After 3 years of planning we were actually on the start line with a beautiful blue sky and 17 boats on the horizon,white sails flying, awaiting the explosion from the cannon across the straits of Gibraltar to mark the start of the BLUE WATER RALLY 2009.

The children sat on the deck until the “Rock” faded into the distance.  It will be two years until we come back.

We have an amazing adventure ahead and we are really on our way at last.  With our friend Ken aboard, filming and helping with the sailing, John to teach and our family crewing we left behind Gibraltar elated and sailed into the sunset for Lanzarote.

 
 
The first sunrise brought a huge Tuna and our first Blue Water Rally fish was hooked.  Advice, from Hash, of Breakaway tackle (Ipswich) and, guidance from a fishing book loaned to us by Nigel Sturgess had finally paid dividends as we hooked the biggest fish of our lives!  Ken’s magic touch on the fishing line also helped.  The steaks were delicious and the gutting provided a great opportunity for an impromptu biology lesson for the children and a massive clean-up operation by the skipper.

Annie treated us to delicious boat made meals and cakes to make our salty mouths water!

Over the next few days the winds remained light and variable so we spent a lot of time motoring on a calm sea.  We caught another tuna, a wahoo and two other fish that got away after playing dead in a bucket for a while.  We also had a number of visitors to entertain us including turtles, dolphins, a sparrow and a locust.  Exactly four days after departure we sailed into the beautiful Marina Porto Calero in Lanzarote.  We had experienced wonderful sunrises and sunsets and sailed our longest voyage so far!!.

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