Sailing News

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 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

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

In the final blog for this trip crew member, Ian, give us his reflections on an epic adventure of storming seas, champagne down-wind sailing and friends forged through teamwork. Deep Sea Challenge, reflections upon the voyage   Those familiar with the Hollywood film the Wizard of Oz will know that it can be enjoyed at… Read more

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

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 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

With a storm to ride out, the crew weren’t able to keep sending in a blog each day. So, we’ve collated the skipper’s daily logs into one blog to give an idea of what it’s like to be in a storm. Bracing for the Storm – Day 3 Skipper’s Log Date : 02/11/19 Time :… Read more

A magical dolphins sighting greets the crew of Challenger 2 this morning, before some cheeky stowaways are spotted. Cheeky Birds & Magical Dolphins For a long time this morning was had shoals of dolphins swimming alongside and jumping out of the water, truly magical scenes and now memories that will never be forgotten. We are… Read more