Atlantic 2

Day 4 (PM) – 30.12.08 Tuesday. Log 76nm. N16 53.88 W30 01.05
With the winds dying off again in the afternoon, I could see a squall line ahead and heard from Quartermoon that they were experiencing 15kn winds and rain in which they were washing. Rather than falling behind I decided to use the motor to head straight for the weather system.

Within 30minutes the wind had increased to 10kn and changed direction by 90 degrees (the opposite tack). Then it started to rain and ‘Naked Sailor Man’ put in an appearance with a bottle of shower gel. Once everything was clean it was back into waterproofs (its cold being naked and wet in about 15kn of wind!).

Some real progress and wind at last. By 2000 I had 2 reefs in the mainsail and 1/3 of the genoa doing around 6-7kn. There is a horrible knocking sound coming from the rig, I thought it might be the intermediate shrouds (the ones I didn’t tighten) but it seems to be the vang knocking in its mast bracket. When you gaze up from the heads window the movement and stresses on the rig look frightening!

With a horrible swell building and constant rain by 2100 I was thinking that morning couldn’t come soon enough! Everything feels damp and the swell is keeping me from sleeping properly.

At 0300 there is a huge ship (cargo) about 2 miles off my starboard side, he overtook me and passed in front of my bows maintaining about 2nm distance by 0400. Another glow on the horizon is dead ahead, Quartermoon? No response.

After another hour the glow turns into what looks like a neon floating city! With this ‘thing’ coming straight towards me I raise them on the VHF. It’s a ‘long liner’ and Chinese guessing by the confused conversation we just had. Straight in front of me heading east (towards me) and could I ‘wait’ for them to look out of the window to see where I was! Hmn no radar then….

With the glow getting brighter I decide its time to charge those batteries and motor clear. I always said that the odds on getting hit by shipping in the Atlantic were minimal, but I feel that this would have been my end had I not been keeping watch.


Day 5 – 31.12.08 Wednesday. Log 106nm. N16 52.20 W32 01.37
After motoring clear of the long liner for about an hour it was time to sail and sleep until 0830 when it gets light. The swell had developed as forecast 3-4m (maybe 5m) from the north. They look scary until you realise they are so wide and you simply rise over the tops, it looks like you are sailing up hill.

After playing with sail configurations I stick with mainsail only as Goosewinged just makes the foresail flap in the swell which annoys the hell out of me.

I spent the afternoon installing navigation software Tsunamis99 (thanks Luna!) and getting it to talk to my handheld GPS. Hopefully I should have some useable ‘real time’ navigation software for the Caribbean now and not just a photocopied pilot book!

Through the afternoon I continued with full mainsail, until just before dark the winds grew and had me putting one reef after another until I spent most of the night using the 3rd reef to reduce speed and heading further south of the rhumb line with the swell to make the ride more comfortable.

I sent out a few New Years messages to friends and spoke to my mum for a short while on the Sat phone around 2000. Around the same time I briefly saw a light on the horizon. Quartermoon? Still no response on the radio and I am guessing they are long gone by now.

Time now 0700 and I am 8nm off course, its dark, raining and miserable – Happy Fvcking New Year!


Day 6 – 01.01.09 Thursday. Log 116nm. N16 40.48 W34 04.75
0830, a new day, a new year and a new ocean. This one’s no longer a deep blue but a cold black with a confused 2-3m swell running with 22kn of wind blowing to make that slight howling noise in the rigging. I have 3rd reef in the mainsail and 1/3 of the genoa for some drive through the ‘chop’. The art seems to be having the bare about of canvas to prevent the boat from rounding up and stalling in the steeper swell. We are making about 6kn of speed with minimal stress on either me or Doris, so I think I’ve got it right.

The boat is covered with fish scales this morning (more than usual), even Heidi is bearing the tell tale marks and last night as I was reefing the sails, a flying fish missed me by inches. As if things weren’t dangerous enough without being fired at! I wonder if they would hurt?

Noon log reads 116nm, the best yet but still poor. I am curious to how the ships log and the GPS distance over ground compares as I know the log under reads. I have decided to turn off the main ships GPS to save power and rely on my small handheld GPS instead.

1300 sees me screaming in a demented rage as I need to clean my contact lenses and all the solutions etc are in a cupboard on the windward side. It takes me over 30 minutes to get the stuff back inside the cupboard after picking it all up from the floor. No fiddles on cupboards, well Hanse – genius! Does anyone who designs boats actually sail? Doris is classified as a class A Ocean going vessel – oh but please do not try and use any of the cupboards while at sea. Rant over!

1400, the suns out, the seas are decreasing and a post chocolate bar sugar rush has me calm and collected and snoozing.

A few hours before dark I decide that due to increased winds forecast for tomorrow I will try using just the genoa for simplicity and reluctantly drop the mainsail, knowing it will be a bitch to get back up in the swell and dark. However, the genoa is easier to reef and adjust quickly in the dark. The gribs suggest 20kn for tomorrow and then dying off over the next 3 days with no other worries visible in the near future.

Almost dark and its corned beef Bolognaise, followed by a large cup of tea and then the washing up, ah the good life.

I still need to find time to shave, but I am intrigued as to what I look like with a beard. Not just a few days without shaving type beard, but a full bad boy Bellamy type beard! What Lindz calls a ‘Burley Beard’? I am actually starting to resemble Robin Knox Johnson, not when he was my age but his current age!

Darkness brings the winds again to 25kn. The ride is a nightmare, all day there has been a following swell that gets us surfing nicely. However, a second smaller but harsher swell remains from the north which gives Doris a loud ‘Bitch Slap’ straight on he beam every few minutes sending her careening off course with poor Heidi doing her best to try and correct things, but appearing pissed!

Several times throughout the night I was convinced the rig was coming down we were swaying around so much. I can’t make up my mind as to whether the genoa is better than the mainsail at night or if the uncomfortable ride would have been the same regardless of sail due to the sea conditions?

Anyway, its morning (1000), the sun is showing through and I’ve just had Tea, Biscuits and Cornflakes for breakfast, the mast is still standing and we are still afloat and heading in the general direction of the Caribbean. Another day…

Aliisa: I could really use that oil rig we discussed as an Atlantic ‘Half Way Hotel’ about now! Hope you guys are safe and well, drop me an SMS via the Sat phone.