Flowers in the Atlanntic

We made landfall in Flores. Approaching  Lajes marina was a nerve wracking experience , especially standing on the bow. The swell was up and we had the head towards the cliffs but not to close as the rocks protruded. It was tight as we swung into the entrance.  We were lucky, our friends Linda  and Andy off SV Coromandal had arrived a few days earlier, so they were able to take our lines. 

Walking on land was not a pleasant experience after so many days at sea but it was a fantastic feeling to be safe with the prospect of fresh food!

After a welcome coffee, our first port of call was a cafe and  fresh meat, salad and chips. That ticked the boxes for us having eaten far to many tins and we ran our of fresh produces after 10 days.

Flores is beautiful and oozes tranquility.

 

Hydrangeas and agapanthus dominate with various shades of cobalt blue. Walls were adorn with  nasturtiums ........which also make good eating (tried to convince Amy). Being deprived of fresh produce for weeks.....I was on a mission for a snack.

It reminded me of Cornwall, but since being back in Cornwall it was very different.....the sun shone!

We spent a few days getting our legs working again and had a tour of the island with Linda and Andy. 

Evidence of the islands volcanic origins provided stunning scenery and the transformation of an island which derived income from whaling, into a tourist destination was commendable.

The beach adjacent to the marina has BBQs and picnic tables ....so we joined fellow cruisers for a few social events. Everyone had endured the Atlantic for many days and it was interesting to compare notes on the weather patterns. It was a bit of a 'how to avoid the gale session'. I  was all ears!

The one good thing about the marinas in the Azores. Is they are cheap and water and electricity are included. Our boat cushions had 'absorbed' moisture and salt  so we spent several days washing. From now on everything gets covered in thick plastic for  an ocean crossing!

 We sailed from Flores to Faial as we needed a few boats bits. Well it was more of a gentle motor!

The oily seas were back. Considering we had a few rigging issues it was just as well and it was also perfect whale watching weather. 

The approaches to Horta were stunning... Volcanic craters, columns basalt and a lighthouse inland buried by an eruption in 1957.

We thought we would anchor in Horta....which we did, only the dingy just got us to the shore before it deflated. You had to pay to anchor and marinas are cheap, so on balance we decided to go into the marina. Water was included  so  it was an opportunity to wash all the boat cushions. 

We had a wonderful couple of weeks, not venturing very far but enjoying Horta. We had considered flying back to the UK to sort things out and see our family, but in the end we decided to sail.

It was bright and sunny and downwind to start but then...

The layers went on, the fleeces came out and it wasn't long before we wore clothes day and night.

Being on watch was a challenge especially as we approached lands end. The number of ships awaiting to go up the channel was phenomenal, combine that with fishing boats, and a four hour watch became hard work.

Although it was still downwind sailing....it was rough . We had written in the log, force 4 but in reality it was force 6 and rough. The biggest issue was the lack of light and everything became grey, full and very very cold.

 We safely arrived in Falmouth and tied up in the marina. Our friend Peter arrived a few hours later. We introduced him to the finer delights of this county and Peter  lost his pasty virginity. 

Bring back in Cornwall after three years was weird.......we have not acclimatised and will be heading south ASAP. 

 It has been fantastic to catch up with friends and family. 

We decided to have a happy birthday for everyone and Lucy made us a beautiful cake.

 

We weren't the only ones that were cold!

To the Azores

After buying food, more food and even more food just in case, we finally left St Martin on Dad's birthday, 16th May. It was easy motoring up the Anegada passage, past Tintemare and around Dead Man's Cay off Anguilla. Our friends on Coromandel had an earlier start and although we were in radio contact it would be a few days before our paths crossed again. 

We left in light winds and it was a battle to make East. We avoided using the engine this early in the trip as we had over 2000 miles to go to Flores. We were glad of the monitor which Tristan had serviced before we set out but unfortunately close to the Caribbean, the amount of sargassum weed was extensive. This caught in the monitor blade and knocked it off, so we spent a lot of on watch time clearing weed.

The first few days were northeasterly 15 knots and Meriva sailed beautifully  often reaching over 6 knots, but alas it was not to last!   We tacked to SE to try and make East but it was very lumpy and the tack wasn't paying so we headed north again on a starboard tack. This was more comfortable and after a couple of days we had a long chat with Coromandel who were also finding it frustrating in contrary winds and struggling to make anything but North.

The sea went oily, it was amazing that we were in the Atlantic Ocean, flat seas and tranquility. I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me. 

The sunsets were amazing, it looked like it was setting behind a forest.... Not that we would see one of them for a while. 

Every evening and every morning we were joined by a pair of shearwaters who were totally stupid. How on earth has a bird evolved to land feet first on the sea using its neck as a brake is beyond me.  It was fun watching their antics though trying to keep up with the boat. 

A few days out I saw an enormous blow in the distant horizon. I have never seen anything so powerful and so high. Looking at the field guides, I think it was the blow of a blue whale which do pass from winter breeding grounds to summer feeding grounds in the north. This was a one off so I cannot be 100% certain and it could have been wishful thinking on my part!

It was the first time we have  both crossed this part of the northern Atlantic. After a few day you settle into a routine and the  four hour watches become much easier.

 We were very grateful to my daughter, Lucy who texted regularly the weather systems. Tristan had skyped Lucy and trained her to use grib files before we left. She was brilliant and when the grib file didn't work she immediately checked other sites to keep us updated. Her weather reporting was spot on, accurate and when Ugrib was down she didn't hesitate to go to other websites to keep us informed. We bought a delorme InReach tracker and had the service plan of unlimited texts. It was fantastic. We had daily weather and were able to keep in contact with family and friends throughout the trip. Everyone has been encouraging and it's a brilliant bit of kit. Really easy to use and inexpensive for what it does. 

Our biggest concern was when Lucy announced  we were due to get purple rain!  Tristan was on watch at sunset and the sun had a halo around it, we knew were in for something nasty.

The weather pattern across the northern Atlantic was unusual. The Azores high spread all the way across and we constantly had contrary NE winds. This made it difficult to push East and we made too much North. When the gale hit, we were being pushed even further west and it looked like we'd end up in Greenland rather than warmer destinations. 

We were able to reef everything down and Meriva handled the weather brilliantly although she wouldn't hove to and we ended up running away from the huge seas and strong winds. 

After things had settled down and we were able to get back into our watch routine and sleep. We decided to throw in a SE tack to try and make East rather than head too far north. This put us on a heading for landfall in Antarctica! This was frustrating as we never made any progress to the Azores for a few days. 

We finally decided to tack north and see how much East we could get in.  At least we both felt we were making progress as the negative VMG and the prospect of at least another few weeks was frustrating. We knew we had plenty of food and water, but if we got stuck in the Azores high we only had enough fuel for a few days motoring.

It didn't take long....the seas turned to glass and went oily again. No wind so we motored slowly direct to the Azores. 

We saw six turtles drifting across the Atlantic.  At first they looked dead. Very sun bleached but they moved there flippers as if we had disturbed their sleep. They were going backwards!

Portuguese men of war were abundant and at one point the sea was sparkling from the salps. Green/ brown jellyfish, moon jellyfish and compass jellyfish were common. We saw three whales in the distance but not sure which species. The amount of marine litter was surprisingly low. Mainly plastic, rope and a few planks.

Interestingly with no wind and still seas we had a very strong smell of sulphur. At this time we were in 5000 metres of ocean.  We passed several oceanic monitoring buoys.

The light was surreal. Very bright, ghostly and gentle. It was something we have never experienced before and even if the trip has taken an age, it is the most wonderful experience we have had.

Tristan has been fishing since we left......four lines out and absolutely nothing!  To make matters worse in the flat calm sea you can see all the fish jumping around the boat but no bites! Glad I packed the sardines and tins of tuna!

The evening have been spectacular. As the sun set the moon rose in the east. The reflected light from the planets, moonlight and nautical twilight meant that this part of the trip, 700 miles from the Azores , was never dark. This was in complete contrast to when we set out and the sky's were pitch black  but starry. 

Unfortunately it didn't last. We saw a super yacht for the first time for days. He radioed to say 35 knots of wind and 4 metre seas were predicted for our area.  This was consistent with what Lucy had sent us. On Lucy's forecasting, We decided to head off east to avoid the strongest winds, and it payed off. Thanks Lucy! Although the seas were huge often more than 5 metres and confused, the wind didn't get above 25 knots. We had two very uncomfortable days in this Atlantic depression but it was  better than the gale we hit previously.

The biggest problem was getting the boat balanced downwind, we sailed with  a reefed in gib and trisail. Eating was difficult, the gimballed cooker was challenged and standing up became almost impossible.  No bones broken, we were fine and when things calm down, you soon forget the discomfort and focus on getting the boat sailing again.  Whilst in the midst of lumpy seas we were joined by eight Atlantic spotted Dolphins. These species are small, skittish and almost impossible to photograph. They lept in the air and raised their tail fins and disappeared. Some were surfing in the waves, totally immersed. 

We  spent several days being told it was 400 miles to the Azores. It's likely being in a time warp, and you cant seem to sail fast enough to get closer.

The seas eventually calmed down and we at last had and ETE of 90 hours, but then it went again. The sea was grey, the cloud base thick, and it was cold and mizzley. More like a summer in Cornwall.  This gave us time to sort out the mess below and eat a hot meal. My first in two days. I get anxious when I know bad weather is coming so I tend not to eat. The last 300 nautical miles seemed to take forever. We were both tired of being at sea but the constant sail changes, wind shifts, changes in sea state kept us focused. I had kept back some goodies, statistically hidden around the boat so we had treats and good food, essential to keep the skipper happy!  A pod is spotted Dolphins joined us again and storm petrals.  Life is good.

We heard from our friends, Linda and Andy off Coromandal, who had arrived in Flores. We still had 150nm to go. With Lucy's weather forcasting and Linda's sailing experience, we kept plodding in the general direction of Flores. The last 100nm were a struggle. We were tired and even holding on was an effort. Overnight the seas and wind calmed down, it was a relief to feel more vertical but the last of wind was typical of this whole trip. 

The wind picked up the next day and it was a battle to reach Flores before sunset. We didn't make it so we took shelter in the lee of Flores and continued our watch routine. As soon as  it was daylight, we motored into the marina at Lages and were greeted by Linda and Andy who took our lines. That wasn't as easy as it sounds. The surge was unbelievable and Meriva would not go where we wanted her to. Typical, it's almost as if she knows what's good for her. We are snatching and jerking and after the crossing we can't help but feel a gale is preferable to bouncing off other boats or pontoons.

We are glad to be  able to walk on land after 2900 nautical miles and 25 days at sea and tree hugging was mandatory. However the Azores is still in the middle of the Atlantic and our journey is far from over!

St Martin to cooler climates

It seems that our days are full, how  did we ever find time to work?  For those of you who think we sit under an awning drinking gin and tonics watching the sunset.....you are nearly right, we drink  Mount Gay Rum with pineapple juice and coconut milk!

Actually it's hard work. We have to haul water in plastic cans, in a dinghy that is smaller than Lily and Ruby's paddling pool, with an outboard that cuts out every five minutes, avoiding speedboats that can't see us or  ignore us creating tidal waves that mean you constantly have a wet bum!

Provisioning means several trips to the supermarket as it won't fit in the dinghy and if it does it's likely to get wet.....not a problem except when you are stocking crackers and cous cous. 

We serviced the life jackets and interestingly, gas inflation bottles don't last more than a year for the spin lock deck vest. The spares are also out of date and the chandlers sell replacements with a shelf life of 10 months at twice the price of the UK.

Sail repairs were done efficiently and quickly thanks to St Martins sails. The monitor parts took longer to ship in from the states but four star cargo  in Miami and safe cargo in St Martin were very good.

Tristan remade an emergency tiller at Woodcraft, thank you David for being so accommodating!

Last but by no means least, thank you to Paula and Keith at TOBY who make us feel like family and all the friends we have made in St Martin who are just great. We will miss you all but we have had a great time.

Now it's time to sail before our wooden boat grows roots.

So it's back on the wobble board tomorrow, water rationing and a four hour watch system. We don't know how long it will take, but we have enough food for months and I'm hoping Tristan's fish catching skills improve! 

Antigua. Classics 2015

Well we'd done it once, so we thought why not? It's the best test of the the boat prior to crossing the Atlantic, and Classics is fun.  This year, we had our crew....good friends who know boats, Keith from Time Out Boat Yard, St Martin,  and Linda and Andy off SV Coromandel.

We were a brilliant team well lubricated in the evenings on Mount Gay Rum, but ready for the start of the race the following morning.

We had decided to 'lighten' the boat by removing cruising spares and some of the usual baggage that you collect 'just in case'.

This year Keith was Tristans spotter for the single handed race.  Tactics were discussed and the 

 'man ' prepared himself for the first race of the year....

Last year Tristan nearly decapitated himself by the main sheet, so decided on an alternative approach. He was going to use the emergency tiller which meant all the lines could be handled easily from the cockpit......with the added bonus of Keith having a comfortable place to sit and watch.

Having a day off the boat was a novelty for me, so Linda, Andy,and myself decided to walk up to view the race from the  hill above windward  beach. After a compulsory stop in Nelsons Dockyard bakery for meat pies and carrot cake, we climbed upwards along with the goats. 

It's a bit of a scramble but well worth the effort as the view across the sea, from the pillars of Hercules to the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, is fantastic.  You just have to keep changing spots to keep up with the fleet.

The start of the race was delayed due to a squall coming through. We huddled under a few rocks and shared brollies until it passed. Tristan went out with the fleet and then headed back into Falmouth Harbour then out again!

The emergency tiller broke.....just as well we weren't dependent on it, so Keith encouraged Tristan to go out again and he used the steering wheel.  No rope burns this year, but the seas and winds were not as strong .

After an enjoyable race in the under 45 feet class, Tristan  arrived back of the dock buzzing on adrenaline. I guess that's what's it's all about.  He was made up that Blue Peter gave him space over line finish line and he finished third.

We knew that it was not really going to much of a race for us as our competitor was 105 foot, but it was more a challenging day sail with good friends.  We occasionally saw a boat and we were told that at some point during the race we reached 8.9 knots ( which is hull speed). Thank you our trusty AIS spotters, Paula and Ingo back in TOBY!

I think we would have been strong contenders for the last boat in.....not because Meriva doesn't sail, but because she cannot compete with the ' big boys'. She really looks petite compared to our competitors.

However, this little minx had an ace up her sleeve and on the final day she flew like the witch on  a broomstick, we know she is.  Upwind she sails beautifully and at one point we saw whitehawk! We overtook several boats which made a change!

At the last mark we were racing to go around and Rainbow, a J class was also charging to the race mark.

We gave  her water!   But ended up going around in her wake which was like being in a washing machine.  It was all good fun!

Antigua or bust

We left Nevis and decided to continue along the volcanic trail or there would be a mutiny on board! Fortunately the weather was brilliant and we sailed past the island of Redonda towards Monserrat. 

My dubious captain would scare anyone who came near us!  Unfortunately the sun protection failed ...a lesson in the strength of the tropical sun and someone ended up with a burnt nose.

We arrived at lLittle bay to find it empty of yachts, mainly due to the swell of previous days. We went in and out and round and about, again and again before we found a spot to anchor. It's funny how once we'd dropped the hook several other boats came in and anchored nearby.

The following day we took a trip to see the volcanoes. We were shocked at the devastation and it was the first time we had seen the effects of pyroclastic flows of ash, so much more deadly than flows of lava.

The haze isn't out of focus, it's smoke and ash.

Plymouth was buried and it's hard to imagine the organisation that went into to evacuating people, not to mention the impact on families having to literally walk out of their homes leaving everything behind.

The brown field is ash, covering the old houses of Plymouth to the first floor.

This hotel was swamped by ash and still people are unable to return as the volcano is still active. The smell of sulphur was strong. Access is limited to certain areas and this is reviewed daily.

Nice swimming pool...

I really felt sorry for the people whose lives had been affected but we were told the British Government is supporting them. Cows, goats, horses and pigs have gone feral, no one could say whether the threat of pyroclastic ash flows or the brooding sows were the greater danger in the abandoned houses of Plymouth. With Montserratians comfortably on British dole, Guyanans and Haitians are employed in pretty much the one remaining industry, gravel extraction from the beds of the pyroclastic flows. These guys also hunt the feral animals, much to the dismay of locals who still covet the offspring of their livestock. 

We only stayed one day in Monserrat as we were expecting Tristans brother, Max, and Sarah and the boys, who were coming on holiday to Antigua. 

We had a very boisterous blast into big seas on the nose. Tristan went below and paddled into the heads. The door to our bunk had slammed shut and when he opened it a river of sea water gushed out. Someone had left the deck hatch open. So much for a romantic wedding anniversary, our bed was drenched in sea water.....bedding, cushions, clothes, the lot!

As soon as we approached Jolly Harbour, turquoise seas, white sandy beaches and turtles....all was forgiven. Calm and tranquility was restored and we remain married!

 We had a fantastic time with Max, Sarah, Charlie and Harry.....turtle spotting was top of the list.

Buoyancy aid training for crew....

The weather was a little fickle but we know how to treat or guests......put them out to sea in a rainstorm and see how they fare!

 'It's ok boys, just curl up in the boat'

'Hi!'

We enjoyed being tourists, swimming off beaches, visiting English Harbour and day sails. We had fantastic BBQ's, too many piña colada's at sunset. It was a real  break and put us in a good space for Antiqua Classics, the following week.