Yacht Delivery Blog

The last 24 hours have been windy, wet, grey, and mostly uneventful. We had a few squalls and encountered several long-liners that seemed a bit suspect, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet. There was one moment of excitement, though. We were shaking out a reef, which meant Rhona was standing under the boom while I was on the coach roof prepping things and getting the sail ready to be hoisted. When Rhona started to raise the sail with the winch, about 100 liters of rainwater that had pooled in the sail poured directly over her head! It wasn't a steady stream like a shower; it was more like a ginormous bucket had been tipped over her head.  I also found one of my pesky nemeses in the main - a flying fish! It must have been 15 feet in the air when it hit the sail and fell into the sail cover. I cant say I am overly enthused about being attacked daily by smelly flying missiles like when we crossed the Pacific a few months ago. The weather to the south wasnt looking too peachy, so our t...

This is our last full day and night at sea. Tomorrow, we'll be tied up in the marina in Tahiti , and I'll be turning off the engines for the last time. The main and headsail will be dropped and stowed away, and I won't be touching the sheets or halyards again. It feels peculiar to think that Namarie and I have kept each other safe throughout this incredible journey, and in a few days, I'll be on a plane heading home. On this yacht delivery Namarie and I started in the Bay of Biscay and headed south into the Atlantic, getting to know each other along the way. We made a brief stop in the Canary Islands, our last contact with Europe before heading further south and leaving footprints in the red dust of Cape Verde. We left West Africa behind and headed further west across the Atlantic, dodging hurricanes and grabbing fuel and provisions in the southern end of the Caribbean. From there, we pushed onwards through the Caribbean Sea to Panama and the canal. Pretty soon after, ...

We're definitely over the hump! While i wouldn't call it a blazing sprint to Trinidad, we're steadily chewing through the miles. Yesterday, we logged a respectable 161 nautical miles, which is not too shabby. Our wind is sitting around 10-12 knots apparent @180 degrees. Not exactly ideal sailing conditions, but it's a gentle push for our trusty Volvo that keeps plugging away. The fluffy cumulus clouds we were expecting havent appeared, replaced by mainly overcast skies. At this point, even a bird flying in a slightly unusual pattern has me reaching for the latest weather grib files, just to make sure there aren't any surprises brewing on the horizon. Thankfully, so far, everything remains a reassuring shade of green – all systems go for our arrival in Trinidad! The one system that's definitely not "a go" is my blog inspiration. Its gone. Bloggers block has officially set in.The ocean's can be incredibly calming, but let's face it, it can also b...