Morocco Canary Islands Cape Verde Islands Atlantic Crossing Barbados
The boat Resolute which had been in the bad storm with us enroute to the Cape Verdes was still working on repairs to their steering gear and therefore would have a delay before they could cross the Atlantic. Fortunately our friends Mark and Amanda on Balvenie and Tony on Tactical Directions had since arrived and along with Ventana began watching the forecasts for a good weather window to cross the Atlantic.
Balvenie, Tactical Directions and Ventana had all sailed together from Australia through Indonesia to Thailand in 2006 and we were glad to have each others company again. In addition to the weather forecasts we would be able to get while underway at sea, Mark had a friend in London who was a sailor and weather buff and he offered to send us daily emails. Needless to say after our most recent passage we were anxious for a smooth ride. Each day we monitored our SSB radio net and spoke with many other boats already underway across the Atlantic and most were reporting ideal conditions of 15 knots and 3-5 foot seas.
So it was with a good forecast and high hopes that the three of us departed Sao Vicente, Cape Verde on Boxing day (December 26) 2011. No matter how many miles we have all sailed there are always a few butterflies when you start a major passage. We were expecting it to take us roughly 18 days and despite all our preparations and experience we are still very small boats on a very big ocean and anything can happen out there. For an added wrinkle Tony's crew had experienced a last minute change of heart and decided not to go so he was sailing single handed.
The first day or so presented nice conditions and we were all getting back into passage making mode but then things worsened and we were again in rough seas, high winds and horrible cross swells that tossed us about the boat constantly. Soon it became very difficult to be in the cockpit as waves were filing it regularly.
The boat's motion was so extreme that we had to constantly hold on- even in our sleep. Somehow Dee managed to keep feeding us though it was a continual challenge. In addition to the normal up and down motion in big seas the cross swells were making the boat roll rail to rail nearly every second. One hand was always used to hold on, and she would have to shift her weight with each wave while simultaneously leaning against a wall to keep upright. Removing something from the refrigerator and setting it down onto the counter for even a second resulted in it being hurled across the room. Opening a jar which takes two hands was a several minute process and it was pure luck if the contents did not then leap from the jar of their own accord.
One morning Dee decided to attempt scrambled eggs and managed to get 4 eggs broken into the bowl, but as she turned to light the stove the entire bowl flew across the cabin and hit the opposite wall leaving egg yolks dripping down to the floor. Then before we could begin to wipe anything up the mess ran off in both directions coating the entire cabin sole.
As bad as we felt for ourselves, we worried more about Tony who was going through all this alone, though we hoped the motion on his catamaran would be less violent than our monohull. Each day I would get a new weather report that indicated in two days time we would have improving weather and this was confirmed by Mark's friend who echoed the same improving forecast in two days. Unfortunately tomorrow never comes. On Monday the report predicted good weather by Wednesday. On Tuesday it predicted improvement by Thursday, on Wednesday while we were still in exactly the same terrible conditions the report said Friday would be good. Unbelievably this continued for two weeks, and in the meantime all the other boats that were 4 or 5 days ahead or behind us reported good conditions. We three seemed to be in a bad weather cell that continued with us all across the Atlantic.
Terrible as it was maybe we were lucky to be deceived by the weather forecasts - if we had known in the beginning that we were in for 17 days of complete and sheer misery we might have slit our wrists. As it was we simply hunkered down and persevered. Normally we spend 12-15 hours a day in the cockpit but now we only poked our head out for a few seconds every half hour to look for traffic. I dispensed with my daily inspections of the decks and rigging and simply lay in my berth below lashed in. The entire time we used only a tiny fraction of our genoa rolled out to the size of a small table cloth. Tony even went bare poles for a time and was still traveling at over 5 knots.
Finally on the 16th day of our passage the wind and seas calmed to normal conditions and the very last day of our Atlantic crossing was quite pleasant as we coasted into the anchorage in Barbados and gratefully dropped anchor.
We had been doing offshore sailing for over 20 years and only racked up 6 really uncomfortable days - the Cape Verde trip and Atlantic passage added another 25 days to that list of times we would rather forget.
While we have no pictures to remember this trip Dee did write a song to the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas:
On the day after Christmas headed out to sea there’s
Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the second day of passage on the deep blue seas, there’s
Two rolls a second for
Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the third day of passage we were greeted by
30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the fourth day of passage, on the heaving seas it’s
4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the fifth day of passage, Neptune played with us, oh
5 meter seas with
4 reefs in the main,30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the sixth day of passage, said weather guru John
6 days more of
5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the seventh day of passage on the heaving seas
7 squalls a swirling for
6 days more, with 5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the eighth day of passage we were used to it –
8 books a flying with 7 squalls a swirling, 6 days more of 5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the ninth day of passage Balvenie passed halfway – oh goody
9’s halfway for 8 books a flying, 7 squalls a swirling, 6 days more of 5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the tenth day of passage more ships joined the net
10 positions given for 9’s half way, 8 books a flying, 7 squalls a swirling, 6 days more of 5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the eleventh day of passage on the heaving seas
11 crews a lurching
10 positions given, 9’s halfway for 8 books a flying, 7 squalls a swirling, 6 days more of 5 meter seas, 4, reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the twelfth day of passage spirits greet our ships
12 dolphins dancing for
11 crews a lurching, 10 positions given, 9’s halfway for 8 books a flying, 7 squalls a swirling, 6 days more of 5 meter seas, 4 reefs in the main, 30 knots of wind, 2 rolls a second for Amanda, Mark, Tony, Tony, Rob and Dee.
On the thirteenth day of passage what do we see
Moon is arising
Stars are a gleaming
Conditions are not changing and
On fifteenth day of passage Balvenie’s arriving
15 smiles all around.
On sixteenth day of passage, Tony comes in – WOW
16 singlehanded days!
And on the seventeenth day of passage my true love shares with me
An anchorage and Mt Gay Rum!!!