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Day 2 Sunday 1st Sept

Strong overnight winds up to 50 knots made the boat a bit rocky down below, Alex was on deck about 2.50 am checking mooring lines and fenders, while Lionel took the chance to do some laundry, rumours are he got excited after seeing the skipper in his underwear while securing the boat . After a rocky night, a lack of sleep crew were up about 7.30 am (ish) and after showers, we had cereals and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. The days weather was checked with winds forecast gusting up to 45 knots, so the decision was made to stay at the Berth today and take the opportunity to get to know the boat. Once breakfast was cleared away, a very detailed man over board recovery excercisie was conducted by Alex and Lionel with Susi volunteering to dress up in the immersion suit, photos to follow. We then had ham and cheese Quesadillas for lunch. After lunch we had a training excercise from Lionel on chartwork and passage planning . Tea break to rest the brains, then the crew did a passage plan for Monday . Dinner tonight is cod and chorizo stew. Ken

Starling where will you roam .

Eight companions now call you home.

In Caribbean waters our course we plot

To be on board means such a lot

Turquoise seas and warming sun

Between the islands down wind we run

A Preventor rigged by Neal

Oh how safe it makes one feel

Skipper Kieran has his say

As he gives the lesson for today.

Man over board he demonstrates with skill

But poor Isla was feeling ill

A spell on the helm soon put that right

And some went to party into the night

Rick and Nat a supper made

The gas alarm meant it was delayed

Let's hope tomorrow will be as good.

With Neal and Kieran it really should.

With a man overboard session in the beautiful sunny blue waters outside cape verdes Clare was very happy to be dunked..... sorry lowered into the water to rescue our overboard fender! Danny Liz and Gary spend a lot of time up at the bow hooking lines on to sort out flying a pole while Terry was our muscle to open the beak of the pole though as skipper Stu said it's easy..... hmmm lots of doubtful looks from the bow to the helm for that one.

Following a lovely lunch on the run who knew egg and tuna salad rolls could be so nice thanks Clare and Gary. We headed back in towards Mindello where every one was looking forward to a cool down as I think 'damn hot' was Charlie's take on the day!

Main up and Down, Reefing, Man Overboard, Pole maneuvers and points of sail all covered in one day that was a lot well done guys!

After a Skippers briefing and now knowing for sure that tomorrow at 1300 local time is out start time in the next leg to St Lucia!

On our way from the skippers briefing and running into a couple of crew members while passing the Irish bar I think we did quite well as Ex crew member Jacqueline invited us all for showers.... wondering how many drinks she has had!!!  Also heard all the adventure stories of crew getting cars stuck on the beach today for those who didn't come training!

Dinner is being cooked by Terry and Gary as I type and with mouth watering for a Thai curry I can't wait!

Hummingbird's crew celebrated arriving in the Cape Verde's with a visit to the welcome drinks party last night before enjoying a peaceful sleep alongside for a change.

Today the crew went off on a guided tour of the island taking in some stunning views, beaches and restaurants. A perfect end to a perfect trip was the words from Bridget. I think it was more just being in an air conditioned van that made everyone's day really!!!

So after dinner last night most of the crew nipped off to the nearby farewell party for the Arc+ sailors. With a free bar and canapés it was a great evening with the dance floor being occupied most of night by Maggie and Charlie. Once back onboard Jaquline taught us about the term 'cougar eyes', and i will leave the meaning to your imagination!

This morning we split up into different tasks. Alex Stephen and Bridget did final vitals, Stu customs, Charlie, Rene and the other Stephen some deck jobs and Claire, Maggie and Paul finalised our passage plan details.

After lunch and our delayed meat delivery the crew had a few relaxing hours before meeting back up for some passage plan chat.

Paul briefed our passage to Cape Verde with the help of Maggie and Claire before Alex ran us through the race instructions and Stu briefed the crew on our watch system.

Leg 1 of our trip across the pond begins tomorrow as we squeeze south before the canaries get a bit of weather coming in late next week.

Preparations for ARC+ continued apace onboard Hummingbird today. First up it was “sailing school” with crew attending sessions on passage planning, sailing basics and the use of a sextant depending on their bent. Brains overflowing with new knowledge, we prepped Hummingbird for an afternoon on the water and headed out to practice our sailing skills.

Somehow a bucket tied to a fender found it’s way into the sea prompting a man overboard drill. Everything went swimmingly, especially for Stephen (aka Bobby), our rescue swimmer who had a nice dip in the sea as he was lowered over the side to retrieve the bucket and fender. Luckily Bobby is a good sport and the water was warm so he was still smiling when he reappeared.

Bucket and fender safely back onboard, we then rigged up the port pole so that we could goose wing downwind with the yankee poled out. Lines were everywhere, we had seemingly created a spider’s web on the deck, but everything was connected up the right way, so we were pretty pleased with our efforts. Downwind sailing ticked off the list, we de-rigged the pole, gybed the boat and headed back to Las Palmas (much to the relief of Bridget and Kiki who had had the misfortune of sharing their lunches with the fish).

Back in the safety of the marina, we packed up the boat, ready for another day.

As the final job Alex, Stephen and Paul set about putting the flags up ready for race start on Sunday. Once they had managed to get them in the right order, they were hoisted with absolutely no problems at all...definitely no need for anyone to go up the mast...

Time for farewell drinks now...hasta luego!