Yacht Delivery Blog

We arrived in Cape Verde pretty excited about its name. Turns out, whoever decided to call it "Green Cape" must have either shared a naming philosophy with Iceland and Greenland, or possessed a truly brilliant sense of humor. Because let's be honest, "Gray Lump Covered in Orange Dust" might be a more accurate, if less inspiring, moniker. In just the short time we were in Cape Verde, the boat got a healthy coating of orange dust. It wasn't the most glamorous makeover.          One thing that did surprise us was the number of yachts in the harbor that looked a bit worse for wear. Sails flapping, masts were broken, and a general air of abandonment hung over some vessels. It was a stark reminder that the Atlantic crossing can turn dreams into nightmares in a hurry. I can only imagine the challenges a serious onboard failure would present here. Spare parts would likely be scarce, and shipping anything in would be a time-consuming and expensive ordeal. Factor in t...

Just 140 nautical miles to go until Cape Verde! We'll be pulling into port tomorrow morning, ready to hit the ground running with our list of tasks. Yesterday, we made a respectable 136 nautical miles in 24 hours thanks to a light following breeze that gave the Volvo a bit of a hand. We're now less than 1200 nautical miles from the equator, and surprisingly, the tropics haven't quite arrived. Nighttime still necessitates long pants and sleeves. One thing I'm very much looking forward to in Cape Verde is doing a fuel burn calculation. Early indications are that we're making some seriously economical miles! Running on just one engine at 1800 rpm, with some current and a following breeze, we're averaging around 5 knots. My guess is the fuel burn is around 3 liters per hour, which would translate to a range of over 2,000 nautical miles in similar conditions after we top up in Cape Verde. That's fantastic news! If we have to do any 'serious' motorin...

We're making good headway south! Yesterday, we logged a respectable 143 nautical miles in 24 hours, which is great considering the light and very aft winds. While the constant stream of shipping hasn't eased up as much as I'd anticipated, it seems to be a fact of life on this route. With less than 300 nautical miles to go until Cape Verde, the initial hesitation about the detour has completely faded. We're both feeling much more enthusiastic about this pit stop. Craig, ever the planner, has been diligently combing the internet, researching all the services we'll need to make this a quick and efficient stop. Here's to hoping the sailmaker lead pans out in Cape Verde – that would be a major win! Even if not, having enough fuel on board for peace of mind and the ability to navigate uncharted territory thanks to our new charts makes this detour a worthwhile investment. Following seas (hopefully a bit more forward soon!), a successful Cape Verde visit, and a big...

As they say, smooth seas never made a skilled sailor, and our little adventure is certainly providing some valuable lessons in adaptation. The unusable sail was definitely a setback, but true to form, we're already brainstorming solutions. Technology has truly come to the rescue in this case, thanks to Starlink. Not only did it allow us to research the marina, fuel situation, and clearance procedures in Cape Verde, but it also unearthed a glimmer of hope for our oversized sail! We've found a lead on a sailmaker who might be able to help us by cutting it down to size. It's a long shot, but it's a possibility far better than yesterday's outlook. On a slightly more alarming note (at least from this sailor's perspective!), we managed to sail right off the edge of our current chart. The thought of approaching unknown islands and making an unplanned landfall is enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. Yes, sailors of yore did it all the time, but with a signifi...

As we continue our journey away from the Canaries, the wind has decided to take a vacation. We noticed this influence even 200 nautical miles out, with areas of wind shadow followed by sudden bursts as we moved away from the islands' reach.  Unfortunately, the average wind speed has been light, and yesterday, we only managed to cover 102 nautical miles in 24 hours. With the apparent wind hovering around 10 knots yesterday afternoon, we decided to try out our light wind sail.  Setting it up proved a bit trickier than expected, thanks to some challenges with the deployment and retrieval sock.  Finally ready to hoist it, our hearts sank as we realized – it's simply too long for the boat!  The distance from the front of the boat to the top of the mast needs to be several feet longer for this sail to fit.  This discovery puts us in a bit of a bind.  Light winds are to be expected for this time of year on this passage.  To address this, we've decided to make...