Start 1315 Saturday 23rd November 2002,Finish 1340 Monday 9th December 2002, - 27 December
Day 1 Our first 24 hours have been pleasant. We left yesterday when the rain cleared and after being issued a severe weather warning! We had our last chocolate fix, a Mars ice cream, which Matt's parent's treated us to. We managed a photo shoot on the foredeck and then all raced to put our oilies on. ARC advised the fleet to pass Fuerta Ventura to starboard but Matt had decided to leave it to port, as we didn't want to start the race heading EAST!!! So, there was us, Londine, Intuition & Nisida who all beat up the coast of Fuerta Ventura. 24 hours on it looks a very good call, as we know there are boats 26 miles behind us. Still not sure about beating upwind. Anthony took Reet Petit upwind for 7 days in ARC 99, lets hope the wind swings around soon. We're averaging over 7.5 knots at the moment and have covered 160 miles - not bad for upwind! Sleeping was an issue, as I had to sleep across our bed with one foot firmly on the sofa to stop myself sliding out! My first watch went well, the wind was kind to me until it died completely and Matt appeared to take down the jib and put the motor on, we motored for just over an hour to find some breeze. With the weather warning we didn't want to sit there we knew we needed to get south. We think we can see the Italians to starboard on the horizon. It's really great to be back out here. Anna, Matt & I saw dolphins last night, so all is well in Discoland.
Day 2 Africa is almost in sight!!! The wind is still westerly and its just taking us further and further south. At least today we have sunshine and I'm in my t-shirt and shorts. Last night was quite wild, it sounded much worse than the 22 knots that the wind reached. All crew seem happy. Anna was a little sick last night but seems recovered now. My dad just sent the weather report. On our current course we look like we'll be here 20 days, which is a little disappointing. Dad says we're in the middle of the fleet, we hope that's today's position otherwise we must be last!!! I think we'd all feel better if we could just find those trade winds! Matt is sleeping during his off watches, which is good, and we all seem to be up most of the afternoon. Matt told me there are Fluffy surprises on my birthday, which has made me really excited. We're doing really well with the tanked water. I can't wait to be back in Antigua and swimming in the beautiful warm sea.
Day 3 YAY, YAY, YAY - we found the trade winds, the spinnaker is up and last night we had the best 'ready brek' dolphins ever for 4 hours. Yesterday afternoon brought mixed winds and gave me a stinking headache, eventually I was sick and that seemed to help, Anna took over dinner and produced a fab Spag Bol. Matt & Karen were the only 2 who managed to clear their plates, which is great as it means I'm getting used to 4 girls & 1 boy portions rather than the 5 boys & 1 girl portion on our trip down to Lanzarote. Bikinis are finally out and this is much more how I remembered last year. The sunrise was hidden again this morning, becoming transfixed to that was all that kept me awake at the end of my watch. I'm thinking I might bake some biscuits today and a rosemary & garlic loaf for lunch. So, the dolphins last night were amazing, it all started with a ship passing us and us having to bear right away to let him through and then Anna said look behind and there were 2 dolphins right there, blowing air, we got Karen up fast, as she is the only crew member not yet to have seen them, the rest of us were already on deck. I don't think any of us have seen so many in great phosphorescence. We clapped so hard that my hands hurt. We made it out of the shipping lanes and are finally heading west. We've now had fresh brownies and cappuccinos with frothy milk and shaker toppings. Tonight I might even cook Fray Bentos pies.
Day 4 Fray Bentos pies were a huge success, although going to bed on a full stomach wasn't quite so good. At 2230 we were woken by Anna repeating Matt's instructions about which halyard to let free, as I peered upward out the hatch, I could see the spinnaker securely wrapped around the forestay. Anna and Matt battled for a good 2 hours but it was quite secure. It made my watch easier with just the mainsail up! As I went to bed a few dolphins appeared but the moon was too bright to give another display like the previous. After 4 hours sleep or attempted sleep with my head under the duvet and pillows. Matt had us all on deck at sunrise and we sent him to the top of the mast with a knife just in case it wasn't going to come free. After some great teamwork it started to move down and within 2 hours it was back up with the number 4 jib acting as a wrap protector. We are now averaging over 9 knots and from today's weather forecast we're in the right place. It's a scorcher and there are bikinis everywhere. Tash and I were chatting last night and she only sailed on Tigris, 45foot classic at St Tropez, which is owed by Brains, Scotty's best friend!!! AND she is in Val D'Isere at Christmas and so is he!!!!!! What a small world the Disco lives in.
Day 5 Managed to shut my head in the freezer again yesterday. I first did it in Gibraltar and it cracked me in the face and I had a huge scab above my lip. This time it was the corner of my forehead, definitely not as painful but still brought a few tears to my eyes and is now quite painful to sleep on. Last night we kept the spinnaker up after dark and hit 11.3 knots, shortly after that, George, our autopilot, switched off, we luckily noticed and had him back on course in seconds. My watch was slow and I was desperate for my bed. We were watching the wind carefully, and then suddenly the guy popped out of the pole. Tash gave Matt a shout; Karen was half ready as she was about to come on watch. Tash, Karen & I went and pulled it down while Anna opened our bedroom hatch to gather it all away, a wild end to the end of my watch. We surfed down the waves all night. Sadly the sunrise was again blocked by clouds. Crew morale is high like the day we left, we're all real happy on Planet Disco. It's great to share this experience with 3 really great girls.
Day 6 We're still out here with our number 4 jib up and put our first reef in about 1700. The weather forecast for tomorrow has just arrived and it looks like the wind should start dying off. I've just had the best sleep of the trip so far, which was long overdue. I had a great watch last night and went to bed feeling like I'd really achieved something. Spoke with my dad last night, he was very excited to tell us what a great run we'd had the previous 24 hours and we were now 10th, with Intuition 9th and they are only 33 miles closer to Antigua than us. Our aim is to stay in the top 10. Matt did a phone interview with Jeremy from World Cruising for their website yesterday and today when they spoke, Jeremy said he'd had 3 responses to his interview all wanting pictures of the girls in bikinis!!! We haven't seen that many flying fish so far - touch wood, we've had the pleasure of dolphins instead. Two days until my birthday, I think Anna is more excited than me and she doesn't know about that huge bar of Dairy Milk under my bed!!! On watch now, better go sit near George to keep him awake!
Day 7 206 miles covered in the last 24 hours, our biggest day yet. Intuition were 3 miles ahead yesterday, we're hoping we're well past them now. Its blowing between 20 & 30 knots and the swell is large. Flying fish seem to be appearing through every wave. I wonder when they'll start inviting themselves onboard! Last night's watch was interesting as Anna and I hit 11.2 knots and the wind starting rising over 30, then George had one of his strops and turned off, luckily without any problems. Matt got up at 0330 to put the second reef in; we still seem to be averaging 8 knots now. Crew morale is still high, although we are all a little tired as its just so noisy downstairs. Have decided on Spag Bol as my birthday dinner, another birthday at sea, I hope this time we're missing the sickly birthday cake we munched through! Weather will be much the same for the next few days, and then hopefully we'll get the kite up and start really crunching those miles up!
Day 8 My Birthday. Yesterday afternoon was average, the wind eased off slightly making the night more pleasant. We had heavy showers of rain twice in my 2 hours with Tash. This morning we had presents around 1100, it was fun, although I was so tired I've been back to bed since then. The girls are going to make omelettes for lunch. My dad texted us yesterday's positions and all looked good, then this morning we got Saturday's positions and clearly something strange has happened as Mary Ann did 600 miles yesterday??? Good news is we have over taken Intuition. Today is shower day, we're allowed 1 minute each, YAY. Presents - Disco gave me a purple leatherman, which is going to be most useful, my sister has replaced black fluff and she's fluffier than ever and shimmers in the light! Anna gave me a talking mirror, that will tell me daily what great hair I have! Matt's parents bought me a sand picture made from the various sands of Lanzarote, which will look great in our cabin. My current drama is whether to wash my hair, its not looking grim and it feels bearable, I'm not sure if I want to go through those dodgy first few days again, its not itchy like you think it would be.
Day 9 In the last 24 hours we've seen; 1 container ship, 1 sailing yacht, 4 dolphins & 1 whale! It's been non-stop. We dropped a reef around 1700 and put it back in at 0100. George was rested yesterday as he has been draining the batteries and the fridge had turned itself off 2 days ago! We have got the fridge back on again and the batteries are holding charge but not to their maximum. It's another scorching day, although we seem to be surrounded in a haze. I slept like a dead dog last night, must have been the chocolate and bubbly. Showers yesterday were great, I still felt clean this morning but now the heat has kicked in, it's not so nice! 1300 miles to go. Looks like my dream of 14 days is over for this year. Yesterday Nisida was only 60 miles ahead. All is sunny in Discoland :)
Day 10 Could this be our last Tuesday at sea??? I'm lying on my bed today as I'm in need of a few hours rest. Last night all was well and I helmed for the first 2 hours of my night watch before waking George. When I went to bed the wind had started to gust and Matt asked if I wanted to put a reef in, I paused said no, went back outside the girls said they thought they'd be ok and I went to bed. An hour later when they wake Matt saying we need to reef, you can guess who had to get up too! Not that I minded, I thought it was quite funny, and then we went back to bed. I was back on at 0600 for the sunrise shift and again there were too many clouds to make it a good one. I managed to fall off my seat this morning as the boat rolled and I had both hands on my hat so had nothing to hold onto and hit the cockpit floor with a thud! Next it was breakfast and while putting the milk back in the fridge the whole carton emptied itself on the bottom shelf, while eating my breakfast I managed to tip my bowl all over me and now I have just covered myself & my shorts in sun cream. I seem to be going through a pair of shorts daily! Another baton had worked itself free overnight, so Karen has spent this morning sewing them all in and the mainsail is now back up with all batons still in - fingers crossed. Weather is getting hotter everyday. Should reach the 1000 miles to go waypoint on the graveyard shift tonight, which will be cool. The girls are really enjoying the trip, which is great; none of us can believe we've been here 10 days. Talk of Jolly Harbour is very exciting; I can't wait to swim in the water there again. Girls have discovered a mystery smell in their toilet??? Must rest before today's lunchtime treat of CHIPS! :)
Day 11 The girls discovered the mystery smell was milk. Tash split some milk the other morning and Matt cleared it up but he didn't realise it had gone under the floorboards; hopefully the problem is all sorted now. Had a chat with my dad last night, Intuition and PFM are well behind for the time being. We are at the back of a group of 5 boats with less than 100 miles between us all, so hopefully as the wind gets light we'll be able to over take some of the heavy boats. At 0500 this morning we passed our waypoint and have less than 1000 miles to go. We had dolphins at dusk - they were actually porpoises, they had tiny fins compared with the average dolphin. Chips were a great success at lunch; I think Karen ate the lot! - Just kidding Peachy!!! They were well deserved. Better put some sun cream on before I start to burn - Yean Baby!
Day 12 It is RED HOT. I'm downstairs again, I was on watch till 1200 and that was enough sun for a few hours. We covered 198 miles today and now have fewer than 800 to go. My dad called last night to check we were ok, as they didn't update our web position! Paul King, Serendip, rung at midday to see how we are doing, they were 84 miles ahead of us, they have further to go as their destination is St Lucia. We flew the kite yesterday afternoon and I drove for a few hours and Matt said I did great! Matt took over while Anna and I prepared the tea & cupcakes. As they made their way on deck, the spinnaker ripped. It was chaos as we all looked at our tea and then had to throw it over the side. The kite came down smoothly and the No.4 was replaced with the No.1 Genoa to keep up some speed. Matt & I taped up the rips and she's all packed for use on a REAL light wind day! Last night we were all quite lively, must be the excitement. The night passed smoothly and we saw our best sunrise this morning. We've just put the clocks back another hour, so it will be a tough watch in all that sun. It's strange to think it could all be over in 5 days but I'm sure the wind will have a few different ideas...
Day 13 TRADEGY..... I slept like a dead dog yesterday afternoon, I woke around 1700 and my watch was 1800 - 2200. Tash and I had a minor squall and we were mainly watching the wind swing, then eventually it was down to bed. It was quite hair raising below and I certainly wasn't going to sleep like the afternoon. Matt was on watch, I heard a bang and then the deck light came on, I could hear Anna & Matt but there was no shout for extra hands, I was trying to see through the hatch to see what had happened. I heard Tash ask Anna if they needed help, so we quickly joined them on deck. Matt already had the jib down and the pole was swinging, it was around that time I realised the pole was in two. And the most comical moment was Karen appearing for action in her silk french knickers, vest top and life jacket - such a super hero outfit!! Once all was secure we put a reef in and then I was back on watch. It was a lot calmer with just the main up. Matt, Anna & I drunk tea before Matt dived for his bunk. My watch was calm and around sunrise the breeze was picking up again, Tash and I were chatting happily when Matt appeared on deck and asked if we were enjoying ourselves and then put the 2nd reef in. I tried to sleep this morning and probably squeezed in 2 hours. As I was lying in bed I thought I'd take a peek to see what the others were up to and as I rolled over, the boat lurched and I went flat on the floor. I landed on Matt's boots, which were actually quite painful, and I have a nice bruise appearing on my hip! Looks like we're set for some more of the same weather and Antigua has just become a few days further away. I have re-planned the menu for the second day running. At least it should only be a few extra days - JINX. Tash & Karen have been goddesses of needlework as they patched up the hole in the No.4 so it could be used once more.
Day 14 Yesterday afternoon was spent on watch. Anna and I watched the clouds roll over, while the others finally slept. Casserole & mash was on our plates for dinner and then I finally hit my bunk. I slept in stages, I was extremely hot when I woke and eventually went back on watch. Again Anna and I found ourselves amongst the clouds and in one squall we saw the wind gust to 30 knots. This mornings watch was long but I made sundried tomato bread that definitely made up for it! Nisida were due to finish at 0200 this morning with Gorilla, a catamaran around 0900. Londine are now expected Sunday lunchtime as they broke their boom the same night we broke the pole. Less than 400 miles to go, I wonder when we'll arrive. We need the wind to stay if its going to be the beginning of the week. Our first flying fish came aboard last night, hitting the spray hood and then flipping around on the deck. Then a bird tried to land on my head!
Day 15 Anna & Tash treated us to eggy bread and bacon for lunch. It's a strange feeling today as its slowly coming to an end. I think we'll still be 10th when we cross the line. With no sails left after just ripping the spinnaker again, its going to be an interesting run to the finish. Anna mentioned the early arrivals party tomorrow night, everyone ignored her, we can't be having another jinx this close in! The first 4 boats are finished. Currently sheltering before my watch starts in 1 hour, its another scorcher!! Tash and Karen saw a whale yesterday which is very cool, they spotted him by his water spout, they also spotted a huge cargo ship in their night watch. We seem to be seeing lots of aeroplanes, we thought one was concorde and then Matt was explaining we should here the sonic boom and then 'BOOM', it was soooooo funny. Matt and Karen got their second flying fish. It managed to get under the wheel but Matt caught him before he emptied his body contents over the boat. Have finally taken my nail polish off and will re-apply this afternoon. I have my hopes on tomorrow lunchtime but I think that is a little hopeful. Happy travels Disco on our last night at sea.
Day 16 LAND AHOY - was shouted by Karen at 1000. By 1130 we could clearly see the detail on the land. We put a reggae album on and we danced around the cockpit for our last few hours at sea. As we came round Cade Reef we hardened up on the wind and were heading for the finish, it was so VERY exciting. Tash and I were on the bow looking for the mark and once found I returned to the cockpit while Tash counted us down to the line. Sails were dropped fast and we were heading down the channel to anchor. Disaster struck, I was down by the anchor locker and I wasn't concentrating on the locker door and BANG, down it went with my big toe in it. My nail split in 2 and it still brings a funny taste to my mouth now when I think about the pain. Matt cleared it all up and I put on my brave face and went to find the Magnum that was chillin' in the freezer. We all dived off the boat, then disaster struck again, Karen dislocated her shoulder! Can you believe we made it across the ocean without injury and then crossed the line and it all went wrong..... We arrived in the marina an hour later all feeling fantastic after our dip in the sea. We were greeted by James and Disco Inferno 1 who were both by the Customs dock.
My second Atlantic crossing, no words can describe it, from the wet wipe dramas to the friends we made, ARC Antigua 2002 will always be special and close to my heart.
Move on to The Crew in Antigua
Back to Fluffy's ARC Menu
Back to Home Page