Opening Ceremony Las Palmas Crew Clean and ready for action Departing Fleet

Hope Christmas was good for you all and New Year will be better, the site I couldn't remember in my last post was: http://blog.mailasail.com/sulayacht I wrote a daily position report (didn't start it until the 20th December, in fact my first few posts were way out of position due to a mess up on the keyboard front! However it gives you an indication of the winds and weather we experienced.

We have enjoyed a few days here in Rodney Bay Marina and now since the weather seems to have improved are moving out to have a sail around St Lucia while we still have Sue and Maris on board.

We plan to back in Rodney Bay for the 4th January so Sue and Maris can fly back to the UK we will then have a few days while we sort things and I will download some photographs for inclusion on this page.

We wish you all the very best for 2011 and do please keep in touch.

Sharon & Chris xxxx

St LuciaChristmas eve 2010, at 11.00 hours local time (GMT - 4) we arrived in ST Lucia after 30 days at sea. The welcome was overwhelming and our feet have not touched the ground since! If you would like to read how we did it I will print the address when I remember it! In the meantime have a fantastic Christmas and New Year when it comes.

PS

Don't think we are bathed in Sunshine, ther is a tropical storm in the area and we are experiencing tropical rain! Still it is much warmer than you folks!

xx

You could follow us on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers web site, don;t know the address but it will Google. Look for yacht Quicksilver x

Final Minutes in Las Palmas

Well, sorry to be such a poor blogger but the wifi is appaling and the last couple of weeks just hectic! Most of it was fun!!!!! However the last couple of days with food shopping and loading have been crazy1 All a board now and we should be casting off our lines at around 11.00hrs, departing the stating line at 13.00hrs. Slightly nervous but excited. Thank you all for your good wishes and sorry not to reply to you all but we are thinking of you and shall be in touch from St Lucia.

Love and Best wishes to all xxxxxx

Pictures will be posted at a later date xxxx

It is a very strange feeling to be here in the Canaries, it seems to have been such a long time from home and yet such a short time to travel so far. This is were we are really begin the countdown, Chris has had a chance to see how things are working on Quicksilver and is able to alter and reinvent things as we go along, I am becoming used to living onboard, it is quite a change but it is starting to feel like 'home' I even have a Basil and Mint plant! Not very healthy looking but they never were in my kitchen! Thank you all who mailed me, it is good to keep up with what is happening and although some news was sad this time, (our love and thoughts are with Kirsten and Shona), it is nice to hear from you all.

To bring you up to date, after a couple of days on La Graciosa we moved South to Lanzarote where we have had a good five days at Porto Calero were the world sailing championship for the FC44 is taking place, very busy but not an intrusive marina. Fionna flew to France from here and we are sailing down to Feurtaventura in time to meet Maris on Sunday pm. We will then spend the rest of the days exploring and doing the final preparation for the crossing which is of course the 21st November.

Hope all is well with you and yours love from us both xx

I think Chris might have lost the plot!

First swim of the trip was in Portugal, first snorkel was in Maderia, I am getting used to this way of life!

Technology one Sharon Nil

Well I spent ages bringing you up to date while we were in Madeira, connection difficulties had been overcome and I manage quite a picture gallery! Now here at my next point I see it had not been published and I just hit a key which has deleted the entire section, it did ask if I was sure I wanted to make the changes and I was very confident as I said yes!

Anyway here I go again, good connection, no balancing at the top of the saloon stairs or sitting at the end of the fishing pier, we have all the mod cons in Lanzarote.

To get here we continued a pleasant sail down the coast of Portugal, rounding Cap St Vincent and entering the Algarve, where we had a couple of days in Lagos. Chris had his first 'proper' chandlers since leaving Cork, he is a very happy man! I was feeling quite good with the sailing seem to have beaten the seasickness and life was rosy, then we did the 455 mile trip from Lagos to Porto Santos north of Madeira, the first 16 hours were not good! Found it a bit depressing but dolphins on the trip and the island of Porto Santos and Madeira erased the bad memories! Madeira was quite exceptional, not at all what I thought it would be like, we took a couple of days to be tourists, thank you to Sean for the driving and Eamon for the dancing!

Tuesday 5th October we are moving on to the Canaries a 280 mile journey , we left Maderia late evening so I managed a nights sleep and woke without the dreaded sickness so maybe that is the answer. We arrived at La Graciosa on Thursday 7th October at 22.00 hrs, Canaries here we are!!

Pictures

Could this be the new home?? Requires work the brochure said! On the bank of the river next to the tasting houses of Porto! Chris just thinking of the work to be done.

To all of you who have asked, no there are no photo's of the Biscay crossing, I was too busy being sick, we have not yet encountered sea monsters but promise to keep you posted and no there may at some point be photo's of the haircut. Love from us both xx

Portugal

Well, finally, package arrived, weather fine and we managed to leave Spain behind and arrived in Leixoes, 10 miles from Porto on Saturday 11th September, in time for Fionna to join us on the Sunday (we had told her we would be in Lisbon, so she had an epic journey to find us). I celebrated my birthday on Monday exploring (and tasting)Porto. On Tuesday we moved South to Figueiro da Foz, (50 miles not a lot of wind), the plan is to leave here Thursday early for Peniche (60 miles), and then the weather looks favourable to head to Maderia Friday. A little behind schedule but whatever....

Friday 10th September

I didn't realise how difficult is was going to be to get internet connection, but her we are again.. Moved south by 140 miles and now in Baiona (still Spain) we are waiting for some papers to come from home..Royal Mail took extra money for 2 day delivery and then said that once passed to Spanish post they had no control but if we didn't have it by the end of September they would look into it for us (!) Well it has been traced and we are waiting for it here in Baiona, could be worse places. This coast is just fabulous, and the further south we go the more people we are meeting and the exchange of info is good, Chris is enjoying his ''networking". I am enjoying the weather and beginning to get into the life aboard, still getting seasick at the beginning of a journey but recovering quite quickly and Biscay is now a distant memory.

Hopefully the package will arrive and we are able to move tomorrow and get into Northern Portugal and begin the next leg.

I have a request for you all to send me an email as my address book has been compromised and I have no back up, we are on the same address as usual sulayacht....... . I look forward to hearing from you all. I will try to send pictures next time.

Hi Roseann you remember I didn't want the short haircut? well my Spanish isn't very good and I think the hairdresser was having a laugh!

Love to all xxx

Wednesday 1st September

We are still in La Coruna Marina having decided to take a few days to wait for mail from the UK, sort the boat, have a sail altered and just become tourists. Our new plan is to leave here on Friday/Saturday and head South. x As you see Chris is taking this tourist bit serious!

Laundry

'We have moved from the 'emergency' anchorage further down the coast to La Coruna which is a fabulous new marina with all laundry and shower facilities plus wifi so as you can see we have taken advantage of the laundry....

Everything is fine with us and we are planning on leaving here Tuesday am and heading further South maybe to make Portugal shall let you know as I get next connected to wifi. xx

The crossing and beyond

After careful check of weather reports we left Kinsale, Ireland on Sunday noon 22nd August, expecting NW decreasing Monday and a blow on Tuesday afternoon decreasing overnight, winds all in the right direction to give us a good sail South to Porto ETA Friday, 27th August.

The seas were very short steep waves and by 8pm the wind was coming from the SW and increasing force 5 this continued until Tuesday pm when the wind picked up to a force 8 SW with a 4 metre swell from the North, (the sick making seas!) and then settled to F7, big confused seas not nice! Change of destination to North Spain, Corina being the nearest land fall. I lasted until Wednesday 7.00am then when I went below to put on dry clothes that was the end of me! I kept getting up to throw Chris a bottle of water and a few snacks but he was on his own for all of Wednesday (Gail and Midge were out of it from Monday) I re-emerged Wednesday pm, the winds had eased and we sailed into Corina at 09.00 Thursday morning. The day was spent drying out Quicksilver and then ourselves, apart from having taken some huge waves over the boat we had no damage just a lot of wet. Biscay lived up to its name and more.

New life begins

Finally managed to get everything together, and thanks to Johnny, Roseann, Mam and Dad I left Glenborrodale for Glasgow on Friday 13th, and arrived in Cork Saturday 14th August ahead of the troops so spent the rest of the day travelling by coach North to Arklow, will draw a veil over the that trip! Spent the next three days sailing South to Cork, we are now at the RCYC where John & Maris departed from this morning and Gail & Midge joined us (Thursday). First day of rain so just like being at home.... waiting for weather before we begin the crossing to Portugal. Will try and upload photo's soon.

xx

Well, Chris with Ali, John and Maris are onboard and so begins Quicksilvers journey South, my turn next!

We are finally begining to realise that this is happening.... A mixture of feeling but excitement is first and foremost followed very quicky by Sharons Panic. Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and requests to keep in touch. I promise to try and keep some kind of diary and to begin with this is my attempt! The log on details may change in the future as I get to grips with technology and maybe have a little more time to explore all the sites on offer, but for the moment here we are.

Love to all

The final countdown is begining, we have watermaker fitted, extra stowage space finished, new rigging and sails sorted!

Only two dates 'set in stone' departure date from Glenborrodale 8th August and departure from Las Palmas for St Lucia 21st November! We intend to sail Glenborrodale-Cork-Portugal-Madeira-Canaries-St Lucia and shall endevour to keep this blog up to date from time to time.

Summer of 2009 the decision was taken to use Quicksilver as our home and travel further afield. August 2010 is the chosen date for departure from Glenborrodale and it is all system go!

Foresters Cottage

Just updated photos of Foresters Cottage: