20/01 @ 2010 18'22’84"N 038'00'69"W

First of all, Jacob and Joe would like to apologise for the delay in our blog posting. Anyway, lets get back into it shall we?

In day-to-day life, we live under the misconception that we are in control. An experience like this, in true Scooby-Doo fashion, the mask is taken off the illusion. Over 3000 miles, three years of planning, all led to three boats. Three boats next to each other in the same marina. Three boats that ended up in the middle of the Atlantic involved in a rescue mission. Everything happens in threes. This just reveals that indeed, we are not the one at the helm, steering our own vessel on a voyage of discovery.

Its been over 24hrs now since we did a 180 and powered on to the help of Brainstorm. Our new crew members, Michiel and Hein[z] – pure comedy that – have well and truly settled in their new vessel. Since they’ve joined, which in reality is a mare few hours, they’ve already caught a fish. So good they named it twice a, Mahi Mahi, has now become our meal for tomorrow night. All this is something Joe never achieved in 11 days of being onboard!

Now well and truly past the half-way point, we are dealing with variable conditions, but this isn’t stopping us making good head way for Rodney Bay. ‘Being half-way through one journey, is the beginning of another. You just don’t realise it.’
J.W. Burnip

Still up in the top 10 closest to St Lucia and first in our class, we will continue to power through this vast ocean as well as any challenges that come our way. ‘Like any good movie, you will have your montage moment. Just be ready for the cameras to roll.’
J.A. Line

Now with the dark sky above us, the clouds covering our starry night, we set our sails and hope that our poltergeist companion doesn’t reek any more havoc on our potatoes.

Jacob and Joe

p.s. Tonight we thought we’d give you two blogs, the second one which we wrote on the 18^th but didn’t get chance to post. So now you can have double the enjoyment!

18/01 @ 1330 18'49’14"N 034'11'81"W

Today collectively we thought we’d start our blog off with a bit of a Q&A session because, you wouldn’t believe it even if it walked up and slapped you straight across the boat race, we’ve had some emails.

Q: How long do you think the journey will take?
     What challenges do you face, day to day?
     Would you take your young family on a world tour?
Fergus, thank you being the first to drop us an email! In answer to your first question, we directed this to Jacob…
If you mean from the Canaries to the Caribbean, we are aiming for just under three weeks. But if you’re talking about the journey that takes a lifetime.
With regards to the day to day, Robin took this one up…
Maintain sanity would be number one. Trying to get a good kip occasionally. Keeping the fluids up. And failing to provide a reasonably profound quote for the days blog.
And lastly, we asked our Skip his thoughts on taking a young family around the world…
Absolutely, it’s a fantastic experience! Do the trade winds. Maybe go with a rally and do your research.

Q: How are you filling your time when not on watch?
     How many steps are you doing on average?
     What are you missing most about home?
     What’s the first thing you will do when you get to St Lucia?
These questions came in from the one and only Katie Line. We put your first question to Joe…
We’ve been lucky to get a lot of downtime. I’ve personally been using it get some good rest, read books, watch some movies, playing some games on my phone and getting creative with the blog. Chris on the other hand doesn’t feel like he’s getting that much down time. With constant focus on weather forecasts he’s always working to try and get to St Lucia sooner rather than later to meet his one and only.
With regards to the step count. Chris…
I’m still managing to get about two and a half thousand a day in.
Jacob said…
Honestly, the gym. Luckily, the first few days I was a bit sick which kept me lean and working those abs but since our cuisine has been to the highest standard, I have become a bit pudgy.
With regards to what is to be done first in St Lucia Robin will be doing…
The first thing I’ll do is put some fenders out, then attach a line to a cleat on the dock, sprint to the nearest bar ignoring the cries for help and down a jug of dark and stormy.

But now the time has come to get serious. No more comradery. As once said by a young Liverpool diehard, ‘I don’t do ifs, buts or maybes, I do absolutes. Like if your aunt had balls she’d be your uncle, but she doesn’t, so she’s not.’ Today we will cross the halfway point. Leaving us 1500nm to go. Its taken us 10 days to get this far and what an unforgettable 10 days it has been. We’ve seen some incredible sunrises and sets, had a lot of laughs, been surrounded stars and even had the company of a yellow fin tuna and dolphins. If all of this has happened in the past 240 hours, whats still to come?

From our first blog post to where it is at now, you’d think that Jacob and Joe have gone a bit mentally insane, but you’d be the insane ones for thinking that! The blog has become an extension of us all, a way to express as a crew, its own entity, its own living thing. Like us as we progress on this journey across an ocean, it too will also progress and take on new meaning and forms. As the great wordsmith Robin Sheldon once said to the masses, ‘Live everyday as your last because one day you’re bound to get it right.’
J.A. Line

This experience has become something we shall never forget but give us all, especially Chris, Jacob and Joe, the lust to keep sailing and take on the other great ocean of this vast world. The Pacific. Whether this would be apart of another World Cruising Club rally or as a self voyage, this question is still yet to be answered.

We really hope you’re enjoying our blog because it gives myself and Jacob a real sense of joy writing our crew shenanigans and allowing you to come on this journey with us.