Blue Wonder -

The end is really in sight. As I write this we have 58 nautical miles to the finish line and it can't come soon enough. With the largest squalls we've seen all crossing appearing just before sunset, it has been all hands on deck to try and avoid being stuck in one with the parasailor up. We also had a bilge alarm go off as the squall activity started, and a child who felt unwell with a bad headache. Neither of us want to be awake, and I can tell tonight is going to be our toughest yet. So we truck on, knowing that when we're safely tucked up in the marina, we will be able to catch up on that glorious sleep. The events of the evening were preceded by an exciting crossing of paths with Nuvem Magica! After over 2000 nautical miles at sea, we managed to pass within 1nm of each other. Not. read more...

Blue Wonder

Last night started out with the most champagne sailing conditions I have ever experienced! Following seas, good winds and favourable current all lined up for the first time since the start of our Atlantic crossing. I sat in the helm enjoying a wonderful magic carpet ride at a constant 10kn of boat speed, eating up the miles to the finish line. We had celebrated sailing over 200 nautical miles in 24 hours that evening, and if the conditions continued as they were, we would easily be finishing in daylight on 30 November. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.When I swapped shifts at 1am, the seas became confused and our boat speed reduced. Squalls formed and we commenced another night of squall dodging. So far remaining successful, whilst we still fly the parasailor at night. If a. read more...

Blue Wonder

Although our mood onboard is still good, morale was fairly low today. Winds have eased and our speed has slowed significantly, which after a few days of burning miles, feels like we're just bobbing in the ocean. The reduced speed also means we have to spend a whole extra night out at sea. I know we shouldn't complain, being one of the first of the fleet due to arrive. I guess the exhaustion has set in a bit. One bonus of the calm conditions is that we were able to enjoy a nice sunset dinner out on top of our roof. We spotted a large pod of whales in the afternoon, which we probably would have missed if the sea state wasn't calm. So there are definitely some benefits to slowing down. This afternoon we landed another wahoo. Which is perfect timing, as it will still be fresh enough to share. read more...

Blue Wonder - Leg 2, day 10

The side swell really got to me overnight. Worse than any other time on this trip. I'm not sure if it's because our speed slowed down, but it shook me about and I did not sleep. The winds had eased to a more reasonable pace, so it should have been the opposite. The bright moon has been a pleasant companion for this difficult washing machine ride. I was grateful for clearer skies after a few gray nights. Provisioning has been quite successful overall. We still have some fresh vegetables like carrots, cucumber, sweet potato, potato. Lots of salami, some ham, and plenty of frozen meat for our remaining meals. I even still have another frozen batch of chilli con carne for any evening I'm feeling too lazy to cook. Where we have failed though is on sneaky treats. Both adults are craving. read more...

Blue Wonder - Leg 2 day 9

Things got a bit spicy for us since I last wrote. We decided to fly the parasailor overnight to gain some miles, and some miles were definitely gained! The winds were quite strong, gusting over 20kn. By the time daytime came, we basicallyjust had to ride it out. Being double handed, we thought it would be too challenging to bring the sail in. So we rode out the mixed swells doing 10+kn of boat speed for a large part of the day. Often just looking at each other when we would gain over 13knof boat speed and shrugging our shoulders. The boat seems to be handling it beautifully, we are just concerned about chafe on the ropes of the parasailor. We regularly ease the halyard and check the various other chafe points.    Otherwise mood is good on board. We definitely get the feeling. read more...