Vicki
2012/08/02, Galway, Ireland

Well, we did make it. Similar to a marathon run, we hit a wall that was very hard and then the end of it came oh so quickly. In two days the three frontal storms that blew through were quite an ordeal. I am not too proud to admit that I buckled during the second one and hid in the quarterberth sobbing. The three guys had to hand steer through it. When the weather cleared between the second and third storm I got up, dusted myself off and made banana muffins (thanks for the advice Judy) and stayed up in the cockpit for the third storm. I was steering in up to 44 knots of wind and then I did not have the strength to control the boat. Paul steered for over half an hour and did a fantastic job. Slowly the winds came back down and we had a downhill ride past the Aran Islands. Our Scan Strut support for the radar gave way and we had the Oh, shit moment as we tried to get it secure. Then we had to time it for the high tide at Galway, they open the gates to the marina 2 hours before high tide and then close them. So we slowed down the boat and made it to the gate at 4:00 a.m., circled around for a while, and then had a smooth landing at the dock. Paul showered and got ready for customs. The marina itself doesn't have a shower, we have to pay $5 at the local hotel. The good news is the hot tub and steam room. We may even spring for a massage. Beth (Al's wife) joined us and off we went for Guinness and food. Today is Lady's Day during the Galway Race Week (horses). Quite exciting in town. The women dress up like trollops and wear the fancy hats. Beth and Al took off this afternoon in the rental car and Gibbs took the train to Dublin, a ferry to Wales and then a train to Liverpool. Something about work. Now we have a messy, salty boat to clean and boat repairs to face. My daugher, Heather and her family join us August 13 for several days of cruising. The library is closing, I have to finish, but tomorrow I promise to update all and add pictures.
The flag of Ireland is now hanging on our boat!

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Vicki
2012/08/01, Land Ho

We had our first siting of land. Still some water to cover and we might have to anchor out for a bit to wait for high tide. But there it is, land. Did have hard weather yesterday and today, three frontal systems went through, bang, bang, bang. Paul did great this morning steering through winds in the 40 knot range. Got as high as 49, he seemed a little disappointed that it didn't hit 50! Food is stuff I prepared earlier, or catch as you can. In a lull I managed to make banana muffins, which seemed to hit the spot. Things I like about this trip: Nokomis. We have a powerful boat, she can take a lot of wear and tear, certainly more than the people on board. I was never worried about the boat itself getting us there. We have had damage, both the wind vane steering system and the electronic steering systems are caput, hand steering this last day. Radar pivoting holder is breaking, had to tie it up, and the ring to hold up the spinnaker pole came down. We have our work cut out. But the boat itself is great!

Comments [7]

Vicki
2012/07/31, almost there

Sailing the North Atlantic haiku

winds a bit brisk waves chaotic
great boat and great crew
more details later Promise

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Vicki
2012/07/30, eastern Atlantic

Sailing east across the Atlantic, you go through several time zones. It was confusing to us to have to change our times every couple of days. So when we left we changed all our clocks to UTC (or Zulu or Greenwich time). That was much less confusing, plus all the weather data we receive is in UTC time so it was easier to apply the information. My two watch shifts are from 2300 to 0100 and 0700 to 1000. Which meant when we left that I had sunset in the middle of my first watch and sunrise in the middle of my second watch. Now the sun is completely down and it is dark when I get on watch and last night I was able to see the moon for the first time. It left a swath of light coming right up to our boat. And it is completely light when I go for my second watch. Everyone is down below sleeping so it is a very peaceful time. You may have noticed on the map that we have been heading south east the last couple of days. We were warned by the weather forecasters to head that way to avoid a low, a nasty storm. So far, so good, partly cloudy day above and wind at our back. What I like about this trip: I am very surprised, but I have immensely enjoyed blogging. I am not too proud to admit that when we left, I was numb with fear. Writing the blog has helped me organize my thoughts. I like to think about who may be reading this and try to write about what might interest them, making me feel more connected. Doing the 'what I like about this trip' has made me focus, at least once a day on the positives. Because I upload the blog on the satellite phone, I do not get to see the blog itself and have no idea if there are comments. Thank you if there are, I look forward to reading them when in Ireland. I will also be adding photographs so if you are interested you can glance back and check them out.

Comments [3]

Vicki
2012/07/29, eastern Atlantic

When the weather forecasters predicted light and variable winds they were exaggerating. The winds were below two knots for almost 24 hours. The water surface was an oily slick with slow, undulating swells. The dial on our wind indicator was spinning around, back and forth, as if it too was looking for wind. We motored, and were bored silly. Then today, right in the middle of baking peanut butter cookies, the wind picked up to 12 - 15 knots. We are sailing to windward. Try cooking when your kitchen floor varies in tilt from 10 to 25 degrees. Sure glad I have the oven belt! Today is baked ham, carrots and parsnips with baked potatoes and real butter! What a treat. I was going to make biscuits, but that isn't going to happen. 321 nautical miles to Galway.

Paul has capitulated on the 'stinkier than you' contest, threw in the towel so to speak and took a shower. Place your bets now, both Gibbs and Al are confidant they can make it ashore before they shower.

Yesterday evening we had another sperm whale sighting. It was slightly smaller than our boat but came within 15 feet. We think it was a juvenile male and here is why. As it went by there was a big brown discharge. A whale of a poop! (Notice how I kindly noted this after and not before the food part.)

Things that I like about this trip: And Al makes four. He brings previous passage experience, crossing from Hawaii to California. He has also chartered in Maine, Belize and the Caribbean. He is an engineer and brings an analytical mind to problem solving. He's the man for foredeck work in rough water, ready to jump in at the hardest task. But the best part is his storytelling. Al has brought much of the laughter to this group. Plus, he is the one with the eye - most of the whale, shark and dolphins were sited by him. When our hardest weather hit, he was alone up in the cockpit, steering down huge waves. When the bow of the boat submarined under a wave and water went flying horizontally, he thought, I have seen this on extreme videos, but it is not supposed to happen to me! He carried on valiantly until Paul and Gibbs came up.

Comments [1]

Vicki
2012/07/28, eastern Atlantic

The good news is we have sunshine. The bad news is during my 7-10 am watch, the winds clocked from 340 degrees to 85 degrees, in about fifteen minutes! Now the wind is right on the nose. It is light enough and waves are small enough that we can motor in the right direction. But that won't last much longer - waves are building. So we will have to sail close-hauled (bumpy ride) and tack back and forth, almost doubling the distance we have to travel. The other bad news, the spinnaker pole attachment at the top came loose and down came the pole. Luckily, it got caught in some lines and did not hit anybody or damage the boat. No more downwind sailing with a spinnaker, but with winds from the east that wouldn't happen anyway! With any luck the wind will shift soon. 440 nautical miles to Galway.

I bought several jugs of juice that don't need refrigeration until opening, but then we drink it all and don't have to worry about it. A couple of them are very tempting:; Deliciously Red and Deliciously Purple, a delicious combination of fruit and vegetable juices. I haven't figured out what a yumberry is but what we really want to know is what is that fruit called 'etc.'? We came up with some marketing slogans: 'Not that bad', 'May prevent scurvy' and 'Interesting alternative to water'. My question is: are there highly trained nutritionists that develop this recipe they follow, or is it just mix together whatever juice is left at the end of the shift, if it is red, call it Deliciously Red and if it is purple, call it Deliciously Purple? These are the highly intellectual questions we ponder as we cross the Atlantic.

Things I like about this trip: Gibbs, Paul's son is one of our crew members. They work so well together as a team, discussing options, figuring out how to get things done. He also brings a remarkable attitude. I asked him after the storm if he regretted doing this. "No, crossing the Atlantic in a sailboat is an experience of a lifetime and that is just part of the experience." He always participates in all the boat chores and is just a joy to have around. I need more of his positive attitude.

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