Domini - Log 7 - On to San Blas

We had a fantastic time in Santa Marta, and really didn’t want to leave. Alas when it came to start the next leg to San Blas we went down with a little bit of gippy stomach, so we got our extra day there after all. The good news is that it was very short lived, and we are both feeling lots better now.And having finally managed to leave the heads, we also managed to leave the marina about 0800 this morning (Thursday) and are currently flying along at 8 - 9 knots. Alas, there is a couple of knots of current against us, so it will look slower on the tracker.To San Blas and Beyond!Ju & Lyn. read more...

Domini - Log 6 - just when everything was going right...

We had 25 knots of wind behind us, a strong favourable current, and we were looking good to achieve our first ever 200 nautical mile day. Just as everything was going right - which is a most unusual state of affairs on a boat - Lyn noticed something trailing behind us. Perhaps we’d caught a tuna? It seemed unlikely given that we haven’t got a fishing rod, but we needed to take a closer look.We quickly stopped the boat, which is not that quick when you’re barrelling along at nine knots with a screecher out one side and a genoa the other. Ju then climbed down onto the transom and at last we could see the problem. There was a whole bundle of fishing ropes, netting and buoys tangled around the rudder. What a mess. Grrrrr. He managed to cut the worst of it away, but some of it was still. read more...

Domini - Log 5 - Temptations of the watch

It’s the middle of the night; the “Dog Watch.” I’m not sure why it’s called that, but it doesn’t sound good. The moon is full, the sea is shimmering and there is nothing to disturb the peace other than the gentle thump of flying fish knocking themselves out on the transom.Unfortunately, Ju has just found a bar of chocolate in the fridge. Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut - his favourite. He used to get his five a day from Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut bars alone. And now it is beckoning him.Perhaps if he had just one square…Did I say square? I meant line. Perhaps if he just had one line of chocolate…One line’s not really enough though is it? One line just gives you the taste without really satisfying the craving. So two lines is really a sort of minimum. As long as you stop at two lines. Two lines is. read more...

Domini - Log 4 - half way there

We’ve had a great day’s sail, averaging nearly eight knots. A couple of records were hit today. 183 miles in 24 hours - a personal best for Team Domini. And not only that. We saw 18 knots on the speedometer! OK - that’s with a knot or so of current and surfing down a wave and lasted for about five seconds, but even so, it’s pretty impressive stuff.Last night was quite hard work. We seemed to have squall after squall, with lulls in between, so we were doing the Sailors’ Hokey Coley all through the night.You pull your foresail inYour foresail outYour foresail inAnd you watch it flog aboutYou do the Hokey CokeyThen you run agroundThat’s what it’s all about.Oooaah the Hokey Cokey…etcYou pull your mainsail in,Your mainsail out….and so on, till you either run out of sails or you’re. read more...

Domini - Log 3 - Were Off!...Again.

Good Morning Chris,It’s 2 in the morning local time. It’s a beautiful moonlit night, and we have just had the biggest squall we have ever seen. It was about 4 inches on the radar screen so that is BIG! It lasted about 30 minutes and it was like standing under a waterfall, with the wind gusting up to 37 knots. On the plus side, we saw a moon rainbow! That’s right, a rainbow at night. In black and white. We never knew they even existed, but now we’ve seen one. Another first for Team Domini.We had a fast but bouncy trip down to Grenada, and got there mid morning on Sunday. Just in time to book ourselves a table at La Sagesse Boutique Hotel & Restaurant, where we had lunch overlooking the lagoon, listening to the relaxing sounds of the Caribbean played by the live band. Well,. read more...