Distance covered in last 24 hours 142 NM, distance to Horta, Azores 1678 NM The last 24 hours have been a day of compete contrast. Yesterday wind and seas were easing to the point where we had to give up on sailing and switch on the engine in the early afternoon. By then it was …
Distance covered in the past 24 hours 145 NM, distance to Horta, Azores 1747 NM. Conditions have settled a lot! We are now sailing beautifully in relatively calm seas and 10-12 knots of wind. It’s sunny and we’re all feeling very positive. The light conditions have been perfect for Helen our Hydrovane, steering via wind …
Distance covered in the past 24 hours 149 NM, distance to Horta, Azores 1786 NM. We were a bit spooked yesterday with a forecast showing we were headed towards some strong adverse winds. After a group discussion and some further input from Kai, our meteorologist, we decided to alter course and head towards Bermuda to …
Distance covered in the past 24 hours 156NM We have had a pretty good day and night sailing in conditions that were blustery by day, became much calmer overnight but picked up again this morning. Peter took the opportunity to teach us the basics of Astro navigation using our sextant to take a noon sight. …
Still lively conditions, so we are sailing all the way! Slightly calmer seas today, but it is still hard to stay upright and every handhold is needed! 154 miles covered in last 24 hours. last night’s highlight was seeing an amazing shooting star in a clear and starry sky. Today Peter is threatening to teach …
The first 24 hours have been lively. 20 knot winds and seas up to 2 metres that we have been making upwind progress against. We have done well – 148 nautical miles at speeds up to 8 knots. At this rate the trip will be about 17 days, though I suspect that is optimistic! The …
This is it! The days of preparation are over, and we set sail today. After a busy day yesterday, Peter, Jon and I enjoyed a good restaurant meal with a couple of beers before an early night. Up early this morning to make the boat ship shape, and we will cast off in just a …
Best of times… worst of times! Our stay in Antigua has not gone entirely to plan, and I’m writing this whilst we are in the boatyard in Jolly harbour, when we should already be at least as far as St Barts, if not St Martin. First the good times… We reached Antigua after a lovely …
Marie Galante We have just spent three days in Marie Galante, and felt the island deserved a blog entry to itself! Marie Galante is a little island just to the South of Guadeloupe, and, like its big brother, is French. It is also an incredibly relaxed and charming spot. Our sail up to Marie Galante …
Our “rapid” trip north to get to the Leeward islands is not going quite as planned… The Caribbean climate has been harsh on Merryn and we have been discovering more and more things that we are trying to sort out before longer passages. The electronics, in particular, have taken a beating. We had already replaced …
24th January 2026: Moving up the windward island chain Read More »