(Las Palmas, Canary Islands)- Just over 14 days to sail the ARC Rally
across 2,800 nm of open Atlantic Ocean from Las Palmas, Canary Islands
to St Lucia's gorgeous harbor in the Caribbean! For a J/145 that's
loaded down with lots of cruising goodies, sailing with just white sails
(a jib and main), no monster asymmetric spinnaker used at all, that's
an awfully fast passage! That's about 336 hours of sailing, or an
average of over 8.3 knots! Here are some updates on their progress, how they did it and the joy of arriving "home" in St Lucia! If you recall, while the crew on the J/145 ACE may appear to be sailing in the lap of luxury, by all accounts even a yacht this large can become quite small in the vast expanse of ocean. Here are some of their latest, entertaining, insightful and thought-provoking reports below.
12/6- Good Afternoon, Sorry for the late transmission today.
Yesterday and today are the days we knew we would be sailing through a trough of light air and it presented lots of challenges. In addition to losing our air any going 4 knots or less at times, we had to sail a course that was slightly away from St Lucia in order to get to a more favorable wind. As a consequence you may have noticed that we sailed far less distance yesterday than in previous days. Last night we actually sailed away from our destination by about 35 miles. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience and faith in the navigation team! Late this afternoon we finally set a course directly to St.Lucia and put up our first spinnaker. As the sun set a few minutes ago we dropped the kite and put up a working jib for the night sail.
We all love the night sailing because it is a time of sailing in the dark looking at stars, weather, enduring squalls and time to talk with one other crew member. Because it is dark and the rest of the crew is asleep, there is nothing to do but sail. We had other challenges as well. We said goodbye to our roller furling jib as it finally gave up last evening to be replaced by the shiny , relatively new racing #3. We did clear up a problem of a plugged aft head so not the whole day was given to problems, there were some successes and that was one.
We all continue to be healthy and happy enjoying the pleasures of life at sea such as whale sightings as well as dealing with the inevitable challenges. As I write, the crew is enjoying risotto prepared by William and Richard. So I will join them and leave you with this crude verse:
Wind roars, westerly Ace soars, shuddering to plane Breaking free. on course.
Finally thanks for all of the emails, we love getting them and they are the highlight of our midday.
Lots of love from us all, Fred, William, Adrian, Chris, Spider, Rob and Rocky (aka Sticky Ricky). You will have to ask him about that yourself
12/7- Ahoy Landlubbers!
Greetings from the good ship ACE. All is well onboard, with 800miles to go. Better sleeping, cleaner clothes (it's all relative), and less swamp like conditions generally, making for some pretty pleasurable sailing. Spinnaker has been up the past two days and you'll hopefully have noted that speed is looking a little better again. We are even heading in roughly the right direction now!
A few engine issues (...it doesn't work) have kept me pretty busy with my head in the hole that passes for an engine room for the past couple of days, with the occasional ' helpful' comment from passers by. it is not a great problem, as we elected not to motor through the light stuff anyway, and can still run the freezer without it. Hopeful that i can get it sorted today. Funny - the only call I have made this trip has been to my mechanic, not my wife! (Sorry honey).
'Culturally' I have been learning more American by the day, and may even be able to understand some of what these guys are talking about soon. Adrian seems to cope better than I, but i think he is a faster learner! I find it quite difficult though as they insist on spelling things wrongly, and can't even say words like aluminum properly! I am really not sure how they could have forgotten so much English in such a short time!!
Sartorial elegance is slipping too, William has taken to wearing a Rambo headband in the galley, Peter has given up completely, and the rest sport a variety of clothes which have the interesting feature of no longer needing to be hung up when removed as they hold their shape perfectly wherever they are placed. Some have been more successful than others in growing beards, all containing some 'shades of grey'.
Everyone is still enjoying the ride, and trying to make the most of the last few days, we are all aware that all too soon we will be back to desks, computers and everyday life, with just the memories of 'the journey' remaining. Love to my family, and best wishes to all- Rob
12/9- Water World
Our world is composed of pretty basic elements: the shallow bowl of the sea, it's radius determined by the height of the waves and the inverted globe of the sky, it's blue void animated by clouds. Endless combinations, permutations, and variations, modulated by the sun and the moon and wind create unique scenes of fascination and beauty.
The last 48 hours has seen prototypical trade wind sailing, puffy white clouds, or no clouds at all. chute up all day into the evening as this new sailing experience with the big sail requires a bit more focus on the compass and apparent wind indicator if a bit less of a physical workout. like i said, a beautiful day, too bad Rob spent most of it in the engine room patiently and expertly fixing the diesel, with barely an audible expletive all day. chris extracted the broken key out of the starter, obviating the need for his hot wire kit to start the now fixed motor. this lad would make an excellent car thief. and the trifecta; William didn't have to go over the side with a stick to clear the poop hole since it inexplicably cleared. both heads now operable. All these accomplishments led Fred to make yet another important executive decision and break out the rum to toast everything that needed toasting, including all of you. cocktails followed by a brilliant dinner by Adrian.
Whoops, i think i conflated two days here. No matter, some things consistent, some constantly changing. We added 2 hours to the clock today to be on Antigua time and it was the perfect day to do it. Sunny breezy and tropically warm. Hard to think it's winter in the northern hemisphere.
A gannet (i think) made a few dives near the boat and came up with a fish each time. We've seen petrels, tern like gulls, and one or two other unidentifiables. Need the bird book!
Chris got active after dinner, spreading around balloons, noisemakers (all prepared by Andrea), and a lot of felicidades for Peter's b'day, accompanied by a truly wretched rendition of 'happy birthday' and a great apple crumble prepared by William. The candles barely made it to the companionway hatch before Peter and the 25 knot breeze blew them out. Our wishes have been granted.
This morning brought crepes to the galley, an excellent vehicle for jam and peanut butter. And, Rob just fixed the gas supply to the stove. A day without a minor glitch wouldn't be the same. This group of men has built a dynamic environment out of patience, humor, cooperation and trust. A great adventure.
12/10- Approaching our last Day
Our Chart plotter is telling us that we are going to finish sometime tomorrow. If the winds hold and it's correct, that would mean that I wouldn't get a chance to send the final email that's been bouncing around my head for the past few days, thus I am secretly penning this while our morning routine is underway. An email to make a brief, but important, 7 acknowledgments.
The first is to Adrian and his incredible bravery and determination. For someone who has never spent a night at sea to sign on for an Atlantic crossing in an "Athletic" boat, and then to overcome his trepidation by proving himself a skillful helmsmen during tough conditions, and then when off watch, to whip up an absolutely incredible Nicoise….need I say more?
William had similar hurdles, proved himself equally as well, but most Importantly he took control of the galley, and thus the boat's "real" fuel supply. Irregardless of the weather conditions, he cooked amazingly delicious hot meals…not an easy feat when the boat is crashing through waves at 20 knots. In addition his enthusiasm to help in all made him the perfect shipmate.
Rocky Gluckman in many books would be the MVP. He was an animal! Tireless at the wheel, omnipresent in the galley as William's right hand…he was like a weeble….impossible to keep down. And this makes no mention of his sense of humor….and his vast vault of stories….
Captain Rob not only prepared the canvas for our masterpiece, but repaired it competently along the way as all the usual hiccups emerged. His calm demeanor and unflappable character and smile were bedrocks throughout. Whether we were crash jibing the boat, tearing sails, or blocking the heads, he never flinched! Perhaps he didn't smile at these times…..but he never flinched.
We all know Chris is funny, but his smile and laugh contributed more than I can possibly put into words throughout our journey. Never were we faced with a situation where Chris didn't have an appropriate joke, and his ability to organize a birthday party is unparalleled. I must personally thank him for that. In addition to his getting us to St Lucia, his command of the Nav Station kept us all in touch with weather, the other boats, and all of you. I would never hesitate to accepting an offer to sail offshore with him again. Its a complete joy.
And perhaps the biggest nod to Fred. Rob may have been the Captain. Chris may have been in charge of the Nav, but Fred was our leader. Fred has an amazing ability to bring out the best in everyone, and I truly believe that it was because of him that we all enjoyed our journey as much as we did. He organized and hand picked the crew, and in doing so put together our Atlantic experience, for while the trip was certainly about the physical act of sailing, it was perhaps more about the camaraderie and the experience we shared as a team. I always say that the attitude on a boat stems from the top down, and on Ace, Fred was directly responsible for the positive environment that pervaded.
And the final nod must go to the Good Ship herself, the Mighty ACE. Any boat that can put up with the 7 of us, while delivering thirteen 200+ mile days, with top speeds of over 23 knots, is a damn fine ship. Long Live ACE!!
I feel honored to be included in the above group, wish to publicly voice my thanks to all of them, and look forward to continuing our relationships and furthering our sailing adventures together.
12/10- Midnight- Greetings to our extended Ace family from the crew:
Today begins as yesterday ended, with ACE running on a starboard tack towards Saint Lucia, now about 260 miles distant. The morning rose with the sun on a blue sky, steady winds, relatively modest rolling seas and a decent heading towards the Caribbean. It was the air, however, which dominated the setting. Warm, sweet, velvety, seductively gentle -- it offered an enticing welcome to those of us awakening for another watch shift.
The Ace of the last couple of days differs from the Ace of last week. Gone for now is the relentless muscular, ever demanding locomotive of last week, substituted by a steadier, albeit slower course towards home on an ocean that herself has tamed considerably. The ever changing scenery on this stage they call the North Atlantic is nothing if not temporary. And today's slightly hypnotic rhythms belie that darker capabilities that lurk just off-set, and which help fuel the quiet edginess that is a constant, rain or shine, flat or gusty.
Two weeks have enabled us all to shape our roles and activities into functioning routines that work. Preparing and consuming food -- three squares a day -- lie at the heart of our social world, while sailing Ace 24/7 is the hub of our work world. Tending to Ace and her systems is also a constant, a frequent function arising unannounced on a daily basis with one little thing after another -- surprising insofar as Ace's pristine quality and readiness might suggest otherwise.
From a people perspective, the surprise of the adventure is the subtle but very evident effort of all of us participants to shape ourselves into a functioning whole. Largely stripped of all the many layers of stuff with which we layer our personalities and identities in our "normal" worlds, we orient our selves -- each of us -- to the demands and responsibilities of our present --- simple and inescapable -- and simply get on with it. It is a curious blend of the serious and the light-hearted. We try to ready ourselves and Ace for whatever risks may be at hand whilst simultaneously marvel at the great good fortune that has ended each of us here, aboard Ace in late 2012, doing a crossing of the North Atlantic which has, thus far, proven both rich and forgiving. Tomorrow Saint Lucia awaits, and with it, our return.
Fondly, and with great appreciation from us all for your attentiveness and affections. William (a.k.a. Uncle Boo Boo).
12/11- Last Sea Report
After 14 days and over 2,700 nautical sea miles we are finally in sight of St. Lucia! The last 24 hours were pretty fun with a few nice squalls passing with tons of rain and a bit of wind! Richard has now made it into the "Over 20 Club" with a top speed of 23 knots!!! It is a small club but we are happy to have him as our newest member! Well earned!
This will probably be the last email you will receive from the boat and this address. Soon our cell phones and iPads will have service and we will be in contact with you all individually. Back to reality… We still have a few more miles to go to the northern tip of St. Lucia and then a nice beat into the finish line. We have 22-25 knots of wind so we will have good ride right up to the end.
I could go on and on about our experiences during the trip but instead I thought I would cull through the many responses we have received during our passage and let you read a few tidbits that we have received along the way. We had quite a few so I cannot include all of them but I thought I would include some of the daily poems sent to us as well as light hearted comments on our general condition! And just so you know, we have gotten the smell under control! Mostly!
12/11- ACE has Finished!!!!
Greetings all! We have FINISHED! Let the clean-up and festivities begin!
Time: 12:26:30
Position: Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, West Indies
Wind: Apparently Zero
Weather: Rum Squalls
Speed: Declining, Not Meaningful
Heading: To the party!
So, while the J/145 ACE were living it up on St Lucia, their J sailing "comrade-in-arms", Sophie Olivaud from France also finished racing her J/109 ALBACOR IV in Racing Division II! Congratulations to all on a fast, safe offshore passage to the gorgeous Caribbean-- a "dark'n'stormy" is certainly well-deserved!
For more ARC Rally sailing information- You can follow all the sailing teams on the ARC Tracker
