Land ahoy!!! We have arrived. It seems almost unreal, after 14 days and 5hrs, and a total of 2305NM (at least, according to our log), we have docked safely in Port Louis Marina in St. George’s bay, Grenada. And what a welcome! Oliver and Carlota from the Rally committee were there on the dock, as …
We are just passing south of Barbados and our excitement is building. We have reached the Caribbean! We have just 130 miles to go and at current speeds we will be in Grenada by early afternoon tomorrow. Six of the Vikings’ 50ft plus catamarans and monohulls have already arrived, but the smaller boats will be …
Last night was the first for a while when we had no squalls. The sky was clear and we surfed along the waves swaying side to side as the ocean rolled under us. There was only the last sliver of moon so the galaxy was displayed in all its glory. Today is sunny, hot …
The weather continues to be our main concern. The forecasts had lulled us into a false sense of security, believing the worst of the weather to be over. The last 24 hours have proven us wrong. Overnight we had the strongest squalls yet – lasting well over an hour in the middle of the night, …
Dawn was beautiful and today the weather seems more settled with blue skies and fair-weather clouds. It’s hot and humid and we really want to jump in the sea but that will have to wait until we arrive. Swell is now under 3m and the wind has become more steady at 18-22 knots. We are …
The saga continues, the winds and swell have not abated, and now, it seems, we are in squall alley. Over the past six hours we have had as many squalls. They approach from the east behind us, the clouds darken and streaks of rain lash the sea, the wind becomes lighter and changes direction, and …
The last 24 hours have been the roughest so far: wind speeds consistently in the high 20’s and gusting up to 35 knots .The wind has been matched by the waves. According to our forecasts we should have experienced waves of 3.7m high, but in practice this allows for occasional waves even higher, as they …
Are we nearly there yet? Or, more relevant, are we halfway yet? It is surprisingly difficult to answer that simple question. The straight-line distance from Mindelo to Grenada is 2163NM, but our route, which took us south to avoid the worst of the weather, is 2285NM. In addition, we measure distance covered with the ship’s …
Well the seas have now built to the predicted 3.7m swell with winds of 20-30 knots and we were hit by our first squall on my night watch. Fortunately, we have been sailing very conservatively with a poled out, reefed staysail upwind and a triple reefed genoa on the boom downwind. It makes it very …
The countdown continues, with 1439 NM to go as at noon today. In the last couple of days the temperature has risen noticeably. Where before we could reliably catch up on sleep by dozing during the day, we now find that the interior of the boat is just too hot in the middle of the …