Sunday 24th November
The atmosphere in the marina this morning was one of excitement & relief that the big day was finally here. The crew on board PANNIKIN had breakfast (bacon on toast) & a couple of cups of tea & coffee. Only a few odd jobs needed to be done - dressing flags to be brought down, front water tank topped up & the gas bottle we'd been using during the week exchanged. We also bought a few more oranges & potatoes. The Gran Canaria marching band began at about 11am playing music & marching up & down the marina & the pontoons. Plenty of locals were wandering about the marina checking out boats & taking photos. We had plenty of PANNIKIN crew shots taken be Richard next door on SARAH JANE, so hopefully we will have a good photo for everyone. A lot of crews popped champagne & had a celebratory drink. At about 11.45am it got all too much for the skipper & he decided to throw the lines. We motored out of our finger with Men at Work's "Down Under" blaring as other boats sounded their horns & their crew cheering. The line up to get out of the marina was amazing...lots & lots of boats heading out for a sail before taking the starting line. The marina walls were chockers full of people waving & cheering - it was quite a sight. As we sailed around waiting for our starting time we saw the guys on HAVACHAT - lovely cat from Newcastle skippered by Peter. We yelled out G'Day & hopefully we will see them on our arrival in Rodney Bay & have a few drinks (although their heads may still be hurting from the Farewell Party on Friday 22/11 - a big night was had by those guys!). The Multi hulls & Open division started at 12.30pm, the racing division at 12.45pm & our Cruising division at 1pm. We had a good start across the line & were happy with our position. We were soon approached by a large German owned yacht on our port side which tried to force us off our track, the skipper waving his arm to indicate he wanted to cross in front of us. The reply from PANNIKIN's skipper & best mate cannot be written here, but you can get the drift (also a number of rude hand gestures were made as well!). Racing is so much fun!!!! We continued south west for most of the afternoon getting a little wet a one stage but not enough to dampen our spirits. The sight was one we will never forget - 236 boats - multihulls & racers in front with their spinnakers flying & the rest of as cruisers bringing up the rear. By night fall we were happy with our position. It seemed as though a lot of the fleet was caught in a wind shadow at the south of the island which we had managed to avoid. The crew started our watch system at 4pm & after dinner (paella prepared by Paul on Saturday) we settled down to get into the swing of things on PANNIKIN.

Monday 25th November - Day 1
We had a slow night last night. The wind dropped to nearly nothing not long after nightfall & to zero at about midnight so it was a rolly & uncomfortable night for the crew on PANNIKIN & not many miles were made. Shortly after dawn we caught 2 dolphin fish - one for breakfast & one for lunch - absolutely beautiful! Everyone is tired today after a busy week, but also getting used to our watch system & having disrupted sleep. PANNIKIN seems to be handling her load really well - she is very heavy but handling the swell & winds OK. Everyone on board is sleeping when not on watch to catch up & stay cheerful. We had a lovely chicken casserole for dinner prepared by Di on Saturday - we are eating really well - everyone is happy.

Tuesday 26th November - Day 2
Watches are continuing to go well & we had a lovely cruising night with good wind. At about 8am the wind dropped & changed direction & we hoisted the spinnaker much to Andrew's delight. The crew spent the day sitting up on deck or sleeping until dinner (spaghetti Bolognese). We listened to the radio schedules at 1pm - it was great to hear how other boats were going & chatting about their days. It was also nice to know that many of them were either just in front & or behind us. We are surprised that we can still see other yachts - we thought we would be on our won by now.

Wednesday 27th November - Day 3
The wind gradually died through the night as predicted & by 4am we were just bouncing around on the ocean swell. We furled the sails to prevent damaged & were pulled along by the ocean current at 1 knot for a couple of hours. At 6am the skipper decided to start the engine so we wouldn't be sitting in the same spot for the next two days. We know that is not "racing" but we do have a time limit to get our crew to the Caribbean for their flights home. The day was absolutely beautiful - sunny & cloudless - but no wind! Steve cooked scones which were a real treat - we have been eating so well! After lunch Paul gave Steve, Andrew and John a lesson with the sextant shooting sun sights for celestial navigation which they all did very well and proves we are somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. The evening saw the breeze pick up and we making good way by the time we fired up the BBQ for a steak dinner with Spanish sausages, roast potatoes and salad.

Thursday 28th November - Day 4
The wind stay constant thru the night till it finally died around 6am when we were forced to start the motor again. Angela came on deck and looked to the stern where our bag of onions were meant to be, the knot had come undone and they emptied themselves overboard (our first casualty).
The ocean became so smooth with the lack of wind it became glassy so Di, Andrew and Steve thought it would be a good time to have a mid ocean swim. We slowed the boat to near stop when Andrew took the first plunge only to find the boat was still moving and had to swim with all his might to catch up cheered on by the rest of the crew. The water was warm and clear and beautiful but we couldn't help the occasional glance downward. The wind continued to evade us as the evening approached, but the calm conditions allowed some jobs to be done. Pannikin looked like a Chinese laundry with everyone washing clothes and hanging them on the lifelines around the boat. At 5pm the skipper allowed happy hour of one beer per person and nibblies followed by another awesome BBQ dinner of lamb chops, basil pesto pasta and salad.

Friday 29th November - Day 5
We motored throughout the night until around 6am when the wind picked up. We had a visit last night from a medium sized bird which landed in our cockpit & wandered around for a couple hours resting his wings. Unfortunately he left us lots of little presents so John sent him on his way! We continued on our path south with about 15-16 knots of wind with PANNIKIN sitting happily on 6.5-7.5 knots of speed on a close reach. Andrew outdid himself in the breakfast department, making us all excellent toasted sandwiches & cups of tea. We managed to get emails working & everyone had received an email from home apart from Di who then received constant "loser" reminders from the rest of the crew for the rest of the day. The day did turn overcast & a little rainy, but we were happy to be whizzing along after so many days of motoring or just bobbing around.

Saturday 30th November - Day 6
The night was a mixture of winds which began with westerlies at 15kts which meant we couldn't sail the direction we would have liked, which soon gave way to a couple of hours of calm conditions for Andrew and Di at the helm. Paul and Ange then had strengthening conditions from the east which got Pannikin up and moving again in the right direction and by the end of Ange's watch she was racing along in 27kts of wind. Steve then took over and was happily sailing along when he heard a tearing sound. The main sail had ripped, so it was quickly furled and we ran along under headsail alone. As the morning went on, conditions worsened as the seas built and made steering and life aboard very interesting. We are hoping to repair the sail when conditions ease enough to get it down, if not we have near new one on standby.
Lunch was a cup of noodles.
We passed another yacht within 100 meters who was very slowly making his way to the Caribbean and had a chat with him on the radio about the weather. He soon was lost from sight as we raced along past him.

Sunday 1st December - Day 7
Boat speed during the night was slow as we only had a very small headsail out because of the rough conditions with the wind around 35kts and gusts up to 40kts and with a long way to go we thought it best to be a little conservative. There was heavy rain squalls and the waves and swell were up as well. Every so often a wave would slap the side of Pannikin and the helms person would get a little more wet, if that was possible. John was suffering from seasickness and Dr Andrew gave him a shot and sent him to bed for the night. The morning wind slowly veered around onto the nose, but eased making a weary crew a little more comfortable. By mid morning we were not getting very far without a mainsail so we had to attempt a sail change - not an easy exercise with an in-mast furling system but the crew worked well together and we were off and sailing in no time.
That evening everyone was too tired to eat and those who weren't on watch hit the bunks to catch up on some much needed rest.
We were informed of some tragic news from a boat in the fleet where the skipper suffered a heart attack and passed away. At least he was doing something he loved at the time. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones.

Monday 2nd December - Day 8
What a difference a day makes. A starry sky follow by sunshine and light winds saw everyone rested and greeted the morning with smiles on their faces. Wet gear was hung out to dry, washing was done, Pannikin was swept and cleaned, Steve baked some fresh bread and Di even washed here hair.
The dolphins came and played around the boat for a while which is always special on beautiful days like this. We are still waiting for the breeze to swing around behind us which will help with our speed and get us pointing in the right direction.
The ARC has informed us of a boat that is missing and hasn't made contact for four days, we hope all is well and it is only a communication problem. Another boat lost its life raft in the heavy weather and asked all boats to keep a look out for it.

Tuesday 3rd December - Day 9
Light conditions gave the crew aboard Pannikin another peaceful night and they woke to clear skies and smooth seas. It seems we get too much wind or it dies right down and we don't get enough - that's sailing. It did mean that we got the spinnaker out again for a couple of hours which made Andrew very happy. The progress has been very slow which is frustrating but everyone is in good spirits and we are still having fun. At the moment we have plenty of food and water on board so we are eating very well. Di even thinks she will have to go on a diet when she gets home! In the morning Steve baked some fresh bread rolls so we had bacon and egg rolls for lunch, then happy hour, followed by a nice baked chicken dish by Ange for dinner.
The highlight of the day was when the fishing reel started screaming off. The boat was brought to a halt and Steve reeled in a very large Mahi Mahi (Dorado or Dolphin fish).Andrew put on some gloves and knelt down on the transom to help land the fish, and when he lent out to grab its tail he lost his balance and fell in with it, much to the amusement of the crew! The look of sheer terror on his face when he popped up was priceless. We finally hauled Andrew and the fish onboard, took some photos and released the fish as we have enough food in the fridge at this stage. ( I' m not sure we released the right one). It did take some time for the crew to stop laughing. Andrew was unharmed and off we went again on our merry way.
The afternoon saw the wind drop out so we were forced to start the motor to keep us moving. The forecast does not look good at this stage as light winds are predicted for the next few days. At this rate we might get to St Lucia in February sometime.

Wednesday 4th December - Day 10
A quiet day without much wind saw us burning a few more litres of diesel with very calm seas and almost no swell it was hard to believe we were in the middle of the Atlantic.
The highlight of the day once again as the fishing reel screaming off and by the time Steve picked it up, the fish had taken nearly all the line. It was a good fight which lasted ten minutes and finally a good size tuna was landed, so lunch was fresh tuna and salad. Absolutely beautiful!

Thursday 5th December - Day11
Light winds prevailed, although there was enough to turn the motor off and set a spinnaker which made life on board a little less noisy. The speed has been very slow, each day we get a new forecast and turn to where they predict more wind only to find similar conditions. Our track on the plotter instead of a straight line looks more like a set of stairs. The crew are sending emails home as the threat of not making it to St Lucia in time for their flights becomes a real issue. We are all looking to the horizon for more wind. Hopefully we will make it to the Caribbean to get the crew home before Christmas.

Friday 6th December - Day 12
Pannikin flew her spinnaker all through the night and Ange and Steve were on watch around dawn when the spinnaker came falling down into the water. The rest of the crew were abruptly woken to help pull it back on deck before it became wrapped around the keel. The halyard (the rope that holds it up) had chaffed through and broken at the top of the mast (bugger!). So out with main and jib and keep sailing as best we could. Mention must be made that throughout all of the goings on with people running around and calling back and forth there was a fair bit of noise which Di slept soundly through, only to poke her head out at the end and say "did I miss something".
Paul, Andrew, John and Di did a great job stitching the torn main sail back together again under Paul's guidance, so once repaired we put it back up again and it looked stronger than before. Great job guys!
The last few days there has been a smell developing in the saloon and it came to the point that we could no longer blame Andrew, so we went hunting and found some of the beer cans and a large milk bottle had ruptured in the bilge. The bilge was full of canned food and drinks which had to be removed and cleaned, the bilge scrubbed and dried then restocked which took quite some time, which kept everyone busy and their minds off the lack of wind.
Happy hour followed by steaks on the BBQ finished off the day.

Saturday 7th December - Day 13
Each day we do a schedule rollcall and are in contact with other yachts via the SSB radio, and yesterday there was talk of more wind to the south, so we followed their advice and were rewarded with 15kts of southeast breeze. The conversation in the cockpit was how nice it would be if we still had a spinnaker, so Steve volunteered to go up the mast and thread a new halyard through the block. This is a job that is normally done in a marina but as we don't have that option we just had to make things as safe as possible and get it done. An hour later the spinnaker was up and Pannikin was cruising along at 6-7 kts. More stitching has been done on the headsail as the UV protectant has come loose with all the use & heavy winds last week.

Sunday 8th December - Day 14
Throughout the night we kept the spinnaker flying which gave us some boat speed but certainly not enough to break any records, and after sail for so many miles without seeing another boat we passed two within half a mile which gave us some comfort to know we are not out here all by ourselves.
Once again quiet conditions greeted the crew in the morning and by mid morning the breeze dropped right out forcing us to start the motor again, much to the displeasure of all on board. The smooth seas made it possible for Steve to bake some scones for morning tea and fresh bread rolls for lunch. Yumm. Andrew then cooked up some very tasty rissoles to go on the bread rolls. Losing weight on this trip does not seem to be a high priority on Pannikin.
The UV strip on the old headsail started to come adrift so Paul, Andrew and Di got the sail repair kit out again and stitched it up. What a great crew!
As the afternoon went on the sea became smooth and glassy with light clouds on the horizon made a beautiful sunset to the west, so we cracked a beer and enjoyed a very special evening on the Atlantic.

Monday 9th Dcember - Day 15
The forecast was for more wind to the west of us so we kept the motor going until just after midnight when we were able to set some sails and by dawn we were happily sailing along at 7 to 8kts. There were some rain squalls blowing through which kept us on our toes as the wind can dramatically increase as they approach. They also kept us pretty wet but that didn't matter as long as we were making good headway.
Andrew has finally relaxed after two weeks and is keeping us all amused with his singing, writing his memours and joyful antics. Paul thinks he has been drinking salt water.

Tuesday 10th December - Day 16
A day of spinnaker sailing and making good speed while we ate and slept our way across the Atlantic once again. This pleasant sail was too good to be true and we hadn't broken anything for a while. The wind slowly picked up and we were considering taking the spinnaker down when a gust hit us and we were not quick enough to ease the sheet so Pannikin rounded up into the wind, which made her lay over to the point where water ran up the deck and into Di's cabin window, soaking her bed. All hands on deck to get it down, but once we furled we found the halyard (that rope again) had jambed in the block at the top of the mast - BIG Problem. After a couple of trys at different things we were able to forcefully pull it down even though the halyard was still jammed. The seas were too dangerous to climb the mast, so it will have to wait till we get to port to be fixed, so we set a head sail and continued on westward.

Wednesday 11th December - Day17
The wind and swell continued to increase which was good for our progress, but not so good for comfort aboard with Pannikin rocking and rolling along. Simple things become major tasks when the sea gets up, just walking to the galley and making a cup of tea can be a bruising ordeal. Sleeping also becomes difficult as it is like your bunk is on a roller coaster. The sea conditions also meant we have to hand steer as the autopilot has difficulty holding course which makes the crew work that little bit harder, but they take this all in their stride and moral is still good.
The countdown is on as yesterday we passed the 1000nm to go point and we are moving well, so we hope to be in St Lucia in six days time.

Thursday 12th December - Day 18
Winds are up to 25 -35 knots & the seas are rough & big. Rain occasionally. We hung on!

Friday 13th - Sunday 15th December - Day 19 - 21
Winds are up to 35 knots & the seas are rough & big. Rain occasionally. We hung on!


Monday 16th December - Day 22
Another rough day at sea and we were all looking to the horizon to see land. We were still in good spirits and having fun comparing bruises when just as the sun was going down Paul spotted a glimps of land through the clouds - Land HO!!! It took us another five hours to get to the point where we turned to the finish line. The water was flat and a stiff breeze sent Pannikin charging across the line with a photographer in an inflateable boat snapping pictures all the way. The horn blew at 11.48pm to say we were across and then more horns and cheering - Our friends Jeremy and Suzie were in their dinghy waiting to welcome us in which made the finish even more special. Thanks guys!
We then made our way into the marina where all the Aussies were there blowing their fog horns and clapping and cheering to welcome us in. Boats all over the place cheered making the experience very special and when we docked we were given rum punches, fruit basket and a bottle of rum. Yahoo!

Tuesday 17th December
Thank you everyone for all your kind thoughts emails and texts. It is a great comfort for all on board to know you are following us and wishing us well.
After more rum and beers we made it to bed around 4am and woke at 8am to get started working on Pannikin and cleaning up. A long shower was high on the list of things to do.
Paul, Andrew, John and Di went off shopping and exploring and came back with all sorts of goodies.
In the evening there was the ARC cocktail party, we weren't feeling all that bright but after a few rum punches we all fired up and got fully into party mode. After the party we found a band and an outside bar which kept us entertained to the early hours - sleep can wait.