Spirit of Minerva - Ondeck Atlantic Challenge 2009

Hi there, Stig of the waves here

2009-06-04T12:48:00.001-01:00

40nm. south of Isles of Scilly and fog!!!

Surely not a repeat of last year. Ah clear again. Whats this? Pirates of the English Channel. A tall ship spotted but unfortunately not close enough to get the name. Tis a beautiful day but unfortunately the wind is on the nose so having to motor at present.

Rory keelhauled yet again, this apprenticeship training can be really hard. All crew looking forward to Gunwharf and the issue of calibration blocks for the left leg. 1 to 2 inches should do it. the wonders of life at 45 degrees. A smooth night last night, so all crew well rested.

All in all a good passage with the possibility of a little race up the Solent to finish.

That's all from the crew of Minerva at present.

Chef out.

Hi from Minerva

2009-06-03T21:41:00.001-01:00

Another great days sailing aboard Minerva we've just crossed the continental shelf so we have depth again which is strange as we haven't seen it Antigua. Everyones excited about gettng back in the next few days but with mixed sadness of leaving the boat.

The video is coming on great so hopefully you will all get to enjoy it when we get in.

Unfortunately we lost Isis during the night but were hot on their tails chasing them. Looking forward to seeing seeing everyone when we get home, for a few quiet beers lol.

Love Minerva and crew

2009-06-02T12:53:00.001-01:00

Hi. Well here we are on the 5th day out of the Azores,fantastic sailing conditions, 15 kts of breeze, brilliant sunshine and with a good course for Portsmouth.

Today started by dropping the staysail, a valiant attempt by Simon and Nathan, especially for the video! The completed the task with relative ease, the whole episode was interrupted with a subtle break come disco dance from Nathan on the foredeck which had everyone watching in tears of laughter. Not to be outdone Rory decided it would be a good time to have a mast climb, a successful attempt, at least until the first spreader, where he remained for a while. His route down the shroud gave all in attendance an attempt at pole dancing around the shroud.

The rest of the day has been a successful attempt in overhauling Isis in almost match racing in the Atlantic.

Regards Roger

No Postcards!

2009-06-01T12:47:00.003-01:00

Hi all !!!

Minerva here - we're not sending postcards as postman can't get to us!

I'm having a great time aboard Minerva, we are currently match racing with Isis at the moment.

We're winning of course we'll have to wait and see who comes out best in a few days time!.

Missing the wife and kids but morale is good on board and the crew try and keep it up, the crew are great - any problems and they are there to help.

Food is good and I'm helping out with the cooking as and when really.

Bye for now

Dave

3rd Day back at sea

2009-05-31T18:56:00.001-01:00

We have over taken isis this afternoon, due to the pouring rain that was blinding us we couldnt really wave at them plus I think they saw us coming and had decided to bear away shame it would of been great to see there faces. (its not a race but is always good to be first and set a pace).

We may have seen some whales last night. Dave cooked up a chicken stew last night which was excellent . A few cooking challenges have been set in the galley . Roger will cook before we arrive in UK !!! Me and Roger have bunks in the galley with perfect positions to stick our ores in and give advise. Not quite got to grips with the new crews names yet I think yaniv is cooking pasta tonight .

Its my fiancee Caroline's birthday today so I hope she gets to reads this message today So I will be thinking about you on your birthday. I hope you like the flowers, I will give you your present when I get home.

Lots of love to every one especially Caroline

Simon

To all that follow good ship Minerva.

2009-05-30T13:52:00.001-01:00

Yes we are well underway having already done over 200miles. yesterday start very quiet with light winds, we now have a steady breeze and our making good speeds of around 10kts. with 1157 miles to go at this speed we will be eating away the miles.

Unfortunatley the increase in wind and waves has taken its toll on few of the crew. Though with Graham making soup for lunch i am sure everyone will want a cup.

The chart table being a very bouncy and hot makes it fun and cozy for seasoned sailors though for others at the moment is seen as place where sea sickness will quickly consume you.

I am sure by tomorrow i will have more volunteers to write home - otherwise everyone is in good spirits and getting into the regular routine of 3 hours on and 6 off. lots of love to all that follow us.

skip

p.s news flash, soup is now off !! chef gone home. skip and mate go hungry, oh well, big feed tmw!

Off we go!

2009-05-29T14:28:00.000-01:00

Hi Guys

Leaving day is finally upon us & we couldn't be happier to get back out on the sea as its been 8 days now since we docked!

I have spent most of the time exploring the island & have some great pics to show you all. I have also used the time to write a journal & my best man speech for my brother's wedding in August.

Me, Simon & Dave have invested in much better fishing gear so we will hopefully have more luck between here & home at feeding everyone some truely fresh fish.

The boat is alot more crowded now with a total of 12 but all the new guys have fitted in well already. The weather today is sunny & breezy but im sure that wont last long!

Looking forward to the next week at sea & have a funny feeling I wont want to leave when we get back to Blighty. For anyone who knows me well they will know what a dramatic turn around that is!

This has truely been an 'Atlantic Challenge' for me & with the help of the Ondeck guys I have learned an awful lot in a relatively short time.

Looking forward seeing you all in a week land lubbers! ;-)

Nathan x

hello everyone

2009-05-20T11:58:00.001-01:00

We have arrived and just in time as the winds increase and he beers get more frequent which is makes a change to all the constant squalls of 30kts last night. as a final blast last night we were making great speeds of 11-12kts, only to awake to diana litterally just on our bow, with a final race to the harbour wall everyone was up and full energy (except tim who was fast asleep having been work hard during night). the sight of land was very strange to some but to other it was a sad sight as they did not want the trip to end. i am sure you will hear from all of us soon as phone reception becomes the norm. you should be able to see us on the web cam!!! l

ots of love from minerva, so looking forward to that first cold beer, sorry beers
xxx

aftenoon everyone on dry land,

2009-05-19T22:07:00.002-01:00

We're currently 2314 miles from Antigua with a negative Rory factor of 300 miles due to my amazing and well revered helming. As i speak we're currently racing Diana to the midway point in Horta with the other two boats doing there own thing thirty miles in front and behind.

I'm pretty sure were winning against Diana, at least i think we are!

Weather at the moment is slightly overcast with a wind speed of twenty knots and some fun size waves also some good music, trucking along at a stedy(ish) nine knots. its been pretty good sailing at the moment for the last day or two and genrally throughout the trip, also a good thing, i havent been getting as wet either, although looking forward to a nice horizontal shower/beer in the Azores!

Finally managed to get some proper sleep the other night after Grahams excellent cooking! we're all lucky to have a culinary blackbelt onboard! I was also quiet chuffed this morning to get some great footage of a school of dolphins playing round the boat for half hour, that was good fun to watch! not many days i wake up and watch dolphins playing while drinking my morning brew! missing all my friends and family back home, hope the weather is good when we all get back, just starting to get used to lovely sunny weather.

the trip so far has been absolutely amazing i've managed to see some rare and amazing sights, one notable one was being able to see the sky on a clear night with no moon and seeing stars trace patterns on the water! also just to see so many all the way down to the horizon! as well as seeing some absolutely massive waves, a few wales and some great sunsets.

Looking forward to some more great sights and great sailing! :)

Rory Johnson

Beer and a proper shower ...

2009-05-18T12:45:00.002-01:00

... in no particular order. After I think four days (lost count, but has been like this since the storm) of sailing high to the wind, the waves, the wet gear and all the potholes Tim's watch managed to find, we are longing for some fixed ground and comfort.

The helm has been the best place to be at in these past few days, something stable to hold on to and, above all, barging through the ocean with up to 12 knots of speed remains great fun, no matter how tired or knackered you feel :-). The wind did ease off a bit last night, so everyone finally had some decent sleep. It is funny, standing on the boat without having to hold on to something, like learning to walk all over again. I wonder what that is going to be like when we reach shore in a couple of days. Or should I say a couple of watches?!

We are at sea now for 11 days, if I have calculated that correctly. Could well have been 20 or 30. Keeping track of them is virtually impossible, so a "couple of days" does really feel like we can smell the beer already . Thankfully Graham got back on his feet yesterday. If there is one hidden asset aboard of the Minerva, it is Graham. Together with a good sense of humor among all of the crew, Graham`s cooking skills in these most extreme conditions have been instrumental in keeping the spirit high.

I just understand that we still have a good chance of arriving in Horta first. Given our solid last position at one point in time and the hardship that came after, any place that we finish higher than 4th is purely attributable to the good food and all of the humor. And the winds.

It has been great fun out here. I have been trying to find all possible excuses to tell the peeps at work that I would only come back after the first week of June, so I can help sail the Minerva back to the UK as well. Though I have been unsuccessfull in finding the magic words as of yet. Suggestions are welcome. Then again, Monaco is longing and I am positive that I will visit this big swimming pool another time in the not too distant future again.

Have fun, Sebastiaan

Day ... umm ... not sure what

2009-05-17T12:01:00.002-01:00

but I know we have only a few more days until we arrive in the Azores.

I Had to send message back for Tax emergency 2 days ago , doesnt the VAT inspector understand the words 'not available for a few weeks'???.

We have two reefs in the main to flatten us out a bit as we were not getting much sleep with weather picking up . We are all in high spirits again especially as the miles left are rapidly decreasing. We are putting the fishing line out again to prop up the food stocks. looking forward to speaking to my girlfriend Caroline - I hope she has not been having to much fun with me away!!! This key board is so difficult at 45 degeess! I have had enough of typing so signing off for now!!

Simon

p.s. keep the text messages coming - it's really great to hear from you all back home!

Hi everyone back in the uk!

2009-05-16T18:12:00.001-01:00

Getting used to living at 45 degrees is no easy feat & nothing had prepared me for this as your mind is working overtime about every step & move you make.

As expected it didnt take long for my sea sickness to kick in (only 53 mins) but after a few days I am now fine.

Well for my first sailing trip I certainly would call this a baptism of fire. I have seen everything from mild to wild weather inc huge waves, big winds & lightning.

Today we saw a school of dolphins which followed us during our watch for about ten minutes, really wasn't sure about ths trip but really glad I came as it has been brilliant so far & the Ondeck guys are spot on.

Anyway my team's watch so better get back to it.

Love to all the family & friends.

Nathan

Day 8 on the big boat Minerva

2009-05-15T22:50:00.000-01:00

Windy today screaming along with two reefs in the main,

Juno is alongside keeping us pushed to stay ahead, good fun with lots of spray and the occasional rain (a bit like the UK).

Passed an ocean marker last night which caused lots of excitement. saw a whale during the watch yesterday afternoon.

All well on board, everyone's enjoying the windy conditions and spirits are high.

love to all in the uk

The Minerva crew

After a very interesting night of dramas ...

2009-05-14T12:16:00.002-01:00

... and various winds we our now sailing along at 9-10kts heading for the Azores with 1134 miles to go.

During the night, Roger experienced knock to the head after a 180 degree wind shift, causing the main to gybe and catch our instruments sending them flying and hitting poor Roger.

Tim rushed to put on his lovely nurses outfit and has been monitoring him all night.

Roger, fully conscious and awake with full leave pass, is threatening to throw Tim overboard unless he stops mothering him, (good sign he is okay!)

All are well onboard and loving sailing fast again.

Lots of love Minerva.

p.s thank you for your messages they are being passed on to crew. Special note to clairerums, missing you onboard!!

Monkey

Hi, Spirit of Minerva on the ether

2009-05-13T19:08:00.000-01:00

Today we gybed!!! and a beautiful gybe it was.

After a quick recallibration of the legs the realisation struck that it must be treat for Sebastian - it being his birthday and all. Auntie Bessie strikes again.

Clouds once again on holiday, so to keep out of the heat it falls upon me to write the blog.

Stopped yesterday and met Juno with Sebastian swimming over to say hello. The rest of us not brave enough to leave the boat. Still, good to speak directly to another boat.

Apple crumble on the menu with real custard, must have been good as there was none left.

Life onboard settled into a regular routine with everyone well rested between watches. New crew member flew in last night and joined us in the galley, the interloper was quickly ejceted by Kostas, obviously Mr F. Fish was not welcome.

No more highlights to relate - just to wish Bev all my love.
Graham sighing off for Spirit of Minerva.

Well it's now our 6th day

2009-05-12T17:41:00.000-01:00

and most of the crew have learned quite a lot about each other, and brilliantly, everyone seems to have gelled really well.

What's happened to date? We started at Antigua in around a 25kt wind almost on the nose (nothing different there then!!) and this continued for about the next 2 days.

We continued on a heading of around 030 as the wind abated slightly and that continued for the next couple of days until everything stopped, no wind, no boat speed. still I never imagined being in the middle of the Atlantic with the water like a millpond. To make it more bizarre we met up with one of the other boats and some crew went for a quick swim.

The engine has been running for over 24 hours now (I think, with the 3 hour watch system my time clock is totally out of sync) the engine is not too noisy but the rig makes so much noise it's always better to sail.

We fortunately have a slightly better forecast with some wind from behind us due within a few hours which means we can use the sails, whoopee!! sailing again.

Still what a great time so far, something not to be missed - EVER!!

Regards Roger

Good Evening from Minerva

2009-05-12T04:52:00.004-01:00

We had a slow day today with only 2 kts of breeze, but saw our first dolphin of the trip a bit of a lazy one who didn't want to play.

We Met Juno just after lunch for a swim then returned to our fishing which unfortunately still hasn't provided us with any of those elusive tunas.

Good food as always on here thanks to our dab hand cooks Graham and Roger. We're all now settling down for a comfy night, but all well here and looking forward to the wind returning tomorrow.

It's Sunday

2009-05-10T14:00:00.001-01:00

today just finished my watch had my breakfast, scrambled eggs on toast its now 9am.

I've been listenng to my girlfriend's Ipod which reminds me of her hope she is ok at home.

I think I could helm continuously for 24hrs listening to good tunes. The wind has died down alot we are only hitting 7.5 knots as to our previous 10.5 but saying that things are much more comfortable.

We can now move around boat with one hand. we are third and will probably stay here for the rest of the trip isis is first .

Nathen has found his sea legs and is now getting lively I'll be making sure no vodka for him in the Azores, otherwise he will never learn to steer in a straight line.

Bye for now

Simon

p.s Crew are looking after us all well.

What a beautiful day.

2009-05-09T14:26:00.003-01:00

20kts of wind and plenty of sunshine with the odd wave to cool you down.

everyone is feeling better today and almost everyone had some lovely chicken wraps cooked up by our first mate Tim last night.

We are all finding it a new experince to live life at a 20 degree angle, it takes a bit of getting used to! - takes 10 minutes just to make a cup of tea, everything takes that much longer and effort to do, with gravity pulling you across the boat.

The sailing is fantastic but challenging. Every day is different and hopefully we will see some dolphins today and stars tonight.

All is well aboard Minerva, so prepare to watch us fly across the atlantic.

Keep the messages coming - it's great to hear from you all at home.

I have never sailed a Farr 65 before

2009-05-08T10:30:00.000-01:00

It is stable, fast and most importantly specially prepared for ocean cruising. Never had before a furling head sail and a watermaker on board!!

Costas Stimos

It is still windy and big waves so still plenty of food to be eaten as no-one is up to it at the mo, but with the winds due to die of this afternoon and the weekend I am sure the crew will make up for it with some bacon butties to start mmmm.

Sailing very close to Isis and Diana and as normal Juno is off doing her own thing. We our making good speeds of around 10kts. Looking forward to getting the fishhing rod out when we slow down!

Love to all from Minerva

What a start!

2009-05-07T23:22:00.001-01:00

Sprit of Minerva in true style storms the start line in first with a port flyer.

Now offshore, and well underway, all the boats are very close by with Isis about 200m in front of us, Diana on our or left hand side and Juno only a few meters behind.

Early on we suffered from a bit of sea sickness amongst the crew but sea legs have now been found and things are looking up with night on the way and a pleasant forcast ahead of us.

What will tommorrow bring?

Lots of love to all family and friends from the Good Ship Minerva.