AJ Wanderlust - Jeanneau 45.2 Sailboat

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AJ Wanderlust - Jeanneau 45.2 Sailboat

AJ Wanderlust is a cruising/racing yacht presently located in the Isle of Man. She has been owned by Charlene Howard since July 25, 2006.
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12/10/2024

6 October 2024 - AJ Wanderlust

A few days tucked up aboard AJ Wanderlust in Fowey River. Proper “live aboard” style with flowers on salon table and computer set up in cockpit. 🙂

14/09/2024

9 September 2024 - Lift Out

After a lovely, albeit damp, weekend sailing, AJ Wanderlust is in the slings and ready for haul out.

This will be her fourth time out since 12 July to address the propeller issue. 😕. Praying this is the final step to stop the engine vibration.

After departing Fowey River yesterday, AJ Wanderlust sailed back to Falmouth Harbour in a brisk breeze. I continued on past Mylor and spent the evening on a pontoon up the Fal River. A quiet evening before this morning’s early dash back to Mylor.

08/09/2024

8 September 2024

After struggling to use every breath and puff of air yesterday, this is my deeply reefed sail plan achieving 8 knots today !

07/09/2024

7 September 2024 - Good Morning from AJ Wanderlust! Coffee taking priority over sail trim. I will get on that soon…

AJ Wanderlust has been in Mylor since 10 July, and the engineers have been hard at work addressing a propeller vibration issue. It has been a long process of elimination involving a prop rebuild/recalibration, a bent shaft, a sheared M16 engine mount bolt and (now, potentially) a bent P bracket. A worn cutlass bracket disguised these issues until it was replaced. The culprit, we can only suppose, was a fishing pot hit in darkness last November.

Desperate for a sail, I have AJ Wanderlust for the weekend, under promise to use the engine as little as possible. In and out of harbours only. Not an issue really as always prefer sailing to motoring !

Destination yet undecided - depends on the wind. 😊 AJ lifts for the P-bracket repair early Monday morning.

Off the dock as of 9 am this morning after a wee while spent making her ship shape.

06/09/2024

6 September 2024 - HOME

I am home. I am aboard AJ Wanderlust. Delighted- I have not been home since 14 July. There have been fantastic travels for work - Turkey, Kenya and Uganda. Weekend escapes in Turkey to Ephesus and Antioch- huge history and religious significance for Christians. Weekend escapes to the Maasi Mara in Kenya for fabulous wildlife viewing. But today, I am home and looking forward to a peaceful single handed weekend!

20/07/2024

2-5 June 2024 - New England Cruise

AJ Wanderlust had the opportunity to explore a bit of New England waters this weekend.

Early morning of 2 June, we sailed from Newport to Nantucket for the first evening; mostly a motor sail due to light winds and strong tides. Glorious sunshine and blue skies. I was very thankful for help on the dock, where AJ Wanderlust encountered piling moorings for the first time. Awkward to get alongside for a short handed crew.

The morning of 3 June, we sailed for Provincetown in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. An incredible number of fishing pots encountered enroute. While my time in New England was spent eating as many fresh lobsters as possible, I did not want to catch any with AJ Wanderlust’s prop or rudder.

4 June, AJ Wanderlust transitted the Cape Cod Canal. An interesting canal, which passes under bridges and features tree lined shores. For overnight we arrived at Martha’s Vineyard. I remember coming here as a child with my Dad and Mom, so it was an amazing experience to sail AJ Wanderlust into these historic waters.

5 June, AJ Wanderlust again pointed her bow towards Newport, Rhode Island. The day was a mix of dense fog and great wind for sailing!

A fantastic weekend, and another 225 miles on the ship’s log. Many and great thanks to Matt for coming along to crew !!!

10/07/2024

AJ Wanderlust is safe home ! We arrived Mylor Yacht Haven today at 13:42 British Summer Time after approximately 20 days and 14 hours at sea.

10/07/2024

9 July 2024 - Last sunset at sea of the west to east Atlantic Ocean crossing.

10/07/2024

9 July 2024 - Tuesday night

AJ Wanderlust has been sighted in her approach to the UK. As of midnight (10 July), AJ Wanderlust has passed south of the Isles of Scilly and is on a course for Lizard Point, which is 35 nautical miles distant.

After this morning’s tussle with the spinnaker, we have opted for a quiet evening and are proceeding under mainsail only.

It is a beautiful starry night ! An “almost home” glass of celebration Chardonnay has been drank in the cockpit.

09/07/2024

9 July 2024 - Tuesday afternoon spinnaker antics

AJ Wanderlust is in the home stretch ! As of 13:30 BST, we are exactly 100 miles west of Lizard Point Lighthouse.

The headwinds of yesterday gradually backed overnight, from east to northeast to north to northwest. Wind strength was variable but a constant light breeze of 6 to 9 knots was enough to keep AJ Wanderlust sailing at around 4 knots. With the forecast models differing greatly as to timing, wind direction and wind strength, we dared not set the spinnaker at a shy angle.

The morning forecast, 8 am BST, brought more consistency in the models, and so we decided to set the spinnaker. As the 150% genoa had small tears noted a couple days ago, we had been running the 90% black blade on the inner forestay. So before we could set the spinnaker, we had to douse the 90% blade, flake it into its bag on deck and store the inner forestay.

With that done, lines were rigged for a spinnaker hoist. The snuffer sock went up perfectly and then Andrew and myself watched in dismay as the spinnaker itself floated out of the sock and into the sea. Andrew quickly tied off the snuffer lines and then we both started to drag the sopping wet and heavy spinnaker from the sea over the starboard rail. With the spinnaker on deck, we then pulled it into the cockpit before it could fill with wind and try to leap overboard again. The spinnaker safely in cockpit, we lowered the snuffer/sock to find that the shackle pin had come out, thus allowing the head of the spinnaker to be released.

After searching the bosun's locker and not finding a suitable size pin replacement for the swivel shackle atop the snuffer, I decided to improvise a pin with multiple wraps of what I believed (hoped) to be dynema. Andrew was busy McGuivering a bolt, nut and washer solution. With my "dynema" line well secured, we went about feeding the spinnaker back into the snuffer sock. A task best suited for a large flat space such as a sail loft but manageable with good humor on the deck of a rolling sailboat.

Up went the spinnaker and AJ Wanderlust was off at 6.6 knots in the right direction ! Whoop !!! Kettle on, time for a coffee. Suddenly, AJ Wanderlust slows again. The spinnaker is in the water alongside the boat. Again, for the second time this morning. Clearly my improvised shackle pin was not of dynema. Aargh,,,

Deja Vu, as we rush to the bow to again drag the sopping wet and heavy spinnaker on deck, and then move the sodden (but colourful mess) to the cockpit. As we go to drop the halyard, the spinnaker snuffer briefly tangles around the forestay but quickly releases and falls to the deck. Andrew begins to assemble his nut, bolt and washer concoction when I remember that we have another snuffer onboard from the second/blue spinnaker which was blown out in the final hours of TwoStar. Success, we are able to scavenger an appropriate size pin.

Once again, the process of resnuffing the large and wet spinnaker into the narrow sock. Happily, third time is a charm and AJ Wanderlust has a successful spinnaker hoist. The light wind sail gives AJ Wanderlust an extra 1.5 knots speed. A nice little extra push toward landfall. Based on the current forecast, we hope to be able to run the spinnaker all the way to Lizard Point in the English Channel. And I am even more hopeful, that the spinnaker's fondness of sea swimming is finished for today !!!

08/07/2024

8 July 2024 - Monday

"Can't get there from here!" This seems to be the sentiment of AJ
Wanderlust at the moment. As of 7:30 pm BST on Monday evening, AJ
Wanderlust is 130 miles west of the Isles of Scilly, 180 miles west of
Lizard Point in the English Channel, and 200 miles from Mylor/Falmouth.

After having sailed 2,824 nautical miles in mostly favourable and benign
conditions, we are facing an upwind slog for the remaining voyage home. And
fearful of a large wind hole that the weather gribs tell us may be arriving
to the area early hours tomorrow.

AJ Wanderlust has grey, overcast skies all around her this afternoon as we
beat to windward under mainsail and 90% black blade. Winds are in the low
teens to mid- twenty knot range. Seas are moderate, but we are beginning to
see tidal effects with some short choppy waves. Closing land has also
brought significantly more shipping traffic as we meet the ships exiting and
entering the English Channel, as well as French and British fishing fleet
vessels.

Attached photo of our trackline for past 24 hours. We can sail northeast
and southeast, we really just want to sail east !

08/07/2024

7 July 2024 - Sunday

The sun is shining and skies above are blue with a few fair weather clouds. It is a great day to be a powerboat ! Not so great a day to be a sailboat as AJ Wanderlust is registering less than 3 knots of wind on the dials.

About 9:30 pm (Eastern Standard time USA which is our logbook time), last evening, we began motor sailing due to light winds. We continued to motor-sail until 1:30 pm EST today. A full 16 hours !!! Given that AJ Wanderlust only carries 57 gallons of fuel on an ocean passage (42 gallons in our main tank and 15 gallons in jerry cans), this was a huge fuel commitment only possible as we are approaching landfall. The use of engine propulsion was strategic with the objective of progressing AJ Wanderlust as far east as possible before the new weather system arrived with its unfavourable headwinds.

However, as fuel supplies are now estimated at 9 to 10 gallons remaining, AJ Wanderlust will be sailing the remaining journey. This meant slow progress for a few hours this afternoon, as we waiting the new wind pattern to establish and fill. By 6 pm EST, AJ Wanderlust was sailing reasonably well at 4.5 knots in 7 knots of east-northeast breeze although her course was 35 degrees off rhumbline. The wind continued to fill and settle in a northeasterly direction overnight, with AJ Wanderlust's speeds increasing to an average of 5.5 knots, although we still remain 25 degrees off the rhumbline and thus our VMG (velocity made good) is only around 4.5 knots as midnight EST approaches.

While the weather conditions for sailing have not been ideal today, the fair weather did mean a very pretty sunset for AJ Wanderlust to enjoy ! The increasing and dramatic cloud formations hark the arrival of the new weather system and wind.

07/07/2024

6 July 2024 - Saturday

Daybreak today revealed two small rips in the genoa. As the tears were
contained and not under pressure, we decided to run the current sail plan
until winds and seas abated which was forecast for early afternoon. Andrew
and I established a 15 minute monitoring program for the on watch. By
mid-morning, Andrew was seeing progression in the sail cloth deterioration
and so woke me for a sail change.

Changing the 150% genoa to the 130% is a beast of a job on the dock, and
would be nearly unmanageable in 16 to 20 knots of breeze and 2 meter seas.
Thus, we opted to set the inner forestay and a 90% yankee blade run with an
outboard lead. The sail configuration is working reasonably well on a true
wind angle of 150 and we have ran it the entire day.

The helm has been squeaking and groaning quite a bit, so today with more
settled seas, Andrew investigated while on watch. He found the six bolts
atop the quadrant (four in front and two in back) very loose. These have
now been tightened, but we are not sure if the quieter helm is a result of
the tightened bolts or the more settled following sea state. AJ Wanderlust
is always thankful for crew who love maintenance !!!

The kettle handle broke off today, and Andrew set about McGuivering a fix.
This entailed making a hole thru a metal piece which was formerly welded on.
Without a drill onboard, the exercise included heating the metal piece and
then trying to hammer and/or screw ever increasing sized screws thru the
metal plate. After about two hours concentrated effort, this was achieved,
and the handle bolted back on. Kettles are a necessity of life on board for
hot drinks (coffee!!!) and hot water bottles.

The evening comedy entertainment onboard was me trying to make Chef Boyardee
pizza. Another childhood favorite that Mom always made, I could not resist
buying this American brand when in the USA provisioning. However, due to a bit too much grease being added to the pan and
a sloppy sea state, there were a few precarious moments when we did not
believe the pizza would stay on the pan while being put in the oven or while
in the oven. In the end, our Saturday night pizza and beer was delicious. A name for the pizza is presently being decided either as
"Slip and Slide" or "The Wave."

As of 11 pm British Summer Time, AJ Wanderlust is at 50 degrees and 10
minutes North latitude and 14 degrees and 43 minutes West longitude. We are
making a course of 085 magnetic and our speed is down to 5.6 knots in only
12 knots of westerly wind.

06/07/2024

5 July 2024 - Friday

Sailing FAST !!!! Mom used to talk of growing up on the farm and how the working plough horses would bolt for the barn door when in sight at the end of a work day. By all appearances, AJ Wanderlust is bolting for her "stable." Mylor Yacht Haven is currently 500 nautical miles distant.

AJ Wanderlust has been sailing in steady 25 to 29 knot winds today, with gusts in the mid 30 knot range, and a few gusts extreme enough to round up the boat. The wind has been from a direction of 290 to 325 degrees. With one reef in the mainsail and a deeply reefed genoa, AJ Wanderlust is flying along averaging 9 knots. It is a reasonably comfortable sleigh ride with 3 meter seas on the port aft quarter.

The skies above have been filled with a fantastical variety of clouds and shapes. And a double rainbow appeared astern of AJ Wanderlust this morning.

There is a potentially nasty weather system arriving on Sunday as AJ Wanderlust makes her final approach to Lands End and the English Channel. We are monitoring this system for development and hoping to stay ahead of it. The various weather models differ greatly in respect to this system, thus indicating a fair level of atmospheric instability and uncertainty.

As the clock strikes 30 minutes to midnight (EST USA) on Friday, 5 July, AJ Wanderlust is at 49 degrees and 51 minutes North latitude and 17 degrees and 49 minutes West longitude. Dawn is breaking as we draw closer to the UK, where British Summer time is 04:30 am on Saturday, 6 July.

04/07/2024

Fourth of July 2024 - Happy Independence Day America !

As of 8 pm UTC (and 4 pm Eastern Standard USA), AJ Wanderlust is at 49
degrees and 38 minutes North latitude and 023 degrees and 37 minutes West
longitude. With 730 miles remaining to run to Mylor/Falmouth, our battle
cry is "Only a Round Ireland to go" or "Only a Fastnet to go" - stated in
terms of comparable measured distance races.

If one were to say my passionate hobby was offshore sailing, my two
sub-(geeky) passions would be fatigue management/optimal performance and
meteorology. Today was a supremely interesting day for meteorology !

The wee midnight and early hours of 4 July, saw AJ Wanderlust in steady 25
knots of southwest breeze with gusts to 35 knots, and sailing a true wind
angle of 150 degrees in 2 to 3 meter seas. The grib files showed that
early morning, the wind would very rapidly veer from west - southwest to
west to west northwest, and settle at northwest. The veer would be
accompanied by lighter winds for a short period, about an hour, before winds
would fill in at 15 knots from the northwest. The northwest wind expected
to accompany AJ Wanderlust until Saturday.

At early morning watch change, Andrew and I chatted thru weather. It was 3
am and with the wind becoming gusty, we more deeply reefed AJ Wanderlust. I
went to bed, with the boat beginning to take on the motion of an angry bull.
There was a fair amount of amusement listening to Andrew attempt to make
proper French press coffee and I did finally shout out to ask if he was
winning ? While I slept, I was conscious of the sea state increasing and
the AJ Wanderlust "bull ride" continuing. I got up about 4 hours later,
having expected the wind shift to have already happened, but the instruments
were steady on 280 to 290 degrees. I started to put on my foulies, and in
the intervening 5 minutes, we watched the wind go to 330 degrees. AJ
Wanderlust sailing on wind vane mode, shot off to the south as Andrew and I
scrambled to prepare for the gybe in confused seas.

Having gybed successfully, nothing left to do but have a coffee and await
the filling of the northwest wind. Hanging on for dear life as AJ
Wanderlust rocked and rolled in big, confused seas. Within an hour, by 9:30
am, the wind had settled and we were able to take out more sail to combat
the big seas; the 4 to 7 knots of wind which originally accompanied the wind
shift was not enough to keep AJ Wanderlust moving in the sea state as each
roll would shake all the wind from her sails.

Since mid morning, AJ Wanderlust has been sailing fast on a beam reach in
her new northwest wind pattern. We have had a brief dolphin sighting and
seabirds have accompanied us. At around 2 pm EST (6 pm UTC) the wind backed
20 degrees to settle at 300 degrees - west northwest. Given the new wind
direction, per the grib weather files, we now imminently expect an increase
in wind strength to 20-25 knots.

Delighted that at 7 pm UTC (3 pm EST) that the clouds have parted to reveal
the sun and some patches of blue sky; a welcome change from grey skies and
dense mist. An old nautical trivia game that has been onboard for years,
was dusted off and brought out this afternoon for entertainment. Its
shaping up to be a lovely afternoon on the North Atlantic Ocean !

04/07/2024

4 July 2024 -

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA ! AJ Wanderlust sailing fast and proud under her Eagle and American flag this morning !

03/07/2024

3 July 2024 - AJ Wanderlust has less than 1000 miles to Mylor/Falmouth, UK (925 miles to go !!!)

2 July (Tuesday afternoon) - I can happily wither away the miles of an ocean crossing enjoying the wind and waves. Andrew is less sloth-like and enjoys a bit of maintenance. This afternoon's focus returned to the watermaker. We changed the 5 micro filter, which while grubby was not a cause of flow blockage. We also had a look at the carbon filter, which smells of sulphur and thus indicates bacteria growth and replacement needed, but will wait changing this filter until the watermaker is again put in service. Spectra's technical desk had responded and suggested some items to check as to why we could not pressurize the system. The principle culprit thought to be the diaphram in the feed pump. After removing hoses and the unit from its small, inaccessible cupboard, we found the screws attaching the diaphram to the motor to be seized with corrosion. WD40 and light tapping did not solve the issue. Knowing that we do not have a spare diaphram aboard AJ Wanderlust, and that any repair to this rubber component would be dubious, Andrew then switched gears to thinking a pump swap. This has been suggested by Spectra if indeed the problem was found to be a torn diaphram. However, the only pump which may be suitable is AJ Wanderlust's main fresh water pump (fine as main water tank empty anyway), however the flow specification is greater than that specified by Spectra. Thus another email has been sent to Spectra to see if this is fine or if swapping in this pump could damage the Clark pump, which is the main/most expensive component of the desalination system.

AJ Wanderlust anticipated light winds arriving overnight and so strategically motored a couple hours this evening to minimize time in the blue/light wind patch of the weather gribs. It is very difficult to combat a big 3 meter ocean swell in light winds. While not foggy by definition, today was heavily overcast with poor visibility. No signs of a sunrise or sunset colours.

3 July (Wednesday) - AJ Wanderlust spent the wee hours of the night under headsail alone. The boom, which carries the mainsail, was swinging back and forth in the swell and with each shake would knock all air from the sails. Dawn brought an unexpected northerly breeze and I was able to get the sails out for a couple hours before the wind again died to less than 2 knots. AJ Wanderlust then motor-sailed for about 4 hours under mainsail only until the wind began to fill from the south. A lovely beam reach for an hour under full sails before the wind continued to veer to the southwest.

We expect the breeze to continue to build to 20 knots from the west southwest later this afternoon and evening. As of 5:30 pm BST (and 12:30 pm Eastern Time USA), AJ Wanderlust is at 49 degrees and 34 minutes North latitude and 28 degrees and 30 minutes West longitude. We are enjoying a fast sail at 6.8 knots on a course of 100 magnetic. The wind angle is 150 true, so a pleasant broad reach.

03/07/2024

July 2024 - Sailing AJ Wanderlust

1 July was a lovely day with the poor visibility lifting and AJ Wanderlust seeing the sunshine. A glorious pink sunrise ushered in dawn this morning and an orange sunset with seabirds frolicking in the waters off AJ Wanderlust's beam finished the day. During mid day there were also times of sunshine peaking thru dramatic cloud formations. An amazing diversity of settings as AJ Wanderlust sails across the North Atlantic Ocean

02/07/2024

2 July 2024 - Tuesday morning

An interesting overnight on AJ Wanderlust. At about 2:30 UTC, while on watch, I spotted a white flashing light in the water. Given the active bioluminesence in the North Atlantic, it took me a minute to focus and confirm this was indeed a flashing white light and not nature's fantastical light show. The position was 49 degrees and 32.4 minutes North and 33 degrees and 47.5 minutes West. The light was a strong flash, but not in any apparent sequence. Closer inspection, as close as possible in 25 knot winds and 3.5 meter seas on a dark night, showed it to be a solitary light appearing unattached to any significant structure. Possibly a piece of safety equipment dropped overboard ? Either way, the experience unsettled me quite significantly, fearing there had been something more unseen in the dark.

Around 5 am UTC, while Andrew was on watch, he came across a line of green lights. AJ Wanderlust had driven straight thru them before they were sighted, leaving some of the green lights to port and the remainder to starboard. The position was approximately 49 degrees and 35.4 minutes North and 33 degrees and 15 minutes West. What are these lights ? Possible a long floating fishing net ? But what fishery could be economical 1000 nautical miles from land ? And thank God, if it was a net, AJ Wanderlust sailed over the top without catching keel or rudder. Or possibly are these lights some scientific data gathering buoys ? And moreover, what kind of structure do these lights sit on ? And could it be substantial enough to be a danger to AJ Wanderlust in the event of a collision ?

Last evening at sunset, we could see fog banks on the distant horizon and daybreak today came with reduced visibility of 250 to 300 meters (750 to 900 feet). I am sitting on the stop companionway step staring into the distance hoping to catch a sighting in daylight of one of these "lights." Once back ashore with internet capabilities, I definitely will be researching to try and determine what was sighted overnight.

There is a new book being read today aboard, a tattered copy of "Gipsy Moth Circles the World" by Sir Francis Chichester.

But as for now, 10 am UTC, AJ Wanderlust is storming along at 9.5 knots on a course of 110 magnetic. We are at 49 degrees and 34 minutes North latitude and 32 degrees and 12 minutes West longitude. Very thankful that nothing went bump in the night.

02/07/2024

1 July 2024 (Monday) - AJ Wanderlust blog from Andrew

Before leaving New York I was chatting to a lovely person in the marina office, "So where are you guys off to next?" she asked, "Back to the UK via
Liberty Island", I responded. "WHY DO YOU GUYS DO IT TO YOURSELVES" she laughed loudly back at me. Good question I thought, but gave the
understated normal joke response of "yes we're probably crazy". After being out here for almost 12 days, here's a more thoughtful insight into why we do these things.

The sunrises and the sunsets (actually not seen too many due to the fog on the Great Banks).
The star filled sky (actually not seen too many of these also, blinking fog).
The wildlife surrounding the boat, many species of bird, dolphins and whales have visited. A whale literally inches from the hull and rudder, (bum
squeakily close for all involved).
The isolation from the outside world, which is hard to come by nowadays, (this is a one way chat with social media, so feel free to add rude comments, as I can't read your responses until we return to UK).
The bioluminescence being disturbed as the boat crashes through the waves and lights up these tiny creatures.
The Challenge.

As of 21:17 EST (just past midnight UTC/GMT) we're 49 degrees 29.3 minutes
North, and 034 degrees 02.0 minutes West on a
heading of 90 degrees M and making 9 knots speed over the ground.

Andrew

01/07/2024

30 June 2024 - Sunday

Reflection as I write the date above, 2024 is half finished. Where has the time gone? 2024 has been an exciting year professionally and for AJ Wanderlust. Thankful for all the positive moments thus far in 2024.

Exciting day today on AJ Wanderlust - shower day ! With fresh water being at a premium on any offshore passage, showers are something we look forward to. With the feed pump/head pump on AJ Wanderlust's watermaker having failed and the sea state in recent days not being settled enough to try and jerry rig another pump with similar flow/pressure characteristics, we have been conserving fresh water meaning showers only every 7 days rather than each 4 days. But at least for this Sunday evening, AJ Wanderlust has a clean crew !

The other bemusement of the trip has been making a cup of tea. During the chaotic couple of days before AJ Wanderlust left Plymouth for TwoStar, there was still much to be done, including storing all the provisions. At some point, and it is unclear whether Bobby or Guy came up with the idea, but all packaging was discarded and the tea bags were combined into one big ziplock bag. This has meant for the entire trip that making tea has been a lucky dip as to whether you would have lemon tea, honey & ginger, Yorkshire, Earl Grey or some other type. For a proper Brit, this is akin to disaster. While I am reasonably content with coffee, I have had great fun watching Andrew sniffing tea bags this trip trying to find Yorkshire to make a proper cuppa !

The wind dropped this morning just after sunrise, and so AJ Wanderlust spent a few hours under engine motor-sailing in the large remaining swell. Once the wind had reestablished, we were again off under sail. AJ Wanderlust's main tank holds 40 gallons (160 liters) of diesel, and we carry another 15 gallons (60 litres) in jerry cans. While this is sufficient to charge batteries when the wind generator cannot produce enough, it only equates to around 60 hours of motor-sailing so the lionshare of any ocean passage (even when not racing where rules dictate we only sail) must be completed under sail power.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent tracing a small oil leak between engine and gear box. This evening, full cloud cover is obscuring any stars. However, there is bioluminesence in the water, and some dolphins who came to play appeared as incoming torpedoes with sparkles tracing their bodies thru the water.

As of Sunday evening, 11 pm Eastern Standard Time USA, AJ Wanderlust is at 48 degrees and 46 minutes north latitude and 37 degrees and 53 minutes west longitude. We are sailing a course of 91 degrees magnetic at 7 knots.

30/06/2024

29 June 2024 - Saturday

AJ Wanderlust is halfway across the North Atlantic Ocean in her passage from USA to UK. As of 10:30 pm EST, we have 1400 nautical miles remaining to sail. Tonight's dinner of BBQ chicken wraps featured a celebratory beer to mark the halfway point.

The morning dawned in dense fog, which finally lifted around 10 am EST. AJ Wanderlust's course had her about 60 miles north of the infamous fishing grounds of the Flemish Cap and directly on the Great Circle Route. Being on the Great Circle Route, the shortest passage from USA to UK, using the curvature of the Earth, means we are seeing a fair amount of cargo ships and tankers - four today.

The wind behaved as forecast and steadily veered from south-southwest to southwest to west and, eventually, to west northwest. With the veer, came gradient wind of 20 knots and gusts to the high 20s. AJ Wanderlust flew along at nearly 8 knots for most of the day and we tramped out 163 miles along the rhumbline.

Feeling a bit deficient in my culinary skills compared to Andrew, I attempted to recreate my Mom's potato salad for lunch. Absent paprika spice and too heavy on mayonnaise and pickles. Mom was a fantastic cook and I really should have paid more attention.

It was glorious to spend the late morning, afternoon and evening without fog ! AJ Wanderlust even had a couple hours of afternoon sunshine and blue skies. Stars lit up the sky this evening, and it was a beautiful night with a half moon rising off AJ Wanderlust's bow and shining a silver reflection on the water.

As of midnight, our position is 48 degrees and 32 minutes north latitude and 040 degrees and 57 minutes west longitude. Newfoundland is astern and the next landmass to the east is Ireland.

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Videos

AJ Wanderlust at Statue of Liberty

19 June 2024 - AJ Wanderlust visits Lady Liberty (the Statue of Liberty) in New York Harbour!

TwoStar - off Isles of Scilly

AJ Wanderlust delivering for TwoStar 2024

AJ Wanderlust delivering for TwoStar

Easter 2024 Sail

Happy Easter 🐣 2024 !!! Greetings from AJ Wanderlust on a beautiful Easter Sunday in the Bristol Channel.

Hydrovane from Plymouth to Mylor

Sunday, 24 July 2022 - AJ Wanderlust is on passage from Plymouth to Mylor. Many and great thanks to Royal Western Yacht Club for a great race and huge support from club RIB and Roger on and off the dock with compromised steering.

AJ Wanderlust sailing on 2 January 2022.

2 January 2022 - AJ Wanderlust has arrived to Mylor Yacht Haven. A breezy overnight sail from Guernsey.

28 December 2021 - after the gale with AJ Wanderlust under storm jib

28 December 2021 - AJ Wanderlust under storm sail after the very early morning westerly gale has passed. The black blade (aka heavy weather jib) waits on deck to be hoisted after wind and wave conditions abate.

27 December 2021 - sailing aboard AJ Wanderlust

27 December 2021 - Beautiful sail across the Irish Sea aboard AJ Wanderlust. Perfect conditions greeted us as we departed Largs, Scotland bound for the Channel Islands.

Christmas Eve sail 2021

Christmas Eve 2021 - AJ Wanderlust safely arrived to Largs, Scotland just before 6 pm after a breezy and gusty sail. Many and great thanks to Chris and Bobby for the Christmas Eve Day sail and for getting AJ onto the dock in Largs when the easterly wind blew up ! 🎅🎅🎅

30 November 2021 - AJ Wanderlust's cabin, decorated in Christmas lights, and quite loud with 35 knot Northwesterly winds blowing outside.

AJ Wanderlust's cabin, decorated in Christmas lights, and quite loud with 35 knot Northwesterly winds blowing outside.

AJ Wanderlust sailing late August bank holiday 2021

Saturday, 28 August to (wee hours) Tuesday, 31 August 2021 – AJ Wanderlust delivery trip Mylor to Isle of Man Collecting AJ Wanderlust from Mylor actually began with a sail from Isle of Man to Whitehaven. Many thanks to Pedro and yacht Freya for giving me a lift, and allowing a little sleep before the AJ Wanderlust adventure began ! Saturday morning at 7 am, Andrew and myself departed Mylor Yacht Haven bound for the Scilly Isles. Despite a very light wind forecast, AJ Wanderlust was blessed with wind and was able to sail from just out of the Mylor entrance channel. At first, we were under the 150% genoa, and then once around Lizard Point, the spinnaker was popped. A glorious sunny sail until just past the Lands End TSS where the wind died away and we put on the engine to enter the anchorage at St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly. A brief dinner and rest stop. Three hours later, at 10:30 pm, AJ Wanderlust departed Scilly Isles bound for Isle of Man. The wind was light and on the nose, so we motored for about 16 hours. The sky was absolutely clear and the stars were spectacular in the night sky, until a half moon rose bright and dimmed their appearance. At around 2 pm on Sunday, the wind filled and AJ Wanderlust had a lovely sail past Milford Haven. The wind continued to be directly on the nose, and so it was a beat to windward. In order to improve our angle on the wind, early Monday we furled the genoa and began motor-sailing with only the mainsail. After two beautiful sunny days, the clouds moved in on Monday and the temperature dropped. Late Monday evening, we were again able to sail a bit once past Holyhead, Wales. The wind was fickle and shifty in both speed and direction, but AJ Wanderlust romped up the Irish Sea. Homeward bound ! AJ Wanderlust slipped thru the bridge in Douglas Harbour at 0700 on Tuesday morning. Home safe !!!

AJ Wanderlust sailing late August bank holiday weekend 2021

6 August 2021- Breezy sailing conditions in the English Channel.

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AJ Wanderlust at Statue of Liberty

TwoStar - off Isles of Scilly

AJ Wanderlust delivering for TwoStar 2024

Easter 2024 Sail

Hydrovane from Plymouth to Mylor

AJ Wanderlust sailing on 2 January 2022.

28 December 2021 - after the gale with AJ Wanderlust under storm jib

27 December 2021 - sailing aboard AJ Wanderlust

Christmas Eve sail 2021

30 November 2021 - AJ Wanderlust's cabin, decorated in Christmas lights, and quite loud with 35 knot Northwesterly winds blowing outside.

AJ Wanderlust sailing late August bank holiday 2021

AJ Wanderlust sailing late August bank holiday weekend 2021

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