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03/09/2023

Walkabout - And then there were 2...

S18:25 E174:34There has been a lot of radio silence on our blog updates over the last few weeks.It has been a busy time on Walkabout, as we said goodbye to Tom and Bron in Tonga, and then 2 days later welcomed the Gammons x5.I think they probably felt that they had been mis-sold the South Pacific.The first 10 days of their venture was cool, cloudy and very wet at times.Not to mention - very windy.Our passage from Tonga to Lau (Fiji) was tough for everyone.Strong winds, big seas, rain and cold.It felt like the G’s regular summer trip to Cornwall, not the South Seas of the Pacific.On the bright side, everyone remained upbeat, no one was sea sick, which was pretty amazing given the conditions.During the second half of the G’s trip the weather improved, and we headed to Savusavu and then on. read more...


12/07/2023

Walkabout - The Day That Never Was

S18:35 W173:52After crossing the equator a couple of months back, we have now crossed another of those invisible lines that straddle the earth - The International Date Line!!In theory, if the Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees of longitude) is the foundation of measuring time, then the international date line should be at 180 degrees West (or East - depends which way you are heading).But the IDL is not a straight line.It zig zags down through the Pacific, tip toeing its way through all sorts of national and political interests along the way.So after some research we discovered that between Niue and Tonga, the IDL is at 172 degrees 30 Minutes West.Celebrations were hastily organised, and at 19.51 last night we crossed the line. Advisedly, I say 'last night', as who knows what day it was!So. read more...


11/07/2023

Walkabout - About to lose a day...

S19:19 W171:35We are back on passage on our way to Tonga after an incredible 3 days in Niue. We arrived in Niue in the evening on Friday 7th July in darkness and picked up a mooring buoy with all of the other arc boats who had arrived at various points throughout the day on Friday. After successfully mooring up with the help of Escapade and Northstar in their dingy, we enjoyed our arrival beer with some Pringles and then had the delight of a full nights sleep without any night shifts to get up for - what a novelty! From then on we had a completely jam packed time on Niue without a spare minute but we loved every part. We began by using the crane to lift the dingy onto the dock the next morning which was a new experience for us all but we soon found a routine for it… after checking in to. read more...


10/07/2023

Jadamama - Jadamama Bora Bora to Niue

Heno and I said our goodbyes to Maureen and Scott in Tahiti and have been joined by Heno’s dad, also called Henry/Heno, and my cousin Mícheál rejoined us in Bora Bora having last seen him in the Galapagos. I flew home for about ten days from Tahiti to reconnect with family and especially my wife Mairéad who has filled many of the gaps that I have left by doing this trip and yet has been unable to join for any part of it.I owe her and indeed all my family and friends a huge debt of gratitude for their support over the last twelve months that I have spent on the oceans around the planet.Looking back at the Society islands as a whole, we heard Moorea was the jewel and indeed it is a very special place to visit and explore. We loved the hiking, the snorkelling and just the geography and. read more...


07/07/2023

Walkabout - Day 7 - We have company!

S18:53 W163:38After four days of not seeing a sole, at 1300 yesterday, we have the best of company join us for our last few days at sea. Mary Doll just pinged up on AIS on the chart plotter and soon after they did, Letitia and Derek called up on the VHF and we all heard a loud HORAY when we answered! It was great and brought huge smiles from us all.Its now 0745 the following day, our arrival day in Nuie and Escapade of London have also just pinged up on AIS so now we are three. It is so good to have company on the water, it feels slightly more comforting knowing there are others nearby, you may not be able to visibly see them but you can call up them up and say hello, and keep an eye on the AIS, check out their speed, bearing and direction in comparison to you. Yesterday was a good. read more...


06/07/2023

Walkabout - Another Day for Fishing

S18:37 W165:52The morning shift consists of two important things, getting the blog written but more importantly getting the fishing lines in. We haven’t has much success since the Mahi that we caught on the first day, we did have two bites yesterday at the same time so Andrew was woken up to try and pull them both in. No sooner had he made it up here and started to bring the Genoa in to slow us down both fish decided they didn’t want to be dinner that evening. Gratefully they left both of our lures behind and swam off. We haven’t yet managed to land a double catch at the same time, although it is a goal. It has been quite a slow night aboard Walkabout as the wind has gradually died over the night. We have had sails crashing and banging a little as the wind dropped below 9 knots.. read more...


05/07/2023

Walkabout - Day 5: Variable, Mainly Good

S18:23 W163:37Back in the day, when people listened to the weather forecast on the BBC (whether though interest, boredom, inability to sleep or because it was before the news) there were (and still are) a variety of expressions that are used to describe the various facets of the weather.For example, ‘Variable” is used in relation to winds being ‘light and variable’.‘Mainly good’ is used in relation to the visibility.These days we all have access to the weather in all sorts of forms on line.Up until this passage we have relied on downloading Grib files whilst at sea and interpreting them to devise the best weather route.But Starlink has changed all that now.Now we can access all sorts of online weather information and multiple means of generating weather routing.But the general situation. read more...


04/07/2023

Walkabout - We are Halfway to Niue!

S17:54 W160:47Morning everyone!And so another day at sea begins… this is day 5 at sea and we have settled into a nice routine at this point. We have just passed the halfway stage of the passage during our sail change this morning - 578.5 miles sailed with approx 520 miles to go! Whoop whoop! The last 24 hours have seen a significant drop in wind so during the afternoon yesterday, the decision was made to drop the sails that we had up at the time and motor through this wind hole. Before the engine was turned on we were hitting the strong speed of 2 knots despite having the blue water runner up to try and get the most out of the light winds but we were not making the progress we had hoped for. In the early hours of yesterday morning, we also hit the point of having sailed enough miles that. read more...


02/07/2023

Walkabout - Cloudy days in the South Pacific

S 16:29.5 W 156:14.0Its a cloudy morning out here in the South Pacific, the sun has come up but hasn’t been any kind of sunrise. We had a full moon overnight so it has been something dusk like for the night shifts. The wind is coming onto our port quarter so the big bands of rain off our starboard side shouldn’t be a worry, in theory!! We will wait and see if we have any rain over the next few hours but hopefully it will brighten up. We have had our ARC friends Zissou on AIS for the last 24 hours and now we have another friends boat called Tamlin on AIS around 10 miles in front. The AIS can be strange as often we can’t see anyone but then you will hear someone on the radio or they will suddenly pop up and they won’t be that far away. Yesterday we had no one on AIS but we could hear half. read more...


01/07/2023

Walkabout - Normal Service Is Resumed

S15:46 W153:56We are up and running, and getting back into the passage making routine again.After the first night at sea, many things are just the same as I remember them from previous passages.The first thing is that Tom has his fishing licence back (perhaps briefly) as we caught a nice Mahi Mahi yesterday afternoon, so soon into our passage - the Fishing Club is doing well.That led to a rapid reassessment of the meal plans by the Catering Club.Off the menu for last night went the bolognese, and straight on came baked Mahi Mahi - very nice indeed - great job by both Clubs.We went into the night with a plan - sail set up and heading.Discussed and agreed by the Governance and Strategy Sub-Committee.By midnight this was all looking a bit flakey.As ever, the wind gods hadn’t read the. read more...


29/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos

Too many choices for this one - due to the closure of the marina (and official anchorage) at Sines, done boats set off Sunday, some Monday,  some stopped at Sines some at several other anchorages. We elected to sail the 125 miles overnight setting off just behind Pirates Moon and Arrietta.  Major worries were the fishing buoys lying in wait and the possibility of Orcas - reports had them moving on from the Gibraltar strait and some sightings off Cape St Vincent.  Wind came up and we were bowling along merrily reefed and wing and wing (Timshel sails very well like this) when we got reports on the WhatsApp from Assifa who had just had an Orca attack - luckily no serious immediate damage to boat or people.  Their position was right on our route and everyone headed. read more...


Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
Timshel - Timshel - the last leg Oeiras to Lagos
29/06/2023

Majic-L - Portugal ARC Leg 6 – Oeiras to Lagos

P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}Portugal ARC Leg 6 – Oeiras to Lagos We spent our last morning in Oeiras designing and then painting our mural on the marina wall (big ambitions but like theother boats who joined in we had to do what we could with the brushes and paint colours available). Great fun and the four of us all got involved, although we did need a long cold drink after as it’s hot in the sun. The ideal cooling off after lunch was adip in the sea off the rocks around the corner from the main marina. Enjoyed that although we decided to get out after some jellyfish appeared and some of the barnacles were quite sharp as Richard and Tony can now testify. It was quite windy in the marinain the early evening as we found out when one of our large towels was taken by the wind and blown. read more...


26/06/2023

Majic-L - Leg 5 - Nazarre to Oeiras

Given we were not surrounded by any other boats, we were able to get off easily and we were the first boat across the gate start at 7am on the nose. We waved our ARC flag up at rally control on the cliff and Tony didhis best “Titanic Kate Winslet” pose at the bow of the boat. Like everyone else we negotiated multiple pots and a fishing boat laying pots on our way to clear water. We saw several dolphin pods and a shoal of fish that attracted loads of seagulls.  After lunchwe saw a pod of about 10 dolphins who were with us for a good 15 minutes, so we got good photos and videos. Tony got his Go-Pro camera out but unfortunately needed a longer mount to get it in the water to film under the boat. It wasn’t Tony’s day as againhe had his fishing gear out with the. read more...


26/06/2023

Majic-L - Leg 4 - Figueira da Foz to Nazarre

After heavy overnight rain we were pleased to wake up with the sky relatively clear as we joined the other rally boats on the start line. Unfortunately, there was no wind for sailing, so we all motored off the line onthe go from rally control. We did try slipstreaming Infinity of Yar having watched the Canadian Grand Prix at the weekend but not sure this tactic worked like it does on the road! We did get some good photos though of other boats jockeying for position atthe start which will be good for the rally photo competition. We saw John making a gesture from Sofa So Good at 11am to let us know that the fishing competition was on. Tony had his line out for 20 minutes but no luck.  He decided to add a plane and spinner for extra depth on theline but again no luck. Just as we. read more...


24/06/2023

Majic-L - Legs 2 & 3 – Povoa de Varzim and then Povoa to Figueira de Foz

Wanting to get off to a good start after our relatively low position in the arrival order in Bayona, we prepped our jib sail and cruising chute ready for fast use once we had cleared the cardinal markers. Winds were strongerthan we were expecting and we managed to do the entire sail without using the engine. This was the best news of the day, however all did not quite go to plan. As soon as we could, we decided that suitable time to get the cruising chute out, however found thatit had twisted inside the snuffle bag. After a bit of quick jiggery pokery with the lines, we were sorted and the chute was working well. In fact so well we didn’t need the main sail – Tony commented how he’d enjoyed the sorting out of the sail up on the bow“gets the adrenaline going” but I’m not sure we all felt. read more...


24/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel leg 5: Nazare to Oeiras

The hospitable Club Naval da Nazare gave us all a burgee and a lanyard.It was Steves birthday so he got a card from the fleet when he went to check out (also a card and present and tea in bed from me).And the yellow shirts sang Happy Birthday to him as we went through the gate start!No wind so everyone motored on rolling in the swell.After a couple of hours a breath of wind had sails setting and we were able to take some pics of Fisk who was close by.As we rounded the Cabo inside the islands and came onto a run we set our sails wing and wing, but our speed decreased - eta at the finish was now after 2200.Luckily the wind filled in and we had a lovely sail with dolphins playing round the boat - either 2 pods or the same ones twice.Saw reports on the WhatsApp chats of 25-30 knots round. read more...


Timshel - Timshel leg 5: Nazare to Oeiras
Timshel - Timshel leg 5: Nazare to Oeiras
21/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel Leg 4 : Figueira da Foz to Nazare

We had a lovely few days in Figueira, looked after by the marina and the yacht club.  Apart from the trip to visit Coimbra and the magnificent Montemor Castle, a highlight was the walking tour of the city guided by Miguel Amorel who is not only Commodore of the yacht club but also head of the Bull Ring and a barber shop, he was so enthusiastic telling us about his city.  And we all got a gift of a local product: salt.There was not a breath of wind at the start.  Some had mainsails up, all lined up behind the line ready to shove throttle levers forward on the starting signal.Sayonara and Mahi headed way off shore and found some wind (though a longer route).  We motorsailed with main and staysail and eventually were able to deploy the Yankee on a nice reach and turn off. read more...


Timshel - Timshel Leg 4 : Figueira da Foz to Nazare
Timshel - Timshel Leg 4 : Figueira da Foz to Nazare
21/06/2023

Walkabout - Overnight motor sail to Huahine

S16:41 W150:58We set off from Mo’orea for my first crossing on Walkabout just after 4pm yesterday evening having enjoyed a lovely few days exploring the mountainous island. Tom and I had a two night stay in a hostel on Mo’orea while Traci and Andrew arrived back on Walkabout and had a day and a half back in Tahiti for boat jobs and provisioning. On the 17th, the two of them sailed from Tahiti to Mo’orea and picked us up from the beach in Opanohu bay where Tom watched Walkabout sail and anchor without him on it for the first time since he joined Walkabout in February! The last few days have included walking up Magic Mountain to an incredible viewpoint over the reefs and snorkelling over underwater Tikis in crystal clear water. We enjoyed three sociable evenings both onboard Walkabout and. read more...


18/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel Leg 3: Povoa de Varzim to Figueira da Foz

This leg was in the handbook as 55nm, 65nm on the briefing slides but actually nearer 75nm.The evening dinner was 2100 and several boats left an hour early to be sure of making it in time.The rest motored across the line at 0700, except Majic-L and Arrietta who managed to drift across under sail.Special mention to Vibe who very correctly displayed a motoring cone.The boats motored on in the sunshine.Sayonara proposed a fishing competition - probably won by Majic-L.As the wind came up Parasailors and similar coloured sails blossomed.Those like us with white sails only had to wait for more wind - which did come eventually so that we had a nice broad reach and finished under sail, though the finishing line was a little confusing as no outer limit had been set.The rally WhatsApp group set up. read more...


Timshel - Timshel Leg 3: Povoa de Varzim to Figueira da Foz
Timshel - Timshel Leg 3: Povoa de Varzim to Figueira da Foz
15/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 27 Azores to Portugal

Jour 27 : première pêcheOuf, il était temps… les pêcheurs ont attrapé leur premier poisson ce matin. Il sera servi à table demain midi.Nous avons quitté la navigation au moteur dans la matinée pour passer sous code 0 puis sous génois dans l’après midi. Nous devrions garder cette allure jusqu’à notre arrivée à Lagos, prévue pour demain soir.A bord on continue de vider les frigos: gambas, rôti de porc, vin blanc… c’est Noël en Juin !Pour la nuit à venir, il va falloir être vigilant lors des quarts. Beaucoup de cargos sortent ou entrent dans le détroit de Gibraltar et la carte AIS ressemble à une bataille navale. Il nous reste environ 140 miles à parcourir.. read more...


14/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 26 Azores to Portugal

Jour 26 : soleil et moteurAu petit matin, nous avons rentré le code 0 et mis le moteur. Le soleil a refait son apparition, nous l’avions quitté aux acores. La météo prévoit une molle de vent jusqu’à demain soir. Nous devrions retoucher du vent à l’approche des côtes portugaises.Aujourd’hui nous avons vu nos premiers thons jaunes qui sont venus s’amuser à l’avant du bateau et narguer nos lignes à l’arrière. Deux heures à nous suivre mais pas de succès au bout des hameçons…Une partie de la matinée a été consacrée à trouver un moyen d’échanger des fichiers entre deux MACs, pas facile de travailler sans le cloud.A défaut de thon, nous mangerons ce soir des gambas congelées !. read more...


14/06/2023

Timshel - Leg 2: Baiona to Povoa de Varzim

The wind came up just before the start (showing the sagacity of Rally Control setting what seemed to be a late start time) and we were able to sail across the line on starboard tack.Soon boats started sprouting coloured sails as they bore away down the coast.After some messing with a new system for the tack involving parrel beads round the furled Yankee, we set our cruising chute and dolphins came to play under the bow.Unfortunately this was short lived as taking off the autopilot I managed to over correct, boat came up to wind apparent wind increased and the chute blew out.Guess it was getting rather old and faded.I dragged the bottom half out of the water and the got the top half down shoving it all down the forehatch.No rest though as Steve was demanding the pole be set up so we could. read more...


Timshel - Leg 2: Baiona to Povoa de Varzim
Timshel - Leg 2: Baiona to Povoa de Varzim
13/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 25 Azores to Portugal

Jour 25 : grisailleNous sommes toujours sous code 0 et nous avançons bien avec un vent de 15/18 noeuds et une vitesse de 7/8 noeuds avec des pointes a 10. Ce matin nous avons eu un peu de pluie et le temps est reste nuageux toute la journée. Il fait plutôt froid dehors ce qui fait que l’équipage reste au chaud a l’intérieur du carre. Nous avons parcouru 500 miles depuis les Acores.Des nouvelles activités ont vu le jour, en particulier le travail des épissures donnant lieu a de beaux bracelets en dynamar ! Nous ne sommes pas encore a l’heure des bilans mais nous avons note que nous venons de finir notre vingt quatrième tablette de chocolat. Il faut ca pour maintenir le moral de l’équipage. Fort heureusement il nous reste encore 5 tablettes. Les provisions diminuent mais nous n’avons pas. read more...


13/06/2023

Timshel - Baiona

A lovely few days here starting with crew dinner at a great local restaurant on Friday, a nice tour to Santiago de Compostela on Saturday, a lovely walk to visit water mills yesterday which concluded with an absolutely superb lunch.At the Prize giving dinner on Sunday we were astonished to find that we were placed first in Division B completely unexpected as we were one of the last boat to finish.All down to the motoring hours factor, with our little engine trying to motor in a seaway against the wind is pointless so we worked hard and sailed as much as we could.We got a nice bottle of local wine for our prize.Now off to the start for the sail to Povoa , just hoping we can go fast enough to get there in time for dinner!. read more...


12/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 24 Azores to Portugal

Jour 24 : Navigation sous code 0Navigation plus paisible aujourd’hui. Nous avons passé la matinée en vent arrière avec les voiles en ciseaux puis le vent fléchissant, nous avons sorti le code 0. Les vagues ont diminué d’amplitude et devraient continuer ainsi jusqu’à jeudi. Nous avons parcouru 330 miles sur les 800 necesssaires avant d’arriver à Lagos.L’équipe prépare l’étape à terre et nous avons sorti les guides pour programmer les différentes visites en fonction du temps qu’il nous restera avant notre départ.En attendant, nous continuons les épreuves de Scrabble, et malgré notre imagination pour inventer des nouveaux mots, notre maîtresse en la matière reste difficile à battre…Les accalmies ont du bon, les chefs sont au fourneau ! Gâteau à la pomme à 4 heures et curry rouge thaï ce soir.. read more...


12/06/2023

Majic-L - Log Leg 1 Plymouth to Bayona

After months of preparation the crew of Majic-L (Richard our skipper, Linda his wife – the boat owners, Tony and myself Mark) set sail from Plymouth with Tony’s wife Karen waving us off enthusiastically from the cannonson the Hoe. Wind picked up as we cleared the breakwater and we were keen to launch the cruising chute as soon as we could. With the sail being bright red we stood out amongst the other boats, although we noted we were not alone in using this sail. Unfortunatelyfor us, a change in the wind fairly early on meant we had to pack it away again and unfurl the Genoa. Whilst we were doing this, other boats forged ahead and most stayed ahead until Bayona. This being said, with the changes in wind direction, course corrections,trying to sail smoothly as possible at night to help. read more...


Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 3
Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 3
Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 2
Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 2
Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 1
Pantiki - PANTIKI Azores to Lagos Photo 1
11/06/2022

Arkyla - 11 Jun 22: Ready to go

The time is nearly upon us for the start.  Over the last few days skipper James has been eyeing up the weather, racer-boy Rich has been eyeing up the opposition, charmer Mark has been eying up the totty, and motorboater Mike has mostly been eyeing up the chocolate rations!  A quiet evening is planned for tonight after yesterday’s day sail around the Hoe and impromptu attempt to drink Jolly Jacks dry after the Rally welcome dinner; we will be as fresh for the Biscay leg as our combined 227 years of creaking bones will allow… James Kenning . read more...


11/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 23 Bermuda to Azores

Jour 23 : Vagues de traversDépart hier après midi sous le soleil et sous le vent de l’île qui nous a permis de reprendre la navigation en toute tranquillité. Passé l’île, le vent a forci un peu et les vagues de travers se sont progressivement imposées; pendant la nuit, nous avons avancé à 7/8 noeuds; durant les dernières 24 heures, nous avons fait plus de 150 miles en remontant vers le nord est pour bénéficier du vent et suivre le routage proposé par PredictWind.Pas de grosse activité à bord du fait de l’instabilité du bateau. Le capitaine a tout de même fait le pain du jour, et le repas du soir (lentilles saucisses) est en préparation…Nous attendons des vagues en diminution demain pour pouvoir reprendre des activités physiques.. read more...


10/06/2023

Time Out - Time Out - Day 22 Bermuda to Azores

Jour 22 : dernière étapePendant 10 jours, nous avons pu apprécier les acores. D’abord à Horta pour prendre une bière chez Peter (le RV de tous les marins de passage) et pour refaire un minimum de provisions pour notre dernière étape. Nous nous sommes aventurés sur les routes de l’île en scooter électrique pour faire le tour des Miradouro (point de vue). Les soirs ont été réservés à la gastronomie locale ou aux steaks frites pour les plus affamés d’entre nous… les plus téméraires ont pris le ferry pour aller faire le tour de l’île de Pico où se situent les vignobles inscrits au patrimoine mondiale de l’UNESCO.Les deux derniers jours nous avons rejoint Punta Delgada sur l’île de Sao Miguel. Des véhicules de location nous ont permis de rejoindre les Caldeiras pour nous baigner dans des eaux. read more...


09/06/2023

Timshel - Days 4 and 5 Arrival

Wind died early evening as we sailed close hauled towards Cabo Villano and the Finisterre TSS so we motorsailed, not wanting to hang about there with bad weather forecast for next day.But it came back during the night so we could sail onwards putting in a few tacks.A tiny bird (a finch?) hitched a ride for a short while.Sudden squalls (30 knots +) and thunderous rain had our decks awash before we could reef, then it die away so we’d end up with full sail again.There was a pod of dolphins as we approached Bayona, but wind deserted us again as we approached Isle de Cies so we put on the engine again.Managed to sail across the line (though yellow buoy seemed to be absent) with reefed sails between more squalls of wind and shower power rain.Lovely to be welcomed at the pontoons by Yellow. read more...


Infinity of Yar - Gorgeous full moon rises and sun rises brightened up the night watches In Biscay
Infinity of Yar - Gorgeous full moon rises and sun rises brightened up the night watches In Biscay
09/06/2023

Infinity of Yar - Leg 1 - Plymouth to Baiona

We made it to the start line!  Jobs list finished.  Phew!  Well, almost finished.  Just when I thought I had managed to get all the sat comms working, suddenly everything stopped working the day before departure.  Argh!  Not only that, but I’d blown my monthly sat comms budget in 24hrs.  Arkwright the racing pigeon would have delivered messages more reliably than my system and cost me a lot less too!  Like all challenges on this journey so far, we fixed it and we were then ready to go. Who would have guessed we’d have champagne sailing as far as Finisterre?!  Downwind all the way and plenty of sunshine.  Clear nights with a full moon.  Plenty of dolphins and three sightings of whales in Biscay.  Fabulous!  Until we reached. read more...


07/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel ARC Portugal Day 3

Nice sunny day; we resumed our proper course once we were clear of the Naval exclusion zone which took until 15.00.Some great fast reaching overnight, and it was warmer - probably because of the cloud cover.Early morning it started to rain (the first for weeks) and the wind headed us and died away.Just when I was thinking we would need to start the engine wind came back and there was a dolphin swimming alongside - maybe its the same one that was there last night.Now sailing close hauled in variable wind with Hydra the Hydrovane steering.. read more...


07/06/2023

Mistral of Portsmouth - Tuamotus & Society Islands - Video

https://youtu.be/N5X8d6eFo-8Chris & KarenMistral of Portsmouth. read more...


06/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel ARC Portugal Day 2

Timshel ARC Portugal Day 2.Sailing on a broad reach all day, just about at dusk took out last of reefs, and crossed the Continental Shelf - depth goes from 100s of meters to 1000s.Last time we were here (well the only other time we crossed Biscay) there were hordes of dolphins at this point but not today (though forgot to mention the 2 groups that came to the boat yesterday).Seemed to be a very cold night, with a bright moon of course.Sunny morning though and warmer.We were pleased to see from the position reports that we have taken up our customary position at the back of the fleet - we really are not racers.We were just sorting out the weather info when we wre called on channel 16 by a French Naval aircraft telling us we were about to stray until a firing zone, we had to alter course. read more...


06/06/2023

Northern Light II - Day 2

A good days sailing . Made progress through the first night cutting just inside the North Ushant TSS gaining a number of places in the fleet. Gennaker up for most of the day. Early evening we were joined by the largest pod of dolphins any of us have seen - video to follow when we reach landfall. 4 hour shift pattern working and Paul and I are looking forward to only doing 4 hours tonight. Miles continues entertaining us with his stories of averting disasters. Fish pie tonight!Michael Chris Paul & Miles. read more...


05/06/2023

Timshel - Timshel ARC Portugal Day 1

Lovely weather for the start, we hung back out of the way, but still ended up in the middle of the pack all stealing each others wind so it was slow getting out of Plymouth.Once clear coloured sails started to appear - initially these didn't seem to confer much advantage, then suddenly those boats pulled away. Our cruising chute hasn't been out of the bag for 2 years or more and with the sloppy sea we decided not to wrestle with it and stuck to a reach with 3 white sails.We do suffer a disadvantage with the cutter rig the yankee and staysail combination are great to handle a blow but we are under powered compared to boats with a big genoa, and our rolling main is smaller too.We spent some time playing with the Hydrovane self steering which also had not been recently used.It was lovely. read more...



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