Northern Light II - Saturday 2nd December

Finally a fish. A metre long 20kg barracuda with extremely sharp teeth, was pulled on board by Skipper and Tom yesterday afternoon. The boys thought they had caught a wahoo, but closer examination revealed a different tail and dorsal fin. Sadly barracudas can’t be eaten because of the possibility that they carry ciguatera poison.  It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we’re in the middle of the Atlantic.  Life on board is inwards looking and introspective, focused on the cockpit, the cabin and the galley. In these small spaces the five of us gather and move around each other on watch, resting or cooking. Because of the heat we haven’t once sat in the saloon. The noises in these spaces are varied. Music is always playing in the cockpit. Chill out tracks at nighttime. read more...

Northern Light II - Friday 1st December

12 01.979n 57 57.745w223 miles to go and Patricia continues to be flown. Winds have been fairly consistent over the last 24 hours and we continue to make good progress. Last night Geertje spotted our first squall on radar which came within 1 1/2nm of us. It was a tense time judging whether it would miss us and if not when to get the crew up to bring Patricia down. Winds on the squall front can hit 30 knots + and would shred the sail. As Geertje was the first person to spot a squall and manage the boat through the period she has now been given the honorary title of Professor of Squalls.You have heard of Partygate well last night we had Pringlegate. Geertje was looking forward to sharing the last tube of Pringles today but was shocked to find the empty tube in the bin this morning. Tom. read more...

Northern Light II - Thursday 30th November

Skipper apologises yesterday that he forgot to mention the name of the fish that was eaten by the shark - it was a Wahoo.As we move towards Grenada the temperatures on board have become hotter and more humid. The crew now spend their days in swim wear and trying to find ways to stay cool inside the boat, particularly when trying to sleep between shifts. A cold shower provides some relief but it’s short lived.Winds are improving and the threatened squalls seem to dodge us. Much time is spent in watching clouds to assess their direction of movement. Patricia has been flown overnight and today. With stronger and consistent trade winds (15 knots average) we have achieved an average of 7.3 knots today with 379 mies to go.Geertje”s neighbour and friend, with the help of her family, wrapped up. read more...

Northern Light II - Wednesday 29th November

Patricia continues to be flown - no squalls or rain last night and so far none today. 570 miles to go to be off Grenada which, at our current speed, will put us arriving early morning on Sunday 3rd December. The crew are already looking at the programmes in Grenada and planning the first meal and of course drinks ! Happy hour and pizza are first on the list after the welcome rum punch on arrival.Now for Tom and my right of reply on the fishing. Despite some of the crew believing we have not read the fishing book we have read some of it and looked at the pictures! All our hooks and lures have been taken by fish as we are using 80ib metal wire to secure them with crimps. The wire has been snapped which indeed does point to big fish. Backing up our strong belief Tom spoke to another boat,. read more...

Northern Light II - Tuesday 28th November

The weather and wind forecasts continue to impede our progress. Each morning we send an email to a weather expert summarising the weather overnight.His response, based on satellite images, together with the predicted wind models inform our choice of sails and track. When the chance of squalls is high we switch to white sails and then when the conditions improve we move back to Patricia. White sails mean that we jibe frequently and have uncomfortable rolling nights at lower speeds while Patrica allows us to follow a more direct westerly downwind route that’s more comfortable and fast. This morning we switched to Patrica after two days of white sails. The predicted squalls and high winds didn't materialise even though the sea was rougher than normal. We’re starting to wonder if this might. read more...