ARC 2019 – Day 7 – “These timeless surging seas – the lure of restless men”

Musings from Challenger

We’ve had a bit more wind today and are still sailing with the Genoa and Mainsail.  Having made our way broadly South, gybing downwind away from the Canaries (for the first 4 days). Our course is now c265 degrees almost directly towards St Lucia.  As we move West we will move further away from the African coast (W Sahara) and beyond the Cape Verde islands to our south.  Weather is warm and the winds are light with a chilly edge out of the sun as they are from the NE.  Enjoying so many things about the trip, new skills , getting the basics of celestial navigation,  the boat banter, our one man comedy club (Mike) who is owner, promoter, stand up and doorman!

Sailing is great in the sunshine with gentle rolling seas, its hard to remember it is the end of November.  I’ve been lucky and not been hit but any sea sickness (phew!) and could have murdered a beer after my first Mother watch!  I hope the forecast holds true and the wind picks up in the next few days so we can pick up some more speed.

… Just awake for the 1 -3 watch – the best for star and moon gazing.  Tomorrow will be a 26 hour day on board as we correct our boat time as we move West.  Love to all at home, missing you all but loving this adventure as it starts to unfold. X x x

Paul

“These timeless surging seas – the lure of restless men “

26 hours a day

Yesterday I stood at the very front of our vessel, holding on to the forestay and looking forward at 2000 miles of open ocean. The sun was out and the warm breeze was pulling hard as we surged through the rolling waves. The rush and roar of the water passing under us added to my feelings of immense privilege and elation as I flew god-like over the intense blue sea.

Just 8 metres behind me was a cockpit full of new friends who were playing music, chatting and making endless rounds of tea and squash. Despite the total lack of alcohol conversation never seems to dry up and we have relaxed in each other’s company sufficiently for the British sense of wry humour and irony to come out.  One member of the crew observed that putting sun-cream on a male colleagues back reminded him of “greasing a bull at the Great Yorkshire Show”.

Not a single person has expressed any regret about being away from the news, internet, amazon and politics. If you do want quiet then the convention is to go on the foredeck or sit in the sail locker.

I cannot speak too highly of the skipper, mate and watch leaders Ricky, Kirstie, Baz and Chris are excellent.

I suspect you will have gathered I am having the time of my life. My only sadness is that my family are not here with me. I miss them greatly and cannot wait to give them a hug.

I am stopping now as I am on mother watch and have some heads to clean.

Love, Martyn

A dim and distant memory of the start of the race

CF540 ARC 2019 CH2 Daily Report 2019-11-30

Date : 30 November 2019
Time : 12:00 GMT (12am Boat Time)
Position : 21.20 N 24.54 W
Position : Off the Cape Verde Abyssal Plain
Destination : Rodney Bay, St Lucia
ETA : 0200 Dec 14 (GPS)
DTF : 2105 Distance Run 805
24 Hour Run : 139 DMG in 24 Hours : 138
Required Knots for 15 Dec : 5.8, Arrival at 8 Knots : 10 Dec
Wind : AWA : 130 AWS : 10
Sailplan : Full Main, Genoa
POB : 14, all in good health and happy
Fuel : 3 full, 1 in use
Water : 2 full, 1 in use, 1 filling – Watermaker working at about 18L/Hr
Gas : 3 full, 1 in use, 1 Empty
Today on Challenger 2 :
Breakfast : Pancakes Lunch : Salad Buffet, Dinner : Chili
Music : None at the moment
Fishing Score : 27/11 1x Large Dorado
Notes and comments:

Skippers Log

All good on deck. We had our first mini squall, nothing much in the way of wind, but a sprinkling of rain at midnight to make the crew scramble got wet weather gear before returning to the deck with the cloud passed and the rain gone.

We are doing a two hour clock change today which is confusing the lunch schedule a bit. Recycle bins are full so there is a bit of a noisy tidy up going on in the sail locker to ensure that cans are with cans and bottles with bottles before the bags are marked up and stowed in the Laz.

Forecast look great for the coming week, some yee-hah sailing coming up at last…

Skipper

Posted by: First Class Sailing