Transatlantic: Day 16

We are moving! Our old record of 80’s got shattered and we almost made it into the 100s club. After almost a week of sitting, we are now scooting along covering 90 nautical miles in a 24 hour period.

One of the cooler parts of crossing an ocean is you get to see magical sunrises and sunsets. When I’m on land, I try and avoid watching the sunrise, as this means I had to get up that early. On watch, sunrise signifies that you are soon finishing your watch and will get some sleep in a moment!

In the Westerlies, you will also need to keep an eye out for cloud formations that are going to warn you of upcoming weather far better than any Weather Fax would. 

This cloud is warning us that there is instability in the air around us and squalls can be upon us overnight.  

It pays to keep a weather eye on the clouds as changes in their shape can tell you how to prepare your sailplan before it strikes! 

Transatlantic: Day 15

The winds have arrived!

If someone tries to fear-monger you into getting a giant and expensive diesel motor for your sailboat because they tell you that you will "DIE” in the doldrums from running out of food or water, don’t listen to them.

Sailboats have made their way through the doldrums for millennia without a diesel motor. All you need are the right kind of sails! We have nylon (spinnaker material) sails for just this purpose. We have a drifter and a light air mainsail which give us a full suit of sails for these windless regions of the world.

The best way to get out of the doldrums is to sail straight through them in the Gulf Stream. The current will keep pushing you along and you will make it through this region in about a day.

If you are like us and wandered too far from the stream, you are going to spend some more time in this region of the Earth. We spent a grand total of 4 days crossing the doldrums. Once we were on the Northern border of it, the Westerlies (winds that consistently blow from the West) popped up and began carrying us along.

We were going downwind, and the mainsail kept fighting the windvane with weather helm. It also stole clean air from the jib, making it really annoying to us.

With the sail lowered all the way, the boom would shimmy and scoot around, making a really annoying noise and chaffing on the canopy.

Our solution was to lower the topping lift and let the boom rest on the bimini. The friction of the boom on the rails held everything still and made for some peaceful times in the cockpit. The jib filled with clean air and produced lee helm that the windvane loved for our course.

To make this moment even more special, we got a great sunset to match our moods as night befell us!

We were once again on the move!

Transatlantic: Day 14

Today, we moved a little faster, averaging just over 1 knot for the day! We covered a grand total of 37 nautical miles in this 24 hour period!

Light air sails carried us through the Doldrums, as there is no option for us to motor through these waters. The clear skies and calm waters let our last functioning solar panels keep everything charged up and running.

Transatlantic: Day 13

Doldrums: No wind today, no wind tomorrow, no wind anywhere.

In 24 hours, we sailed a grand total of 17.8 nautical miles. That translates into an average of 0.74 knots.

There is no wind out here, and then a squall will come up on you. This gives you a significant push (or so you think) until it passes and you realize that you have only sailed a few feet from where you once were.

We fly our light air sails and slowly make our way through this windless region of the Earth.

Transatlantic: Day 12

We are making our way North East, but at a very slow pace.

Yes, we are in the 1020 line, yes we are heading in the same direction as the wind on the charts, yes there is supposed to be 20 knots of wind.

Our friends on shore see that we are not moving and message us to check and see if everything is ok. Why else would we be moving at less than 2 knots in 20 knots of following wind? Well, the answer is simple, there was no wind!

We are heading North and trying to make our way through the doldrums without the aid of the Gulf Stream to carry us through these windless days.