Sailing News
All the latest news from the world of sailing and stories from experienced sailors.
A week in…. It’s exactly a week after the start that I write this, so we have been out of sight of land for a whole week. For horny sea-dogs that may not be much, but for most of the crew of Challenger 2 it’s pretty significant, especially since have perhaps ten more days before… Read more
Fig Rolls and Thoughts on Thanks Giving – A First Class Sailing Blog
Will today be Tuna day? With the continued light winds and clear nights full of stars (and a great view of the sweep of the Milky Way) our thoughts turn to food and fishing. Jason’s Dorado lure worked as advertised, we hope the Tuna lure will be just as good – sushi for lunch? The… Read more
ARC 2019 – Day 5 – Dorado fishing quotas not yet breached
Thursday 28th November – Day 5 – Hook, line and sinker Just coming off the night watch and reflecting on the journey so far and the last 24 hours. It has been great to get to know the rest of the crew and share stories about our lives and to get a sense of why we… Read more
Wednesday 27th, Day 4, Challenger 2 in quiet waters
We’ve just received word back from our boat Challenger 2 currently crossing the Atlantic in the ARC Rally 2019 and you can read all about the progress and some of the more information on the day to day running of the boat. Mates Blog After a fast and rolly blast south from the Canary… Read more
Tues 26th, Day 3 – “We’ve looked at clouds from both sides now”
Music and stars in the Atlantic Night two on the Challenger. This got me thinking about that line from a Joni Mitchell song “but clouds got in my way.” As these finally cleared, we could see the full extent of the universe unhampered by any light pollution. On my next turn at the helm I… Read more
ARC Rally Day 2 – Dancing Torpedoes
ARC Rally 2019 Monday 25th – the crew on board Challenger 2 are now well underway. Here’s an account of the first 24 hours from crew member Gary. To blow or not to blow out the spinnaker We just finished our first 24 hours of the ARC Rally, completing 195 nautical miles on a single… Read more
ARC 2019 – Challenger 2 off to a flying start from the Canaries
A day into the ARC 2019 and all is well. Challenger 2 got off to a flying start and everyone has settled in well. Below we have a pre-race word from crew member Becs and our first message back from skipper Ricky and 1st mate Kirstie. We hope to get a blog from the crew… Read more
The Day The Hurricane Came
Hurricane Pablo started off as an innocuous looking low pressure system on 23 October that no one was paying much attention to. As this system began to develop, our annual voyage from Portsmouth to the Canaries was looking to cross the Bay of Biscay. The plan was to cross ahead of the incoming system, but as… Read more
Gates of Hercules: Day 8-9 Biscay ’19
Passing through the Gates of Hercules From ancient mythology through to the Romans (perhaps even later) the Gates of Hercules held a special place in the folklore of seafarers. They were the place beyond which unknown hazards lay and monsters awaited. Today we passed outside rather than through the Gates, which we now know as… Read more
Champagne Sailing: Day 6-7 Biscay ’19
Champagne sailing Many sailors would probably say their very best experience on the water is sailing fast, downwind, with the headsail poled out surfing down the waves, in bright sunshine. Without doubt a fair definition of champagne sailing. Today, after more than a week of hard sailing, with the wind on our nose, past France,… Read more
