Log #39d Atlantic Passage Days 1 and 2, Cape Verdes to Antigua

Log #39d Passage Days 1 and 2, Cape Verdes to Antigua

Written at: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua March 13, 2006

Hi Folks,

Here is my first passage note as we crossed the Atlantic from the Cape Verde Islands off the West African coast to Antigua in the Caribbean. It was a fast, exhilarating Trade wind passage.

Judy is back from Florida with a suitcase full of goodies for the boat. It almost feels like Christmas with all the things she brought, including mail her father brought down to Florida from Toronto, and which included a few Christmas cards from friends sending them to our "home" address. Her goodies included things from a new VHF and other boat parts to diet lemonade and clip on sunglasses, as well as a half year's mail from Toronto including magazines such as GAM (which had a couple of my logs), Canadian Yachting, as well as the Economist, and the Fraser Institute, a conservative think tank to which I subscribe. She also bought a March copy of Good Old Boat in which I had an article about what works on Veleda after 8 years of sailing. To those few who sent Christmas cards to my Toronto address, thank you.

Also, Henry, Judy's dad bought us a new Dell laptop, on which I will probably be sending my next log, once we have all the systems figured out. Thanks Henry!

We have had some more major repairs done here in Antigua, including three new through-hulls, bottom paint, and a new refrigerator compressor. The wind generator has died, burned out in the week of 35 to 55 knot winds in the Cape Verdes last month (see Log #39a), and we cannot afford to replace it just now.

We just had a tot with the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda on board Tenacious, a sister tall ship to the Lord Nelson with whom we spent last Christmas in La Palma in the Canary Islands. We met several friends we met in the Canaries, including Clare the commanding officer of the Lord Nelson and her partner John, as well as some of the crew who are now on Tenacious. One of the joys of cruising, to meet friends made in different parts of the world!

All the best,

Aubrey

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Log #39d Passage Days 1 and 2, Cape Verdes to Antigua

Day 1

As mentioned in my previous log, we departed Mindelo (16 53.21N, 024 53.71W) on Sao Vicente in the Cape Verde Islands at 1111 on Jan. 29, 2006, heading for English Harbour in Antigua (17 00.33N, 061 45.2W), a GPS straight line distance of 2187 miles. On exiting the harbour we hoisted a double reefed main (We hadn't had the full main out since the Canary Islands two months ago due to the strong trade winds blowing from 15 to 30 knots.), but kept the engine on until 1300 to charge the batteries. We unfurled the genoa and wung it out to starboard supported by the whisker pole on a magnetic heading of 275 with a strong east wind at force 6 (about 25 knots) whisking us along at 6.1 knots, faster than with the engine. This sail configuration, of genoa out one side held out by the whisker pole and main out the opposite side held out by the preventer, was to be our main sail plan most of the way across, as we were headed due west and the Trades are northeast to southeast, giving us following winds all the way.

We tried to keep the genoa by the lee whenever possible, as it reduces the risk of an accidental gybe or back winding the main. Gybing the main and genoa to opposite sides is a heavy procedure involving risky foredeck work to lower the whisker pole, change the preventer, and raise the whisker pole on the opposite side in 20 plus knot winds and three to four metre (10 to 14 foot) quartering seas. I have described this evolution in my previous log. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to rearrange the sails on opposite sides. I am always fearful during these exercises in case the main swings across in an uncontrolled manner which could break various parts of the rigging resulting in major damage. Sometimes I will put on the engine to accelerate downwind, thus reducing the stress of the following winds slamming the main across. The decision to gybe is not taken lightly.

On our way out between San Vicente, and Sao Nicolau we saw two ships inbound, the last merchant ships we were to see for 14 days! Out on the open ocean by 1430! We were on our way!

Murphy's Law, by 1730 the wind had dropped to a light 5 knots but from the southeast sufficient to require our first gybe. We completed the evolution OK, but realized the topping lift had tangled in the new short wave antenna which we had strung up from the starboard quarter to the masthead. To free it we had to loosen it off and put the engine on to give us sufficient slack to flip the loose topping lift free of the antenna and not then wrap itself around the aft stay. Lots of fun! We have to constantly be aware of the topping lift so that it does not wrap itself around the aft stay or the new antenna when we gybe. It could do some serious damage.

Shortly after we saw four dolphins for a couple of minutes; but they did not come over to play around Veleda, and it was the last we were to see of dolphins for the rest of the passage.

An hour later the light winds shifted again so we gybed the main, furled the genoa, and continued to motorsail through light 10 knot breezes. We continued for another half hour until the wind picked up a bit and we unfurled the genoa and shut the engine off for the last time of motor sailing until we entered the approaches to English Harbour in Antigua. We had the engine on several other times to charge the batteries or to power out of a back-winded main, but had constant winds between 15 to 30 knots most of the rest of the way across.

By 2230 that first night we reefed the genoa 50 percent as the winds had increased to force 7 (30 knots) and the full 130 percent genoa was overpowering. We have foam pads in the luff of the genoa so when it is partially furled, it keeps a good shape, and thus we can use it as a smaller sail, reefing it down to less than 25 percent of its area in gale conditions. However, by 0330 the wind had again dropped to about 12 knots allowing us to unfurl the full genoa. By 0745 while changing watches I wung the genoa out on the whisker pole and we went wing on wing for the next 36 hours.

The Watch System

Most people know, but ships and sailboats have to be sailed for 24 hours a day when on passage. Civilian and naval ships operate on four hour watch systems using the following format:

Forenoon Watch 0800 to 1200

Afternoon Watch 1200 to 1600

First Dog Watch 1600 to 1800

Second Dog Watch 1800 to 2000

First Watch 2000 to 2400

Middle Watch 2400 to 0400

Morning Watch 0400 to 0800

The dog watches are designed so that in some systems the watchkeepers do not have the same watch every day, but rotate the watches depending on the system used. People can stand watches in 1 in 2, 1 in 3, or 1 in 4. Some civilian ships may use six hour or eight hour watches. On Veleda as there are only the two of us, we have a modified 1 in 2 system.

Our watch system is an informal one during the day, when Judy spends more time in the cockpit to reduce any tendency for motion sickness, while I do most of the cooking and cleaning and other below-decks chores. In the evening, Judy goes to bed right after supper, after assisting with any sail changes for the night time hours (we often reduce sail for night sailing), sleeping from 1900 or so until I get tired and call her between 2400 and 0100, unless she gets up earlier. Judy then takes the middle watch until 0430 or 0530 and then I take the morning and part of the forenoon watch until she gets up between 0900 and 1000. I can sleep during the day, whereas she flunked napping in Kindergarten. I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep on passage, and so prefer to take the first watch until I get tired. Sometimes to help me sleep I will take a Gravol motion sickness pill for the tranquilizing effect.

By noon next day, Jan. 30, we had covered 121 nautical miles for the first 24 hour period from 1200 the first day to 1200 the second day. This was good, as on previous passages we considered doing 100 nautical miles a day as acceptable. More was better, and less was slow. Ironically, this distance was to be the shortest distance for any 24 hour period of the entire trip, as we were to average 130 nautical miles a day over the whole 16 day passage, including three days when we did over 150 nautical miles with near gale and gale force winds of 30 to 40 knots. Not bad for a 10 metre (32 foot) boat!