Over 6000 miles of sea

Back to the creature comforts of home and the welcoming arms of my lovely Alison. Thanks for all the lovely emails sent to me and comments that were posted to my blog . You may have gathered that I was not receiving either whilst I was at sea but since getting back online I have had a chance to read them all. It is comforting to know that I have friends and family that took an interest in my trip. I shouldn't be surprised at how quickly one's mind and body returns back to life at home, since this is not the first long trip I have had the privilege of taking, but seeing the familiar, dealing with the post and bills and catching up on the personal news from Alison and my parents all pull you back into 'reality' much quicker than expected. SO now I can talk of the trip in hindsight as if it was a long time ago and so the memory chooses to forget the details of the 'bad' parts and focuses on the general. The trip had it's problematic moments but they were really...

Position: 32,44.49N , 16,42.76 WSpeed: 0 knots, Course: 0 deg. UTC Time: 16. August 2006 11:04 log 5560. Marina Quinto do Lorde, Madeira Total distace travelled = 5560 miles Direct Distance (via Cape Verde) = 4670 miles Time on route = 40 days All well and safe.

Position: 32,5.12N , 16,57.20W Speed: 3 knots, Course: 34 deg. UTC Time: 14. August 2006 20:13 Motoring.It is surprising when you see the Atlantic Ocean as flat and calm as your local village pond but that is how it is right now. An oily, glassy, shiny, blanket of water. It's beautiful. Not a ripple or a wave. No wind at all. Which was fantastic when we saw a family of whales not to far away. They disappeared when we got close. Shame.This means that we are motoring and as it goes we are moving at a speed close to walking speed. We are not going faster since this would get us to port in the middle of the night. Not a sensible option. Going this slow also uses less fuel which is now down to the last 20 litres. Today we stopped the boat and went for a swim. Diving off a yacht in the middle of the ocean and swimming around is something I have thought about doing. It was as scary as I imagined. No sharks, no beasties. We had a look at the underside where clinging to the hull were lots o...

Position: 32,5.12N , 16,57.20W Speed: 3 knots, Course: 34 deg. UTC Time: 14. August 2006 20:13 Motoring.It is surprising when you see the Atlantic Ocean as flat and calm as your local village pond but that is how it is right now. An oily, glassy, shiny, blanket of water. It's beautiful. Not a ripple or a wave. No wind at all. Which was fantastic when we saw a family of whales not to far away. They disappeared when we got close. Shame.This means that we are motoring and as it goes we are moving at a speed close to walking speed. We are not going faster since this would get us to port in the middle of the night. Not a sensible option. Going this slow also uses less fuel which is now down to the last 20 litres. Today we stopped the boat and went for a swim. Diving off a yacht in the middle of the ocean and swimming around is something I have thought about doing. It was as scary as I imagined. No sharks, no beasties. We had a look at the underside where clinging to the hull were lots o...

Position: 31,27.21N , 17,18.10W Speed: 3 knots, Course: 16 deg. UTC Time: 14. August 2006 09:08 Was I saying something along the lines that light air sailing can be rewarding well let me remind myself that it can also be really frustrating. Especially when you need to be somewhere and the back-up diesel is so low that it is doubtful whether we can make it to land under power. So we really need that wind and it just doesn't stay around for long if we are going to make the flights out of Madeira on Thursday. Sounds long enough to do 84 miles but it is touch and go at the moment. I am sure it will be OK in the end and whilst we have these light airs we can get good sleeps, tidy up a bit, watch the silky sea for signs of life and contemplate the journey past and the prospects at home. I am so very privileged.

Position: 30,31.86N , 17,35.81W Speed: 3 knots, Course: 24 deg. UTC Time: 13. August 2006 16:22 After our scare with the rig being loose and the diesel running very low we have less to worry about now . We are 120 miles away from Madeira and even though the winds have dropped to very light airs there is still enough wind or a mixture of wind and engine to get us to Madeira. Therefore it has been a bit more relaxing. The sea is dead calm and the sky is cloudless which allows us the opportunity to be lazy and bathe in the warmth and relax. We are still doing our watch system but since the last couple of days have been so lovely we have both stayed awake for most of the day and chatted or read or just watched the sea and sailed the boat. Light air sailing can be very rewarding since the effort of patiently seeking the wind is instantly rewarded by huge increases in boat speed, albeit from 2 knots to 5 knots, not fast but a rush all the same. We have been lucky today with some pretty const...

Position: 29,14.50N , 18,39.43W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 316 deg. UTC Time: 12 August 2006 13:11 Last night Jon noticed that the rig was loose, so we had to drop the sails in case the mast fell down. So we then turned on the engine to motor and the engine promptly starting emitting warning buzzing sounds so we had to switch her off. Nightmare. No sails, no engine. Bobbing around the ocean 20 miles of the coast of Las Palmas frantically looking in the books to see which port we could call into. This was at midnight. It was not looking good. After weighing up the pros and cons we decided it was best not to go to the Canaries. We decided instead to motor very slowly forward till morning, when Jon could go up the mast and tighten the rods, and hope that the engine was going to work. We puttered at two knots for 6 hours, using as little of our fuel as we needed and without the engine making any more noises. After Jon had had a decent sleep, he was hoisted up the rig to tighten the bits and b...

Alison's been asking for a photo of me on the boat Mediterranean- style. So here it is. A bit posey I know, and this not a true reflection of how I spend my days; basking in the sunshine without a care in the world...honest

Position: 28,19.23N , 18,35.73W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 59 deg. UTC Time: 11. August 2006 23:30 Las Palmas, Canaries is off to my right now. The lights of the towns are glowing away. I can practically hear the music. Pleasant sailing the past couple of days with warm weather and calm seas. Motoring now though since we have a slight problem with the mast tension. Just another thing to add to the list. Looks like we will be in Madeira for Tuesday morning, if all goes to plan. Not that I would put a lot of money on it though. Other stuff can still go wrong. Will believe it when I get my feet onto the pontoon. The estimated time for the sail from Cape Town to the Azores was 35 days so I victualised the boat for that amount of time plus a bit extra. It has now been 36 days so the food, though not running out, is getting low and we are now straying from our five meal plan and being a bit more creative with the left overs. I still think there is even some chocolate left somewhere which keeps ...

Position: 25,21.41N , 22,53.17W Speed: 6 knots, Course: 52 deg. UTC Time: 09. August 2006 09:04 What a lovely night as it goes. The moon is full and this environment highlights how lovely it is. I was on the sunrise watch which is the best of the night watches but this morning I had the bonus of having the most glorious orange moonset just moments before the sunrise in the opposite side of the ocean. It was special. (You might have to have been there). SInce the winds are a bit light and Jon is now feeling the urge to get back home the engine is coming on frequently now. We filled the tank with 40 litres from the 2 containers we had strapped on to the back of the boat which gives us loads of fuel to get us to where we want to go. On the basis of sailing when there's wind and motor when there is not then we should be in Madeira on Monday/Tuesday. I have just heard the good news from Alison that she has booked me on a flight direct to London. Well done, Alison. What a fab girlfriend....

Position: 24,41.99N , 24,20.76W Speed: 6 knots, Course: 33 deg. UTC Time: 08. August 2006 17:30 log 4952 since CT. Beating into the wind still. Expected shift to northerlies did not happen. Sailing was frustrating so we have decided to motor for a while. Get a few miles in a straight line under our belts. The destination is looming but it is taking an age to get there. Today the sun has come out to warm us up a bit. A welcome change to the cloudy days we have been having. Food is becoming bland now. The same food every 5 days for the past month is getting to us now. We really could do with a change but we have run out of goodies. I think there may be a pack of mints somewhere. It was rice crackers and marmite this morning just to have something different. Clothes, sleeping bag, ropes, deck and bodies are now so salty they are all clammy to touch. Makes it all quite uncomfortable. Especially at 2am and you want to get a decent kip. One thing to note is how the body has adapted to the pa...

Position: 22,31.12N , 24,19.45W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 352 deg. UTC Time: 07. August 2006 15:05 Steady north easterly wind coming off the Azores high. Means we are heading 350 degrees making 7 knots. Tack over sometime tonight and if the winds are constant that will take us into the Canaries then we can tack again to Madeira. Moderate sea, sunny intervals. It's losing the romance. Just saved another flying fish intent on hitching a ride to its death.

Position: 19,36.65N , 23,14.88W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 318 deg. UTC Time: 06. August 2006 12:16 On route for Madeira. Wind up to 25 knots today. Swells of 3 metres. Rough sea. Pointing so very wet boat outside. Sunny though. Good fun on deck with the warmth of the sun and the waves crashing over the bow. Down below is not quite so nice. Each time the bow slams into a wave you can feel yourself leaving the floor and becoming weightless for an instance. Annoying when you are trying to sleep or type... And noisy too. Hope you guys enjoyed the Big Chill.

Position: 16,41.0N , 23,19.93W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 301 deg. UTC Time: 04. August 2006 12:47 It was a long time coming but we are now nearly through the Cape Verde Islands. We left Boavista and Sal to stbd and the rest to port. Shame we did not have the time to stop in. I am sure they would have been interesting places to hang out in for a while. Did not get to see much of them at all. Boavista seemed to have a high peak but it was night so we did not see anything of the island. Have seen some dolphins though and a couple of large whales. Still lots of flying fish and since we were near the islands more birds. Now we are heading north, north west, towards Madeira. The sun has come out, it's warm, the nights are pleasant, the moon is out again and the stars have appeared now that the blanket cloud cover has left us. We are still pointing into the wind though which is a pity. It would be lovely to come home on a run but alas can't ask for everything. I am now getting to the st...

Position: 14,18.1N , 21,4.41W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 310 deg. UTC Time: 03. August 2006 08:47 Pointing high towards the Canaries just east of the Cape Verde Islands heading for Madeira. Still not north of them yet. Sea rough, cloudy, rain and wet. 2 reefs in Main and Genoa. Once past Cape Verdes may bare away to make easier sailing and tack back over later on a reach. Makes it longer but easier on us and the boat.

Position: 12,42.4N , 19,17.35W Speed: 7 knots, Course: 27 deg. UTC Time: 02. August 2006 08:53 log 4012 For the past 48 hours we have been getting unforcasted 20-25 knot westerlies accompanied by rain and more rain. This has meant that we are getting to our mark just east of the Cape Verde Islands in good time even though it seems like it has been ages. We are on a close reach so the yacht is leaning over (too much) and waves crash over the bow, down the side, drenching us in loads of warm Atlantic water. This means we have not been dry for a couple of days and down below is getting very musty and quite frankly nausious. Oh for some blue sky and warm sun again. It's all good extreme sport.

Position: 4,59.8N , 16,43.83W Speed: 5 knots, Course: 309 deg. UTC Time: 30. July 2006 13:49 3538 log from Cape Town. We are getting into a busy shipping area of the Atlantic now. Four ships in the last 6 hours which is four more than we have seen since St Helena. Weather has stayed cloudy and we went through 5 hours of rain last night. It was warm so it was actually refreshing and a chance to get rid of the salt. Couple more little problems that are sent to try us. All fixable but just slows us down a bit. At the moment we are only going at 7 knots which means at this rate we will be close to Madeira by the 18th which is my deadline so I can get back to London in time for our flights to France for Al's wedding. Otherwise all ticks along as usual. Daily routine of watches, lunch at noon, dinner at 20:00, breakfast at 08:00. We are both getting to the stage where we would love some variety in the diet. We still have some fresh oranges and apples though they are on there last legs. T...

This photo was taken shortly after leaving Cape Town. Alison wants to know why I look more like a fireman than a sailor! She thinks I should be wearing a white uniform, or at the very least a blue and white outfit. No up-to-date photos yet of us in warmer climes. Watch this space...

Position: 2,9.26N , 15,3.54W Speed: 9 knots, Course: 19 deg. UTC Time: 29. July 2006 12:52 3362 log Well the corner has turned, so to speak, we are now nearing land again. Africa approaches on our right hand side. Even though there is still a bit of a slog to get through what with doldrums and 14 days of heat. Day times are increasingly hotter and the sun is strong. Must admit I got a bit red in the skin since I have never been quick to apply the old lotion. Strangely we have only had one day with no clouds. Today is a typical day with fluffy clouds over there and rather more menacing larger dark ones over here. At least we are still getting some wind. Quite a decent bit of it actually. The fear is we hit the doldrums and are bobbing around without wind for days on end. It is inevitable. Last night was the strangest yet. We had complete cloud cover so no stars hence no light and a calm, calm sea. It was so dark and eerie. Usually there is quite a lot of light around either from the whi...

Position: 0,0.44N , 15,22.33W Speed: 8 knots, Course: 1 deg. UTC Time: 28. July 2006 17:33 Just crossed the line (the equator). You know how much I like that sort of thing. I am supposed to now do a manner of horrible things to Jon since he has never crossed the line and Neptune is entrusting me to carry out the ceremony infront of all bears, shellbacks, mermaids and mariners to admit the new mariner into his realm. But alas I don't think I am going to be so nasty but I will present him with a certificate I made earlier before leaving the UK. So back in the northern hemisphere - you don't know how lucky you are, boy....