ARC2014 Start Postponed

The low pressure over the Canaries has not taken it’s calming course as predicted, hence still very strong winds in Las Palmas. We had gusts of 40 knots overnight, and it continues this morning. Despite CoCo’s readiness regardless, the Race Committee has decided to postpone the start. A bit disappointing but understandable, consider the following message from the ARC race committee.

—–Original Message 09:00—–

Division 2: Racing. AP flag is flying. Racing division start is postponed for 2 hours. A further announcement about start time for Racing Division will be made at 11:00.

Division 1, 4, 5: Cruising, Multihull and Open. AP flag is flying. The start for all cruising, multihull and open divisions is postponed for a minimum of 18 hours. A further announcement about start time divisions 1, 4, 5 will be made at 11:00.

—-UPDATE 11:30—–

Racing division is also postponed for a minimum of 18 hours. The racing committee is looking for a weather window tomorrow morning to conduct the start. All additional harbour fees are waived and there will be another sundowner with beer and cocktails tonight.

VLOG Episode 3: The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers

A Weekend of Planning

This weekend (5-6 September 2014) the entire crew met up at Peter’s place in order to really get down to business as our time of departure is approaching fast (less than a month to go!). When one is planning a long voyage such as ours it is difficult to set specific dates for when we will be arriving at specific locations. This problem is further accentuated by the fact that we are dependent on the wind as our main propellant. However, we found it fruitful to talk of our expectations and to form an image of an itinerary. Hopefully we will have a map of our complete itinerary up on this website very soon.

Furthermore, we were given a thorough brief on the technical aspects that are important to bear in mind aboard S/Y CoCo. This included an introduction to proper motor care and a brief on proper sail use and trimming under different circumstances.

We shared ideas and received some wisdom from the preceding generation. The three more seasoned gentlemen you can see in the picture below will be joining us across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia on the ARC.

Jan Fredrik Mack, a very experienced sailor, tells us tales from his travels.

Trying to knit together a good plan with help from harbour guides, maps and Google.

Henrik carefully assesses the risks of unfavourable weather in April aided by a pilot chart.

ISAF Offshore Personal Survival Course

From the 29th to the 30th of March we spent the entire day, from early morning until arguably late in the evening, at the Norwegian College of Elite Sport. Praise science for coffee! The course was hosted by Stefan Nilsson from SeaSafety and among the topics covered were: rules that are practiced in offshore sailing competitions, search and rescue at sea, damages and emergency repairs, basic meteorology, and first aid at sea. Included in the course was an outdoor demonstration of pyrotechnical gear like emergency flares, and a demonstration of different makes of fire extinguishers. Additionally, we spent several hours in an indoor pool doing man-over-board role playing and attending hands-on workshops on emergency rafts and proper use and care of inflatable life preservers.  

 The course, although a bit pricey, provided important knowledge which may dictate the difference between life and death in a perilous situation.