Yacht Delivery Blog

It feels like we're on the edge of tropical conditions, with a mix of great sailing and calm seas on one side, and overcast squally conditions on the other. Guess which side we're on? I've also figured out a way to translate the weather forecast: randomly add or subtract 30% to whatever it shows. If the wind dies down, turning on the engine seems to make it start blowing again immediately, and putting a few rolls in the headsail ensures the wind dies off completely. Despite this, we've managed to average slightly over 7 knots for the last 24 hours, making solid progress in the right direction. The local population of flying fish seems to have exhausted themselves trying to get onto the boat, and the daily numbers on the deck seem to be dropping off. I had great plans of doing some serious miles with the gennaker, but the conditions aren't really suitable. Maybe we should have gotten the sailmaker in Cape Verde to put some reefing points in it! For any non-sailors, t...

Light winds today presented the perfect opportunity to test out our modified gennaker! Remember that sail that was a little too big for our needs? We also had some issues with the retrieval system when we first looked at it. Limited repair supplies on board meant getting creative – we jury-rigged a solution using cable ties. With a little dose of trepidation and some, shall we say, "enthusiastic" stress testing and finally a "she'll be right!",, we hoisted the modified sail with Craig at the sheet and yours truly as the designated "deck gorilla." We filled it with wind, and guess what? Success! Not just success, mind you, but outstanding success! Considering the less-than-ideal circumstances – the makeshift repairs done in a remote location (that "grey lump covered in orange dust"), the unorthodox measurement method (a rope pulled up the mast in 25 knots!), and the tight deadline (tomorrow!), even MacGyver himself would be impressed by our i...