Day 2 November 26, 2014

Position   26 29.9 N     21 09.9 W

After some lite wind conditions yesterday afternoon, the wind picked up to 16 - 20 kts and remained there until now. We are making good progress along the rhumb line. Skies are clear and the sun is shining. The highlight of yesterday afternoon was a spectular show by some spotted dolphins. At first there were three or four…then dozens surrounding the boat. These aboslutely beautiful creatures entertained us for twenty minutes as the leaped acrobatically into the air and charged the boat's wake so close we could look into their eyes. It's as if they know they're entertaing us. Incredible!

Early this morning while I was napping…Brad, Rui, and Ryan spotted a sperm whale (15 -20 feet in length). No new fish catches to report. Dinner last night was Spanish Chourizo with green peppers and onions on a bed of Mediterrainean Rice. Desert was fresh Pineapple.

Later today we will reset our clocks as we pass thru a time zone. We will be one hour closer to time back home. At present we are five hours later and soon that will change to four (same time zone as the Azores).

All is well on board. We still have two boats in sight and six on the AIS screen.

Until Tomorrow.

VCP

Day 1, November 25, 2014

position:  26 46.02N    18 14.87W

Had a good start yesterday. Started off in 18kts of wind. It was quite a scene starting with 200 other boats ranging in size from 32 feet to 100 feet. The folks of Las Palmas put on quite a "bon voayge" send-off complete with a marching band at the end of the breakwater as we exited the marina and an anouncer calling out the names of the boats and nationality as we passed by the reviewing stand.

As we sailed south down the west side of the island the wind increased briefly to 30kts and then settled down to 20 -25 NE where it remained for the rest of the day and night. We made good progress over the last 24 hours but are bit slow now as the wind has lowered to 10-12 kts. It is predicted to come back to 20kts tonight…let's hope so!

All is well on board. Dinner last night was spinach lasagna with green beans and garlic bread.

Rui did catch a Mahi-Mahi (70cm), but after slapping around the cockpit floor it slid its way back into the water. I know….you're thinking this is another fish story, but I've got the pictures…unfortunately, no pan seared Mahi-Mahi just yet.

Until tomorrow

vcp

Big and Fast

Leopard - Farr 100

Pictured above is the largest and fastest boat in ARC 2014. Crewed by twenty Finnish sailors, she is expected to make a serious run at smashing the record which stands at 10 days, 21 hours. To put it in perspective we, aboard Maravilha, would be thrilled with a 18 day passage. I was up close to Leopard a few days ago....WOW!

Also in the go-fast division is "Monster Project", a recent vintage Volvo 70 Ocean Racer.

POSTPONED

Due to high winds and heavy squalls in the port this morning the ARC Committee has postponed all starts until tomorrow morning. So...we hurry up and wait!

I believe the decision was based on  the difficulties presented when two hundred boats
tightly packed into the marina try to leave their berths in wind gusts exceeding 30kts and rain coming down sideways and then get organized for five individual starts. A strong potential for accidents and possible damage....not a good way to start a 2700 mile passage.

The wind is expected to diminish a bit over night, but more importantly the front associated with the squalls will drift east towards the Sahara....a more pleasant situation. Once we get clear of these islands the weather and wind direction looks to be favorable.

Aboard...we are ready, we can't think of anything else to check...recheck...store...secure....etc. Catching up on my emails and other important items such how the Celtics are doing; trying to find a way to watch the Patriots game a bit later and the BU Hockey standings....Go Terriers!

That's all for now

Christian Eduardo Elias

 

 

Meet Chris Elias. Chris took care of "Maravilha" while she sat idle in Pasito Blanco for two months. He did a fine job. Chris also prepared for us, fourteen pre-cooked (home cooked) dinners and froze them. We just took delivery of those and packed our freezer. We pull one out in the morning and let it thaw all day. Throw it in the oven for 45 minutes at dinner time...add some pasta and a vegetable and you have a nice warm dinner. My bride, Maria, and my mom prepared the same for our crossing to the Azores and my Cousin Fernanda (Faial) did so for our passage from the Azores to the Canaries and this system has worked out well insuring nice warm dinners without any serious cooking onboard.

 

We are now to GO!

 

The weather forecast will have us leave in some brisk conditions which will abate as we move south and west. At least for the next week it looks pretty good. St Lucia...here we come!



Final Details

This is how I spent my 50th birthday!

 

 

Went up the rig the rig yesterday to check things out. Everything looks good. Added some foam padding to the top spreaders to minimize chafing of the mainsail, a problem we experienced when sailing over to the Azores. Also addressed other chafe points on deck and inspected the steering system...all good. Received our grocery delivery today a were busy making it all disappear into the various storage locations. Tomorrow we put on the fresh and frozen goods and we're good to go. 



A boat full of groceries.
Ryan, Rui, and Brad at the ready

Collegio Hispano Ingles De Las Palmas
10th grade students

We had a nice visit today from some 10th grade students from the Collegio Hispano Inlges de Las Palmas (a private high school where the students are immersed in English...imagine that!). They were around the docks interviewing crews for a class project and they stopped and chatted with us for a while. While they had a script, it didn't take long to get off script as they had many questions about life in America. There are 25 countries represented in the entries in this rally, however, relatively few U.S. entries...so they stayed for a while. Most of their questions regarding music etc. were over my head but we had a very interesting conversation none the less. They came aboard and got a full tour of our preparations for the crossing. Before parting we shared some Oreo Cookies....much to their delight and ours as well.

Also went grocery shopping today....what an adventure. Everything gets delivered tomorrow, so that will keep us busy for a while.

Corwith Cramer leaving Las Palmas

"Corwith Cramer"

Pictured above is the Corwith Cramer, one of the training ships from SEA - Semester at Sea. Ironically, its homeport is Woodshole, Massachusetts. Even more ironic is that it is the ship that my daughters, Victoria and Mia, did several semesters aboard and here we are crossing paths 3000 miles from home. As we crossed we prominently displayed our American Flags. When we got within ear shot I shouted "Woodshole, Massachusetts"....loud cheers were returned from the deck...very cool!

 

We passed our safety inspection yesterday. Today we are working on provisioning details. Getting close!

A Sea of Boats

LasPalmas Marina, Gran Canaria

The docks are busy with over two hundred boats doing final repairs and provisioning for the start next Sunday. We have our inspection tomorrow so we're checking and rechecking our lists. The weather is nice although a front is expected to pass through Thursday/Friday....better than Sunday!