Day 17 – Still beating upwind Porky is in racing mode! Despite her shoaldraft keel, which already came in handy in many shallow anchorages, river estuaries and reef passes, but when beating upwind creates more drift to leeward, we have been able to point high upwind for several days now. Yesterday, the waves were veryContinue reading “North Atlantic Crossing Part 3 – Beating upwind and landfall in Horta”
Tag Archives: offshore sailing
North Atlantic Crossing Part 2 – Hit by a storm
Day 9 – On the way again We also used the few hours at anchor in Bermuda to replace our spinnaker halyard in the mast, as the old one was shaved through. In addition, we were able to test our staysail with the dinghy on deck, as we might hoist it in the strong breezeContinue reading “North Atlantic Crossing Part 2 – Hit by a storm”
North Atlantic Crossing Part 1 – An unexpected stop in Bermuda
Departure Day Here we go, ready to cross the Atlantic Ocean! Last night‘s tropical depression passed west of us and we only got gusts up to 28 kts. Perfect to get some sound sleep without much healing or rocking before we embark on basically a sometimes smooth but sometimes thrilling roller coaster ride for 3-4Continue reading “North Atlantic Crossing Part 1 – An unexpected stop in Bermuda”
Tacking upwind to the Bahamas
Departure Day End of April: it was finally time to sail to the Bahamas! All preparations were completed and we were officially cleared out of Mexico. Porky and crew were ready to hop on the golf stream, which hopefully brings us quickly and smoothly the 550 nautical miles to Bimini. We planned to be atContinue reading “Tacking upwind to the Bahamas”
Covid isolation at anchor
Since we travel by sailboat we tried to dodge as much news and updates of the pandemic as we possibly can. The only relevant information for us are entry protocols and local safety measures in the countries we visit. Now the virus unfortunately caught up with us. After experiencing flu-like symptoms, we tested positive forContinue reading “Covid isolation at anchor”
Fast passage from Panama to Honduras
On December 4th we set sail from Bocas del Toro, Panama, to Roatan, Honduras. Depending on weather conditions and ocean currents we expected the 860-nautical-miles-sail to take us between 8-9 days. Except of a close encounter with a fishing vessel off the Nicaraguan coast, we had a smooth 7-day passage. How where we so fast?Continue reading “Fast passage from Panama to Honduras”
The worst nightmare of every sailor: PIRACY!
What would you do if pirates approached your boat? Pirates are often associated with the romanticized image that many books, songs and movies create. Seldom do you think about the real piracy that happens in some parts of the world today. The people who approach your boat to rob, assault, or kidnap you, take yourContinue reading “The worst nightmare of every sailor: PIRACY!”
Old ruins, a night with crocodiles and our worst sail ever
The last weeks we’ve been making our way further west along the Caribbean coast of Panama. Not only did we experience the worst sail without being prepared for what was coming at us, but we’ve learnt more about the local history in Portobelo, took Porky up a fresh water river and spent the night amongContinue reading “Old ruins, a night with crocodiles and our worst sail ever”
Let’s try Celestial Navigation
Navigate by the stars! Sounds cool, let’s give it a try. Max has recently been practicing his sextant skills with his newly acquired instrument. At first this sounds like an ancient and nostalgic art to determine one’s position on earth in an age where every phone or watch can give you a location accurate toContinue reading “Let’s try Celestial Navigation”
Por Que No Sailing 