Majic-L - Portugal ARC Leg 6 – Oeiras to Lagos

P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}Portugal ARC Leg 6 – Oeiras to Lagos We spent our last morning in Oeiras designing and then painting our mural on the marina wall (big ambitions but like theother boats who joined in we had to do what we could with the brushes and paint colours available). Great fun and the four of us all got involved, although we did need a long cold drink after as it’s hot in the sun. The ideal cooling off after lunch was adip in the sea off the rocks around the corner from the main marina. Enjoyed that although we decided to get out after some jellyfish appeared and some of the barnacles were quite sharp as Richard and Tony can now testify. It was quite windy in the marinain the early evening as we found out when one of our large towels was taken by the wind and blown. read more...

Majic-L - Leg 5 - Nazarre to Oeiras

Given we were not surrounded by any other boats, we were able to get off easily and we were the first boat across the gate start at 7am on the nose. We waved our ARC flag up at rally control on the cliff and Tony didhis best “Titanic Kate Winslet” pose at the bow of the boat. Like everyone else we negotiated multiple pots and a fishing boat laying pots on our way to clear water. We saw several dolphin pods and a shoal of fish that attracted loads of seagulls.  After lunchwe saw a pod of about 10 dolphins who were with us for a good 15 minutes, so we got good photos and videos. Tony got his Go-Pro camera out but unfortunately needed a longer mount to get it in the water to film under the boat. It wasn’t Tony’s day as againhe had his fishing gear out with the. read more...

Majic-L - Leg 4 - Figueira da Foz to Nazarre

After heavy overnight rain we were pleased to wake up with the sky relatively clear as we joined the other rally boats on the start line. Unfortunately, there was no wind for sailing, so we all motored off the line onthe go from rally control. We did try slipstreaming Infinity of Yar having watched the Canadian Grand Prix at the weekend but not sure this tactic worked like it does on the road! We did get some good photos though of other boats jockeying for position atthe start which will be good for the rally photo competition. We saw John making a gesture from Sofa So Good at 11am to let us know that the fishing competition was on. Tony had his line out for 20 minutes but no luck.  He decided to add a plane and spinner for extra depth on theline but again no luck. Just as we. read more...

Majic-L - Legs 2 & 3 – Povoa de Varzim and then Povoa to Figueira de Foz

Wanting to get off to a good start after our relatively low position in the arrival order in Bayona, we prepped our jib sail and cruising chute ready for fast use once we had cleared the cardinal markers. Winds were strongerthan we were expecting and we managed to do the entire sail without using the engine. This was the best news of the day, however all did not quite go to plan. As soon as we could, we decided that suitable time to get the cruising chute out, however found thatit had twisted inside the snuffle bag. After a bit of quick jiggery pokery with the lines, we were sorted and the chute was working well. In fact so well we didn’t need the main sail – Tony commented how he’d enjoyed the sorting out of the sail up on the bow“gets the adrenaline going” but I’m not sure we all felt. read more...

Majic-L - Log Leg 1 Plymouth to Bayona

After months of preparation the crew of Majic-L (Richard our skipper, Linda his wife – the boat owners, Tony and myself Mark) set sail from Plymouth with Tony’s wife Karen waving us off enthusiastically from the cannonson the Hoe. Wind picked up as we cleared the breakwater and we were keen to launch the cruising chute as soon as we could. With the sail being bright red we stood out amongst the other boats, although we noted we were not alone in using this sail. Unfortunatelyfor us, a change in the wind fairly early on meant we had to pack it away again and unfurl the Genoa. Whilst we were doing this, other boats forged ahead and most stayed ahead until Bayona. This being said, with the changes in wind direction, course corrections,trying to sail smoothly as possible at night to help. read more...