Category: Sailing

Tonight is our second night at sea on the longest passage any circumnavigating cruising sailor normally makes – crossing the Pacific. We shortened it somewhat but calling in at the Galapagos Islands, which were amazing, whereas many people make the crossing in one from Panama or the USA. To say ‘crossing the Pacific’ is slightly misleading too since our destination is the Marquesas which are far from ‘the other side’, however there are many stop off points after the Marquesas, so this trip, which is expected to take between 18 and 21 days should be by far the longest.

I was musing this afternoon whilst alone on watch as to our preparation and departure. Having crossed the Atlantic twice I recall the build up to both trips very clearly – both were part of a rally, both had a specific departure time and although on one I was just one of five crew, the build up was intense. And rightly so, no ocean is to be messed with, and the Atlantic can throw in its challenges as much as any other. That being said, on the rhumb line (the shortest distance from start to finish) its a significantly shorter trip, from memory about 2400 nm – 600nm less than this Pacific crossing.

So what was different this time? On Thursday we decided to leave on Sunday morning – the weather looked ok, with the chance of some wind to start with, we had done some exploring on all three islands we were allowed to sail to in the Galapagos and we were ready to leave. But there was none of the intensity we experienced previously. Knowing I would be out of direct connectivity for a while (no browsing, no uploading or downloading of anything larger than a few bytes of data) I was busy with work for the last few days. Additionally we did some last minute food shopping, tidied up the boat, some friends arrived on their boat so we went into town for dinner with them on Saturday night, went to bed, got up Sunday mnorning, did some more work, had a cup of tea, pulled up the anchor and left!

We left as if we were just about to sail round to the next bay, as if it was our daily commute, not a 3000nm ocean crossing, completely relaxed, no drama, no last minute panic – we were ready so we left!

I sat here comparing the contrast and wondering how we could be so relaxed. Were we really prepared? Was the boat thoroughly checked and ready for sea? Had we missed anything? What was different? I concluded that yes we were prepared – better than ever before, the boat was thoroughly checked and yes most likely we will have missed something – hopefully trivial but boats are complex and however thorough you can be there will always be surprises around the corner but we have learnt to expect them and deal with them. The reality is we have been sub-consciously preparing for a long time, we now know better than before what is needed for this type of trip. We know how we cope in ourselves with watches, we know the boat better, the boat itself is pretty much ocean ready all the time since the trips we have been doing for the last few months have not been trivial. We were good to go!

We did have some wind – from about an hour out of Santa Cruz the engine was off and we were sailing. Fine reaching in a light breeze – the first few days is all about working south into the SE trade winds whilst trying to still get westing towards the Marquesas. With the wind forward of the beam we opted to hoist the asymmetric spinnaker rather than our normal downwind choice the Parasailor. Either would have done the job but I figured it would be coming down at night and the asymmetric can be furled from the cockpit single handed so would be less hassle. As it transpired the wind dropped late afternoon and we were motoring before dark! After dinner we decided film night would be Pearl Harbour (an unusual choice for Lesley but the logic was that we are in the Pacific), and there was no one to disturb so the volume was on high. I think its a great film so I was happy!

The wind was up and down overnight but we have been sailing since about 6 am and we covered about 165nm in the 24 hrs from 18:00 Sunday to 18:00 Monday. Not great but not bad either considering the light winds and for much of the time we have had a current against us. As we work south that will change and we should get a decent push most if not all the way.

We have seen no boats, but we have been lucky enough to see several whales, a few birds, some flying fish and jumping rays.

The temperature has dropped a bit, I am actually wearing a sweatshirt for the first time in a long while, though it is nearly 3 am. There is very little moon, but beautiful stars, the sky is mainly clear and the sea state quite pleasant. As I have been writing this the wind has been dropping but hopefully it is just temporary.

We briefly spoke to our friends on Larus on the SSB (Single Side Band Radio) last night who are about 1500nm closer to the Marquesas. They seem to be doing well, though the transmission was not great so hopefully we will get to chat more later today.

The fishing line went out for a few hours yesterday but no bites, everything seems to be functioning well onboard, the batteries are fully charged from the sun, wind and sea, we had a lovely sausage casserole for dinner, so all is well onboard.

The wind died yesterday as forecast at lunchtime. The peace and quiet of gently sailing along on a fine reach changed to the monotonous background drone of the diesel. As planned, we took the lines of the nearby vessel to avoid them having to spend a few days idly drifting around awaiting the wind to fill in. With flat seas and no wind it was an uneventful process with an audience of pilot whales to judge the quality of the job.

So from being completely alone we have now spent the last 19 hours with another boat 140 metres behind, several pods of dolphins and pilot whales and some bird who landed on the end of the spinnaker pole a day ago and has hitched a lift ever since! Various others have tried to share his perch but that results in loud squawking and much wing flapping as they are sent away – clearly not a sociable chap and one I would rather not have as the colour of the end of the spinnaker pole is rather different than it used to be…

Strangely the nights are now cooler and more damp but that does make off watch time more pleasant down below.

Latest stats: 158 nm to go. Approximate position: 0 degrees, 46N, 87 degrees, 22W. Thats just 46nm from the equator, which we expect to cross sometime tonight!

All is well onboard and we still expect to arrive tomorrow. Even better news is our official paperwork has now come through from our agent so clearing in should be relatively simple.

A pretty uneventful day aboard Ocean Blue, except we had wind! The forecast 24 hour previously was for virtually no wind, but that changed overnight and we had a glorious day’s sailing from the early hours until after dark, fine reaching at between 7 and 9 kts.

Having a breeze was doubly fortunate for us because we had been contacted by another boat, a Hanse 575 that had converged with us during the night. They informed us that they had complete engine failure and with the forecast no wind, asked if we would consider towing them to the Galapagos. Obviously we agreed but to tow a 58 ft boat some 400 nm is not trivial.

So now we are sailing in company with them, and fortunately the breeze has held sufficiently that no tow has been required so far – we expect the situation to change still, but we are getting closer every minute.

Stats as of 08:00 Wednesday: Distance to go: 285 nm. Approximate distance travelled in 24 hrs to 16:15: 165 nm. Position: 2 degrees, 24N, 85 degrees 54W. That makes us just 144 nm north of the equator – Neptune must sense us approaching by now!

No fishing yesterday but line is out now!

All is good onboard.

We finally left Panama at 16:15 on the 17th March. We had spent the previous 4 or 5 days cleaning the hull and enjoying the outlying islands.

We had approximately 680 nm to sail and left in an encouraging 18-20 kts of northerly breeze, which changed to a frustrating 4 kt headwind within 5 miles of the coast. By mid evening the true ocean breeze took over from the land effects and we were able to sail albeit rather leisurely for most of the night. Before dawn the engine was on but by mid morning, there was sufficient breeze again to hoist the Parasailor which stayed up for a few hours before the wind dropped away and the engine came back on.

It is to be expected because we are traveling through the eastern end of the ITCZ (or Doldrums)which are where the Southern and Northern hemisphere trade winds converge. Our routing software suggests we are unlikely to see any further wind before we cross the equator, just short of Galapagos.

The fishing line produced a first for us – we caught a shark! Luckily it was only about 5 – 6 feet long but had loads of very sharp looking teeth. We managed to release it and not lose the lure so it could have been worse.

Stats so far: In the first 24 hours we traveled 158 nm, and now at 21:00 local time (utc -5) we have 509 nm to go. We are at 5 degrees 2 minutes north, or 302 nm north of the equator, motoring along in the dark at 6.5 knots. It is warm and calm, albeit slightly rolly and we haven’t seen another boat since the early hours.

All is well onboard.

We left at 5 am with an Easterly wind which increased to perfect downwind sailing with the Parasailor. A two day sail was planned, broken by a stop over in a large bay, Ensenada Huaritcheru, before arriving in Santa Marta.

The first day was champagne sailing with everything working as it should. We caught a small Mahi but it jumped free before we could land it and something else bit through the trace in one bite without any effort – probably best that we didn’t try to get that one on board!

We arrived at the anchorage of Ensenada Huaritcheru early afternoon and got some rest. We planned a lunch time departure to arrive for what was promised to be a spectacular sunrise over the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The next day we set off in a brisk force 5 wind with an uncomfortable quartering sea. We did manage to catch a very nice Tuna just as it was getting dark.

Once we rounded the Cabo De La Aguja headland the sea state calmed and we were able to have a gentle arrival into Santa Marta.

We were met by the marina rib and escorted to our berth with plenty of help around to take lines.

It was great to be able to assess the boat and clean her off, unfortunately we had a tear in the main sail, probably from a spreader end which would need investigating.

We were not allowed to explore the city until the formalities had been completed but enjoyed a social in the marina seating area, catching up with fellow rally sailors and exchanging tales from the trip.

At last we can go…

The wind is forecast to be light and from the East, we have got all the parts on board and there is time to checkout and get duty free onboard, so we do it, just running into their out of hours customs charges as it is 15:45. It does take until 16:15 to complete all the paperwork even though we were at immigration for 15:00. The charge was minimal and our remaining currency was spent in the duty free store, conveniently situated next door to customs and right by the dock.

It took us another six hours to store solar panels and put the contents of the lazerette and tools away ready for sailing.

By 22:00 we were leaving the Bocas del Dragon, a fast flowing Channel between Trinidad and the Islands to the West, into an area called the ‘Dragons Mouth’.

It was a bumpy ride, where the tidal stream meets the Equatorial current that began to sweep us westward. Dolphins accompanied us out, their shape and wake looking like torpedos in the bio-luminescence, visible in the dark water under the black sky.

Once we were clear of land everything settled into an easy motor sail, not enough wind to get us going without the engine. We were both tired and started short watches to enable each of us to get some sleep. We extended our watch system to four hours once we were in the familiar groove.

Dawn on day one at sea brought a beautiful sunny day but still no wind. It’s so beautiful to be in open water which is clear of floating debris. Dolphins came to play around the boat briefly and no fish were caught. By the evening there was just enough wind to turn the engine off and sail slowly under a starry moonlit sky enjoying the peace after having the diesel engine throbbing away all day.

A larger pod of dolphins stayed with us for over an hour entertaining us as it got dark. The stars were fantastic, with many meteors or shooting stars. After a very busy 5 months it was quite therapeutic to be so connected with nature again.

Dawn on day 2 at sea saw sufficient breeze to raise the Parasailor, this was an hour’s exercise to prepare the sheets and sail ready for the hoist.

After a small tangle in the lines was sorted she was flying, but by then unfortunately we could see rain and the wind had died again. We doused the parasailor and left her hanging secure in the sock and decided on a clean up of the aft deck. This had been the storage area for all the ropes and sheets whilst we had been pulling wires through for the new arch. We hoped the rain would help rinse the dirty sludge we were loosening but it seemed to skirt around us, tantalisingly close. Eventually one did deliver the fresh water rinse we wanted.

The day’s wildlife we saw consisted of seabirds of several varieties as we approached the Islas Los Roques Islands. Our other company were two cargo ships that caused us to nearly be the meat in the sandwich between them.

There was a flying fish on the deck in the morning that would have fed the cat in Trinidad.

Another pod of dolphins came to play and this time Lesley was able to take a video clip from the cockpit. She also captured what appeared to be a sailfish swimming around us. It checked out the lures but didn’t bite, although Derek found that something had eaten his hooks! Just as we were tidying up at sunset we caught a fish! a Yellowfin tuna weighing 22lbs.

After a quiet uneventful night motorsailing, dawn on day 3 at sea left us with 70 nautical miles to go with an eta of Sunday afternoon at approximately 16:30.

We had hoped to stop in the Islas Los Roques islands and Bonaire to dive before arriving for the start of the ‘Suzie Too’ rally, however our delays in Trinidad meant we had to sail past both to be there for family arriving and the start of the rally festivities.

We arrived around 16:30 to cheers from Boca 19 Marina and Beach, where familiar friends were swimming at the regular ’16:00 Hrs Beer and Bob’.

Entering into Spanish Waters, we headed for the designated anchorage, ‘Anchorage C’, set up for the rally boats and were met by fellow rally participants Tim and Nancy, who we last saw in Trinidad, who came to help us with lines as we had to tie stern-to, to a long line, our home for the next week.

By early November Virginia is getting cold and it was time for us to leave and head south. Whilst only 700 or so nm, the trip from Virginia to the Bahamas has a couple of interesting aspects: First you must round the notorious Cape Hatteras, one of the most feared headlands on the US East coast, then you must cross the Gulf Stream, the north east stream of water that flows up the East coast.

Finding a weather window long enough to give acceptable breezes from the right direction can be a challenge. From a sailing perceptive, wind behind is  preferable but since the Gulf Stream flows north east, that would give wind against the current, which can make both Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Stream nasty and potentially quite dangerous.

After a couple of shopping trips the boat was fully stocked so that we could be self sufficient if we needed to, when when stopping in islands still recovering from the hurricane season.  Boat preparation, included fitting a new radar and chart plotters was completed, so we were ready and waiting for the weather. Finally on the morning of Wednesday 15th November  the weather window was the best we were likely to get for the foreseeable future – equally importantly, all the different weather models we use finally agreed!

We left Norfolk Virginia at 14:00 on Wednesday 15 November in the company of Tourterelle and Aura, some friends who had also been waiting for the right weather and who were heading down the US East coast. After passing the huge navy base and the most enormous aircraft carriers, complete with patrolling Black Hawk helicopters we headed out to sea. We were hot on the heels of Lady Rebel who had left earlier in the day and who were also heading for the Bahamas.

Our passage was predicted to be between 4-5 days and after a night at sea riding the last of the south going Labrador current, we approached Cape Hatteras. The shift pattern was organised with Hatteras in mind. Lesley determined that she would be ‘off watch’ around the Cape, which suited Derek since he wanted to be ‘on watch’!

There are many strategies for rounding the Cape, depending on the weather. We had some North in the wind and the Gulf Stream charts were showing it converging quite close to the Cape, so we opted for a tight rounding, inside the Gulf Stream and in fact inside the old abandoned lighthouse and outer buoys. The routing worked out well and the rounding was thankfully uneventful and was followed by a stunning sunny, though slightly chilly afternoon before a beautiful sunset.

Next was crossing the Gulf Stream. Our latest downloaded charts showed that there should be a narrowing of the stream where we could enter it about 2am and be out by about 8 am, but we got a call from Lady Rebel on the VHF to say their weather router had advised them to ensure they were not in the stream after midnight due to some potentially nasty weather. this led to some rapid downloading of weather info which was a bit inconclusive, but we opted to abandon the slight southerly push we were still getting from the Labrador current and head SE immediately to cross the Gulf Stream, which we could do by about 2am. The plan worked and we hardly noticed the change in water state, just a difference in our speed over the ground.

Once we moved away from the coastline and deeper into the Atlantic there was a familiarity. We settled into a loose shift pattern mostly 4 hours on and off watch although daytime was flexible. Most importantly, the temperature was rising, with less technical sailing clothing needed at night!

Away from the USA shore the night skies were amazing. We had a clear sky most nights and the dawn and sunsets that we had missed being on the east coast were good for the soul, a great sense of freedom and at one with the rhythm of the earth and nature.

The remainder of the trip was a little light on wind, involving a fair bit of motor sailing, but the seas were relatively flat and we could relax. Our water generator managed to hook two abandoned fishing buoys, complete with 100+ metres of rope and the propeller got completely fouled by an abandoned fishing net 30 miles N of the Bahamas, meaning we had to completely stop, to allow Derek to don the diving gear and cut it away. Thankfully the water was crystal clear and not too cold.

Not to be outdone by the boat, and despite the fact that the freezer was packed full from the supermarket, the fishing lines went out and in addition to a lot of seaweed, a nice 10 kg Skipjack Tuna, was landed filleted and frozen.

We approached the Bahamas via the Nunjack Channel, a wide deep cut through the north Abaco reef and after 4 days and 2 hours we dropped anchor just before sunset in turquoise clear water in the first bay we found, romantically named ‘Rat Cay’. After a sundowner, a tidy up and some dinner, we slept peacefully for the first time in 4 nights.

Stats for the trip:

Log distance: 779 nm (probably a little high)

Wind: Max 25 kts, Min 3 kts

Lost: one winch handle (Derek’s stupidity)

 

After 5 days, 3.5 hours we arrived into St Georges, East End of Bermuda through the narrow Town Cut. Unfortunately we had to motor for 52 hours since the winds dropped off but at least that meant the seas were calm and we could get some rest.

During the trip we fished very little (about 2 hours) and succeeded in catching weed, about every fifteen minutes and nothing else – the chartplotter states we were sailing through the Sargasso sea, so maybe that should have been a clue. However, the boat left to its own devices succeeded in catching half a dozen flying fish of various sizes, including one acrobat who landed on the bimini.

We were treated to a beautiful display by a pod of dolphins on the last morning which lasted for approximately half an hour just after sunrise.

Later that morning we started to see land. Being fairly low, we were quite close before it came into view, the first visible things being trees then buildings – all with whitewashed roofs, which seems to be a common theme here.

As we closed in on the island we also started to see more boats, as we all converged from different departure points. There being only one place to clear in, everyone heads for St Georges initially.

Arrival and clearance were very easy and the Bermudans are certainly very welcoming.

The lagoon is charming and very sheltered and shortly after dropping anchor we were visited by our friend Carl from yacht Nisida and his crew Traci, who had arrived a few hours earlier from Antigua. It was great to catch up and share stories of the past few months since we have last seen him. After a few beers and a bite to eat on board we settled in for our first full, still night in bed for 6 days.  We slept soundly!

Yesterday began as another damp day with little wind. It was pretty uneventful until I spotted the bilge pump light on.

The bilges are the underneath area below the floor in the cabin. Our previous boat had very shallow bilges just a few hundred mm deep and they were dry. They were designed to be dry and unless something had got spilt, or some rain or spray had got in they were always dry. However this boat is very different. The bilges extend over a metre and a half down inside the keel and they always have some water in them. The water comes from various places: it can be from the fridge and freezer, which drain into them, from the aircon units which drain into them, from round the mast, which on this boat comes all the way down through a hole in the deck and rests on the keel, or from many other sources of water ingress around the boat. We have an automatic bilge pump, which sits in the bottom of the bilges and is controlled by a float switch – a switch where the activator arm is actually a float, which floats on top of the bilge water. If the water rises the switch closes and a light comes on on the panel and the pump starts. The water drops and the switch opens, stopping the pump and extinguishing the light. And so it goes on, 24 hours a day until yesterday…

Actually it was probably until the day before, because in the last post I mentioned about the navigation lights needing some attention. Whilst tracing the fault in those I noticed the bilge pump circuit breaker had tripped. I reset it and it stayed set and I thought nothing more about it after a quick check of everything. So with the light on on the panel the pump should have been running but it wasn’t. The water level wasn’t worryingly high but just high enough to trigger the switch. A gentle tap to the top of the pump with a long stick did nothing, nor did a slightly harder tap – it seemed that the pump had broken.

The marine environment is very harsh, especially on anything electric, so manual backup systems are generally employed for anything critical. Hence we have a manual bilge pump in the engine room, operated from under the table in the cockpit. It never gets used because we have the electric one, but we serviced it when we got the boat and we cycle the handle every now and again to make sure it works. So finally yesterday the manual one was to get to earn its keep. Unfortunately after 5 minutes pumping ,the water level was still the same. Lesley at this point decides to make lunch and I decide that it’s time to remove and investigate the problem with the manual pump. It’s easy to remove so should only take a couple of minutes. Three bolts, four jubilee clips and out it comes in theory.

The engine had been on pretty much all the time for the last 12 hours so the engine room temperature was about 40 degrees. The two minutes stretched to half an hour before the pump came free and this is where Lesley’s sense of humour came to the fore. Emerging victoriously with pump in hand looking like I had been in a sauna for far too long, I said to Lesley ‘do start your lunch as I just need to get cleaned up before I can eat’. Her response was a very calm ‘oh don’t worry I’ve eaten mine. I figured with two broken pumps we would be sinking soon so I certainly wasn’t going to let my lunch go down with the boat’! (Before anyone gets too concerned, we have various methods of emptying bilges should it be required including a very high capacity portable submersible pump that we put onboard prior to the Atlantic crossing, so sinking was never a real issue)!

A quick pause for lunch then a cleanup in hot water removed all the salt crystals and the very primitive manual pump was as good as new. It worked like a charm, however I have concluded after lifting probably less than 20 litres of water from the bottom of the bilges all the way up to cockpit level and over the side with a manual pump contorted under the cockpit table, electricity is so underrated!

The wind came up in the afternoon and remained throughout last night, so we have been sailing for the last 15 hours. We haven’t seen any ships for 36 hours, we have seen a couple of birds and ended up with a few flying fish on deck, but other that all has been very quiet. The sky cleared last night and the moon didn’t rise until about 1 am so the stars were amazing. Each night has got cooler as we head north, so we are now having to wrap up more overnight, but when the sun comes up it quickly warms up.

We have 193 miles to go, so should arrive somewhere around lunchtime tomorrow. As we close in on the island we expect to start seeing a few other boats because we know several left different parts of the Caribbean at a similar time to us. Other than that, time will tell what will emerge to amuse us over the next 24 hours.

Tuesday was a grey overcast day with rain! There was very little wind, so we motored for much of the day and progress has been a little slow. The seas have been flat so it has been very comfortable but with no sunshine it has been somewhat cooler than we have got accustomed to in the Caribbean.

We have two sets of navigation lights (a set comprises green on the right hand side, red on the left and white at the back). A set at the top of the mast, that we use when sailing and a set at deck level. Being higher up, the ones at the masthead are visible from further away so are the ones we use most of the time, however when motoring the regulations state that we must use the deck level lights in conjunction with a white ‘steaming light’ part way up the mast. It is important for other boats to know whether we are sailing or motoring because the anti-collision rules are different.

Last night we switched to our motoring configuration but noticed shortly afterwards that neither the red or green deck level lights were working. Rather strange since they had been fine when we last used them a few weeks ago. We waited most of the day for a dry spell to investigate the problem but it became obvious it was going to be dark before it got dry! Bizarrely the problem was the same for both lights – corrosion on a hidden wiring joint inside the pulpit (a stainless steel frame at the front of the boat that supports the guard wires that run around the boat to help stop us falling off as we move around). In the drizzle we effected temporary repairs to both wires – permanent solutions will have to wait until a dry day, but at least the lights are working again.

Dinner was a lovely chilli con carne with garlic bread and was followed by watching Oceans 11 in the cockpit to pass the time before we settled into night watches.

The rain has now stopped and the clouds are thinning so we can just make out the moon and a few stars through the haze. Maybe tomorrow will be a return to the sunshine we have got used to and if we are lucky we may get some wind. We found three dead flying fish on deck today and have seen three boats in the distance. We are now over halfway with 391 miles to go.

Derek & Lesley x