Some detailed tidal planning suggested that we needed to leave the delights of Benodet at midnight in order to catch the Raz de Sein and the Chanel du Four in one hit. So after a superb fish supper, one and a half hours kip and we were away again, Midnight on the 26th. There was no moon on departure from Benodet and Nick was stationed on the bow for departure to make sure we didn't bump into anything in the Odet estuary. Buoyage seemed to pass very close. One false alarm, we just nearly ran over a seagull or in navy parlance "****e-hawk". It was with some relief that we slipped out into open water. However the boyage was still not lit and the depth was perilously shallow along the coast from Benodet. Once again the GPS provided comforting confirmation that we were where we thought we should be.
The plan was that we would do the notorious Raz de Sein at day break to push through to the Chenal du Four on the same tide, but the timing was critical, otherwise 8 knot tidal streams threatened to hit us from the opposite direction. In the event, we arrived early and sailed through the Raz at night at 8-9 knots. The visibility closed and the potnentially more treacherous Chanel du Four was shrouded in fog. In for a penny.......on we sailed and at the narrowest point of the Chanel, we clocked 10.5 knots. As a result the North West corner of France sped past at a vast rate and we were soon out into the Channel and leaving the coast of France behind en route to Alderney.
The night of the 26th was spent at sea. Nick cooked a sublime Chilli con Carne and the cold air told us that the UK was fast approaching. However, the winds were fair and still behind us pushing us on. Only one more notorious sea passage between us and Alderney.....the Alderney Swinge, which was reputed to have up to 9 knot tides. Again the tides had to be calculated carefully. We reached the Swinge at daybreak as planned and surfed through the Swinge and 10 knots and arrived in Alderney on the morning of Wednesday 27th August....all looking a bit grey and bleak. Also we were knackered having had on average about 4 hours sleep in the last 36.
Andy re-joined us at Alderney, so once again we were a complete crew.Diana Moran had been visiting the week before and had left a card wishing us bon voyage for the final leg. Andy caused a stir at the dinner restaurant as his ballooning comrade in arms, Colin Prescott, was well known to the owners and Andy was required to sign pictures.......of the Breitling and Qinetiq balloons . What it is to be a celebrity!!
After a sloppy and rather noisy night on the swinging mooring, we set sail for Lymington at daylight (approx 6.30am). A full English followed and 30 minutes out the spinnaker went up, which is where it stayed for the next 8 hours. It was only removed once we had whistled past Hirst Point for fear of shooting past the entrance to Lymington.
By 1800 on the 27th we were safely alongside Berthon marina. Just in time for sundowners. The ferry had tried to push us into shallow water, but we resisted the temptation and incurred the wrath of the ferry captain..........but better that than spend some hours on the mudflats.
It was sad to be ending a real adventure for all of us. Jem had done us proud and looked after us in all conditions. By the time we arrived in Lymington, the crew was pretty seamless and no orders or instructions needed to be given,...it just happened (...well most of the time). Jem was back safe and sound and the conclusion of such a voyage always brings some relief but also a sadness that this was the end. For Chris, this was the end of his sabbatical and work loomed on Monday as it did for Nick and Andy.Inevitably the talk over the evening curry was when we would be setting sail again and on what vessel!!
18/19 August are spent in the pretty city of Gijon. Very Spanish and no Brits to
be seen. We get the yacht stored and prepared for the Bay of Biscay trip.
Catherine being a Biscay virgin is asking questions like, how big are the waves
in the Bay. Our friend, Andy Spooner having warned her off with tales of wrecks
etc....
Andy Elson has to leave us for an urgent meeting back home so David
takes up engineering duties with a brief from Andy at 6.45 am on the 20th. Andy
hopes to return, but when and where?
The Bay of Biscay is kind to us. In
fact, we have to motor for a third of the way. We see whales and dolphins again.
One school of dolphins staying off our bow for about an hour, which we take as a
good omen. Next stop France and more specifically Belle Isle. After 2 nights at
sea and some masterful cooking from David & Catherine, we arrive at Le Palais,
Belle Isle early on the 21st. We travel to the inner basin and through lock
gates. Very beautiful. We all fell in love with Belle Isle.
We were
keeping an eye on the weather and a good window for the channel crossing. Stops
followed in the French ports of Port de Crouesty on the 23nd, L'0rient on the
24rd and the beautiful estuary at Benodet on the 25th. We had fair weather and
fantastic sea food all the way. However, the Raz de Sein and the Chanel du Four
beckoned.
After moving to a more peaceful berth in the marina, we had
a tranquil and mostly sunny stay in La Coruna. Nick joined Catherine and Chris
on the morning run. His first for 18 years. After a stunning Olympic standard
performance Nick hobbled for the remainder of the visit. Chris seemed to have
developed Narcolepsy after the rigours of the Atlantic, and found the late
Spanish night life difficult to cope with... Nick on the other hand transformed
into party animal. We had a splendid Birthday meal for Catherine on the 14th
with much jollity and frivolity. David and Andy carried out a variety of
onboard maintenance jobs and on the 16th our bodies and the boat was
ready for the next phase, A leisurely tour of the North Spanish Coast.
We sailed at dawn from La Coruna on the 16th and
our next port of call was the beautiful Ria of Ribadeo. At least that was what
the pilot suggested. Being a tidal area we had give more careful consideration
to tides and also there was a bridge to go under. Would we fit? We did not
relish the prospect of advising Mark that we had shortened his mast. It was a
long passage. Over 80 miles
but with fair winds, Jem ate up the miles and we arrived as planned at about
8pm. In the event the town was truly beautiful (a Spanish Salcome but less
spoilt) and the facilities superb. The best we had had to date. The mast
cleared the bridge by miles but is still looked scary when we went through. We
found a sublime Restaurant and all was well with the world.
On the 17th, a slightly shorter day followed. We
had identified a small fishing harbour called Puerto de Cudillero. Supposedly v
pretty and sheltered. There was not much water and the entrance was 8 metres. The pilot suggested
berthing but we prepared the anchor in case. In the event after some tight
manoeuvring into the harbour, we identified some mooring buoys. Being a Sunday
no harbour assistance was on hand, however crew from a German and French yacht
assisted acting as buoy jumpers and helped us thread our ropes to the best
buoys for us to lie on. This was as exciting a seamanship evolution as we had
done to date and it was with relief and satisfaction when we settled down onto
our mooring lines. We just prayed that we were not on someone elses berth.
The dinghy was now required for transport and Marks new
purchase performed admirably. Although it took us 24 hours to work out how to
tilt it.This port was like a Spanish
Port Isaac. The Townwas located on a
steep hill down to the port and very dramatic. However we still preferred the
more tranquil Ribadeo. We could not leave until the following afternoon in
order to catch the tide.
On the morning of the 18th, restoring took place
in the morning as well as a full English breakfast on the table in the cockpit.
What a great view for breakfast. Shopping was now also on the agenda with
Catherines arrival. The departure was on a rising tide and only 2 hours after
low water, which gave us enough water but meant that we still had to be on our
metal. The depth metre hit 1.9 metres
below the keel on the way out but that was expected albeit providing the
skipper with a slight nervous feeling in the pit of the stomach. However, we
needed to get away to catch the high tide at Gijon, where despite the Citys
size the marina had an entrance dredgedto only 2.5 metres
and Jem draws 2.9 metres.
We were also at springs which meant v little water at low tide. We arrived at
the marina at 7.00pm and in the event there was plenty of water. We managed to
avoid swimmers who were competing in a triathlon and swimming across the tide.
However, the large swell from the north breaking against the harbour wall looked
a bit ominous. The marina inevitably put us in the most difficult berth.
Slightly anxious making but soon we were safely alongside a rather rocky
pontoon. However our experience in La Coruna was put to good use and we had a
reasonable night, sampling the delights of the Gijon nightlife. From what we
could see, Gijon looked to be a very attractive traditional Spanish city.
We are keeping the traditional sundowners routine going on Jem ie drinks on the upper deck at 1800, whatever the conditions. So far this has been in sun, but things are about to change. On the evening of 9 August we celebrate the half way point and some cerveza helps to wash down a chilli con carne spiced up with some curry powder. More of a curry con carne. The Dorado that Nick is looking for continues to elude him. The closest we get to catching anything is an anchovy sized sardine that flies onto our deck. For the Friday fish lunch we have to resort to tinned tuna."quelle dommage". Nick has however mastered sleeping on board. He inserts 2 ear plugs and then enters his own fantasy world which means that he needs at least 3 shakes to wake him for his watches and he always has a smile on his face............what is he dreaming about.
On Saturday 10 August we are still in perfect conditions, averaging 6.5 knots under sail. Still the good old 3 metre Atlantic swell to ensure you know you are at sea. Our expert weather forecaster, Mark back home, keeps us updated on the weather during our daily 6pm sat phone call. He casually mentions increasing winds to the North, referring to 20 to 25 knot winds from the West helping us to romp home to La Coruna.
On Saturday 10th August we run out of bread from the Azores and our masterchef, Andy Elson, bakes 3 loaves of bread from scratch, a lattice loaf, crusty and split tin variety. The rest of us are humbled. Later that night, Andy fails to spot the subtle wind shift, both the main and mizzen are on preventers and for the sailors amongst you, you will appreciate that when gybed it created a reverse drive if the boat swings far enough. Chris pokes head up from his cabin hatch and casually mentions to Andy that we appear to be sailing back to the Azores. A quick adjustment and all is well with the world again. . We also notice that the barometer is starting to fall reasonably quickly and winds are starting to pick up. We still have full sail up (which we have had since we have left). By the morning of Sunday the 11th, during Chris's watch the bow lifts and we surge to 9 knots, a record speed at that stage. Time to put in the first reef of the trip we think. The wind steadily increases and after a succession of reefs we move to the mizzen and storm jib. The winds have increased to 30 knots and the seas are building and we still have 230 miles to go. By Sunday evening we are experiencing seriously big rollers. The 6pm call to Mark takes on a slightly more strained tone as we want to know is more to come. It is now gusting 35 knots and into gale force 8 territory. Mark's reassuringly tells us that the weather chart suggests a maximum of 30 knots but things should reduce to a more manageable 25 knots after midnight. We are now on the best roller coaster ride imaginable. Jem is behaving fantastically well and we all have faith in the boat. The other hero of this next 24 hours is the auto helm which seems to be able to cope with these seas incredibly well. The thought of having to hand steer in these seas fills us with dread and we all continuously toast our unsung hero. The other fact is that we were running before the wind and down seas. The whole situation would have been radically different if we had been going into this. Someone is smiling on us up there.
Over night we get gusts of storm force up to 46 knots, but as predicted by Mark the wind direction changes and although still gusting at 35 knots the fact it is blowing from a different direction appears to flatten the sea a little and Jem continues to carve through them unperturbed. Nick and David experience the top speed in the morning at 10.5 knots and one wave comes over the top in Andy and David's watch and fills the cockpit. Waves are breaking on the top of the waves and the striation lines on the front tell us that we have experienced some storm force conditions. The pictures in Aylard's book on "Heavy Weather Sailing" spring to mind and Nick is rather worryingly spotted reading it in the cabin below. However believe it or not we are all really enjoying this in a warped kind of way and no-one complains. Andy occasionally is spotted with a quizzical look on his phase as he looks over his shoulder and spots the next wave towering over us and the boat.
By the 8am on the 12th, the conditions are a little better and the barometer is rising. However there are still gusts up to 35 knots. However we know fell we are heavy weather veterans and this now seems plain sailing, also we are making very good ground to La Coruna. Only 100 miles to go. In the night we have all had our adventures. Andy has performed an involutary flight over the saloon table, David performed amazing juggling acts with cups of coffee and served up a speciality soup dish courtesy of Ainsley Harrison, pea, seat and sour and one packet with no name..the lucky dip. Nick, when he was not on watch.slept through it all. He had said his last Atlantic crossing was boring as there was no heavy weather. We should have realised that was a warning. Nick loved it all and again the smile was rarely from his face.
By midday and another on board time zone change we had reached the traffic separation zones off Cape Finisterre. At last we saw civilisation again. We had seen no shipping at all for 3 days. Suddenly huge tankers appeared and during Andy's watch we kept an eye on 8 ships steering at us in various directions. The seas were still big and Jem was loving surfing on the top of the waves. However the really bad weather was behind us and we started to think seriously of La Coruna and the beer we were going to have on arrival at 2am on the 13th (Our ETA). The swell stayed with us all the way to Coruna and it was only the evening when the winds dropped to 15 -20 knots. We were still making 7 knots with just the jib and the mizzen the mainsail staying down all the way. By 8pm we had also spied the Spanish mainland and that realisation that GPS really does work and is an amazing piece of kit. We had 3 sets on board so we were well catered for and Andy's chart plotter on his PC was about to come into its own as we entered La Coruna and its myriad of lights at 2pm. We had also timed it for the departure of the Coruna trawler fleet so exciting manoeuvring was still required. David and Andys GPS pilotage ensured all was well and by 2pm we were alongside in the Marina as expected. We all felt elated at finishing the first stage of a real adventure. The pub beckoned. Thank god we were in Spain and 2pm meant that the evening was really just starting. By 4.30am, exhaustion had taken hold and despite being on possibly the noisiest berth in the harbour, nothing was going to wake us from the first deep sleep we had had (apart from Nick) for days.
On the 13th we stir at about 10am and we are greeted by Sun and
the beautiful city of La Coruna. Catherine flies in at 8.30pm and we
celebrate with a serious "run ashore".
"The motely crew of Nick Moran, David Petrie, Andy Elson and Chris Seaton assemble at Ponta Delarda, the Azores on 5 August 2008. Chris and Mark (the owner) have already been in town for 2 days giving JEM a shake down after having been out of the water in the Azores for the last 2 months. Mark flies back to the UK on 5 August leaving his treasured JEM and home to Mark and Louise for the last 4 years in our hands.
After getting to grips and crawling over JEM the team sets of for a tour of the Azorean island of Sao Miguel, which is volcanic as the whole of the Azores is. We were all gob smacked by the beauty of the vegetation and scenery. Field hedgerows of hydrangea and sub tropical plants. A dip in a hot waterfall and keeping well clear of bubbling mud geysers we return just in time before the hire car brakes fail. We realise then, this could be the start of quite an adventure.
We set sail on the night of 6 August as the Azores high is filling in and we need to escape to find weather to the North. Also it is of course a punchy departure to go straight into night sailing and night watches. Sadly poor winds means the engine for the next 18 hours, but at last we find wind and the throb of the engine is killed. What relief!. On our first day we have dolphins around the boat, including a mother and her calf and then spy a whale (humpback we think) about 200 yards from us.
So far we have had the spinnaker up and cruising shute for long periods and averaging 6.5 knots under sail. By the evening of 8 August we are third of the way and we pass the all important, no turning back, half way point on evening of 9th August. We are all mesmerised by the Atlantic in these conditions. While there is quite a swell (up to 3 metres) at night there are amazing trails of phosphorescence, incredibly dark skies and masses of shooting stars. However we know that we are experiencing benign conditions and it could change very quickly.
We have stuck to the menu so far including chilli prawns and spaghetti carbonara....we think the women in our lives would be proud. Nick is the yacht's fisherman, but sadly no fresh fish to date
Next update soon as we approach the 2/3rd point this evening. We hope to make La Coruna, N Spain, on evening of 12 Aug or morning of 13 Aug. Looking forward to Paella. Pictures to follow when USB cable arrives via Catherine in La Coruna."
Apparently a blog has been sent by Sat Phone email - as soon as we receive it we will post but we spoke to Jem at 1800 they had 320 miles to run to La Coruna.....
Can't seem to make this link work but cut & paste to see where they are on Google Earth.....
August 9, 2008 - The Final Leg Home - Azores to Spain
9 August 2008
Chris Seaton and his team - Andy, Nick and David left Punta Delgada, San Miguel in the Azores on Wednesday evening bound for La Corunna in Northern Spain.
They motored for about 24 hours before finding the wind and had a wonderful day on Friday with the spinnaker up ploughing on at between 7 & 8 knots.
April 26, 2008 - Midday Friday 25th April - 50 miles to go
37o 25.5 North27o 12.4 West
We've survived 24 hrs of gale force 8, the wind has now dropped and we are beating the last miles into Ponta Delgada where we are expected at 2330 GMT this evening.
This therefore will be our final entry for this leg of Jem's passage back to the UK continues in August with a fresh crew and, hopefully, new bloggers. In the meantime Jem will enjoy a well earned rest sitting on the dockside in Ponta Delgada where she will get a little spoilt, nothing she likes more than a good bottom scrub, before hitting the glossy magazines back in the UK where, hopefully, she will find new owners to delight and look after as much as she has us. (Psssst anyone want to buy a boat?)
Your four merry bloggers also have to return to the real world a little richer for the experience; so when you catch up with them in the local bar please suffer their salty far-away look and amuse them by listening to at least one of their tales of the deep; they've earned it - do it quickly though as the waves and winds will be getting larger and stronger over the forthcoming weeks!
I am extremely grateful to them for coming along with me and for putting up with my ‘stressed moments’, I could not have done it without them – something they will remind me of later in the bar no doubt; shame Antenna Man leapt off half-way. Before we set out I explained that our two primary aims were to arrive safely and to still be friends at the end of it – well we got here didn’t we? Thanks also to Louise not only for so generously giving up her berth and suffering that other method of crossing the Atlantic but also for the meals she prepared for us, not sure we would have made it to Bermuda without them.
Thanks also to you lot for your words of encouragement, incredulity, abuse and general Smart Alec comments that have kept us smiling – That’s my lot, the others want a word I fear………..
B here - Number of hours spent at the mercy of a gale force 8 wind – too many
Almost there
The computory thing that sits in the middle of all the knobs and dials that Mark uses to work out where we are says that we are now just a tiddly distance away from our destination. Midnight should see us safely in the harbour albeit we will have to stay on board until we are cleared by Customs tomorrow morning.
It gives a warm feeling of achievement to know that we have joined a fairly exclusive group of people who have sailed across the Atlantic. I get told off by Mark for referring to it like this, but I like to think of it as having travelled 3000 miles at 7 mph!
As with all experiences, there will be things that I will look back on with a smile on my face and bits that I look back on and think … thank heavens I won’t have to put up with that any more … things like: - …having to look out of the window to check whether it is safe to open the fridge / oven / cupboard (get the timing wrong and the entire contents will end up on the floor) …having to wedge and tie yourself into bed to stop yourself falling out …having to plan your route across a room via the handholds …having to accept that every item of clothing that you possess has a damp clammy feel about it (“moist” used to be my favourite word … I’m not so sure now!) …banging your head, elbows, knees and various other extremities on anything and everything (this particular problem is somewhat compounded by the inevitable cry from the Captain “Mind my boat”). …having to sit up on deck on a crystal clear night looking at the stars and watching the most fantastic sunrise …seeing dolphins come alongside and “play” with the boat and show us where to go for a few minutes. …watching a pod of humpback whales as they make their ponderous and majestic way north. (Wait a minute .. forget those last three, they are in the wrong list)
I'm going to use this blog to give my particular thanks to Mark for giving me the opportunity to join him in this unique experience. My thanks also to Mike and Stewart for the first bit and then Jim for this second part of the journey. If the ingredients are not right to begin with, you will never turn out a decent cake. These ingredients have worked and the cake tastes just fine.
Would I have missed the chance to do this? not for all the tea in China Would I do it again? not for all the tea in China.
Blighty here I come …
The Azores get closer but we still have not seen any sight of land. I’m wondering if my American accent and language will come back to me after 12 days 24/7 of living afloat in England. I’ve learned new expressions, new words and new pronunciations. I’ve even learned certain things that one just cannot say in British English . . . which sound perfectly harmless in American English. I never did get to those Portuguese language CDs and I still have a pile of unread books that could let me circumnavigate the world . . . and I would like to finish my British-American dictionary (both the dirty and clean versions). I still don’t like marmite but I sure can drink tea with the best of them. I guess, Captain Mark, sign me up, I am ready for the next leg on Jem under the Royal Ensign, wherever that may lead us.
April 24, 2008 - Mid-day Thursday 24 April - Running for Home
36o 47.2 North 30o 11.8 West
Total disasters in the galley: 2 (so far) {today}
We are now on the final big push for the Azores and currently have an ETA of Friday evening. Wind speed is 28 knots, gusting to 35 knots off the starboard beam and we are making some serious headway. Seas are, apparently, still moderate although I think the photo today may bring that characterisation into question. The rigging is humming, the wind screeching and the waves are streaked with white foam.
We have the headsail out but partly furled and the mizzen has a single reef in. The mainsail was dropped last night as the wind got up (which was interesting!) yet we are still pulling 8 knots plus. The lee rail is periodically getting very wet and, having struggled to climb the rope ladder the other day; I can tell you that Jem has a pretty big free board. After a couple of quiet-ish days, this is exciting! This may sound slightly ridiculous but the sun is still shinning. We can even get some last minute power tanning in as we get thrown around the deck. (Note #1: While these paragraphs sound like they were written by an old sailor, it was actually Jimmy Jazz who has gotten so sorted and so salty).
Having redeemed himself in the catering department with delicious flapjacks, Jim made a schoolboy error yesterday in the galley and went straight to the bottom of the class. In the interests of boat moral the less said about that the better.and as soon as he is unlashed from the mast he is sure to see the funny side as well. (Note #2: the seas are rough and the boat is bouncing around a good deal Jim thought he would just melt a plastic bowl onto the cooker so that it wouldnt move around so much).
Mark, who prides himself on his ability to function normally in the most adverse conditions, heroically offered to make lunch. The sarnies were not bad but had the distinct flavour of cabin floor about them. I am not sure about his timing but it seems he also wanted to clean out the fridge. At least that was my guess after he opened the door (without looking out of the window first) and the entire contents ejected themselves into the galley to mingle with the coleslaw that was already covering the floor.
Thus, life continues on Jem. We continue to make progress and the Azores are getting closer and closer. Tonight could possibly be our last night at sea. It is hard to believe that we have been out in the Atlantic for 11 days now and that our well worn routine will wind down. We are headed for Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel, one of 9 islands, spread over 300 miles, part of Portugal but 900 miles from Lisbon. They are volcanic in origin having erupted from beneath the Atlantic Ocean up to 5 million years ago. The Azoreans have been big immigrants over the years and many of you might know their communities in New England, Canada, the Bay Area or even Hawaii! Gosh how interesting zzzzzzzzzzz. (Note #3 guess whos forgone the language tapes and picked up the guidebook?)
April 24, 2008 - Midday Wednesday 23nd April Happy St George's Day HURRAH!
36o 03.0 North 33o 35.0 West
This blog is being written with Rule Britannia being played in the
background. We are celebrating by doing all things English today: Mike is being
made to speak our language, the traditional slagging off of the French will
occur at 2pm, fortunately rain is expected later and its chicken vindaloo for
supper.
With less than 400 miles to go it appears that we
are to pay for our easy passage take a look at the radiofax weather charts
from Boston, http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marine.shtml
(these are the ones we get on the HF radio), and youll find a sneaky low
creeping up behind us How about that; the Jem blog goes interactive! Gales
for us tonight.
The days in our little world fly by and it is with mixed feelings that the end
of our voyage approaches. For Brian we cant get there soon enough. The
bread roll has been perfected and there is a bun in another oven that he needs
to get home for (Yo Gran Pops!). Jim wants to keep going and fancies Morocco and Mike, oddly, keeps
talking about Martinique, shall I show him the
chart? Any safe harbour will do for me, actually one with a laundrette would be
nice: 4 guys, small warm space get where Im going here?
We have been keeping abreast of world events none more so than the Bailey Beach
Swimming Pool Scandal in Rowayton CT (For those not in the know Mike is
Rowaytons Commissioner (mayor), where better to cut your Presidential teeth
than in local government {Oops did I let that slip!}). The issue: a pool for
the community, built, run and funded by that community, come on guys whats the
problem? Team Jem say, YES; if its a disaster at least youll have a nice,
possibly rather square, duck pond. Oh and by the way absentee ballot forms have
been printed by your Commissioner and are available at Jems Nav Station should
anyone wish to come and pick one up.
We Brits are enormously impressed by the involvement of the community, had it
been UK residents wanting a pool
they would have got nowhere even if public funds had been found. Six
years later, after the council had spent half the sum available on consultants
and feasibility studies, we would have discovered that the majority of the
money was spent on pool towels bearing the logo London Olympics 2008 that turn out to have
been made by a company owned by the Treasurers brother.
April 22, 2008 - Mid-day 22 Tuesday April - What's for supper Mum?
36o 00.0 North 36o 25.0 West
Fish hooked today 2 Reels stripped of all their line by big fish today 2
Hey thanks for all the fishing advice, even the fish seemed to have paid attention. We now havent got any fishing line left 2 fishing rods (Poles) will appear on e-bay shortly.
The Devil makes work for idle hands Its raining, no wind and were bored. By mutual consent (i.e. 3 on 1) weve decided to torture Jim Weve told him that the propane gas is getting low so he can no longer boil the kettle for tea. If the boat is found abandoned with blood caked walls it will prove this was a bad idea hopefully I will be able to report fully tomorrow once the spare gas bottle has been found. (M) ..
520 NM to go!
We covered 170 NM yesterday with the spinnaker up, so today is certainly proving frustrating. For the first time in the trip we are motoring and the marine diesel engine makes a right racket. On a positive note, I (J) did win the daily sweep stake yesterday for mileage covered so am now completely in tune with the rhythms of wind and tide. Were still looking for that elusive 200nm day but it wont be today for sure.
Had my coffee surrounded by leaping dolphins this morning, ho hum.
We are now on to our last ditch attempt at actually hooking and landing some dinner. Mark has resorted to dangling a bit of string out of the back of the boat and has utilised a clothes peg to inform us of a catch. We are at serious risk of being outsmarted by a fish.
Everyone on board seems obsessed with salty dog shipwreck stories. For inspiration we have an account of rounding Cape Horn in a 39ft ketch. For sheer terror we have the story of the Nantucket whale ship Essex, which was attacked and sunk by a Sperm whale in the mid-Pacific, inspiring Herman Melville to pen Moby Dick. The crew spent 93 days at sea in rotten whale boats with the survivors of the ordeal eventually turning to cannibalism. When finally rescued they could not be parted from the bones of their dead shipmates which were sucked dry of marrow. Apparently this was acceptable practice in those days. We still have ten days worth of supplies left which we are all hoping will be sufficient, gulp!
Personally I am likely to loose it much earlier if I dont get my cup(s) of tea in the morning. Cannibalism would be too good for anyone who stands between me and a lovely cup of Earl Grey. I though I should just give the rest of the crew a heads up on that one.
With time on our hands, we are debating turning south for Morocco. Perhaps we should spend one night in Casablanca, then on to Cape Verde before doing the round trip back to Martinique? Perhaps the Atlantic isnt big enough and I wonder how the Pacific would be at this time of year? My blow up globe (courtesy of BNP Paribas btw well done Tim) is making it all too easy to dream up whole new adventures. Life at sea is really quite good; it clears the mind and puts things in perspective. Who cares what Gordon Brown is up to or if Hillary Clinton saved the world from certain destruction, single handed, whilst we werent looking? Give us wind and sea and tide and that is all we need. Oh yes and a nice hot cup of tea..
(B When Jim says we are debating etc I feel that I should clarify that this doesnt include me dont worry Lil I will be home in plenty of time although I do agree with''....
April 21, 2008 - Mid-day 21 April 08 - Like a long haul flight
35o 57.9 North 39o 06.6 West
Fish hooked today 2 Fish landed 0
We had a busy morning on Jem today I was on the 0600 to 0900 watch and thought I would have time to organize our photos, do my daily gum treatment, get a draft of the blog done and bake some muffins . . . but it was not meant to be.
My watch started out like an English morning no rain but gray and a bit chilly. Before I knew it, Brian and Mark were up, breakfast was in the works and the day was underway. Within an hour, Jim (known to some as Jimmy Jazz) joined us, we had the large spinnaker up, we had a visit from some dolphins and we had hooked two fish. The morning came to a perfect ending with some fresh bacon sannis (translation: sandwiches) on great rolls baked by Brian and bacon fried by Jim.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end the dolphins didnt hang around long, they didnt jump into the air for us to photograph, the hooked fish somehow came off the hooks, and some nasty looking weather on the horizon convinced us to take the spinnaker down. Shortly thereafter, we had our first real rain storm of the journey foul weather gear had to come out . . .
What we really mean is that Jim, who was on watch, was pushed out into the cockpit with his foul weather gear while we, slamming the hatch shut to keep us dry, cowered below in the warmth reading our books occasional passing up mugs of tea which Jim seems to be able to survive on indefinitely.
Tea yes, that very British beverage. I cant tell you how many cups Ive drunk since I started this journey in Fort Lauderdale 24 days ago. But, Im sure we are in the gallons. We seem to have tea multiple times a day . . . at breakfast, after breakfast, late morning, before lunch, after lunch, early afternoon, mid afternoon, official tea time, pre-cocktail hour, after dinner, before bed, etc. We tend to have just regular tea although herbal/erbal teas have made the rounds on occasion. Our consumption have tea has risen quite dramatically with Jims arrival he seems very partial to the stuff.
Okay, one last thing how is our progress? We left Florida on March 29 at 1025 AM. Eight days later we had covered 951 miles and arrived in St. Georges, Bermuda. We took a week off and then set off on the next leg leaving on April 13th at 1030 AM. In these next eight days, weve covered 1,346 miles and, according to our trusty GPS, we have 621 miles to go. We are thinking that, if the weather holds, we might arrive by Friday night . . . Thus, we are now a little more than 2/3rds of the way on this Bermuda-Azores leg. But, like a long haul flight, its that last part that seems to take longer than you might think . . . so we are discussing what we might do upon arrival, what we would like to get done before we do arrive, etc . . . I still have not gotten to my Portuguese language CDs and I sure have a lot of books left to read . . . I better get to it!
Downhill all the way now (weve passed the half way mark)
What a party!! .. You really should have been here (somebody really should
have been here). On the menu was Thai Chicken Curry with turmeric and fennel
rice followed by chocolate brownies smothered in vanilla and chocolate ice
cream all washed down with a bottle of Pinot Noir. (See, now you wish youd
made the effort dont you). There were some very tired and bedraggled looking
people appearing from their bunks this morning I can tell you. (No change there
then).
Although there is still a very long way to go, for me (B), it is a real
psychological lift to know that we are on the run in rather than still being on
the run out. The weather is still being kind to us and blowing us along at between 7 and 8
kts/hr along the rhumb line (straight towards) although it is a little bit more
bouncy than it has been.
Jim decided that he would like to have a go at making the bread yesterday
afternoon. Ive got to say that my bread makers crown is under threat. A very
creditable loaf was produced which we had for breakfast this morning as a
follow up to a Jim original porridge ladled over freshly diced apple.
Captain Bob the builder Mark was in fix it mode again yesterday and I must
admit to having a bit of a private chuckle at one stage. He took the ignition
key plate off the bit that he stands behind when he is driving to give it a bit
of a clean up. There was nothing actually wrong with it when he started but
after he had finished and put it back together, the warning light didnt work
I also quite enjoyed the bucket full of water that he threw through the galley
porthole when he was mucking out the cockpit area!
Unusually for Mike, he had a bit of trouble getting to sleep on Friday night.
He diagnosed the problem as having been caused by too much snoozing during the
day on Thursday so he made the decision not to make the same mistake again. He
then went up into the cockpit and immediately fell asleep. Nice try Mike.
From the tone of the blogs that you are getting, some of you may be under the
impression that this sailing lark is a bit of a doddle dont you believe it,
its sheer hell out here. Seriously though, we have been really lucky with the weather so far on this
part of the journey fingers crossed that it stays that way until the Azores.
Bye for now
Ps Apparently pelagic means to do with the oceans or something.
April 19, 2008 - Mid-day Saturday 19 April - A 1000nm to go!
35o 08.5 North 46o 10.5 West
Fish caught still none
Tonight we will pass the halfway point and will be celebrating with a huge party and hope you will all be able to join us but please bring a bottle, the fair weather Happy Hours are playing havoc with our cellar.
The weather continues to astound us with clear skies, warm southerly breezes on our beam at an almost perfect 18-22kts and the gentle seas more appropriate to a summers day on either The Solent or Long Island Sound. None of us dare tempt fate by suggesting that it might last all the way to Punta Delgada. Deep down I have an uneasy feeling, with another week to go, I fear that a rude and sharp awakening is just around the corner.
Stop press: great excitement on the sun deck yesterday afternoon; Brian, pointing urgently at the horizon, jaw working soundlessly until eventually raising the shout.Whales; the spot of the trip so far. A pod of three Humpbacks gently cruised by on their migration north west entertaining us briefly with water spouts and fluking.
Jem surges on at between 7 & 8 knots and continues to look after us. I have such confidence in her that I can even forgive the little tantrum during the first night out. I have just about recovered from the flooding incident, it could have so easily ended very differently and jolly nearly did. One of the yachts sailing with us said we should think positively, not all yachts crossing the Atlantic have such a well washed engine room!
What with warm days, night watches bathed in the silvery light of a full moon (la la) and the distance to go ticking steadily down the teams personal anxieties are being replaced with something approaching cockiness. At Happy Hour last night the talk turned to the rough and windy passage up to Bermuda and, laughingly, what excuses were being prepared to allow them to jump ship before this leg!
Now pleased that they have all stuck with it (after all, what would they have told everyone back home) and feeling confident that we might actually make it without a Donald Crowhurst incident the team are finding other things to worry about:
Mike: - LL Beans (UK Blacks) returns policy for the large quantity of arctic clothing bought just for this trip but now strewn unused around the forepeak. Also the Portuguese language tapes that remain unopened; how do I order that first Diet Pepsi?
Brian: Suffolk Anglings returns policy for all the tackle purchased yet still untroubled by anything pelagic Hmmm what lure to use for a Whale? Not to mention, of course, the search for that Holiest of Grails; the perfect bread roll.
Jim: Was that really a Wilsons Petrel and if so is does it count as a lifer? Is it possible to survive 14 days without a single financial statistic, graph or chart; I wish Mark would let me study his weather charts; I wonder if the weather influences the price of gold?
Me: I worry constantly; the only thing I dont worry about is running aground, its 3 miles deep here! (Vertically challenged ex RN navigators who may read this can keep their clever comments to themselves)
One final thing we love receiving your feedback, comments (however rude) and messages (Frankly we have bu**er all else to do) but if you want to send us something of a more personal nature please send it to yachtjem@ocens.net rather than putting a comment on the blog, unless of course you want everyone to know about little Charlottes bowel problem!
April 18, 2008 - Midday Friday 18 April - Shark swims and shooting stars
34o 44.9 North 49o 20.0 West
Number of random creatures found on deck: 1 squid
Yesterday afternoon was so balmy and pleasant that we decided to heave to and have quick dip. At least Mike and I did, Mark and Brian declined on the grounds that their spouses would not approve. Thankfully there are still some trouser wearing members of the crew left so we took the plunge. (B here My spouse would most certainly not have disapproved .. she would probably been in before them! .. I didnt do it because I DID NOT WANT TO !!) Careful to avoid the jelly fish we dived in and had a (very) quick swim in the mid Atlantic at least a thousand miles from any land. Specifically it was 34.07.3 north, 51.45.0 west, where no man has swum before, probably. Ok so technically there werent any sharks around as far as we knew but just before I leapt in I saw some very panicked fish obviously fleeing something big so who knows. (If youve seen Jim in his swimmies youd panic too)
After supper DJ Captain Seymour laid down some tunes for us, mainly Rule Britannia and Jerusalem at full volume something to do with St Georges Day preparation. I am not sure that DJ Marky Mark hasnt lost his touch with the kids and am very worried that we are not going to get much of a crowd at our full moon party tonight. There are still tickets available for anyone interested. Bring a bottle.
The night watch was stunning. Gin clear with a low moon and more stars than you can shake a stick at. The constellations were as vivid as I have ever seen and some even looked (a little bit) like bears and hunters. There were lots of shooting stars, many with long fiery tails making for an amazing spectacle.
This morning we found a squid on deck and can only assume that we have discovered a new species of flying cephalopod. All in all it was a very satisfying day, boasting two world firsts which will surely secure our names in the history books. Can somebody please contact the National Geographic and tell them to bring their cheque book if they want an exclusive.
Progress continues to be made, although the winds are getting lighter and
lighter and our speed has slowed substantially. We have covered over 600
miles since leaving Bermuda 4 full days ago but we
still have 1,300 miles to go. (Theres simply
no pleasing some people; anyone seen the sun screen? Ed.)
I am sure many of you are wondering what our routine is like and what we are
doing with all this time on our hands. The weather has really been great
so far so much of our time has been sitting and reading in the sun . . .
the hours can go by quite quickly this way. Weve been reading a
cross-section of books and materials Dickens, McEwan, the Economist, the Wall
Street Journal and Into The Heart of the Sea is still making the rounds.
We do all have our assigned watches these roll over every day so they are
always changing. Captain Mark has come up with a very fair and equitable
system. There are 3 hour watches at night starting at 9
PM
(2100) and these continue until 0900 the next morning. Thus, each one of
us has one of these night watches every 24 hours and each day you have a
different watch. As I am such a night owl, I love the midnight
to 3 AM
one I like it so much that Ive even traded it a few times. While on
watch, you are responsible to look for boat traffic (there has been none so far
on this leg), to maintain the log and to trim sail if need be.
We also have other duties related to preparing meals as well as cleaning up
after meals and tidying up the boat. Fortunately, Chef Brian (also the
Baker), as did the lovely Louise, prepared a number of dinners in advance so
cooking dinner only requires heating up what he has already pulled together and
maybe making some rice or pasta. Ive tried to add some little treats
we had some old fashioned Jiffy pop corn last night at cocktail time (yep, you
can still buy it, in those aluminium foil pans required as there no microwave
on this boat) and two days ago I made some biscuits (the American kind that are
savoury not the British sweet kind).
That does bring up our language difficulties again Ive been called an
Anglophile a few times but I think it is pretty obvious that I am not as I
continue to get surprised by various bits of British vocabulary. Examples
include:
Bung there are various ways to use this word both as a noun and verb
A Ghandi flip flop
A shooting break
A CHAV I kind of knew what this was but Im now realizing I didnt quite have
the full picture
Scousers
Sweaties or Sweaty Jocks
Game on
Well, the Captain is giving sextant lessons so its time to wrap this up.
More news tomorrow.
A Captains apology: In common with a number of other people I may have given
the impression that I held a low opinion of James domestic skills. Comments
such as effing useless may have contributed to this unfortunate
misunderstand. I now realise that I miss-spoke and that, since the
triumph of todays Crab Salad, that there was not a jot or scintilla of truth
in any of the above and that He is in fact a god of the galley and Gordon
Ramsey seeks his advice daily. I apologies unreservedly to James, to his family
and to the London area of Marylebone
generally for the distress caused.
33o 34.4 North 54o 54.7 West Number of failed bread rolls: 12
We are now well into our 4th day at sea and we havent had to use the
chuggy thing downstairs at all yet (guess whos doing the blog today).
We are currently sailing in glorious sunshine and the sea is what even I would call calm!
Having Jim around has certainly added a new dimension to our journey. Its like having our own Bill Oddie on board. He claims, so far, to have spotted a turtle, a shoal of fish around a
piece of flotsam, Portuguese manowar jellyfish, numerous birds
including Shearwaters and British Storm Petrels, and 12 Dolphins. (Plus
one new spot, some kind of Tern J.)
I dont want you to think that there is any envy or jealousy involved
but in my opinion, all he has seen is a dustbin lid, a load of plastic
bottles, a couple of seagulls and, Im sorry, but I could only see 11
Dolphins and as for the jellyfish they WERE Cornish pasties .. Were all waiting for the big one the whale.
Our readership may not be aware of this but the crew of Jem are in the
process of setting a brand new world record. In our epic journey we
have been joined by Barry, the 6 long plastic toy boat. He was
launched from the back of Jem as we left Bermuda and will be towed
across to eventually become the smallest boat ever to sail across the
Atlantic.
If successful, then I can see a whole new career for Barry (if Fergie
can make a living out of a plastic helicopter then anythings
possible!).
Captain (Bob the builder can he fix it? Yes he can) Mark continues to keep us afloat and travelling in the right direction. Proficient or what? I actually saw him fixing something this morning that has not actually gone wrong !
Mike (David who?) is at last able to make full use of his very
professional looking photographic equipment. With Jim up on deck, we
get very disappointed if there are not at least 3 photo opportunities a
day.
Having had great success with my bread making in the first leg I have
to admit that my first attempt this leg was a complete disaster. We had
a delicious Bouef Bourguinone for supper last night and I thought that
I would make some bread rolls to go with it They came out like so many lumps of lead. They have now been despatched
over board but unfortunately they floated which meant that we have had
to send out a warning to any following shipping to avoid them. One
single bread roll strike could potentially sink anything up to a full
size cruise liner yesterday being the anniversary of the Titanic
disaster.
(I am pleased to report that todays bakery produce is more up to the required standard).
April 15, 2008 - Midday Tuesday 15 April: Domesticity defined
33o 07.4 North 57o 59.8 West
Cups of tea spilt: 2
Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.
Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink
Obviously the ancient mariner didnt have a water maker which was a bit foolish
of him. We however, have everything we need for blue water sailing and have
arrived at a state of domestic bliss. This mainly consists of Mark doing my
(Jim) cleaning jobs as I am effing useless at it apparently.
(Home Economics are proving time consuming: Jim coming to terms with the order
in which water, cleaning product and wipe-off are applied to any given
surface - whether he uses Marks face flannel, drying-up cloth, washing-up
cloth or floor rag will be dealt with in tomorrows lesson. Conversely Mike
leapt from his favourite corner of repose and bravely opened a packet of cookie
mix, which he had bought ALL on his own, and single handily produced biscuits
for tea!! There is promise of pop-corn for happy-hour tonight, fear Jim is
going to get lots of cleaning practice.)
Yeah, yeah everyones a hero all of a sudden!
We have had a drama free night, cruising at about 6kts and have woken to
another beautiful day. The Atlantic so far is spoiling us.
We have 1603 nautical miles to go so I suspect she will have a few surprises
for us yet.
In order to redeem myself I have had some good wildlife spots. We passed right
by a large turtle on Monday which would have gone unnoticed except for my eagle
eyes. There are lots of Portuguese Men of War around which can be spotted by
their bluish sail fin above the water. This looks like a translucent blue
Cornish pasty, although I bet you cant eat two. Yesterday in the early
hours a flying fish dropped by to say hello landing right in the cockpit. We
contemplated eating it but took pity and sent it back with an excellent caper
to tell its friends. This morning though our first Dolphins of the trip
lots playing in the bow wave, we counted 12
in
total but there could have been more. More importantly I spotted them so it was
a good job I wasnt below decks scrubbing the floor.
I also have two bird spots for all you ornithologists out there, a Corys
shearwater and a Sooty shearwater. Some of you (Dave and Andy) may take issue
with my identification skills but since I am here and you are not I am taking
them as a bona fide spot. (All Shite Hawks Im afraid Ed.)
Each day brings a small challenge on board. After repairing the leak on Sunday
night we needed to bung up the outlet pipe in the cockpit to stop water backing
up. Brian picked out the smallest bung he could find, dropped it down the hole
and watched it disappear. It took some serious engineering expertise to
retrieve it, after which Mark had a suggestion on where to stick it. Strangely
Brian was nowhere to be seen which was weird as it is not that big a boat.
(B. here When you are confronted with a hole in the deck of the cockpit which
needs to be bunged and are handed a bung by your illustrious Captain, surely it
is not unnatural to assume that the said bung is the correct size for the job
the reason that I was nowhere to be seen after this mishap is because I was
downstairs rootling through the toolbox, handing up various instruments with
which to attempt the extraction eventually achieved by securing a sharp
pointy screw to a screwdriver and screwing the whole caboodle into the bung ..
and lifting)
(Mike the photographer here the dolphins were impossible to photograph but I
did get one (kind of). I hope to have it on the blog shortly. No such
luck with the turtle who was swimming all on his own.
April 15, 2008 - Midday 14 April - On our way with a bit of drama
32o 40.2 North 61o 03.2 West
And so we bid a fond farewell to Bermuda..we are on our way to Porto Delgarda on the Island of San Miguel in the Azores 1936 nautical miles (nm) away.
Brian (yes, he of the blog) and I (Mark) spent a fairly relaxing week getting our mizzen sail repaired and sorting a few bits out on the boat but, fortunately, still managed to find time to squeeze in an occasional beer and socalise with some of the other yachties passing through.
Thankfully, then, we find ourselves in company with two other yachts also heading to the Azores -- one a British catamaran, Bodine on her way back to Lancashire and a Danish yacht Livet heading back to Copenhagen. Its good to know that there is someone out there if and when we could have a problem.
Mike managed to make it back, despite the attentions of Bermuda Customs, after a productive week back in Connecticut and, having been deserted by Antenna Man, we have a new crew member, Jim from London, who has prepared for this trip by spending 5 days in New York City visiting every licensed establishment south of 83rd street (which may explain his rather strange look in the photo).
The weather forecast is better than would have dared to wish for with an area of high pressure to the south of us and low pressure systems, hopefully, tracking eastwards to the north of us. So our first day out has found us with a 25kt wind behind us, small waves and glorious sunshine. With the log showing us cracking on at over 8 knots all is well - Oh if only this weather would last.
The sun set for our first night back at sea, a warm breeze, moonlight, high spirits and we are feeling confident, perhaps over confident as we also had drip, drip, drip. At around 1.30am the bilge was filling up and the drip had become a stream. We had sprung a leak but where? With torch in hand, floor boards up, cupboards emptied, we tracked it down to a corroded cockpit drain pipe at the rear of the engine room beneath the gear box impossible to get at. We spoke to the ever helpful Bermuda Radio on the HF radio giving them our position should our attempted repairs go wrong and a full emergency situation develop.
To isolate the pipe all we had to do was close the sea-cock, a valve that closes the opening through the hull. Of the 17 sea-cocks on board the one we needed was the one concealed beneath the hot water cylinder. 45 minutes of spanner action and hammer tapping later we got it shut with every hammer tap the corroded pipe broke a little bit more and the flood increased. It was all very nerve racking but all is well, no leaks and we have a second drain, so we shall continue.
However: I do solemnly swear that I will check EVERY sea cock for smooth and correct operation once a month
* The British term, licensed establishment, would be thought of as a bar in American English.
(B here I would like it to be known that there is no way that Mark could have effected the repair of the leak problem if he hadnt had me there pointing the torch! Seriously though, the boy done good and the rest of us are very grateful for the fact that we have a Captain who knows his boat backwards, forwards and any other wards that you might like to mention).
We arrived in St George's as the sun set on Saturday evening, entering the harbour just after 8pm a little over 7 days since we left Fort Lauderdale. The customs and immigration lady stayed on late to clear us in - Bermuda seems to be that sort of place. It's charming with friendly locals and looks rather like Alderney on sunny day.
As ever the plans for large celebrations of arrival and Mike's birthday soon were overcome by tiredness and we retired to bed for the first good night's sleep in in a week.
Mike and Stewart headed off to the US on Sunday leaving Brian and myself with the hoovering and ironing. Jim, the new cabin boy, arrives today, and we shall be sorting a few things out ready for the off either at the weekend or early next week.
Our apologies go out to those readers who have been demanding the final word on this leg - sorry for the delay!
Left UK in May 05 in our Moody Grenadier 44, summer in Med, then ARC 05. South from St Lucia to Venezuela by May 06. UK for some shore time. Back sailing Jan 07 Venezuela to Cuba, east coast US, then Mexico, Belize & Guatemala. March 08 Back across the Atlantic to UK via Bermuda & Azores.
Jem is now back in Berthon Lymington - hoping for a new owner?
