I cannot recall how many times I have advised my crew that much of what we come to appreciate and love about our sailing adventures occurs in retrospect. It was for this reason that I chose to pause upon my return and wait a while before taking the time to document any final thoughts and […]
The night before we began our epic journey into the Essequibo we experienced our strongest squall of 35 knots. It was by no means unmanageable but the night watch were taken a little by surprise and there was an all hands call to reef the main and get the boat steady. There were numerous lights […]
The steady South Easterlies and North running Guiana current have aided us in playing catch up since our delayed departure in Recife. Until now, the majority of our sailing has been downwind with an interchanging variety of gybes, sail area and use of poles. The equator crossing fell in the middle of the day and […]
Thursday saw the new crew arrive and the mixture of excitement and apprehension could easily be sensed among them. I had begun my day in the morning heat of the engineering district of Recife where I had arranged to pick up a bespoke brass fitting for our deck hose that had been manufactured literally overnight […]
Every day here in Brazil presents another crazy story or mini adventure as step by step we prepare the boat for the next leg of our journey up the coast of South America to Guyana. We appear to have been befriended by some local wide boys that have made it their mission to deliver whatever […]
After the fickle conditions that dictated our journey south at the start of this adventure, it was a welcome relief to pick up the south easterly trade winds that offer us consistency as we sail on a beam reach towards Recife, Brazil. Our sail plan changes just once a day as we drop the stay […]
Saturday morning found me chatting with the crew about how it felt to be so disconnected from the world in an era where we have come to be so very reliant on constant and rapid channels of communication. The topic came to light after more than a few of us experienced a level of techno […]
Today came the decision I have been anticipating regarding our relentless attempts to realistically reach Ascension Island within the allotted time frame. Due to the light airs off of Senegal followed by ambiguous squalls of the doldrums and finally the headwinds below, it is simply not possible to reach Ascension at this stage whilst retaining […]
Apparently one of my many catch phrases has transpired to be “well, we may as well be in the English Channel”. This may partially be due to the fact that as of yesterday I had been wearing foul weather gear for 48 hours and everything I own was utterly soaked through. Just to confirm, it […]
As Sunday began we were still in the process of eradicating the last of our increasingly annoying visitors from the insect kingdom. Heather, a 62 year old former sheet metal worker from San Francisco, first referred to as the ‘mother’ of the crew has since been renamed the ‘exterminator’ for her relentless efforts to the […]
It seems utterly ridiculous that just as I write these words I have to count back in my head to work out what day it is today. Friday. Eight of our crew arrived at the Centre De Voile on Tuesday morning and almost immediately we were laughing at our own mini adventures and sharing individual […]
An early start is always easier in the heat. I’m not entirely sure why and admittedly the first night sleeping on the boat was better than I had imagined. The temperature is palpable and I am very aware that we are still at 14 degrees north which means it will be significantly more oppressive in […]
Our first blog of eXXpedition Ascension 2015 comes from our first mate and professional crew Emily Caruso. Emily, along with Skipper Imogen Nash, have just arrived into the sweltering heat of Senegal to meet Sea Dragon and prepare for 2 months of sailing with our all girl crew!
