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 …
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 …
Today is beautiful, warm and sunny with cotton wool puffs of fair-weather cloud dotting the sky. The seas feel calmer although the swell is 2.5m, and we have a following wind of 15 knots blowing us westwards. We have kept the same sail plan so Jonathan hasn’t had to do any scary boat gymnastics on …
Last night was pure torture. It was quite windy so we reefed but this left us at the mercy of giant waves from two directions turning us off course and pushing us into deep troughs. The slamming of waves and sail and the huge rolling pitches made sleep impossible. Apart from insomnia all was …
After a great deal of deliberation we set off as planned this morning. The near and long range forecast is for a windy crossing in Force 5 to 7. That should be fine as it is mainly downwind sailing and the boat should perform well. Unfortunately there is also a 3-4m short time period swell …
We thought we would get some rest here – we were wrong! The past few days have been a whirlwind of partying, sightseeing, preparations and building nerves as the next passage looms closer. What little of the Cape Verdes we have seen has been fantastic. Mindelo is a lovely laid-back town with nice restaurants and …
Phew! We have arrived. Looking at the log, we covered 930 nautical miles in a passage lasting 6 days and 14 hours. Our arrival was in the dark – at about 10:30 at night, but was straightforward with the help and guidance of Marlino, a local working for the Vikings Rally. We tied up as …
Today will be our final leg of stage 1. We have been sailing with caution in force 4 to 6 winds taking as much care as possible not to damage the boat or ourselves. Of the 22 boats in the Vikings Explorers rally three have torn their downwind sails, one has a slow leak and …
Conditions are finally calming down a little. The swell is gentler but with enough wind to keep us going at a decent pace. By the rally standards, though, we are one of the slower boats. This morning we got the news that the first rally boat had just arrived in Mindelo marina and by this …