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Day 10: A Tattered Mainsail and Land Ahoy (Almost!)

A lazy morning

We had a lazy morning, or as lazy as it gets on board! We had more porridge, which seems to be everyone’s favourite breakfast. Apart from bacon sandwiches, of course!

The twisted spinnaker

We had nice smooth sailing until the wind dropped to almost nothing! We decided to put the spinnaker up. But as we hoisted it, we realised it hadn’t been packed properly and was all twisted. We couldn’t untwist it while it was flying, so we dropped it and took it below to untangle and repack.

On the second try, all went well, and James finally saw a successful spinnaker hoist!

Our poor mainsail

The mainsail is hanging on for dear life at the moment. It got a small rip when we dropped it in the Bay of Biscay, and Dad and Derek repaired it. Unfortunately the repairs seem to have made it worse. The repair tape came off and tore a strip right across the whole sail!

That strip is now flapping all over the place. It’s too high up to fix, but it isn’t slowing us down. Derek says that once we reach Gran Canaria, the sail will have to be binned and replaced with a new one.

Hot, hot, hot!

It was hot today, so there were lots of naps, and we made 30 more litres of water with the watermaker.

The wind picked up at about 12:30pm, so we dropped the spinnaker and packed it away again. I was so tired that I slept right through lunch. I even slept through Rich poking me to ask where the pasta was. Clearly being chef has some downsides!

We had a lovely afternoon in the sunshine, motor sailing along and doing Rich’s Atlantic quiz and my crosswords. Either the crosswords are really easy, or we’re all just super clever!

A classic boat dinner

George gave me a night off cooking and made an absolute classic boat dinner: pasta, beans and cheese, with added sweetcorn and chorizo. The sunset was fairly decent, if a bit cloudy again. Because it’s been so hot, we made another 30 litres of water while the engine was on.

Dreaming of showers and cocktails

We’re expecting to arrive tomorrow, so there’s lots of longing talk about showers and cocktails tomorrow night! I cannot wait to have a shower and wash my hair!!

Nearly there!

The night shifts started well, and we even got up to about 8 knots, so we turned the engine off. We did some cruise-ship spotting and tried to spot land. When I went to bed at 4am, though, Lanzarote was still about 30 miles away.

Day 9: African Sunshine and a Dramatic Night

Cruising along

I was up again at 8am to drop the genoa and eat more porridge. With just the mainsail up, we cruised along nicely at 8 knots for most of the day.

We all sat out in the heat of the African sunshine and played a fun geography game Rich brought with him. Mark is far too good at these games, and he won even while he was steering! People popped in and out all day for naps.

Meatball pasta on the move

In the evening the wind picked up, so we put the genoa back up. The sea state turned against us, with waves hitting us from the side. That made cooking meatball pasta from scratch very difficult! Mark had to hold me up while I dished it up. The washing up afterwards was even harder!

All hands on deck

The night shifts started well until the wind got too strong for the amount of sail we had up. With 22 knots of wind, we had to wake everyone to get the genoa down because we were close to broaching. That’s when the wind and waves push the boat over and spin it sideways, out of control.

It was very dramatic! Thanks to our foredeck trio of Mark, George and Rich, we got the sail down with no problems.

A quieter night

Everyone went back to bed, but nobody got much sleep. The rest of the night shifts were less lively but much easier than earlier, and everything went smoothly until morning.

Day 8: Orcas, Birthday Breakfast and the Great Squid Invasion

Spinnaker up, spinnaker… wait

I was back up at 8am to put the spinnaker up again. It lasted all of 30 seconds before we decided there wasn’t enough wind. Then, 30 seconds later, the wind filled in!

Orcas!

Things got very serious for a while when we spotted 2 orcas! It was all hands on deck, with flares and sand at the ready in case they decided it was playtime. Thankfully they left us alone.

Rich’s birthday breakfast 🎂

Once the excitement was over, it was finally time for breakfast. We had porridge pots all round, and Rich got a special birthday sausage sandwich! We sang Happy Birthday and gave him a card we’d all signed. He might even have shed a tear!

The battle for the foredeck

In the end there still wasn’t enough wind, so we dropped the spinnaker. Yesterday someone said the foredeck man is the one all the girls go for. So George and Rich had a fight over who got to fire the spinnaker!

George won in the end, because Rich did it yesterday and didn’t stop talking about it all day!

With the spinnaker down, Mark and Rich went for a sleep, and we put the engine on to try to go faster than 4 knots!

Making our own water

We’d used up all our water, so we finally switched on the watermaker, which turns seawater into drinking water. Everyone tried some. It was a bit weird and really did just taste… wet. I think we’re all grateful for the plentiful supply of mini squash bottles below deck!

Everyone was tired today, so people made the most of their time off watch with lots of naps.

Bigger spinnaker, same problem

The wind still wasn’t cooperating, so it was all hands on deck to put up an even bigger spinnaker! I started cooking the last fresh dinner Sandra made for us. I had to abandon it to help take the spinnaker down before it got dark.

We finally had the beef goulash for dinner, and everyone loved it! There was no sunset again tonight because it was far too cloudy and looked like rain.

The squid invasion 🦑

The night shifts started fairly quietly, with flukey wind as usual. Then at 3am a big gust pushed some water into the cockpit.

Suddenly something wet fell into my lap, seemingly from the sky! I thought I’d just been splashed by a wave. When I reached down to check, I found something slimy on my leg!!!

I thought it was seaweed. But when I shone my torch on it, a tentacle reached out onto the deck!! I scrambled away and realised I had a squid on my leg!!

I eventually got it off my leg and onto the deck. But when I tried to put it back in the sea, it grabbed hold of the genoa sheet! I had to dangle it over the side to send it back home!!

It took a while to recover from the excitement of the squid invasion!!

Day 7: A Lie-In, Fuel Talk and Dolphins by Night

The best sleep yet

No one woke me up today!! It was fab! I got 6 hours of sleep in one go, which has been unheard of on this trip!

With no wind and a very calm sea, we had a nice slow morning, with porridge pots for breakfast again. I gave the fridge and cool box a full deep clean and made a bean curry for James to last him the next few days.

Books, sunshine and an empty chocolate box

Everyone made the most of the sunshine again, sitting on deck sunbathing and chatting away. The coleslaw was still going strong at lunch (if a bit watery – whoopsie!), and once again the chocolate box is empty. Please see the video of Rich stacking chocolate on himself!

It was a very peaceful day, and lots of us finally started the books we’d brought with us.

To refuel or not to refuel?

It may have been peaceful on deck, but there was little to no wind for a long time today, so we did a lot of motoring. That started a big discussion: do we stop to refuel, or trust the forecast and hope the trade winds pick up soon?

If we don’t stop, we get to avoid “Orca Alley” (the stretch off Spain and Portugal where orcas have been known to take an interest in yachts’ rudders). We could also reach Gran Canaria by Wednesday at the earliest!

It takes three men to cook rice

I was so tired after last night’s long shift that George offered to make the curry and rice for dinner. It took him, Mark andDad to manage rice and poppadoms, ahah!

We watched another beautiful sunset, but sadly still no green flash. There’s always tomorrow!

Trapped below deck

When I went below to brush my teeth before bed, I got stuck! George, Dad and Derek were storing the empty fuel cans, and to do that they had taken the steps out and pulled the floor up!

The night the instruments went dark

I was back up at midnight. George told me Mark and Rich were both in very good moods, so I held them to that! We had another 2-hour night shift of riveting conversation about all the random people they know.

Robbo and James took over at 2am, and everything was going smoothly until suddenly all the instruments went off! For about 10 minutes I was steering us using the compass on my phone. Then Derek came to the rescue, and we realised the instruments were still on, just not lit up properly!

More dolphins

We had more dolphins following us tonight. I don’t think seeing wild dolphins will ever get old! 🐬

 

Day 6: Sunshine, Shepherd’s Pie and a Chipped Tooth

Cereal and sunshine

I was woken at 8am. Sadly there were no bacon sandwiches this morning, so we broke into the cereal supply. After the last few days, the bright sunshine and heat were very welcome! Everyone was wearing far too many clothes, and the layers came off very quickly.

The sail that didn’t fly

We got the whisker pole up and tried to fly the genoa (a big front sail, held out by the pole). Sadly there wasn’t enough wind, so after 30 minutes of putting it all up, we had to take it back down again!

Dad also managed to rip a massive hole down his waterproof trousers, so out came the sail repair kit once more, this time to try to fix them.

A proper sunbathing day

Everyone spent the whole day sunbathing, and I even got to read my Kindle! Spirits were really high and everyone seemed very happy. It was so calm that I made a coleslaw sitting on the back of the boat!

Shepherd’s pie and hot sauce

We had a very nice shepherd’s pie for dinner, and I even converted George into liking it, even though he’d said earlier that he didn’t! The boys tried some of Rich’s extreme hot sauce on their dinner. Dad and George were definitely not crying over the heat… ahaha!

Before the night shifts started, Derek and James did some major repairs on Jib 4.

Chasing the green flash

George and I tried to watch the sunset and spot the famous green flash (a rare green flicker just as the sun dips below the horizon). There were too many clouds to see it, but it was still an incredible sunset.

A long night

Robbo got a bit too much sun today and wasn’t feeling his best, so he went below and immediately drank about 5 litres of electrolytes. He may have regretted that later in the night!

With Robbo down for the night, the rest of us did longer night shifts. Rich was very chipper and kept the riveting conversation about giraffes and homemade jam going. That may be because 90% of his body has turned to chocolate since I restocked the chocolate box!

After a few gybes (turning the back of the boat through the wind), some on purpose and some not, I finally got to bed at 5am!

The Mars bar incident

At 5:30am, George was tucking into a cheeky pre-bed Mars bar and chipped off half his front tooth! Rich gave a great dramatic retelling of the whole thing. We then found out that, after losing half his tooth, George offered Rich the same Mars bar (minus the tooth)!

Day 5: Sail Repairs, Flying Goulash and a Missing Door

Fixing the mainsail

The day started with a job to do. We found a tear in the mainsail, so out came the repair kit. The fix seems to have worked! The mainsail is finally back up, and we can see the instruments on the mast again.

The great goulash disaster

We were still heeled over (leaning) quite a lot. After not eating much yesterday, we decided a hot lunch was in order, so I got the goulash out and put it on top of the cool box. I bent down to grab a loose tomato off the floor, and one big wave came over and… splat! Goulash all over the floor!

I rescued what I could, cooked it, and nobody complained or mentioned anything in there that shouldn’t be. I was also shocked by how good Smash tastes out here! The afternoon was lovely, with everyone up on deck eating their way through the chocolate box.

Bathroom door: 0, Atlantic: 1

The rough last few days have been too much for the toilet door. The hinges snapped, and we no longer have a bathroom door! We tried to fix it, but the half that’s left is now strapped to the wall to stop it banging.

I now have to announce to everyone when I’m in there, because there have been a few close calls with people thinking it was free. I may have to start singing…

The mystery of the missing items

Lots of things have gone missing over the last few days, and a suspicious number of them seem to end up with Dad. Mark’s socks and my Vaseline, to name just two!

Stars at night

At 8pm the rain started, just in time for me to head below to bed. George has a new way of waking me for my watch on deck: he grabs my feet! A bit strange, but it works!

The night sailing was lovely. The sky was full of stars, and we even saw some shooting stars. I’ve had lots of practice at the helm and I think I’m getting the hang of it.

It’s smooth sailing – literally! ⛵

Day 4: The sun comes out

At last, the sun is out! The seas have calmed down, and after another round of bacon sandwiches a few of the crew had naps on deck this morning.

Everyone is tired, but they’re in good spirits and running happily on snacks and jokes.

Day 3: Crossing the Bay of Biscay

The day started with bacon sandwiches, always a good sign. Things went downhill for poor Robbo, though, when about half the Bay of Biscay ended up on his bed. Mark seems to be making a habit of getting sea water on people’s bunks!

The waves were pretty big, and a few of the crew felt seasick, but everyone is okay and they’re taking turns to nap. It was too rough to cook dinner, so they had chocolate and sausage rolls instead. Proper sailing food!

It was a rough night, but nothing they couldn’t handle. Mark and James took the lead at the helm (steering the boat).

Day 2 (later): Dolphins and the case of the missing pants

What a day! Loads of dolphins kept the crew company all day, and at one point they seemed to be following the boat. There was finally enough wind to turn the engine off and sail properly.

In other news, Rich found his pants 11 hours after losing them. It turns out they weren’t lost at all: Andy and George had hidden them.

The snacks are going down a treat, and there’s been a lot of heated debate about which crisp flavour is the best. The jury is still out.

The rain arrived at about 5pm, but a hot lasagne cheered everyone up. At around 9pm the mainsail came down for the night.

Day 2: Sunrise at Sea and the First Message from On Board

The first message straight from the boat! Thanks to Starlink (satellite internet), we’ve had our first WhatsApp from on board, and the news is all good.

A great first night

The crew got through their first night at sea and everything is going well. Dinner last night went down a treat, and they were treated to a beautiful sunrise this morning.

Breakfast was about to be served when the message came in, so we can only assume those promised bacon rolls are now being enjoyed!

Motor sailing for now

At the moment Incisor is motor sailing: the sails are up, and the engine is running to give a little extra push while the wind is light. The breeze is building, though, so the engine should be off soon and they’ll be back to proper sailing.

More updates soon!

Every thing is good so far… Great sunrise. ⛵