Daily Logs

Tintin - Bermuda start

Wednesday 21st May - 7pmWind from the North West, force 3-4, gentle seas.  We have just had supper (bangers, mash and broccoli) and are settling in for the first night at sea.It has been a reasonably busy last couple of days of preparation - re-stocking our food suppliers, topping up the water tanks, collecting sails that needed patching, etc.The most entertainment was gained on refueling day - each boat had a dedicated time slot to leave their berth, and head up to a separate quary to top up their diesel tanks.However, for those if us who where moored stern-to the marina quay, the biggest challenge was getting away.  There was a strong headwind, and when the first boat tried to leave, they were unable to free their anchor (it was stuck underneath the huge hurricane chain on. read more...

Pat Bon - Where Did Those Five Weeks Go?

16:29.568S 151:45.84WWell looking back, those 5 weeks in French Polynesia just flew by and disappeared in a blur. I last said hello to you all when I was on board AquaLuna with Claire and Malcom for a few days in the Tuamotus. As planned, I met up with Pat Bon in Taina Marina in Papeete, Tahiti and we promptly departed on Saturday 26th, along with 1D, Amelia and Magea for Moorea and the other Society Islands. Moorea is only 20NM or so from Papeete, so a short crossing to 2 large bays in the north of the island, well sheltered by outlying coral reefs. Moorea was a lovely place and several ARC’ers had gone there while work was being done on various yachts in Papeete. Sadly, due to amount of rain that had fallen, these large bays had fairly mucky water, so we anchored just inside the reefs,. read more...

Tintin - Tintin: Day 2

We're now approaching 200nm north of Sint Maarten enjoying a beam reach with sunny skies.The start yesterday went well - everybody safely across the line after the gun went with no collision.  A run along the south coast of Sint Maarten put Tintin near the front of the pack and we've been steadily finding our rightful place since then.  There were quite a few strings of lobster or crab pots off Anguila, but Toby on the bow saw us through them safely.The conditions were good for fast passage making - but quite lively for people unused to the ocean.  Bertie skipped supper and Toby wasn't quite his normal ebullient self.  The wind is set to stay from the SSE for another day or so - so we continue to make good progress and the seas are settling a bit.Sadly, the RCC burgee. read more...

Tintin - Preparations complete

       We set sail for Bermuda tomorrow morning, so it’s just as well that preparations are now complete. Tintin came off the hard in Antigua on Thursday last week with a newly antifouled hull and now working water pump. A few days spent in the bowels of the boat dealing with the latter issue and at the top of the mast hauling up sails provided strong opportunities for team building between Rob and Toby, particularly when the captain was reduced to Ankle-Holder-in-Chief for a couple of days by virtue of having shoulders too broad to fit into the bilge.Bertie joined the crew on Sunday and the next afternoon we set sail for Sint Maarten. Light and favourable winds rendered the largest issue on this passage to be finding the most comfortable position. read more...

Aqualuna - The Land of Men

Marquesa Islands: 25th March - 5th AprilThe Marquesa Islands: rugged, spiritual, remote and ancient. As we make landfall on this remote archipelago after twenty days at sea, we are greeted by the sight of impossibly lush mountains in fifty shades of green. They rise steeply out of the sea, wreathed in misty rainfall with rainbows drifting across the cloud-forest covered mountainsides. What a landscape! After such a long time at sea I couldn’t wait to leave Aqualuna’s perpetual motion for some time out, and to plant my feet on terra firma. It was time to explore, drink beer, catch up with friends and discover the Marquesas. As we came ashore we experienced the aromatic scent of ‘green’ mingled with the fragrance of flowers that is carried on the breeze throughout the islands. As we. read more...

Pat Bon - Marquesan Delight & Depravity

08:56.427S 140:06.145WWe’ve just set sail for the next set of Polynesian islands in our adventure - the Tuamotus! We lifted anchor at 0400 and are now 6 hours (40NM) into the 540NM passage from Nuku Hiva to Fakarava, the coral atoll we’re heading for.We’ve spent 12 days in the wonderful Marquesas, having arrived just before dusk on Sunday 23rd March, following the 3,160NM passage across the Pacific from the Galápagos Islands. After a few days to get some boat jobs done and some fresh provisions, we left on Thursday 27th March for the nearby island of Tahuata and the village of Hapatoni for the traditional fire pit feast. From there, we headed for the island of Oa Pou (pronounced Wah Poo) where we dropped the anchor in a small bay on the west coast with a small village called Motukara,. read more...

Pat Bon - A Marquesan Heaven

09:48.695S 139:01.847WWe’ve made it…. We’ve crossed the Pacific! 3,160NM in total and we did it in 18 days, 8 hours and 15 minutes, that’s an average speed of 7.18 knots. We arrived in the harbour near the main town/village of Atuona in Hiva Oa and dropped anchor just behind the breakwater. Finally a relatively gentle roll on board Pat Bon rather than the oceans more frantic pitching and rolling we’ve been used to these last 2.5 weeks. We packed things away quickly and headed straight for the nearest hotel where 4 large and very cold Hinano beers were ordered, along with 4 steak and chips! We arrived 2nd in class and 4th yacht overall, without taking into account the handicaps. Fruition took line honours in class, but she is a powerful 80’ yacht, so we’d expect that. Also Misfit, a large. read more...

Aqualuna - 3000 Miles, 2 Sailors, No Freezer: what ocean sailing is actually like on a blue-water cruising boat

Day 19, Leg 4: Galápagos Islands to Hiva Oa, Marquesas: Our freezer finally decided to throw in the towel a few days before we left the Galápagos Islands and with a terminal diagnosis of dead compressors we had no choice but to completely rethink our meal plan and provisioning strategy for our forthcoming 3000 mile voyage to the Marquesas that we reckoned was going to take us about 3 weeks to complete. In many ways it was a relief: it had been throwing a tantrum for quite a while and we were constantly on tenterhooks as to whether we needed to take a chance for this long leg by relying on it, or whether to provision with fresh, tinned and dry goods. At least now we knew what we were dealing with - and we thanked the gods that it had chosen to die before we left. Because there are just 2. read more...

Pat Bon - God ….. I Hate Fish

11:56.051S 129:55.264W“TAKE COVER - incoming squadron of fish”. With that, Val hits the deck or cowers under the spray hood. Or it’s Nathan wearing his new fish slippers - a new fashion trend, although the trail of fish guts and fishy body parts isn’t pleasant, especially after a day in the tropical sun! It’s a nightly and coordinated attack on Pat Bon by our fishy friends - there we are, quietly on watch, minding own business when the unmistakable slap and splatter of a flying fish bouncing around the cockpit. A mad dash trying to catch and return it to its fishy kingdom, but it’s so slippery and almost impossible to catch with your hands - and boy, do they smell, even when alive! Sometimes they’re in stealth mode and they simply hop out of the water and onto the deck, there to remain. read more...

Pat Bon - Boobies, Whales, Sunsets….. but where are those trade winds!

09:12.947S 106:11.799W Pat Bon and her valiant crew are just over a week into the BIG leg 4 of our World ARC adventure, the 3,000+ nautical mile crossing of the Pacific Ocean from the Galapagos to the Marquesas islands. We’ve managed to do over 1,100NM so far and today our GPS system told us we’ve got under 2,000NM to travel until we reach the island of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. So a third of the passage completed - yay!  The crew have all guessed our arrival time at the finish line in Hiva Oa. This based on the distance we’ve travelled so far, the predicted weather, bearing in mind we only have sufficient fuel to motor a total of 7 or so days and we have to use the winds to sail for over 80% of the time and our planned course, which takes us quite far south of the rhumb. read more...

Aqualuna - Galapagos: Not For The Fainthearted

Galápagos Islands: 17th February - 5th March.  The rollers piling into the shore are awe-inspiring, magnificent, fierce ….. and fearsome. I’ve just commented on exactly this when I realise that the boat has turned to face the shore and the skipper is in fact planning to breach them to enter the lagoon. There is a pause, and the other passengers realise what is happening. The skipper waits - and I feel as if we have stumbled into that Guinness advert with the heartbeat music and the surfers. He stands at the wheel, assesses the rollers, the boat heaving in the swell …. and everyone falls completely silent. The fear is palpable and the skipper watches, turning the boat slowly while he waits for his opportunity. A beat; a pause; and time seems to stop. Then suddenly: he sees his chance! The. read more...

Aqualuna - Aqualuna Turns Into A Stealth Boat

Day 1, Leg 4 Galapagos to Hiva Oa, Marquesa IslandsAfter the excitement of the racing start from the Galapagos yesterday, the sky became blacker over the course of the afternoon. I love the drama of sunshine against dark glowering skies but I also know that out at sea it signals a high probability of rain and squalls. These nasty little weather systems will at best deliver a strong increase in wind - often up to 30+ knots - so we have to be on high alert to shorten sail in plenty of time before we get walloped. At worst they harbour electric storms.Last night it was as black as all hell. Thank god for radar as these beasties show up in glorious technicolour - the deeper the red, the deeper the poo you may be about to experience. As I began the first night watch the radar was. read more...

Pat Bon - Green………… Tomatoes, Bananas & Oranges

Our time in the Galápagos Islands has sadly finally come to an end. We’ve spent a very special two weeks in three of the islands, San Cristobal, Isabela and Santa Cruz, which are the only islands in the archipelago the ARC fleet are permitted to anchor off. But now, as the islands fade into the distance, we turn our attention to the 3,000 miles that lie ahead.The forecast isn’t great for the first few days, with the ITCZ (doldrums) lying to the south of the islands and we have to punch through this band before we can pick up the south easterly trade winds that will take us west to the Marquesas Islands. We’re currently having to motor, as the winds are very light, but of course we have to be careful regarding fuel use for both the engine and the generator. We’ve probably got fuel to. read more...