Happy New Year

Happy New year to everyone from the sunny Grenadines. Just had 2 days of great sailing in the sun. I'll put up my next blog from Grenada shortly.

Atlantic crossing factfile

From Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verdes to Prickly Bay, Grenada, Windward Islands. Wednesday 5^th December – Friday 21^st December 2012

I can’t possibly give a blow by blow account of the 17 day crossing. Suffice it to say we got on very well; there were no arguments. We got very tired, read a great deal, listened to music, chatted to other cruisers when they passed by and generally speaking the time passed quite quickly.

I didn’t bake as I had planned. It was too hot to stand in the galley, sometimes the motion was too bad for safety. We had plenty to eat without baking goodies.

I have made a list below of pertinent facts. Please feel free to comment if you wish. This was never going to be a fast crossing. Chewsy is a tortoise rather than a hare. What we wanted was a best we can do, safe crossing. That's what we achieved. 

Atlantic Crossing Factfile

Days to cross: 17 days and 1 hour

Fuel on board.  300 litres.  Fuel used 150 litres

Sails used. Main, full, 1^st reef, 2^nd reef. Genoa, small jib size, cruising chute.

Sail plans used. Main and genoa, genoa alone, main and cruising chute. Main and engine. Genoa poled, or not. Chute poled.

Wind directions encountered. N, NE, NW, S, SE, SW, W, E

Water on board. 400 litres in tanks, 15 5 litre bottles drinking water. 19 5 litre bottles with tap water from Tenerife and Mindelo as back up. [needs boiling before use]

Steve:-

Biggest fear – dismasting

Things learnt on trip – how to use a pole efficiently, patience [bless him]

Chris:-

Biggest fear –Steve going overboard

Things learnt on trip – how to use a pole, uphauls, downhauls, how to manage a squall, sail trim. How patient Steve is!

Maximum speed recorded – 8.8kn

Average speed over 17 days - 5.1 knots

Maximum miles recorded over 24 hours – 150 – Day 9 Thursday 13^th  December

Minimum miles recorded over 24 hours – 98 – Day 13 Monday 17^th December

Most sail changes in 24 hours – 13 – Days 1+2 Wed 5^th Thurs 6^th  December

Least sail changes in 24 hours – 1 – Wednesday 19^th December

Learning points

·       Use old sails. They will get wrecked

·       Have plenty of blocks and spare running rigging

·       It’s hard work with 2 people

·       If anything bad is going to happen it will happen at night.

·       There are loads of fish out there but you need heavy tackle to land it in the boat. 60lb line was not heavy enough.

·       Can’t have too much food and water, beer and wine on board. We had a shandy with our dinner most nights. Otherwise we had a dry boat.

·       We had huge first aid kits but could really have done with some witch hazel for my bruises.

Fire, Flood and Explosion

Fire, Flood and Explosion - Friday 14 December 2012 – Day 10 Crossing

When Steve ran sailing courses aboard Chewsy, one of the first items on the agenda was a safety briefing for the new crew. Part of this included a discussion about  the 3 things you really don’t want to happen on a boat, namely a fire, a flood or an explosion. He was always able to say “none of these things have ever happened aboard Chewsy”. Not any more.

We were not having a great day on Friday 14^th December.

The day before we had reached the half way mark in the crossing. Only another 1050 miles to go. The weather was heavy on Thursday with the wind south easterly 6 and 7, though the sea was not as high as we have had previously. There was also constant heavy rain, which was getting both us and the boat very wet. Added to this, we needed to work on the foredeck to take down the pole from the genoa and set it for broad reaching.

The conditions were not really conducive to cooking and eating a planned  celebratory meal washed down with some bubbly, so we settled for a brandy each instead.

I was glad to wake up on Friday morning. The sea is very lumpy and overnight I have acquired lots more bruises to my arms and legs. During the day we saw a freighter, and also spoke by VHF to Olaf from Sweden on a catamaran, who was in the same bit of ocean as us for a while.

In the afternoon we took the pole down again [It had gone up again 21:00 last night] and set up for beam reaching in a southerly 4.

At 10pm we had the engine on as the wind had gone round to WNW 4 [on the nose]. We had taken the genoa down as well. Steve was concerned we had something around the propeller as we were not making our normal 5.5kn at 1600 revs. At times we were only making 3 knots. We looked at all the reasons, rubbish on the prop, barnacles, surface current. None gave a satisfactory answer and it did make us anxious. We were by the chart table sheltering from the horrendous relentless downpour with associated boat roll, debating whether to put up the mainsail, when an alarm went off. We looked at each other in horror unable to recognise it immediately. Steve recognised it first. The bilge alarm! He dragged the carpet away from the steps and opened the bilge hatch. Water, water everywhere sloshing from port to starboard and back again with the roll. The forward bilges were dry suggesting the problem was aft. As Steve went round checking and turning off all the seacocks, I did what he told us to do in the safety brief. I stuck my finger in the water and tasted it. It was fresh water! Hmm. A check of the water tanks showed we had lost no water from there.

The engine bay bilges were full of water. Steve was busy emptying lockers to get at sea cocks. What a mess.

I remembered something else Steve says on his safety brief – that there is nothing more effective at emptying bilges than worried crew with a bucket and sponge. Enter one worried crew with a big bucket and sponge. The bilge alarm is screaming away at about 2 second intervals. Very motivational. My aim was to slow the alarm response time down. This would mean we were winning. We worked separately, Steve trying to find the water source, me getting rid of the water. We also had 2 bilge pumps working as well. I lost count of how many 10 litre buckets of water I emptied down the sink. In between buckets I helped empty the aft cabin bunk. Full of stores for the crossing.  We also emptied the cockpit locker in torrential rain. In here were such things as 5, 25l diesel containers, a black and decker workmate and a dinghy engine.

I decided not to tell Steve that the shower bilge pump had blocked and failed as he couldn’t do anything about it. Part of my brain considered a pan pan might be necessary if the water ingress was not halted. The thought was pushed to one side as the main pump and the woman with the bucket and sponge kept on. Eventually, the alarm slowed and activated perhaps every 10 seconds. Progress. Steve shouted that things should start to improve as he had found the problem. Did he need help? No. Back to the bucket. Eventually the alarm stopped and only sounded every minute and slowly stopped altogether.

We now had time to draw breath. The boat was in a complete shambles. Steve showed me the cause of the problem – 2 washers and a small piece of string. When he had opened the gas locker to check it, he found the gas bottles floating. He had thrust his arm into the locker to find the drain and pulled out the washers and string. The locker then emptied quite quickly.

The locker had filled with rainwater over the past 2 days, which had overflowed into the cockpit locker by a route we haven’t found yet. From there it went via hose cut outs into the engine bay and then to the bilges.

We don’t know where the washers have come from as we don’t use them. They may have been hiding in there for the past 11 years.

However, the boat and we were now safe. As the rain continued to pour down, we began the huge clean up operation. Steve got out our ‘spare’ manual pump, attached it to a long length of hose and pumped out first the cockpit locker then the engine bay, and finally the bilges. They were then sponged dry. Spurred on by relief we continued to restore the boat to normality, finally completing the task at 02:45

The engine had been switched off during the pump out of the engine bay. On restarting it, we realised that the steering had failed. We think this had happened when the steering had been briefly fouled by a can of diesel. We now needed to empty the aft cabin bunk again and then Steve and 2 spanners sorted the problem quite quickly restoring the links to the rudder quadrant.

Time for a hot chocolate and a chat. With hindsight we think the engine problem was caused by a ¼ ton of fresh water in the bilges, as when it was restarted we were back up to cruising revs. We are thankful it was freshwater and not a ruptured sea cock or hull breech. Even though we knew it was fresh water in the bilges, but not tank water, we went through the motions of checking sea cocks as good practice and elimination, in the hope that the real cause would become apparent which it did

Oh yes! When Steve was fixing the steering he found that the rudder stock appears to be leaking. May need a lift out somewhere. He assures me we will not sink!

Thank goodness for the oblivion of sleep.

So whilst we have dealt with a flood on board, it is not a tick box list of 3 and we shall be doing everything we can to prevent the other 2 items on the safety brief list from happening.

From the Captain: P.S. Found the hole in the gas locker, looks like at some time there was another pipe coming out of the top of the locker into the boat. Need to put in a bung or fill hole. It appears that the extremely very heavy rain over 2/3 days had been running into the gas locker from the deck, as it is designed to do, but due to the two gas connector washers tied together with a bit of string blocking the drain the water was exiting into the boat. This had built up in the cockpit locker until it reached a level where it started to flood the rest of the boat.

HAVE WE MENTIONED IT WAS RAINING REALLY , REALLY, REALLY HARD.

I have described the rainfall slightly differently in the log!!   Steve

Cape Verde Islands

We had an uneventful 6 day crossing from Santa Cruz, Tenerife to Palmeira, Sal in the Cape Verdes. We caught our first fish, a small tuna which we promptly ate for dinner that night. I marinaded it in lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and a little chilli and garlic oil for a couple of hours and then baked it in the oven. Delicious. However, I'm still waiting for the next one to try something different.

The cape verdes are very different to the Canaries. They are remote, sparsely populated and have very little vegetation. The people on Sal however, are very friendly, not a bit pushy and appear to be doing the best they can to improve the country and encourage tourism. In Sal we checked in with the port police, down a little back street and then had to get a taxi to the airport to go through immigration. I regarded the taxi ride as a mini island tour. The village of Palmeira was small. They had no running water. Instead you would see youths carting water containers to the Fontenaria in wheelbarrows and then returning home with them full.

After Sal we sailed to Sao Nicolau stopping overnight at Porto De Tarrafal another small village stting with a port attched. We met up with friends Stuart on 'Sea Gypsy' and Johan and Sonia on their Cat 'Like Dolphins' Its good to chat and catch up, exchange experiences, discuss weather reports etc.

Our sail to Sao Vicente was 50 miles. We left at 7am and  it started quiet enough in the lee of the island and we had to motor sail for about an hour. Stuart was about 1/2 hour behind us also making for Mindelo. Leaving the island behind the true wind kicked in and we were glad we had put 2 reefs in before leaving. 2 reefs and a small gib was just right and with wind over tide the sea was big with swell and lumpy with it. I did mention to Steve that if the atlantic crossing was like this I was catching a plane. However, lumpy sea and big bruises aside, we had a really good sail. We took down the main sail before turning down the channel between Mindelo and Sao Antao. This apparently was like a wind funnel. Certainly it remained windy down the channel, into the harbour, and we anchored yet again in over 20 knots of wind just outside the marina. No such thing as a sheltered anchorage down here.
And so here we are. We came into the marina yesterday and filled up with water, fuel, and last minute supermarket shopping.  Later, we are going back into the anchorage as the surge through the marina is very bad. We are moored stern to with a mooring buoy holding the bow into the wind.  It is much more comfortable on the anchor as well as better for the boat.
We have a poor internet connection so although I have lots of photos I can't upload them. Sorry folks.
Again we will be off the scene for a couple of weeks and hope to write more at that time. Bye for now.

Preparing to leave

Last week we took a little sail over to Fuerteventura. We felt as though we had not moved from the east coast of Tenerife for a while [we hadn’t]. The wind looked ok and apparently would go round to the NE for our sail back. We had a good sail over.It was great to be back out on the water. We had brisk wind and were making good time. Chewsy was behaving well. No crew [me] seasickness, but I did eat a lot of biscuits. We left Tenerife about lunchtime. We expected the sail to take about 24 hours, so leaving at about 12:30 meant if we had a quicker trip than expected we would still arrive in the daylight. This is always useful when going into an unknown anchorage, and was a tip passed onto us by Americans Dick and Moira, sailing Equinox, a westerly corsair.

My 7pm night watchcoincided with darkness and crossing the Gran Canarian traffic separationscheme. My head felt as though it was on a swivel there was so much traffic. Istill have problems with light identification though I am getting better.Anyway I was very relieved that I only needed to call Steve a couple of times.Captains need their sleep. We had an uneventful trip over with one reef in themain and the genoa in and out as the wind changed. We ghosted inshore along thesouth east coast of Fuerteventura for a few hours aiming for Gran Tarrajal, whichhad a marina and good anchorage outside. We anchored in 5 metres over sand ataround 10 am. We stayed on board enjoying the rest and watching the activity onthe beach. The only downside was the noise from the resort opposite. There wasconstant noise, music, shouting via loudspeakers, which only stopped after 4am.Good job we were really tired. Anyway next morning we went ashore got bread andmeat and left for a quick genoa run down the coast [all 2.5 miles] to anotheranchorage, much more peaceful, but a bit rolly. Strange how this doesn’t affectme anymore. We did this the next day as well. 2.5 miles down the coast andanother nice anchorage, not as sheltered though.

We left on Sunday to return to Tenerife. However the wind direction and strength had other ideas.Its no fun beating, especially when its not even sunny and warm. A quick look at the chart directed us to Morro Jable, a small marina that recommended booking first. No time to do that!!. As luck would have it a French boat was leaving ? as we were coming in so we had a berth, albeit a short one. What a lovely place, or was it that we were just ready to break our journey. The marina was nothing to write home about but it was friendly, and the village was easily accessible with plenty of shops and bars. 

After a very good nights sleep we left the next morning to return to Santa Cruz and pick up the dinghy engine.The return trip was uneventful, but with inconsistent wind both in speed and direction, and the inevitable traffic separation schemes that always keep you on your toes. The light winds towards Tenerife meant we arrived at the marina in daylight.

After berthing, we set to and scrubbed the whole boat, decks, winches, lines, stainless steel, the lot. The salt needed to be washed off. Can’t imagine what she will be like when we arrive in the Caribbean. After that comes the laundry. By the time we get home it would probably have been more economical to have bought a marine washing machine!!

Laundry still needs doing

The marina now has a different feel about it. It is almost full with boats of all shapes and sizes.Crew are arriving daily with huge rucksacks, sails are up and down, people up the mast checking rigging etc. Sailmakers, and riggers are everywhere. Food deliveries arrive regularly, the diesel tanker arrives and fills up containers on the pontoon. Everywhere there is an air of expectation. Not many boats are leaving just yet though. Within the next couple of weeks they will start filtering out making either straight for the Caribbean, or west to Gomera or El Hierro, or South to the Cape Verdes. Every captain has his own idea, and his own agenda.

                                                                                                                                                                                 As for us, we have had the food delivery, and Steve has been up the mast to check the rig and also put some chaff preventers on the spreaders and parts of the rig. All looks ok.

We needed a few bits and pieces. Home delivery - a smart move

We still have problems getting the weather reports via sat phone. It’s now giving us sleepless nights and is a real worry. Last ditch attempts today including going  asking for help among other cruisers, and maybe ringing mailsail for advice.

After leaving the canaries we may be quiet for a while. We plan to leave for the Cape Verdes within the next week. The weather will dictate when. We do not know what email facilities await us as we travel south and west, but I shall update the blog as and when we are able. 

Thank you to everyone who puts comments on the blog. Its great to get your feedback and your news as well. 

Still in Tenerife

Santa Cruz is a big city by Canarian standards. Its docklands are run by Tenerife Traffic and all harbour movement is sanctioned by them. There are also said to be 4 chandleries in the area. Forget the chandlery in your local marina. The chandleries here are all in the back streets and you need a map to guide you. However, with said map in hand we decided to go and find at least one of them.  We opted to go to the biggest first and work our way through them all if necessary. On our shopping list was a new shackle for the mainsheet and a dinghy engine! We struck gold with the first one, BlancoMar Not only did we get a shackle, and a couple of other bits as well, we were also given the name of a mercury dealer in Santa Cruz. The very helpful assistant Luciano rang them up and informed us of a 3.5hp reconditioned engine in our price range. [we had other choices as well ]. He then offered to take us there when his shift ended. Great. By the end of the day we were in possession of a new engine.  After deliberation we decided to bite the bullet and get the Suzuki engine repaired. We had been given the name of a mechanic further north in the harbour. Several phone calls later saw us in a taxi with said engine [wouldn’t happen in the UK] on the way to the workshop. 

The GRIB files were showing bad weather coming in; high winds and lots of heavy rain. Steve decided that Bahia de Abona would offer us the shelter we needed, so after another trip to the supermarket, off we went. Santa Cruz is a dirty marina. The pontoons are filthy, the black dust invades everywhere and after only 2 days the boat needed scrubbing again.

Back in Abona for Saturday night and we had to share with 8 other boats. Plenty of room though. The French do like to cosy up and always anchor, in my opinion, too close to other boats.  There were 4 catamarans and 5 monohulls.  By Monday morning there were just 3 left. We shared the bay with a small yacht flying a Canadian flag, and a Catamaran flying the Belgium flag. A couple on each boat. Johann on the cat came over for a chat and we discussed the weather. He was expecting 40kn of wind. Our gribs showed similar. Steve put down the 56lb anchor chum as an extra precaution and that sat happily above the sea bed, giving us the equivalent of an extra 15 metres of chain.

The wind started increasing through Tuesday morning and by afternoon, we had stopped all activity and were in the cockpit on standby. In the increasing wind the cockpit tent was being buffeted. It has withstood storms in Troon, so I had no reason to think it would fail here. However, as a precaution, I emptied the cockpit of all the bits and pieces, put the engine key in position and kept a watchful eye on the other 2 boats. Transits remained in place and we were secure on our anchor. The same applied to our companions. The catamaran had put down extra chain and with a wind shift from south westerly to westerly put him too close to the rocks for comfort. He spent 3 hours with his engine on keeping away from the rocks. We found out later that one of his bridle ropes had snapped.

 We had more fun with the dinghy. It flipped twice and we worried that we would lose the oars. Steve dragged it closer and we retrieved them and pulled them into the tent. The dinghy then washed itself up onto the back of the boat and fixed itself to the top of the bathing ladder. Steve quickly secured it with extra lines and that became one less thing to worry about. At 4pm we showed 47kn wind through the anchorage. Our transits remained constant. The wind was howling but out on deck was actually pleasant. It was warm and dry. In one of the lulls, a quick trip outside to check the gear, reassured each other that all boats were in good order. Thumbs up all the way. Another boat dragging their anchor could quickly become everyones problem. We later heard that the Canadian couple registered 57kn that afternoon. The highest I saw was 50kn. The wind eased through the night and, though it was still in the mid to high 20’s, it felt like a breeze. As the heavy rain came in on Wednesday Steve had a new challenge; how to collect rainwater in enough quantities for it to be useful. [practising for in the Caribbean.] He used the cockpit side pieces and funnelled them into buckets and got 20 litres of fresh water. That was after rinsing out the buckets.

Looking back, the days actually all rolled into one, We read, and read, and played scrabble, looked at charts and pilot books, listened to music. We got the sewing machine out one day and made a cover for the new dinghy engine and canvas pockets for the cockpit. When the sea was quiet and it was warm, we went swimming, Steve with the snorkel to check the anchor and me for a bit of exercise. The solar shower felt warm and was welcome to wash hair and get rid of all the salt. In all the 8 days we were there though, the sun only came out on the last day. “Mad Fish” with Russell and Emma and Ethan and Ollie came into the anchorage on Saturday afternoon, and we went over for pre dinner drinks. It was good to catch up. On the Sunday though, it was time to leave.

Once again we were motoring to Santa Cruz in 3kn wind for provisions then off again. The plan is to anchor further north and then, wind permitting to go round Gran Canaria until we can pick up the engine then on to La Palma, La Gomera, and then away, probably to the Cape Verdes by the end of the month.

Hot off the press is the fact that we have refused permission to anchor anywhere on Tenerife, La Palma or Gomera. The Capitano Maritime office is refusing permission for any foreign boats to anchor in its waters. Apparently maritime law will allow them to do this. We will have to take this up with the Cruising Association and also inform Noonsite. Emma off Mad Fish has already informed the RYA

UPDATED Porto Santo to Santa Cruz, Tenerife.

We had a really nice week at Porto Santo. I called it my weeks beach holiday.

The marina is quite small, but well run. The office is a good trek away abut ¼ mile. This is where the wi-fi was accessed from. Toilet and shower facilities were pretty basic. We did not use the laundry facilities, but did like the rest of the boats in the  marina and washed by hand using the bucket method!

We went on the tourist bus around the island, and with many of our pontoon neighbours along as well it was quite a social occasion. It was a good way to pass an afternoon. The driver stopped at viewpoints along the way to allow photo opportunities. At the end of the trip a beer seemed in order!

  

We also went swimming in the sea. Haven’t done that for years. Lots of surf about and big rollers, enough to drive the yachts previously anchored in the bay, into the marina.

The trips to the supermarket were always a trek. The ‘Pingo Docie’ was big and well stocked. It had a good supply of fresh meat and vegetables which came in daily on the ferry from Madeira. The wine and beer was cheap, the quality hit and miss! Steve bought his Madeira wine, but then had to open it to make sure it was ok.

So the week passed in a flash. There were a lot of ARC boats all flying their 2012 flags. Steve had the idea of using our signal flags to fly N A R C. New friends Richard and Rowena on Galena did the same. We became known as the narc boats.

The wind turned southerly which meant most boats stayed put. We were all heading south. By Tuesday Steve was getting stir crazy and needed to be on the move again. We left mid morning with very light NE winds  and motored over to Bai D’abra in Madeira, a mere 30 miles, It was good to get away. You can almost feel the glue holding the boat after being in a marina for a while. We anchored overnight in 7 metres of water. There were another 5 boats there with us. The next day we moved a further 4 miles down the coast, anchoring again, this time outside the harbour at Machico.
 We had no neighbours this time. We were under the flightpath for the airport and they were quite noisy on take off. However, they either stopped at night or I slept through so it can’t have been that bad.

We left Machico 9am on Thursday morning  knowing it would be quiet windwise for a few hours. We had 255 miles ahead of us to Santa Cruz, Tenerife.

En route to Tenerife 11/10/12

We left at 9am under full main and genoa With a NE 4 and a cool 22.5 degrees. We had a good sail with the wind lightening around 15:00. We got the cruising chute ready for flying but then realised the snuffer was coming apart at the top and the lines were twisting. At this point I remarked that I was glad he knew what he was doing as I would not know how to start untangling the cord, sail head, and plastic tube all around and inside the snuffer head which was just gathered and stitched together. How many sailors out there have ever turned the snuffer bag inside out to see how it works? However, Steve grinned and said he had no idea what he was doing either. Either way, a quick  repair soon had us on our way again.  The cruising chute has performed very well since so the problem had probably been developing for a while.

We had a couple of hours of light winds and at around 7pm we put the genoa back up and reefed the main sail for overnight. Reefing the main seems to be common practice among cruisers, especially couples. A slower overnight trip, but safer if the winds pick up. It was a beautiful starlight night with the reward of a few shooting stars.

After breakfast the next morning we were visited by some Spotted Dolphins. We have Mark Carwardine’s “Guide to Whale Watching” on board and covers all the species of dolphins and whales seen in Britain and Europe and has been invaluable for identifying the different types of whales and dolphins seen.

As the NE 3 continued we put the engine on for a few hours battery charging. There had been no sun for 18 hours and not enough wind for the aerogen to do its job.

At 1 o’clock on my watch the light pollution from Tenerife was visible on the horizon. We now had something to focus on. We had seen no ships / boats / canoes etc since we left Madeira. We had full sail up slowly sailing in our NE 3.  At 7am I was back on watch – still dark.  We were approaching the the NE corner of Tenerife. I had been reading the pilot books and scared myself reading about the acceleration zones around the islands. The pictures and tales of 5 knots increasing to 25 knots of wind in 200 yards kept me wide awake. I spent 3 hours worrying. However, nothing happened and we had an uneventful trip down to Santa Cruz. You have to call Tenerife harbour control for permission to enter the harbour, which is a huge area, and then the marina after that. I’m getting quite good as radio operator. Glad I’ve done the VHF course.

We stayed in Santa Cruz for 2 nights; got the laundry done and visited the excellent food market hall, painted a conspicuous bright terracotta colour. This has the added advantage of having a supermarket underneath. We needed a taxi back to the marina.

Leaving Santa Cruz, we travelled south staying close inshore. With a variable 1 wind we motored all the way. The advantage was that we could sightsee the island as we travelled down. Interestingly, the reported SW current became a strong head current of 1 to 1.5 knots which made our journey slower than expected.

  

Steve also tried his hand at some fishing but there were no bites that day.

Our destination was San Miguel Marina, on the SE coast. This was just 10 minutes by taxi from Tenerife South Airport, where Paul and his family were flying into to visit with us for 1 week. The marina is part of the Amarillo Golf complex and as such is no where near towns or other urbanisations. The apartment complexes are huge. The advantage is that there are many restaurants and bars to choose from, 2 minimarkets, that we found, and the usual gift shops. As always in Tenerife there was a large British presence including an Irish Bar.

The marina is exceptionally well sheltered from winds that have any North in them. It was meltingly hot when we arrived. Washing the boat down in 32 degrees is something I just can’t get used to. However, I don’t mind being sprayed with the hosepipe either.

Our visitors arrived Tuesday16th at lunchtime and in typical 10 year old fashion, James wanted to be on the go straight away. That meant a visit to the small beach for a swim, and a paddle for the grown ups!

I’m going to write about our 1 week holiday another time and skip straight to Tuesday 23^rd October the day they left us. After doing 1 load of washing [5 euros] we packed up the boat and headed north towards Santa Cruz leaving at about 14:30. The forecast was a SW 3. When we got out there it was a SSW5 a good genoa run.

After an hour and a half we realised the trailing dinghy was full of water. Hm. The wind was increasing touching on a 6. We tried heaving too to bring the dinghy on board to no avail. After a quick think, we rolled the genoa away and ran under bare poles whilst we retrieved the dinghy. With lifejackets on [I’m the health and safety officer] we went to the back of the boat and pulled the dinghy along side. We had previously put the painter on the winch and wound it in as close as we could. After tipping out the water it was a relatively easy task to haul the boat out and on to the aft deck. We won’t be trailing the dinghy again in a following sea. Climbing back into the cockpit we were amazed to see we were doing 4 knots under bare poles.

The wind was increasing steadily, and we decided to round the headland and anchor overnight in Bai d'Abona. A bottom of sand meant that the 60LB CQR dug in nicely and we were going nowhere. Just as well really as there were 4 other boats in the anchorage before us so we were not as tucked in as we would have liked. We still had 25knots of wind over the bow but the sea was flatter and the wind in the bay was better than along the coast. Overnight the wind died away and we left the next morning for a 20 mile motor into Santa Cruz!

In Santa Cruz we were on a mission; to source a new bigger dinghy engine, to repair the 2.5 Suzuki, to get shopping from the Carrefour supermarket, and to sort out the sat phone.

It all began with a locking turn in the Furling drum..........

Povoa de Varzim to Porto Santo. 27^th September to 2^nd October

It all began with a locking turn in the Furling drum………………….warning, this account may make you seasick or start to exude sympathy.

After waiting for 2 weeks for favourable winds to sail direct to Porto Santo 615 miles away [25 miles N of Madeira] we slipped from our berth at 10:15 on Thursday morning 27^th September. There was no rush as we knew we had to motor for a few hours till the wind kicked in which it did 2 hours later. We had a great genoa run under full sail. 8 hours later, at 10pm as we changed watch and with a brisk Northerly 5 blowing, Steve decided to roll some genoa away for overnight. At no. 3 genoa size the furling line fell in on itself inside the drum and jammed tight. With a dark night and a rough sea there was nothing to do until daylight.

Day 2 Friday September 28th

With a very rocky rolly boat down below my sea sickness came back. A combination of tension, tiredness, and lack of food we think. At 7:30 as daylight was just breaking Steve went forward onto the bow to try and untangle the furling line in the drum. No way was that going to happen and a perfectly good screwdriver pinged overboard almost immediately. We then prepared to take the genoa down and replace it with the storm jib as the wind was now well into a Force 6 with apparent wind at 25kn. As we turned and motored into the wind to lower the sail it was blowing 32 knots with a 4 metre swell. Steve was on the bow of the boat, clipped on with 2 tethers, completely engulfed by the huge sail. The boat was all over the place with the combination of wind, sea state and me at the helm! Steve managed to get the sail down and keep it all on the boat, though the bolt rope jammed in the foil about 8 foot from the head of the sail. Turning and motoring back down wind allowed us to get the remainder of the sail down, though the bolt rope was ripped in the process. Once down we had to bundle it up and move it off the foredeck back to just in front of the sprayhood so we could hoist the storm jib using the spare genoa halyard and genoa sheets. All this before 10:30.

Once this was done everything settled down a bit. The boat was sailing happily at 6 knots. This with a storm jib of 7.5 sq metres which is a smaller area than some windsurfer sails. Steve now demanded his breakfast!! However he had to get it himself [remember the seasick galley slave was out of commission] The sea and wind built all day and at 19:30 with 38kn of wind on the stern and a 6 metre swell, we went below, closed all the hatches and left the boat in the capable hands of George the autopilot. Throughout the night we periodically had a quick look around, but it appeared we were the only ones in this bit of the Atlantic. [Mind you it is difficult to see anything at the bottom of a 6 metre wave.]

Day 3 Saturday 29th September .

After a good nights sleep, [everything is relative] things looked a little better this morning. We appear to be gradually sorting all the knocks, bangs and rattles out. Thank goodness for bubblewrap, t-towels, and napkins. The sea and wind had quietened a little and Steve went up on the foredeck to try and untangle the furling line. He was there an hour, was successful but a little grey when he came back to the cockpit. We had the means now to use the genoa again. Unfortunately, with 22 knots of wind right on the stern it was too windy to put it up again. We were doing 4-5knots under storm jib and it was so frustrating that we had the wind we wanted and no sail to do the job.

Feeling better today this afternoon, I put together a beef and mushroom casserole for dinner. We tried and failed several times to get a weather forecast from our new sat phone and grib files. Abandoning this we used a new tactic and called up a passing tanker on the radio at 17:30. We had last seen “Atlantic Hope” in Coruna. We could imagine the radio operator running round for permission to respond to us. A very nicely spoken guy replied to us and acknowledged our request for a weather forecast. The forecast given for the area just south of where we were was for wind Force 5-6 with the sea rough to very rough, decreasing moderate to rough. We thanked them and they continued on their way passing us within ½ mile.

Tanker Atlantic Hope helped us with a weather forecast

Day 4 Sunday 30/9/12

Up before daylight  with a plan to put up the mainsail with 2 reefs in. I was struggling to keep the boat turned into the wind while the sail went up and was very relieved to pull in the mainsheet. The next few minutes are a blur, but suffice it to say that I gybed the main sail. In the total utter panic that overtook me I then took it back. A double whammy. [Not my finest hour]. The shackle on the mainsheet traveller sheared and became a flying missile. Whilst taming the wild boom Steve fell hurting his back and lower ribs with a glancing blow on his head. I was lashed by rope but nothing worse than bruises to either of us thank goodness. A very tense half hour followed. I was devastated and not much use, not that I trusted myself to do anything at that time. Steve dropped the mainsail, scandalised the boom and then tied it down to the aft cleats. He then went for a lie down complaining he was a bit poorly. I was left on watch. At about 10:15 Steve came up on deck and noticed the wheel was not turning. I had been facing forwards watching Steve, the sail and the chart plotter. Our course was still good but the steering had failed. We then had to empty the aft cabin as the steering gear is under the bunk. We had the prospect of rigging emergency steering in the aft cabin and then removing the binnacle in the cockpit to check the linkages. Fortunately when Steve looked at the steering cables under the bunk he found they had worked loose and fallen off the rudder quadrant. Job done in 45 minutes. Good job George is connected straight onto the rudder quadrant!!

Flush with success we decided to have an early lunch. We were having more beef casserole with added tinned veg. As I turned the tin opener one of the cogs sheared. A moment of disbelief followed.  Fortunately we had a spare! Over lunch we chatted and tried to formulate a new plan. We could not make more than 4knots in 18kn wind. We needed the mainsail up and out secured with a preventer. Steve jury rigged the traveller using cord and we got the main up with 2 reefs as planned. We took the storm jib down acknowledging what a good job it had done. Unbelievably we were still only making between 4-5 knots.

Steve was beginning to get stiff and sore and went to bed about 10pm. We had seen no ships all day. I set my minute minder for 1 hour and lay down. An hour later it went off. I got up had a look around. Nil to see. Back to bed. An hour later same procedure, and again and again. I was getting tired but Steve was fast asleep. Eventually I forgot to reset the timer and slept for 3 hours. Steve got up next. No change and no boats seen. Monday morning dawned.

Day 5 Monday 1^st October.

We ran the engine to charge batteries this morning. The confused sea meant the wind generator was struggling to run and there had been no sun for a couple of days either so the solar panel was not giving enough power either. However the upside was with hot water we could have showers. Now ladies, I want you to imagine this. Having a shower in a moving boat is a bit like a shower on a 4 way randomly moving escalator; up and down and back and forwards. Add to this needing 1 hand to hold on to a grab rail and 1 to get the shampoo out of the bottle. All the while being aware not  to use too much water and to remember to switch on the drain pump so as not to flood the boat.  Hmm, you see it may be a little problematic at times. However, nothing beats the feeling of mastering all the obstacles and ending up feeling clean and fresh after all that salt.

Things started getting better on Monday. We managed to get the genoa off the foredeck, roll it along the length of the boat, hoist it back up and roll it away. Steve threaded the sail through the groove and I winched it up the forestay. [This was my Monday afternoon gym session] Steve found the problem with the furling line and moved the nearest guide to the bow lower down and now the line runs well. We shook a reef out of the mainsail as the wind was lightening. The winds remained too light to fill either sail. We ran under main doing only 4 kn. The wind could not be more on the stern.

We were visited by a large pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins. Unfortunately we were not travelling fast enough to interest them for long and they swam by.

Day 6 Tuesday 2^nd October.

Up at 7am to gybe the boat onto the other tack. Wind less than 10 knots on the stern. Freshly baked scones , yoghurt and coffee for breakfast. We attempted to get the genoa out but not enough wind to set it so rolled it away again immediately.

We made the decision to start the engine which would mean entering Porto Santo in daylight this evening rather than during the night. It was a good feeling to get sight of land and as the sun came out for the first time in 5 days we sat on the foredeck and absorbed some vitamin D. We entered Porto Santo Harbour at 17:15 and within ½ hour were tied up to a mooring buoy and enjoying a well deserved beer. On Wednesday morning we moved to a marina berth and began the process of washing 6 days salt off the boat. She scrubs up rather well. Well done Chewsy. Well done us! 

Our journey continues 26th September

Today we paid the berthing fees for our 2 week stay here at Povoa de Varzim. Its ironic that it was cheaper to pay for a month than pay for 14 nights.

The weather appears to be a little more settled and we have seen the sun for the first time since Friday. We plan to be on our way tomorrow morning. The cockpit tent has come down and the supermarket and local stores have been visited several times. The rucksacks have been invaluable and I’m sure will continue to be so. The interior of the boat has been repacked again for the crossing to Madeira. As items are used it upsets the packing order as it leaves a space. Repacking stops the horrible noise of banging items in a locker or box. Ideally everything should fit tightly in the cupboard, locker or box. Conscious of the fact that wine is difficult to get in the Caribbean we had to get a selection to replace the bottles we have already drunk. To fill the gaps in the storage. [See, you’re getting the idea!]

                                                                                                                                                                                      The bananas I bought last week when I thought we were leaving were bright green when they were hung up. Today they are over ripe and I had to make another banana and raisin loaf [what a shame!] I also made a batch of scone mix for in the fridge so they can be made up freshly whilst sailing.

The fruit and veg here is relatively inexpensive and has never seen the inside of a fridge. However it does not last long in the heat. I have stocked up with apples, bananas, peaches and oranges. I do have to remember though that there are only 2 of us and not a full boat.

For the journey breakfast will consist of fruit and yoghurt with bread and jam, lunch will probably be cold meat sandwiches, crisps and cake. I expect to be using part baked rolls or Brioche for the latter part of the trip. I may even be persuaded to try my hand at baking some bread.

Our main meals will consist of fresh beef casserole, beef hotpot, salmon in lime and chilli sauce with potatoes, tuna pasta bake, fresh ravioli, and Potato carbonara. Hopefully by the evening of day 7 we will be in Porto Santo and I’ll get treated to a meal out!

We also have a huge supply of essential goodies, chocolate, biscuits, sweets, fruit, crisps, which all help to see us through our watches.

We plan to leave tomorrow morning around 9am [very civilised] The engine checks are done, the water and diesel tanks are filled. The rigging has been checked whilst we have been here, both from ground level and from up the mast. Mesh hatch screens have been made to repel insects, and the satellite phone works. Also downloaded more books onto the Kindles.  We are as ready as we can be.

Tomorrow the weather is forecast  to be NE 3 backing NW 4-5 so we should be able to make good time when the NW kicks in. For the next week or so there will be no blog update but we shall be back as soon as possible with more tales from the Atlantic.

Tropical storm delays departure

Unfortunately our departure from Povoa de Vazim has been delayed by reports of Hurricane Gordon travelling east, and changing to a tropical storm, coming across the Atlantic towards the coast of Portugal. We received this information from Steve in the med and it was identified on this mornings grib files. It looks particularly nasty and we won't be going anywhere for a while. It looks to be set to hit this coast on Sunday.
On a slightly different note our SSB radio appears to have given up working and we are now looking for other means of communications for our travels, particularly for getting weather reports.
Update : just ordered a Iridium 9555 Sat Phone complete with airtime.
Ouch !!! Ordered from Global Tele Sat. Used this company when we bought our SPOT and they were very good. At least Steve can get his weather grib files now.

Good bye Spain, Hello Portugal

Over the last week we have continued our way south. Our last port of call in Spain was Baiona [Bayona] which was only 25 miles from Combarro our previous stop. We pretty much motored all the way although not for lack of trying to sail.

 The marina we chose to enter in Baiona was Puerto Deportivo de Baiona. After calling them on the radio, a staff member came out to meet us in a rib and escorted us in. They then proceeded to explain to Steve how to berth the boat.  Formalities were completed and the paperwork returned to its safe place. Baiona is a fabulous old city from a historical point of view. We spent a full morning wandering around the old fort which stands proudly at the entrance to the city.

After that it was the usual scout around to find a supermarket for bread, milk and other essentials. Today that meant steak for Steve!

Facilities in this marina were quite basic, portacabin loos and showers, but at least everything was spotless with not a spider to be seen. We had been warned that laundry would cost 12 euros so I didn’t even go looking for the washing machines.  No hairdryers either. No hosepipes, and we didn’t have an electric cable that would fit the marina supply.  So I guess we paid our 33 euros for the use of a pontoon and a couple of cleats. The night after, we dropped out of the marina and anchored with some other 10 or so boats and found we got better internet reception than on the pontoon.

On Thursday 13^th September we were up early and left Baiona at 08:15. We were not the first out of the anchorage. In the bay there was little wind E 1-2,  and we put up full main sail and motored out of the Ria in the hope that there would be more wind later. By 9am we had N 4-5 and had full main and full genoa out. We were gybing down the coast escorted by Common Dolphins surfing on our bow waves. We put on the boom preventer and poled out the genoa, first time for years that the pole has been used.  

As we crossed into Portugese waters Steve went out and changed the courtesy flag. He finds it hard to sit still for a minute. It’s quite wearing. After lunch the wind strengthened to 30 knots and with a boat speed of 9.4 knots it was time to turn the boat into the wind and drop the main sail.  Not the most pleasant of jobs. Dumping the main sail and removing the pole from the genoa made Chewsy much more manageable and we enjoyed a great down wind sail. Not as fast as before but much more enjoyable. We were able to sit on the foredeck in the sunshine enjoying the antics of the dolphins.

We arrived at Povoa de Varzim marina at about 16:30. The marina were very prompt at answering our radio call and again we had a boat boy meet us on a pontoon and wave us in. As it was very windy when we arrived, Steve again was given instruction on how to park the boat.  Who knows, he may be able to berth against a finger pontoon without instruction one day!

This marina [we have been here 4 days now] is very different to the Spanish marinas. It looks as though it has been hit by the recession. The buildings are very nice, but they are mainly empty. Showers, laundry, toilets, yacht club all very good. The staff are great. However there is an air of desolation about the whole place. Lots of boats appear to have come here to die.

On the positive side, we managed to negotiate the new metro tram line on Friday taking a day trip into Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. It was 5.80 euros each for a return trip of 50 miles. In Porto we fried in the blistering heat in an open air tourist bus. We got a little respite when we left the bus and took a port wine tour at Crofts. The port was excellent although we resisted the urge to buy some. Back on the bus we toured some of the oldest and most famous of Porto’s landmarks. Our return journey back to the boat was uneventful, though we were well ready for a sit under the bimini.

The weekend has been spent catching up on a few jobs which had been started before we left but not completed. Its easier to finish the jobs in situ sometimes. Steve completed the new mesh washboards so that we can keep the bugs out and let the air into the boat.

Up the mast in thick fog

 He has been back up the mast to repair the tri colour, and we have finished the canvas skirt to attach to the bimini to give more shade.

In between these jobs Steve had a lesson in GRIB files from a boating neighbour. He now has grib files both on his phone and on the laptop, interfacing with the C-map charts.  He is now very happy and even more obsessed with weather charts.

Steve 

Lack of wind and forcasted wind is becoming a big problem. It looks as though we will have to leave and sail slowly down the Portugese coast looking for wind. If non arrives it will be a long drift in the direction of the canaries. I think we will go shopping tomorrow and also fill up the water and diesel tanks in preparation. 

Cruising Spain

Cruising the coast of Spain has been quite frustrating. The wind has been very variable or non existant in some areas. Cruisers we have met have reported the same. Everyone seems to be burning more diesel this year

On the upside we have visited a couple of very nice marinas, though Spanish ideas of secure marinas and our ideas are worlds apart. Portosin marina advertised it was secure enough to leave your boat and go exploring the Galicia region. However, when we asked how to get back in through the locked gates we were told to put our arm through the gate and press the button. Yep it worked [for everybody]. There did not appear to be any problems with theft though. It does however make you more vigilant about leaving the boat secure. For example we now have padlock on the cockpit locker and a lock around the outboard. These will not deter a persistant intruder, but hopefully protect against an opportunistic one. 

Our next stop through the rias was at a beautiful historic town of Combarro. A really nice friendly marina. We decided to visit Santiago de Compostella from here by bus after being assured it was 'easy'. 

The bus stops by the supermarket . 1st mistake. It stopped 200 yards further up the road. It comes every 45 minutes; 2nd problem. No times. 1 hour later we get on the bus. Miss the next connection by 5 mins. 3 hours later we arrive at Santiago. We might have been better walking, though Steve wasn't up for that.

After that things were great. The bus driver made a special stop for us near the Cathedral and many passengers were full of advice about our visit. Pity we understood about 1 word in a hundred. They speak very fast!

Cathedral at Santiago de Compostella

Some of the National Park areas we passed on the way down to Baiona. You need a permit to anchor there and another permit to go ashore. Maybe next time.

Last night we came into Baiona after a short 25 mile motor with about a 10 minute sail in the middle. We visited cruising couple Helen and Ian who set out from Australia in 2005 and who are doing the ARC in November. We had a lovely evening. We also met Emma and her husband and 2 boys who crossed Biscay the week before us and almost ran out of diesel on the way over. They are doing the Atlantic circuit as well and plan to be in Grenada for Christmas so we may see more of them. They are also crossing with the ARC. Would like to meet people crossing but not with the arc. I think we should have a different flag to identify ourselves.

The boat is in good order. All systems are working although the anchor chain has slipped on the gypsy a couple of times. Yesterday Steves thumb got trapped in there which has made a bit of a mess of it. Nothing broken. Fortunately he did not bleed on the deck!! That did make me reassess where we keep the first aid bags, when a plaster is not enough. 

Anyway, the sun is shining and a day exploring the town is ahead of us. Tonight we will drop out of the marina and go and anchor. Marina fees are relatively high. Here it is 33 euros, one of the cheapest yet. Tomorrow we are expecting a northerly wind and hope to make good use of it to get down to Portugal. 

It is beautiful in this area of Spain and we could have quite happily spent a summer season just pottering in the Rias. Maybe another time.