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...

Joanna - Blog update - a lull in the wind

Seeing the sea state change so quickly is mesmerising. One minute it's a big swell with waves; the next it's glassy and something more recognisable from Mediterranean summer coastal waters.We hit a lull in the wind (what happened to the predictable trade winds!?) with speeds reaching a lofty 6 knots if we were lucky. The first two weeks was excellent sailing but the coming days looked to be very challenging. Within our sail arsenal, we have a parasail which works very well in light winds but even this struggles with such light winds.It's been a bit of a waiting game for more wind / making some progress under motor but it's also been an opportunity to try out some sea-based activities, some we'd recommend, others maybe not!Take a swim - the lack of wind makes you constantly hot and it's. read more...

Joanna - Blog update Joanna - an unexpected catch

We've had a fishing leadership board going with a few other boats throughout the trip. Each day we send in updates on what we've caught and also get to see what others are catching. Today was our final contribution.It's been a pleasure contributing but we've decided it's time for Joanna to retire.It's not that our passion for fishing has dwindled or that there's no more fish left in the sea but because we’re reached what we think is the peak in our fishing career. Also, we don't think we'll be able to finish off todays catch before we arrive in St. Lucia and we've run out of fridge space.After a few days off fishing we thought today was the day to put out the lines again. The lull in the wind made for good fishing conditions and feeling optimistic we went for the biggest hook and a. read more...

Joanna - Blog update Joanna - Its begining to look a lot like Christmas

It's December which means it's now officially okay to play Christmas music and put up decorations. Anyone who suggests doing this before is criminal and should have to walk the plank. December also means the start of advent and the period of waiting until Christmas. Day one of our advent gave us a special treat…not a chocolate but an almighty squall at 8am - the first for Joanna. Within seconds the wind increased from a relaxing 15 knots to an outrageous 40 knots. The heavens opened and it felt like there was more rain coming from the sky than in the sea surrounding us - how bizarre. The crew swung into action and dropped the spinnaker seamlessly. It must have been all the practice we’ve had having to slow down to reel fish in. The plus side of the squall was the unavoidable shower for. read more...

Joanna - a piece of essential kit for any serious sailor

Lego - a piece of essential kit for any serious sailor (young and old)With an ex-Lego employee onboard Joanna , Lego is of no shortage. Vincent (4), and Inés (7) have loved playing with thousands of pieces, creatively creating weird, wonderful and whacky constructions. Some favourites so far have been Vincent’s idea to take all the heads off the characters and create a tower of Lego heads stacked on top of each other - a total of 18 heads. And Inés’s flying carpet which has been wizzing around the boat.It’s been great for providing high quality entertainment for the kids but unfortunately for them, they’ve now having to share the Lego with the ‘adults’.Lego charades has been invented which involves:- Everyone writing down several objects or items on pieces of paper and putting them into. read more...