11:05 am - Captiva set sail from Portsmouth, Virginia and reached the starting line at the Elizabeth River. The main was raised and were greeted by the vast, mysterious Atlantic with open arms.

Many lessons were learned this day. The first was "do not save things to the last minute". The starting date for this trip was intended to be the next day (11/06/16). However, when the winds are in your favor and we needed to avoid a developing gale (roughly 40 knots) we needed to leave ASAP. Luckily, having spent the week in Portsmouth before the rally, we were able to cross most of the items off the list and provisioned accordingly. An extra day could have helped, however, when nature calls, you need to be 100% prepared.

Second lesson: Make sure to test out all the audio & single-sideband equipment before you leave for a long voyage. We were unable to unlock our SSB radio, so we were only able to communicate through VHF. Also, the speakers up at the helm and in the cockpit were disconnected. Thanks to Vin and his great rock playlists, we were able to listen from his phone and enjoyed the sounds of the sea instead!

Third Lesson: Have backup fuel filters! Not even 24 hours into the trip and we needed to change the filter because the starboard engine stalled. Luckily we had a spare, however this issue early on was a huge concern. We used the last spare and the disadvantage of being a catamaran is there are two engines. So thanks to my mom and her willingness to carry 4 extra fuel filters in her carry-on, on her way to meet us in Tortola, we are now stocked for the worst case scenario! (I'm pretty sure TSA did not find it as comical as we did...)

For our first meal, we decided to plan a meal that required the least amount of prep since we were all very exhausted. We indulged in a nice lukewarm Kroger's rotisserie turkey, coleslaw and potato salad.

Other things observed from today:
-Brad set up a lure and put out a line to fish, but sadly no luck.

-Nathan observed many cargo ships on his watch that were on a collision course with us. Being in the shipping lanes was very hectic at night and I've learned that AIS and radar are SUPER important on these types of passages.

Weather: Sunny, 50's
Water Temp: 62o
Avg Wind Speed: 11.16 kn.
Avg SOG: 6.4 kn.

10:07 -The Captiva Crew has officially left the dock in Portsmouth VA. We are now on our way to the start line for the ARC Carribean 1500 rally. After a week of finishing touches, The Captiva is ready to set sail offshore into the Atlantic! We look forward to sharing our voyage with you on the other end!

Vincent 'Vin' Ratford is a retired hi-tech executive with over 10,000 offshore miles and thousands of coastal miles on catamarans & monohulls. Vin is the owner of GEM, a 2013 Lagoon 450 and sails in New England with wife MEG. Have sailed offshore as crew in the ARC 2013, crewed with John Neal on Mahina Tiare from the Marquesa to Hawaii, Captain on GEM in the Caribbean 1500 & ARC USA in 2014-15 including 6 months throughout Caribbean. Crewed on Abigail a custom Buck 54 from Bermuda to Newport. Owner of 2 catamarans during 12 year period in Moorings charter with multiple trips throughout Caribbean, Greece, Mexico, Croatia. Have owned and cruised 3 monohulls throughout New England, San Francisco, Oregon. Member of Bristol Yacht Club. One son Jay who has joined us offshore & in Caribbean.

This is a test

This is a Test with picture > > >

This is a Test