|
Log 18 - Wednesday 5 November 18.00 UTC |
|
Position: Las Palmas, on the dock! Well, here we are, safely tucked away in our mooring in the marina in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria! We made it to the arrival dock round about 3, but of course, this being Spain (even though everybody here considers themselves Canarians and not anything like the people on ‘la peninsula’!), the marina office and customs office were closed until 4pm - little stretch of the legs, tidying the boat up, and a couple of hours later Boogie manoeuvred Star Chaser beautifully and totally in control into a berth that most of us thought was barely fitting with the dinghy of the neighbours hanging on the side, the parking King he is, our Boogs! Then it was drinks and tapas of course in our favourite tapas restaurant from last year and we got the most warm welcome as if we were long lost friends coming home, you’ve got to love the Spanish for this! |
 |
Funky Bar in the Old Town
|
Every year in Las Palmas the animated WOMAD Festival takes place
a couple of weeks before the start of the ARC - a spectacle for the eye and the ear! |
|
|
|
Half our crew will jet it back to the cold UK in the next couple of days and then it will be Nick, Boogie and myself, getting our good old Star Chaser ready for her 2nd ARC! As always, there’s a long list of ocean prep to get through, but hey, it’s sunny and 25°C, so who’s complaining? It’s great to be back, but we will be sad to not hear Demetri calling out for a lovely wine and some good food - will have to do the master proud and just make sure we keep the standards up! Las Palmas, here we come! Marlies |
|
Our own star !
|
|
|
Log 17 - Wednesday 5 November 11.30 UTC |
|
26 miles to ‘Las Palmas’ - Position: 28.30.9N 15.04.8W Another hazy, lazy day motor-sailing slowly towards Las Palmas gave rise to the opportunity to do some fishing. The bate was attached, cast adrift and the line fed out for about 200 metres. In all honesty it was a half hearted attempt, as we all felt it would be a great shame to catch a large fish and then not eat it. But about 10 minutes later the fishing reel began to buzz and we jumped in excitement. Slowly the lure was hauled in and lo and behold we had managed to catch the smallest tuna in the ocean. It was duly headed and gutted and now awaits us in the fridge for a carpaccio or sushi later today. Just enough for everyone to have a taster and no waste. Perfect except the battery in my camera decided to give up the ghost just as I was holding the catch! Demetri |
|
|
Log 16 - Tuesday 4 November 19.00 UTC |
|
139 miles to ‘Las Palmas’ - Position: 30 02.9N 013 50.9W A complete contrast in today’s weather and sailing where for the first time in a long time we remembered that the mainsail does go to the top of the mast. It certainly was blue skies, fantastic sunshine and many a tan was topped up throughout the course of the day. We did get some good sailing in today but since 1430 it’s been a steady motor sail eating miles and probably will be for the next 139 to Las Palmas. Chez Demetri was taken over by that little well known northern chef Monsieur Wood and he treated us to an amazing Roast Chicken dinner with all the trimmings - compliments all round I hear from the crew and Las Palmas is almost upon us. Mark A day to remember for many reasons. The first day of t-shirts, some even less, and hot sunshine on our faces to remind us all of why we are here. All the many frustrating days with no wind and cold have melted away and liberal bastings of olive oil and axle grease are applied to assist with the perfect tan. Wonderful skies with extraordinary cloud formations, some with concentric coloured rings denoting a high pressure system. A lazy hazy day of summer, a far distant cry the cold and wet weather that is November back in London. Hard to believe, as we bask in the sun’s rays, that it will be Guy Falks night tomorrow! But for me at least, to top it all, a rare sighting of a 30cm turtle swimming by the portside as if nothing was wrong with a 51 foot behemoth bearing down on it. How serenely beautiful they are and how magical that - at that moment in that vast expanse called the Atlantic - this turtle should have graced us with her brief presence and given us a memory for life. Now to bed as thoughts turn to our inevitable arrival in Las Palmas, with mixed emotions, tomorrow. Demetri |
|
|
Log 15 - Tuesday 4 November 03.00 UTC |
|
242 miles to ‘Las Palmas’ - Position: 31 28 7N 12.47.58W They say you should be careful what you wish for and no more so than when at sea! I wished for stronger winds to speed up the passage to Las Palmas and relieve the boredom and as you can see above we certainly got it! Or was it because I broke two of the cardinal sins (allegedly) by both whistling and mentioning the word rabbit? Ooops just done it again.I suppose I may have well made matters worse by whistling Run Rabbit Run! Next they will be telling me you can’t sing Starry Starry night or I mustn’t pee into the wind at the bow with all crew on deck. Pah, stuff and nonsense I say. Where do these sailing folk get these bizarre myths from? Come to think of it, I know the answer, as I have just spent the last 3 hours on the Wind Down Watch (Zombie Watch more like) with Boogie listening to Country and Western songs. Trust me nautical myths are the delusional stuff of the wee hours of the brain dead. But, you ask, what is it like helming a 23 ton Swan 51 when a 42 knot squall hits you? Well, imagine you are the driver of a run away freight train and someone presses the (until then unknown) Nitrox button, then you just might have some idea. A blast? I should say so, but we had to get the monkey wrench to unfurl my fingers which appeared to have somehow welded themselves to the helm. Despite motor-sailing for the entire watch, we actually had some gentle winds to assist us and we averaged over 8 Knots for 3 hours, bringing us all closer to Las Palmas and some much needed R&R Demetri |
|
|
Log 14b - Monday 3 November - A bit more for Monday... |
|
Today has been quite simply one of those magical days and without a doubt one of the best sailing days I’ve ever had. It all began when arriving on deck at 6am taking over from Nick and Ross in the rain that quickly cleared and within 45mins we were in almost daylight surfing down waves at 9 - 10 knots. Shortly after, Marlies set the benchmark for today’s challenge of all the watches with an impressive 12.8knot surf (which doesn’t sound to impressive for those who know the sailing I do with the J80 but Starchaser weighs in at about 23 tons currently with a whole load of Caribbean season kit on her). As we switched throughout our watch it was clear that today was going to be interesting. Once Demetri and Boogie were on deck I stayed up all day in the perfect blue sky, large waves and decent breeze - these kind of days are just ones that you get into sailing! Fast forward to our next watch at 3am which, lets face it, is the dead shift usually and when that gentle nudge wakes you and you’re told “you’re on in 20mins” the last thing you want is a hectic 3 hours. Anyway, again the breeze was up roughly around the 20 knot true range and Marlies was showing off in the first hour, then we switched and the first 20 mins went really well and I was fast approaching that speed set from 7am. Any way looking over our shoulders what can only be described as the mother of all squalls was fast approaching and I was trying to remember all my heavy weather helming rules. When the squall with gusts of 42knots true hit, Star Chaser decided to turn into more of an 18ft Skiff and as she shot down “that” wave. The most awesome feeling was had and all I remember was my heart rate going through the roof and turning to Marlies and saying a new record was on the table of 13.9 knots. Adrenaline still pumping and wishing I never had that wake up coffee I was quite happy to hand over to Demitri and Boogs and pass out on the sofa for 5 hours.a day I won’t be forgetting for a long time! Mark (For the fact happy ones under us, 13.9kn is the top for this leg, Boogs is holding the total trip record, surfing into the shelter of Cascais at 15.6 knots) |
|
|
Log 14a - Monday 3 November 14:00 UTC |
|
324 miles to ‘Las Palmas’ - Position: 32.35.5N 11.47.1W Well it’s definitely been an interesting 24 hours! We’ve clocked a good 182nm on the log in that time with lots of excitement! (For the nittywitties amongst you, like me, and the non-sailors, the difference between distance to go yesterday at 1200 and 1400 today is indeed only 180nm in 26 hours, so what’s going on? Boasting about an 182nm run in 24hrs? Wind and tactics dictate sometimes that you do not point directly at your destination, which was the case for us. It’s more or less like taking a little detour.we have done 182nm through the water, but as it was not directly in line to Las Palmas, it has only brought us about 170nm closer in 24hrs) So, yes, excitement. First of all getting back into cooking at an angle last night as I was invited to be the special guest appearance and cook at ‘Chez Demetri’s’ in Star Chaser (only reason we haven’t got a Michelin star yet is because the inspectors can’t find the address at sea!). Made a very nice (even if I say so myself, and as Nick just said!) veal couscous, in honour of us having the Moroccan coast off to our port side. By the time Mark and I got up for watch after dinner, Nick and Roselle had left us with an ominous looking cloud, promising lots of rain and lots of wind. As a 3rd reef had already been popped in before dinner, we weren’t too bothered by the wind prospects, but weren’t too chuffed about the rain - as it were, the whole nasty thing passed nicely in front of us and we never got a drop! However, about half way through the watch a massive big black one came up behind us - and within no time there was even more lightning all around us, with the proper sound effects this time, and we were surfing down the waves in lots of wind, a steady 30+ knots, topping out at about 44 knots true! The thrill of speeding down a wave in the dark, lightning all around, the sound of waves, seeing the boatspeed hit 13.8knots is quite something else ! Although things quietened down a little bit after that, we continued making good speed, and Boogs and Demetri hit another squall topping out at 42knots true at about 9am! |
|
Marlies flying the fish
|
|
|
Since then, things have been going steady, bringing us closer to Las Palmas every minute. Watches. No, not those things you wear around your wrist telling you the time, but the boat variety; a system to organise the crew so that you always have people sailing the boat and navigating, the crew is so to say ‘on watch’ and both the different groups and the different time slots are called watches. Ours is organised in a way you do not have the same watch 2 days in a row, so avoiding that one group always has to do the nasty watch. We’re basically running 3 four hour watches during day time, and 4 three hour watches at night. As you’ll have figured by now, Nick is holding the fort with Roselle, Boogie with Demetri and myself with Mark. Most of the time you end up naming the crew groups.this time however, we’ve ended up naming the timeslots! So here we go, we hope they speak for themselves 1800-2100 - The Dinner Club We’re open all week, so please feel free to visit! |
|
|
Log 13 - Sunday 2 November 12:10 UTC |
|
504 miles to ‘Las Palmas’ - Position: 35.41.2 N 11.00.8W Bit of radio silence, due to the crew exploring the local scenery in Cascais, which really is a lovely town. A big weather system held Star Chaser on the dock for a few days, with doubled up lines and lots of wind coming through. On the bright side it gave me a chance to fly in on Thursday and have a full watch on board again, rather than the for some slightly confusing half/half rotation. With the weather and the thing as it is though, we decided to head straight for Las Palmas and skip Madeira. Rather than leave port on a Friday (no just kidding, something came up), we got up at a silly early time Saturday to leave the dock at 6am. So casting off at 0630am wasn’t bad at all! We left Cascais behind and started our last leg of the journey with a game of ‘dodge-the-lobster-pots’, while motor sailing out of the harbour. At least the motor sailing made it easier to play the game! The ‘grib files promised’ wind soon enough arrived and we could get sailing with a reef in and most of the jib out, heading 210 degrees, straight for Las Palmas! At nightfall, Star Chaser got turned into ‘Chez Demetri’ once again for another lovely meal. But with the evening came also the lightning - On watch all you could see was great flashes of light, some closer, some further away, but no sound. Quite the light show! Beautiful in more than one way as it also brought some more wind! Another reef in the main and rolling away some of the genoa, soon had us doing a steady 8, 9 knots! Early this morning on our 6-10 watch we even hit 12.8 knots! Great sailing! Today has us steaming along steadily, with lots of little niceties turning up in the form of breakfast toasties (thanks D!), wraps for lunch (thanks N!) and for me lots of sleep - need to get back into the rhythm and get my sea legs! On that one, I'm off for my afternoon nap - back tomorrow. Roselle and Marlies |
|
|
Friday 30 October |
|
A Great Night Out !
|
|
|
We spoke to Matt today, who is at the airport, waiting to fly home and hopefully get better soon. We all think of you Matt and hope you will make a very speedy recovery. Hope to see you back sailing on Star Chaser very soon! All of Star Chaser’s crew |
|
|
Log 12 - Tuesday 28 October 23:36 UTC |
|
Cascais After a fantastic sail late last night, surfing down some huge waves reaching speeds in excess of 15kts, it was good to sight the three south cardinals marking the breakwater to Cascais marina. |
|
Cascais Fort and Lighthouse
|
|
|
We tied up alongside and doubled up all lines and battened the hatches. The weather we were looking to avoid was upon us now with winds in the marina gusting up to 58 kts at times, today we were glad to be safe and sound. After a much needed sleep we spent the day cleaning the boat, visiting Cascais town centre and as always having a few glasses of fine wine and experiencing the local cuisine. After a walk in the afternoon and with the watch system catching up on all the crew ’Demetri‘ cooked us dorade and risotto and yet again supplied a fine wine to accompany the meal. Having watched ’Shooter‘ on the widescreen TV and all feeling happy after dinner, the crew of Starchaser are now snugly tucked up in their berths dreaming of the next leg and better weather. Goodnight all. |
|
|
Log 11b - Monday 27 October 21:29 UTC |
|
13 miles to ‘Cascais’ - Position: 38:50.0’N 009:34.2’W A day of extremes, from boredom once again on motor-sail to the thrills of sailing in up to 22 Knots over the last 3 hours and achieving 15 Knots! Desperate to push Starchaser to the limits, as she is an exciting boat to sail. Earlier on a large pilot whale cruised by at effortless speed on the starboard beam and the only bites on the fishing lure were from a deluded and clearly famished gull!! The highlight for me however was the awesome (in the true sense of the word) sight of the phosphorescent trace of a speeding dolphin through the water in the twilight. Hard to explain the wonder and excitement of seeing this fleeting glimpse of another world. |
|
|
|
|
And so we push on to Cascais, thankful once again that the decision has been taken to avoid bad weather. But there is no doubting we all want to be in Madeira now as soon as possible. Hopefully we shall be in Cascais in 2 hours and then some sleep. Demetri |
|
|
Log 11a - Monday 27 October 20:05 UTC |
|
15 miles to ‘Cascais’ - Position: 38:50.0’N 009:34.2’W The day started off with more motor sailing but as the day progressed so did the wind. When the time came for the engine to be turned off, everyone was glad not to hear the constant humming, especially me, as I was trying to sleep at the time. Lunch time arrived and we were treated to ham and cheese toasties, thanks to Nick. Throughout the day we were joined by more dolphins and a whale or two from what I was told, but the highlight was the sight of the phosphorescent streams in the water as the dolphins went past on my watch; it made being on watch in the rain worth it! Roselle |
|
|
Log 10 - Monday 27 October |
|
60 miles to ‘Cascais’ - Position: 39:37.1’N 009:44.5’W After a busy night with several sail changes from full main to two reefs and then three, headsail furled away and then back out, the crew have settled into the watch system again. During the night winds ranged from less than 5 knots up to 25+ knots and more in gusts and with a large number of passing ships we were all kept on our toes. As dawn broke with a heavy layer of low cloud we had already studied the latest weather forecast and had altered course for ‘Cascais’ Portugal. The outlook is threatening, with winds expected to build over the next 12 hours to Gale Force 8 and above and last for several days and with ‘Cascais’ in striking distance we have decided to seek shelter and sample some ‘Portuguese’ hospitality. Time is still on our side and as we approach the coastline of Portugal now only 21 miles on the port bow in the form of ‘Peniche’ we are all hoping we can stay ahead of the strong winds and high seas. PS. The fishing line is out but we have yet to strike! |
|
|
Log 9 - Sunday 26 October 19:30 UTC |
|
635 miles to ‘Cascais’ - Position: 41:36.4’N 009:21.3’W Today we departed the magical settings of Bayona to amazing blue skies, and heat that for many required T-Shirts to be removed. For a couple of crew members who decided to party hard until 4 in the morning a well deserved run was had, for others a more slow day of taking it all in one last time before slipping our lines to the fuel dock at 1500 and then proceeding out. We motor sailed out for approximately 4 hours, being escorted for a short time by a couple of dolphins and I think on behalf of everyone many an emotion was felt. For all the crew and Skipper ‘Boogie’ the sadness of leaving behind our crew member Matt in a Spanish hospital was the very real realisation of how circumstances can change and we all hope that he is able to make a swift recovery, he is due to fly home this week and fella you will certainly be sorely missed by me when it comes to the “Nightclub” watch and the Top Gun soundtrack is played. As I write, we have just shortened sail to reef 2 and furled away some genoa and Starchaser is certainly showing what she was designed for and even with the current wind and sea state showing that the next 4-5 days to Madeira will be an adventure. Mark |
|
|
Log 8 - Friday 24 October 22:00 UTC |
|
Bayona - Position: 43:01.9’N 009:47.1’W As predicted a bottle of 2007 Pouilly Fume was cracked open on arrival in Bayona at 03.00am this morning. Matt was in considerable pain and showing signs of difficulty breathing. We awoke to a beautiful day, so relieved to feel the sun on our faces and blue skies. A much needed hot shower in Bayona was followed by Matt going to the doctors for an examination. Further tests confirmed that his pains were due to a kidney problem and not back pain and he was told he must stay in hospital overnight. Still he did have the dubious pleasure of being attended to not only by a beautiful nurse but apparently a beautiful doctor too! |
|
Local delicacies !
|
|
|
The rest of the crew had an interesting lunch in Bayona and this was followed by a trip to Vigo to see Matt and then on to a visit to a winery in Rias Baixas which was stunning. |
|
Demetri doing what he loves best....chosing wine!
|
|
|
I returned with 12 bottles of wine for the boat. What a hard life.... Demetri |
|
|
Log 7 - Thursday 23 October 22:00 UTC |
|
54nm to go to Bayona - Position: 43:01.9’N 009:47.1’W |
|
|
Earlier winds in the day caused the hearts to stir and the stay sail was duly hoisted. We reached 11 Kn with Matt at the helm and made up good time and passage. Pods of dolphins once again played with us off the port and starboard bows, until they were bored with our company, and duly disappeared quietly from whence they came. The competition is on for the best dolphin photograph - to be posted. |
Curious Dolphin !
|
|
|
|
But once again the winds died on us and we were obliged to motor-sail. The day concluded with my pasta carbonara, which appeared to go down well, and more importantly stay down! Unusually good visibility off Cap Finistere before sunset and all aboard looking forward to arriving in Bayona at approximately 03.00am, which will no doubt be celebrated by a bottle of wine on deck! Demetri |
|
|
Log 6 - Tuesday 21 October |
|
215nm to go to Bayona - Position: 45:39.6N 007:40.7W Amazing champagne sailing conditions in the morning with boat speed in the 8-10knots range, unfortunately died off by lunch time which leads to the call of engine on. However all wasn’t doom and gloom at all today. Good warmth from the sun and the occasional dolphin or two plus a couple of whales decided to come and say hello - just as we speak I’ve done my typical touristy bit on the bow where a pod of 7 dolphins are playing with the bow wave - awesome! |
|
  |
|
|
Well currently motor sailing with 3.5knots true wind speed puts us at Finistere in approximately 23 hours. I think on behalf of everyone it will be nice to have that call for a course change once rounded the cape. Mark |
|
|
Log 5 - Tuesday 21 October |
|
Position: 47:45.9N 005:32.3W Great start to crossing the Bay of Biscay. As we left Camaret behind, the clouds were lifting, the sun shining and the wind already veered to the North West; we hoisted the mainsail with no reefs, unfurled the headsail and ‘Starchaser’ stretched her legs and dug her port rail in as we sailed westward close hauled (for the non sailors under us: as close to the wind as you can get on a sailboat) on a Starboard tack. As we all looked back to France each crew member had their own thoughts of loved ones left behind at home, the passage to come and the adventures to follow. The last mobile phone calls were made to those loved ones & partners, friends and family and as we rounded the West Cardinal mark at the extreme western end of the Chaussee De Sein, coming off the wind a further 20 degrees, we freed the sails and watched seaward into the Atlantic 3m swells and beyond. Accompanied for most of the day by a seagull on the wing and a French warship we move now into the Bay of Biscay proper, the watch system is in full flow, dinner is in the oven and the watch are keeping an eye to weather. Bring on the Stars and Dolphins for company as we sail through the night headed for Spain cruising at 7kts. |
|
Matt kicking back
|
|
|
Log 4 - Monday 20 October |
|
420nm to go to Bayona - Position: N48.17 W004.35 What a great day in Camaret. After a healthy breakfast, the crew jumped into action and cleaned Starchaser throughout leaving her spotless and shining. It was then a quick call to the local engineer who in a jiffy had the engine purring into life after re-bleeding the fuel system and changing a fuel filter. The rest of the day was spent visiting the different boutiques, shops, cafes and bars in town. In the afternoon it was football and beach games for some of the crew, croissants and coffee for others. |
|
A Happy Crew enjoying Camaret
|
|
|
This evening we got treated to a great night of fantastic food and wine (again! we ARE living the high life!) and after dinner we all settled down to watch 'Swordfish' on DVD on the widescreen TV. Having looked at the weather we appear to be set for departure tomorrow with a following wind 20-25kts from the North West, bring on the surfing and Bayona here we come! |
|
Log 3 - Sunday 19 October 20:40UTC |
|
420nm to go to Bayona - Position: N48.17 W004.35 Thank you Camaret sur Mer for receiving us in our hour of need. Entry to Chanel du Four was sweet and without complication, under a bright and benevolent moon, despite incomprehensibly unmarked isolated danger marks (only the French!) and an engine which sighed and fell into a well-earned sleep just one metre from the pontoon. Once ashore the crew, apart from our sleeping beauty, decided it was time for Champagne. Others, who shall remain nameless, decided that 03.00am on a cold, windy and deserted pontoon was time for a further two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and 40 fags. You know who you are. |
|
Little Birdie tagging along
|
|
|
A wise decision to pull in and one we all hope will prove to be a Godsend and send us surfing down to Bayona with a Broad reach all the way. Tomorrow sees lots of action in the engine room again. Fingers crossed. |
|
|
Log 2 - Sunday 19 October 20:40UTC |
|
420nm to go to Bayona - Position: N48.17 W004.35 After arriving in port at 0210 (with the engine then quickly deciding to catch a typical British cold and giving up) following the decision to wait out the coming bad weather, a day of attempting surgery on the engine by Boogie, Nick and Matt has proved to be inconclusive. Cleaning and a lot of fingers crossed were done by the rest of the crew, so Demetri’s take on a risotto was well worth the wait and it certainly hit all the right spots. Especially followed by an evening of wine and cheese - oh the hardship of pulling into France. The forecast seems to be correct and it looks tomorrow is one of those days where one is to be glad not being stranded in the middle of Biscay - although for Nick and Boogie a morning run is on the menu - probably passing one or two patisseries. Mark |
|
|
Sunday 19 October |
|
Star Chaser and her crew are safe and sound in Camaret sur Mer, on the south coast of Brittany, waiting out the weather. Meanwhile, we are waiting for the fun stories from the French shores! It’s always much easier to write when you are not distracted by beautiful French girls (or boys), fantastic French food or even better French wine! |
|
Log 1 - Saturday 18 October - 15:15 UTC |
|
458nm to go to Bayona - Position: N49.08 W004.15 Well here we go, back on the water! Had a calm night using the engine a lot, everybody is trying to get used to the life onboard. We are still looking for the sea legs, we are sure we packed them before we left but nobody seems to have found them back yet. |
|
Here We Go !
|
|
|
Star Chaser is settling in fine, making a lot of noises while shaking of all the dust from the yard. After using a bit of lube she is much happier now. The weather looks good at this moment, we try to make the corner of Ushuant late tonight before the winds pick up and make the turn more exciting than necessary. Spirits are high and all are looking forward to the meal Nick is making at the moment, chicken curry I believe. No fishing yet, we wait till we are well in the Bay to try to catch those allusive tuna. That’s it for now, form Star Chaser and her crew a good evening (curry, curry, curry) Boogie |
|