Thanks for the question Buster. I had a run of three days where I caught the majority (10) of my fish. Over the next ten days it has been very hit and miss and. read more...

Haji - SV Haji: Q&A with the crew

Running low on ideas for blog posts, we enlisted the help of family and friends by prompting them to ask us questions which we recieved on our Iridium Sat phone. We then sat down as a crew to answer them. Q. What was the biggest challenge you faced in planning the trip?A. It has been a journey long in the making. Although we faced challenges, none stood out paricularly. We had a lot of things to do and worked our way through them.Q. Was there anything you would do differently so far?A. Not accidentally buy two bottles of sherry, mistaking them for wine!We would have most likely reevaluated our stops; spent a little less time in Las Palmas before the start of the ARC, for example.Q. What do you each miss most?A. The Bosun, naturally, misses his wife - Gerry - more than anything. The. read more...

Haji - SV Haji: Ship's log n°13 - The Solemn Reminder

It's an odd feeling. On day eleven we crossed the half way mark. We're half way between Cape Verde and St Lucia and there's nothing for a thousand miles in any direction. It's an isolation uncommon in today's world. In an emergency, even most remote places on land are in some way accessible by plane, car, helicopter or some other form of transportation and because of that, safety is never far away. Out here though things are different. Sure we have a sat phone, PLB's and AIS, but who's coming to our aid and how? At the best of times in our current postition we are seven days from a doctor or hospital, but even then we are at the mercy of the wind. Sailing can be dangerous, a point we were reminded of when we received an email from the ARC+ rally control shortly after crossing the half. read more...

Haji - SV Haji: Ship's log n°12 - Stardust Dolphin

Once upon a time, NOT in a land far away, but rather in an isolated part of the Atlantic Ocean, there lived a pod of magical dolphins. By day, they appeared no different to any of the other dolphins - graceful, speeding blurs of grey, playfully bouncing between the swell. If ever anyone were to spot them, they would marvel at their joyful elegance, without noting anything more. However, by night, these particular Stenella Plagiodon transform into mythical creatures, as if plucked from your wildest dreams. How do I know of their existence? Ah, O Best Beloved! For I have met them! Not very long ago, on this very boat, in this very ocean, I was sat in the cockpit gazing at the stars. It was my nighttime watch, and the rest of the crew were snoring in their bunks. A cooling breeze. read more...