Month: November 2022

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ARC+ Leg 1: Las Palmas to Cape Verde

Poled out Genoa
Poled out Genoa

We completed the ARC+ Leg 1 in five days and eleven hours. With all the handicaps applied our final position was 22nd out of the 92 boats, and fifth in our division of nineteen – a great result!

After very calm winds at the start, the weather was perfect for the passage – 15-20 knots of wind generally from behind. We poled out the genoa, put a preventer on the main, and let her fly. Even the swell wasn’t too bad.

Leaving Gran Canaria
Leaving Gran Canaria
ARC+ Start
ARC+ Start
Sunset at Sea
Sunset at Sea

We’ve now had a few days in Cape Verde. There were surprisingly few snags on the boat so we’ve done some tourism, driving around the island of St Vicente and yesterday visiting the neighbouring island of Santo Antào. Spectacular scenery!

Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Karen
Karen
The Ferry to Santo Antào
The Ferry to Santo Antào
Santo Antào
Santo Antào
Laura & Karen
Laura & Karen
Santo Antào
Santo Antào

On Friday we start leg 2 – 2000nm to Grenada – wish us luck!

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Tomorrow is the Big Day

The first leg of the ARC+ 2022 starts tomorrow from Las Palmas. The start is 1300Z but we won’t be competing on the start line – a few minutes over 5-6 days won’t make any difference and there’s no point in taking any unnecessary risks.

The new Super Zero sail

There’s been loads of prep this week. The engine now has a new salt-water pump and exhaust elbow, both of which contribute to engine cooling. The engine is now running at 80C as opposed to 95C before, so we think it’s fixed. We’ve got tons of meat, veg and drinks and it’s all stored away safely. All the databases are up-to-date and I’ve practised my skills with the sextant – just in case…

When we tested the engine we also practised setting the pole and flying the new Super Zero sail. Lots of good learning – I expect we’ll only fly white sails with the genoa poled out, but we’re ready either way.

I’ve tried to embed a link to the tracking website so you can see the position of all the boats So far, I’ve failed, but I’ll try again when I get a chance.

Meanwhile, you can follow our position at: my.yb.tl/mistral and see all of the boats at the World Cruising Club website. And if you download the YB Races app, you can follow ARC Plus 2022 race and see the positions of all the boats. There’s also a WCC blog which many boats contribute to.

More when we arrive in Cape Verde!