ARC 2012
Lady Ann will be participating at this years Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, leaving Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) on November 25th, 2012. The Caribbean destination is Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia, one of the most beautiful islands in the Lesser Antilles.
The 2700 nautical mile passage on the NE tradewind route takes on average between 14 and 21 days. The largest trans ocean sailing event in the world, every year the ARC brings together well over 200 yachts from all over the world. The ARC has a special flavour, which successfully combines racers with cruisers, old with young, and provides entertainment for all. A wide ranging program of entertainment takes place both before the start and after the finish.
Joining the ARC fleet will be a fun and safe way to cross the Atlantic. Please download a detailed ARC 2012 description with possibilities, dates and prices. Our guests will have a unique opportunity to share in this (at least) once in a lifetime experience. Join us on our ocean passage in style in with good company.
Antigua regattas
After the Grenada Sailing Festival, some family cruising, and St Martin’s Heineken Regatta we have another two regattas coming up: the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and the Antigua Sailing Week. The second just after the first. Both will combine a fun entertainment program with competitive sailing under some of the best sailing conditions imaginable.
Read more about the possibilities to join us as guest and crew member by downloading a detailed regatta description with dates and prices.
Heineken Regatta
Lady Ann has attended this year’s Grenada Sailing festival, a great experience. She is ready to participate at some more serious and fun regatta’s, with the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, starting by the first of March, as the first in line.
Lady Ann is available for charter for the Heineken Regatta, starting on the 1st of March till the 4th. We offer her either on a full boat charter for a group of friends or for a company charter. Alternatively she is available for charter by up to 14 guests, based on individual bookings.
Please read our newsletter Ann-mail 3 for more information on the yacht, the regatta, for dates and prices.
Mustique
Having left St. Lucia after a short maintenance interval, Lady Ann is now in the first weeks of her South Caribbean Cruise, with the Grenada Sailing Festival at the end of Janaury as her first calander event. Along the route Lady Ann has called upon Bequia, an island set back 50 years in time, as poor as idyllic. Currently she is anchored off the fabulous island of Mustique, just a few hours sailing south east of Bequia, and home to the rich and famous.
Mustique, at least equally beautifull as its’ neigbouring islands, is rather unique in the Grenadines as it is privately owned with just under one hundred private residences. There are some glamourous and illustrious names under the (former) home owners, including Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch and the late Princess Margaret. It is still being visited by English royalty, as Lady Ann’s visit coincides with William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, vacationing on the island.
The island urrently has just one hotel, The Cotton House, a grand old colonial building on a former plantation, an ideal place to relax in their spa, or to have a leisurely lunch at the beach cafe. The islands’ only and rather fancy guesthouse is famous for its’ martinis and champagne cocktails. But there is yet another good reason to visit Mustique, the annually held Blues Festival. Every year in January famous Basil’s Bar hosts world reknown artists like Zach Prather, Paddy Milner, Lewis Cohen, Veronica the Ukelele singer, Dana Gillespie and The London Blues Band. Two weeks of amazing music in an enthralling setting would be an experience of a lifetime in itself.
Lady Ann is now heading towards the Tobago Cays, a group of small, deserted islands, protected from the sea by ‘Horseshoe Reef’. A heavenly spot for snorkelling and diving, for sundowners on the front deck, and for whiling away sipping cocktails in the cockpit, gazing at the stars till well after midnight.
St. Lucia – Caribbean
After 14 days with nothing but blue ocean in our 360 degree view, the hazy mountain peak of St. Lucia proved a welcome appearance, promising tropical fruits a plenty, grilled lobster for supper and a refreshing dive in crystal clear turquoise waters. Three days later, having thoroughly enjoyed all of these Caribbean wonders at Marigot Bay anchorage, we moored at Rodney Bay Marina for some necessary repairs, routine maintenance and crew changes. These coming months Lady Ann will enjoy her first chartering season west of the ‘big pond’, starting with guests coming over for the Christmas holidays, and followed by her participation at the Grenada Sailing Festival, late January 2012.
Cape Verdes
After a 6 day downwind passage we have arrived at the Cape Verdes Archipelago. Our first island ‘Sal’ emerged from a mist of fine Sahara sand, carried by the notorious Harmattan winds, when we were just a couple of miles off. We continued from Sal westward and called upon much greener Sao Nicolau, and sailed past the much smaller, rocky and uninhabited islands Raso, Branco and Santa Lucia, to the capital of Sao Vicente; Mindelo. From a well run and efficient marina we have ventured into town, to experience a little bit of Africa. Streets are lined with colorfully dressed ladies, selling homegrown exotic vegetables and fruits. At the bustling fish market huge fish are being de-scaled with perforated recycled tuna tins, progress eagerly followed by a score of skinny cats. Beautifully dilapidated colonial style buildings face the boulevard where men play cards in the shade of some exotic trees. An overwhelming amount of impressions, which we can digest slowly during our upcoming two week Atlantic crossing.
Tenerife
After our slightly over exiting Salvagem interval, we are safely and quietly moored in Marina Atlantico in Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital. Here we will spend a couple of days preparing and foraging for our Atlantic crossing. Lady Ann very appropriately has been docked stern to at the mega yacht pontoon. Here she has been proudly squeezed in between two 100+ ft Wally’s, some super X-yachts and a mega grand soleil. Further along the dock lies Dykstra & Partners’ newest creation ‘Hetairos’, a 60+ meters elegant race ketch, and down in the commercial port the three tall masts of Dykstra & Partners’ ship Clipper Stad Amsterdam stand out impressively.
Madeira
Early morning on our fourth day out of Lisbon we raised our first island belonging to the Madeira archipelago: Porto Santo. A couple of hours later, safely anchored under the lee of the small island, we splashed around Lady Ann in crystal clear –not that cold any longer- water. With a rapidly falling glass, and increasing southerly winds we prudently headed for proper shelter: Madeira’s capital Funchal, a couple of hours sail away. Here Lady Ann rides her anchor in strong winds and heavy rain now for the last few days. From her snug pilot house we admire mega cruise ships such as the Queen Mary 2 and Holland America Line’s Noordam, reversing into the harbor and docking to have her passengers carted off by the busload for some exiting downhill folklore sledging, undoubtedly followed by serious Madeira wine sampling. In between downpours, we have applied for a special permit to visit the remote Ilhas Desertas and Ilhas Salvagem, both uninhabited nature reserves, where we hope to spot one of the 35 resident Monk seals, part of the remaining worldwide population of 500. From the barren rocks of the Ilhas Salvagem, we will continue south towards the Canary Islands where we expect to arrive mid November.
Lisbon
After a very pleasant episode of exploring the Spanish ria’s, which indeed proved to be very scenic and easy to sail, we bade Spain farewell and continued our cruise down the Portugese Atlantic coast. With northerlies gently pushing us south, and sunny days all the way, we reached the busy port of Leixous at sunrise on October 11, for a flash visit to beautifull Porto stocking up some top quality bottles of vintage port while we were at it. On we went to reach Lisbon a couple of days later, passing Vasco da Gama’s statue and docking at the Alcantara marina. Having explored Lisbon’s historic centre, partly on foot, partly by antique tram, we crossed over to picturesque little fishing village Seixal. Anchored off the small village port, we got hit by a severe autumn gale, which gave us a splendid opportunity to test our ground tackle; which proved solid as a rock. In a couple of days we will pick up our first guests, with whom we will cruise to flower island Madeira.
Crossed Bay of Biscay, arrived at Galicia
After 8 days at sea Lady Ann has reached the Iberian peninsula. She will be exploring the northwest part of Spain, the area of the beautifull ‘Rias Bajas’, sheltered bays penetrating deep inland. The Rias are Spains prime sailing grounds and promise some very unspoilt and picturesque sailing. Lady Ann will cruise these idyllic waters for two weeks, after which she will head further south.
