Transatlantic: Azores to Portugal: Day 2 [Day 50]

Our first day out, we made it 64 nautical miles before noon. I don’t like to factor my speed on the first day because I wasn’t always sailing since noon! We usually leave a harbor when the winds are right and not when the clock says “GO!” so the first day is never a 24 hour run.

The first day also had some added drama. As we left the harbor, we noticed that the steering was acting funny. We could turn to port well but not quickly to starboard. Eventually, the helm would be hard over and we were no longer able to turn into downwind. We thought it was weatherhelm, but the helm was very light. Eventually, we were unable to fight the slight weatherhelm we had and were forced to tack. Then, with time, the helm would gradually switch and we would no longer be able to turn to port and only to starboard. The mystery was baffling until my imagination began to wonder (a dangerous thing).

I knew the rudder was still attached to the boat because we still had some steerage, but the fact that it was switching sides made me think that the rudder was slowly slipping around the rudder post. This can occur when the welds to the frame inside the rudder corrodes and the only thing keeping the rudder in position is the friction of the fiberglass of the rudder onto the stainless steel rudder post. This kind of slippage will eventually wear out and the rudder will begin to swing uncontrollably around giving us no steerage.

We made the discovery just after making our way out of the narrow and complicated breakwater in Angra do Heroismo. With questionable steerage, we would not be able to safely sail through the breakwater again, so our only choice was to keep going and head to Portugal, 1,200 nautical miles away without a rudder!

My mind was rushing and I was coming up with solutions to give us steerage. If the rudder was broken, the emergency tiller would be worthless since the connection to the rudder was the failure. We could drag a line on a yoke behind the boat to keep the stern pointed where we want it, steering with winches that pull the line more to the starboard or port side of the stern. We could also rig up the sculling oar and use it as an emergency rudder.

Then I thought, “let me check the rudder quadrant”, what if the key slipped out? I put my fingers on the rudder quadrant and post and felt the key way but no key! The key slipped out and the rudder quadrant was slipping around the rudder post, which was making the rudder slip relative to the helm. Thankfully, the key was right next to the post sitting in the bilge and repairs could be completed.

We lowered the mainsail and ran under just the staysail. This took out any helm and allowed the boat to sail straight through the water down wind with the rudder trailing. I loosened the bolts to the quadrant and Maddie turned the helm port or starboard according to my yelled directions until she got the quadrant lined up perfectly with the key slot on the rudder post. With them all lined up, I slipped the key into the keyway and we once again had steerage! I then adjusted the quadrant height so that the cables would not rub oddly on the bronze and tightened everything down. We left Terceira with sadness since we really didn’t want to leave, and almost had to turn around because of mechanical problems, but these problems precluded us from being able to return! Away we sailed until the repairs were carried out and then we officially left the archipelago.

We continued our Northward journey, making 99 miles from noon to noon. If we tried to sail straight towards Portugal, we would come into a totally calm section, followed by winds that still look advantageous, but the guarantee that they would still be present in a few weeks is a risky bet!

On such a long voyage as this, there is no real point in fighting the winds for just a few more degrees of course to windward. We only sail on a beam to broad reach. If the wind is slightly forward of our beam, we just fall off until it is at our beam. Eventually, the winds will shift and we will makeup those lost degrees. Sailing off the wind is much more comfortable than beating, and on a long passage, what difference does it make? If you have to sail 20 days, what’s one extra day? Would you rather have 20 horrible days or 21 comfortable days?

Transatlantic: Azores to Portugal: Day 1 [Day 49]

Ten months have passed since we slipped through the breakwater and tied up at Angra do Heroismo. Now, we finally slipped out through the same breakwater and made our way North. Our goal is to sail way North to go around the Azores High that is parked right between the Azores and Portugal.

We are heading from the little islands out in the middle of the ocean and heading towards the top of Portugal. While it looks like we could sail easily on a beam reach all the way across, the route is not that simple. If we were to risk this route, we run into a few problems.

The high can generate some very calm conditions. This is not normally an issue, but the current combined with becalmed conditions means that we would be carried South every day without any means of combating this. Along the coast of Portugal, the Portuguese Trade Winds blow strongly and straight out of the North. This means that if we drift South, we will have to sail upwind and up current to make it to our destination!

To be safe, our route is very North so that we can drift down onto our destination with the wind and current. This was explicitly done to avoid the common story we hear of people sailing to Lisbon. They have a great calm sail/motor all the way there and then spend the last few days (when they enter the trade winds and current) beating into 25 knots of wind with high waves! To counteract the current, they need to turn North a little. This means that beam wind becomes ‘forward’ of the beam wind, which means beating. Suddenly, a pleasant cruise ends with a horrible nightmare! We are preparing for these powerful winds and current, but it will be a run or broad reach for us!

With our obscenely long route planned, we were setting out to sail 1,200 nautical miles to travel 800 nautical miles East. As you can see from the screenshot of Navionics, we held close to the plan, but sailed to the wind and not to the course.

All About Rudders

Rudders are what separate a yacht from a barge. Having the ability to steer a course and move in an intentional direction is wildly important! This video explains the ins and outs of rudders along with their styles.

As with everything on a boat, the rudder is a mash-up of compromise. The strengths and weaknesses of each design are discussed, as well as an explanation of the target sailor who will appreciate the characteristics of each of these rudders.

Azores to Portugal: Day 9

High latitude Cruising is famous for bringing you sights few see. Why don’t many see these sights? Because it’s cold and rains all the time!

When we sailed to the Azores in 2018, it was warm and sunny. By day we would wear short sleeves and on night watch, a simple jacket was plenty to keep warm. We were sailing below latitude 40N. 

In 2019 when we left the Azores, we headed straight north to go around the eastern limit of the Azores High. This has taken us as far north as Latitude 46N. By day, it will be 61F, by night 50F. 

To make it even worse, you never see the sun because of all the cloud cover. All this cloud cover leads to perpetual rain!

Cold and rainy. That pretty much sums up our experience with higher latitude cruising in June.

Azores to Portugal: Day 8

We are making progress! The winds are out of the ESE once again and we are rocketing north on a beam reach! We are about a hundred miles from our first waypoint and that is making Maddie feel better about progress. 

I view the journey as 1/3 complete because we have 3 turns to make. Maddie views the journey as 1/2 complete because of the number of miles covered and miles remaining. 

It’s interesting how both of these perspectives are correct and yet paint very different pictures about the situation.