Slow start for Spotlight's Breare

Breare's Clipper blog
Andy Breare
BBC Spotlight's Andy Breare and cameraman Geoff Burrell are sailing the Atlantic aboard the Nova Scotia Clipper. Andy will be keeping a regular blog of his and Geoff's adventure here on the BBC website.

The Nova Scotia Clipper's crew struggle with light winds

It's been a very frustrating day on Nova Scotia with this area of the Atlantic living up to its reputation for calm sea, fog and very little wind.

I managed to get some decent sleep on Monday night despite the cold. I think wearing three layers and long johns may have done the trick.

I spent most of the morning on deck as we tried to eke every ounce of power out of the reluctant wind.

Our highlight was a pod of dolphins next to the boat, which Geoff filmed.

The water is so clear here that you can really study them closely as they race the boat under the water.

Sadly, as we weren't moving that quickly, I don't think they regarded us as much of a challenge and didn't stay around for very long. But it was still a treat to watch.

Luckily, on board, among back copies of Hello magazine and a well-thumbed Time Out guide to New York, we have the equivalent to the I-Spy book of dolphins, porpoises and whales.

After long deliberation and, at times, heated debate, we agreed that they were probably striped dolphins, which are known to frequent these parts.

Besides the wind, our main concerns at the moment are fog and icebergs. There are a few icebergs that do stray this far down Andy Breare

It's quite eerie sitting on deck when there's next to no wind and a very calm, misty ocean. All you can hear are the empty sails flapping and the occasional seabird landing on the water for a breather.

Besides the wind, our main concerns at the moment are fog and icebergs. There are a few icebergs that do stray this far down as well as bits of broken bergs, or growlers as they're known, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled and the radar switched on.

We even have a map on the saloon wall showing the areas of where icebergs are likely to be and in what numbers. Somebody has, helpfully, added to the map the location where the Titanic sank. Great.

Anyway, while we're waiting for the wind, here's Geoff with a few lines:

Filming on boats is like filming children - they never keep still, so trying to set up a shot or a sequence is not so easy. Take this morning: we are sitting waiting for the wind when in flies a small bird - definitely not a marine species.

That would make an unusual angle to one of our stories, I think, so set up ready to film. Two seconds later, the watch leader decides to tack the boat and the bird flies off. Result: no sequence.

Andy and Geoff