Daily Logs

Starblazer - 09/11/2016 – The curate’s egg!

The past 24 hours has been a mixture of good, challenging and frustrating thanks to the vagaries of the Wind Gods.We continued our forward charge with the sails out either side, rocking and rolling our way to the next waypoint where we were to turn to get a bit more easting in.The course we were on would, in fact, take us almost directly to Tortola if the wind direction stayed the same.As we get further south we expect the trade winds to start making their presence felt, being predominantly easterly rather than the northerlies we are currently experiencing.This would make our southeast passage a close beat which is not the most pleasant point of sail.We had a 1,000 mile beat to New Zealand and have no wish to have that experience again!We made our course alteration at 1000, a modest 20. read more...

White Satin - Provisioning Part 1

Wednesday 9th November Our Spanish is limited but even we can manage to understand “Donald Trump gana les elecciones a EEUU.”   We thought he was looking downcast when we went to bed last night so it was a big surprise this morning.  We thought the world had gone mad when Brexit happened, now we know it is so. The serious business of provisioning actually began last Easter with a trip to Marks & Spencer for some tinned meals, which have sailed with us all the way from the UK.  We came up with a provisional menu for 21 days’ worth of meals (if we are at sea for any longer than this we will be onto half rations!) over the summer, although since being here supplies are more varied and plentiful than expected so there will be changes to improve that. . read more...

Fleet II - Log day 6: making progress

Much stronger winds today (Tues 8th Nov) and we now feel we’re beginning tomake progress.  We might get to CV before the end of the weekend! Highlight of the day – a huge pod of dolphins escorted us for around amile, putting on a fantastic show of acrobatics.   ColinCBO. read more...

Endeavour of Cork - Day 3-4 Tuesday-Wednesday

Day3-4 Tuesday-WednesdayTuesday pmWe're still rocking along in 22-25kts, and the swell has built up by now.It's hard going - the autohelm, while not broken, isn't keeping us sufficiently on course to use, so we're hand-steering all our watches.Hard going in these seas!(to my mother, who i think thought I'd be sitting on my bum sunning myself for three weeks without moving a muscle - believe me, that's not how it's working out, for now anyhow!)It clouded over earlier, and got a bit cooler - and I have to say it all looked a bit Irish Sea for my liking. Grey and lumpy and just generally not very pleasant.Jackets and legs have begun appearing - unfortunately not in time for Laura who was having a well-earned rest after her speed record earlier, and got doused by a rogue wave that broke over. read more...

Christine - Back with Christine at last

Lynn and I arrived in Las Palmas on Monday the 7th and it has been pretty full on since then. Our afternoon flight arrived a little late but we were out very quickly, collected the hire car, and despite some difficulty in finding the exit to the car park we were soon driving back into the marina. It felt very good to be back but there was plenty to do. After a visit to marina reception we had to see the car park man to get a card. "See" being the operative word as the conversation was mostly in sign language what with our lack of Spanish and his non-existent English. Heavy rain came pouring down mid-mime and we were immediately soaked. We were just in time to call into the ARC office to arrange to register at 9.30 the following day, before driving down to the pontoon to unload the bags. read more...

Paw Paw - Log Days 303 & 304: It's a Strange, Strange World We Live In....

Well,  our plans have changed again. We decided that, since the weather was so miserable here, Elaine may as well spend her time in a cold climate with family, so most of yesterday was spent booking her flights to England / Ireland via Dubai. The remainder of the day was spent visiting doctor's and physiotherapy offices in the hope of getting her ankle examined. Unfortunately we couldn't get a physiotherapy appointment for two weeks, but we did manage to get a doctor's appointment for today.  Armed with some medication and exercises, we're hoping for a marked improvement over the coming weeks.Last night we enjoyed dinner at the Opua Cruising Club with Blue Summit and a host of other cruisers whom we've met over the past few days and this evening we enjoyed our first barbecue in. read more...

Caduceus - Reunion to Richards Bay Day 5 - Step on the gas

Position27:12.04 S 042:22.18 EDate2359 (UTC+4) Tuesday 08 November 2016Distance run in 24hrs 198nm over the ground, 171nm through the waterPassage total835nm over the ground, 760nm through the waterTo go toRichards Bay, South Africa rhumb line 556nm (modified route)Route distance 1,395nm as originally planned The day started with light winds and we continued to motor against a slight adverse current.After dawn the current became favourable and with the wind increasing to a mighty 12 knots we could motor sail to great effect.A favourable current that at times exceeded 2 knots is reflected in our distance over the ground for the day.We have started to plot our estimated time of arrival at Richards Bay.Using a planning speed of 6.5 knots, over the ground, means that anything better brings. read more...

Shelena - Day 4 - Leaving the wife is never easy especially for a younger man!

29:40.67N 070:51.09W8th November, 2016So we enjoyed a nice sail from the start line followed by motoring for hoursbefore sails were once again at work. We skirted the southern impact of agale providing lively seas and energetic winds. So what about sleep? We allneed it. With 3 persons on board Helen is excused night watch given that shedoes all the catering. She does keep us all company until she turns in atabout 2230. To date I have done the slot from say 2000 to 0230. Petri picksup the watch through until 0700; or in the case of this morning, until 0830.Thanks Petri! We arrived at this pattern because Petri is from Finland.This means that Petri'sbody clock is some 6 hours ahead of US time.Itseems to work; but my problem is that I have not slept well at all onaccount of the strong surge. read more...

Isbjorn - Election Day on the High Seas

This blog has nothing to do with politics. We're just all curious on the big day today!0545. I'm taking my first solo watch of the trip. Typically I don't stand watches - rather, our crew pair up, Mia takes a solo watch & I'm on-call, the crew doing three-on, six-off rotations. Tom, though, is majorly seasick and hasn't taken a watch since Day 1. For a while Ed & David and Mia & Bruce did 4-on, 4-off, but it's finally calmed down a bit so they're getting a needed break.We predicted it'd be gnarly out here for the first few days, and the weather delivered. While the skies have been clear & the stars out at night, it's been WINDY. Yesterday it seemed to peak - when the sun came up you could finally see the size of the waves. They were big, and very beautiful. For the past. read more...

Caffè Latte - 8 nov, jour 4

Bons vents et vagues encore hier. Roule avec voilure réduite, conservatrice.Bien dormi, on dort dans le carré. Tout va bien.A+Yolèene et Jean. read more...

Starblazer - 08/11/2016 – The pleasure and pain of downwind sailing.

I like downwind sailing, which is lucky since a lot of the long passages on our circumnavigation were predominantly downwind, however it is not all plain sailing.Excuse the pun!In racing circles and well crewed yachts the defining sail to use is the huge, brightly coloured spinnaker.We do not carry a spinnaker on board because we find it too difficult to handle with just the two of us, especially in gusty winds. Added to that, we would need several of different weights to cope with the different wind strengths. Our preferred sail plan is either twin genoas, poled out to each side, or mainsail and genoa or jib on opposite sides.The advantage of the first plan is there is no chance of crash gybing the main with the attendant shocks to the rigging and potential damage to the. read more...

Endeavour of Cork - Day2-3 Monday-Tuesday

Monday 7pm Today we had some fun!!!The wind finally came up, we hoisted the spinnaker at 1.50pm, and turned the blasted engine off.Such a relief!We had absolutely champagne sailing conditions all afternoon - sun, wind, flat seas with only a bit of swell, and other boats to race (even if only in our heads)!Before that, Conor Anais and Dermot all had a swim off the stern - very refreshing it looked too, but far too much like hard work getting back on board again.The wind steadily built till we had a very enjoyable 15kts for a couple of hours.We hit the dizzy heights of 17kts of wind and 10.9kts of boat speed (very briefly) and decided that with nobody actually flying the kite aDnd darkness approaching discretion was the better part of valour and down it came.We're now doing a respectable. read more...

Breeze On - What a day

Shortly after I sent the last post to this blog the out haul on our mainsail broke. That means that the sail is not attached to the boom and cannot be used. It happened shortly after dark. George and Ray did a great job making sure all of the lines were in the boat and lashing the sail to the boom. We motored the rest of that night and unfurled the jib yesterday. The wind was still in the 20's gusting to the 30's so we were able to sail with the jib only at 7 knots. The seas were so rough, even when we were outside the Gulf Stream.Swells of 8-12 feet and breaking waves coming from every which way. This morning the winds and waves have decreased somewhat. George and Ray are going to rig up a way to keep main attaches to the boom so we can use it.. read more...

Breeze On - We are in the Gulf Straam

We left the dock at 8:10 yesterday morning. We have been sailing ever since and we are now in the Gulf Stream. The conditions are, as Andy Schell says, gnarly. Big waves coming at us from several directions. It is hard to stay put when sitting, much less walking. We are all fine. Each of us is wearing a scopolamine patch and no seasickness so far.. read more...

M one - YB Connect Message from Hans Mosbacher

Der zweite morgen auf dem Weg zu den Kap Verden Die Nacht geht mit aufkommenden Wind zu Ende.Nach anfänglich erst geringem Wind haben wir jetzt Windgeschwindigkeiten von über 20 Knoten.Für unseren parasailer Grund seinen Dienst einzustellen.Er ist uns gestern vom Mast gekommen und in den Teich gefallen.Wir könnten ihn bergen und hoffen in auf den Kap Verden zum Leben erwecken zu können.Als besonders anstrengend erweist sich der Ausfall des Autopiloten.Aber: die m one schwimmt noch und die Crew ist zwar müde aber guter Hoffnung das Ziel zu erreichen.Noch was zum parasilor Wenn der Wind passt und er seinen Job macht sind wir im Feld mit die schnellsten.Nur fliegen.....--Transmitted by Hans Mosbacher using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com). read more...

Caduceus - Reunion to Richards Bay Day 4 - A day of contrasts

Position26:34.99 S 045:58.98 EDate2359 (UTC+4) Monday 07 November 2016Distance run in 24hrs 183nm over the ground, 169nm through the waterPassage total637nm over the ground, 589nm through the waterTo go toRichards Bay, South Africa rhumb line 751nm (modified route)Route distance 1,395nm as originally planned What started as a reasonable downwind run with 24 knots true degenerated to 32 knots on the beam with an angry sea that left us feeling as if we were on the rinse cycle of a washing machine.Sleep becomes difficult when the boat is corkscrewing but there were benefits as our speed went up and we had 12 hours of 8-5 to 9.0 nm in each hour assisted by a favourable current which carried on after the wind eased and the seas calmed somewhat.The two Rally radio schedules, 0800- and 1800,. read more...

White Satin - The marina seems quiet without ARC+ boats

Monday 7th November We had an 09:00 appointment this morning with the ‘yellow t-shirted’ ARC officials for a check of all our equipment; this is why we prefer to do this crossing under the ARC umbrella - it is just fresh pairs of eyes (Anna and Mark) looking over anything and of course they have years of experience (31 to be precise) helping people to prepare their boats properly.The whole exercise was very useful, as instructed everything was laid out on the table in the saloon ready for their arrival and it has ensured that we have thought everything through; in addition they gave us some very useful snippets of advice.Today’s photo is of David going through the flares with them.We were delighted to learn that we passed the inspection with flying colours – there are no issues. read more...

Lady - Post Race Net Control

I understand that the Nanny Cay Caribbean 1500 office has closed.Thanks for all you did, Andy and Mia!Have a great vacation! I have been monitoring the SSB net since I left Nanny Cay, on Wednesday, and have had communications with Wavelength and Surprise. Tonight, 1900 Wavelength 20 52N 64 14W.Sailing, but not really fast, Surprise was at 20 28N 64 11W under power,wind E 8-9. Surprise estimates they will reach Nanny Cay about 1400-1500 tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, November 26, 2011) Wavelength thinks that they will get there tomorrow, but it may be after dark. Wavelength is uncertain if their VHF radio works. Charlie gave them advice on entering Nanny Cay after dark, and suggested to them that they tie up at the fuel dock either day or night if their radio does not work. Jenny. read more...

Fleet II - Log Day 5: a slow but satisfying day

Well, the winds have been slow to pick up so we’ve been struggling to makespeed all day.  At one point the YB app was predicting our arrival inMindelo on 20th November!   Despite thetemptation we have steadfastly refused to start the engine – skipper Peter’sphilosophy is that we’ll sweep the back of the fleet so we can say hi as we gopast (perhaps...).  At least we’ve now tried all the sails and the majorityof possible configurations!  I’m pleased to report that this evening thewind speed is now up to 12 knots, right behind us, so at last we’re making amuch better SOG. Highlights of the day included meeting Pearl Bali who drew up alongside usfor a chat, and then some whale spotting, after their crew spotted him spoutingin front of us.Hasta manana. read more...

Exit Strategy - November 7th

At 1015 ACT, 9:15 EST Exit Strategy is at 33 07.2 N, 074 06.4 W surfing down some breaking rollers.. read more...

Orion - 0600 UTC 07.11.16

Die Sterne am Himmel sind wahnsinnig. Den Orion kann ich auch sehen. Wir sind immer noch an Las Palmas und dümpeln in der Flaute. Mit 2 Knoten durch das Wasser. Nach dem neuen Wetterbericht werde ich entscheiden, mitder Crew, ob wir Motoren oder weiter dümpeln. Klaus fehlen noch die Seebeine. Sonst tritt hier bald Routine ein. Wir haben ein Eimer über Bordmanöver gefahren, da ein Crewmitglied nicht erkannt hat, dass zwei Eimer ineinander gesteckt sind. Hat aber primaund schnell geklappt.   Ich habe den Motor angeworfen. Wir wollen noch etwas von Kap Verde sehen und nicht kurz vor dem nächsten Start ankommen. Da ich an der Grenzwelle etwas ändern wollte, habe ich viel verstellt, so dass ich am Rally - Lebennicht mehr teilnahm. Der Fehler ist gefunden und geregelt. Es läuft wieder. read more...

Shelena - Day 3 Winds building seas and final call for Stroganoff

31:06.86N 073:00.1W7th November, 2016Life aboard has become interesting which translates to uncomfortable.Shelena cork screws with the large waves. Sleeping is problematic in themaster cabin. The bed is so big that even with lea cloth I slide about. Imanaged to slide out of bed as did Helen. Petri is in the best bunk in thesmall cabin at the mast. We always treat our guests so well! The gale force winds north and west of Bermuda are not coming our way butthe effects are! Constant winds in the 20's. Max gust recorded at 33.0knots. The seas have grown over night and today. I estimate 4 metres inheight and a little confused. Max speed has surfing the wave at 15.1 knots.We have covered 368 Nm since departure according to the ship's log. Iestimate passage as 1500Nm so we are only just. read more...

Caffè Latte - Nouvelles de Caffè Latte 7 nov

Bons vents cette nuit, genois seul et arisé, très confo.Tout va bien.Bonne fête à Coralie XXXYolène et Jean. read more...

Starblazer - 07/11/2016 – Caribbean, here we come.

As the start had been brought forward to Saturday and was to be a passage start we made our way out of Portsmouth just before noon.In fact we were one of the last boats to leave the marina, however it didn’t matter as we had to record our start time as we sailed over the Bay Bridge Tunnel, three and a half hours after tossing our dock lines having motored just about all the way!We only had one minor problem leaving Portsmouth.A huge cruise ship, the Carnival Sunshine, was making its way slowly along the Elizabeth River into Norfolk.A well armed Rib was maintaining a 500 yard exclusion zone around it but the river wasn’t that wide where we passed it!We were told to stay hard to the right, i.e. starboard side, which we did without getting told off for getting too close to the many navy. read more...

Endeavour of Cork - Day 1-2 Sunday-Monday

And we're away!!!Sunday was the usual flurry of frantic activity that we've become accustomed to.The last vistors Derry,John and Carlos came along to say goodbye.Then we cast off and werecheered and clapped out of the harbour by a fantastic crowd.The start was exemplary (as only to be expected on a boat sailed by Denise and Conor!!) - we all headed off in light following winds, and soon cobbled together themeans to hoist the spinny.Hurray!!!Unfortunately the fun lasted only about half an hour, until the wind did a 180 on us.We had a brief period of beating, andthen the wind went back behind us again and settled into about 6kts dead astern.On went the motor, and we've been under engine since.Ah well.We're maintaining a steady 6kts under engine, heading 225 degrees..... a straight line for. read more...

Faraway - Faraway log 3, N 34.47.39 W 008.08.08

We are sailing! We left Tanger on Sunday the 4th 10 am and we had a great first day. Constantly 15-20 knots of wind from the NW and clear skies. We used the first hours to position the sails and everything else on board. We started the watchsystem at 1 pm. As Machteld is not with us on this leg we are with only 4 and each shift is 4 hours: 2 hours of driving followed by 2 hours of standby. Thereafter 4 hours without duties. The stars were amazing last night. Sea state: bumpy!Greetings from some of the happiest people on the planet. read more...

Paw Paw - Log Day 302: A Very Different Cyclone / Hurricane Season

Well, the storm arrived at 0230 this morning as forecasted which resulted in "anchor watch" for a few hours.  While the wind reached 38 Kts and the sea was very lumpy, we were, nonetheless, grateful that we were tucked away safe and sound in the bay at Opua and weren't exposed to the 50 Kts and 2M swells around Cape Brett. For prudence though, we did have both engines on in neutral for a period of time, but fortunately our mooring ball, along with all the mooring balls around us, held as designed, giving us the confidence that Paw Paw will be just fine when we return to the USA next month.After an interrupted night's sleep,  we were in no hurry to get up this morning, but we eventually ventured ashore mid-morning to do laundry, following which we enjoyed a delicious lunch at. read more...

M one - YB Connect Message from Hans Mosbacher

Logbuch m one 7.11.16 0500 Uhr Hallo zusammenUnser erster nachtönen geht langsam vorbei.Nach dem Start mussten wir viel Motoren, da der Wind ausblieb.Wir sind aber zuversichtlich ab heute Mittag segeln zu können.Gruß an alleHans--Transmitted by Hans Mosbacher using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com). read more...

Caduceus - Reunion to Richards Bay Day 3 - further furler games

Position25:19.79 S 049:02.21 EDate2359 (UTC+4) Sunday 06 November 2016Distance run in 24hrs 177nm over the ground, 154nm through the waterPassage total454nm over the ground, 420nm through the waterTo go toRichards Bay, South Africa rhumb line 932nm (modified route)Route distance 1,395nm as originally planned The wind gradually backed and at 0400 (0001UTC) it went through the stern to starboard.From the start of this passage we have followed the rhumb line to the recommended waypoint south east of Madagascar however during the morning we bore away to the north of the line, slightly closer to Madagascar.At that time we finally got into some favourable current and from 0600 it was giving us a 1.5 knot lift.The remainder of daylight produced sunshine, reasonable wind and a following sea;. read more...

Shelena - Having a blast; so abandoned destination Antigua in favour of Tortola

34:36.7N 073:49.15W6th, November, 2016The thing about sailing is that you go where the winds take you, but alsowherever your whim directs you. We sound like we never make our minds upabout anything. That is largely true. Even final crewing was uncertain untilthe night of the leaving dinner. I don't accept that I am unable to make upmy mind. No, it ismore about others that influence our plans; Like paidcrew not getting to Portsmouth on time. But from that change we have thebenefit of Helen aboard and now we have decided not to go to Antigua. Petridoes not matter where we go provided we have a good sail! Too boring toexplain, but there was good reason for us directly to sail to Antigua sincewe did not want to do the beat from Tortola to Antigua. So what are wedoing? Final, final decision. read more...

Exit Strategy - Fish on!

We're slogging through the Gulf Stream towards your recommended 32.30/73 trying to find the edge.We sailed further south than the fleetfor a better sailing angle for our boat but appear to be converging on several headed for the GS exit.Caught an 8 pound bonita as soon as we entered the gulf stream--it's fillets are in the fridge for fish tacos as soon as the seas calm enough to cook!. read more...

Fleet II - Log Day 4: Departure day

At last - we're on our way!Very light winds didn't dampen some interesting manoeuvres over the starting line but FCC will be pleased to note we took a conservative approach.It's been a slow afternoon but we've resisted all temptation to start the engine.Fireworks from the shore and a stunning sky are keeping us interested - and we've seen our first shooting star.Looking forward to some stronger winds tomorrow!ColinCBO 👮. read more...

White Satin - ARC+ departs + MOB Alert - well COB actually

Sunday 6th November Last night, after a hard day’s work/shop exploration, as it was Saturday evening, David and Vicki decided to treat themselves to a meal out in the centre of town.    This was about a 30 min walk away; en route many roads were blocked as it was the local road running race (10/21km) – just as well Jon isn’t here or he would have been off (Paul isn’t averse to the odd Park Run either).  It was interesting that this takes place at night – presumably because it is too hot during the day for such exercise, even at this time of year. This morning, everyone was up and about early, disappearing off for showers etc. so there were plenty of people around on the pontoon.  Vicki walked along to find our next door neighbour kneeling on the. read more...

Caffè Latte - Nouvelles de Caffè Latte

Bonjour,Une belle nuit où on a pu dormir comme il faut. Nous avons de beaux vents et préparons à entrer dans le Gulf Stream. Tout va bien et il faut beau soleil.Yolène et JeanCaffè Latte. read more...

Endeavour of Cork - Ready for the off!

The last jobs have been ticked off the lists, the boat is as ready as it will ever be, the crew are suffering slightly nervous anticipation..... but we're ready and only dying to get off. One hour to the gun! The Oompah Band is in full swing piping all the boats out (I wish I could post videos!!) and crowds of spectators are all around to see us off.This is exciting!!!!!! Until the next update from somewhere in the Atlantic.... Endeavour over and out!. read more...

Dolphin Star - FINAL TUNING BEFORE DEPARTURE TO CAP VERDE (05.11.2016)

Dolphin Star has been carefully pampered and is now ready for the big show. Captain Kari takes the ultimate notes at the skippers briefing and the crew organise the lastprovisioning of fresh food. Dolphin Star012 018. read more...