Gibraltar ahead of us

Here we are, approaching to Gibraltar after 16 days of Ocean: tonight we should pass the Hercules's Columns and enter into the Mare Nostrum.

Today Aeolus and Neptune gave us a "Mediterranean" day: a blue, pure sky, a flat sea and a gentle breeze. It was perfect, we needed a little rest after this tiring delivery. For the first day since we left St Marteen, we stayed outside when we finished our watches, enjoying the "dolce far niente" and the sun.

In the last post we said that Cape Arrow would not have been ranked among the "most easy deliveries" ' top 10. Well, that's definitely true, but she surely wins the gold medal for the "Greenest Atlantic delivery ever"! 

In fact during these 4,000 miles we used only 300 lt of fuel, and just for generators!!

The beauty and the privilege about sailing is that you can go anywhere you want just benefiting of Nature's gift: the wind. 

Cape Arrow crossed the Atlantic in her way back home just sailing, enjoying - sometimes suffering! - every single wind breath. 

Enjoying the silence full of noise that only the sea and wind can offer..

  

See you soon in Med!

Cape Arrow's crew

Celebrating 15 days in the Ocean

15 days of ocean! Today Cape Arrow celebrates half a month at sea, always beating! 

Certainly, this delivery won't be among the "most easy deliveries" top 10! Since the last two days the temperature has significantly decreased, now it's pretty cold during the day. The sky is cloudy almost all the time and when there's a little bit of sun that comes out, we all go outside, like lizards do! 

We are heading towards Gibraltar which is distant around 300 miles: hoping that Aeolus will be so kind to let us arrive fast to the Mare Nostrum. 

There's around 25 knots from north east and big waves, so that steering is quite tiring. Everything is fine on board, our little routine is well established and we live following the watches' rhythm.

Hasta pronto!

Cape Arrow's crew

Strong 51kts vs Cape Arrow!

Something doesn't seem really hard until you do something harder..

The last 36 hours have been really "hardcore" for Cape Arrow. On Tuesday late afternoon we entered into a depression that was placed between the Acores and Madeira and we went out of it few hours ago. 

Later on Cape Arrow was still heading East, so that the waves - 4/5 mts high - were coming from a "bad" side for us. Steering with 30-35 kts wasn't an easy game at all! With no moonlight, doing it was even harder because we couldn't see the waves and consequently anticipate them. 

We were really concentrated, every error could have been really dangerous for us and for the boat. 

Yesterday morning at 8 a.m. we finally jibed and started heading towards Gibraltar. After this epic night, Neptune gave us a little gift: a bunch of little dolphins came to play between Cape Arrow and the waves. Beautiful!

Yesterday afternoon the sea was still really rough but at least the waves were coming from behind, so we could surf it (we reached 26 kts!). 

There were 28/35 kts from South and the 3 hours watches were really exausting for everybody. All of a sudden, around 2 p.m., a path of over 51 kts almost knocked Cape Arrow down, and we had some damages the genoa but nothing too serious.

Tonight we were surrounded with squalls and we have been almost all the time under the rain. This morning the sea calmed down a bit, and now there are about 20 kts from South East: we should be finally out of the depression. We are completely wet, the air is really humid, but luckily Cape Arrow keep protecting us gently and comfortably.

Stay tuned for new adventures!

Cape Arrow's crew

The Ocean is finally giving us some rest!

Break! The Ocean this morning gave Cape Arrow a break after long days of rough sea and lots of wind! 

Yesterday has been very windy, 20-25 kts from North East-North and this night has been really humid. The horizon, until midday, was surrounded with squalls and some of them passed on us: the lucky watchers made free showers! 

We are still in the back of a depression that made the wind we had last days. According to the forecast, another big depression will come down from the Acores in the next three/four days...we'll see!

Cape Arrow is behaving really well, offering us a cozy shelter from the rain and the hard sun and giving us soft beds to sleep and to dream of the ocean! Everything's fine on board, we are making Cape Arrow going as fast as possible: we sleep, we eat, we laugh staring at the horizon's infinity.

Cape Arrow's crew

Ahoy, a ghost story in the middle of the Ocean

Yesterday and today have been really tough for Cape Arrow: the wind doesn't whisper anymore but it screams instead. Since Friday night the sea has become higher, this morning waves were up to 4 mt. 

They are "messy", coming from everywhere and steering it's quite challenging! The wind has increased yesterday evening up until 25 kts and we sail under mainsail with two reefs and foresail. 

Tonight, when we passed under a squal, we reached 35 kts. In the middle of the Atlantic, with no moonlight, no stars, just water everywhere, the panorama it's quite spectacular! And tiring: the watches require the greatest level of concentration and at the end of them we are quite shacked.

But let me tell you what happened yesterday morning! We were sailing, when we saw from far away a sailing boat with no sails on it: we called them at the VHF but no one answered... 

It was an abandoned sailing boat!! The main sail was roughly plied, there were ropes in the sea and the sides of the boat were scratchy, as if there have been a contact with another boat. It was pretty scary, a ghost abandoned ship in the middle of the Ocean.

Hence the Captain promptly reported the wreck to the authorities: they confirmed that the wreck was known as they rescued the crew not so long time ago!!

Stay tuned for the next adventures!

Cape Arrow's crew

Position: 26,49.92N , 47,21.50W

Shiver me timbers...a whale!!

Yesterday and this morning Aeolus and Neptune have been really kind to Cape Arrow, giving her a perfect 15-18 kts from East and almost a flat sea.

Since midday, the situation has become a bit stronger, with 2 mt waves and 20-22 kts, but the sun shines and everything is fine on board. In the early afternoon we tacked, so now we are sailing for good towards home!

In the afternoon we also saw the second animal since we left St Marteen: yesterday a little flying fish...this afternoon a whale!!

We saw her when she was very close to us, she was chilling on a side and we saw her eye! Unfortunately everything happened really fast, so that we didn't have the time to take any picture. Next one, promised!

Inside the boat is still a rollercoaster but it's fun! We are seeing beautiful skies at sunset and at sunrise, and the temperature is still warm, which is always good!

Ciao!

Cape Arrow's crew

Goodbye Caribbean...we are coming back to Europe!

The first 24 hours of ocean have passed smoothly and gently.

We left our berth in St Marteen yesterday at 16h30, local time, passing the bridge of Simpson’s bay. We moored outside the bay for a little hour and Captain Andrea made the safety briefing, giving everyone a role in case of emergencies on board.

The wind outside the island was what we expected, 18-20 kts from East, so we put on the mainsail with one reef and the foresail, heading for 30° towards the Acores.

The Ocean rhythm is already guiding all of us on board. We have been sailing for 24 hours while we are beating and it’s quite sport! Cape Arrow is speeding at 8-10 kts and you can really feel it inside the boat..!! Doing anything requires a lot of balance!

We have watches of three hours, of two people. After the watch we will be in “stand by” for three more hours in case additional support on deck would be needed, then finally we'll have three hours “free”. 

Most of all, we can say everything on board is fine, the crew is happy and the sun shines on Cape Arrow!

keep staying tuned!!

Cape Arrow’s crew

Ready to go back home in Med!

The pantry is full, the postcards have been sent and the new foresail is onboard. Cape Arrow is about to leave St Marteen for Europe: after a great season of races, charter and holidays in the Caribbean, it is time to go back “home” and dress up for the Mediterranean summer.

The expected conditions during this Atlantic crossing are quite tough and challenging. Cape Arrow will leave this afternoon, and for the first couple of days she will sail under 20 kts from east, to north east. Then the situation should become rougher… we will see!

Keep following us,

Cape Arrow crew