Daily Logs

Escapado - Day 7 - The Heavens have a real beauty and give comfort to the human spirit.

Escapado Blog Day 7 - HarryWe’re 7 days & nights into this journey to St Lucia, and it’s amazing what is becoming the norm. For example for me I look forward to the 2-6am Watch due to the beauty and simplicity of that time of day.The Heavens have a real beauty and give comfort to the human spirit.It’s during this time I think of the two people closest to me, and how our lives have developed over the years. Invariably the night is clear and the stars are bright, and as the false dawn gives way to sunrise and the level of daylight increases, in doing so, it shrouds many stars. The last to go are the PoleStar and Another. Finally the Sun breaks cover pushing back the night once again; but hey, I’m happy to wait until 2am again.Life in the Cabbage Patch - That mundane trip to the “small. read more...

Salamander - Workout Deck

Salamander is a ketch rigged boat about 58 feet in length. The main cockpit is in the centre of the boat giving good all round visibility. This leaves a large flat area on the stern which is perfect for doing our daily workouts.I say flat, this is purely figurative. Maybe when we are berthed in a cosy Marina it might be flat but that's not the case in the open waters of the Atlantic.Ralph started us off with his very impressive routine, showing off his rugby physique and goading us all into action.My (Tim) routine is much more meditative and involves more stretching than strength work. I'm getting quite a good workout on the helm when the wind is up not to worry too much about upper body.Each of us has our own exercises and requirements and the aft deck gives us the space to be free. read more...

Salamander - The Foredeck

When the seas are relatively calm during the day we can venture out of the cockpit and explore the rest of the boat. We don't go out of the cockpit at night unless absolutely necessary and under the express permission of Chris, the skipper. Even in the cockpit we use our harnesses at all times when it is dark.Going out of the cockpit and round the boat onto the foredeck is a fabulous experience. It's a very contemplative space. All you can see is miles and miles of empty ocean. The sun casting its path and the swoosh of water as it is parted by the bows.We have yet to see any dolphins or whales but there's plenty of opportunity yet to come. We've actually seen very little by way of wildlife, come to that we've seen very little else at all. A very sobering and emotional place to be.Just. read more...

Salamander - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

With sincere apologies to Sir Elton John.We've become so used to communicating easily and effortlessly with others these days. We all have a handy communication device tucked in our handbag or pocket. Ready to instantly message anyone anywhere in the world.Except when you are on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic there is no WiFi, there's no mobile signal, there's no anything!Except Yellow Brick and the carrier which is Iridium.Yellow Brick are fantastic at providing boats with a tracking device that allows everyone to follow the boat or boats of their choice on the ARC and other sailing events. You may be following our progress in the race division on the YB Tracker App.Piggybacking on this is an App called YB Connect which allows crew members to send and receive simple messages. read more...

Bolero - Half way

Half Way!At 22:00 hrs we crossed the half way point.The distance to go was 1080 miles.Nick and Ian thought we would cross at the change of watch, and we did, so we were all able to share the moment.There were a few localised small clouds overnight, but none produced an appreciable increase in wind speed.It was dry on deck so we were able to sail in shorts, a fleece is still needed as the wind is cool during the night.We are continuing to sail the same course as North Star.We are sure that they are pleased to say good bye to the last 24 hours and the challenges it brought.We had a celebratory cooked breakfast and Bucks Fizz to mark the mid way point.The drum roll distance at 11:00 hoursAtlantic Adventure Eastern Time was 997.157 miles in 24 hours.It’s great to have broken the 1000 mile. read more...

Games Maker 2 - Flat tyre?!

Jeepers, it’s sooo bumpy that we figure we surely must have a flat tyre. Or maybe even a wheels fallen off?! Of course it could be the usual bi-directional Atlantic swell. Hmm. Either way, if we spot a Kwik Fit tyre centre or a Halfords tomorrow then we’re pulling in for a check up :). read more...

Jo - Tag 6 - Wachplan und Wachwechsel (Crew Special, Teil II)

Wer sich schon mal gefragt hat, wie das denn mit den Wachen und dem Schlafen während einer Atlantiküberquerung so abläuft, der findet hier und heute einige Antworten. Zunächst muss gesagt werden, dass natürlich jedes Schiff, jeder Skipper und jede Crew ein individuelles Konzept hat, auch und vor allen Dingen abhängig von der Crewstärke. Wir haben während dieser Überquerung den Luxus, insgesamt zu zehnt in der Crew zu sein.Ohne Peter und Katrin als Skipper, die rund um die Uhr ansprechbar und auf Standby sind (wobei Peter dankenswerter Weise den Großteil übernimmt, damit Katrin Zeit zum Blog/Logbuch/Mails schreiben, Wetter ziehen, kochen... bleibt), bleiben immer noch acht Crewmitglieder übrig. Diese haben wir in drei Teams unterteilt, abhängig von Segel-Erfahrung und Kabinenbelegung.. read more...

Lomvi - Day 8 and 9 - Vagues mouton!

Dear leaders of the night,All is well out here in the purpose of life. While you went around preparing for Christmas, your adventure friends had the following 48 hours: We could not send you a satellite broadcasted message yesterday, beacuse the day was to beautiful for us to spend another hour on the sat phone. Getting weather take from 30 min to 4 hours.Capitalism had a number of flaws, but the fact that there is now competition in the market for satellite providers, is probably good. We give iridium 3 out of 10, and would probably not buy again. If you find this to be a compelling argument for less government intervention, remember that everything we do in space could never happened without the efforts of a interventionist government. Want to know how and why? Read Mariana Mazzucato's. read more...

Mairmade - Day#7

Hi from the crew of Mairmade.Today was another fantastic day in the mid Atlantic; kicked off with a beautiful sunrise and another gastronomic breakfast courtesy of Harry (we don't remember such amazing breakfasts during the 4 summers we spent in Greece, maybe Harry is Italian 🤔).The wind cooperated nicely overnight (as I mentioned earlier), and remained quite robust in the morning, above 10 knots, which meant our plans to take out Jeremy for an airing went on hold. He's still a soggy mess!But while Jeremy had to remain indoors, a wind shift to the North meant that his younger sister, Chloe (the code-0) came out to play.While Jeremy flies in up to 10 knots of apparent wind, Chloe is comfortable in anything below 15 knots apparent. Note the word 'apparent'; since this is a downwind. read more...

Avventura - Log day 10

We try to sail Avventura as balanced and steady aspossible. Usually, that works out quite well, with thehelmsperson anticipating the changes in the wind and the movement ofthe waves. Nonetheless, there are moments with a difficult combinationof gusts and waves. So, stay alert when cooking.   Today at sunrise, we completed the first1000nm.   Position at 21:15 UTC, November 26, 2022 (20:18.18N28:36.4W). read more...

Sabine - sabine update 26 Nov

Hello interweb friends, Captain Stape on sail boat Sabine right here (///organist.irrational.freedoms)This parrot had his feathers ruffled at 0130 this morning when he was rudely awakened by Jenny starting up. Apparently, Otto the autopilot was on a power hungry rampage and was draining the batteries. Bah!Still, Jenny went quiet after an hour and I was able to get back to my beauty sleep again. (Sleep is the secret as to how I keep my plumage so bright and colourful) For breakfast John made something called ‘French Toast’ (which in France they just call call ‘toast’), which tasted delicious when covered in a generous helping of maple syrup. Then a little later Polina made scrambled eggs, so it was rude not to accept the offer of a second breakfast! The skipper has set the sails in a new. read more...

Oceano - Log Day 7 - Meeting the locals

For some sailors being on the sea equals fishing. Or at least - trying it. It has never been the case for me, as I am always cheering for the fish to escape the lures of this murderous sport. Some of „Oceano’s” crew decided that if we have fishing rods on board - it would be a waste not to catch a dinner. They’ve never fished in their life though and their search for the right fishing rod lasted for half an hour with more then a few pauses for the sip of beer and exchanging equally ignorant remarks. Finally they appeared in the rear and assumed the position. The others waited, cracking jokes about their childish enthusiasm. After a while everyone retreated to what they were doing before and we forgot about the pair of freshmen. But suddenly we’ve heard a shout - we’ve got something,. read more...

Sunbeat VI - Day 7 - Champagne Sailing

What a great day to be at sea!After a full night with Big Red at the masthead and stars to show the way, dawn broke to 15-20 knots of breeze and full sunshine.Sailing at its best.Steve and Nige have been hard at work with the sextant and both now agree we are somewhere in the Atlantic :-))). Marc St Hilaire and ex Merid…. more work to do and much scratching of heads over coming few days.Decided on a new approach to sustainable fishing as Angela got bored of the boys rubbish efforts and simply walked up the deck to pick up the flying fish instead.Great sashimi and selected other starters followed.Olympics to resume tomorrow….. read more...

Navasana - Day 7 Rolly seas and lost lures

We had uncomfortable rolly seas today making it difficult to do anything, which is what we did and lots of it :-) Unfortunately we lost both lures on our fishing lines. Down to our last two, hope we catch more fish before we lose them too. Less than 2000nm to go St Lucia,can taste the Rum punch already!More on sailingnavasana.com. read more...

Attitude - fishing at SY attitude

Every day morning we prepare the fishing strategy for the day, lead by our chief fishermen Pablo, so far we catch 11 fishes and enjoying sashimi, tartar and grilled prepared professional by our chef Diogo.At lunch the sommelier Rui prepare the wine from Verdejo to Sauvignon Blanc to the perfect marriage all tested by our testeur Felisberto. A team of multiples talents at the table.image1. read more...

eXite - Exite 26/11 - cracks

Yesterday might have been the most eventful day since the start in Mindelo, in both good and bad ways.Passed the halfway point.Passed into 3-digit territory = less than 1000 miles left.Saw our first sailing boat since the 18th of November.Almost had a flying fish jumping into the boat - it landed in the cockpit about 10cm from the open windows…I fell in the cockpit trying to get to the wheel in the middle of the night and probably got a crack in my collarbone. Not pleasant, but glad it didn’t break.. Also probably in the foot as well, but at least not broken either.Found a crack in the vang fitting on the boom, which means we don’t really dare to load up with more sails as we want to limit the damages. So the full main sail probably wont be up for this crossing (had reefs the whole time. read more...

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 7 - Advents-Pre-Check

Die Grib-Daten sagen für heute ein gelbes Windfeld vorher - uns so kommt es auch. Nach Sonnenaufgang frischt es auf. Für heute bleibt der Spi im Sack!BordroutineBis 9 Uhr laufen die Vorbereitungen für‘s Frühstück. Mangos, Kiwis und Äpfel für den Obstsalat schneiden, Kaffee kochen, Käse, Schinken und Joghurt aus dem Kühlschrank angeln, Pfanne für die Spiegeleier anheizen - und das alles in schiefer und bewegter Ebene. Die Backschaft hat sich das Frühstück jedenfalls redlich verdient.Frisch geduschtNachdem alles wieder aufgeklart ist geht es zur Dusche auf‘s Vorschiff - mit der Pütz Wasser schöpfen und dann ab über den Kopf. Nach dem ersten Luftschnapper ist es doch recht angenehm und die zweite Wasserladung schon fast ein Genuß.AdventsvorbereitungenAm Nachmittag kreisen die Gespräche um. read more...

Charisma - SY CHARISMA | Tag 6 - das große Tuch

Wind und Welle haben sich normalisiert. Heute setzen wir nach dem Frühstück den Leichtwind-Spi - das große weiße Tuchmit orangenen und blauen Streifen. Unter SpinnakerDie 180 qm bringen uns bis zu 8 kn Fahrt über Grund, bis am Nachmittag der Wind böig wird und wir den Spi bergen: Genua ausrollen, Achterholer nach vorne sacken lassen, Spifall fieren und dann das große Tuch auf dem Vorschiff bergen und in den Sack stopfen.Avocado sattWas vorgestern die Karotten waren, sind heute die Avocados. 20 Stück müssen verarbeitet werden - Guacamole pur, Guacamole mit Lachs, Guacamole mit Tomate und zum Schluss Avocado pur auf‘s Brot :)NeumondUnter ausgebaumter Genua segeln wir bei moderaten Bedingungen in die finstere Nacht - am Himmel brillieren die Sterne.. read more...

Escapado - Day 6

No Atlantic Crossing would be the same without mentioning the sighting dolphins. For our part this eagerly awaited by all crew members, and when it happened the inside of the boat emptied.  The creatures were a lot smaller than I expected but shinier and a very distinctive grey. The crew were noisy and I swear the dolphins picked up this “vibration” as the first one I saw came clear out of the water and did a somersault !!  I understand that they have the intelligence level comparable to that of a dog, and so for them to meet another animal, they too would be excited and hence this display. I know many pictures were taken, and a lot would have been just splashes,but in any event, a bucket list “tick” !!  We also had a great day flying the. read more...

Escapado - Day 2

Everyone is happy and motivated, trying to keep Escapado running as fast as she can.   Attempts to fix the broken pole are ongoing. The wind has dropped so helming by day is easy and by night is incredible under spectacular stars.   We celebrated Harry’s birthday with singing and cake. Happy Birthday Harry!   Dorin . read more...

Escapado - Day 1

The first night will perhaps remain as the most memorable, for a number of reasons. - wind speed reached 40+ knots, down wave speed often exceeding 10+ knots with a maximum of 15knots achieved. Sadly we snapped the spinnaker pole aswe broached. Wind speeds are now circa 19 knots, a more manageable & comfortable speed.Already after one day, watch changes as are starting to come together and we’re looking forward to less confusing seas and lower winds. Perhaps the biggest triumph (after being 2nd through the start gate), is that no one has been seasick . . . Yet !!. read more...

Sao Jorge - A quick update

All is fine onboard the boat and everybody is happy. The crew is settling in as we are heading south to pick up the trade winds. At the moment we are getting familiarized with the asymmetrical spinnaker during the daytime before sailing with it at night time. The crew on Sao Jorge. read more...

Disa - Dorado for Dinner!

In the last two days we have dodged five squalls and had one blow right over us today.It was our first experience of heavy rain.For a few minutes there was lots of noise and lots of wind.The wind and waves are unsettled, with the squalls bringing big shifts in wind direction.But our trusty SV Disa has held a steady (if rather slow) course and kept us safe.During the course of this passage we have become much more aware of how the constant movement and rolling of the boat causes even the tightest-fitting things to work loose.Screws and fittings always choose the worst possible moment to escape from their fixtures.Today, as we furled the sails and turned on the engine, with the squall fast approaching on our tail, a strategic hose sprang loose.We were immediately alerted by an unusual. read more...

Endeavour III - Endeavour III - day 6

End of the first week at sea.Wow .. the first week is almost over and the pattern of life on the boat has started to take on a familiar routine. We are doing 1 1/2 hour watches. With six of us on the boat it means we are on watch every7 1/2 hours. We have a nicely printed watch schedule that we refer to throughout the day to check who is on when. After a while you work out your favourite watches. For me the prize watch is 7.30 in the morning. You start the watch at dawn and gently see the sun rising on the horizon. It feels quite emotional as the sun rises and you realise you are in the middle of an ocean, miles away from anywhere.The enormity of the Atlantic is hard to comprehend and we have all discussed the feeling of probably beingfirst person to cross the exact spot where we. read more...

Falcon - New Crew have arrived..!!!

Stop press…We were circled by four birds that have the appearance of young herons. Others will no doubt be able to identify them. Amazing to watch them surfing our twin headsail. After several fly-bys the first brave soul attempted a landing on the dodger solar panel before skidding off. They soon figured out that the Bimini offered a more accommodating landing spot and after a time all four have landed safely where they now remain. After realising they would be staying for some time we welcomed them on board as additional crew in the hope that the ARC will offer some dispensation on related crew costs for this leg.Of course they are yet to meet the other crew, in particular the Winch Monkey (an acquired taste) and are in for a shock when they Admiral Bev introduces them to the daily. read more...

Skye Blue - Skye Blue - sailing ARC '22

Away from Las Palmas - a rocky start it was. The wind in our sail carrying us across.   Now we're surfing the waves at satisfying speed. On a November morning what more could you need!   Every day is getting warmer and warmer it's hard to believe Christmas is around thecorner.   Food on board is delicious indeed which is good since there are eight mouths to feed! Apples, oranges, avocados all hanging in a net swinging around always bumping into my head.   The onions I had almost forgotten! It's a shame that half of them arerotten...   The colours of the night we must remember to mention! For this beauty is worth a moment of your attention.   I promise you, you've seen nothing like this! Their million burning shapes not something to miss.   The twinkling. read more...

Amokura - Log Day 8 - Jiving & Gybing!

This morning's big event was gybing the sails. Overnight we had to alter course by a few degrees to keep the genoa filled to stop it slamming and consequently ended up too far north to the tune of 20 miles. We are also noticing more of a set to the north, which the chart shows as the North Equatorial current running at about 1.5knts. We want to ensure we pass well south of Barbados, although still over 600 miles away, so a definite course alteration was needed.So, all hands on deck, the steps are, firstly furling the genoa (poled out on the boom), slacking off the preventer on the port side, pulling in the mainsheet to bring the boom onto the centre, then rigging the preventer on the starboard side. Next to furl the jib, then lower the spinnaker pole holding it out to the starboard side. read more...

Betelgeuse - BETELGEUSE Friday 25/11/22 DAY 6

Our new watch system is working very well; 2 on and 4 off which means much more sleep and down time.  I managed a continuous 6 hrs last night  - heaven!Everyone is enjoying cooking and the amazing ingredients we procured in Las Palmas have meant we have eaten extremely well.  The steak mentioned above was one of the most tender I have ever eaten.  We have got to the end of the fresh meat now, except for one more meal of those amazing steaks which we are keeping for our half way celebration.It sounds bizarre, but we are quite looking forward to a bit of pesto pasta!Continuing light winds have meant we have had great fun flying the spinnaker.  It is a beautiful sight when it’s up but keeping it full can be quite a challenge;  we had an interesting couple of. read more...

Jadamama - Day 6 blog - Check for chafe !

From our staggered watches we went to bed and slept on the problem. How to fix our beautiful big blue butterfly? This monster trade wind sail, commissioned especially for the ARC, had been doing its job perfectly, filling for one and a half days and drawing us along at an average speed of 7/8 knots. Then at 22.00hrs we discovered it had started to tear from the foot three meters up along the centre line. All hands needed on deck to furl it. It required massive energy of our skipper and crew, sitting on the trampoline, legs akimbo, pulling in unison to haul all 200sq metres down, bag it and stow it back in the cockpit. The Donovan brothers, Olympic gold medalist rowers, each pulling like a dog, couldn’t have done it quicker. A Saturday morning full Irish breakfast with recycled toasted. read more...

Games Maker 2 - Crepe On Saturday!

It’s Saturday and that means the alfresco brunch crepe station on Hotel Games Maker 2 is open for business! Banana pancakes a firm favourite - gotta use ‘em up, after all! image1. read more...

Summer Star - Extra Miles

Have been unable to hoist our downwind sail since the first night but are now sailing the angles with our code zero on a repaired spinnaker halyard. Getting great boat speed but covering more miles than we expected!Les has finally nailed the fishing - we have a couple of dorado for tonight's dinner. NeilSummer Star--. read more...

Falcon - Crossing Day 8

Distance run last 24 hours 174 nautical miles.Miles until Grenada 847.Our celebrations yesterday were not only fit for a king, Neptune that is, but also attended by a king. And not any old king either, but THE king, Elvis ‘Rex of Rock n’ Roll’ Presley!Fancy dress was mandated for Half-way Friday, and Helm Monkey dug out the Elvis suit for another airing (which was very much needed after the energetic dancing of the Las Palmas 70’s party).Bev raised spirits, and a few heartbeats, by donning her foxy pirate wench costume whilst Cap’n Ade, as far as I can tell, came as Dr Seuss’ ‘Cat in a hat’; bonnet-topped feline or otherwise, he cut a very fine figure of a partying skipper!In true naval tradition, tots of rum were broken out; the first dispatched overboard for Neptune, the next three. read more...

Circe - Circe Update

Great sailing conditions just got better! After an overnight port tack to move us farther south, at 0500 this morning we turned to starboard and headed west. Once crew was up, we rigged wing-on-wing and Circe took flight. We’ve reached in excess of 10 knots on the backside of the waves.Landlubber that I am, I signed on as crew as the “smutje” - German , I’m told,for galley slave. But even I can appreciate the beauty of the bow as it slices through the deep blue sea and the sound of the water rushing down the hull before joining the freedom of the wake.Still, I make the effort to broaden my horizons by learning how to take a sextant reading, help with the rigging, engage in navigational discussions and manning a winch when a wench will do.But my primary goal remains feeding the crew and. read more...

Malolo - Log Day 6 – The Butter has Melted

Somewhere out here in this endless blue sea is the mid-point of our voyage.We calculate in time and in miles and debate how you can know when you are halfway when you can’t know the exact length of your trip.In any event, as the title suggests, the butter has truly melted and we are flying along in the trades.Life onboard Malolo has settled into familiar routines.We are six on board and divided our watches in two.The first half of the race has had its challenges with plenty of breeze and a number of tactical decisions to be made.Mostly good sailing and adapting to life at sea.In the first 6 days we’ve had to stop or slow the boat 4 times, twice to clear debris from our rudder, once to repair chafing to our mainsail, and once to clear Sargassum.There’s the usual housekeeping and. read more...

Amandla Kulu - Happy Birthday My Darling Sabine

What a wonderful Day… a great day to celebrate a Special Birthday greeting to my wife from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!`My Darling Sabine was not expecting to hear from me until safe arrival at St. Lucia. She was provided with the website where she could track the course of our very special yacht Amandla Kulu which she has done twice each day since our departure.Thanks to the generosity of our Skipper (Adam) I was able to contact her on this special day to call her direct on the ships Satellite Phone!!And contact her I did in the middle of her food shopping at the local grocery store…. What an image.. me sitting at the Nav Station thousands of miles away and her unaware that the call coming in was from her very loving husband at sea… Tears of joy from both of us will ensure that. read more...