Canary Islands to the Cape Verdes.

The intrepid crew on the point of departure, hoping for fair winds and calm seas.

We flew the spinnaker all night and in the morning when we wanted to take it down, the snuffer would not come down. In the end we had to drop the whole thing on deck.

Here's the crew taking a break before fixing the problem.

The girls on the foredeck getting a head start on the Caribbean tan!

Very little wind out there and we have been doing a lot of motoring, so we shall have to stop in the Cape Verde islands to take on fuel.

On the way in, we had three fishing lines out and we caught three lovely Mahi Mahi. So the first night in the anchorage of Mindelo, we had wonderful fresh fish on the b'que.

We're only here for the beer! Relaxing in one of the local bars in the high street.

The wind should be kicking in on about Tuesday and so we shall spend a few days here waiting for the Trade winds.

It is now the 21st of December and we've just checked out and are ready to leave for Barbados. It looks at though we may have Christmas and New Years at sea, so season's greetings to everyone, have a glass of bubbles for me.

Waiting for the wind.

On the wall of the marina, all the yachts passing through paint the name of their boat and the date. Here is Jay doing a bit of artwork to record our visit. It's fun to read all the names and recognizing some of the boats we know.

Lisa and I at the top of one of the mountains, feeling a bit chilly at the high altitude.

The interior of the island was full of impressive views and the

rainy day made it even more dramatic.

The stocking up is done and we are ready to go.

Daryl is checking out the weather information hourly and consulting with friends who also want to leave.

I think they are all suffering from 'too much weather information syndrome'!

We do look as though we are leaving today.

Still in The Canary Islands!

At last Lisa and Jay have arrived! So good to see them again after six months. They both look well and were glad to be in the sun, after a week with their Dad in England, where the temperature got as low as -5C.

We have have seen 30C here this week, lovely!!

We are still here in Las Palmas, waiting for a weather window to leave. At the moment there seems to be a constant stream of lows heading towards us across the Atlantic.

It is looking as though Saturday maybe good.

Meanwhile the only thing left to do is party!!

And the music only got better!

Now in the Canary Islands

We made and overnight passage from Lanzarote to Gran Canaria, where we have met up with lots of friends, all heading in the same direction.

This was a great evening, with friends on other boats and listening to some music.

The 'Arc ' rally left here on Sunday and there were about 250 boats all crossing at the same time.

We waited to come in until they had all left and there was space again. The marina is now full up yet again and everywhere you look there are yachts getting ready to go across. There are also dozens of young people asking us if we need crew, but I think it's only the hippie-looking ones that are left!!

There are some strong winds forecast for the next few days, so we shall hang around here until the system has gone through and then off to Tenerife to pick up Lisa and Jay for the crossing. Can't wait to see them again.

Gib to the Canaries

Saying goodbye to the Mediterranean and leaving the 'rock' behind us, we motor west through the straits of Gibraltar. This can be a challenge with the currents against you, mini whirlpools stirring up the water, and dodging huge tankers in the shipping lanes. At times we were doing 2 knots, and can understand why it takes some small yachts days to sail out of the Med.

The second day out was gorgeous and calm, there was plenty of time for a lunchtime salad and a glass of wine! Maybe I should be on a motorboat.

The waves on this day were huge!

How come the horizon looks as flat as a pancake, when we were hanging on with gusts of 40 knots, and surfing down some waves at 12 knots!

Fine during the day, but hurtling into the darkness at night can sometimes be a little scarey!

And so here we are in The Canary Islands, home of the retired volcanos.

Looking around us, it is like a moonscape skyline and not hard to imagine these things erupting at any moment.

Here we are on the beach of Isla Graciosa. Each evening everyone gathers to chat, listen to some guitar playing, have a game of boule and last, but not least, enjoy a glass of wine or three!

Apparently there were 45 boats in the bay a week ago and the beach was heaving, last night there were about a dozen, so it was a more select gathering.

Gibraltar is a small rocky peninsula, attached to the mainland by road. Here is the boarder, where literally thousands of workers cross morning and night to work on 'the rock'. It is an expensive place to live and so the majority of the workforce live in La Linea, over the border in Spain.

This is the main road from Spain to Gib, which goes straight across the airport runway!!

When the lights change to red, the traffic stops and planes have right of way. I think it is rated the 5th most remarkable airport in the world.

Whilst in Gib, we have also worked on a fuel problem we had with contaminated diesel. The tanks were drained to get rid of a diesel bug that was growing in the tanks, a slimy brown residue was apparent in the fuel filters.

This also meant that both injector pumps and injectors had to be serviced, with was an expensive, but necessary job. Better done when safely tied to the quay though.

Here is Daryl fitting a new hatch. It was a nightmare to remove, sikaflex sealant is a lot stronger than the fibreglass! We have now fitted a stronger hatch and hope that will keep the saltwater out this next passage!!

Tomorrow morning we shall leave Gibraltar and head south to the Canary Islands. It should start to get warmer too.

Great to wonder around the old town of Palma.. Some beautiful architecture and they are doing a wonderful job of keeping it clean and tidy.

Having lunch with good friends Big

Liz and Irish Dave and Maeva in Santa Maria.

Lots of chatting and lots of wine, we seem only to have sat down when it was time to leave again.

Our stay here seems to have passed too quickly and I felt sad leaving my beloved Mallorca once again.

Some parts of the passage from Mallorca to Gib was lovely, with clear blue skies and stunning sunsets, and other days.....

whilst on the trip from Mallorca to Ibiza, this hatch, which is fairly close to the waterline, was prized open in the heavy weather and all the port side of the boat was flooded. Luckily Daryl had gone down below to check for drips from the hatches. We were in about force 7, with heavy seas, and so there was a lot of cleaning up to do.

Now in Gibraltar, No Rehearsal is looking like a Chinese laundry with everything from the port side hanging out to dry. But safely tied to the quay for a few days!

Have meet up with some friends here and are back to normal with G n T's at six!

Mallorca at last!

We first stopped at Porto Colom in Mallorca.

Our old neighbours from Alaro drove up to see us and we had a walk along the front and then Paella in one of the local restaurants.

It was good, but not as good as the ones that Teresa used to cook up over an open fire in her back garden!

Teresa 'pequena' is the new addition to the family at 14months.

Back in good old Alaro and the magnificent view of the bluffs, it still feels like home to me.

Saw loads of old friends and good to catch up on all their news over a glass of wine or three!

Stayed with Annie B in Alaro for three days of 'shore leave', and here we are walking the dogs in the morning.

Here's Daryl at the fish shop in Marsala, Sicily, buying some calamares.

After stocking up on local goodies, we sailed for Menorca. We had a good trip which took about two and a half days. The wind was as Daryl, and the internet predicted and behind us, so it was a pleasant trip.

The other day Daryl and I decided that we are drinking too much gin. So we now add Pymms and a load of fruit, the whole thing seems a lot healthier!!

Great to walk down the local streets here in Menorca and be able to use my spanish again. It's a bit rusty, but I get there.

A view over the harbour in Mahon, the famous stairs and if your eyes are really sharp, you can see 'No Rehearsal' in the distance.

We are in town at the moment, having coffee, (of course)! and buying some provisions. We shall head off tomorrow for Mallorca.

My sister, children and friends, celebrating my nephew's 14th birthday on board.

We had hoped to take them sailing, but the weather was not good enough that day.

Stocking up with fresh fruit and veg. at a local van.

En route to Sicily, here is Daryl on the foredeck about to furl our lovely new sail.

Arrived here in Marsala yesterday and enjoyed a long sleep, a delicious meal and of course some local wine.

We are keeping an eye on the weather, and planning our next passage west.

On 6th September, celebrating Daryl's birthday with a lovely bottle of champagne and good food.

Justin Ferris, previously from Willis sails in Kerikeri on No Rehearsal.

He spent a couple of days with us making sure that our new sails fit and we were happy with everything.

We had hoped to go on sea trials, but the weather was not suitable for trying the light-weight sails.

Tea time at Mum's place. Left to right: Mum, my sister, Jane, her son Gary, myself and Ashley, Jane's daughter.

Good to get together for a chat in the garden.

Leaving Greece behind and heading for Malta. It should take us about two days, and Daryl has been watching the weather forecasts carefully.

I didn't sign up for this! Sitting out a squall en route to Malta. We had been dodging thunder storms all night, so couldn't avoid this one. It gave the boat a much-needed washdown though.

Hoisting t the Maltese flag as we approach the harbour, looking forward to seeing my family and having some quality time here.

Daryl and I have made our way across the Aegean and are now on the south coast of the Peloponnese. There is often more wind here and the reason why the Corinth Canal was constructed, to avoid the hazardous journey around southern Greece.

Cape Mileas on the eastern corner is notorious for sudden strong gusts of wind as the charter boat next to us discovered. Not much left of their headsail!

We visited the caves at Diros. It was a spectacular ride in a very unstable punt through the caves for about one and a half kms!

It's that time of day again! G and T's on the foredeck, the sun setting in this beautiful bay of Limeni.

And finally a young greek diver is practicing for the next Olympics. Aided by his dad, who holds a ladder for him! All the locals watch and offer encouragement. Wonderful!

We are now on the island of Lipsi and there are some strong winds coming through, so we have taken the opportunity to get some boat jobs done, safely tied to the lea side of the quay.

My boom cover is now finished, it looks good and works well.

Here you can see several octopus, hanging out to dry in the sun. The fisherman said that it takes five hours to tenderize them.

We ate there that evening and it took us nearly five hours to chew them!!

It is always great fun to meet the local young people. Here we are with a crowd of newly-met friends, Daryl had gone along the quay to help them tie-up.