23 December 2006 | Tradewind sailing. Wing and wing with reefed jib and mainsail.
12-06 Brilliant's Log, 3 - 23 December 2006
Hi Brilliant's Crew,
We did it! We have actually crossed an ocean and find ourselves anchored in Carlisle Bay, just off of Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. The trip was a safe one for us without much excitement, as we were hoping it would be. To spare you some of the boring parts this log will be more of a summary of the trip than a daily log.
Sorry it's taken so long to get this log out, but we have no WIFI connection at the anchorage and the internet cafés are $8.00 U.S. per hour. We also owe many e-mails for all the good wishes and congratulations on our crossing. We promise to get back to you soon.
We hope that every one of you had a wonderful Christmas. We also extend to you our very best wishes for the year 2007. Thank you for "sailing" with us.
Pete & Stephanie
s/y "Brilliant"
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"Brilliant's Log"
3 - 23 December 2006, Sunday, Puerto de la Luz, Las Palmas, Grand Canaria, 28 07.729N/015 25.573W
Underway.
The hardest part of any trip is actually getting the lines cast off and this trip was no different. We had met so many other cruisers in Las Palmas that it seemed to take all of Sunday morning just to say goodbyes. One American cruiser was still talking to us as and asking questions as we finally had to say enough and politely slipped the lines and backed out of the slip. The time was 11:45 we were underway and were now committed to making the trip.
A 15 KT breeze out of the northeast met us as we cleared the very busy harbor and we quickly had the sails set and engine secured. The seas were a bit lumpy, but on the whole not too bad and we settled in for a long sail.
Our first challenge was the wind acceleration zone on the south end of Gran Canaria. The guidebooks mention this phenomenon, where a wind speed increase occurs due to the compression of the trade winds by the high mountains on the islands. Knowing all this ahead of time still didn't help much as we arrived in the zone with too much sail up. A bit overpowered as the wind suddenly increased to 25 knots, we felt pretty uncoordinated as we scrambled to shorten sails. It took a few minutes, but once we had reefed and caught our breath we realized all was well. "Brilliant" was very happy with reefed sails in the 2 meter seas with 20-25 knots of wind from the stern making 6.5 knots as we cleared the end of Gran Canaria in the afternoon.
Technical stuff on setting up for downwind sailing.
Clear of the island we altered our course more to the southwest and set the boat up for the long downwind passage. For sailing dead down wind our tactics are to use the spinnaker pole to hold the jib out to the windward side and then put the main out to leeward using a preventer line from the end of the boom to a block near the bow, (this is called sailing "wing and wing"). The pole takes a bit of time to set up. We use three lines for the pole; a topping lift; a fore guy; and an after guy. These three lines hold the pole firmly in place. Then we run the jib sheet thru a block hooked in the pole jaws to prevent chaff. Once this is set up, it works very well for keeping both sails filled. It also makes it very easy to roll the jib in and out to match its size to the wind conditions without having to change the poles position.
While it would have been nice to have a wind powered self steering system we just couldn't justify the expense for this trip and decided to use our RayMarine electronic autopilot. The new instruments we added last season included the ability to feed the wind direction into the autopilot. With the wind information the autopilot can then steer to keep the wind angle constant and while the course will change with the wind shifts the sails will stay set and not require major tweeking. Using the wind steering we would go for days without having to touch the sails.
The problem of course with this rig was when we did have to touch the sails. As the wind would shift and we'd find ourselves heading too far off course we would have to gybe (change tacks or basically putting the sails on the opposite side of the boats). Gybing with our set up required quite a bit of foredeck work and would take about a half hour, so it wasn't something we did unless we had to. As we got closer to Barbados it seemed we were having to gybe about once a day.
We did worry about what would happen if the autopilot failed. Hand steering for three weeks wasn't something we wanted to try so we bought and carried a spare autopilot that could be quickly mounted on the steering wheel if need. Thankfully we never needed to use it.
Sea conditions, wind, and squalls,
From the 3rd until the 12th we had pretty much a 20-25 knot wind from astern and seas that built from two up to around five meters. With the help of the Canary Current and these conditions, we were averaging almost 150 miles a day.
Along with the big swell from the northeast we had a cross swell on top from the southeast that made for a very uncomfortable ride that included something called rhythmic rolling. Rhythmic rolling was strange because you can get used to the constant motion on the big waves, but periodically the cross swell would hit the boat just right and we would be thrown into a series of severe rolls that would always catch you off guard and totally unprepared. During this period it was almost impossible to accomplish even simple tasks as you had to hold onto something at all times or risk being thrown about the cabin. Stephanie was amazing as even in these conditions she was able to produce at least one hot meal a day. It was also during this period we discovered that everything on the boat that could roll, slide, bang or rattle did. It took us quite awhile to find and quiet most of the noisemakers.
For the entire trip we had following seas and even when the swells were very large "Brilliant" rode them very well. We kept our speed under control and prevented surfing down waves by sailing mostly with a deep reef in the main and about a 70 percent jib. This worked well for us and while we did get water into the cockpit a few times (not very fun) from the cross swells hitting just right, we never took any seas over the stern or bow on the passage.
It was still pretty cool both during the day and at night during this period and we had to bundle up for our night watches. Adding to the fun, this was also when we experienced our first squalls. The squalls looked like innocent cumulus clouds and would hit you with a little sprinkle of rain a slight shift of wind and a five-knot increase in wind speed; not bad. But the further south we went the more exciting they became. At night, after the moonset, it was very difficult to see the squalls as they would sneak up behind you. We started running the radar to get some advanced warning to batten the hatches. Thankfully the worst wind we experienced on the entire trip was only 30 knots in a "light" squall.
The 13th finally brought us some lighter winds and seas. We had altered our course to the south to avoid the worst of a forecast front and it seemed to have worked in putting us in better conditions. But by 1100 on the 14th with our speed down to 2 knots we had to start the engine and motor to continue making progress to Barbados. We ended up motoring for about 33 hours before we crossed a weak cold front and the winds returned. The one nice thing about this period was we had a chance to catch our breath and escape the rolling for a day or so and we also took the opportunity to stop the boat at 16 05.2 N/039 10.1 W and held a mid-ocean swim call. At this point on the 14th, we had traveled 1600 miles and still had 1234 miles to go.
It was mid-morning on the 15th we passed through the tail end of the weak cold front and it brought back the wind we needed for the rest of the trip. But of course with the wind came the seas and the rolling again.
From the 15th through our arrival on the 23rd the winds held for us at between 10-25 knots. The seas were confused with a cross swell to make for an uncomfortable ride, but they never grew again to over 2 meters over the remainder of the trip.
Life at sea, radio nets.
After the first couple of days we settled into an easy routine of watches that worked for us. Stephanie would cook the evening meal just before sundown and then after the galley was cleaned up would retire for the evening. We were using the starboard settee in the salon as our sea berth with its very effective lea cloth (a piece of canvas with lines lead to the overhead that keeps you from rolling out of bed). Pete would then take the first watch and would give Stephanie about 4-5 hours sleep. Then between around midnight Stephanie would relieve Pete for 5-7 hours. Sometime around 0600 Pete would take the watch again giving Stephanie time to catch up on the rest of her sleep until the radio net (more about the net later) began at 1100.
We would spend the day rest of the day together in the cockpit watching for ships (we didn't see too many), doing any chores that needed doing, reading, eating and napping.
Our Single Side Band radio (HF/Shortwave) was a very important part of each day. At 1100 we would participate in the very informal and unofficial "Not the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (NARC) Net" on 6215khz. Don and Sandy on "Destiny", an American boat that we had met last summer in Almerimar organized the net and acted as Net Control. "Destiny" completed their 14-year circumnavigation with this crossing. The NARC Net at its height had over 20 yachts, spread out over the 2800 mile route, participating. The net would start with a call for Emergency, Medical, or Priority Traffic so that if we had a problem we had other resources we could use. Then we would share weather information. Following that was the roll call and everyone would have a chance to check-in with their position, local conditions and general comments. It was very comforting to know that we were not alone out there in the big ocean.
Following the NARC Net at 1235, we would use the radio to receive Wind and Wave forecasts via weather FAX from NOAA in New Orleans. We hooked our computer to the radio and used a special program to display the FAX information. Once we were past 30 west, the FAX were very useful. They provided us with a very good picture of what to expect in the next 24, 48, and 72 hours.
Then in the evening at 1930 we would check-in with Herb Hilgenburg also know as "Southbound II", on 12359khz. Here is what the Cruising Club of America says about Herb:
"Herb Hilgenberg is an accomplished amateur weather analyst and forecaster located near Toronto, Canada. He is a recognized and acclaimed expert on the weather in the North Atlantic who maintains a seven day per week SSB weather net for yachts sailing throughout the North Atlantic and Caribbean. Herb's service is free to any yacht logging in during the "Check-In" period. Yachts unable to check in can monitor forecasts for yachts in their area or even request a relay. This is also a good way to learn of other yachts in the area in the event assistance is needed."
Our experience with Herb was very good and he provided us the information and advice we needed to make decisions about several course changes to avoid foul weather and again to find better winds to compete our passage. It was also great to hear the other boats and how they were doing.
The $600 we paid on eBay for our little Kenwood TS-50/AT-50 HF Transceiver was well spent. Even working at half power (50 watts) because of low battery voltages, we were doing very well talking with Herb in Toronto over 3000 miles away.
Marine Life
We were disappointed with how little wildlife we saw on the crossing. The first week we saw mostly Storm Petrels, a few Shearwaters, and a single sea turtle. The following two weeks produced a Roseate Tern and a Gannett. The main thing we saw were Flying Fish by the thousands. Each morning there would be a few of the tiny fish on our decks that obviously made a wrong turn and we managed to make a breakfast of one of the larger ones we found.
Our fishing was disappointing too. We caught only one small Tuna (maybe three pounds), and a little Dorado (which we returned to the sea) The one that got away, was a very large Dorado that attacked our lure in the middle of a nasty squall. It was a beautiful fish that we actually saw strike our lure in the clear ocean water, but after a couple of good jumps broke our 100 lb test line. He also took our last two lures with him. After that we finally gave up and hauled in our line for the rest of the trip.
So we saw no dolphins, no whales, no sharks, it was kind of boring. But we did pick up one hitchhiker about 80 miles east of Barbados. A little bird started circling our boat just before sunset on our last night out and after about and hour was finally able to make a landing on "Brilliant". Must have been Air Force... a Navy pilot would never have had that much of a problem landing. It turned out to be a little Barn Swallow that was obviously lost. It spent another hour trying to figure out where on the boat it was going to rest, including holding on to a lifeline, perched on the jib sheet, under the dinghy on the foredeck, on the dodger, in the cockpit, quick tour below decks, a brief perch on Stephanie's hair, before settling down on Pete's foul weather jacket underneath the dodger. He settled down and slept through the night. About 0400 as we accidentally disturbed it. It woke up saw we were about a mile off Barbados, made one chirp and took off. I guess that was his way of saying, "Thank you!"
Problems
Our gear failures on the crossing were limited. They included a raw water pump impeller failure the second time we started the engine to make water. This was really unexpected since we had just replaced it with a new one on the trip from Rota to Lanzarote. It wasn't a hard job to put in a new spare even in with the foul seas.
Then we had a problem with the new Balmar Alternator we had installed just before leaving Puerto Calero. After motoring continuously for over a day, we had a warning light come on that indicated the alternator was overheating. I assumed the alternator belt was loose and tightened it, but this didn't fix the problem. The alternator was still running hot and it was barely giving any charge. To make the long story short, the new alternator put out more amperage than the old wiring could handle and had smoke checked (old Navy term for a burned up) a section of the battery cable. I was able to bypass the burned out section of wire and re-installed our old, less powerful, alternator and the problem was solved.
And then there was the classic failure; after about two days at sea, the aft head backed up. Never a pleasant job to fix, it's even worse with a big sea running. Try as he might to unclog the blockage, Pete had no luck fixing it underway. He was able to reduce the foul smell by bailing it out by hand. There is something good to be said about the advantages of two heads; we never had to resort to a bucket. Once into Barbados he had to pull all of the plumbing hoses and clean them in the ocean to clear the blockage. He could have never been able to accomplish that underway. The aft head is now working fine.
Otherwise, it was an uneventful passage for the maintenance department.
Other boats crossing with issues.
As we talked on our NARC Net we heard about other boats crossing, not in our group, running into problems. There were at least two boats that were abandoned due to rudders failing (one thought their rudder was hit by a whale). One of the boats in our group was close enough to pick the crew up as they made the awful decision to leave their sailboat. A third sailboat, a 62' Deerfoot, with seven on board also had a rudder failure, but continued safely to Antigua under a jury rigged rudder. Two other boats had standing rigging fail. An American boat had the forestay break, and safely diverted to the Cape Verdes, Islands for repair. Another boat had two shrouds part, but managed rig spare lines to support the mast and made it across with reduced sail and with another sailboat escorting them. There was one boat that the Captain had to be removed, we assume medical problem, but never heard for sure.
Some statistics
The great circle distance was 2751 NM, but we actually covered 2833 NM working to stay in the best weather we could. Our actual daily distance covered averaged 141 NM. We could have easily done better, but with only two aboard, we sailed very conservatively for comfort and also slowed down the last two days to make our landfall during daylight.
Our max speed on the trip was around 8.4 knots and the average speed for the trip was 5.9 knots.
Our water conservation measures and modest use of the watermaker kept the tanks nearly full for the duration of the trip.
Our position in Carlisle Bay, Barbados is: 13 05.52 N/059 36.96 W.
Log 2833 NM
Total Sailed 2006 = 5060NM
Total Sailed since retirement = 14279