Another building block for this promising position was a good performance in the Ocean Sprint. Although we could only secure a single bonus point this time, we were the third fastest boat after Unicef and Seattle. At this time, Seattle had sailed out a healthy lead, while Unicef in position two was quite close to us. Behind us we had Gosh who were chasing us at high speed. That was the situation as it presented itself about a day before we were to cross the finish line.

In the last day we then had a few squalls with strong gusts which reshuffled the positions yet again. In the end there were less than ten minutes between Gosh who managed to clinch first position, Seattle in second and us in third. All boats were within sight for the last couple of hours, increasing the tension on all the boats I guess. After the team of Seattle got a time penalty for an infringement at the beginning of the race we even moved up to second place.

While this is our third podium finish, team Gosh with this win also secured their overall win of the race. It is truely remarkable how consistently they managed to show good performance and win races, even if it did not look that way. Congratulations to Team Gosh.

After crossing the finish line we had to wait in the finish area for the other boats. Only once they had crossed as well we started our delivery towards Washington DC together. We initially passed Norfolk, which is home to the largest US Navy base in the world. We continued through the Chesapeak Bay and up Potomac River. Just before our arrival we crossed below the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, which was opened just for us.

After our arrival we could successfully complete all our maintenance tasks. Thus I now had a few days to recover and visit some of the iconic sights of Washington DC. Whether it is the Capitol, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial or the National Air and Space Museum: It is simply impressive what DC has to offer. There are now around two days left until we set sail again on Monday evening.

The post Arrival to Washington DC appeared first on Florian's Clipper 2025-26 Race Campaign.

The journey through the Caribbean was rather unsteady. The wind was rather low and changed its direction often unpredictably. At least we couldn’t trust the forecast. Thus the race resembled a weather lottery. Nevertheless, the fleet stayed relatively speaking close together. Only after passing through the gab between Cuba and Haiti the fleet started to spread out a bit more.

We had three different gates to choose between in order to make our way northward. Two of the were to the west, one of them to the east of Great Inagua Island. While most boats decided to go for the eastern gate we followed the boats in the lead at that time and went west, passing through the most western gate. Following this there were two more gates, one each to the east and west of Mayaguana Island respectively. Most boats stayed true to their strategy and passed through the closest gate.

In that region we encountered lots of squalls as we expected. Especially after sunset lightning bolts kept flashing across the nightly sky for hours. Whenever we got closer to one of the squalls the wind picked up and often changed direction as well. Then we had to quickly reef the mainsail to make the most out of the wind and be not just laid flat on our side. But as suddenly as the wind had appeared it vanished again after just a couple of minutes. To prevent damage to the electronics we would usually unplug the connection cable for the wind instruments, which are installed at the top of the mast. Thus we had to gauge the direction and strength of the wind based on the hawk and the behaviour of the sails. While this seems a bit intimidating at first, it usually works pretty well.

With passing the second line of gates we also left the Caribbean behind. We are back in the North Atlantic. With that we had fewer squalls. Unfortunately, we however also had less wind. Thus the progress was initially not very fast. Only when the wind picked up a bit the boat would accelerate and we were able to put some miles behind us. Yesterday morning we the had two waterspouts developing directly next to us. We took our chances and aimed for the middle. Although the wind got up considerably for a moment, we were able to avoid both waterspouts. But also that wind was not meant to stay for long. There were no more than 20 minutes between reefing the main sail and shaking out the reef again. Since the wind has dropped significantly. Unfortunately just after we started the Ocean Sprint. The only relief is that all the boats are going through the same. But this might also mean that winning the Ocean Sprint might be a question of luck as to where the wind starts to fill in first. After the sprint it is only a few hundred miles to the finish. From there we are looking at a 30 hour motor through Chesapeak Bay and up Potomac River to Washington DC. At the moment it however looks as though this might take another couple of days. Let’s see what the weather has in store for us.

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After about 48 hours in Panama City we had to leave again. The alarm was set for two o’clock in the morning as we had to be on the boat before three. Shortly after we left and headed out of the marina and around the island where we had to wait for the pilot. In the end we waited one and a half hours before the pilot boarded and we could head for the canal.

The lock we had to share with a big ship as is common practice. For the first two chambers it was a tanker. While it was attached to locomotives that would automatically keep the lines under tension, we had to take them up manually as we wen up in the lock. For this purpose we had been rafted up with CV23 – Scotland before getting into the lock. Thus only one bow and one stern line had to be handled per boat. Already in the first chamber we were reminded why swimming in the canal was not recommended. A crocodile was drifting past us, feeding on the fish floating belly up near the surface.

After the first two locks followed a short drive before the third lock brought us to the final level. A true marvel of engineering ingenuity, which had cost thousands of lives during its construction. The following passage was not too exciting, except for the encounters with the big ships passing only a couple of metres away. Due to the early morning I decided to take a nap after lunchtime. Despite the still high temperatures I slept better than expected. Thus I missed our arrival into the Atlantic. Apparently the night before had been short enough. Nonetheless it is a huge step to be back in the Atlantic. In a few weeks time we will close the circle as we head back to Portsmouth.

But before we are heading to Washington DC. Just after leaving the canal we met with the other boat, which had completed their canal transit the days before. Together we were going towards the agreed starting point for the race. And since lunchtime today we are back racing. The first target is a gate of marks between Jamaica and Haiti. After that we continue heading north past Cuba and the Bahamas. If everything goes well we might arrive in Washington in just over a week.

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In the past week we have made good progress towards Panama. Thanks to the two refuelling stops in Mexico and Costa Rica respectively where we got more than 1600 L in total we can now even make good speed along our route if the winds are not great. Both stops have been short as to not lose any time. Dock, immigration, refuelling and off we go again. This was handled very efficiently in both countries so that we could continue our journey after a few hours in both places.

On the way we get to see a few different things. Dolphins make a regular appearance with a big school visiting every couple of days. They usually stay for a moment and seem to enjoy playing in our bow wave. Every so often they jump out of the water, sometimes landing all the way on their back. But even though they come by often, we still get excited when some spots the first signs. We go up to the guard wire and follow closely their joyful play.

On the other hand we have seen sea turtles, whales and yesterday even Manta Rays, also jumping out of the water. Some sightings are rather far away but some are right next to our boat. This allows us to observe our visitors up close. Although we are actually the visitors in their homes.

In addition we have seen a lot of squalls with lightning. On the evening after we left Costa Rica the night sky was lit by lightning strikes for hours. Some were clear and others where hidden behind the clouds so we could only see the diffuse light. But all of them were far enough away so that we could enjoy the show without having to worry too much.

In between we had some excitement nobody had asked for. We saw some small buoys on our starboard side. To be fair they were only old canisters. Just before passing them we also saw some on the other side. Seconds later came the call to put the prop to neutral. Between those buoys was a line with fishing hooks attached to it. And we had driven right into it. We got the line on deck and decided to cut it. We then brought the ends back either side of the boat and tied them back together. It was close but we could stop in due time and continue our journey with no damage. Only the line has one more knot where we cut an opening for ourselves. But I think that is an acceptable loss.

Now it should only take us two more days to get to Panama. This gives us at least two days to prepare us and the boat for the next race. On 2nd June we will transit the canal and head straight for the start area. Two days aren’t a long time but at least we can get some of the cleaning and maintenance tasks out of the way as we motor along. And then it is only about a fortnight before we get into our next stopover in Washington DC.

The post On the way to Panama appeared first on Florian's Clipper 2025-26 Race Campaign.

Due to the very slow progress across the fleet already the first mandatory gate was announced to be the finish line. While some boats had already crossed it, we were still some 500 nautical miles away when this was announced. Every day it looked less likely for us to reach the transit window in Panama. Thus the pressure was on race management to make something happen.

After some back and forth we agreed to accept tenth place and cease racing. This would allow us to get through patches with no wind using our engine. Scotland was some 30 miles ahead at that point and had to accept ninth place. And so we started together making our way towards Panama.

There was still very little wind and we covered several miles under engine. At the same time we started our calculations to see if we would get to the refuelling stop in Costa Rica. And the answer was no. Even if we were able to sail every now and then to save fuel we would not have enough fuel to reach the destination in reasonable time. Thus, an additional refuelling stop was organised in southern Mexico which would allow us to stock up our fuel reserves. But also the way to that stop was long and beyond our motoring range. Therefore, we had to make use of every bit of wind to make some miles whilst conserving fuel. So it wasn’t uncommon for us to change between motoring and sailing a few times per day.

To give the engines some rest and allow them to cool down we made a tow connection with Scotland.  Already the water temperature is above 30 degrees and at least during the day the air feels much warmer. When it was our turn to tow everything worked as normal. Only after about half an hour our engine started to make some strange noise. We lowered the revolutions and Scotland took over the towing. We would wait for the engine too cool down a bit and inspect to find the root cause as to not risk more severe damage. Although cooling down is maybe a relative statement given our conditions. During the inspection everything looked fine. Only the transmission fluid had yet again been contaminated with water. Since we replaced that we are back and can fulfil our duty in towing Scotland.

And so the two of us are heading for Mexico. Sometimes we sail, the one boat is towing and later on the other. In the meantime we are close enough so that we should have enough fuel to reach the stopover. Nonetheless, the changing from sail to engine and back continues in the attempt to maximise our boat speed. Even though the race has officially ended for all boats now we are trying to reach Panama as early as possible to give us some time to prepare for the next race.

In addition, the temperature is hard to deal with. We don’t have a thermometer to measure the air temperature. The water however is more than 30 degrees for over a week now and at least during the day the air feels much warmer. Even in the shade it is barely cold enough and it is not unheard of to drink a bottle of water per hour to compensate for the loss of liquid.

I am certainly done with this heat. It is very difficult to find any sleep or even rest. Moreover, any activity leads to one starting to sweat immediately and even after a bucket shower one is sweaty and sticky again within minutes. I am longing to get to the Atlantic and start heading north. Before that it is not likely to get any colder. At least the refuelling stops will bring some change and maybe we find some wind on the way that will help to cool us down.

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We left the US-coast behind and are now off the Mexican coast. That coast extends roughly 1800 nautical miles before we get to the other states of Central America. There are currently still about 2000 nautical miles left to our next destination Panama.

A week ago we were still moving at rather consistent speed and the decision to complete the Ocean Sprint along the shortest path has paid off. With the fastest elapsed time we were able to secure three bonus points for the ranking. The downside of that decision was that we were falling back with respect to the fleet. But also after finishing the sprint we had decent winds and were able to half the distance to the leaders in the following days. Unfortunately, we have since reached the same area of very light winds whereas the first boats start to accelerate again. We are meanwhile caught between moving painfully slow and not moving at all.

The temperatures have been rising steadily and it is now unbearably hot below deck. On deck there is a fierce battle for the few places with some shade. Only there you get to relax a bit, especially when there is a light breeze to cool oneself down that also ensures some progress. Even the water is at more than 28 degrees Centigrade so it does not get much colder at night. But it is enough to find some sleep using a battery powered fan.

The heat has also affected the fridge. It is no longer able to maintain the temperature.l during the hot days and starts to heat up. We have therefore changed the menu in the last few days to consume as much of the fresh produce before it goes bad. Soon we might only have onions and canned vegetables with our meals. The onions seem to last astoundingly long. But we have enough pasta and rice to go with the cans so that nobody stays hungry. However, the appetite has not been great for everyone given the hot weather.

When we were stopped almost completely some had the chance to jump into the water just before sunset. It is not really cold but at this point we are desperate for any means to cool down. Besides we enjoy breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. And the occasional visit of wildlife. The other day we had a huge group of at least 30 dolphins visiting, the day before that a blue shark. Since its sighting the excursions into the water have not been on the schedule.

The post It is hot appeared first on Florian's Clipper 2025-26 Race Campaign.

In the last week we fought our way down the west coast of the United States of America. First we past Oregon before going down along the coast of California, past San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Meanwhile we have gone past all of them and are now sailing along the Mexican coast. The winds on our journey have been rather weak and changeable so far, making our progress slow and tedious.

Along the way we could secure a point in the Scoring gate, which we managed to cross in third position. After that we unfortunately got trapped inside a region of low winds, which allowed the other boats to pull away and put around 300 nautical miles between us and them. This hurts especially since catching up will get more and more difficult as the winds are predicted to decrease further. Since a few days their lead has at least not increased much further and we were even able to close in on a few of them.

The big question is how long we will have wind for and where the race will finish. The finish line is currently more than 2’500 nautical miles away. However, in the past few editions this race always needed to be called early. For this purpose there are six mandatory gates which each boat needs to go through. Either of them can be declared as finish line and used to determine the ranking. This means that the race could also be done in 1’400 nautical miles if the first gate was declared as finish line.

But at this point nobody knows where the race will end. Therefore, we can only do our best and sail as quickly as possible towards the next gate. And we are doing alright at the moment, although we miss our torn C2 spinnaker. The windspeed is currently at the upper end of the design range. Every so often we get a gust exceeding the maximum design speed of the sail. So far this has gone well and we manage to get good boat speed in mostly the right direction. Hopefully the risk pays off and we can get points from the sprint.

The weather is meanwhile a bit milder than anticipated. It has been pretty warm on those days with little wind and lots of sunshine. But the nights have remained cold so far allowing for decent sleep. For the past few days we have had an almost complete overcast. Without the sunshine the temperatures remain moderate even throughout the day. And the nights get very dark. The moon does not shine through the cloud cover for most of the time and it gets pitch black. Sometimes one can’t even see the horizon.

On the other hand we had a few sightings of wildlife. We have seen some of the inhabitants of this region including whales, seals, albatrosses, and squid. Apart from the squid, who ended up jumping on our deck the encounters were with enough distance. So neither side was impacted. We can thus enjoy the wildlife without having to worry about our boat or the animals.

The post Along the US West Coast appeared first on Florian's Clipper 2025-26 Race Campaign.

With some delay but just in time for prizegiving we arrived to Seattle. And that despite the broken rudder not in last place. In addition, everyone was unharmed with only a few minor injuries. But after 31 days at sea we were all very tired and felt relieved that we had finally arrived.

The stopover passed thus very quickly. First we had to finish the deep clean before carrying out our regular maintenance and the necessary repairs. Furthermore, we provisioned all non-perishable food until Washington meaning we had to stow all canned and dry food for more than 45 days on board. For 16 people that is quite a bit.

Thus we only had limited time to recover. I found some time to explore Seattle but did not manage to visit any of the surrounding national parks. At least this gives me a reason to come back. Only the prices for food and beverages could stop me. As if the prices shown aren’t enough, tax is added after. And if you don’t tip at least 20% you are looked at like an alien.

After about a week in Seattle we are now underway again with destination Panama and then Washington DC. As when coming into Seattle there was a 20h motor to get through the river right next to the shipping lanes for the big commercial vessels.  And it was the scenery with the big ships on one and the picturesque banks on the other side that made this passage worthwhile.

The race start then went alright. Just as all the other boats we hoisted our spinnaker quickly after the start. After its lengthy repair in Seattle the relief was huge when it accelerated our boat to up to 15 knots. After the tack strop failed in the early morning we had to drop and rehoist the spinnaker. Despite the surprise everyone worked quickly and the sail was back up after a short while.

In the afternoon we were less lucky. At first the spinnaker got wrapped around the forestay and it took us some time to get it free. Only then we saw a big tear along the luff. The repair done in Seattle had not held up. As big as the relief had been the day before was the disappointment now.

We managed to secure all the parts which should allow us to repair the sail yet again. But for the time being we are left with our strong wind spinnaker which moves us just a bit slower. But at least we have some downwind sailing after a long time which makes life on board much more enjoyable. And it takes us straight south. In a couple of days it should get significantly warmer and in just over a week it might be so warm that we wish ourselves back to some colder regions.

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We are sitting in a secondary low pressure system for a couple of days now, which has developed between two high pressure systems. It is that low which is responsible for the winds which are blowing from roughly the direction we want to go: east. Thus our progress is slow. We are beating against the wind and only make small progress towards the finish.

On a positive note however we are not falling further behind. Although we have to reduce our sail area every time we get onto our broken rudder we are able to roughly maintain the distance to the boats ahead. It thus takes almost an hour to tack, hoist a sail and put in reef to the main sail. But the hard work seems to be paying off. We are still in striking distance to the boats in front.

We do our best to keep the spirit up on board. Nevertheless, everyone is getting very eager to finally arrive. It is the final stretch of this race but the three weeks at sea are taking their toll. Some of us have sustained smaller injuries. But most of that will probably be forgotten by the time we get there and toast to what we have experienced. And it is this prospect that gives us the power to keep going at this point even though it is tough.

Since yesterday it feels like the temperature has dropped again. Whether this is because we are a bit further north or if the wind has brought the cold air remains unknown. But it doesn’t really matter. Despite the rotation which allows us to spend less time on deck everyone was cold. And then it did not really matter whether it was hot tea, a soup or porridge. The only thing important was that it was hot. This allowed to at least warm one’s hands and throat. After that one felt warm for at least a few minutes. But it wasn’t until an hour later that we went back below deck, again cooled down by the breeze.

And this is pretty much how every watch looks like these days. During the day it is marginally warmer but still too cold to stay on deck for the entire time. That is unless we are doing manoeuvres. Especially when hoisting sails or reefing the main sail one gets warm. And thus tacking a lot has a further benefit. That is in addition to making the time pass faster if you have something to do. Leg for leg we are getting closer to the finish line and thus also to a warming shower.

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The last few days have been intense. Regarding the race we have been doing great. The distance to the boats ahead has been reduced, while we could increase our lead over the boat behind us. Overall we are very pleased with our performance.

This has been possible due to strong northerly winds. This allowed us to make good speeds with the undamaged rudder in the water. In addition to the fast sailing conditions the northerly winds brought a drop in temperature. Thus it is getting very cold on deck, especially during the night. We have thus implemented a rotation system which allows everyone to get some time below deck to warm up instead of having to stay on deck for the entire watch.

Apart from the cold winds we also had some rain. However, what was more uncomfortable was the cold spray. In particular in the pitch black nights you could not see it coming and it would hit you right in the face. Together with the wind the face then gets very cold as neither the air nor the water temperature is above ten degrees centigrade. The face then goes numb just like after a good peeling.

Meanwhile the wind has come around and now blows from the east. That’s exactly where we want to go. This makes it a bit harder for us to maintain our position. When beating against the wind we are half of the time with only the broken rudder in the water. We then only progress more slowly as we have to limit our sails to stay in control of the boat.

Furthermore, today one of our two toilets broke and is leaking when you try to flush it. As a result we now get a queue in front of the other one at every watch change. At this time the other watch is also replacing our main sail sheet block, as the bearing has gone. This makes it unnecessarily hard to trim the sail as the block no longer spins.

But even those setbacks will not stop us. We maintain a good spirit on board and will continue to do our best to reach the finish line and Seattle as quickly as possible. To get there we still have to cover about 1500 nautical miles with hopefully less unpleasant surprises. And if the temperatures went up a little I don’t think anyone would complain.

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