We departed Prickly Bay just over a week ago having had a fantastic night with our Viking pals at the West Indian Beer Company. They brew a wide variety of IPA, lager, cider and bitter and you can select a tasting menu of, thankfully, small glasses. We found ourselves there on Latin American night and …
Gosh! We’ve already been here for more than two weeks and we’re starting to settle in to the laid back island lifestyle. Our first week in Grenada was filled with excitement and partying. Crossing the Atlantic has brought all the Viking Explorers into a close knit family and we celebrated our achievement in style. Only …
We arrived at the Island of Grenada on the morning of 31st January 2025, taking just over 14 days to sail 2305 NM in strong winds and rough seas. Despite being tired we were overjoyed by our first glimpses of land and were full of expectations of the sailing season to come. On our arrival …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Today we reached the 13 degree latitude having chosen to go south as it may help us avoid some of the wilder weather north of us. We are the yellow dot on the tracking map so, as the smallest boat, we are doing very well compared to our fellow Vikings. The fast group north of …
Last night was an incredibly beautiful night. Before the moon rose the stars gave just enough light to show the horizon between inky black sea and deep grey sky. The stars gave a dazzling display and phosphorescence reflected from the water. Merryn glided through the waves with only the sound of the surf. We’ve settled …