Northabout, Author at The Polar Ocean Challenge

321 posts, 27

I have moved my bed to the saloon. My bunk is, because of the waves, very uncomfortable and wet as well thanks to a hole in the ceiling

Ben Edwards UTC 21.00 7 Oct We’re moving along quickly now. We’ve been caught up by the front end of a front which is giving us plenty of wind from a favourable direction. We’re doing about seven knots. At this…

Back in the coffin in the pitch dark it was now liking riding the Cresta run, lying back wedged in the bunk as it accelerated and took off, flying through the air…..

NorthaboutCrew(b)log3

Rob Hudson, crew, Atlantic Crossing 7 October 19.30 UTC I’m afraid my blogs are becoming rather sleep fixated – this is no exception. Yesterday was a long, slow slog into a headwind hoping for the forecast southerly to kick in…

The Refleks (heating) has the diesel bug. Dr Mike tried to fix…

NorthaboutCrew(b)log2

Ben Edwards, crew 7th Oct Hello. So the big news today was the refleks. We had tried and tried again to light it and it kept going out until no diesel came out. Mike then went upon an endeavour to…

5 Shades of Grey…

NorthaboutShips log1

Position: 57,28.2N 030,26.4W 6 October UTC 18.00 mid north Atlantic Baro 998 rising, wind East 15KT, sea moderate, around 2m. current west (against us) Air temp 9.7c, water temp 9.2c. We plod south east. Chug Chug Chug….As we have an almost perfect headwind…

The military background types on board say “chuff chart” I initially assumed this was a diagram we had to produce each evening to reflect how pleased we were with ourselves; alas….

NorthaboutCrew(b)log1

Andrew Coulthurst, 1st Mate for the Atlantic crossing 6th October (from Mid North Atlantic Ocean) A New Vocabulary… With two former members of the armed services aboard there has inevitably been some military banter knocking around. Most of it is…

Mike was doing dinner last night and despite the swell managed to make a very nice Musk Ox stew.

NorthaboutCrew(b)log2

Ben Edwards, North Atlantic 5 October 18.30 So things are getting a little more comfortable. There’s a patch of low wind skirting the edge of the storm that we tried to get into and, astonishingly, succeeded. The stronger winds and waves…

WHUMP! a hard hitting wall of a water knocks us firmly sideways, then the vertigo of 26 tons shifting sideways and downwards about 30 feet, roll and recovery and water washing everywhere decks, widows, cockpit, someone has a fire hose spraying on us……

NorthaboutShips log1

Position, 58.10.1N 35,37.2W wind 25 kt, gusting 35 kt, sea moderate to rough, blue sky and birds. temp 17.7c, water 8.1c, SOG 8.5 kt, CSE 113T, DTW (Bantry Bay) 952 nm BARO 974 rising. 5 Oct 11.30 UTC We have…

A loud “Yeehaaar!” left my mouth and was whipped away by the wind. The seas were magnificent, lashed by the wind and spewing spume from the top, as Northabout gamely reached across the tops under reefed staysail.

NorthaboutCrew(b)log6

Rob Hudson, crew Atlantic crossing UTC 15.00 4th October We are finally on our way back to Bristol! “We left the weather station early yesterday morning in grey, wet, miserable conditions – a stark contrast to the glorious weather of…

So the night hath passed and we’re still alive. To me it feels like it was a bit of a close run thing

NorthaboutCrew(b)log1

Ben Edwards, crew, whole expedition, 14yrs old 4th Oct UTC 15.00 North Atlantic So the night hath passed and we’re still alive. To me it feels like it was a bit of a close run thing. We left the weather station…

We have handled this at 50 KT with around 7m seas, (occasionally 8-9m) so our confidence levels are good. I heaved the boat to for a few minutes to test how she behaved, and she was ‘OK’ sitting duck like as the rollers powered through beneath us

NorthaboutShips log2

Position 59,09.5N 39,18.9W at approx 11.30 UTC 4th October SHPSLOG about yesterday and today. Satelitte image is from yesterday Wind is currently 15KT s.e, baro 986 rising slowly, sea 4m, moderate swell from west, a little current (would be called a…

Author: Northabout