03 Aug 2008 : Relaxing in Spain
By : Stephane
Good afternoon all of you!
Just a quick up to date.
Like some of you know, I'm Anchor at "La linea" since almost 2 weeks.
Life is now more relaxing, fixing the boat slowly but mostly having cocktail with all other boaters around. It's really nice, because all boat here go to remote location. Some toward South America, others in Pentagonia, south Africa etc ... All blue water sailor. Like usual Joshua is the smallest boat in the harbor and attract lot of attention with is Canadian Flag.
Most of the people have problem to believe I did the crossing in "that" (Like they say and really pis@#$#@ me off). It always nice to had that I don't have engine and fancy electronic ..It close the conversation quite fast normally ;)
I'm slowly looking for a job around, I would like to make a little bit of money to have a sweep for the boat, and a really light genoa for the med. Like everybody is telling me the med is no wind or too much wind ... So better being prepare to drift around!.
It's interesting to see the difference of cruising sailboat. Here is the aluminum that are everywhere, all flat bottom with a swing keel with a wide beam. Joshua is the only classic line that I have seen since a while.
I will put pictures online soon.
Take care everybody & Have fun!
27 Jul 2008 : Gibraltar!
By : Stephane
Hi everybody,
just a quick message for now.
I am now at Gibraltar, after mainly drift to here (And I really mean drifting 3/4 of the way with the current). Gibraltar is a nice place, Catherine arrived yesterday and I have meet some nice people on the anchorage. I am thinking staying here for a month or 2, fixing joshua and working a bit for making some Euro. Lots of work here.
Will send a more detail message soon.
Take care all & HAve fun!
21 Jul 2008 : The wet passage! :)
By : Stephane
Good morning everybody!
Hope you are all doing well!
So here I am in mainland Europe after a quite interesting and challenging crossing. Got my first knock down that was funny! If you think 20 degrees of inclination is bad on your boat, try 90 you will see 20 was not that bad ;)
Like usual, here is the fast version of the crossing.
1)Left Horta around 10am, nice SW breeze, I decided to head between 2 islands (Pico and St-Jorge) thinking the view will be nice, even if Anibal told me to not do that(I've paid the price!). As soon I was in the lee of Pico, the wind get crazy! Upwind 15 knots, downwind 5 knots, becalmed and back Upwind, All that in less then 5 minutes all day!! Wind driving me crazy! Another French boat is there try to sail too, nice to see another person trying to sail and not motor even if the condition are not right! We both struggle all day to do 20 miles. At 3 miles of the anchorage before the night, the French came close and ask me to throw them a line for a tow to the Anchorage. Well why not! I will getting spoil with all those tow ;) Anchor at st-Jorge for the night.
2)Try to left this morning, but no wind at all. Seeing another sailboat farther who is sailing, I decided to try to get out of here and reach those wind. Moving the Tiller back and forth like crazy to make Joshua going forward and reach those wind. Nice wind for 1 hours, then back to the same scenario then yesterday! At the end of the day when we've pass Pico, steady wind found from the SW again, Nice!! 85 miles
3)Sailing downwind, pole on the Genoa. The bread I've bought in Horta is already all moldy. I was going to throw it overboard, when it slip from my hand and the whole thing fell (Even the plastic). Plastic overboard! All hand on deck! Removal of the pole and round upwind, try to locate that lost crew again! Found and rescue it, taking care of throwing just the content again ;) That was fun! Better take 10 minutes to go search it, then let it drift for years in the ocean that, just to make it remember, is not a garbage dump ;). Wind shifting NE, upwind. 107 miles
4)Upwind, nothing special. All my fruit bought in Horta before the departure is getting moldy. Already losing everything that was fresh in not even a week! Read the book Dune (Again) Found a quotation that I like :
"Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecule in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who survive" Frank Herbert. 98 miles
5)Still upwind, When I was putting more sail up, a wave move the boat different and my glasses hit the mast and fall overboard! Great! I have my high school glasses, all round. Look like a teenager again, just need more pimples! 103 miles
6) Hard on the wind, wind shift a little bit more north so I can head toward the goal again ... but still hard on the wind! Make a good meal on the stove, with that 20 and sometime 40 degrees it's quite some extreme sport. Knee again the bulkhead and foot on the side of the stove, trying to stay steady for cooking. Quite funny in a way. You should see when it's time to use the toilet ;) If I reduce sail i don't head enough North, and the pilot chart only show head wind later so if I don't stay hard on the wind, I will finish hard on the wind and against current later anyway! 106 miles
7)Changed the cable of the windvane, was looking to chafe too much, install a flexible SST wire instead. Open a bottle of wine and watch a movie having a good time. The log book was : "Wine, movie, having a good time upwind. Lat/Lon : I don't care around 100 miles I guess"
8)SST wires of the windvane broke down. Install U-Clamp and make it work again. 117 miles
9)Barometer falling, wind from the north and increasing. Quite some nice wave sometime, but steep and short. If I head more in it to face them, half of Joshua is in the air when it pass it and I don't tell you the sound when it fall down on the water again. If I was having any doubt how good the boat was, well I don't have some anymore! Some waves filled the cockpit of water, I needed to clean it anyway. Got a nice knockdown before the night, What a better feeling then waking up on the wall cover with books. But I need to say that angle was more comfortable for sleeping for a second ;) 117 miles
10)A little before the night, the main windvane piece broke. I guess related with the knockdown. Pilot cannot stay on course with those waves. Foul weather gear dressed up in the cockpit, waves washing myself once a while and helping me to stay awake! Under triple reef Mainsail and storm jib doing 6/7 knots. Doesn't feel that windy to me!
11)Getting close to land, Portugal giving me protection from the waves slowly. Then as soon I've pass Cap St-Vincent, I've pass from low sail, to full sail under Genoa doing 3/4 knots. Going slowly toward a anchorage, then becalmed a part of the day under a beautiful sun. Bringing everything outside for drying. 9 days of waves crashing on the deck bring quite some water inside ... I don't know why ;) Have more things on my never ending TODO list to do now ;) Anchor at Lagos first, but was having a bad feeling about the anchorage. Move to Portimao (Something like that) later, good because the wind shift and increased during that night!
So here I am, having fun in Europe. Cleaning the boat from that challenging ride and fixing the Windvane. Heading for Gibraltar probably tomorrow to picking up Catherine the 26. Even if the ride was looking rough, I don't complain. I like challenge, and I never felt in danger a second. It's part of the adventure, and I even surprise myself enjoying staying at the helm in those waves getting me wet after the windvane broke down, singing song and enjoying the view and ride. What a nice boat Joshua truly is, even with that big cockpit making a nice bathtub when it get fill with a wave! ;)
Having all the time water on deck, I didn't have chance to take pictures on this trip. I didn't want to ruin the equipment not being water tight. Sorry about that. I temporary fix the windvane with a aluminum flat bar I found on board today. It's not crazy strong but will work until I found some Stainless steel. It change the whole transmission of the windvane this way, but look a lot more strong (When it will be wield with the proper side Stainless Steel) and more simple then the one before. I've put some picture online, in the "Horta/Atlantic 2" Section.
Thanks to John Vanzanten and William Zellman for their donation. It will help pay the fixing of the windvane, and it's really appreciated! ;) Quite a nice surprise at the arrival !
20 Jul 2008 : Portugal Mainland!
By : Stephane
Hi everybody,
quick email I will send another one soon with more detail.
So there I have reach Portugal mainland. The ride was quite challenging.
Head wind the whole way in the 15/20 kt range. Wave over the deck the whole way, at 20/30 degrees of inclination. At 200 miles from the coast, the wind shift at 30 knots and gusty straight from the North, beam reach. I got a knock down from a rogue wave, making me waking up on the wall cover with books and all other stuff from the other side. A part of the windvane, that was 3/8 thick metal broke totally at 2 places. Needed to hand steer for a while until the seas calm down so I can put the automatic pilot.
Normally I don't go beam reach on that kind of wind, but the situation was making it mandatory knowing that I won't found favorable wind later and current if I head for South and the weather being the sames for days. I found a way to fix the windvane to make it stronger and simplier just need to found a SST flat bar and a wielder.
Give you more news soon!
Take care all :)
08 Jul 2008 : Horta/Faial
By : Stephane
Hello Everybody,
hope you are all doing well like I am.
Faial is a beautiful island, a perfect balance between island life and civilized land. It feel secure, clean, nobody try to sell you something, and nobody beg for anything and its simply beautiful. Inside the island, the government installed and maintain beautiful area for the local and entertainment.
I was thinking people will be poor because of lack of work, but all house look to be in good shape with happy and healty people. Thanks to Anibal who give us(Me and 2 others bluewater sailors that I will talk again later) a ride into the island and showing us some incredible view. Anibal with is top shape condition Contessa 26 want to cruise in the southern tip of South America in the next years. I wish him great fun and a wonderfull trip for the wonderful person he is.
I have fixed my water tank with a totaly different system. Ive throw out my flexible tank(I dont trust it anymore), and installed a coca-cola stainless steel can for water tank(5 galons, 20 liters) for the convenience of a water pump(Thanks to Ed and Jerry for this tank). Anibal helped me to convert another 5 galons coca-cola can into a tank that I will finishg installing when I will reach the mainland that I will connect to the same pump (Thanks Anibal), giving me 10 galons(40 liters) fixed and a lots of 5 liters(1.5 galons) little bit everywhere on the boat depending of how long I will be at sea. This system suit me fine, and I prefer having lots of bottle everywhere then just a big one. Without speaking of the gain in space, making the boat lighter, more simple and hopefully with less problem. The sea will be telling me soon!
Ive meet 3 others bluewater sailor on small boat here, coming from a great race called the Jester Challenge. The Jester Challenge is simple, with only 4 rules : Boat under 30 feets, no sponsors, single handed, no professionnal skippers. Just great and what race should be! They all arrived from England to Azores from boat around 21 foot to 28, and planning a race from England to Rhode Island,USA in 2010.
Catherine and I decided that she will come spend sometime onboard, discovering the Med. She will arrive around the 25 on Paris, then take a transportation to Spain, hopefully Gibraltar so we can explore a good part togeter. Catherine never sailed before, her first sail was on Joshua at Sandy hook a month ago. Look like she liked it!
With her little 4 foots 4 inches she shouldnt take too much place on board ;), and Im even jalous because she can stand up everywhere on the boat! It will be nice to share moments with a person, will see if she can handle the boat and the skippers!
I will be heading for Spain tomorow(Will probably take me 11 days), I dont think I will stop to another island. The azores are beautiful, but I feel like finishing this crossing and taking it easy in Europe.
Hard to explain, hopefully you guys will understand without too much explication!
Ive put some pictures of Faial in the Pictures sections(The connection stop before I can put them all!). You can see the little painting I did on the wall too, If you ask me what the symbol mean ... Simple it mean nothing! I wanted to write some symbol but forget to bring my paper, so doing it from my head I discover that I created a new symbols :) Hopefully it doesnt mean something totally stupid! :)
Take care all
1 July 2008 : Video & more infos across the Atlantic!
By : Stephane
Hi everybody,
so here I've put the new video on the videos section of the website
Like I've said the crossing was pretty good, lot's of North wind by depression north of me. I was becalmed several time, but every time follow by a nice 15/20 knots breeze making me sail in the 7 to 9 knots range so everything compensate at the end. (Yes you've read well, in the 7/9 knots of range ... It was terrific sailing!!)
Not of lot's of time on Internet here, so sorry if my english was not corrected and the video lower quality then usual. I will fix those issue when I will reach the mainland.
Here are the "fast" version of the 21 days:
1)Left at 4h50am, no wind. Anchor at 5h 0 and left again at 7h34 almost no wind drifting toward the inlet. Wind picking up right after the inlet at 13h 3 from the SW going ESE to go reach the 40. Lying on the floor, waiting for my sea leg upwind.
2)Nice day, doing 5kn SE. Lot's and I really mean lot's of fly onboard, do I smell so bad? Those bastard bite too! 107 miles
3)Broke one side of my glasses, fix it with duck tape(Look nice!). Wind shift North going east at 4kn. Fog really heavy at the time, becalmed most of the time. 34 miles
4)Light wind & becalmed, still lot's of fog all the time. Found some trick with the windvane(After cursing it for 2 days it was my fault!).69 miles
5)It's really damn hot! The water changed color, I thing I have reach the gulf stream. Over charged the battery and killed the electric pilot(Useful on really light wind). North-west wind, then becalmed, then 20 knots from the North-west again. Doing 6/7kn under jib. 133 miles
6)Changed timezone today! Doing 8kn under jib. Wind peaking up and sea begin to break. Beam reach (North wind). 93 miles (Heave-to a part of the day to cook and clean)
7)Heave-to to repair the windvane that broke at 2 places this morning. Fixed the automatic pilot in the same time. Wind from the north increasing close to gale then feel like a gale to me. Caught right in the axis of the gulf stream, strange wave pattern.
Lay in my buck, eating peanuts and cursing the wind. Port light going under water often, making a real pretty blue to look at from my bunk(And I'm not sarcastic, it was really a pretty blue!). 63 miles
8)Back sailing, another part of the windvane broke down, the new one that I changed before leaving, installed the old one. Wave breaking over the deck often, the deck is now really clean and white. Beautiful to see, it's the first time it is so clean ... That was the tricks? 95 miles
9)Still north wind, then shirt to west and back to north. Barometer rising! Water under one bunk. 109 miles
10) North wind, I think I am following a low front, feel lonely today. Cook 2 good meals feeling better. Seen only 2 boats from far since I've left. 116 miles
11)A canadian plane flew over me and around today. Talk with them on the VHF, they are looking for a lost at sea sailboat 12 day's ago.Water that I've found under the bunk is not sea water ... but my main fresh water tank leaking badly(Damn flexible water tank that doesn't worth ....). Cannot found from where, 2 jerrys can full in the worst so I'm not worry. 89 miles
12)SE wind today, then East-South-East, crossing another timezone. Wishing meeting those South-West wind one day!! did they really exist? I wonder. Becalmed at the end of the day, rainy fill all tanks full. 73 miles
13)Brake other side of my glasses today, Today I have enough and freaking out a little. I didn't have one day without changing sails or taking reef. Wind changing directions and speed all the time since days. Heave-to to relax and having the boat stable enough to use the toilet! then resume sailing. 115 miles
14)Wind shifting with a tiny bit more south so I can easy sheet and feel so much better! So better then today I have a great meal for lunch, raw ramen noddle with ketchup. Taste wonderful, I should open a restaurant of that stuff. Strange floating not identifed object in my water, taste quite bad too. With a LOT of Ice tea mix it's not too bad and you almost don't sea the things anymore!(The one of the jerry can taste good at least!) Sky was blue for a minutes today since days, it was nice then disapear again. Found a little station on my little shortwave radio that give position of low pressure. Another one is forming right north of me, great! Lay on my damp bunk, with my damp pillow and damp blanket waiting to get out of that upwind, no sun scenario! 121 miles
15)Wind from the west lighter, feel better. Still cloudy, later wind shift to North West. 107 miles
16)North wind again! Seas calming down, watching some movies inside under full sail. Try to fish with no good result. 19 miles
17)Nice day! North wind, but the motion of the boat is better and lot's of star during the night (Mean cloud are gone!!! Yeah party! Damn I'm out of booze!) 100 miles
18)Becalmed most of the day, then under spinaker. South-West wind. Crossed the last timezone. Beautiful night filled with stars from everywhere, slept on the deck under full sail at 3 kn. 85 miles
19)Wind picking up during the night, doing 6 knots under jib and 2 reefs mainsail. 140 miles today! That's nice! Day pass by without notice, Doesn't feel at all like 19 days to me, feel like I left yesterday!
20)Not much to say, good 20 knots wind, boat doing is best and it feel great! 130 miles
21)Wind dying during the night. Slowly doing the last 95 miles for Horta. Takes all day, and at 2 miles from the anchorage the wind totally die. Becalmed, jelly fish passing me! I did 1 miles in 5 hours. At around 21h30, a little boat come by, the men in portugese is telling me : "I see you since this morning drifting here, throw me a cable so I can tow you in!". Going at 4 kn toward Horta! Feel sick walking on land, and didn't sleep all night being so use of the sea rythm. I'm am happy to be here, but in the same time I feel sad to leave that sea life that I became to love and being use to it. Even during some time when I was cursing I really enjoyed the ride and was doing some good average. Joshua make me proud of him, and I loved to watch him going at full speed under a beautiful moon. I really love the boat, the best sailing I've got. Thanks to the windvane too, didn't touch the tiller for 21 days. It was great!
So here are the 21 days, even if sometime it was feeling like I am
curse I really had a great time. When everything was bad, I was
cooking a good meal, watching a movie
and was ready for more. It's been 1 day now that I am here, Joshua clean and ready to go again. Just need to fix that Water tank.
Take care all!
30 Jun 2008 : Horta in 21 days!!
By : Stephane
Hello everybody,
just a quick message until tomorrow or the next day ..
I left 5 days later then expected, needed to spend some time alone with Joshua.
The weather was quite nice, North wind to North-east for almost 15 days ... 1 days heave-to during gale force wind, and 2 days in total becalmed.
In average the days pass really quickly, an I truly feel like I've left 2 days ago.
The island is beautiful, and Anibal (Another Contessa owner) give me great hospitality.
I will give more info and video about the crossing soon, but just to say everything went well, I didn't touch the tiller once in all that time, and 21 days for 2100 miles is a pretty good average!! Biggest day : 140 miles, smallest 36.
A few problem but normal random offshore problem ;)
Talk to you soon !
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