Well the time is now 2000utc (4pm local) and I am back in English Harbour - Yup the place is cursed!
Just had a quick chat with Freya and now its time to let everyone know where I am to save any worries. I set out only to find the seas in a horrible state with the wind at 25kn and steep waves to over 4m and completely all over the place like it was boiling. Probably due to the shallow nature of the Antigua / Barbuda coastline.
The boat handled it ok, although I took a few on the beam that laid me almost flat when I misjudged the helming. I decided to turn back after about 2hrs, realising that I would have to manually helm through the waves probably for the next 48hrs and that would just about kill me!
So... Patience is a virtue!
I hate turning back but sometimes its the best option... its a shame because the boat was making a NE course with the wind from the East - perfect!
As I mentioned before the seas and winds are due to drop over the weekend and I can only hope the Azores high doesnt go running off too far. I decided to come back the extra 10nm to English Harbour as I will at least have some company and Internet access.
Thanks you guys for the kind words via comments and SMS messages. I'll probably look to set off straight from here either Sunday or Monday.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Setting Off Alone
Freya called me from English Harbour to announce that she didn't feel ready to undertake such a crossing and has asked James to come with her back across the Atlantic. I am not sure at this time whether he will agree or not, being that he has a really good job here in the Caribbean and also a boat he is very interested in buying. If they do cross together it will not be for a week or so at least. Whatever happens guys good luck with everything.
Ben & Medi, It was really nice to meet you guys and who knows we may meet up in the Azores if you find another boat to cross with?
Well the wind has been blowing 20-25kn for the last few days and the seas are said to be pretty steep at 3m. While both wind and seas are due to go down around Saturday, I don't really want to wait around any longer and have decided to make a move and go for it straight from Green Island. It's now 0800am local time (1200utc) and I will be getting the boat ready and looking
to set sail around midday. It's going to be pretty uncomfortable for the first few days at least but things should ease once a few hundred miles north - I hope.
The strategy - Starboard tack as close to the wind as I can get (about NE) to get as much easting as possible and then punch through the variables to hopefully slingshot around the lower left of the Azores high to find the westerly winds above it - assuming its still there!
I'll post updates approx every 3 days or so. Wish me luck!
Ben & Medi, It was really nice to meet you guys and who knows we may meet up in the Azores if you find another boat to cross with?
Well the wind has been blowing 20-25kn for the last few days and the seas are said to be pretty steep at 3m. While both wind and seas are due to go down around Saturday, I don't really want to wait around any longer and have decided to make a move and go for it straight from Green Island. It's now 0800am local time (1200utc) and I will be getting the boat ready and looking
to set sail around midday. It's going to be pretty uncomfortable for the first few days at least but things should ease once a few hundred miles north - I hope.
The strategy - Starboard tack as close to the wind as I can get (about NE) to get as much easting as possible and then punch through the variables to hopefully slingshot around the lower left of the Azores high to find the westerly winds above it - assuming its still there!
I'll post updates approx every 3 days or so. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Antigua to Green Island
We checked out of Antigua on Monday and headed for Green Island around midday. It was a 10nm beat against steep 1.5m swell and 20kn winds. While conditions were not ideal it was great to be sailing again after nearly 2months at anchor! The weather is turning really squally and as soon as we were anchored in the picturesque Ricketts Harbor anchorage (I arrived a few hours before Otahi) the winds picked up to 32kn and it poured with torrential rain for most of the night.
Another boat in front of me pulled their anchor and missed hitting me byless than 10ft, it was lucky I went up on deck to check my anchor and see them getting closer and shouted in time for the skipper to take action. It seems I am destined for anchor stories wherever I go. The wind was so strongI had to tie a safety rope to Freya's dinghy and let her blow back to Otahi in case she got blown out to sea.
With the wind still blowing and the seas getting bigger we decided to leave for Barbuda on Wednesday morning. However, Tuesday evening Freya discovered that one of her ships water tanks is empty meaning she is missing around150L of water for the Atlantic crossing. Nobody is sure why or how she failed to fill it and therefore she has decided to return to English Harbour to refill with water.
It is now midday and I am alone (aside from the frequent visits from daytrip boats filled with on average 50 tourists) in Green Island waiting for Otahi to return tomorrow (Thurs 7th May) morning.
Its not sure whether we will continue to Barbuda or start the Atlantic crossing directly from Green Island. Watch this space.
Another boat in front of me pulled their anchor and missed hitting me byless than 10ft, it was lucky I went up on deck to check my anchor and see them getting closer and shouted in time for the skipper to take action. It seems I am destined for anchor stories wherever I go. The wind was so strongI had to tie a safety rope to Freya's dinghy and let her blow back to Otahi in case she got blown out to sea.
With the wind still blowing and the seas getting bigger we decided to leave for Barbuda on Wednesday morning. However, Tuesday evening Freya discovered that one of her ships water tanks is empty meaning she is missing around150L of water for the Atlantic crossing. Nobody is sure why or how she failed to fill it and therefore she has decided to return to English Harbour to refill with water.
It is now midday and I am alone (aside from the frequent visits from daytrip boats filled with on average 50 tourists) in Green Island waiting for Otahi to return tomorrow (Thurs 7th May) morning.
Its not sure whether we will continue to Barbuda or start the Atlantic crossing directly from Green Island. Watch this space.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Last minute nerves
Well all the last minute jobs have been done. James and I serviced the engine over the weekend which was a good thing as my impellor was missing a tooth, checked the rig over and yesterday spent a few hours scrubbing Doris’ now bare bottom.
This morning I made breakfast for Frey & James before giving him a big hug before he set off for work. James man, thanks for all the help with the boat and I look forward to hooking up again soon. Good luck with finding the next boat!
All that remains to do is check out of Antigua and get going. The weather this morning is squally and the fact that I haven’t sailed for nearly 2 months make conditions look worse than they really are. It’s only about 10nm around to Green Island and then on to Barbuda for a night or two before going for the big one…
This is probably my last dose of internet for a while but I will be posting regular updates via the Sat phone.
So signing off for a while and we should set sail about midday today…. With the Atlantic crossing beginning around Weds 6th May.
A new adventure begins …
This morning I made breakfast for Frey & James before giving him a big hug before he set off for work. James man, thanks for all the help with the boat and I look forward to hooking up again soon. Good luck with finding the next boat!
All that remains to do is check out of Antigua and get going. The weather this morning is squally and the fact that I haven’t sailed for nearly 2 months make conditions look worse than they really are. It’s only about 10nm around to Green Island and then on to Barbuda for a night or two before going for the big one…
This is probably my last dose of internet for a while but I will be posting regular updates via the Sat phone.
So signing off for a while and we should set sail about midday today…. With the Atlantic crossing beginning around Weds 6th May.
A new adventure begins …
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Thursday, 30 April 2009
North Atlantic Preparations
First a rant …. Antigua Race week
What can I say, who the hell lets these people hire boats and allows them out on the water unsupervised! Never have I seen such a large bunch of wankers in one place. These monkeys fly in, jump on their charter boats, go racing then descend on the anchorage. Most have never spent a night at anchor being marina creatures and weekend race heroes. Trying to steer into gaps going astern (full speed) after dropping the hook and hoping to stay in that gap despite the wind being on their beam. They religiously drop their 12m of chain (or worse warp) in their 4m of water (usually in a pile) and can’t understand why they pull every 5 minutes. They have no concept of a swinging circle and even less idea of a safe anchoring distance.
The morning began for Otahi with a loud ‘crunch’ as a 50ft yacht had squeezed itself in the smallest of spaces and swung alongside Otahi crushing Freya’s beloved wooden dinghy. The reply, well its Classics Week what do you expect….
Later in the day I gave my stare from Hell at a boat full of women dropping their hook to rest almost alongside me. ‘We are just staying for an hour to swim’, 10 minutes later their stern is against my bow as the skipper revs the nuts of the engine towing me around the bay. They have pulled up my chain and have no clue what to do… after securing them alongside and informing the skipper to hold us in open water long enough to untangle the mess and sorting them out its up to me to be as rude and threatening as possible to defend my ‘castle’.
What can I say, who the hell lets these people hire boats and allows them out on the water unsupervised! Never have I seen such a large bunch of wankers in one place. These monkeys fly in, jump on their charter boats, go racing then descend on the anchorage. Most have never spent a night at anchor being marina creatures and weekend race heroes. Trying to steer into gaps going astern (full speed) after dropping the hook and hoping to stay in that gap despite the wind being on their beam. They religiously drop their 12m of chain (or worse warp) in their 4m of water (usually in a pile) and can’t understand why they pull every 5 minutes. They have no concept of a swinging circle and even less idea of a safe anchoring distance.
The morning began for Otahi with a loud ‘crunch’ as a 50ft yacht had squeezed itself in the smallest of spaces and swung alongside Otahi crushing Freya’s beloved wooden dinghy. The reply, well its Classics Week what do you expect….
Later in the day I gave my stare from Hell at a boat full of women dropping their hook to rest almost alongside me. ‘We are just staying for an hour to swim’, 10 minutes later their stern is against my bow as the skipper revs the nuts of the engine towing me around the bay. They have pulled up my chain and have no clue what to do… after securing them alongside and informing the skipper to hold us in open water long enough to untangle the mess and sorting them out its up to me to be as rude and threatening as possible to defend my ‘castle’.
My walls have been stormed once and it’s not going to happen again!
I’ll be glad when these pastey assholes go back to their day jobs – Rant Over!
Ok well what’s been going on around here? Marcus & Jess have flown back to the UK for a month or so and left Veracity in the charge of James (previously Otahi). Freya is taking Otahi back to the UK with two new crew, Ben (a friend of her brother) from the UK and Medi who was previously crewing for Greg of Carina who I first met back in Medeira. James is staying in the Caribbean to work and look for his new boat.
Otahi and Doris intend to leave Antigua via Green Island (10nm) and the island of Barbuda (40nm) before setting sail for the Azores (~2155nm). A full moon is approaching and the weather is starting behave itself out in the Atlantic with the Azores high being more predictable. At the moment we are looking to leave English Harbour around Sun or Mon.
I’ll be glad when these pastey assholes go back to their day jobs – Rant Over!
Ok well what’s been going on around here? Marcus & Jess have flown back to the UK for a month or so and left Veracity in the charge of James (previously Otahi). Freya is taking Otahi back to the UK with two new crew, Ben (a friend of her brother) from the UK and Medi who was previously crewing for Greg of Carina who I first met back in Medeira. James is staying in the Caribbean to work and look for his new boat.
Otahi and Doris intend to leave Antigua via Green Island (10nm) and the island of Barbuda (40nm) before setting sail for the Azores (~2155nm). A full moon is approaching and the weather is starting behave itself out in the Atlantic with the Azores high being more predictable. At the moment we are looking to leave English Harbour around Sun or Mon.
I have plotted the Great Circle route purely as a reference and intend on sailing north towards Bermuda but staying south of the classic route preferring light airs against possible storms etc. Doris is perfectly suited to pointing high in light airs and hopefully I can keep her moving in the right direction under sail. Motoring for me is a complete nightmare due to the lack of an Auto Pilot which translates into no sleep. I will have my Sat phone turned on throughout the trip (so feel free to drop me an SMS) and I will use it to download GRIB files and hopefully not get becalmed (at least for too long). I will also post position and blog updates to Crutey (my ground crew) for you avid readers.
I have been doing small jobs like ‘end for ending’ the 2nd reefing line and replacing a few blocks, but to be honest she is more or less ready to go. She’s full of fuel (110L) with a few extra cans (50L) just incase. I have done a last shop and loaded with more than enough food. I will top up with water (260L + 100L in cans) before leaving. All that remains is to do a last scrub of her bottom before we depart.
As for sailing Single Handed - A few nights ago after shaking my ‘booty’ at Shirley’s, I decided to step backwards off the steep path in the dark and plummeted to a painful landing among several Cactus. After removing a large number of inch long spines from both arms, hands and legs continued out on the town. It wasn’t until the next morning when the influence of alcohol had obviously worn off I discovered that I was unable to use my left thumb and therefore hand. I couldn’t even tie a knot! Not the best injury to have a few days from setting off across the North Atlantic alone! It is healing slowly and should be (fingers X’ed) be fine before I leave.
Nothing else to report at this stage… and besides the racers have just returned so I dare not drop my guard!
I have been doing small jobs like ‘end for ending’ the 2nd reefing line and replacing a few blocks, but to be honest she is more or less ready to go. She’s full of fuel (110L) with a few extra cans (50L) just incase. I have done a last shop and loaded with more than enough food. I will top up with water (260L + 100L in cans) before leaving. All that remains is to do a last scrub of her bottom before we depart.
As for sailing Single Handed - A few nights ago after shaking my ‘booty’ at Shirley’s, I decided to step backwards off the steep path in the dark and plummeted to a painful landing among several Cactus. After removing a large number of inch long spines from both arms, hands and legs continued out on the town. It wasn’t until the next morning when the influence of alcohol had obviously worn off I discovered that I was unable to use my left thumb and therefore hand. I couldn’t even tie a knot! Not the best injury to have a few days from setting off across the North Atlantic alone! It is healing slowly and should be (fingers X’ed) be fine before I leave.
Nothing else to report at this stage… and besides the racers have just returned so I dare not drop my guard!
Sunday, 26 April 2009
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