Sailing News
All the latest news from the world of sailing and stories from experienced sailors.
Only a day away With the crew of Challenger 2 around a day from the finish line today their thoughts are turning to being back on dry land, seeing loved ones and of course sampling some of the local rum! We wish them good luck for the final few miles of an epic trip and… Read more
ARC Rally 2019 – St Lucia here we come!
Tuesday 10 December Becs and I are back on MF watch today, having taken over from the chuckle brothers Jim and Jason. Personally I don’t get why they have a problem with getting up at 5.30 having been sailing half the night to cook a bunch of smelly crewmates breakfast Land ahoy! Sat here about… Read more
Butterflies mid Atlantic – well, just one actually – A First Class Sailing Blog
Whilst watching a pod of fin whales the crew of Challenger 2 were treated to something else, also rather special. N 20.36.88 W035.14.345 We are scooting along at a decent rate of knots and it feels a bit odd to think we are almost half way across the Atlantic. There’s been a lot of chatter… 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
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
Land Ahoy!! The Finish Line Is In Site!
It’s all over, congratulations Challenger 4! They’ve run a good race, managing to beat Challenger 3. Rum punch and firm land await them. They’ve earned it! Monday 10 December Festivities Await After a night of squally clouds, heavy downpours and shifty winds we have made great speed and course towards Rodney Bay, St… Read more
Day 12: “One Squall After Another”
After a squall blows through, Skipper Ricky and Mate Kirstie have their work cut out for them trying to keep Challenger 4 going in a straight line as the squalls blow through and try to take her offline. The crew have to pull together and it’s all hands on deck helping out. Tiring work,… Read more
Day 10: Less Than One Thousand Miles To Go!
2nd Night Watch Interlude A good night for shooting stars around Gemini, and whilst no means a meteor shower, included a fizzing ember that lingered for 2 or 3 heartbeats as it streaked the 20 or so degrees from Canis Minor over to Sirius, the Dog Star in the larger sibling. Jim. … Read more
Day: 9 The Race Is Hotting Up
Monday 3 December Today’s main event was the “half-way party” which was the strangest and most wonderful mid-ocean celebration most of us had ever attended. We are celebrating being slightly more than 1,550 nautical miles into this race, with a “short” 1310 Nm left to run. THAT, ladies and gentlemen of the internet,… Read more
