27/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 9

Luckily we found a loaf of bread at the bottom of the freezer, so all is not lost after the demise of the breadmaker. We have been romping along over the last 24 hours with a daily run of 207 miles. During the night we logged wind speeds in excess of 45 kts, so we added further reefs to the main and genoa. The wave height is incredible, over 4m, coming in from the stern. Fizz seems to be coping really well with the challenging conditions, but the crew could do with more sleep, so we are cat-napping during the day. The wind backed round to the SW earlier today, so we took the pole down and are now on a stb’d tack with the wind on the stbd quarter. The weather forecasts continue to indicate strong winds right through to Sunday, with a possible further gale hitting us late Saturday, although this may slow down giving us a chance to get into Horta before it gets us. The sun is out today, so chef Pierre has been getting some bronzy in between getting soaked with incoming waves. I am doing dinner tonight, beef curry and rice, unfortunately no popadums.   

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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26/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 8

Well it’s certainly true that no 2 days are the same on the ARC Europe Azores leg. In the last 24 hours, we have had 35 kt gusts with 4m seas and during the night, the wind shifting 180’ and dropping to light airs. So we have been on our toes with very little sleep as Fizz corkscrews through the ever-increasing seas heading for the Azores. Today’s weather forecast includes winds up to 40 kts (gale force to the north of our track so we spent 4 hours dropping further south to try and avoid the worst of the winds. There are a stream of fronts passing through over the next 5 days with winds averaging 25-30 kts from the SSW, so we should make good progress although it will be very rough. Given the lack of sleep and constant motion, we are certainly looking forward to tying up in Horta, hopefully on Sunday/Monday. Earlier today we saw more dolphins, hundreds of them, and a very large blue whale, the dolphins clearly enjoying the rough weather. The big tragedy of the day was the breadmaker which decided to launch itself from the gimballed cooker during a particularly vicious roll. So now we have plenty of packets of bread mix and no breadmaker. Chef Peter has drawn the line at offering to make the bread the old-fashioned way.

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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26/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 7

The last 24 hours  have been disappointing with regard to the wind, with predominately light airs  so the engine has been given a bit of a run. Today however, the wind has returned from the west and we have had the cruising chute up for a couple of hours, hitting 11 kts. We now have the main and the genoa poled out and are romping along averaging 8.5 kts, definitely brochure weather. We celebrated the half way point earlier today with champagne and cigars, and are now enjoying great bronzy weather. Last night chef Pierre cooked up roast chicken, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, accompanied by roasted parsnips and carrots with a refreshing bottle of Malbec.  Today we had a full English breakfast  and are looking forward to a prawn stir fry for dinner tonight. The culinary standards are definitely reaching new heights. As for any thoughts about losing weight, I fear we may be in for a disappointment. Over the last 2 days we have seen loads of dolphins and whales. The sunrises and sunsets have also been stunning. As to the fishing, well we are still hoping for a nibble, but nothing yet. Looking ahead there is plenty of wind forecast for the next few days which is good news.

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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24/05/2010 by admin.

Snuffer Sull’s Blog

Monday 24^th May

Had intended to do this at the halfway stage but with gales forecasted for tomorrow night, am getting done in advance. You will all have read the bios etc on the web site, but felt it would be nice to get a new  prospective… to follow ….

When asked to join Fizz for the crossing, I wondered what position I would fill. Expected to be winch monkey and foredeck crew, this being the last I had been on a long distance sail, over 30 years ago.

On arrival in St Augustine, on May 2^nd, I  was introduced to Fizz and the crew for the first time.

First surprise was that she had push button winches and self furling sails. Not much call for a winch monkey… The best you might get would be a blister on your index finger. Thankfully on the second day’s sea trials, I found my new position, still on the foredeck, as “The Snuffer” - a highly skilled task that requires much speed, strength and intellect. Simply when told to, I pull on a line (rope for non sailors) until it won’t go anymore or told to stop.

So to the crew….Before I give you a few lines on each, just picture a boat with;A Sri-Lankan (sorry Ceylonese) born expat, a die hard scot who has worked most of his life in Surrey, a Young man born of a Sri Lankan expat and a 100% Scottish mother who thinks he supports England when they are playing and “ Moi”

Captain Chris… His planning preparation and judgement are without question. His ability to remain calm at all times inspiring, even when I decided to check the anchor chain as we were berthing, stern too, in a very tight mooring in Bermuda. What is more incredible however is his questionable culinary tastes !! He like spaghetti and lasagne but will not eat Penne and Macaroni, he likes his tea so strong it looks like coffee but will not drink the latter, he loves curry but doesn’t really care for rice.

Sail setter Stuart … has been on board Fizz from September ’09 and what he cannot tell you about trimming, setting, which sail to use, when to use isn’t worth knowing. He is jumping ship in the  Azores to return to the UK to take his yacht masters practical, having already passed his theory. Somewhat worrying is that he has forgotten his phonetic alphabet, but after 2 days of intense revision I do not think he will forget  y = Yankee ever again !! His insistence to call his cabin a room, his bunk a bed and the starboard side, the right hand had side is also slowly been “corrected”

Aviator Alex …. a retired Finance Director, die hard Scot and former rugby referee, Alex is like me realising the dream. Many years of playing rugby football taught he never to question the referee, but on the approach to St George’s harbour channel, I had to speak up when Alex was taking us up the Hamilton channel. For his bio you will see that Alex is a keen aviator as well as a golfer and thankfully we spent his birthday in Bermuda playing golf.

Provider  PAM…. crew member in absence, who is with us everyday, as she has provisioned Fizz, precooked 10+ meals for us for those rough nights, wardrobed Chris and mothered Stuart.  To see the Willis’s men trying to find anything on board has provided hours of entertainment, after which the Fizz derivative of the international distress is raised “PAM PAM -  Where is the ????”

Last by no means least of course is Fantastic Fizz…. she loves the ocean. 3 days of beating into a North Easterly, all taking in her stride. She loves to reach and run and having had her bottom cleaned in Florida is a good yard or 2 faster (reminds me of some of the backs I used to play rugby with ??)

Have just been told by Captain Chris that the blog is too be 2 paragraphs so will sign off for now and more when we arrive in Azores..

Ahoy there,Snuffer Sull

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24/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 5

After a night of light and variable winds today has been a bit of a challenge, with 25-30kts of wind from the east meaning we are having to beat due north. Fizz is taking it well, with deep reefs in the main and genoa, but it is pretty punishing. However we are making a reasonably good speed of 6 kts, albeit not directly towards the Azores. The forecast suggests that the wind will ease later today and eventually veer round to the SE. The suntan cream won’t be required today, everyone is down in the saloon, as we have big green waves breaking over the boat and spray everywhere. Stu is watching dvd’s while the rest of us are catching up on last Sunday’s papers and , of course, Sudoku. Unless the wind moderates in time for dinner, we will postpone the roast chicken till tomorrow and tuck in to one of Pam’s delicious frozen Lasagnes, nice and easy to cook, just slam it in the oven. The highlight of the day so far has been the sighting of dolphins earlier today and also a pod of Minke whales passing about 100 yds off the port side.  Peter and Stu have just been out on deck with full wet weather gear, lifejackets and safetylines tidying up loose lines and retrieving the dinghy outboard engine canvas cover which was coming untied. Bermuda seems a long time ago now, and with a third of the distance covered, the Azores is still too far away to get too excited about.  But hopefully as the wind veers we will be able to start making better progress towards the Azores.

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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22/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 4

Last night was a bit of a wash-out. We had bouts of torrential rain from about midnight through to 8 this morning with accompanying gusts of wind, so apart from Alec who had the 8 to 11 watch and was bone dry, the rest of us got a thorough soaking. The front has now passed through, and the sun is now out, so our wet weather gear and lifejackets are now hanging out to dry. The wind has dropped to less than 8 kts, but the forecast indicates the wind will veer round to the N/NE and increase later in the day. We will then have a couple of days of head winds , not good, before the wind swings round to the West. Our run for the last 24 hours was good with 196 miles covered. Given the lack of wind at the moment, we do not expect a good run for the next 24. Last night Alec rustled up a first class mince & tatties in true Scottish style, which went down very well, clean plates all round. Tonight, head chef Peter is preparing griddled lamb chops with salsa and saffron  with a nice bottle of Malbeck from the Fizz cellars. Tomorrow, weather permitting, being Sunday, we will have roast chicken with roast potatoes, with a cheeky little Pinot Grigio to go with it.  The fishing lines are out again today, but on the strength of recent experience, we are not holding our breath. The onboard routine is starting to get very relaxed, you could say a little too relaxed, with a lot of “deckhead surveys” going on throughout the day. We have now lost sight of any of the other ARC boats, but occasionally we hear one or two on the VHF. Well, I can feel another deckhead survey coming on, so, until tomorrow.

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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21/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 3

We thought we were doing well yesterday, but in the last 24 hours we have actually broken yesterday’s record and covered 207 miles, which is a new record for us on Fizz. Highest logged speed was 9.4 kts. Chef Peter cooked up a first class chilli for us last night, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, although he was a little upset we didn’t have any fresh coriander. Unfortunately the broccoli did not last in the brown paper bag it was stowed in, and had to be ditched yesterday. Otherwise the food is holding out well. Today I flashed up the breadmaker and we have a nice fresh loaf of bread ready for lunch.  It only occurred to me today that we have a truly British crew on this trip with Alec Scottish (plus half of Stu) the other half of Stu and myself English, Peter Irish and of course our resident gnome Taffy from the principality of Wales.

The laptop is now talking again to the satphone which is good news. The new printer software was clearly the problem, so that has now been loaded onto Alec’s laptop. Stu is doing lots of swotting for his upcoming yachtmaster’s practical in June. He has been getting coaching from the rest of the crew on cloud formations, phonetic alphabet and lights and sound signals, so should be a seasoned expert by the end of the trip. The reading material on board seems to be a fairly eclectic mix, with copies of Sports Illustrated (2010 swimsuit edition) jostling for position on the saloon table with last Sunday’s edition of the Sunday Times and a couple of yacht magazines. The sun is out again today so no doubt the sunbathing crew will be out on the aft deck this afternoon making like beached whales.  The fishing lines have been out every day, but we don’t seem to be attracting any nibbles so far.  Tonight Alec is treating us to a traditional Scottish mince & tatties, which should be good.

More to follow.

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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20/05/2010 by admin.

ARC Europe  Bermuda – Azores Day 2

We have just had our first 24 hours at sea, and we have broken our day’s run record, clocking up 197 miles in 24 hours, with an average speed of over 8 knots. The start yesterday was delayed by 30 minutes to allow an inter-island ferry to enter the harbour, and we eventually started at 12:30. It was a great sight to see all 22 yachts heading off down the cut at the entrance to the harbour. We had a reasonably good start and were in the top 6 as we headed out to sea. The weather has been good, with 15-20kts of wind on the beam throughout. We are now settling into the routine, helped by the weather, although we are expecting some rain tomorrow as a front moves across. Peter cooked up a mean spaghetti Bolognese last night which went down well and we have chilli to look forward to tonight. If the weather allows, on Sunday Peter is planning to cook a traditional Sunday roast chicken with roast potatoes and broccoli. Is there no end to his culinary abilities ?

The only glitch so far has been the connection between the laptop and the sat phone. I bought a new small, printer in Bermuda and the software associated with it is conflicting with the sat phone modem, so I have had to de-install the printer software in order to send and receive emails.

Otherwise all going well, we are still in sight of 3 or 4 other boats. Let’s hope the wind stays favourable for the next few days.

More to follow.

Chris

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19/05/2010 by admin.

Today is Wednesday 19^th May, the start of ARC Europe leg 2, Bermuda to the Azores. We have all had a fantastic time here on Bermuda, but I think we all agree we are now ready to go sailing again.

The prize-giving dinner was on Sunday night at the club. We started with a rum-tasting session, hosted by Goslings, who have been making rum here on Bermuda for over 200 years. They are particularly well known for their Black Seal Rum, very strong. A popular rum drink here on the island is called the Dark n’ Stormy, which is made by mixing rum and ginger beer, so called because when rum is poured into a glass of ginger beer, it sits at the top, like stormy dark clouds. Peter was our resident rum expert, and ensured that no rum was wasted on our table.  Fizz were well-represented at the prize-giving, getting a first in Leg 1b. To be fair there were only 2 boats in our leg, but we still made the most of it. We were out on our scooters on Monday. We went over to the Naval Dockyard at the southern end of Bermuda on the local fast ferry. We then rode round to Hamilton where we did some shopping and had lunch at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It was a great location, having lunch on the terrace overlooking the marina. . Monday night we had friends from Alma de Sal and Setantii over to Fizz for a BBQ. A great evening , Peter again doing a brilliant job with the food. On Tuesday Alec and I did the oil change on the generator and fan belt change on the main engine, and we all rode over to the supermarket to do final provisioning for the trip. Last night we had the crew supper at the club.  So now we are all BBQ’d out, our kidneys could do with a rest, and we are ready for the off. The race starts at 1200 today in St George’s harbour, and we will probably be broad-reaching across the start line, so should be a good sight, with cruising chutes up.  The 5 day forecast is for reasonable wind for the first few days, but dropping off the further we get across the Atlantic, so fuel conservation will be critical, as we may have to motor for a few days.

More to follow.

Chris

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16/05/2010 by admin.

Today is Sunday 16^th May, our 5^th day in Bermuda. The weather over the last few days has been consistently windy  with plenty of sunshine, up to today, when it has clouded over. We had a full day on Friday 14^th , Alec’s birthday. We started with a game of golf at Tuckers’ Sports & Country club, without a doubt one of the best golf courses any of us had ever played on. The course was stunning, laid out close to the sea, so you could see the azure-blue waters from nearly every hole. With Alec appropriately taking line honours after some initial reviewing of handicaps, the Heaven’s Angels posse then headed over to the Rescue Co-ordination centre at Bermuda Radio station for a tour, organised by ARC Europe. Positioned in an old fort at the top of a hill overlooking St George, the station has amazing views over the northern part of Bermuda, and it is here where they control the movement of all vessels, both commercial and yachts, entering and leaving Bermuda. Because of the extensive reefs surrounding the island, any vessel approaching Bermuda has to receive clearance from Bermuda Radio before they can enter the area, and their movements are plotted on radars at the station to ensure they don’t hit any of the reefs.

Following the tour it was back to Fizz for happy hour at the club bar. That evening we went to Blackbeard’s restaurant about a mile further along the coast with the crew from Alma de Sal for dinner to celebrate Alec’s birthday. Apart from the excellent food and local entertainment, this restaurant is well-known for the fantastic view of the setting sun over the sea, and Friday night’s sunset was no exception.  Dinner was followed by vintage Venezuelan rum tasting back on board Alma de Sal. Werner, Elena and crew on board Alma de Sal were great hosts and it was a heartily refreshed but tired crew that repaired to Fizz somewhat later than anticipated, with Alec’s birthday suitably celebrated.

Surprisingly Saturday dawned with little evidence of life on board Fizz until well after 9. Gradually heads started appearing for that day’s entertainment, a trip on Fizz over to the passenger ship berth to fill up with diesel. Apart from Stu getting a face full of diesel after the tank had overflowed, all went to plan and we were back on our berth at St George’s club by mid-afternoon. As the wind had stayed blustery all day, we had to postpone our planned BBQ, and settled for a social evening with a glass or two of wine plus take-away pizza on board Fizz with our drinking buddies Bill, John and Tom from Setantii.

Today has been a somewhat quieter day, Heaven’s Angels were on the road for a tour of the Esastern part of the island and we also saw some powerboat racing on the lagoon out by the airport. Tonight we are donning our team uniform for the ARC Europe group photo followed by dinner and 1^st leg prize giving. More to follow.

Chris

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