Bayona to Las Palmas

The Gibraltar Sailing Team set off from Bayona at 0730 on Sunday morning. After a foggy start, the wind filled in and the sun came out, they were soon charging along at 8 knots+ with a full kite and main.
The good times didn’t last and a long run on the engine took them into Cascais by Monday evening. After a brisk stop for fuel, Gaz and water they set off for Madeira into a fresh Northerly breeze, this died away by dawn, causing the iron topsail to be set again.

A quote from the late Lord Nelson:
“Once past Gibraltar every man is a bachelor. What will tropical warmth, unscrupulous young women, fixed habits of eating too much and high animal spirits accomplish?”

A Dangerous Situation Unfolds

Whilst taking a call of nature over the side, Geoff spotted a line trailing from the keel!! We came hove too and tried all the text book methods of sailing backwards etc to try and free the offending line….to no avail… Only one option remained! With a mask line and knife Dave dived down to the bulb to cut the rope free, after a few minutes he surfaced requesting a hacksaw and not looking too pleased with the situation. When he resurfaced he had the remains of an old lobster pot and a line extending for miles.
Once back on board he shared with us the extent of the damage….The line whilst being dragged along had started to cut into the lead and filler on the keels bulb, leaving a large gash, liken to hitting a reef at speed .
This along with the now freshening Westerly wind resulting in a beat to Madeira, prompted the decision to alter course directly to The Canaries to enable repairs, much to the delight of Geoff who had previously stated “that Gentlemen don’t go to windward”.

Gibraltar based Atlantic Charters Racing have left Bayona yesterday, and after doing a quick stopover for fuel in Cascais, are now heading out towards Maderia. They are expecting light westerly winds arriving in Maderia by the end of the week.

Keep checking this blogg for updates on next years' racing schedule in Gibraltar and the Spanish Costas.....

The Gibraltar based Race Yacht delivery team crossed the Bay of Biscay in 48 hours, averaging 200 miles per day. They passed Cape Finisterre at noon on Friday the 19th October after 2 days of exhilarating down wind sailing. The maximum speed they saw was 12.7 knots, whilst white sail reaching in 20 knots of true wind.

Despite Geoffs habit of singing whenever we exceeded 10 knots, the team have bonded well to form a tight efficient crew able to handle all difficult situations whenever they occur. Twice the main sail had to be lowered in the middle of the night in severe conditions, to enable the capture and replacement of a troublesome full length batten.

First mate Jonny (the Rev) had this to say “I don’t mind the conditions and the hard work it’s all part of why we love this but there’s only so much of Geoffs rendition of "trailers for sale or rent" you can take at 0049!”

More to follow………..