Entries by Paul Cayard

Baby Pirate Born in Oslo

Maja Elien, the wife of Freddy Loof, gave birth to a baby boy Monday night in Oslo. They have yet to name the third, and youngest, baby Pirate in the Black Pearl family. Freddy made the quick dash to the airport from Sanxenxo as soon as we docked. Good thing we were on a Volvo […]

This has been a Very Busy Time

September 18, 2005-15 miles from entrance to Sanxenxo Obviously this has been a very busy time for all of us involved with the Black Pearl. Working 15 hours a day has been the norm for more than a month for most everyone. The career we have chosen is one which takes us away from home […]

Today will be Our Last Full Day at Sea

Daily Report, Pirates Of The Caribbean, September 17, 2005 Today will be our last full day at sea. 2000 miles under the keel in a hurry. Chewed up at an alarming rate. This is not like any sailboat I have been on before. We had a huge day for sail developement today. We got ourselves […]

Still Rippin it Up

Still rippin it up. We did 480 miles on the Pearl in the past 24 hours and believe me we are trying not to go too fast. She is capable of leaping small buildings if you are not carefull and the landings are a bit brutal. She is not a balerina, more of a belly […]

These Boats are Weapons!

The weather routing we did yesterday worked out perfectly. It was like taking the chairlift up to the top of the hill for the big burn down. We rode some nice southwesterlies up to the north west side of Ireland yesterday and this morning. The wind slowly turned from south to west over 4 hours […]

Pushed the Boat a Bit More in the Past 24 Hours

We have pushed the boat a bit more in the past 24 hours. Last night we were heading north toward the east coast of Ireland and got a bit more wind than expected. The sea got rough and the boat started slamming so I decided to tack and reach off toward France and lighter winds […]

The Black Pearl is Off

The Black Pearl is off. Following a very busy day…loading provisions for 2000 miles, a press conference, and a christening, we are now out in the middle of the English Channel on the way to the northwest corner of France. The Christening went well with Lady Gabriela Winsor doing the honors and much to everyones […]

“The Black Pearl” Christened Today in Southampton, England

(Southampton, England) September 12, 2005 — The Black Pearl, official entry in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race, the world’s premier round the world race for mono-hull sailboats, was christened today at Maritime Walk, Ocean Village in Southampton, England. The event was hosted by Robert Mitchell, Managing Director, Buena Vista International UK, and Skipper of The […]

Another big day for the Black Pearl

Another big day for the Black Pearl. She went for her maiden voyage and all went well. It was a beautiful, sunny, 12 knots day on the Solent and we got through about 5 different sails, ran the keel system, tuned the rig, and run other various checks. We had all the experts of the […]