Zan - 310 miles to go

We are now on the downhill slope into Saint Lucia, the winds have been very varied over last couple of days ranging from less than 5 knots to well over 20 when a squall passes complete with rain shower! The trade winds are now more settled and we are sailing along under spinnaker at around 8 knots in 15 knots of wind. The spinnaker from Doyle has been the star of the show this leg it only arrived a few days before we left Las Palmas and after a short period of familiarisation has hardly been in the bag, the only sail up night or day and needs little attention, and with no pole gybing is a doddle! We even managed to catch a fish while flying the kite. We have experimented hoisting the genniker and spinnaker together which works well and makes us look like an old J Class sailing down wind. read more...

Zan - We caught a fish!

A first fish for team Zan due to skipper Martin’s skill and determination and now designated lucky lure. A kingfish ( we think) about a metre long. It tasted delicious marinated in soy sauce and lemon juice for lunch then fried and served with pea risotto for supper and still more in the freezer for later. Despite light winds it proved an interesting day, we tried a new sail combination- spinnaker AND genniker; it all worked well for a while but when the wind died we got a wrap in the spinnaker which took a while to unravel, no sooner had we sorted this along came the fish....Martin, Paul, Dan and Peter.. read more...

Zan - Happy Thanksgiving

All fine on Zan, we had a good Thanksgiving celebrating with a delicious roast chicken dinner cooked by Martin, unlike Sue on Spindrift we didn’t find a turkey in Mindelo. The day started with rain and wind squalls which gave the deck a good wash and after a light patch settled into a pleasant day under spinnaker, which needed little supervision, so before supper and canapés , wemanaged a few rounds of Mexican train dominos, it’s all very tense with only one point between three players, so like the sailing all to play for!Martin, Paul, Dan and Peter. read more...

Zan - A dining experience

The dining on board reached another level tonight; pre dinner drinks in the cockpit were accompanied by a whale breaching on our port sidefollowed by Dan’s delicious stuffed pork, wrapped in Serrano ham, with vegetables including roast potatoes and gravy. All this while doing 8 to 9 knots under spinnaker. Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of days... we hope the whale comes back to join us.So all good on boardMartin, Paul, Dan and Peter. read more...

Zan - What the point of a radio net?

The radio net on SSB radio runs twice each day , to share positions, technical problems ,report any emergencies and simply chat about the weather, sail plans and how many fish caught ( not many so far!) even share the odd joke! Its a virtual help line across the fleet for those who have SSB . We have around 17 boats participating on this leg.Today was a great example of why a net can be useful.Saphire 2 of London had a problem - they needed a replacement impeller for their generator , they asked the net if anyone had any spares? and in the absence of courier services out here even offered to collect ! Those who had generators quickly looked into their spares lists and boxes and offered support, hopefully it will be of help if not this time the next whether its a medical emergency,. read more...