Atlantic Crossing Blog from PHOEBE B

DAY 2: hi. cast off 12.40 yesterday. managed to get east of barbuda before turning north. currently 19.28.7n 61.27.0w. going along at 6/7knots 005deg over the ground, with seas that are only causing minor problems for the chief. Just finnished a evening meal of freash caught yellow fin tuna and coconut rice. made up for the one that got away taking the lure with it. sat here watching the sun go down getting ready for another starry night.

Good morning from Pheobe B, - John the skipper, on blog duty.
I was lucky enough to fly out from UK, on the first day after the Volcano grounded flights, to join the boat Phoebe B in Grenada, where Dan had prepared both boats, Tranquilizer and Phoebe B, to his usual high standards, for the trip up to Antigua.  There were just two of us, myself and a guest, Tony on Pheobe whilst Dan had two guests on Tranquilizer.  We had a leisurely sail up through the beautiful Caribbean islands of the Grenadines, then stopping at St Vincent, St Lucia, past Martinique, to Dominica then past Guadeloupe onto Antigua.  There seemed to be a consensus that we should be in Jolly Harbour, Antigua for the evening of Monday 26th May, it may have had something to do with Antigua race week having their “after race” party there that night?  A great night, with parties in other locations all week and a fantastic trip up.  Hey it’s a tough job being a professional skipper (no really it is!!), but somebody has to do it!  If you were thinking of doing the trip from Grenada to Antigua then you missed out, but there is always next year!
 Here we are, coming towards the end (12:00hrs) of our 10th complete day (24 hrs) @ sea upon leaving Antigua behind, it is Saturday morning 15th May.  The sun is shining @ 06:00 hrs and it is still cold from the clear skies of last night that displayed the clichéd “blanket of stars” but if you have not experienced a clear cloudless and moonless night at sea, it will just sound “clichéd!”   We are @ approximately 32north 50west our (cog) course over ground is 060(T) motor sailing (sails + engine) @ 6.5kts (sog) speed over ground and we are expecting a low pressure system to pass from west to east about 300nm (nautical miles) north of us at around midnight our time tonight. 
(Our time, or boat time, is still on Antigua time bst+5hrs, or 5 hrs behind UK, or UTC+4.  Confused?  Why? It is really so simple, or so the books say!  Basically there are 24 time zones from Greenwich around the world and back, there are 360 degrees in the circle around the world, divide the 360 degrees by 24 hours and the result is 15 degrees for every hour.  So, for every 15 degrees of (Lon) longitude you move around the world, you move your watch 1 hour.)  Anyway, I digress!
Our last forecast received via (satfone) Iridium satellite phone from my brother Alan back in Scotland on Thursday, has 30+kts of wind (Beaufort  force 7) from WSW and 3-4m swells @ 08:00 our time Sunday just north of us, about 90 nm.  We do not want to put ourselves into those conditions unless we have to, so we hope to stay south enough to miss the worst of the winds and then to position ourselves onto the tail of the fast moving low pressure system, to take advantage of the lighter 20kts WSW winds that (should) follow. 
This is the fourth time my brother Alan has provided me with weather routing (forecasting weather based on internet sources {passageweather.com amongst others} and advising on route to take) for trans-Atlantic crossings but it is the first for a west to east crossing.  We will speak again briefly this afternoon to get the latest situation, and I will then have to decide upon where I will position us to try to take best advantage not only of the next 24/48hrs but up to 5 days ahead.  We have to look ahead to plan our approach to the Azores as a prevailing high pressure system, known strangely enough as the Azores high, sits around the Azores and if I get the approach wrong, we end up with almost no wind!  So, no pressure on me or poor brother Alan!
As I believe has been mentioned in a previous blog, this is my 8th ocean crossing, 7 transats (Atlantic crossings) this is my 3rd from w (w2e) west to east the other crossing was a short 1,700nm from Seychelles to Langkawi, Malaysia.  The w2e transats are quite a different prospect from the e2w or ARC crossings and I would say is the next step up in experience.
So if you have “done the ARC”, and looking for that next challenge or just want that little bit different experience, try next year’s w2e with Sail Ionian, without the extremely effective “safety net” of the excellent WCC (World Cruising Club) ARC team.  Or if you have not “yet” experienced the rewards of Ocean sailing then ARC 2010 is the 25th anniversary, and they are hoping to get 250 boats to join, with Sail Ionian are the people to talk to!  You know the saying, “book early, to avoid disappointment!”
As I have been typing this the wind has come around onto a port beam reach and increased enough to give us 6kts over the ground with the engine off (blessed peace!), and we have long gentle 3-4m swell from the port side.  Tony is on solo watch now having relieved Gotcha, Ira and Dan are sleeping having done their watches earlier, Dan is on again next.  We are running 2 hrs on solo watches, with 6 hrs off for the 4 guys, with myself on call 24/7 and we all take turns at cooking one main meal once each day for the whole crew around 17:00hrs (5pm), the rest of the time the crew help themselves to food as we are all on different body clocks.
Tranquilizer has Alan and Ken as skipper and first mate, and 3 guests, where as on Phoebe there is myself and Dan as skipper and first mate plus 3 guests – Tony (UK) all the way from Grenada to Gibraltar, Ira and Gotcha (from Georgia, Europe) Antigua to Gibraltar.  All guys, on both boats?  Where are all the adventurous women?  In the Azores, Phoebe will be joined by two such ladies for the estimated 10 days passage to Gibraltar (BA strikes permitting!)  At Gibraltar, my whole crew changes – 2 ladies, Tony, Gotcha, Ira and even Dan leaves to skipper Tranquilizer onwards to Sardinia and on to Levkas, Greece.  Who will be on the boats we do not know yet, but we leave on 7th June from Gibraltar with a scheduled stop in Sardinia departing 16th June and then should arrive in Levkas by 23rd June.  Will you be part of our crews?  Hope to see you soon, if not in the Mediterranean in June then perhaps from Greece to Canaries in October and November or for the 25th anniversary ARC starting on 21st November 2010?
Sun is out so on with the sun factor, the cup of coffee just handed to me and up on deck with the next paperback novel for me.
Another tough day at the office but the work environment and my colleagues are great, and the commute to work isn’t too bad!
John Tunn

everybody go surfing!.
 we had the forecast, there was a big low no the way so hang on to your hats. Yesterday duly produced the big long rollers that you only find with blue water surgesting that the forecast was right. we had a steady 10kns of wind and were slowly moving north east towards 34N of latitude where we hoped to catch the edge of the low. Then the wind died. After some fruity banter directed at weather in general we motored north. Engine went of at 22.30 and the wind picked up and up! The low came past at about 02.00 local by which time we were double reefed and flying, averaging over 8kns, and more surfing off the waves. Phoebe is taking all this in her stride, and so is the autopilot which saves the shoulder muscles.
   We are now running just north of east trying to hang on the coat tails of the low for as long as possible before heading north again to line up what will hopefully be the final run in to the Azores. Smiles all round as the boat flies along, this is why you go sailing.

As you will be seeing we are @ 36n, 42w trying to ride the tail of the low that passed on Sunday and to skirt over the "Azores high" to avoid the dead wind spot that usually sits WNW of the Azores and prevents a rhumb line approach under sail.  We have been having good consistent moderately strong winds since Sunday but we had an "interesting" few hours this morning.  Big 4m rolling seas, turned choppy and every 15/20 minutes when on top of a particularly big or crossing wave the boat would spin up into wind and poor "Otto" could not cope even with 2+ reefs in both sails.  So a fair bit of jumping to the helm to take over from watch crew/guests.  Then around 4:20 just as we were beginning to see the first light of day, a squall (front) came through from the darkness behind that lasted until about 5:30.  It brought steady wind of mid 30's kts with occasional gusts over 40, so I took over and helmed whilst it passed over.  Tony and Dan slept through it, although Dan was on standby, so it couldn't have been too bad! Ira was on watch and Gotcha was up on deck with a great big grin on his face!

Cheers from a happy boat and crew, Skipper John Tunn

Phoebe B Blog - 27th May 2010 21.45

All crew members gathered in Horta on Monday 24th. Tranqualizer has engine problems, cracked cylinder head, so we set sail whilst they await a replacement to arrive from the UK.

We sprung the stern off the visitors pontoon in Horta at 19.45 on Wednesday 26th. Sailed around the harbour to raised sails with two reefs in as the wind was predicted to be force 5 to 6. Set sail as darkness fell in good conditions.

The crew of Ira, Gotcha, Emma, Mary, Alex, Maria and Mike (me) have all settled in and are get used to watch system of 2 hours on and 8 hours off.
Sleeping in 'cat naps' through our your off hours seems to be proving the best way of resting.

We've covered 207 miles at an average speed of 8.7 knots during the first 24 hours with the engine running for only 4.5 hours, mainly to charge the batteries. Our current position is 38 25'.9N 029 59'1W. Weather today has been good with no rain and Force 4 to 5 winds. Sea state has been slight to moderate.

Many dolphins played around the boat today. Some stopping for an nearly an hours. Also goose barnacles float by in the water.

Alex and Ira have started a new game of 'have many water bottles can you cut up and fit in another water bottle'. The current record is 4. As we have 72 bottles of water on board this game could go on for sometime.

Vege curry and rice was made by Skipper John this evening and enjoyed in the cockpit.

The forecast is or similar winds tomorrow (Fri) and then getting lighter for Sat and Sun. We're looking into going into Faro or Ceuta, if time permits, for a day before arriving in Gibraltar.

Mike.

June 7th, 2010 I had arrived after a long slog from Ankara, Turkey and was the last of the group to meet in Gibraltar.  As an American, I expected my British shipmates to be parked in a local pub drinking beer and planning out our journey.  My expectations were absolutely correct.  John, our skipper, politely greeted me and filled me in on the details of our departure.  Afterwards, I met our mates.  Richard, a youth, bright and polite.  A true professional from London.  Tony, retired, he’d been on the boat since Antigua and was quite experienced.  Also there is Julian and Andrew, both easy going lads with a love of the open seas and as kind hearted as mates as one could hope for.  Both are professional men, successful and approachable.   We stayed up late, had a few rounds and some delicious food.  Around 1am we called it a night, anxious to be off in the morning.

June 8th-- The day started out nicely.  Steady winds, sunny and beautiful views of the Rock of Gibraltar as it slowly vanished into the distance.   The winds were most behind us at 20-30 knots and our speed was quite good.  We spent the day planning our routine, which would consist of two hour “watches” at the helm with six hours of rest.   Quite a reasonable schedule really.  But we were ready to sail and we were all happy to be on the water. 
As the evening progressed, by time I took the wheel at 2200 hours the wind picked up considerably with sustained winds of 35 knots.  Our calm skipper and crew reefed in the sails making our journey smoother.  I turned in around midnight and I’ve been sharing a cabin with Richard (as good a cabin mate as one could have!).  We were rather rudely awakened at 1230am with a loud banging of a loose jib slamming against the boat.  John took control and immediately assigned us to duties in reigning in the damaged jib.  In scenes I’ll never forget, I saw Tony, Richard and Andrew, under careful instruction and supervision of John, up near the pulpit take down and secure the jib in winds that gusted near 50 knots.  Julian was on the helm whilst I controlled various lines from the cockpit. Brave lads they are and I owe them a cold one once we are in port!!! 

With the jib hauled in, and the motor turned on we made a long journey towards the mainland of Spain and we arrived in Almerimar around 10am that next morning. 

June 9 and 10th- Almerimar, Spain.  Skipper found a guy who could repair the broken hem of the jib and he fixed other parts of the sail as well.  However, the repairs took a good 40 or so hours, meaning we were land bound for a bit.   Now, being stuck on land in Spain certainly isn’t ones worst fate and we cleaned up the boat, relaxed, ate well and simply relaxed for the day.  It wasn’t a bad situation being in port on this day as the winds were howling and life on the water would have been quite a challenge to say the least.  We have a cohesive group and we had some wonderful dinners and discussions together.  Needless to say, my point of life on life and issues tended to win people over and mostly everyone and tended to agree with my viewpoints and brilliance.  Either that or they just wanted the token American to be quiet and leave them in peace!!!  That’s understable I guess!!!!!

June 11th- We got up a 0600 and the crew rapidly put on the repaired jib.  Off we were and it seemed we were all quite happy to be en route to Cagliari, Sardinia.  The winds were on a broad reach at a steady 20 knots.  The skies were crystal clear and sunny.  Simply a perfect day!   We hugged the coastline of SE Spain and viewed the dry mountains rising from the sea.  Near early evening, we gybed straight east and headed 90 degrees for Cagliari; now several hundred miles away.  Morale was high and even; most of us spent the day enjoying the views, the crystalline, blue waters.   Some read books, talked and listened to their iPods.  

Richard made a creative, and delicious dinner and food always seems to taste so much better when your outdoors.  He worked long and hard on this meal and it was well appreciated.  

The evening was uneventful, thankfully!   The winds lightened up and we did our respective watches through the night.  We did need to turn on the engine at around 1am or so in order to maintain a proper speed. 

At the time of this writing it’s about 1120am, June 12.  The rhythms of the seas and our routine have taken hold.  Everyday has been an adventure with new learning experiences and challenges that keep events interesting. 

I will write more later, but I think Sail Ionian has been excellent.   The provisions are top notch; the food is varied and excellent.  The skipper is attentive, patient and knowledgeable.  He’s a likeable fellow and I hope he stays with the company for years to come.  I have taken two other sailing courses, but I think I’ve learned the most from him. 
The boat is in good condition, so no worries there as well.  The staff put safety over everything else.  So, if you’re worried that a sailing adventure is potentially unsafe or too rough of a journey for you; I think you can put those worries aside. 

Time for a break in writing.  There’ll be more later.  But my coffee is getting cold and I need to get up on the deck to view the magnificent view of the open sea. 

June 12- 230pm-- The skies have cleared; but the winds aren’t so great; perhaps 15 knots.  So we have the sails up and the engine running.  We’re still in the Western Mediterrean.    So, we are still about three days out from Cagliari. 
           
But, if you’re reading this blog you’re probably thinking of doing a sailing course, or perhaps a mile builder.   You’re wondering; what’s the best course?  Is it risky?  Expensive?   It can be hard to determine these things, but try and define what you want out of a course.  Want a catered cruise, dancing and fancy meals??  Call Princess Cruises.  Want to actually learn how a boat operates and learn how to sail a vessel?  Call a RYA certified course.  RYA, is in my opinion, the best.   I’m an American and even I know the Brits know the seas and sailing better than anyone since the Phoenicians.  That’s why I’ve stayed with RYA courses.  The Brits may cook lousy food and eat beans with breakfast (really don’t understand that one); but they know their sailing.  Get a feel for the office staff.  Are they receptive?  What’s included in the course? 

In the end, the fact is that you only live once.  Experience the beauty of the wide open seas and sail in quiet, with the engine off at night.  On a cloudless night, look up and see more stars than you can imagine.   So, live your life to the fullest.  You don’t get a second chance and these experiences will enrich your life beyond measure. 
And no, you most likely won’t get sea-sick. 
Terry

June 12- 8pm--  It’s just after dinner time, and Tony, Richard, Julian and I had a wonderful meal up in the cockpit.  Andrew made a delicious meal of chilli with amply amounts for all of us.   He’s quite an excellent cook!!  The day was marked by unending horizons of the sea; in fact, we haven’t seen another boat the entire day.  The winds have held steady at about 16 knots from the southwest.  But overall, it was a peaceful day marked by reading, conversations and rotating through our watches.  This is my favourite time of the day as the darkness gathers and the sun sets over the western horizon.  The colours are simply beautiful and most of us take way too many photos of these spectacular sunsets!   Well...enough for now...I have my two hour watch at midnight until 2am, so I might catch a quick rest.  The boys are up on deck fishing as I write this.   More later.

June 13th- 2:45pm—Last night I had night watch from midnight until 2am and it was completely uneventful.  The winds have died to almost nil and we’ve been on engine power.  Before I get ahead of myself, I’d like to add that last night’s sunsets exceeded my expectations.  The sky was mixed with clouds and the reflecting light from the sun, melting into the horizon marked by oranges, reds and yellows.  Truly a site to behold.  Shortly before sunset, last night, we saw a few dolphins who zipped by the boat and two of them made spectacular leaps into the air.  

I slept late, as I didn’t go to bed until 2:30am and woke at 8am and noticed Julian and Richard huddled under our partial bimini due to the rain.  They had a solid two hours of a cold drizzle but they seemed quite happy taking watch.  It certainly seems apparent that investing in high quality, all weather, rain gear is worth every penny.   Most of our crew has this kind of gear (I have a cheap rain suit; but I’ll buy something of quality for my next journey) so both Richard and Julian seemed quite comfortable.  Plus, if the rain ever gets too bad, a guy can always go below.  

After about 10am the skies cleared; and now we have crisp weather, clear blue skies with easterly winds at 5 knots from 070 degrees.   The forecast is for continued easterly winds up to perhaps 10 knots.  I hope so.  We could use some wind and it is important for us to get to Cagliari on time to pick up our new additional crew member – Marc, because we may lose Julian, as he’s on a tighter time schedule.  I hope he stays with us though, as he’s a good man and an excellent mate. 

At this time, the weather is perfect; not too warm but it’s clear and sunny.   The crew is in good spirits, they are healthy and everyone appears rested.  Even John, who ends up doing a great deal of night watch and extra duties.

I feel lucky.  We have a cohesive group and a competent crew.  And some of you may ask, doesn’t it get boring out on the wide open sea, hour after hour???  No, it doesn’t.  There’s enough to do in regards to making meals, performing the watch, trimming the sails and also, for me at least, this is the escape vacation.  No job.  No bosses or kids.  So, I appreciate the quiet, solitude and the beauty of the sea. 

Terry