- Lone sailors have more fun ! - LAURA, MATT, ROMAN and MIKE ! - news

Laura Dekker

LAURA DEKKER

23-01-2012

The dark and starry night sky slowly vanishes its floating lights sprinkling to dust as small islands appear on the horizon. I can see Sint Maarten very far in the distance. St. Eustatius is behind me, Saba is abeam and St. Bath is on starboard. The Simpson Bay bridge opening is for 3 pm this afternoon so I have to keep at a maximum speed of 4 knots but even with the mainsail reefed, the Genoa furled and the mizzen Guppy is still going at 5,5 knots... 366 days ago I was sailing by on the opposite side of those islands heading southward as I watched Sint Maarten fall over the horizon. Now I recognize the shape of the islands and it sinks into my mind that Sint Maarten is just ahead, that I have circumnavigated the whole world in one year... solo. I decide to bring about Guppy as a

strong squall is coming on us and anyway she is already going too fast. A heavy curtain of rain hides the islands from me and I am annoyed that even though Sint Maarten is right there close, I still have to wait. But two more hours are nothing to 41 days of sailing. So I am an hour away from St. Barth, and I have stopped our progression to wait for the signal from Sint Maarten to come in. I sailed around the world and I am still surprised that it just feels so incredibly normal... And then here goes Guppy all sails up rushing to Simpson Bay with more and more boats coming on side. On one of the boats I can see my father and my mother, and I have to look twice to recognize my... LINK

Matt Rutherford

MATT RUTHERFORD

17-01-2012

Doubling the Horn (day 218, 19,446 miles)

I’ve now doubled the Horn, which means I sailed from 50 south to 50 south non-stop. Back 100 years ago it was common practice, but these days boats usually stop along the way and round the horn in a series of steps from safe anchorage to safe anchorage (understandably so). I spent 22 days in the furious fifties and I had a good time. I had four gales in a row before the Horn but the weather has been nice ever since. That gale I saw coming decreased in strength and it only blew 30kts and the one behind it did the same thing. I love the temperature down here; it’s around 55 degrees which is great for me. At night it gets a bit colder and I can feel it when I breathe, all wrapped up in my warm sleeping bag. What can I say, I’m a Celt. My ancestors didn’t live in warm sunny places. I’ve been spoiling myself by making blueberry pancakes every...  LINK

Gemini 3 

ROMAN PASZKE

17/01/2012

Progress Report on the catamaran GEMINI 3: Repair work on the yacht and the daily work of the Team of shore voyage progressed smoothly.

The whole mess caused flooding and left hull oil spill has been cleaned.

A damaged valve, through which water flowed into the left fuselage was removed and the space after it Laminated.

Torn fuel tank has been cut and removed from the left hull catamaran. On the way back is inserted into a temporary tank.

In the right fuselage tank is left to return to the Polish. (In Poland, plans to change the whole system).

After completing the lamination, the whole will wyszpachlowana and painted.

In addition to repairing boat builder, is made small repairs rigging and fittings and repair of the left engine flooded. ... LINK

Mike Horn

MIKE HORN

24-01-2012

Three new voice blogs have come in from the Young Explorers as they trek across a Patagonian ice field with Mike Horn. The group is covering huge distances in very short time as bad weather is expected to come in soon. Hear their... LINK