Category: Arctic
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Two Good Things About an Oily Calm
It’s 05:45 and we are motoring through an oily calm. I’m taking the opportunity to charge everything up. While we were sailing downwind for the last three days or so, the Aerogen wind generator was not often generating any power as so little wind was passing over the boat. I use a bungee strap to…
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Magic Carpet Ride
Position N68,39.8 x W008,00.4 Wind F2 Easterly We have had an amazingly smooth ride for the last twelve hours. The wind eadsed off a bit and we gybed the genoa so we are now gliding through a smooth sea at about 3 knots. There was even a bit of warmth in the sun at lunchtime.…
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Going Like a Bat Out of Hell
Position N66,57.43 x W007,25.2 Wind force 4-5 southerly. We have had some great sailing maintaining a speed of around 6 knots. It is mighty rolly polly with the boom and yankee pole dipping alternately every few seconds. Occassionally Sumara does a mad death roll and everything flies around but it is great to be making…
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Magic Carpet Ride
Position N65,08 x W006,57. It is 1845 and it is curry night. I asked John what type of curry and he said “a nice curry”. We are sailing at 5 kn bang on course through a calm sea with a little bit of sunshine. Soon we will make up time as the grib files (digital…
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N63,39.65 x W007.41. Force 1 Northerly. Sunny. 451nm to Jan Mayen
Well who would have believed it! Its a lovely day up here, the sun has a bit of warmth (15C)and it is pretty much calm but sadly no wind. Sumara is chug chuging along but I think we can see Thembi to our port beam so I suspect they are making a gallant effort at…
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Departure Imminent
As the winds are easing now we are thinking of sailing on the next tide at 2am with Thembi following the next day. We went for a fine walk out to the island point this afternoon where I asked everyone to pose for a photo looking miserable. I had completely forgotten that we had Dan…
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Ice Situation Scoresbysund
Scoresbysund is still not accessible but Angmagsslik is looking just possible. Hopefully the situation will improve over the next few weeks. John has a helicopter ride and flight booked from Scoresbysund so if we go further south some new arrangements may need putting in place. (I think that was a hint Selma!) Sumara is waiting for…
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Not a Good Day for Sailing
We woke to creaking lines, howling rigging and a harbour full of white horses and decided to stay put but use the time to climb the Faroes highest hill – Slattaratindur at 882 m. As we didn’t have a map we decided to seek local advice. The girl in the supermarket said there are no…
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John has Arrived Safely
John flew in last night just in time to join us all having a grand curry on Thembi. Now the crew is all assembled (apart from Charlotte who is arriving in Jan Mayen on the Icelandic boat) we will have a big meeting this evening to finalise plans. The Thembi crew are off on a…
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Nolsoy and Thembi the Tanker
After knocking off some tasks in the morning Sarah and I thought we would treat ourselves to a good walk. We took the ferry to the island of Nolsoy just half an hour away and walked out to the lighthouse. A great walk about 2 hours each way along a path well marked with stone…