Yacht Delivery Blog

Another day on the Atlantic, and Mother Nature continues to throw us curveballs. Yesterday, the wind was reaching gusts of up to 32 knots. Thankfully, it calmed down considerably overnight, but droppedto a gentle 6 knots. Unfortunately, that meant a few hours of motoring until it decided to pick again this morning. Right now, we're sailing with a comfortable 15 knots of apparent wind, but it's coming from a bit further aft than ideal. Still, we're making progress, and that's what matters. On the domestic front, there have been some culinary triumphs! Craig, bless his heart, whipped up a massive bucket of cottage pie before we left. We froze it in portions, and the trusty microwave has been working overtime heating it up for our meals. While the transfer from container to plate might not win any awards for presentation, let's just say the taste more than makes up for it! This delicious creation has become our staple diet, and luckily, we have enough for another week....

We left Gran Canaria yesterday afternoon with a spring in our step and a freshly rinsed cockpit, thanks to the amazing new deck wash hooked up to the freshwater tanks which will stop the boat getting salt all over the place which is a pain as everything gets damp. Those projects to split the water tanks with a ball valve and relocate the water maker selector were completed, and the new engines were serviced, the cupboards are now bursting with supplies, and we even managed to squeeze in an extra 600 liters of fuel in some water barrels to extend our range. For added comfort, we also snagged a couple of electric fans and a low-power microwave – little luxuries can make a big difference at sea. Unfortunately we didn't have time to get any burgers for snacks. Clearing out with the border police was straightforward– just 20 minutes and we were off! The harbor exit, however, was a bit of an adrenaline rush, dodging tugboats, pilots, barges, and ships like a slalom skier. With the d...

Yesterday we crossed an imaginary line on the chart into a sailors dream. Crossing 30 degrees north feels like entering a whole new world. Clear skies, warm trade winds whispering in the rigging, and sunshine – a welcome change after days of relentless clouds and cool temperatures. Even the clouds themselves look different – those fluffy ones with flat bottoms, just like you see in the tropics. We're less than 40 nautical miles from the marina now, and the anticipation is building. Busy days and restful nights filled with uninterrupted sleep – luxuries we haven't had much of lately – are definitely on the agenda. The constant dampness seems like a distant memory as we dry out under the warm sunshine. Those perpetually damp socks are finally getting a chance to breathe (and maybe even a triumphant return to the sock draw or even garbage bag as hopefully they wont be required again!). We're definitely looking forward to a chance to restock supplies, catch up on some maintenan...

Day something aboard Namarie, and we're starting to wonder if the sun and moon have gone on vacation together. Since leaving La Rochelle, we haven't seen a glimpse of either one, thanks to a relentless blanket of cloud cover. It's like the Atlantic decided to throw a giant white sheet over itself and call it a day. Two theories are circulating on deck: either we've stumbled upon the world's largest cloud, or somehow managed to snag one on our mast and are dragging it along with us. Honestly, at this point, both options seem equally believable. The only things breaking up the monotony of gray are…you guessed it, ships! Our AIS continues to be a symphony of blips and bloops, with a constant presence of at least four vessels on the screen. They seem to be on a north-south migration, likely refugees from the Red Sea kerfuffle. It makes you wonder how the Houthis haven't had a field day with them – it must have been impossible to miss one with a missile. The good new...

Another day at sea, another day (relatively) uneventful. The weather and waves haven't changed much, although I should clarify – it's not so much "warmer" as it is "less cold." Baby steps, right? We've only caught occasional glimpses of blue sky, which is not what I expected in the northern hemisphere in June. One silver lining (or perhaps, a lack of silver altogether) to the cooler weather is the absence of flying fish. Let me tell you, being smacked in the face by a rogue fish at 2 am while on watch is an experience I'd rather not repeat. So, while sunshine would be nice, I'll take the chill over surprise airborne fish any day. Another surprise has been the amount of shipping traffic. We weren't expecting this much activity out here in the Atlantic. Our AIS is buzzing, sometimes picking up as many as 7 ships within a 10-nautical-mile radius. That translates to potentially hundreds of vessels in our vicinity, which is a bit of an eye-open...

We're absolutely flying today! Averaging a steady 7 to 7.5 knots, thanks in part to the Volvo (those engine hours are creeping up nicely) and a fantastic push from the following wind. Gusts of up to 24 knots keep things exciting, and every now and then, we catch a wave that propels us forward at a thrilling 10-12 knots – surfing on the open ocean, what a feeling! The wildlife sightings are picking up, too. Yesterday, a pod of dolphins entertained us with their playful antics, and we even spotted a whale cruising by, maybe 150 meters from the boat. The lack of birds, however, is a bit concerning. It always makes me wonder if overfishing has depleted the food sources in these areas. With the absolute game changer of starlink we had a quick chat with the folks at the marina yesterday, and they assured me they'll be waiting with open arms (or maybe an open limo and a brass band, if I'm lucky?). The best part? A noticeable improvement in temperature! Looks like my complaint...

Well, we've finally made that long-awaited turn south! No more heading towards New York for us – smooth sailing (literally) towards the Canaries. Dry feet are definitely back on the agenda, much to the relief of our increasingly damp socks. The northerly wind is picking up just as predicted, clocking in at 15-20 knots. While it pushes us nicely in the right direction, the good kind of push also comes with the not-so-good kind of chill. Yesterday, a realization dawned on us – the engines need a 200-hour service as part of the warranty, and they only had about 25 hours on them at the time. So, here we are, juggling a bit of engine time with sail power. We're alternating between running one engine at a time for 6 hours while using just the headsail. This should get us closer to that magic 200-hour mark. Not the most exciting solution, but hey, preventative maintenance is key, right? Speaking of excitement, yesterday did bring a brush with a navy patrol boat. Thankfully, we didn...