Log #39E Atlantic Passage notes, Days 2 to 4

Log #39E Atlantic Passage notes, Days 2 to 4

Written at: Little Bay, Montserrat March 18, 2006

Hi Folks,
We have been in this volcano decimated island for a couple of days now, and will be departing tonight for Guadeloupe. This will also be the first log sent out on our new computer that Judy’s Dad got us when she visited with him in Panama City Florida last week. To preserve the keyboard of our new computer from dust, I have stretched and taped a layer of Saran Wrap across it, as I have not been able to buy a keyboard dust cover. This log gets us well into our passage and the glorious wide open trade wind sailing. We have done more sailing in the past three months than in the past five years in the Mediterranean. The winds here in the Caribbean are great!


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Log #39e Passage Notes 2, Days 2 to 4

Day 2
By noon of day 2 we were at 17 02.74N, 027 07.70W, cruising along wing on wing in brisk force 4 (15 knots) winds. By early afternoon, the wind had dropped to about 10 knots, and so we shook out the second reef from the main, so that along with our full genoa we were cruising along at 5 to 6 knots for the rest of the day and the night hours. It was a beautiful clear sunny day with steady force 4 trade winds and 1.5 to 2.0 metre swells on the quarter. Our new Raymarine self steering system handled it and all the heavy seas throughout the passage quite well.

As our Windex wind direction indicator at the masthead was destroyed during Storm Delta in Tenerife, and our Signet electronic one broke several years ago, we had no wind direction indicator whatever. Our Signet wind speed indicator worked well, but not the direction component. In order to see the wind direction we used two ribbons as tell-tales on the lower shrouds, and our Canadian flag flying on the aft stay. We lowered the Cape Verde courtesy flag (as we were well offshore) from the starboard spreader to avoid wear and tear on it, but hoisted flag "N", November, in order to have a visual indication of the wind direction forward of the bimini that we could see from the cockpit. We didn’t care if it became frayed, as we only had to use it once, going from the North Sea to indicate we did not have a pilot aboard while going up the Kiel Canal into the Baltic Sea in 2000. It was crucial to see the direction of the wind in order to avoid backwinding the main, to avoid an accidental gybe with the wind so fine abaft, and the heavy following seas knocking our stern off course. So from the cockpit steering position I could see the tell-tales and flag November through the open bridge between the dodger and the bimini to identify the relative direction of the wind.

We do not have a single side band short wave receiver and transmitter; only a short wave receiver. This has allowed us to listen to Herb each evening as he gives weather information for a boat, "Imaginess", a day astern of us. He calls them up and asks where they are and the weather conditions they are presently experiencing. Then he tells them what to expect and suggests any course changes to take advantage of weather systems. Since he did not predict any heavy weather other than the trade winds (which often blow at near gale force, 25 to 30 knots) we decided not to reduce sail overnight, and continued along at 5.5 to 6.0 knots all night, wing on wing; a fantastic sail!

Night Sailing
Night sailing is a high experience! The second night out was a clear starry night, with a silver sliver of the new moon which set about 2000, leaving a glorious diamond-studded sky through which we were silently gliding with only the whish of the waves as Veleda surged up and down the swells, and the occasional mechanical clicks of the self steering system as it corrected the course steered. The ink-black sky with the cold white points of the heavenly bodies eternally in their allotted orbs made night sailing an exquisite experience of gliding through an eternity that always has been and always will be.

Looking into the sea can be a disturbing uncertainty as one cannot see the black waves or anticipate their effect. The overtaking quartering swells arrive announced only when a hiss and sound of falling water washes along the stern and broken crests surge alongside and forward of the boat in frothy phosphorescent washes of white water. I enjoy looking over the stern to see the phosphorescence streaming from the agitation of the off-centre free-turning propeller and the rudder, like Tinkerbelle’s slash of white diamond dust behind her magic wand, as we glide through the water at a brisk 6 knots. Every once in a while in the quiet wash of the wake, there will be a silent explosion of white as a large phosphorescence bloom blossoms astern in our wake. The monochromatic universe of night sailing is magnificent.

It is fascinating after sunset to watch the individual stars and planets as they make their way on the stage of the celestial orb. The two end stars on the bucket of the Big Dipper constantly point to the North Star as the Earth rotates around its fulcrum. It is lower here at 17 degrees north latitude than in our home in Toronto at 45 degrees north latitude. Throughout the night I can watch as the Dipper swivels around the North Star emptying its ethereal contents towards the horizon. This far south we have been able to identify the Southern Cross. The constellations of the Pleiades, Orion, Cancer, Sagittarius, parade in fixed order across the sky as well as the individual cold blue and diamond white pulsating stars of Sirius and Arcturus. Our planetary silent solar system sentinels of Jupiter and Saturn solidly transiting the now moonless black sky gave way to the last celestial body, as Venus held out longest in the paling blue sky, before the sun came up for a new day.

Day 3
We had the engine on for an hour to charge the batteries, and left the water maker on for three hours to ensure adequate fresh water. Our tanks only hold 50 gallons, and our water maker produces 6 litres (1.5 gallons) per hour, so we have a good supply. We make good use of our overboard water foot pump to reduce the amount of fresh water we use by rinsing and washing dishes in salt water and then giving them a rinse in fresh water before drying.

For cooking fresh vegetables we use half sea water and only half fresh. Also we have to be careful about the amount of garbage we can carry on board for a three week passage. Vegetable, meat and biodegradable scraps go overboard. Tins and glass go overboard. Paper and cardboard are torn into smaller pieces and thrown overboard. However, no plastics, aluminum foil, foam cartons, or plasticized cardboard are thrown over. This procedure allows us to have to keep a minimum of garbage on board with a minimum of ocean pollution.

We turned our clocks back an hour as we were going westward into another time zone. One red-hulled fishing trawler was the only other vessel we saw today. Our 24 hour noon to noon run was 130 nautical miles, but today’s winds dropped, with our speed down to 4.5 knots for long periods at a time in light force 2 to 3 winds, and so our next 24 hour run will probably be less. However the seas were quiet, allowing Judy a good sail without being seasick. She is doing better this trip as she is wearing a Scopolamine patch which seems to be helping.

Day 4 (Judy’s Birthday)
We are superstitious about sailing on Judy’s birthday, as the two previous times we have sailed in this winter month have been plagued with problems. (Most winters we have been in marinas from November to March or April, and not at sea) Our first winter we were heading from Cuba to the Bahamas on her birthday (1999) and were hit by a force 8 gale, with wind against current (the Gulf Stream) causing 15 foot steep-sided waves. Judy was very seasick, and continued to be unwell for the next couple of days in Cat Key.

The second time was at night on her birthday in 2001, during our 150 mile crossing from Barcelona to the Balearic Islands during which our forestay broke in another force 8 gale, leaving us without any forward support for our mast. It could easily have snapped, creating major problems. As it was the keel stepped mast held until I could alter downwind and we then used the spinnaker halyard and pole lift halyard as temporary forestays for the last half on the trip to Andratx on Mallorca. The genoa and roller furling system were destroyed, So we are a bit anxious about sailing on her birthday.

After another beautiful night’s sail we found a couple of dead flying fish on our side decks. They were too small to be bothered cleaning , and besides, we did not know how long they had been there. They were quite rigid. It is fascinating to watch these fish shoot out of the water and using their pectoral fins like wings, skim hundreds of yards across the surface, even changing direction as they frantically try to escape larger predators. I put out a couple of trolling lines in a vain attempt to catch some fish, but with no luck, and I hauled in my lines before dark.

I have not been very successful at fishing. Since we left Toronto almost 8 years ago I have lost more lures than I have caught fish. I think the score is Fish 4 (lures), me 2 (fish, too small to bother eating). The only seafood I/we have been successful in catching have been a few good meals of mussels, found on rocks and pilings in Scotland, and two dozen conch collected from a shallow conch bed in the Bahamas. Oh well, hope springs eternal.

The wind started to pick up today, but our 24 hour run to noon was only 120 miles, still much better than my estimated average of 100 miles a day. The wind went from force 3 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, and by early evening it was blowing force 6 and 7 whisking us along at 6.6 knots. We put the second reef back in the main, and just before supper reefed the genoa in preparation for night sailing.

We listened to Herb at supper time to find out no storms were expected, just the standard strong trade winds at 25 knots. Imaginess was about 150 miles astern of us, and we also heard Owen on the Naomi J., getting ready to leave Mindelo for the Azores, and trying to determine the best weather window for his departure

Judy’s birthday wasn’t over yet, and before midnight the winds went up to force 8 (35 to 40 knots), giving us a very fast ride all night and next day. The winds were consistent, and from a good angle allowing us a safe fast sail. So we survived her birthday at sea with no mishaps. Happy Birthday Judy!