16th- 17th September - Rubicon Marina, Lanzarote
2 days of deep cleaning the boat, doing some small repairs & enjoying life on land.
The most exciting discovery was that the marina is a stopping point for the Golden Globe Race - an extreme 30,000 solo sailing challenge where competitors race non stop aroudn the world using only vintage boats and 1968 navigation technology. The original race was most famously won by Robin Knox Johnson.
Just outside the marina is the first designated " film drop point" for the race where the competitors stop and hand over physical film rolls , letters and memory sticks. We just happened to be in the marina to see the current leader and 2nd place sailors come in to do their drops. All very exciting to see a couple of sailing legends in the middle of probably the hardest sailing race in the world.
Wavedancer is happy and secure in her new home. We will be back in a few weeks to enjoy some holiday time on her (and no doubt do some more boat jobs) . Until then her adventures are on pause..
15th September - Day 3 Madeira to Lanzarote
Since we started this leg we had seen 1 tanker in the distance. All that was about to change. At about 4am (on Louisa's watch) suddenly we had 3 tankers on the radar all seemingly on a collision course with Wavedancer .
When this happens the most logical thing to do is to change course so that we are out of the way of the big tankers. In reality this is the worst thing to do . A sail boat needs to maintain its speed and course so that the big tankers can then adjust their course around them. And this is exactly what happened. Louisa made a note of each tanker's COG (course over ground ) and CPA (closest point of approach - i.e. how close they are to hit us). For one tanker the CPA was 0. I.e it would have hit us if nothing had happened. Every 5 minutes Louisa took the same figures off the system & without fail about 15 minutes before disaster the captain of the tanker changed it's COG so that it would pass more in front or behind us... and luckily not hit us. One tanker passed 0.9miles behind. Doesn't sound like much but in a massive ocean it is...
Louisa woke me up when all the danger had passed & then went back to sleep until dawn.
At first light the most amazing sight - LAND HO! Through the mist we could see Lanzarote. So exciting, especially for Louisa as this had been her longest ever passage & first ever overnight crossing.
We arrived into Rubicon Marina around 11am, parked the boat beautifully (accordingly to the marina guy who was sent to help) and we celebrated a very successful crossing !
14th September - Day 2 Madeira to Lanzarote
"What a difference a day makes".... This quote is so apt for this trip! Overnight the winds died down to a point we had to put the engine on for a few hours.. The sea state was still a bit rolly but it was nice to not feel like the boat was being beaten up!
By the afternoon the sea state was quite flat & then the wind picked up to a lovely 12 knots... sails were put up and we were then "champagne sailing" - beautiful fast sailing with little heel - quite a rarity ..
We both had showers (hot !) cooked a lovely meal and then settled in to watch a movie on the i pad after the sun had set. So surreal to be doing this in the middle of the ocean..
A great day all round .
13th September - Day 1 Madeira to Lanzarote
Left the marina as planned at 1st light, 7am. Watched a beautiful sunrise as we motored through flat sea and little wind. We knew the conditions weren't going to last - the South of Madeira is protected from high winds by the mountains - and we knew the winds would arrive after a few hours.
We knew the forecast but we weren't really mentally prepared for how quicky the conditions changed. We went from flat seas with no winds to 25 knot winds & huge rolling waves within about 5 minutes. It made getting the main sail up a more interesting challenge than normal. We were planning on just putting 1 reef in the main to make it slightly smaller but we ended up having to put 3 reefs into it to make it it's smallest possible size. Even with the smaller sails the boat was still doing about 8 knots which is about as fast as we could ever expect . We knew then we were in for quite a sail.
We sailed all day on a "beam reach" - this is where the wind is coming perpendicular to the boat. Its the fastest point of sail but the problem was that the waves were also coming on the beam & they were massive so caused the boat to roll a lot. Luckily the auto pilot on the boat is amazing and we were able to set it to "wind vane" mode so the boat adjusted course according to the wind. It also was able to cope with the big waves& could turn to surf down each wave before adjusting back to course. Not all waves were surfed perfectly & we had the occasional wave break over the boat which made it all quite wet . Thankfully it was a warm day so not really an issue.
Food was cheese sandwiches and crisps for lunch and dinner- even Louisa was feeling queasy when below deck - so we went for the easiest food possible.
Night watches started at 9pm ish. As this was Louisa's first ever night watch we had a system where she had longer rests than I did , so she had 2 hours down & then I had 1 1/2 hours down. The winds were stable all night long so not much to do apart from look at the most amazing stars in the clear sky & listen to an audio book..
Lighter winds forecast for tomorrow thankfully..
11th -12th September - Calheta, Madeira
A couple of days eating & drinking too much, doing more boat jobs & also actually leaving the boat for a few hours!
Turns out Madeira is a hiker's paradise (who knew?) and there are loads of different hiking trails over the island. And even better is that it is about 10 deg cooler than at sea level so a very comfortable temperature for exercise. Louisa & I booked onto an 11km hike & joined a lovely group of Germans for the day. We had a great time stretching our legs whilst learning lots about the UNESCO protected forests that supply the island with all of their drinking water.
We are leaving at 7am tomorrow for Lanzarote, a trip that should take 2 1/2 - 3 days & will be Louisa's longest passage.. We've stocked up with snacks and the weather is looking good for the trip..
9th - 10th September - Calheta, Madeira
Despite the UK Air Traffic Control's best efforts the crew swap over went to plan with David leaving and Louisa arriving on time. Louisa went straight to the all inclusive 5 star hotel next to the marina instead of straight to see Wavedancer, really can't see there's much difference in the accomodation but she begs to differ!
Been spending our time here with Louisa chilling out drinking prosecco, doing aqua gym & reading her book at the hotel whilst I'm doing a few boat jobs in between meals .. funnily enough she wasn't really interested in helping!
The various things to sort out before the next leg included a general check over all of the sails, rigging and engine. Found a bolt on the main sail that had worked it's way loose in the crazy winds. So I then had to go & check & tighten all of the other bolts aswell.
At the top of main sail the webbing that attatched the sail to the 'car' that pulls the sail up and down in the track had been completely shredded so I had to replace it with some strong line. Luckily I saw that here & not mid ocean (!!!)
The diesel tanks had had such a shake up in the waves sailing over here that it dislodged some nasty black gloop (also know as diesel bug) . This can stop the engine from working so can be serious if not sorted . I drained it all out of the filters so all good to go now, you can see in the photo how much gloop came out...
Did lots of washing (by feet!) & lowered the tone of the marina by hanging it all over the boat -so hot here that it dries in about 2 hours .
Must go, next meal is calling....
8th September - Porto Santo - Madeira
5am start from Porto Santo for the 65nm passage to Calheta in Madeira. Early start as we needed to get to the marina before the staff went home!
Whist it was calm we ran the homemade water maker for the first time since leaving Portsmouth . We ran it for about an hour and made about 100L of drinking water from sea water!
Also had a go at using the sextant for the first time . It allows sailors to naviagate using the sun (just like the old days) & I need to be able to use it for a course that I'm doing. Turns out it's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be . Will try again another day ..
The wind picked up in the afternoon without warning to about 35knots - turns out there is an "acceleration zone" between 2 islands where the wind gets funneled through.. We ended up going 13.5 knots down a wave which is a new speed record for Wavedancer!
Arrived in to our new berth with time to spare & celebrated with dinner and beers. Tomorrow is crew change over day.. David is going back home for some much needed rest & Louisa is flying out to spend a few days on the island before we sail to Lanzarote.
7th September - Porto Santo
Took the dingy to shore this am checked into the Schengen area with customs. Then had the rest of the day to explore the small island, most notably the Christopher Columbus museum ( he lived on the island and his old house is now a museum) & the famous harbour wall..
There is a tradition in Porto Santo for visiting yachts to paint something on the harbour wall to give thanks for a safe voyage . David & I weren't going to let our lack of artistic ability get in the way of us leaving Wavedancer's mark on the wall ! I'd even brought paint just for the job..
The wall is amazing (even with our contribution) , like an outdoor gallery & is filled with international flags - very proud that we are now part of it.
The pull cord on the outboard engine jammed at the end of the day so we had to row back to the boat ....... over 1/2 mile ! We both really regretted the pints we'd had before leaving the marina...
6th September - Day 11 Falmouth - Madeira
Leg 1 done! 1351 nautial miles in 10 days, 9 hours . Average speed 5.42knots (really good)!
We were welcomed by a pod of dolphins as we approched Porto Santo, a nice welcome! We are now anchored in a bay with about 15 other sailing boats. Will do customs and passports tomorrow when they open. For now , the Portuguese courtesy flag and the yellow 'q' flag (shows that we haven't gone throught customs yet) have been raised & our first beers in 11 days are going down very well.
5th September - Day 10 Falmouth - Madeira
Hopefully our last full day of sailing of this leg .
Picked up a hitchhiking pigeon who was desperate for a rest. We're 170 nautical miles from the nearest land so think he /she was happy for a ride.
Thought I'd try out some of my celestial navigation course & use the sextant. Made very slow progress , although i did manage to make a wrist lanyard for it to stop it falling in the sea when I'm using it .. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually try and use it properly.
We've had an afternoon of light winds so we've put the engine on to make sure that we arrive in Porto Santo in daylight hours tomorrow. Stronger winds are forecast later on so we've got the sails rigged and ready. This time we are going for 2 x headsails (the ones at the front) - one on each side & no mainsail .
Had a great sunset for our last night at sea this leg. I think it won't become real until we actually land in another country about how far we've come!
4th September - Day 9 Falmouth - Madeira
Today we notched passed the 1000 nautical mile mark . 240nm to go so about 2 days.
We decided today was the day to dig out the fishing gear & catch some tuna. Not surprisingly it was a disaster & we had to resort to the tinned stuff. Will try again tomorrow.
David cooked a curry from the tinned ingredients we had on board & I managed the lack of snack situation by making waffles! We never make waffles at home but the middle of the ocean seemed like a good place to start making them. Luckily it was more successful than the fishing..
We are getting some good sleep in between watches. We're taking it turns being 1st to go down so the hours aren't the same each night.
3rd September - Day 8 Falmouth - Madeira
This morning marked 7 days since we left Falmouth. In that time we covered amount 900 nautical miles. We're now sailing in the Portuguese trade winds & looking to reach Porto Santo around lunchtime on Sunday.
We've really settled into the trip now - if we had another 1000 miles to go it would be totally fine. The only issue is that we have almost run out of snacks so need to rethink snack quanties for the ocean crossing!
The sea state is now calm enough for us to have the drinks table out , far more civilsed for our morning coffee! Spent the day doing maintenance jobs - mid ocean engine checks, cleaned the solar panels ( they were covered in salt & we need all the power we can get) & the boat .
Got the fishing gear out so we can try and do some big game fishing tomorrow. Between us we have only ever caught 1 fish so luckily we're not relying on catching fish to survive!
2nd September - Day 7 Falmouth - Madeira
We are now sailing almost dead downline & hopefully it will stay like this for the next 580 nautical miles into Porto Santo (off Madeira)
The video above shows that sails are now set as something called "goose wing" - where there is one sail on each side of the boat . This is the ideal set up for when the wind is directly behind the boat. We also have the 3rd sail on the boat (the smaller stay sail which we used in the high winds) so we have also put that one up as well for extra momentum!
The pole sticking out on the right (starboard) side is to hold the big front "genoa" sail in place. Without the pole the sail would flap around a lot. On the left (port) side we have a very strong line called a "preventer" attached to the boom (the horizontal metal bar ) of the main sail . This keeps the sail on the port side & stops the boom from crashing across the boat and injuring one of us. So all very safe mum!
We now have about 14 knots of wind and we are currently doing 6.1knots, a very good speed in light ish winds. It's very comfortable sailing so we're now able to cook and sleep properly
1st September - Day 6 Falmouth - Madeira
At 9.40am this morning we offically declared that we had crossed the Bay of Biscay! 586 nautical miles from Falmouth in exactly 5 days . It was a mix of amazing and utterly terrifying !!
At lunchtime we made the turn South towards Madeira. We are trying to avoid being too near mainland Spain as there have been some "interactions" with Orcas over the past few weeks. At the closest point we will be about 85 miles from Spain.
We have been using the engine to get through the "wind hole". Now we have made the turn South we are aiming to pick up the trade winds which should push us downwind to Porto Santo. We'e set up the sails ready for when the winds come in - we will use a metal pole to keep the genoa (large sail at front) in place when the wind is direclty from behind us so got this set up ready, not something you do in the dark..
This afternoon we've also been doing some boat maintenance. Had to swap one of the shackles (a big metal clip essentially) that had come undone & also tightened up some of the rigging plates (they hold all the various wires in place) that had started leaking a little under such heavy loads.
Looking forward to some good sailing in the next few days..
31st August - Day 5 Falmouth - Madeira
To our relief the crazy 25-25 knot winds started to die down around 2am today .. They slowly eased off during the night & by morning we had an almost normal sea state with light winds. Finally a pleasant sail!
I made breakfast & coffee which was the 1st hot drink I've made in 3 days ( not like me - if you know me then you know how much I like my coffee) !
The winds died down so much so that we had to put the engine on . Had a great day of motoring in flat seas , sun in the sky - a totally different world to 24 hours ago.
The calm seas gave me a chance to check over the boat, inside and out, after the chaos of the past few days. Surprisingly nothing seems to have broken which is a miracle (although hopefully I haven't spoken too soon ) . There was a bit of water in the bilge which will have found its way through somewhere, not suprising given the amount on water that was crashing over the decks for so long.
Managed to facetime Louisa , Leoni & Brian in the afternoon, the power of Starlink!
We topped up the diesel tanks from the spare cans. We have a wind hole (area with too little wind to sail) over the next 24 hours which we will have to motor through & have to be careful that we have enough fuel to cope with another wind hole before we get to Madeira. We are motoring outside the main shipping lanes & hoping to get some good wind after we pass the top of Spain.
Both of us are looking forward to catching up on some sleep in an almost normal environment!
We will have offically crossed the Bay of Biscay around noon tomorrow. It's one thing off the bucket list but quite happy to not revisit it any time soon!
30th August - Day 4 Falmouth - Madeira
Made good progress last night, we crossed the continental shelf @ 0130 without incident and didn’t have any fishing boats to deal with thank god !
The sea this side of the shelf is still quite big but comfortable even in 24-30 knots of wind. Before the shelf it was pretty bad, glad to be out of that side now ! The colour of the water has turned Caribbean blue now were are in the really deep stuff.
Another low pressure system for most of the day has made for quick , but not comfortable, sailing. We are now at the tail end of the strong winds & looking forward to more comfortable sailing over the next few days.
Saw a pod of Pilot whales following us in the afternoon - looked like a mother & kids. Couldn't get our phones out in time to get any photos unfortunately !
29th August - Day 3 Falmouth - Madeira
Strong winds over night - max true wind 36.8knots & apparant wind 41.2knots! Beautiful sunrise though
The strong winds overnight pulled us too far East as expected so we spent most of the morning tacking back West. We finally made our tack South after lunch after getting as far West as we could , feels good to be pointing in the right direction again!
The winds eased during the day so we pulled down the stay sail ( smaller sail at the front which is better in strong winds) and unfurled most of the Genoa (big headsail that is on a roller at the bow). We also took out a reef in the main sail so make it slightly bigger.
The next low pressure system isn't due to come through until early tomorrow moring so all set for the night ahead & hopefully we can make good progress. The stay sail is lashed down on deck and ready to go when needed again
28th August - Day 2 Falmouth - Madeira
Had a good first night. David & I were on watch 2 hours on, 2 hours off which went quite quickly. Progress through the night was slow as we had reefed the sails.. but it was safe. During the night hours we had red lights on in the cabin which is much easier on the eyes than bright white lights.
We shook out the reefs & turned south at dawn and have been heading as far south as we could all day . There is a low pressure system coming through with high gusts forecast so we need to be out of the way of the worst of it.
Early evening we "hoved to" (a way of stopping a sailboat at sea) for 20 minutes so we could fill up the diesel tank from our supplies .. Then we headed off at an angle of about 170 deg. Ideally we would be heading further west but the wind angle won't allow it & it's too slow just with the engine on so the main priority is to head south as efficiently as possible.
Sails are heavily reefed again and will prob stay reefed for the next couple of days as the strong winds come through. We will probably be pushed into the Bay of Biscay more than we would like to so will prob need to spend Monday with the engine on to head west again.
27th August pm - Day 1 Falmouth - Madeira
Really good 1st day. We motored out of Falmouth for a couple of hours to clear the 1st headland, then we had a brilliant fast sail (max 8 knots boat speed) for another few hours .
The wind veered (turned clockwise) as forecast so we had to motor again for a few hours but this was expected.
We're passing the Scilly Isles now (8pm) and will shortly furl up the big headsail and will hoist the smaller jib sail & reef the main sail (reef = make it smaller ) so we are ready with smaller sails for the strong winds that are expected over night .
We had pasties for lunch & Louisa's home made chilli for dinner - all out of the dog bowls..
We've been taking it in turns of 30min - 1 hour watches during the day today and will go onto 2 hour watches after dark.... We each have a sea berth in the main cabin which are great for naps..
27th August am - AND WE'RE OFF!
Woke up to a beautiful morning with dophins in the bay!
Left Falmouth Marina to Madeira at 7.45am. 1100 miles in approx 9-10 days ..
25th - 26th August - Falmouth
Been 2 days of crossing more boat prep jobs off the list whilst at the same time new jobs keep getting added!
Serviced all of the winches which involved stripped them all out. Luckily no issues when putting them back together again.. Refuel the water and diesel tanks (400L of water & 280L of diesel) but did notice a small diesel leak in the engine bay so had to fix that .
Sorted out the sails - re rolled the spinnaker to try and remove the twisting. Also rigged up the stay sail on deck ( smaller sail suited for higher winds) ..
Finally plucked up the courage to go up to the top of the mast (16m high) to check the rig. Obviously had to take some photos when I was up there!
David arrived Tuesday evening so we've been going through the weather forecasts every few hours. We're all set to leave tomorrow, Thursday 27th ,& have moved the boat from the sheltered inner pontoon to the rolling outer pontoon ready for an early morning departure.
24th August - Falmouth
Been checking the weather routing apps regularly & it looks like Thursday is a good day to leave for Madeira! Today was spent doing boat jobs & also had a visit from Louisa's Dad, sister & her kids!
Boat jobs included trying out the mini washing machine for the first time (it sits in one of the heads when in use & it was surprising very effective) , fixing the broken fridge (luckily had the relevant spare parts) and strengthening the bowsprit (which was bending a lot on my sail down).
Had a great time with the family showing them round Wavedancer & then visited the Maritime Museum next door .
David arrives tomorrow , it's getting real now!
23rd August - Fowey -Falmouth
Waved goodbye to Louisa as she got the water taxi back to collect the car & I left at 9am for Falmouth at the same time as Ed, one of the other "swabbies". Ended up in an in-promtu race with Ed which I lost .. (I'm blaming my loss on the vast amount of random tinned food we have on board which is weighing me down!)
I tried to launch the spinnaker to catch up with Ed but it didn't got to plan as it was massively twisted to had to bring it back down again & had to sort it out on deck. Finally got it working but too late for the "race"!
Arrived into Falmouth after about 4 hours. Got a really quiet spot in a sheltered marina so will be able to rest properly for the next few nights
Now need to get the boat ready for the 10 day sail to Madeira
22nd August - Plymouth -Fowey
Woke up to another beautiful sunrise .. I arrived in the dark so had no idea what to expect. It was beautiful.
Had an easy 3 1/2 hour motor sail to Fowey where I was met by an Armada of dingys (well 3) from my "Solent Swabbies" friends who'd been here all week racing.
Louisa had driven down & arrived just in time for a BBQ on one of the boats. Had an afternoon of fixing the leaking water tank & then took the water taxi into Fowey. Now having dinner on board & getting ready to watch the Fowey fireworks tonight.
Been checking the weather routing apps for the crossing of Bay of Biscay next week. Not looking great so am keeping a close eye for now . Luckily we can be flexible with the depature date
21st August - Studland Bay - Plymouth
Up @ 3.45am to leave Studland Bay by 4.30
Minor hick up with a sudden leak in the fresh water plumbing filling up the bilge, a quick sponge up and i was off.
Treated to a beautiful sunrise and some fantastic sailing past Portland Bill and across Lyme Bay.
Even took a ‘bravery pill’ and launched the huge spinnaker sail which pulled us along for 3hrs as the wind got lighter.
All was going very well until I rounded Start Point , just before Salcombe, when the full force of the South Westerly wind blew through ! Quickly reefed the main sail and spent the next 3 hrs being beaten up with sea spray coming over the whole boat
Gave up trying to sail and have put the engine on to continue to Cawsand Bay in Plymouth where I’ll be anchoring for the night.
Had a great sunset whilst eating my supper out of a non slip dog bowl, truly living the dream!
Hope to be anchored by 2300
20th August - Port Solent - Studland Bay
The big day has finally arrived ! Left Port Solent for the last time at 11am with a few photos of my last "lock out" for a while
Today was a 42 nautical mile solo sail from Port Solent to Studland Bay. The true wind speed of up to 26knots plus some torrential rain didn't make it a "fun" passage. I was, however, treated to a beautiful sunset across Christchurch Bay and even had some decent wind in the right direction for the last hour of the passage which made up for the previous 8 hours !
Up at 5am tomorrow to catch the tide. Aiming to get to Salcombe tomorrow night or, if the wind is kind to me , a bit further down the coast...
19th August - last 'few' boat jobs
Louisa did yet another Tesco provisoning trip before setting off home. She'll drive to meet me in Cornwall at the weekend
First bit of rain overnight in a long time highlighted a leaking window in the main cabin so yet another job to add to the long list. Pre depature jobs also included lashing down the gas bottles & performing gas safety tests, lashing the offshore liferaft to the deck, checking all the standing rigging and fitting the safety 'jackstays' back on the boat.. Also tested out the dingy's new nav light..
Other jobs given to me by Louisa for today included setting up Starlink so we can stay in touch when we're offshore, installing a new plug in the galley and, most importantly, testing out the new ice maker!
And a visit to Port Solent is never complete without a visit to Marine Superstore! Think Louisa is quite relieved that I won't be able to spend any money on boat stuff for a while....
18th August 2026- leaving home!
Time to leave home for a few weeks. First trip is to get Wavedancer to Lanzarote where she'll stay until December.
Said goodbye to Loco :-(... He did try and get in the car but no room..
Travelled to Portsmouth in a packed car and then played boat Tetris for a few hours until we found a home for everything.
