25 January 2026 at 18:56:20 GMT Day 16 There seemed to be no reason on a mostly clear night, but strangely Orion lost his head and shoulders! 3.30am and 32 knots was the point where I was definitely uncomfortable with our sail set. I unintentionally managed to awake the whole ships company but happily having watched the instruments for a while it … Read More
Atlantic crossing days 13-15
Team photo: Sue, Malcolm and Paul, as we set off from Tazacorte, La Palma 9th January 2026 23 January 2026 at 11:41:13 GMT Day 13 Consistent strong winds continued throughout the day. Bumpy seas forced us to carefully hold on down below and on deck to avoid being tossed about by the waves. Paul got properly wet on his morning … Read More
Atlantic crossing days 11-12
Day 11 I relieved Paul at 4am who reported starlit skies, still no moon (?), wind gusting 19 – 27 knots, and lots of shooting stars. My watch came with plentiful wind, even bigger seas, and a yacht which didn’t show up on the radar at all passing 0.7miles ahead of us. I’m thankful for alarms on the electronics! All … Read More
Atlantic crossing days 7-10
16 January 2026 at 10:15:19 GMT Day 7 continued The beautiful sunrise hailed a mixed bag of a day where cloud cover and strong winds prevailed. Lots of fun! I need to catch up on some shut eye, but for now, here’s a log entry to make you smile. Paul is obviously the master of the understatement. And really good … Read More
Atlantic crossing Days 5-6
14 January 2026 at 06:36:53 GMT Day 5 We were all wrapped up against the chilly night air last night but it was delightfully quiet in spite of a bobbly sea. Paul stood a good 1 hour watch on deck alone making adjustments to George when necessary. The generator purred into action at 0630 followed by the most delicious breakfast … Read More
Atlantic Crossing Days 1-4
11 January 2026 at 10:23:45 GMT Day 1 cont Must be a sailing day – he’s got that silly grin back! Up before dawn attempting to catch up on last minute todo list – still not complete but made a good stab at it. Still downloading CAF statement for DanceSyndrome as we pointed the bow offshore departing Tazacorte bound for the … Read More
The call of the ocean
They say its all in the preparation, so preparing we are for our second transatlantic odyssey! The wind is howling, the waves are up, the beach is closed, but its warm enough for ice-cream sitting on the sea wall watching another beautiful sunset as the sun dips, children play in the square at Puerto Tazacorte, and the excellent musicians tune … Read More
Holidaying Blackwell style
What a beautiful summer at the end of a beautiful year from nomadics living our lives of choice. I feel like the luckiest person alive as Malcolm and I celebrate 46 years of marriage. Pity about the weather! Depression after depression after depression this August 2024, but the right place for us to be is out on the water. Otherwise … Read More
Open letter to Gamechanger recently in Taransay
We found ourselves neighbours with the boat Gamechanger in the stunning Taransay Sound for a couple of nights recently. Chartered through Yacht Charter Fleet, and seen by many in the area, as reported in the Greenock Telegraph, we’d like to get this message to those on board. Please can you kindly forward this message to those who were in Taransay … Read More