Daily Logs

Risque Business - ARC+ 2023 Wrap Up.

Well we’ve been in Grenada for 4 days now and what a welcome all the yachts have had. The ARC Yellow Shirts have been great and so helpful along with the team from Port Louis Marina. As the RB WAGs have been here too, we’ve been lucky to have a lovely villa to stay in, however Mark and DB have stayed on board. The crew have spent several days getting RB cleaned up and returned to a cruising yacht after her months of being an ocean passage-maker. Of course copious Rum Punches and Carib beers have been consumed to keep the crew well oiled. I however, have taken my PADI Open Water practical exams with a fab dive school called ScubaTech and spent 3 of these last days underwater exploring a completely new and amazing world of reefs, corals and some incredible sea life. It included the largest. read more...

Freedom - Blog 20 Friday 8th December 2023

Editor: Stu the Glue.Hello to you all from Freedom, approximately 90nm from the finish line in St Lucia. So that the skipper can do the “Final” Epiblog, I have been asked to put down some thoughts for you.I will start yesterday evening, it was a beautiful sunny evening, the 5 of us were sat in the cockpit just before dinner, spinnaker flying, 16knts of wind with Chris reading the daily blog reply’s and messages to us from his pull pit. I must say at this point, a huge thank you to all of you who have taken the time to send a message or reply to our daily blogs, it really has lifted our spirits and has become part of our daily routine listening to them being read out. Another superb evening meal was presented from the galley by Ian and we settled in for what we thought would be a nice. read more...

Vitamin Sea - Tag 18: Vorfreude auf St. Lucia, Donnerstag, der 07. Dezember 2023

Die Nacht vom 06. auf den 07. Dezember 2023: Zurück zur Normalität Mit dem Hauptsegel im 3. Reff sind wir in die Nacht gesegelt. Nach den aufregenden Squalls der letzten Tage haben wir uns alle nach etwas ruhigeren Watches gesehnt.Und tatsächlich, diese Nacht verlief vergleichsweise normal, ohne die üblichen Squalls und Sturmfronten. Was für eine willkommene Abwechslung.Alle an Bord waren froh, dass sich der Ozean beruhigt hat, und wir wieder in unseren gewohnten Rhythmus finden konnten.Nur noch 400 Meilen bis zum ZielYes – wir kommen unserem Ziel näher und die Vorfreude auf St. Lucia und darauf wieder festen Boden unter den Füßen zu haben, steigt.Der Tag beginnt mit einem wundervollen Sonnenaufgang. Wenn das nicht motiviert. Der Himmel ist klar, nur links von uns zeigt sich ein Squall.. read more...

Uno - Day 19: Sleigh rides & risotto

Thursday 7th DecemberIt’s been a great day with good swell & wind behind us, & swell only going in one direction so it’s been like a sleigh ride surfing down the waves. Much more comfortable than the past few days too & just before midnight we will crack the “500nm to go” mark — we are coming Saint Lucia!Weather has been very settled, we’ve only seen a couple of squalls & a few very brief rain showers on our journey across so far.The kids came up with a fun game hiding a soft toy somewhere on the boat & then taking a photo where you could just see it. We (the adults) then had to go through the photos to spot the hidden moose or seal ;D It was very cool. We always say boredom breeds creativity!Lynnie made a yummy risotto for dinner using up half of our last zucchini,. read more...

Pure Fun - St. Lucia, 06.12.2023 23:45:27 local time war Schluß

Heute kommen wir emotional an, erledigen die notwendigsten Dinge und gewöhnen uns an die warmen Schauer. Mit ganz großer Freude haben wir gerade all die Kommentare gelesen. Aller besten Dank dafür. Unterwegs hatten wir lediglich über IRIDIUM Satelliten mit dem Certus 100 etwas Kontakt nach außen. An Internet war bei den geringeren Bandbreiten nicht zu denken. Um so mehr kamen nun beim Lesen Bilder zurück. Kurz vor dem Ziel gab es noch ziemlich Regen mit einem intensiven Winddreher und kräftigen Boen. Der Parasailor, unsere X wie auch Mathias am Steuer hielten den überraschenden Herausforderungen bei Nacht prächtig Stand. Als sich die nächste Regenwand ankündigte kam der Parasailor mit seinen 250 qm runter und der Motor brachte uns die 8 Meilen zum vorletzten Wegepunkt voran. Dann ging es. read more...

Asante - The end of the never ending poem

Well that’s it done, the line is crossed.Asante has us home.It’s the second time we‘ve joined the ARC.How boring had we flown. We’ll say farewell to our crew of four.To James and Tom and Nick.And to Kirsten with her balls of wool, and her needles going click. But Ian and I are not finished yet. Our adventure has just begun.For January takes us round the world.For lots more endless fun.Almost two more years of yellow shirts, to help us on our way.The organisers of World ARC at hand both night and day.. read more...

Tahira - TAHIRA ARC BLOG D-Day 17 [07-Dec-23]

TAHIRA ARC BLOGD-Day 17 [07-Dec-23]Location: Open Seas - AtlanticLat: 14.18N Long: 52.17WTHE PERFECT STORMAnd just when it was all going so well! :.This is a brief summary of a lively night's sailing a few days ago where we were able to fully test Tahira and her crew in a lightening storm and 40 knot winds.We are now safety heading to St Lucia with just 3 days of easy sailing, so thought now would be a good time to tell the story.18:00 04-12-2023:It is 6pm on 4-Dec when we receive a warning of squalls in our area.These are small localised rain-dense clouds that start at the surface of the sea and extend high into the sky.They can strike with a degree of intensity before passing over within 10 minutes.Our watch was briefed and ready - 'try to dodge the clouds if possible, and if you. read more...

Wolkenschlößchen - Day 19 - Neptune is Australian

We have entered into the 19th day which - as it appears - will be the last day of our Atlantic crossing. We almost made it!!!Winds have slowed down last night and today, giving us a good time window for arrival early Friday rather than in the middle of the night. Neptune was again favourable of us. Along the entire trip, we were blessed with mostly calm winds and comfortable waves and almost no trouble and or squalls. Today, half a day before arrival, Neptune sent us a huge squall, perfect to have a decent boat wash before arrival. Fred tried to shower in it but the rain was not quite made for that amount of washing! We were joking that all it needs now are dolphins and whales - and bang! Dolphins were delivered just a few minutes later. So, what did we do to earn Neptune's blessings? We. read more...

Vitamin Sea - Vitamin Sea - Tag 17: Naturgewalten, Mittwoch, der 06. Dezember 2023

Die Nacht vom 05. auf den 06. Dezember 2023: Eine weitere Nacht mit Squalls Die Nacht zum Mittwoch versprach erneut, eine Herausforderung zu werden. Nach den Unwettern der letzten Nacht wussten wir schon, was uns diesmal erwarten könnte. Die Wettervorhersagen waren eindeutig – es würde ähnlich viele Squalls gebenwie in der vorangegangenen Nacht.Um auf Nummer sicher zu gehen, sind wir bei unserer konservativen Fahrweise geblieben, also gleich mit Hauptsegel im 2. Reef in die Nacht gegangen. Wir wollten kein Risiko eingehen und in der Nacht ein Reff setzen zu müssen.Wie erwartet, ließen die Squalls nicht lange auf sich warten. In Annas Nachtwache zwischen Mitternacht und 3 Uhr war es am schlimmsten und eine Unwetterfront jagte die nächste. Peter war an ihrer Seite, denn schlafen konnte. read more...

SAIDA crossing the finish line on December 6, 0827 UTC

v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Philipp MeyerManaging Director Dryden Aqua Ltd. Sent from my iPhone. read more...

Saida - Saida day 16 & 17

Yesterday, December 6, at 8.27 UTC we were the 27th boat to cross the finish line in St Lucia after 17 days at sea! It was a great adventure and we are looking forward to a few relaxing days on this Caribbeanisland with Reggae music and Christmas trees and rum punches. But first, our 50 year old lady SAIDA needs our attention and a lot of maintenance/repair work to be done…Thanks for all your support and interest in our journey!. read more...

Freedom - Blog 19 Freedom Thursday 7th December 2023

Editor: Ian Whit - Day 19 Freedom Fighters Alive & Kicking Good morning from inside the cockpit where four of us are huddled escaping a torrential squall. Stu, bless him, is at the helm testing his wet weather gear. The start of his watch coincided with the tropical downpour. It’s a proper test for his Southern Ocean gear.Today is my sign off for the blog , so I’m going back in time to where it all started for me. September 2019, CJ and Jules have kindly invited Gill and I to share a barge holiday with them for a long weekend, this happened to be the wettest weekend of the year but rain never gets in the way of progress (not sure if Stu currently agrees with this). Anyway, whist the girls are working their way through copious quantities of Sauvignon Blanc at the bow, the. read more...

Vitamin Sea - Vitamin Sea - Tag 16: Von Adrenalin und blanken Nerven, Dienstag, der 05. Dezember 2023

Die Nacht vom 04. auf den 05. Dezember 2023: Adrenalin pur Ja, sie existieren wirklich - diese roten, langgezogenen Squall-Fronten, die sich wie aus dem Nichts auf dem Radar zeigen und unaufhörlich zu wachsen scheinen, während sie näherkommen. Bisher waren wir von ihnen verschont geblieben, undehrlich gesagt, hätte gerne so bleiben können.   Diese Nacht wird uns allen noch lange in Erinnerung bleiben. Die Wetterprognosen haben sich bewahrheitet, und es gab keinen Raum für Zweifel - wir befanden uns nun definitiv im Squall-Gebiet. Die Windgeschwindigkeiten erreichten, wie vorhergesagt,durchschnittlich 22 Knoten, oft sogar 25 Knoten und in Spitzen bis zu 34 Knoten. Es fühlte sich an, als würden wir mit einem riesigen Schlitten den Berg hinuntersausen, nur dass unser Schlitten in. read more...

Hot Stuff - 13:30.955N 58:39.08W

So we have gone from 35 knots terrential rain, white nuckle rides down tower block swell, Nick hitting 16.6knots whist screaming Yippee Kiyaaaa, to no wind. Just 10 knots of wind and boat speed to 5 knots. That has massively modified our eta adding an extra night! Just when we hoped for a full nights sleep which is def needed the sun comes out as well just to make a day nap less likely.But on the plus side its 140 miles to go! Then the famous St Lucia welcome (unless the crew abandon ship passing Barbados). We have not seen land yet although on the chart is looks so close.Think its going to be a day of trying to maintain the course and as much speed as we can hoping the wind fills in.Jack however is happy as we are going slow enough to try and catch fish or probably the gull circling his. read more...

Adina - Day 19

It’s 4am in the morning, the moon has just risen and is shining across the sea. It’s blowing 20kts and we continue to sail downwind at 7.4kts with a poled out stay sail rather than the Genoa to reduce the risk of chafe. We now have less than 600 miles to go - thats less than a Fastnet Race! We achieved our target of over 150 miles in a day yesterday (154 miles) and have now adjusted the target to 160 miles.All the crew have received emails from home - they are much appreciated and well received - thank you.Since our last blog we have experienced heavy rain squalls, thunder and lightening. There is much debate about whether to count Elephants, Mississippis or 1000s after a lightening flash to calculate the distance to the storm.Andrew has highlighted that ‘the faster we sail the less we. read more...

Uno - Day 18: Ceviche & shooting stars

This morning morale seemed a little low, I think it’s due to the increased swell & wind, which, while it’s good for speed, it’s not very comfortable. We dodged a few squalls around lunchtime, and had ceviche with the mahi Gisele caught 2 days ago. Jacques (11) was in dinner so he made some rice & heated up Chile con Carne for dinner which was really good. Also today we put together our response to the Insta ARC singing challenge that seems to be going around & we keep getting tagged in.. Luckily we have a singer /songwriter on board (Gisele, 13) & we recorded the audio & now just the video needs a bit more work. We should be able to post it up tomorrow :-) A bit of silliness & dancing & singing (and lots of laughing) did wonders for the mood on board, smiles. read more...

Asante - Day 18 of the never ending poem

Tom and I did a watch last night.The weather was so horrendous.The radar screen was not good news, cos the squalls they were tremendous.The ARC foretold of these massive devils, that make our life not good.Of seas that pick a boat up.Just like a piece of wood.The roar was loud, we held on tight. But Asante held her course.The rain lashed into the cockpit, with an almighty force. We had to shout to hear each other. Ian came up to see. Not happy that his sleep was cut, by this calamity.The others too they did appear.To hear what the weather had.But by morning time the squalls had gone.Life was once again not bad.Food is low but that’s all fine.One more day to last.And with these winds still strong and sure, we’ll definitely get there fast.. read more...

Hot Stuff - 13:51.71N 56:36.08W

We are heading to Barbados!Ok we aren't stopping there but that seems to be where we are heading at the moment. We are running down wind slower than we would like as there is no kites. It seems the closer you get the longer it all takes! We are looking to jibe once in line and head back for St Lucia! we have bets on as follows:Jack 4pm ThursdayNick 5pm ThursdaySteve 6pm ThursdayChris 9pm ThursdayDarren 10:30pm ThusdayAt the speed we feel we are going at it is prob more likely the early hours but there is a 24 hr bar full of sailors that have not seen a shower in three weeks using the alcohol to stop them swaying on land!Its just gone shandy oclock but beer supplies are still strong. The B and G plotter though looks drunk the way it wobbles all over the place on the screen and the boat,. read more...

Wolkenschlößchen - Day 18 - On direct course

We keep ignoring the suggested weather routing which has served us well on this trip. Currently, this means we are sailing directly towards Saint Lucia with our main sail only instead of tacking with both sails. Compared to the boats tacking around us, this seems to be faster and definitely is more comfortable as we are having most waves directly from behind. This gives us the opportunity to keep cooking the still fresh vegetables that we carried along. Despite not putting any in the fridge, we managed to preserve them along the entire trip. Most fresh produce is now gone but also, as it looks, tomorrow will be our last day at sea. It has been a fantastic ride thus far and we are confident to finish now calmly. We are rather taking some speed out as we prefer arriving early morning. read more...

Distraction - Cruise or Race...?

The sharper ones amongst you will have spotted that we have once again turned our bows towards the West horizons. Yes, we are finally at sea after seemingly months of lazing around in Lanzarote and galavanting all over Gran Canaria. That last bit isn’t entirely true for although we saw some wonderful parts of GC (eg Agaete in the North) we have largely spent the last month preparing for the ARC rally across the Atlantic.I should have known better when I saw that the Organisers had used the word ‘rally’ in their PR material along side ‘for cruisers’….. You might be excused for thinking that any event designated suitable for cruisers might be a laid back affair where each of the boats meander casually out of the marina at their leisure and like a pretty row of ducks make their way quietly. read more...

Adrienne - St.Nikolaus

06.12.2023Blogautoren Bernd und ThorstenUnser Tag begann, in dem wir dem Landeanflug von St. Nikolaus schon früh in der Nacht folgen konnten. Was andere vielleicht als Meteorit fehlinterpretieren, war selbstverständlich die gelungene Landung nach ballistischem Flug vom Nordpol in die Karibik. Es war in der Tat ein sehr spektakulärer Meteorit, der uns die Nacht versüßte.Bereits in der vorangegangenen Wache hielten vereinzelte Squalls die Crew auf Trab. Segel reffen und Segelstellung so anpassen, dass man nicht kalt erwischt wird vom plötzlich aufkommenden Wind.Der Tag brach dann mit einem sehr ausgiebigen und köstlichen Brunch zu Ehren des heiligen Nikolaus an. Kulinarische Highlights waren u. a. Räucherlachs, Serranoschinken, Käseplatte, Pancakes und dazu frisch gebackenes Brot.Jeder. read more...

Vitamin Sea - Tag 15: Von Squalls und Sternschnuppen, Montag, der 04. Dezember 2023

Die Nacht vom 03. auf den 04. Dezember 2023: Mit Motor durch die Nacht Aufgrund der Wetterprognose mussten wir in der Nacht wieder mit Squalls zu rechnen. Um für alle Eventualitäten gerüstet zu sein, haben wir entschieden, den Wingaker einzuholen und unter Motor durch die Nacht zu fahren. Nicht nur für unserenKomfort, sondern vor allem auch für unsere Sicherheit, falls uns ein Unwetter unerwartet treffen sollte.Peter entschied sich, im Salon zu schlafen. Zum einen war es in den Kabinen aufgrund des laufenden Motors zu laut, um erholsamen Schlaf zu finden. Zum anderen wollte er zur Sicherheit bereitstehen, falls uns doch ein Unwetter erwischensollte.Wider die Prognose blieb die Windgeschwindigkeit moderat. Und die Squalls, die sich auf dem Radar zeigten, entschieden sich, eine andere. read more...

Saltair - Using up the last of the eggs!

Arrival is in sight for us. The sea state has been very confused with big wave sets making for a slightly uncomfortable ride below deck but a glorious time above! During the day we hand steer and have fun surfing the waves! To keep everyone well fed we have been baking and using up the last of the eggs- Freshly made pancakes one morning and a Clafoutis aux Pommes (French apple custard) today!  . read more...