Sailing News

Finally at Sea This is the first blog to arrive from Challenger 3 and is written by Deckhand Ralph Goodchild and Skipper Ricky Chalmers And We’re Off! At last… some of us had been in Las Palmas for 10 days or more (not to mention those among the crew who delivered the boat), and the… Read more

Meet the FCS Crew – Helena Sandberg A Swedish sailor is one of the FCS crew participating in the ARC Rally, the renowned two-week transatlantic yacht race. Originally from Tidaholm in Sweden, Helena Sandberg, 32, is now living in central London and was tempted to compete in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) by the… Read more

It’s a race and it’s about to begin! ARC 2016 excitement is building for both the crew and those of us willing them on from home or work. You can following every move of Challenger 3 and her main competitors Challenger 2 and Challenger 4 using this tracking device. All yachts in the ARC Rally… Read more

Here is the first in a regular series of blogs from the crew of Challenger 3 as they race in ARC Rally 2016 Friday 18th November The pontoons of Las Palmas Marina have been a hive of activity this week as crews rush around to complete the final boat preparations before venturing across the Atlantic… Read more

Sunday Tack on the Solent The crew joined Challenger 3’s sister ship, Challenger 1 on a cold and windy Saturday morning in Portsmouth for a weekend of boat familiarisation, big boat training and most importantly spinnaker training. Before the big sail could be used it needed to be “wooled”. This is a laborious process of… Read more

The 2016 ARC Rally, a hugely social yet really quite competitive sailing race, is fast approaching with the training weekend kicking off on the 5th November. This year we’re entering, giving 12 people the opportunity to crew in this renowned race (we’ve got one place remaining if you are interested!). Established in 1986 as a… Read more

Sunday 6th December Race Day 14 The last day in the Atlantic Another fine sunrise in paradise, revealing a beautiful blue sky, and already warm at 0830 so going to be hot, hot, hot! Despite the reality of not being able to catch challenger 1, the Challenger 3 crew are still very focused on making… Read more

Saturday 5th December Race Day 13 It was another hot and humid day out in the Atlantic, that started with freshly baked bread and an amazing fruit salad….but our supply of fresh fruit and veg is now nearly depleted. Spirits however are still high and there has been a change in mood as everyone is… Read more

Friday 4th December The day started with some strong winds that would continue to grow throughout the day. Much to Kirsty’s dismay, a top speed challenge was introduced just as she headed below deck for her day, alongside Jerry, on Mother Watch. Mark set the bar within the Starboard Watch, to be trumped first by… Read more