We are now fully crewed and almost ready to go.  We await a rigging component which we hope is coming over from Tenerife tomorrow, and if all goes well we will be sailing soon.   The weather reports are slightly daunting, with ENE trade wind of around 20-30 knots and wave height of 3-4m.  Current indications are that the weather pattern will not change for a while, so our departure is not weather dependent and once we get going we should whizz along  in just the right direction, with a lot of up and down stuff as well, too much wind for our spinnakers. 

 

The crew is Glenn (skipper and owner), Mark and Theresa who are pro sailors, and have sailed on this boat before –  about 20 years ago, in the BVI , also Ben Scott who was on the passage down from Gibraltar, and Ben Dowson a new addition to our crew, plus your scribe Gregor.  A photo will follow when the crew comb their hair and look at the birdie.

 

I do have some pics.   A classic yacht race started earlier this week in Arrecife.  10 boats are racing over to Martinique.   Here is one of them, the Wm. Fife gaff-rigged schooner Altair with one of larger ensigns in the business:

 

 

And here is another nice boat, the crew having got their crusties in the wash before hitting the road:

 

 

Over the last few days we have been doing the usual boatie stuff, fixing things, cleaning things, buying tuck and booze and finding places to store everything for a voyage of 14-21 days with 6 people.  Very helpfully, Theresa’s dad Harry lives on the island and has been ferrying us around to exotic places like Lidl.

 

We have a new neighbour in the marina, a monster sloop called Ahimsa which is 66m long and has a mast of 83m which we believe is the 2nd highest on the planet.  Usain Bolt could run that in about 7 seconds when horizontal, but this is vertical and so big that it almost needs planning permission.  

 

 

The little boat to port is about our size.   The only way to get the mast in the picture frame is to head for the horizon,  The mast has a red light on the top to warn passing 747s of the hazard to aviation.  At night is has blue underwater floodlights along the hull.  We are distressed that the bulb on one of them has gone.  This gives a very poor impression.

 

A big hello to everybody from all of us.  I will add stuff as and when.  The weather is sunny and warm in the day, and the two Bens and I had a swim in the Atlantic this afternoon.    Those of you in the UK might not feel that we are suffering.

 

Gregor