Log 21 - Sat 13 December
A fantastic experience

We finished Friday the 12th of December at 21.17.12 Just in time to get to the bar! We crossed the line 3rd in our class, not bad for the unruly bunch we are! (Great result guys, well done! Marlies)

We had a great Caribbean welcome including Ekrem’s steelband (again!), a fruit basket and some Caribbean drinks of course! And then off to the bar!

We’ve all had a fantastic experience sailing across the Atlantic!

Some excellent Caribbean partying, beach going and general relaxing with a rum&coke, a pina colada or a rum punch has been had (and for some is still continuing!) since the finish and we are all sort of sad to leave Star Chaser behind.

It has made us all some memories we’ll never forget.we hope to be sailing again soon!

Log 20 - Sat 13 December
They Made It !

0Nm to go to St Lucia
Speed: 0.0knots - Course: To The Bar

Star Chaser has arrived safely in St Lucia and all her crew are very happy!

I got the phone call from Boogie at 2245 local St Lucia time (0245 UTC) to say that Star Chaser was on the dock and safe, the crew were happy and proud and they were about to hit the bar!

They crossed finish line in 83rd position, the 3rd boat in their class, at 01.17.12 UTC - 21.17.12 local St Lucian time, so in plenty of time to go out to party and have a few cold beers and rum & cokes!

Well done everybody for a great achievement and having a great time! - Enjoy the partying!!!!

For us landlubbers, hope to have some more news here once they all recover from what will undoubtedly be a great night

Marlies

Log 19 - Fri 12 December - 17.10 UTC

60Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 13.44.7N and 60.01.5 W
Speed: 8.5knots - Course: 295

Another day, another sail change. A gybe was due at the 6am watch change to take us away from Barbados and onwards to St Lucia and the finish. A well timed squall extended the gybe to a reef, wait, get wet and then the gybe manoeuvre. This was successfully completed and we set a course for the northern tip of pigeon island now 100nm away.

As we set course for St Lucia the horizon on the port side cleared and. Land Ahoy!! I think Jim will be claiming the free drinks for that call... wrong island maybe but since the rules didn't specify, mine’s a Piton. The sight of land brought the prospect of mobile phone reception and soon texts were bouncing across the world and flights were being changed to allow for more party time in St Lucia.

After the brief euphoria of seeing land and speaking to loved ones, it was time to focus on completing the job and sailing ourselves the final miles to the finish. As I write we’re reaching north west with 49nm to go so we should be crossing the line at 10pm local time.

A final fishing report... Having been a critical spectator for much of the voyage, Barry entered the contest with aplomb landing the much sought after tuna. So today sashimi and slightly fried tuna steaks for lunch.. when Boogie named this ship he may have been thinking of other stars but nonetheless the Michelin star has been retained. So where does that leave the final fishing scores. Well I think statistics will never tell a true tale of titanic battles against the monsters of the deep so we leave it with special mentions to Leon for perseverance to overcome the fishy Houdinis and land a special sea bass, Ome for a 100% mahi mahi record, Jim for getting us over the starting line with the first and possibly the biggest catch and finally Barry for letting the young guns strut their stuff before showing some seriously fishy fingers when we thought it was all over. (Liv Boogie has forgotten all about his favorite lure already.)

So I think that’s all folks. by blog time tomorrow we should be safely in Rodney bay and most likely will have other things on our mind. I’m sure tonight’s final sunset and then moonlight ride over the line will be tinged with sadness that it’s all over so we go onwards to share a few drinks with old friends and new and start telling the stories.

Last minute note from onboard: at 2020UTC distance to go is 38nm..

Log 18 - Thurs 11 December - 15.10 UTC

228Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 14.07.7N and 57.01.5 W
Speed: 8.5knots - Course: 256

The girls embraced the bucket showers yesterday afternoon and were positively refreshed afterwards - however it has been noted that there aren’t too many boys indulging in them - excellent goat herders in the making.

The moon, a ghostly galleon in the sky illuminated Star Chaser’s silvery path through the water for much of the evening, flanked by shooting stars and chasing winds; good progress was made. However by the early morning the stars started to be snuffed out by a rather ominous blanket of black clouds which led to high winds and squalls and a rather tired, quiet crew today.

The fish continued to be teased but alas they’re just not willing to take the bait. We’re hoping for better luck this afternoon - perhaps Beertje should have a go!

Gek, bijna 2700 mijl gevaren, voor de landrotten onder ons bijna 4800 kilometer en dan worden die laatste 200 mijl ineens heel belangrijk. Wanneer komen we aan; vrijdag om 18.00 uur, 22.00 uur, midden in de nacht of wordt het pas zaterdagochtend? Wat is dat toch? Die hunkering naar schone lakens, een douche of vaste grond onder je voeten. Of zou het dat lekkere tap pilsje of gintonic zijn? In ieder geval overheerst nu de laatste 24 uur gedachte. Momenteel heerst groep Rood aan dek en ligt nagenoeg de hele crew voor apegapen na de inspannende squall manoeuvres inclusief verschillende gijpen in de vroege ochtend. Vanavond de wellicht laatste avondmaaltijd aan boord en morgen...? Tenslotte nog een filosofische. Een mij dierbare vriendin schreef recent, “ je hebt straks geen oceaan in je achtertuin hoor” Dat klopt, mee naar huis nemen kan ik deze onmetelijke vijver echt niet, maar het heeft voor mij wel een gezicht gekregen. Van een abstracte blauwe vlek op een kaart is het verworden tot iets wat ik zal omschrijven als een mooie veelal vriendelijke reus met vele gezichten en met soms niet ongevaarlijke karaktetrekjes.

Weird, sailed almost 2700nm, for the landlubbers amongst us about 4800 km, and all of a sudden those last 200 miles get to be really important. When do we arrive? Friday at 18.00hr, 22.00hr, in the middle of the night or will it only be Saturday morning early? What is it? That craving for clean sheets, a shower or solid ground under your feet. Or is it that nice and fresh draught beer or the G&T maybe? Anyway, the ‘last 24hrs’ thought is omnipresent.

At the moment the Red watch is ruling the deck and the rest of the crew are pottering about, knocked out after the intensive squall manoeuvres including several gybes early this morning. Tonight might be the last evening meal on board and tomorrow.?

To finish on a philosophical note: a very dear friend wrote to me recently, “you won’t have an ocean in your back garden later on! ” She’s right of course, I really cannot take this immeasurable pond home with me, but it has a face for me now. From an abstract blow blob on a chart, it has come alive and become something that I will describe as a beautiful, mostly friendly giant with many different faces and sometimes some dangerous character traits.

Blog from Mike: We are currently (1600 local time, 1900 in the UK) about 150Nm due east of Barbados and will continue on this track until tomorrow morning sometime, then we will turn to the North and sail the 80Nm or so to the top of St Lucia, turn the corner and head for Rodney Bay and the finish, about 200Nm in a straight line from where we are now.

So, with the end not exactly in site but not far over the horizon our thoughts are naturally turning to the things we have missed most on dry land and the things we most want to do on or soon after arrival. Mine, in no particular order, are: a large draught beer (enough of the canned stuff for the moment); a well constructed gin and tonic or two, glasses cold flinty white. but don’t get the wrong impression, the list is not just alcoholic: a good brisk walk is needed also (the upper body over the past 19 days has worked quite hard, but not so the legs, they need some working on); fresh fruit and lots of it (ours ran out some days ago); a three course dinner (nothing wrong with what we’ve had you understand, but hope you know what I mean, one course dining has its limitations on the old taste buds after almost three weeks at sea); of course the obvious things like a bed with sheets and pillows, but I’ll miss my little bunk and sleeping bag. I think; a ‘proper’ long hot shower naturally; and lastly, and most definitely, a pint of Guinness, a bag of the finest cheese crisps and good company at The Royal on Friday 19 December.

Log 17 - Wed 10 December - 13.05 UTC

390Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 14.37.8 N and 54.16.5 W
Speed: 8.5knots - Course: 250

The big blue is out again and is rapidly pulling up our speed to somewhere between 8 and 9 knots. Behind (!) us the orange kite of the Haerlem, a Dutch owned swan 55. Leon says his work follows him everywhere. Why? Ask him.

Omer here: The closer we get, the more we are influenced by the laid-back lifestyle of the Caribbean - Susan has yet again been treated by the in-cabin-lunch-service, only this time she has declined it, not out of choice, but because we’re finding it hard to get an answer out of her, however we did receive some feedback along the lines of “what the hell are you doing, I’m asleep,” I took that as a yes and left the egg mayonnaise sandwich behind.

The usual high standard of food has kept going, and the continental style lunch went down extremely well (thanks to Axel and Leon); the fish are disgruntled once again about the lack of left-overs being thrown overboard. Having spoken to the local fish MP, he has expressed his feelings about the current situation, “I, like many others, feel extremely disappointed at the disintegration of the human to fish relationship. It is all take take take” he says, “for a stable relationship both give and take are needed.“ A recent survey conducted by the Daily Fishograph shows that fish are still in despair over the loss of their beloved Billy Bass, who, along withb 7 others, have been victim to malicious fishing attacks in the southern part of the North Atlantic. Other fish were asked their opinion on the matter, the majority along with the likes of AA GILL refused to comment.

(Great work chaps, 8 down many more to go. How many losses does that account for? Leon asks)

It’s all quite fruity on the boat now, with goat herders 10, anti-perspirent nil. Passers by have reported seeings of a strange green object hanging from the forestay - when asked, Star Chaser’s crew said it was the new Christmas tree freshair© (another one of Susans perks.) The crew is unsure why the smell has not improved, so have chosen to change point of sail to close hauled, in hope of the pine fresh aroma finally reaching the cockpit.

Only a couple of days to go now! Big blue staying up with the beautiful moon guiding us, meaning we’re bearing down on St Lucia full speed - Scuttlebutts here we come!

Log 16 - Tue 9 December - 12.50 UTC

587Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 14.35.6 N and 50.52.5 W
Speed: 7.8knots - Course: 270

Hallelujah, as the sun set yesterday, with a swishing sound the reel of the rod began to run. Bait! Leon is willing to struggle back in the competition and starts pulling the line in..is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it isn’t even Superman, it is a very nice sea bass. A 3.5 pounder which will be served for lunch today, grilled with a bit of garlic and a slice of lemon!! Leon is in for Charlie’s Angels (the modern version) now. His morning statement:

“Je verdrinkt niet door te duiken maar door onder water te blijven”  (Paulo Coelho/PS)
(You don’t drown because you dive, but because you stay under water)

Susan blogs.. As always the boys are arguing over the fishing scores.the girls couldn’t care so long as there is food to cook when they’re all banging on their bowls and rubbing their bellies. By the way Liv wants it known for the record.on the girls fishing score.skipper’s favourite lure was bitten off by some monster of the deep pounding our wake.the rod was “U” shaped.so ahem.girls are active in the fishing stakes.but don’t want to make the boys feel inferior.

So what’s been happening? Great sailing conditions...the trade winds have scooped us up in their arms and ever pushing us forwards, averaging 8 knots with 10’s every now and then. Lovely evening last night, thousands of stars, another yacht ahead of us (whom we have just overtaken.yeah we’re racing!!!). Very energetic helming.riding the Atlantic waves shimmying under us and offering a helping hand.St. Lucia is now on our minds though thankfully not yet in sight.

I say thankfully.need time to prepare mentally for cracking the shell of our little egg here.we’ve been nurturing and breathing life in this form for what seems quite a while now, and though we look forward to all the things previously mentioned, we also have quite a camaraderie going, will be strange when we all leave in our different directions.Fran and Jim go onwards to South America to trek, climb and travel.Liv goes to Australia for family wedding, Susan and Ome to Tobago (birth home - for family Christmas), Leon back to Holland, Barry stays at second home in St. Lucia for a bit then off on many more travels, Mike back to UK, Axel continues to explore Caribbean, then home to UK and Germany.and Skipper Boogie continues making people’s sailing dreams come true in his great humourous, and seemingly effortless way.

Looks like we may be delivered to St.Lucia on Friday with the full moon to announce us!!! Sky is beautifully lit these evenings.another good reason not to sleep, but to be up on deck bathing in her light...how perfect is that.

Egrets ‘Fran and Jim’ left us yesterday.think their food rations weren’t up to scratch.also think that Boogie in his pirate kit may have had something to do with it. Girls nearly pumped up the dingy and made a dash for it too.

Unfortunately our water-maker stopped working yesterday...so now we are real hard-core sailors, showers and hair-washing finito.and tolerance level has to be stepped up a notch as we sit not so closely to each other during our social moments.we’re not softies, we can deal with this minor set-back.

Ome has been pushing the speeds up on the helm, and managing to juggle his day time watches with school work as his impending GCSE mocks are ever in his mind. His school Bedales have been outstanding in their support and encouragement to allow him to take on this adventure at this point in his academic career. He’s up and alert for his night watches too.though sometimes needing a few extra prods to get him up.

A little surprise occurred yesterday morning.at 8 am Liv and I were brought breakfast in bed by head chef and dashing waiter Leon - dressing in his DJ t-shirt (with shorts on too I hasten to add!!!)...first class on Star Chaser is everything it is said to be, I can tell you.

Another sundown yesterday found Liv on the helm, steering us to the sounds of Susi Quatro. Axel and Susan tried to dance..falling onto seats continuously.

Have a couple “clients’ waiting for their massage appointment, and it’s my watches turn to cook supper.think it’s chicken curry, we have been saving the last 2 bits of meat...last night’s tinned ham got the thumbs down, but lashings of Trinidadian Christmas cake managed to console the hungry.

All in all a happy boat enjoying whizzing down the Atlantic waves scooting towards final destination Rodney Bay. Hope we’ll round the corner, skid in...cause a big wave.phosphorescence in our wake...stars...full moon.. with big smiles on our faces, glass of champagne in one hand, caps in the other saying “damn good ride!!”

Log 15 - Mon 8 December - 12.50 UTC

758Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 14.435.6 N and 47.57.3 W
Speed: 7.3knots - Course: 270

A busy 24 hours on board Star Chaser.zoological experimentation, mid ocean swimming and the return of the wind. First to the swimming as when we left you yesterday we were in light winds and perfect sunshine. Well light came close to nothing and as the temperature soared the ladder was extracted from the forepeak and all was set for swimming. Nervous eyes started looking out for fins but with the reassurance that in an ocean 3 miles deep and thousands of miles wide we’d be unlucky to jump in on Jaws we sent Barry in first and without shorts. good way to turn the tables on the monsters. He was swiftly followed by most of the crew as the temptation to cool off in a cobalt blue sea was too strong to resist. An amazing and surreal experience for all who took part to look down and think that Mt Blanc could be below you and would not come close to breaking the surface. Yet another treat followed close behind as it was confirmed beyond doubt that Axel has a tattoo.. Apologies to friends and family if you read the news for the first time here so no photos as we’ll save the surprise for his safe return.

With all crew safely back on board and the wind remaining light we decided upon a piece of original research of which Darwin would have been proud. You will have read yesterday that we were accommodating 2 egrets heading west to the Caribbean so we decided to test their navigational instincts by briefly heading east with the expectation that they would jump ship. We soon proved that either migratory patterns of birds are pure chance or that we had happened upon 2 of the laziest egrets on the ocean. Either way their stay aboard Star Chaser was soon to end as Boogie's tolerance of their lack of house training came to an end when evidence of egret habitation spread from the bimini to the foredeck. With encouragement from a broom handle they were soon on their way for a free ride on another vessel no doubt. Good luck to them as with a number of French ships in the fleet Egret au Vin could be on the menu tonight.

With the crew refreshed and the egrets gone, minds returned to arrival in St Lucia and in this regard the weather was kind with a north easterly building to 15-20 kts overnight. This is now giving us a fantastic ride as we burn the miles to St Lucia under full main, genoa and staysail on a perfect beam reach.. Here’s hoping that this continues all the way to Pigeon Island.

Fishing fans who have been hanging on for news will be disappointed to know that if there are plenty more fish in the sea they don’t seem to be in this bit of it. luck will return I’m sure and there’s still time for changes in the league table.

...and finally to show that Star Chaser is not completely insulated from the problems of the wider world a thought from one member of the crew on the credit crisis: ’It’s worse than a divorce. I’ve lost half of my assets and still have the missus. ” In the interest of continuing marital bliss the contributor will remain anonymous.

............Tot Morgen

Log 14 - Sun 7 December - 14.42 UTC

905Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 14.42.6 N and 45.25.3 W
Speed: 6.5knots - Course: 260

Mike : Last night the wind gradually veered back to the north east but very half-hearted, about Force 2 only. So it’s been a bit of use for the engine during the night. Watches therefore a bit dull, with little to do but chat. Put the autopilot on for the first time around dawn, which meant even less to do. Forecast says wind later today or early tomorrow, then it sets in good for about three days. Let’s hope it’s true and we’ll have a good run in towards St Lucia.

A real bonus though was sunrise today. With no cloud on the eastern horizon behind us on the port quarter meant that the sun appeared clear and in all its glory. First a tiny bit of upper limb visible and then it appeared fully - from nothing to full sun in about a minute. A truly amazing sight and, Boogie tells us, quite rare as clouds usually get in the way. Another day in Paradise becons, oh no!

Susan blogs.. Why does he say there’s not much to do? Girls have just had a girlie spa morning on deck, scrubbing our feet and giving ourselves a pedicure.smartening up for the parties in St. Lucia...don’t want to look like a bunch of scraggy sailors!...then there’s the constant need to feed ten hungry mouths, getting very imaginative in our cooking, Leon is making dutch pancakes for lunch, and Liv is thinking about some kinda risotto for supper. Then there’s fresh bread to be baked.our early morning healthy porridge which has become popular by all is starting to become very basic, no more strawberries, blueberries, yoghurts or nuts.and Mike was nearly sent up the mast for eating all the muesli! But none of us will starve.

We fill our off duty time with reading, sleeping, sunning, playing scrabble, and before you know it it’s time to be back on watch. It is so lovely though to have a clear head from the “land stress”.

Yesterday we picked up 2 hitch-hikers in the way of 2 cattle Egrets. The first one circled us a few times almost landing and then pulling away, then finally perhaps out of desperation dropped onto our bimini.then shortly after the second one arrived. We are enchanted by their company. They spent the night on top the radar, and were still hanging on this morning.they now have a small water bowl, and we’ve been feeding them Boogies best Dutch smoked eels, which they fling around a bit and then swallow. We’ve named them Fran and Jim after the lovely young couple on board with us.the love birds. Fran is very lean and elegant and quite bossy, whereas Jims feathers are all ruffled, he wears a Mohican style on his head, and generally quite dishevelled.we’re wondering if he’ll make it actually. Barry our wonderful crew mate with great humour and sea stories says that at this time of year, the birds walk across the Atlantic.they hop from one boat to the other doing the ARC. I think we are beginning to look like the ARK proper, as the animals arrive two by two. The bimini is looking like elephants have been up there tho.lots of bird poo piling up, Boogies deal is that we can keep our feathered friends on board so long as we all help scrub in St. Lucia. Boys starting to look hungrily at the pair of them and keeping them in mind in case food gets very short.!!! How awful!!

Really loved the heavy down-pour yesterday, got a great lather going and then stuck our heads under the main sail bag which acted like a huge spout.although we get to have showers every few days, haven’t had so much fresh water running over my body for 2 weeks!! Heaven!! Am hoping skipper may let us have a mid-Atlantic swim today as sea state is mild, sun is shining, wind is dead.just hope the sharks are having a shark conference somewhere back in Las Palmas, but in any case don’t think we’ll linger for too long.

Last night we opened a bottle of champagne with supper to celebrate the miles to St.Lucia dropping down to three figures yippee!! 911 more miles to go. Conversation at the mo does seem to end with wishes of salads, steak and chips, clean white crispy sheets, clean ironed clothes.and for me a long long walk perhaps in the rain forest or the Piton. Yet we are all agreed that we don’t want to wish away the magic of this journey, our pleasures are simple as are our needs, our challenges are quite varied.from keeping a boat constantly sailing to her maximum capacity, to keep each other upbeat, look after one another, respect each others need for a tiny bit of space from time to time, good manners always, humour wherever possible, willingness to share all the “housework”, and finally to know and accept that this tiny micro-society can only work under the guidance and command of one strong leader.I’d say we’re ticking all the boxes and having a bloody good time too!

Log 13 - Sat 6 December - 10.42 UTC

1069Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 15.04.04 N and 42.35.34 W
Speed: 5.0knots - Course: 274

Leon: 2 Coffee, scrambled eggs with bacon and onions and orange juice was ordered from the galley this night but all we got was fresh made water. Pouring down from heaven, made by the great Lord himself. Bit disappointing but nevertheless refreshing. We got into an area with rainshowers and a bit less wind. But the predictions are good for the next days; 15-20 knots of wind. Rodney Bay here we come.

Fran blogs: The Star Chaser spa has officially opened today - freshwater showers on deck during some heavy squalls left everyone looking shiny and clean having shampooed and soaped during the downpour! The boat now looks like a Chinese laundry with all the wet kit hung down her sides. Still, the sun is now back out and we are beginning to dry out. Next on the spa menu after the rainwater shower was an on deck massage provided by Susan (who is a trained masseur - result!), so the aromatherapy oils came out and we all smelt heavenly (probably for the first time in 2,5 weeks!) The background music of water noises that you usually get played in a spa were provided very effectively by the Atlantic ocean! Bliss!

We are nearly out of our fresh food now, so sadly moving on to the canned stuff - not as good as the Michelin starred food we have been eating to date, but we won’t starve! Looking forward to fresh fruit and salad when we arrive. oh and a bed with clean white sheets, some air con, a bath/shower, and a loo which you can sit on with out the lid crashing down on your back every time we roll!

No sign of any company anywhere - we are on our own and have been for a few days - still we are happy with our own company and pushing ever closer to the Caribbean shores.

3 Hours later

Mike: Had our first proper squall at about 1015 today, a little way into the start of White’s watch and yours truly at the helm. The squall gave a whole new meaning to ’Not on my watch’ I can tell you! The sky went from sunny to grey to dark grey in less than five minutes and then the heavens opened. Vis rapidly down to 40 metres and just about the heaviest rain seen in a long time, though the wind was not especially strong... It lasted about 20 minutes. Talk about wet, but it was good for hosing off the decks (one less job to do today). The aft cabin crew - Susan, Liv and Omer, plus Leon took the opportunity to have a free shower on deck, with some extra deluge water for hair rinsing coming off the reefed main. Some people will do anything for a freebie! The sky gradually cleared and it was soon back to sunshine. A whole new meaning also to ’Hung out to dry’- clothing, people, shoes, towels, cushions, you name it. Nice to see some really, really clean people though, the first we’ve seen since leaving Las Palmas!!!

After the squall, everything was rapidly back to normal but one vital ingredient missing, wind. It’s been turned off. So slow progress now with what little wind there is going from south and then west for the first time on the trip. Two boats ahead of us (unusually) on the horizon, almost certainly ARC boats, with one doing just 1.9 knots according to AIS. So it’s not just us cast into the doldrums.

Log 12 - Fri 5 December - 13.14 UTC

1222Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 15.01.3 N and 39.57.1 W
Speed: 9.0knots - Course: 270

Follow up on yesterday: at 14.30 hours local time: Mid Atlantic party!! Tuxedo’s, cocktail dresses and champagne. Thanks to Susan’s creativity at home everybody is looking great and shiny. As a thankyou for that everybody writes a message on Susan’s back. Wonder what the Dutch sentence means!!! Barrie gives everybody a personal wish from himself and gets a lot of kisses as thanks. Only Leon’s kiss made him a bit reddish, how come? The whole crew is to be photographed and due to help of the ARC organisation (thanks Andrew!) and the US navy, who very kindly volunteered the helicopter, a photographer was flown in to take some nice pictures of the complete team!!! (Note from skipper: help they are already imagining very weird things!)

Susan blogs :- Ome’s big Mahi Mahi caught the day before fed us all for our special diner.then we had 1 or maybe 2 uninvited but nonetheless very welcome guests.large dolphins!! Great little extra for the party. So Champagne in dinner dress, lovely fish supper, dolphins and then what?!!! HUGE WINDS all through the night and till now. Gusts of 38 knots on blue watch, boat speed up to 15 knots surfing down waves with a 23 ton yacht (by Barrie on Red Watch). Big seas.Jim managed to speed down a huge wave and stick the boom in the water.he was clearly loving every minute of it.but in the early morning Barrie got a cold surprise at the loo as Leon did some bad steering, the boat luffed up, rolled on its side while he was still sitting there. Some disturbing noises came from the fwd heads!!! By the way, we made our best distance so far: 198 miles in the last 24 hours.

Food is looking less landlike and more sea-like!! Tins of any and everything. Leon and Susan trying to be creative, we’ve lived the good life so far, so now all those wanting to shed a few pounds will find it easy!

For all those back at our homes..we are all well and happy, we have a fantastic skipper, Boogie, very careful, lots of fun and always on the lookout. Although we seem to get very little sleep, in a way the adventure is not to be missed. We are starting to contemplate things like beds that don’t move, clean clothes and all the luxuries of land...but we are into our routines here and enjoy every minute of it.so please take peace and consolation from that.

“Our ideal should not be the calm which can turn the very ocean into a stagnant pool, nor the hurricane, but the mighty tradewind, Fresh Life-giving and unfailing!”

Back tomorrow!

Log 11 - Thurs 4 December - 11.20 UTC

1411Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 15.41.447N 36.42.537W
Speed: 7.6knots - Course: 240

Leon‘s blog. The night brought us a spectacular lightshow some 100 miles north of our position. Thunder and lightening every 20 seconds on the horizon gave the night a gloom of hell and destruction but luckily no ships were hit. As the wind increases our responsible skipper Boogie (to be recommended) decided to put in an extra reef. With extra hands needed, Jim was fetched out of his bunk. Stumbled up the deck, pulled a line here, pushed a handle there, did some winching and disappeared again without a word (still sleeping I think). At sunrise, as light came and wind decreased, all the reefs had to be shaken out. I think this is the way skip keeps us in shape: forgot to tell that yesterday evening Boogie ordered two gybes within half an hour. Headsail in, Preventer off, Mainsail in, gibing, running backstay change, Mainsail out, Pole in, Pole off, Pole other side, all the lines other side, third sheet in, unfurl the Genoa. And as usual we always forget at least one thing, but what the H..Twenty minutes later he decided to go back pfffffff.

And now the saying of the day:
“Het hebben van de zaak, is het einde van het vermaak”
(to get what you want, is the end of the fun)

You will see from our position that 37W, the venue for our mid Atlantic party, is approaching fast. At lunchtime we have 15kts of wind and a calm sea state so all looks good for party time tonight. Something special may go into the fridge later on to chill. Finally we may find the source of the purple feathers.. looking at you Liv. Be sure to log on tomorrow for the photos.

The blog is not complete without the classified fishing scores so here we go. Yesterday was big on quality but low on quantity.. just the one mahi-mahi added to the catch but he will feed 10. This one was heroically reeled in and expertly filleted by Ome taking him to the top of the leaderboard. After a bit of prompting in day 9‘s blog the girls are starting to show an interest when the reel screams. primarily Liv who is quick to rise to any challenge. Nothing landed so far but there‘s plenty of time and many more fish in the sea!

Log 10 - Wed 3 December - 11.20 UTC

1554Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: 16.06.545N 34.13.430W
Speed: 6.4knots - Course: 265

A slow night, a bit of rain (our first wet sail) and squall clouds to port. This morning confused seas and wind from opposite direction not quite what we were looking for. We are having to defer our mid Atlantic Party for an extra 24 hours as some good wind is ahead - not conducive to partying! We ve spotted another yacht to port that sailed across our stern and sailed off into the distance to starboard. That is the only life we ve seen for a day or so.

Boat has just picked up a corkscrewing motion the crew have suddenly gone very quiet!

As of last night we are 103rd in the fleet and 7th in our class - not bad for a bunch of rusty racers.

Arrival in St Lucia is looking to be a further three to four days than hoped bringing us in around about 13/14th December unless there is a change in the wind state. We are a bit cautious about wishing for better wind as we may get more than we bargained for, however, a bit of an extra puff from the wind gods might mean we won t miss our own arrival party! ARC team please hold the parties till we get there.

Today we have done a bit of a boat clean up, heads disinfected and blitzed, kitchen scrubbed, floors wiped, rubbish sorting is a daily chore all plastic been chopped up into one inch pieces and been stuffed into empty milk cartons to minimise the space it takes up!

On the fishing front ... Leon won a bet with Barry that he would catch tuna yesterday afternoon - he reeled in a tin of tuna! Things are getting a little desperate. The girls are biding their time - there are always plenty of fish in the sea!

Barry is turning out to be a wonderful butler and chamber maid offering silver service tea to Liv on deck and salt water bucket baths for girls on the low side. Star Chaser Spa is up and running.

German disco diva extraordinaire Axel has been doing his thing to ABBA at the helm - Pierce Brosnan move over, he is all set for a starring role in Mamma Mia 2. The First Pod War is on the brink of starting. Liv might have to confiscate all IPods.

Log 9 - Tues 2 December - 10.45 UTC

1707Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N16.25.7 W31.35.1
Speed: 7.1knots - Course: 264
Sailplan: big blue balloon and main

First report from the liberation front of free Mahi Mahi’s: Yes we freed another one. It was a close finish but just before final approach we managed to get the hook off. Good work Leon and thanks for so much consideration!!!

And now for the philosophers amongst us:

“Als je voor een bepaalde weg kiest, betekent dit dat je van andere wegen afziet. Als je probeert alle wegen te gaan, zul je uiteindelijk geen enkele weg gaan“ (Paulo Coelho/ PS)

“If you choose one road, it means you cannot take other roads. If you try to take all roads, you will ultimately take no road.” (Paulo Coelho/ PS)

(Note from Marlies: sorry, could not find the original Portuguese or original translation into English, so the translation is a bit rickety.)

..and from philosophy back to fishing. Leon is now comfounding his critics and reeling in fish with regularity. Two small mahi mahi in the fridge for the loss of only one today. As ever the one that got away was a monster.

Where are the rest of the crew I hear you ask. I’ve often heard the story that girls make good fishermen (Fran even boasts a 9lb salmon in her repertoire) but so far it’s the men who provide on Star Chaser. come on girls!!

On the sailing front the spinnaker is back up today making the most of the 10kts of wind we have. A 12 hour burst of 25kts is expected in the next day as we pass above a small low. Be careful what you wish for but it would be good to see Star Chaser screaming along again.

Medical bulletin as follows :- Ome back to full strength, Boogie much recovered but still refusing his sunset beer (honestly Marlies) and Super Susan recovering well thanks to the osteo advice received from David Reynolds, big thanks there.

Signing off now as the reel screams again. Leon adding to his tiddler tally maybe?

Log 8 - Mon 1 December - 15.05 UTC

1829Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N17.22.5 W29.28.6
Speed: 6.5knots - Course: 250

Susan blogs ..
“head south till the butter melts, then swing a right”

This is the sailors directions from Canary Islands to the Caribbean, and we’re spot on.we’re all melting now too. Ome’s water temperature chart for geography is steadily climbing, yesterday’s reading was 24 degrees.we’re all desperate for a swim!

“With every change in latitude comes a change in attitude. ” Words of our wise and trusty crew mate Barry. Barry also recommends that the best way for you to begin to imagine what it is like for us here.is to mark off an area in your home or classroom of 12.5 metres by 4 metres (and just over 2 metres in height) with tape, then put 10 adults lots of baggage, bunks, a tiny kitchen, two loos, hanging hammocks of fruit and lots of boat spares. Constant rocking, sideways and forwards, heat and at night total darkness - this is how we live everyday.

Last night was a steady sail of approx 7 knots with wind speed of approx 15knts a comfortable ride for most of us and a slow one for the racers like Jim who is desperate for more action.

As I type the cruising chute is being dragged up on deck...so spinnaker time. It is now flying and Jim is looking very happy. Speed has increased! Starchaser is looking majestic and purposeful. St Lucia here we come!

We are all doing well. I’ve come a cropper a wee bit , smashed my shoulder during the night a couple days ago, so have it in sling, have been removed from all watch duties and most of everything else, very annoying. Thanks to great ship to shore technology have got medication sorted and pain is now under control, sleep returning, and am hoping to be more useful in day or two.otherwise there was some mention of a correlation between me and fish food! Oh no!

We now also have a belly dancing Christmas tree on board, spotted by Fran in Las Palmas, and smuggled on board by the girls bit of an operation to get it on board without comments of extra luggage. Liv and I spent first week sleeping with it at our feet, hoping desperately that it wouldn’t turn on in middle of night!!! We would have a lot of explaining to do..creates huge rounds of laughter and has us all in the spirit.

Barry and Jim have decided no more showering on deck in swimming trunks...so girls are banned on deck for the duration, reckon they’re scaring the fish away as we haven’t caught anything over last 24 hours.Leon seems to be letting them all go somehow.

Beertje (Little Bear - mascot bear given by WCCS) and Liv blog
So I’ve gone from the shelf in the classroom to this boat crossing the Atlantic - to the boys at school - the future holds many exciting adventures, chase them, embrace them and keep your minds open and your heart full of questions. Live not in the shadow of another man’s stories , life is about creating your own! Carpe Diem! So we are living the dream - surfing the great high rolling breakers of the sometimes wild Atlantic. We’re so glad to be part of a forward thinking school that has allowed us time out for such an incredible adventure. With every nautical mile that dissolves in our wake comes another one to conquer, ride and live.

And our Dutchie’s back!
Ok speed is rising. De grote blauwe ballon staat fier haar werk te doen, weer 1.5 knoop snelheid erbij. Tot schrik van de schipper niet helemaal de chute die hij in gedachte had. Maar een spi als genaker heeft ook wel wat. Al verteld dat gisteren algehele beleefdheidsdag was aan boord. Sommige engelse gewoonten zijn misschien toch wel wat voor dat ruwe hollandse volkje: thank you for the help Leon; no thank you for the food Liv; thank you for the help thank you staying not in the way, thank you for this, thank you for that, thank you for being aboard, thank you for actually being alive. Thank God its Monday!! Walvisalarm!!...Bakboordzijde een paar “pilotwales” zoals de schipper ze noemt. Veraf maar toch, ze bestaan nog. Laten we dat zo houden. Leon

(and now in English: Ok speed is rising. The big blue balloon sits out there proudly, propelling us along, adding another 1.5 knots to our speed. To the general dismay of the skipper, it wasn’t quite the chute he had in mind. But a spi as a genaker has something to it as well. Did I mention we had ‘General-Polite-As-Can-Be-day’ yesterday on board? Some English habits might hold something for the rough dutchies: thank you for your help Leon; no thank you for the food Liv; thank you for the help thank you staying not in the way, thank you for this, thank you for that, thank you for being on board, thank you for actually being alive. Thank God its Monday!!

Whale alert! Port side we have a few ‘pilot whales’ as the skipper calls them. At a little distance, but he, they’re there and are still in existence. Let’s keep it that way. Leon)

Log 7 - Sun 30 November - 15.05 UTC

1960Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N17.39 27.12 W26.39.82
Speed: 7.6knots - Course: 270

A night of contrasting weather conditions - the 6pm watch started with no wind and only one knot of speed - becalmed on the Atlantic, however over the following three hours the wind changed dramatically and rose significantly so things got rather lively on the helm for all watches! Blue watch recorded gusts of up to 28 knots and from 18.00 to 06.00 hours 100 miles of the whale road was covered and we are beginning to make some progress.

Life on board continues however a stow away has mysteriously appeared and he is now tied to the mast to keep him out of trouble - happily he takes the form of a Christmas Elf loaded with sweeties and we will be lightening his load on a daily basis as Advent progresses.

Susie s super Christmas Cake has just emerged from the depths of a cupboard - the fruit has been soaking for the last 3 years! Spirits have been lifted! We had a general boat clean so surfaces are looking sparkly. Jim and Beertje are on a truce at the moment - long may it last!

The fishing competition between Leon and Jim continues - alas catches so far today have been a little meagre we have one small dorado which will serve as a starter for dinner unless the “big daddy” is caught in the meantime. Three bites later and only empty hooks as a result, the big One is still not there. Tomorrow will be the day (we hope)

Mood on the boat is upbeat, calm and reflective as we watch the days roll by (literally). Preparations are underway for the mid Atlantic Party - all invitations have been issued and rsvp received! A further 10 degrees west to go and then it is party time!

Log 6 - Sat 29 November - 12.54 UTC

2122Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N18.30.6 W18.30.3
Speed: 6.7knots - Course: 241

Zwei Segel

Zwei Segel erhellend
Die tiefblaue Bucht!
Zwei Segel sich schwellend
Zu ruhiger Flucht!

Wie eins in den Winden
Sich woelbt und bewegt,
Wir auch das Empfinden
Des andern erregt.

Begehrt eins zu hasten,
Das andre geht schnell,
Verlangt eins zu rasten,
Ruht auch sein Gesell.

Conrad Ferdinand Meyer

Liehp vom Deutschen an Bord der Star Chaser!

Jetzt in English..

Success with the rod.. At the 10am watch change the reel started humming. No plastic bags this time nor another one that got away. She wasn t a monster but Jim reeled her in and now we have the fillets of a 3kg mahi mahi in the fridge waiting for supper tonight. A touch of lime garlic and ginger and it should be perfect. The tail is hanging from the backstay as our first trophy and hopefully we ll be running out of space in the future.

Wind today has dropped a little and we re making 6-7 knots out of the 15 knots of wind we have. Makes life in the galley a little easier but we ll soon be wishing for a bit more puff to power us westwards to the Caribbean. The site has been set for the mid Atlantic party, 37 west is the place. I m not party to the full secrets of the party but I m sure the purple feathers we find around the boat are not from fishing lures. Who knows (Susie maybe!) but you ll be first to see the photos here.

Back to the more mundane. A busy morning on deck sorting out the rubbish. Cutting up 30 plastic water bottles isn t much fun but with space in the forepeek more expensive per square meter than SW1 real estate it needs to be done. Star Chaser is sailing well. We turned Bertha over (the engine) for 30 mins late yesterday to make sure she s well and were pleased to find one quick push of the button and she was off. If only all girls we re so responsive. The sheet of the poled out headsail was changed to check for wear and prevent the nasty things that can go bump in the night.

And finally, a clarification following yesterday s blog for our many non UK readers. ASBO. Anti social bear overboard. Big brother bear is watching you Beertje!!!

Log 5 - Fri 28 November - 10.30 UTC

2270Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N20.16.9 W21.49.8
Speed: 8.2knots - Course: 245

Susan here on blog time

Winds of 20 - 24 knots, phosphorescence bubbling on the frothy white waves, a few stars though skies bit cloudy, boat skidding down the waves - top speed won by the white watch of 12.2 knots - Boogie on the helm having fun! ..We had a great night speeding along. Nights are warmer and we’re beginning to strip off a bit on watch - yippee we’re in the tropics and on the highway to hot sun, gin and tonics and dips in the Caribbean sea yeah man bring it on.

Sea is much more active now, really got that rolling action going which makes everyday life a little bit more challenging. To make a cup of tea without spilling it all far less 10 cups of tea..to use the toilet without falling off! To cook lunch or curried chicken for dinner feels like a round in a boxing ring being flung backwards and forwards from cooker to sink.figure heavy drinkers do this better as they must be accustomed to the swaying action! Despite the rolling, Barrie and I did manage a tea dance to Perry Comos “and I love you so“, much more entertainment promised as the journey continues..

As I write this Leon is head first in the fridge cleaning it out and doing a stock check.we may be eating all the good stuff too quickly. Wwon”t be so funny if we end up on ryvita and water for the last week. Wat dus helemaal niet erg zou zijn. Wie vertelde ooit dat een oversteek hard werken en afzien zou zijn. Met deze ontbijten, lunches en copieuse maaltijden kom ik per dag een kilo aan. Kortom luxury all over the place. Als er al iets van afzien bij is zal het het rantsoen zijn van 1 blikje bier per dag . Maar aan de andere kant is zelfs dat weer gezond. Gelukkig zorgt de sea state er nu voor dat er wat minder ambitious gekookt zal gaan worden. Dus achterban thuis; bereid je maar voor op een (ver)jong(d)e sailor.

(For the non-Dutchies amongst us: Which wouldn’t be a problem really. Who ever said a crossing would be hard work and tough going? With these breakfasts, lunches and bounty dinners I am gaining a kilo a day! In short, luxury all over. If anything is tough, it’s the fact we’re not allowed more than 1 beer a day, at sundowners. But, on the other hand, guess that’s healthy as well! Lucky for me the sea state might curtail the ambitious cooking a bit. So landlubbers at home; be prepared to meet a young(er) sailor!)

Liv is back on kitchen duty, chicken curry on the menu, but we’re going to have to put sticky tape on her feet or perhaps Velcro her to the floor, she’s multi tasking between rubbish duty (chopping up the plastics into tiny pieces and jamming them into milk cartons), helming quite challenging for her as she has to look through the wheel as opposed to over it, and supper.

Jim is still being nasty to our bear “BEERTJE” so we’ve put him under personal minder care and Jim has a restraining order and under ASBO warning. Don’t worry boys of WCCS Beertje will make it to the other side of the Atlantic, but Jim may not!!! We are already pumping up the life raft, but even that may be too kind!

Bedales students and friends of Ome..you may think he is having the time of his life whilst you are working but not so.now that he is recovering from the boat bug, we have him hard at work on the helm, washing up and skivying in general, plus he is doing his geography experiments, measuring sea temperature every day etc. we haven’t had much of his normal great humour, a sign that he really wasn’t feeling well.so all looking forward to sharing his humour.

We catch sleep where and when we can, don’t think Liv has managed more than 5 hours since we left, and I’m not far behind, but just loving every minute, and sleep would deny us what we came here to do.taste the freedom of a vast ocean and heighten our sense of our own being.

Skipper Mark if you’re reading this.you would be proud of your 3 students, and pleased to know our helming is improving daily! Bless you and take care.

“Twenty years from now, you’re more likely to regret the things you didn’t do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowline. Sail away from the harbour. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” - Mark Twain

Log 4 - Thurs 27 November - 11.30 UTC
Dolphins, good food and being at sea...what more could you wish for?

2465Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N21.58.4 W19.58.5
Speed: 7.2knots - Course: 225

Good morning folks! It’s Fran on the blog this morning! Star Chaser and her crew passed a good night with no incidents and the good news is that wind and speed are beginning to pick up.

We are still steering a course for the Cape Verde islands (probably for another 48 hours or so) and once there we will change course for St Lucia. We need to go that far South in order to avoid windless zones in the middle of the Atlantic - so whilst progress seems a bit slow at the moment we know it will pick up as we gather up the faster winds that we are aiming for.

Susan is claiming the prize for fastest speed in the night having clocked up 9.2 knots (briefly) but we are definitely seeing an increase from the last couple of days. The red and the white watch had the pleasure of being joined by a pod of dolphins during the night. Whilst you can’t see them in the dark, the phosphorescence that they create as they zoom through the water leaves a trail like a torpedo so they are still fantastic to watch at night. They stayed with us for a good hour or so, and then came back to say hello as the sun came up. Hoping for more company from them today.

We see ships every now and then on the horizon at night, and a few yachts on the horizon as well - but never more than the sight of their lights or a glimpse of a sail in the far distance. Still we are happy in our own company at the moment and we are enjoying the solitude and peacefulness of being at sea. We see a few birds every now and then but otherwise just the big blue ocean.

Boogie and Omer are still suffering a bit from the ship’s malaise but we are hoping that it is on its way out. Jim has been hard at work in the galley this morning preparing a chilli con carne for dinner, and Liv is planning on knocking up some home made pizzas for lunch so the food quality continues to be high!

Yesterday we passed into the tropics so the temperatures are slowing beginning to rise - Leon put on one of his selection of Hawaiian shirts to commemorate the passing into tropical climes! Barry continues to entertain the crew with his stories and anecdotes from his life on the waves, and Axel is now fully back in the game and even cooking - most definitely over his seasickness which we are all very pleased to see.

So all in all, we are a happy crew enjoying our time out here. Whilst we are all looking forward to our arrival, we also don’t want to wish our time away out here. We have all been looking forward to it and talking about it for so long - we want to make sure we savour these weeks that we have out here. Right, nearly time to do the midday log so I will leave you here - the deck and the sunshine are calling! More tomorrow folks, au revoir for now.

Log 3 - Wed 26 November - 17.30 UTC
A peaceful night

2406Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N23.17.3 W18.34.5
Speed: 4.3knots - Course: 220

Red watch - Barry, Susan, Jim - 24.00 - 03.00   10.00 - 14.00   21.00 - 24.00
Blue watch - Axel, Leon Fran - 06.00 -10.00   18.00 -21.00
White watch - Omer Mike, Liv - 03.00 - 06.00   14.00 - 18.00

A peaceful night on the water last night, no incidents, not much wind though, so slow progress. A couple of yachts spotted on the horizon, fellow ARC competitors, nice to have some company!

Beautiful night sky again, stars galore; like crystals hanging from a dark navy ceiling and every watch spotted shooting stars.

Axel’s sea sickness has gone thank goodness and he’s up and about. The boat bug is still taking hostages, Boogie and Ome suffering fever, coughs and general malaise...Susan starting, but nevertheless all in good spirits.

Fishing continues but we still await the first catch. cameras, gaff and baseball bat were made ready after the reel flew this morning but sadly not all Trans Atlantic sailors are as green as Star Chaser and we reeled in a plastic bag. Confidence remains high and sashimi is pencilled into the menu each day. When we do catch something we may well hand it over to Leon. He vanished into the galley at 11h30 this morning and 30 minutes later a fantastic Spanish Tortilla appeared.

The arrival sweepstake is done with all crew signed up. Barry is the optimist (I think he's worried about running out of stories) and the Skipper amongst the pessimists. We'll all be checking for easterly courses near the finish. We'll be sure to announce the winner in one of the final blogs so you will all know who to join at Spinnakers bar.

Every afternoon we have crew crossword on deck courtesy of the Daily Telegraph. We have some issues with their use of the English language but we struggle through. Today we had extra help from team mascot Beertje the Bear. I cannot hide my disappointment that a bear with such a prestigious academic background (Beertje came on board with Liv, who is a teacher!) would so clearly not be smarter than your average bear (your title is safe for a while Yogi)... some work to do there Liv!

The sun has set now. Fishing line is reeled in for another day and the first of the night watches has started. Yet another excellent supper. fantastic Fran today with spicy Spanish sausage and roast vegetables. We’re well on track to become the first yacht with a Michelin star.

That’s all for today. more tomorrow folks. We hope to be back with a touch more wind, a big tuna and a smarter bear.

Log 2 - Tues 25 November - 14.30 UTC
Almost perfect

2529Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N25.02 W17.08.5
Speed: 5.3knots - Course: 220

Almost perfect; blue skies, blue waters and 8 knots of wind. Heading South-West, looking for more wind. On the left the Sahara, on the right the great blue ocean! The blues from the speakers

Slowly but surely the boat starts to come to life. Where yesterday evening at sunset the cold beers travelled straight back into the fridge as there were no takers, today the colour is returning in the so far pale cheeks. The crew is settling in. Jokes, politeness and heroic women who are trying to cook are the daily fare on board. A bit old fashioned, but there is no getting them out of the galley!

Today we have lamb stew with potatoes and vegetables on the menu! Yummy!

Last night we had a little incident with the pole; a shackle malfunctioned resulting in the helmsman looking out to the stars instead of the genoa! Luckily enough the pole kept balancing on the outer end and after a quick repair on the foredeck (plenty of spares on board), the genoa was rolled back out.

It is still the most amazing experience to sail at night, stars all over the place, the calm, soon a course of astronavigation will start. Applications accepted until 3pm today!

Log 1 - Mon 24 November - 14.30 UTC
An emotional send off

2650Nm to go to St Lucia - Position: N25.57 W15.28.5
Speed: 4.3knots - Course: 232

After an emotional send off from Las Palmas with a 20 odd piece brass band playing to us arranged by Ekrem, we waved g’bye to Marlies and Nick who looked more than ready to send us off having worked day and night to have the boat absolutely ship shape for our journey.we really can’t thank you both enough for this tremendous effort, and are now beginning to appreciate your wealth of knowledge in how to feed the hungry sick or over eager on our 2,800 mile adventure. But again thank you thank you thank you.

Introducing the crew - skipper first: Boogie - the only man to cross the start line wearing clogs. Well I guess they float if you fall in and they match your bright orange hair. Short of building a windmill on the foredeck I don’t think we could have made Holland more proud.

First watch was taken by Red Watch: Mystery man Barry thought to be on the run from the Tongan police and hiding in the Atlantic for a few weeks, Super Susan Sami who is ensuring we will be the best fed crew on the Arc and Jim who will start running fitness classes tomorrow to make sure we won’t also be the heaviest crew on the ARC.

Next Blue watch a model of European integration. Taking the best of each country we have Germany and Axel providing the sense of humour, Leon from the Netherlands a series of riddles that we can’t solve in English let alone double dutch all helping to take Fran’s mind off seasickness.

..and finally White watch. Mike’s in charge and providing the experience to harness the youth and enthusiasm of Ome and Liv. Ome can relax now we’re at sea and his Las Palmas fan club are making their own way across the Atlantic. Liv is looking cool and calm and ready for anything.

Spent a calm first night averaging about 6knts, slight seas and wind average. Doing watches of 3 hours on at night starting 1800 then 6 hours off, 4 hours on during the day and 8 hours off. We’re just catching bit of sleep here and there, but bodies still fighting to stay with our land routines, will take few more days to let that go. Have had light rain occasionally, but otherwise very starry skies and sunshine. Comfortable temperature during the day yesterday and today.

We are all well, some feeling wee bit sea sick, but watch patterns allow us enough time to get flat, and hopefully in time our sea legs will arrive.

Shame the brownies got left back in the hotel freezer we did wonder whether the coast guard would be dispatched to bring them for us, but no sign so far maybe in St. Lucia?

Sunday 23 November - Departure day!

That’s it, they’re off! Boat all ready, crew all ready and happy and rearing to go...seeing them off the dock and then over the start line was a funny feeling, but I know they will have a great time on the happy ship Star Chaser with their unique skipper Boogie!

Which leaves me with mixed feelings: happy to see everybody having a great time, but a bit sad not to be going as I love the sailing, the crew and the skipper!

When they are settled in, the first blogs will come from the boat, so keep watching!

Saturday night 22 November - Day -1

....the last on shore crew dinner in Las Palmas in our favorite tapas restaurant Trappas with lots of good food, good wine, good words and (already) good friends and lots of laughter. Crew can’t wait to set off and start their amazing adventure across the Atlantic!