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Position 17.01.276N 061.46.555W
All done. Safe in Antigua
Thanks for reading our blog.
Till the next time
Skip
Position 16.41.5N 059.26.4W
Perfect downwind sailing at last, just enough wind to enable dear
Lion King to surge towards Antigua. We still have the kite up, three days
non stop kite sailing, great. We should arrive sometime this week end but cannot
be specific due to the variability of the wind, if it drops again we could be
out for a while longer. Will let you know when we are in the bar!!!
Skip
Position 16.49.4N 057.11.08W
Still little wind but still making slow progress towards Antigua, well
actually we are heading for Dominique and have been for the last two days but at
least it is roughly right. We have been flying the cruising shoot for over 24
hours now as it the only sail that can move us forward in light airs. 5.5 knots
of wind means we sail at 3.5 –4.5 knots. it is good and once you adjust your
head that there is nothing you can do about it, you just settle and enjoy, Blue
sky, blue sea and sunshine, wonderful. Some are coping better than others with
the slow pace but as I said at the outset of this trip, the challenge for an
Atlantic is rarely in surviving savage seas but more dealing with your head. For
me, I can understand why Mortissier ( the famous French racing sailor) did not
cross the finishing line after a round the world solo race, but decided to go
round again. There is a beauty to the ocean that is unrivalled and once you get
your head in the right place it is just wonderful, where else in this busy world
in which we live can you find such peace and solitude, wonderful. So, 259 miles
to go, two or three days and thats it :( till next time.
Skip
Position 17.10.9N 55.02,1W
We are getting there albeit very slowly. We ran the engine all last night
just to keep us moving however, we are now very low on fuel, it will be a
close thing!! Yesterday we tried every imaginable sail combination including
flying the storm sail which we kept up all night. It is the only sail that does
not bang and slap and it actually gave us an extra half a knot. Today with
engine off we have hoisted the cruising shoot which was ineffective yesterday
through lack of wind but today is pushing us along at 6.4 knots, very good. With
a cloudless sky and little wind it is unbearably hot and poor Bob did not
take to the heat well and suffered a bit of heat exhaustion, he is better today
but will have to keep my eye on him. So two or three days will see us in
the bar at nelsons Dockyard drinking ice cold beer and rum punch, but for now it
is water and lots of it.
Keep praying for wind
Skip
Position 17.14.1N 52.47.5W Yesterday saw little progress during the
day. The wind is was so light it was not enough to move our 36 ton boat, she
just rocked from side to side with the sails banging and flapping. Engine on and
motoring was the only way to make progress. Around 4 in the afternoon the wind
increased enough for us to sail and that we did until around 4 this morning.
Same again, engine on and slow motoring. we do not have enough fuel to motor for
much longer so really need some wind. The forecast suggests more wind tomorrow,
lets hope it comes earlier. Apart from that all is well but we have run out of
beer and wine, disaster.
Skip
Position 17.08.7N 050.26.26W
Oh dear, we were doing so well then yesterday the wind went. a slow and
frustrating day followed as did the night. Paul also had a bad day suffering
from sea sickness, he was eventually sent to bed where he stayed for the
duration. This morning he is a lot better so lets hope that remains. We have a
little wind today but really not enough to make decent miles, so it is a bit of
engine and a bit of sailing. we do not have enough fuel to motor all the way so
slow and easy does it. Unfortunately this looks like our ETA will not be the
23rd but 24th or 25th but hopefully before the 28th when flights are booked.
Will keep you informed. Apart from this rather depressing news, this morning saw
Dolphins coming to join us for a while, we tried to harness them for a tow but
no luck, after a while they got bored and left.
Well thats it, those who believe please pray for wind.
Skip
Position 17.15.1N 047.59.9W Lion King and crew continue to eat away the
miles towards Antigua. We are starting to plan our arrival celebrations that all
seem to include large amounts of Rum Punch!! The wind is a constant 12-20 knots
and Lion King is sailing well at between 6.5 and 7.5 knots, all in all very
nice. No whales seen as yet in fact apart from the odd sea bird and flying fish
there is a district lack of any other form of life apart from us. Maybe the
world has ended, maybe we are the only ones left, maybe, OK, I know, get a grip.
Unless, the wind dies on us our arrival estimate looks good. One member of the
crew suggested this morning that we just keep going, not stop in Antigua but
head south and sail the world. A silence descended and worried looks were cast
between certain crew members who are quite looking forward to Antigua!!
Thats it, till tomorrow
Skip
Day 14 on the big brother boat! Our position is 17.2.1N 45.12.8W. We are
all very excited to see that our miles to go have dropped below the 1000 nm
mark, and to top that off we are currently being blessed with gorgeous sunshine,
fantastic winds and some great surf. Our ETA for the 23rd November is looking
promising. Matt spent an hour helming in the sun yesterday and is now nursing
some very red knees, but as optimistic as ever says that he doesn’t mind as he
will definitely look like a trans-Atlantic sailor by the time we get to Antigua!
So all is very good. We had our best days run so far yesterday with 170 nm.
Till tomorrow and closer to Antigua.
Skip
Position 17.04.6N 42.11.08W
After a windless day yesterday we are again sailing. Sun is shinning and
the temperature is rising. The computer continues to be going wrong and now
takes so long to start up, got to get it fixed in Antigua, so again, please do
not worry if the messages stop, the only thing that will have died will be the
computer not us. We were officially right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
yesterday and to celebrate, Nat, Mat and Skip went for a swim. we stopped Lion
King, put a safety line out the back and in we went. Over 5000 meters deep, the
water was lovely and warm. No other news really apart from we are still on
schedule to arrive Antigua around the 23rd November provided the wind keeps
blowing.
All the best from all of us to all of you
Skip
Position 16.52.3N 039.50.8W
Lets get this out quick. Our computer is not behaving. It has taken nearly
two hours to get access so, if you do not receive position updates please DO NOT
WORRY. We are all good. Please do not call the coast guard for rescue. Should
the worst happen which is very unlikely, we have many methods of summoning help.
Do not worry.
Ok that said, relax. More thunder clouds last night and spectacular
lightning. Today we have the opposite, no wind, calm seas and the engine on. We
put our reserve fuel in this morning so nearly back to full on both tanks. Today
will be spent catching up on sleep, drying wet clothes and recovering from many
days of being thrown from side to side.
Thats it
Till tomorrow, computer willing
Skip
Position 17.01.7N 037.18.6W
All is well, the mileage continues to be eaten away and we seem to be
through the worst of the rain, thunder and lightening. yesterday was a fantastic
sailing day and Bob broke the speed record for trip so far with a great surf at
11.4 knots, well done Bob. Matt continues to be the shinning star always willing
to help, great sense of humour and generally all round great guy. Glad he is on
board. Paul is now back to full health and although not really into cooking
makes the best cup of tea, he is getting better at steering the boat but still
finds it not easy in a following sea with nothing much to aim at. Now to things
that go bump in the night. With the constant and unrelenting noise the boat
makes sailing downwind one tends to get complacent. Just another new noise,
another new bump, another new bang and last night was no different.
Unfortunately I have caught the bug that Paul so generously brought onto the
boat, thanks Paul, and Natalie very generously offered to do my 0000-0300 watch.
Her watch went off without a hitch and Bob to over for his three hours. At
around 0530 I was woken by banging, I wrongly assumed it was Bob waking
Mat for his shift. The banging continued until I shouted up to Bob to stop as he
was waking the whole boat. ‘don’t know what you are talking about', I am
not banging’. Fair enough must just be a new bang from the boat. Soon after the
engine was put on as the wind died, thankfully drowning the new noise. Mat took
over and all was well. He then became confused as he was sure he saw a flashing
light coming from somewhere on the boat. after a while he noticed that the
lights had a sequence ...---... ...---... SOS SOS. He eventually located where
the distress call was coming from. It was Natalie’s toilet. He went down and
found that Nat had locked herself in the loo and could not get out. She had
tried banging, shouting but all failed, no one could hear her. Pure genius
caused her to flash SOS which was eventually recognised and she was duly
released. An hour and a half she was locked in and was not a happy bunny. well
done Nat for thinking outside the box, or should we say loo!!!
The sun is shinning today but the wind is light so not going to be a good
mileage day, but hey we are getting there.
Till tomorrow
Skip who should be in hospital with man flu.
Position 17.22.9N 034.44.9W
What a day yesterday!!! Three subtropical downpours with visibility down to
zero in the heaviest rain, the radar was just a screen of yellow and blue. Winds
peaked at 35 knots and Lion King flew. Then no wind and engine on, then within
minutes back in strong winds again. Pretty much the same overnight but today the
sun is doing its best to win the battle, the temperature has increased and the
wind has moderated a little too much, another 10 knots please wind god. Apart
from that all is good, the crew are slowly getting into routine and the routine
is what keeps us sane!! Sleep when you can because the downtime is always
interrupted by the noise of the boat, banging, clanging, squeaking, rocking
rolling. Some cope better with sleep deprivation than others. We are
nearly half way with 1547 miles to run, nearly in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean. Traditionally, we stop for a swim but we will reserve judgement on the
day.
Thats it
Take care back home
Till Tomorrow
Skip