Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Crossing the Pond: Bermuda to the Azores






With ample time to think, I've come up with a good way to visualize what our trip is like. However, we're roughing it compared to most sailors we've met, so this may not be the average Trans-Atlantic experience.

Imagine locking yourself in an empty room. You can bring with you two pictures: One of stormy seas, the other depicting a flat, motionless ocean. Also bring a few granola bars into the room.  Now stare at one picture for several hours. When you get tired of it, switch to the other picture. Tired of it? Switch back to the first. Eat a granola bar, then spin in circles 20 times until you're dizzy.  Now stagger around the room, shoulder pressed to wall, leaning at a 45 degree angle so you don't fall over. Now splash yourself in the face with cold water. Let the water soak into the carpet, and take a nap in it. Yay, sailing!

 We averaged 100 mile days for the first 1,200 miles of our voyage. Once again, despite a perfect weather forecast, high winds and rough seas were the norm. We're starting to question the weather man's credentials...this whole "sunny with a chance of clouds" prediction isn't cutting it.

As we pushed further east, we expected to receive calmer weather due to the Azores High, but conditions continued to worsen. Come to find out, we were feeling the distant effects of Hurricane Arthur! While clear of the danger zone, winds still pushed above 30 knots. Never mind Six Flags, we've got our own roller coaster ride.  Amanda nearly drowned by drinking water while the ride was in operation; rookie mistake. 





We encountered several interesting color shifts in the water from electric blue to dark teal for a few hundred miles in the middle of the Atlantic, then back to electric blue near the Azores. Dolphins are EVERYWHERE out here. We even dodged a few turtles!
 


Two hundred miles from the Azores, the ocean turned to glass.  Hot, static air brewed thunderstorms that towered overhead like a parthenon of the gods, majestic and forbidding.  By evening, columns of rain, black with density, poured from the sky.  Bolts of lightning struck the ocean.  Flashes in the clouds illuminated the colossus as it billowed higher.  Never in my life have I felt so small and helpless.





On day 20, we could make out the faint outline of land covered in a salty haze.  As we approached the island of Flores, the wind and swell increased. And increased. And increased.  Once again, we were in the middle of terrible weather, and once again, it was the exact opposite of predicted patterns. Winds around Flores normally blow from the Southwest, so we approached the island from that direction. After 1,700 miles, we were now within 15 miles of the island.  Fifteen miles!  And that's when the wind picked up.  From the Northeast.  For 2 days we hove to and drifted.  For 3 days we fought to make windward progress, only to get pushed back again. Five days and an extra 200 miles of zig-zagging later, we were again within 15 miles of the island. You can bet that we weren't letting it slip away a second time.




18 comments:

  1. Bet you guys walked funny the first few hours on land :-) Didn't realize just how far the Azores stretch from western-most to Eastern-most islands! Still, should be kind of nice to island-hop a bit.

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    1. Ray,

      You're right! Walking funny is describing it mildly. I feel like I'm walking around drunk during an earthquake for the first few hours. Even worse, you get land-sick! We're looking forward to the island hopping, much easier to stay in good weather.

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  2. These pics are amazing!!! I am so glad you are enjoying this adventure of a lifetime!! I love you��

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  3. Are you able to walk upright yet? I would still be crawling! so glad you made it safe to the Azores.

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    1. So nice to hear from you Diana! We are indeed safe, the hardest part is done with. Took a few days to walk straight. How is Edna? How is your garden this year? Hope all is well.

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    2. So nice to hear from you Diana! We are indeed safe, the hardest part is done with. Took a few days to walk straight. How is Edna? How is your garden this year? Hope all is well.

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    3. So nice to hear from you Diana! We are indeed safe, the hardest part is done with. Finally walking straight after a week on land. How is Edna? How is your garden this year? Hope all is well.

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    4. So glad to hear from you. Mother is doing fine-she will be 95 3 months! Garden is overgrown from the rain we have had lately. You would be able to pick cucumbers by just reaching over the fence. And as usual, a pumpkin vine is threatening to take over the entire area.

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  4. Wow . . . I bet it was an incredible feeling to finally see land again. It looks like a beautiful place! How long will you stay there?

    -Katie

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  5. So where are you Lajes das Flores or Santa Cruz das Flores? Will you Island hop or jump for the Med?

    The third leg of your ACrossing (850 nm) should be a whole lot easier, at least until you get within 1-2 days Gib. It usually gets back to rock and roll as you approach Portugal/Spain.

    Saw Imray now has an Itunes app, there stuff on Greece and UK are great. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/imray-nautical/id871142516?mt=8

    Did the Fortune Cookies work out as a break from your two pictures? So where are you Lajes das Flores or Santa Cruz das Flores?

    The third and leg of your Atlantic Crossing (850 nm) should be a whole lot easier, at least until you get within two days Gib. It usually gets back to rock and roll as you approach.

    Saw Imray now has an Itunes app, there stuff on Greece and UK are great. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/imray-nautical/id871142516?mt=8

    Did the Fortune Cookies work out as a break from your two pictures?

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    1. Henry,

      The fortune cookies are hilarious! They were sometimes the only thing to look forward to on rough days. My two favorites thus far are "Fortune favors he who dares" and "He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough". We are anchored in Lajes, although we've toured the entire island over the last week, mostly by foot. Many cruisers here say the same thing--that the next leg is easier. We're not sure if we want to cruise the med yet, we may actually leave Makai docked in Portugal for a few months and backpack through Europe instead...we'll see!

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    2. Yes, our family still talks of our fortune cookie moments. Love your favorites. When Amanda first described your plan my top of mind was its more likely a two year plan due to just how hard it is to keep the boat moving and working. If the calendar is to push back across in late fall, I said I think the Balerics, and Villa Franche should mark a longitude of easting, keeping in mind winter in the Alps happens early and the fronts come with growing rapidity.

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    3. Last thought on your crossing - you know you've been at sea too long when you start trying to remember the melody Borat sang for the Kazhakstan National Anthem. LOL.

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  6. On Flores have you found Paula’s Place? She's a local who speaks terrific English and can make anything you need happen. Hope you do an overnight and stop at Horta. The weather predictions there are excellent.

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    1. Haven't found Paula's Place, do you know what town she's in? We're definitely planning a stop in Horta to do the cruiser-tourist thing. Actually have bad weather rolling in late this week so we'll stay put on Flores until it clears.

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    2. Gee, wondering if its closed Paula Place was a little bar in Lajes. Horta will be a change. Given your had a moment comparing a 6 hour flight vs 25 days underway, as you approach Horta keep know starting in 1939, Pan American Airways stopped to refuel its sea planes in Horta on its NEW routes from the East Coast to Europe:)

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  7. Mike can't seem to post your site. He's following you now that his eye surgery is completed. He sent me this to ask you -" I wanted to ask them - if they were just 15 miles away and the weather turned against them why didn't they start the engine and motor in?" I believe he was wondering if the engine failed, fuel was too low given how many windless days you had at that point? He sends you his best and like all of us at Bennett Brothers, proud and admiring of your adventure.

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    1. Henry, I apologize for the late response on this one. To answer Mike's question, the waves were simply too short in period and wavelength, and high in amplitude, to motor through them. We still had plenty of fuel and the engine is running like a champ, but heading upwind into waves like that would've been nothing but bashing with the majority of motion going up and down instead of forward. Hope Mike is healing up well after eye surgery, miss you guys! While our stay at Bennett Bros was short, we had a blast with you all.

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