Atlantic Crossing Antigua to Horta in the Azores by JoJo

Passage Antigua to Horta on the Island of Faial, Azores, May 2016

After Antigua Classics it was time to focus on getting ready for crossing the Atlantic back to the UK. There was a long list of jobs to do.  First of all was the smelly task of fuel filtering.  We had already taken a sample of diesel and found a lot of dirt at the bottom of the tank and also dead ‘diesel bug’.  So with a 12 volt pump and a wonderful filter (thanks Tim) we spent a few hours pumping the diesel through the filter until it was clear and clean.  Now we could have faith in our engine in case we had to motor on the windless days across the Azores High. Mmm… it did not work out quite like that.

Island Swift all sails set

Antigua Classics by JoJo

Antigua, April 2016

For many years we have heard about Antigua’s Classic Yacht Regatta. Everyone said we should try to be there and join in, so we did. We did not expect to win anything, but we were looking forward to having loads of fun and seeing some wonderful traditional boats under full sail.  We spent the few weeks before the regatta sprucing the boat up ready to cross the Atlantic shortly after the Classics, but also secretly we all wanted Island Swift to look her best!

English Harbour - Parade of Sail