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11/05/2019

Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta

We've had a very hectic few days at the Tahiti Pearl Regatta.Apparently it's the foremost (only?) international sailing regattawithin thousands of miles, and we thought we'd have a bit of funputting Tintin through her paces.The regatta started at Raiatea.Our crew is mixture from other WARCboats.Joe from Charm is our racing consultant.Quite why he wantsto race on battleship Tintin when his own boat is MUCH faster (254NM in24 hours across the Pacific), I'm not sure - but he really seems toenjoy the challenge of making Tintin move, and we are really glad tohave him on board.Josie is also aboard for a few days, having beenreleased by Raid for the duration of the regatta.She's a marinebiologist and has has provided many interesting insights - not leastexplaining the 'spy-hopping' behaviour of. read more...


Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
Tintin - Tahiti Pearl Regatta
09/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 113 May 7, 2019

Anchor hooked in Huahine south lagoon, lunch eaten, showers taken, nap seriously availed of, and then we awoke, dropped the kayaks in and paddled around in the pristine lagoon. There are sharks, rays and giant turtles here, which is pretty amazing because the floor of the lagoon looks like an underwater desert of smooth empty sand. It’s like kayaking in a giant, miles-wide swimming pool. We kayaked out almost to the reef, watched the multicolours of sunset arrive, then I towed Lars’ kayak behind mine, as he swam back to the boat. We dressed for dinner and went to join the Tumi crew on Nickitoo for a fun filled evening of delicious food and excellent fellowship. What a great time we had. We are so thankful for the camaraderie of the WARC boats. It is very nice to be able to share this. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 113 May 7, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 113 May 7, 2019
09/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 112 May 6, 2019

We left Tahiti in the afternoon to start the 112 mile passage to Huahine’s south lagoon. Big thunderheads piled up behind us, to the starboard and to port, thankfully the sky ahead looked clear. As we drew near to Moorea we saw Nickitoo, Tumi, Tin Tin, and Mahini come out of Opunahu bay. Many other boats appeared both as lights, and on radar, making for interesting watches. At six am, as we raised Huahine, the squalls hit us, and we had a couple hours of fast sailing, by 09:30, the sky cleared, the wind died, and we approached pass Avapehi on the north west corner of Huahine. Coming in went smoothly, and we turned to starboard and followed the channel down to Baie D’Avea in the south lagoon. Nickitoo and Tumi were already tucked in amongst nine other boats, but there was plenty of room. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 112 May 6, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 112 May 6, 2019
07/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 111 May 5, 2019

Sunday in Papeete.The market beckoned, I went at 05:00. Leaving the quiet pre-dawn of the sleeping boats in the marina behind, I entered the rowdy, colourful, vibrant space of commerce. Here there was music and conversation, laughter and banter. People jammed the aisles, spilling out onto the street. Vendors from all over the island converge here every Sunday to share their wares, eat their breakfasts, catch up with friends. The youth are courting, the old folks are smiling, some merchants Hawk their goods in a beautiful sing song call. The fruits of the land and the fish of the sea are laid out in an attractive array of rainbow colours, just waiting to go home with you. This is the best place in Papeete to sample authentic Tahitian cuisine, as many of the stalls offer cooked food of. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 111 May 5, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 111 May 5, 2019
10/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Arrived Bermuda

We have reached our first target: five and a half days at sea, about 860 nm covered. Unfortunately much time with little wind and then finally the last 150 nm the wind on the nose. Using the motor much, emptying diesel tanks, like other boats - not so great... However, what is much worse - on our way to a boatyard to have the last injector for the white smoking engine checked, both engines failed to deliver any power. It is not clear, why. The technicians will hopefully assess this tomorrow. The boatyard sent two guys to tow us in. One on them hit our boat hard and tore some of the "bumper" off. Finally the generator stopped working too. We just wanted to change the impeller, which was missing - the first spare part we needed that was not on the boat! Checking the oil routinely I saw. read more...


09/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Log Day 5

The Atlantic Ocean can be very rough, but also incredibly calm. We have been motoring the whole day over flat seas with a large end gentle swell. A tanker produced some excitement in the morning. During a squall in the rain he came so close to us, not reacting to our calls on the radio, that I had to slow down to let him pass. There may have been no-one on the bridge or they just did not care about collision avoidance regulations? In the morning I was off-watch, sleeping with the starboard engine humming along below my bunk when I suddenly woke up alarmed: the engine was not running smoothly. I jumped up to the helm and turned the engine off even before the watch noticed what was going on. A look into the water made this obvious - we had caught some drifting line and fishing net with the. read more...


09/05/2019

Attitude - Foodie day

Hello everyone Today was a day of very little wind so as we move slowly towards Bermuda we decided to focus on food and a bit of clean-up. Lunch consisted of Portuguese pea and chorizo stew washed down with a good bottle of Chocolate Block from Franschoek. Dinner will be smoked fish accompanied with grilled courgettes and if course .... a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Focus on new world wines today.A beautiful day today and a spectacular sunset this evening. We are planning for a few “ dark and stormy’s” in Bermuda tomorrowBest wishes to allRui, João and Antonimage1 image3 image2. read more...


Attitude - Foodie day
Attitude - Foodie day
Attitude - Foodie day
Attitude - Foodie day
Attitude - Foodie day
Attitude - Foodie day
08/05/2019

Limitless - Home Stretch

Home stretch, we're becalmed and out of rum...hope land fall is soon :). read more...


08/05/2019

Salamander Tails, day four - Rebecca Hayter

Salamander Tails, day four... I think. After several days of friendly toy-boat icons, now it is just us on the AIS screen and I am guessing some boats are already in port. I bet they are supping sundowners at sundown and daiquiris at daybreak, spinnakers rinsed and repacked.Meanwhile our onboard party consists of teenage flying fish crash landing in the dark and an autopilot that, unlike others I've known, hums rather than grunts, albeit more Florence Foster Jenkins than Kiri Te Kanawa. I'malso missing birds - where are they? Have seen a few small, dark grey ones and one large black and white; that's it. Apologies for my lack of avian smarts but not used to northern hemisphere birds. On the plus side, hardly any litter in the ocean. Apart from a 33-knot squall with heavy rain this. read more...


08/05/2019

Attitude - First dinner with our own caught fish

Hello everyoneBeautiful start to the day with sunrise at around 5.30am and everybody slept better with fresher winds and less motion in the boat due to a flatter swell. Fishing rod went out early with much anticipation and we caught a nice Grouper which was expertly grilled by Rui and enjoyed for dinner. We achieved 175NM in latest 24hr period which is not bad but winds starting to moderate so will need to determine our tactics for getting to Bermuda with fair windsBest wishes from Rui, João and Anton. read more...


08/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Log Day 4

A sunny, lovely morning and we took the cruising chute out - only chance for some sailing up until mid-day when there was so little wind that we had to motor. A vast area of light winds south of Bermuda will probably force us to motor quiet a bit more. If there is any more wind at all it is found in the rain squalls for a short time only. At least we get the salt washed off the deck once or twice a day by the rain. We had Noemi's frozen Goulash for dinner - great! In the last squall a tanker was hiding and passing very close indeed, so much so I had to slow down even though we had the right of way. I tried to call and no response, perhaps no one on the bridge.... read more...


08/05/2019

Attitude - Raining

Hello everyoneSunrise this morning yielded lots of clouds and then the rain set in with very little wind. No fishing today so we relied on Capt Rui’s delicious Prawn risotto followed by fresh Papaya and the customary bottle of Cabernet from Chile. We have settled into a good shift pattern with Anton doing 9pm to midnight followed by João doing midnight till 3am and then followed by Rui till dawn, at which time Anton is awake againWind is light now and sea is flat so we are hoping for a bit more wind tonight to get us to Bermuda by Thursday afternoonBest wishes Rui, João and Anton. read more...


07/05/2019

Amari - Half way calm

Okay, we gave up on the tepid, sad, limping wind blowing in at 12kts this morning, as it ebbed like a deflating balloon, and turned on our engines. Since that time, our wind reduced to zero and now is 3kts gusting to 4. But it was a good day. We put up the whisker pole in our first successful deployment of the thing, without knocking anyone overboard even one time! (So proud)I caught a fish that snapped my line. The great thing about this fish was that I never saw it breach the water, leaving me free to speculate on how enormous he was. Marco on Duale, it was a monster!!Then there came a spitty little drizzle before the clouds parted, the angels sang, and we celebrated the renewed sunshine by quickly peeling off the foulies. At this point in the rally, I think there are 4 of us bringing. read more...


07/05/2019

Tintin - Moorea and beyond

Although a busy place, our week in Papeete was a very good one. Notonly did we achieve a great deal, but we had time to reflect a littleon our time in the Marquesas and Tuamotus before we launch on withvisiting more new places. We are crammed to bursting with amazingmemories and stunning vistas and lovely encounters with Polynesianpeople.We said goodbye to Andrew and Swade who resumed their World Arc dutiesonce we arrived in Papeete. it was a complete pleasure to have them onboard.A gentle sail/motor took us 25 miles to our next port of call,Opunohu Bay on the island of Moorea. It is where Captain Cook droppedhis anchor in 1777. The spectacular scenery reminded us a bit of theLofoten Islands in Norway (just add palm trees!). The toweringmountains drop right down to the water, with just. read more...


Tintin - Moorea and beyond
Tintin - Moorea and beyond
Tintin - Moorea and beyond
Tintin - Moorea and beyond
Tintin - Moorea and beyond
Tintin - Moorea and beyond
07/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Log Days 2+3

The day yesterday was calm and sunny. A large High pressure area to the East blocks the tradewinds. We were able to sail during the day but progress is slow. The calmer seas gave Dan the chance to cook some nice pasta with tomatosauce and hand-grated Parmesan cheese. At 3 am we had to take the main sail down and are now just motorsailing with the Genoa supporting the engine. These conditions may prevail for today. We are half-way through to Bermuda. Another attempt at fishing remained unsuccessful even though this time we were at least trying at the right time late in the afternoon. Keep trying..... read more...


07/05/2019

Attitude - First dinner with our own caught fish

Hello everyoneBeautiful start to the day with sunrise at around 5.30am and everybody slept better with fresher winds and less motion in the boat due to a flatter swell. Fishing rod went out early with much anticipation and we caught a nice Grouper which was expertly grilled by Rui and enjoyed for dinner. We achieved 175NM in latest 24hr period which is not bad but winds starting to moderate so will need to determine our tactics for getting to Bermuda with fair windsBest wishes from Rui, João and Anton. read more...


06/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 107 May 1, 2019

Happy May Day. In some parts of the world, dancing is done around a pole covered in flowers. In Moorea, I paddled around and collected flowers for the kayak. After a gorgeous morning, we stowed everything away, battened down the hatches, and off to Papeete we went. Neil piloted us out through the pass into the rolling waves. We flew the Hoyt sail for awhile, what a wild ride! But the wind eventually came round so hard on the nose, we gave up and just motored. Wind in the 30’s, four meter seas, it was gloriously sunny, not boring, and finally we arrived at Papeete harbour. Unfortunately, because if the big seas rolling through from the three previous days of strong wind, the marina was chock a block full. No room for us. We tied to an outer detached pontoon and reflected that this was. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 107 May 1, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 107 May 1, 2019
06/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 109 May 3, 2019

Today we scored a slip in the marina harbour where Nickitoo had been berthed. It was so nice to bring our girl to the pontoon and scrub the salt off her. Neil and Lars did the outside stuff, I caught up the laundry. In the afternoon we visited Le Retro for a drink and WiFi, then took a trip to the Champion supermarket. Chores completed, we enjoyed a delicious grilled supper and watched an old Jimmy Buffet video. Heike and Udo from Endo 2 stopped by for a bit, and we shared our silly music and drinks with them. Andrew graciously brought us the information for the Fiji landfall, as we will miss the briefing in Tonga, due to journeying back to America for a wedding. Papeete is such a great place for getting things done on the boat!image1.. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 109 May 3, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 109 May 3, 2019
06/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Log Days 1 and 2

Those of you watching our position on the tracker may have been wondering what was going on with all other boats starting and us staying behind... When we were casting off I noticed the port engine was not delivering any substantial thrust. The prop was turning but apparently started spinning under load! We had to get the diver to change the repaired prop back to the temporary one. But the diver was diving somewhere else. Another young diver managed to get some securing screws out but was rather insecure and gave up on the big nut. That turned out to be a major problem for the second diver too as it was hiding in a tunnel where a standard 27 mm socket would not fit. After much soul searching he found that the prop, being British made, did indeed have a couple of metric screws on it but. read more...


06/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 110 May 4, 2019

Today Lars and Neil did projects, ran errands for the boat, and after doing some more laundry, I went to town and played tourist. In the afternoon we started a rollicking party for Neil’s last night with this part of the World ARC, and us. Lars grilled teriyaki shrimp, we had chips and dips, cheese and crackers, pickles and olives, wine, beer and rum. Mike and his daughters Yessica and Sarah and Sarah’s fiancé, Zack joined us, Jopie, DJ and Chris from Skye arrived, and from then on, it was just a really nice revolving door of well wishers popping by all evening long. At one point, Lars and I took a break and grabbed some take away food from the roulettes. We brought it back and had dinner with Neil, then the party began again. At some point, I bowed out, and left the festivities in the. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 110 May 4, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 110 May 4, 2019
06/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 108 May 2, 2019

We were awakened before dawn with the departure of the “fast ferry” zooming past us, making ourboat rock violently from side to side. Fortunately, most everything was still tied down from our exciting journey from Moorea, so no harm done. Ten minutes later, the construction site next to the “pontoon” we are tied to, roared to life with motor scooters arriving, saws buzzing,and a jack hammer drilling. Good morning Papeete! With our morning coffee came a beautiful wind jammer ship into the harbour, followed quite closely by an ugly princess of a cruise boat. We spent the morning doing little projects around our Sweet Dream, and after a late lunch, went to the town hall for our rendezvous with the World ARC. Stephanie gave an informative talk about the Leeward Society Islands, which brought. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 108 May 2, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 108 May 2, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 106 April 29, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 106 April 29, 2019
06/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 106 April 29, 2019

We upped anchor from Cook’s bay, motored out of the pass, came round to Opunahu bay, turned to starboard where the teeny anchorage is for visiting the underwater tikis. These are modern tiki sculptures that were placed under the shallow water so snorkelers could enjoy them. And enjoy them we did, Lars and Neil snorkeling, while I floated luxuriously in a tiny clear bottom boat. After our tiki adventure we left the big boat at anchor and took the dinghy to our favourite motu bar. Unfortunately, they are closed on Tuesday. Ha! Second place we’ve visited that wasn’t open on this return journey. Oh well, Hotel Les Paniers was open. After floating through the shark and ray feeding zone, we went to Hotel Les Paniers and enjoyed cheeseburgers and fries in paradise. Beers for the guys and a mai. read more...


05/05/2019

Attitude - Time to Fish. Day 2

It’s sunset on day 2 and today we celebrated a new 24 hr record for ATTITUDE in that we managed 192NM since start. Fishing rod went out today and we caught a nice size Mahi Mahi, but when it came on deck and saw us it took fright and jumped off the hook. We try again tomorrow!. No shortage of food and we had a lunch of Vanda prepared leftover meals washed down with a 2012 Bordeaux red wine. All good on board with good spirits and everyone keeping busy. Rui, João and Anton. read more...


05/05/2019

Oyster Blew - YB Connect Message from Henry Foster

Exciting departure down the sound between USA & BVIs. Suddenly emerging into the Atlantic in fresh winds we made spectacular progress in the firs 24 hours by a 205 mile passage. Sadly all reefs are being shaken out as the wind is dying on us earlier than expected. Some water ingress in Julian's cabin has been repaired, we hope, and a bit of moisture in saloon. Otherwise we have missed all radio calls so far which we hope to rectify. Weather rapidly becoming cooler. Fair winds! Henry--Transmitted by Henry Foster using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com). read more...


04/05/2019

Attitude - Day 1

Greetings from Rui, João and AntonWe bid farewell this morning to Nanny Cay Marina and our much loved Admiral, Vanda. She will be missed for her hard work and keeping morale high with delicious meals and keeping discipline amongst us sailorsWe had a good clean start at 11h00 and through the local knowledge of our Skipper, Rui we cut between islands to put as with the leaders as we passed the headland of Jost van Dyke. We have settled into a good rhythm now with winds of 15-18 Knots and a boat speed of 8-9knots. As sun sets, we have covered just over 50nm and starting to prepare for nighttime shiftsMore tomorrowimage1. read more...


Attitude - Day 1
Attitude - Day 1
03/05/2019

Attitude - ready to depart

We are ready to depart BVI tomorrow at 11am local time with the ETA in Bermuda Friday 10th of MayUpdates on progress and onboard activities to follow Cheers all an wish us luck Rui , Anton , João. read more...


03/05/2019

Amari - Getting Ready

We are so excited to get going tomorrow! The evening meal last night with the fleet was relaxed, fun, and so welcoming.  In fact, one of the things we are most excited about for this trip, beyond the sailing and beautiful locales, is the people. We were talking with Josh from Mad Monkey, who described the other members of the fleet as “the family you choose”. Well said, and we are very excited to get to know this sailing family.  Will and Dottie, on Amari. read more...


03/05/2019

Maria Concordia - Log Day -1

Tomorrow we are off! Yesterday a lovely meal with all crew in the beach restaurant. Dan has arrived from the US carrying Granola and other useful things. The galley emits nice smells of chilli con care that he is cooking for the freezer - we shall not starve! The fresh milk bought yesterday is turning sour already - tropical climate and a good explanation, why there was no fresh milk at all on some of the other islands. Today is the check-out with immigration and the marina and probably a quiet evening aboard. Next message may be sent from sea.... read more...


03/05/2019

Tintin - Papeete Life

We did well to arrive in Papeete before the bad weather.  We have had a couple of days of rain but with a barely a gust in the marina but boats arriving have reported 30, 40 touching 50 knots of wind with big seas.  Several crews arrived  very frayed at the edges and a bit traumatised by the experience. Fortunately, there seems to have been no lasting damage to boats or people. Talking to them reinforced the feeling that we're glad we've arrived. This is despite the fact the Papeete is definitely the least pleasant location we've been to for 6 months!It's a different life in Papeete to the rest of the trip. There's a real feeling within the fleet of 'Phew, we've just sailed pver 6,000miles since St Lucia - always pushing on.  Now we've arrived in Tahiti and we'd just. read more...


02/05/2019

Sweet Dream - Day 105 April 28, 2019

Beautiful day in Cook’s Bay, Moorea. It is a bit of a misnomer, in that our hero Captain Cook, did not actually come into this bay, he was in Opunohu bay on the other side. Ha ha! How things get named?!?! We took the dinghy in just after ten am, to pay for WiFi at the hotel. No one there yet to receive payment. Being loathe to wait around, we sped off to the little snack bar at the end of the bay, obtained permission to leave the dinghy tied to their dock, bought a couple treats for the road, and commenced the walk to the Belvedere. A most perfect day, flowers blooming, birds singing, folks smiling and waving hello. The only downside was that we did not figure in the strictness of the observance of the sabbath here, and the ice cream shop at the agricultural school was closed! Too bad.. read more...


Sweet Dream - Day 105 April 28, 2019
Sweet Dream - Day 105 April 28, 2019