Just returned from crewing Brigand a 56 foot catamaran across the pond from Gran Canaria to St Lucia
we completed the 2,700 miles in 13 days 11 hours and 35 minutes; as a result we were 1st in the multihull division and 12th overall from the 226 yachts that started
following arrival in St L I subsequently spent xmas in Grenada with the family but included some Grenadines cruising on Brigand
2 spinnakers blown but other than that no real problems;the seas were quite big but not as big as the Biscay which I did in September.
all in all a good experience but in conclusion I quite like the new Revenger twin diesel med boat -these raggies have too many ropes and things to make them go
fastest speed down the back of a wave was recorded at 23.1 kts which is quite daunting on a sail boat!
interestingly after 2 days at sea we saw the lights of 1 other boat and the QE2 passed a mile away -otherewise nothing else seen in nearly two weeks -its a big bit of sea out there
racing cats are faster BUT she is a cruiser (so it is an impressive result) and some wouldn't be expected to compete with the likes of a swan 601 or racing maxi. good performance phil!
Thats not fast, i have done southampton to Antigua 4 times in an ocean 80 and it never took that long. what was the cat? all credit to you though its an adventure the first time
I think its great Phil there are to many people who want to do things and never do. Its a lot of work sailing that trip with only 2, did you have any fun times? i always have somthing either engine,rigging or electrics but at least it keeps you from getting board. so come on when is the next crossing ?
Pop , there were 7 on board but only 2 who could really sail. So with kites up the skipper and mate did 6 hour watches at night whilst the rest of us did 3 hours; no watches in the day.
most of it was on auto but when we were pushing the kites to the limit the skipper and mate drove.
funnily enough I was not bored until the last day when the wind dropped -the last 40 miles seem to take forever ;typically though as we rounded Pidgeon Island for the finish line we ran in to a squall and every thing went a bit haywire for a few minutes.
I did quite a lot of cooking which meant no watch that night and helped others who either could not or did not want to cook.some found preparing a meal for 7 in reasonably big seas a bit of an effort.
I'd like to return to RIBS this year so am hunting around
However the whole crew sat down for a main meal every night and most mornings for a full breakfast so not too bad on that front
I reckin the funniest moment was in St Lucia when the skipper trod on a sea urchin and asked anyone if they could provide some urine to put on it; one of the girls said she would do so if the rest of us turned away -what happened to buckets!
