Fixing a boom breaker line that had parted during a storm in the Norwegian Sean Entering UK territorial waters bought a comfort similar to a favourite blanket - even the place names on the Shetland Islands conjured a soothing familiarity - Sullom Voe, Muckle Flugga, Lerwick. No more grappling with unpronounceable Russian or tongue-twisting Norwegian (even [...]

  www.oceanweather.com/data/

Adrian leaving the Norwegian Sea A number of noteworthy occurrences today - since departing UK shores, I heard my first British weather broadcast courtesy of Shetland Island coastguard at 6.00pm. I figured Barrabas would have to travel 30,000 nautical miles from the Hamble River to the bottom of the world round Cape Horn then all [...]

  Adrian - taken yesterday - leaving the Norwegian Sea A number of noteworthy occurrences today - since departing UK shores, I heard my first British weather broadcast courtesy of Shetland Island coastguard at 6.00pm. I figured Barrabas would have to travel 30,000 nautical miles from the Hamble River to the bottom of the world round Cape [...]

Adrian Flanagan set sail in October 2005 to attempt the first vertical (bi-polar) circumnavigation by sea, heading first for Antarctica and Cape Horn, passing into the Pacific. His amazing voyage included Hawaii and Nome, Alaska, before passing throught he Bering Strait and into the Russian Northern Sea Route, the first yachtsman ever to be granted [...]

I’ve been lucky with the weather so far since departing Mehamn. It’s been said that luck is preparation multiplied by opportunity - who knows. Gary Player, the great South African golfer once said, ‘The more I practice, the luckier I get.’ I hooked onto a band of east winds to ride over the top of [...]

The position for Adrian aboard Barrabas at11.00am (UK time) was: 65.04N 04.49E Lightish winds now but expecting a mother shortly!!!!!!! agx.firetrench.com ftnews.firetrench.com ftd.firetrench.com

Position 69.04 N 12.08 E @ 2100UCT Barrabas is at latitude 69 degrees north, just above Vestfjorden on Norway’s west coast. At present, we are heading due west in anticipation of west winds forecast to arrive at midnight which I can harness to sail south. But relatively shallow water over the Rost Bank off Vestfjorden is [...]

  Posn at 0800 UCT 70.41 North 17.55 East Sorted engine (touch wood please) - airlock. Started engine then put into gear at high revs (not good on a cold engine - I usually give 10 mins at idle to warm up) but wanted to get fluids under higher pressure and working parts moving fast - the [...]

Since leaving Mehamn last Thursday, we’ve had following easterly winds to take us over the top of Norway. We are now proceeding down the Norwegian west coast towards Vestfjorden. Periodically, the wind abates leaving Barrabas to loll on a dead sea. It is 3.00am on Sunday morning as I sit at the chart table writing [...]