It’s day four at sea for the ARC Europe and Atlantic Cup fleets, who departed Nanny Cay on Saturday. Following a strange weather pattern at the start, which saw a light southwesterly blowing in the BVI, the breeze has finally filled in offshore and the boats are enjoying excellent sailing conditions.
“At 0410 this morning I turned the engine off,” wrote Mad Fish, the sole family boat in the fleet, and who led the fleet across the starting line. “So far we have done 56.1 engine hours since the start. I was woken from my off watch at 0800 by the kids demanding the spinnaker! That up, and boat speed is up to 6 - 7 knots! So, proper sailing, kite up, fishing line out, happy days!”
Lone Star, an Amel 54, completed the ARC in 2011 with ‘Salty Dog’ crewmember Ron Horton aboard. Owner Craig Scott is now taking the boat back to the USA for the first time, having bought her in Europe. Lone Star leads the fleet at the moment, and is also sailing.
“Our third day of the trip was the kind where everything went right,” wrote the crew. “At 0534 this morning the wind came up enough to turn off the engine and Lone Star once again became a sail boat. Although our speed was around 5 knots we felt it was better than paying the penalty in motoring hours.”
Craig Scott has some seriously experienced crew helping him take Lone Star north. Ron is back again, sailing in his 20th rally since 2003. He’s joined by long-time Caribbean 1500 vet Jim Underwood, and Caribbean 1500 and Atlantic Cup rally founder Steve Black, who’s back on the water again following a brief hiatus in 2012.
For the yachts headed to Ft. Lauderdale through the Old Bahama Channel, the wind has remained light.
“Pendragon is currently enjoying pleasant conditions,” wrote Scott and Jennifer. “Light winds, and we’re motor-sailing with light NE winds.”
Aside from the weather, the talk of the blogs is fishing. Many boats are trying, and a few are actually catching!
“The big news was the successful capture by Giles of a medium-size, but delicious tuna yesterday afternoon,” wrote the crew of Johanem. “This was considerably more exciting than the continued lack of wind which is forcing further use of the engine. With the prospect of a first course of tuna sushi (well done, Ian) followed by marinated tuna steaks and salad for supper (thank you Boo), the boat was temporarily stopped for a very refreshing mid-afternoon dip in the warm, plankton filled waters through which we are sailing.”
Pendragon, on the other hand, isn’t having such line, despite their efforts. “No fish,” they wrote. “YET!”
Meanwhile, Lyall and Kieran of the rally team arrived into Bermuda yesterday, and Mia and Andy are set to fly out from Annapolis tomorrow, hopefully in time before the first yacht arrives. Stay tuned to the rally pages for more updates to follow!