The Voyaging Thomasina: From Bermuda to The Azores

Learned the real meaning of ‘jump’ the other day. An Orca whale surfaced 6 ft away from me in the cockpit and said hello!

The bonus from this voyage is that Dave and I have got on well and both he and I have learned a lot about getting the maximum from Thomasina in difficult conditions. It’s easy to forget this as we run in to Bermuda with perfect wind conditions and Thomasina doing 5.5 knots with all sail up. We will re-provision and stay a few days then, when the weather is right, leave for the Azores.

We motored into St Georges with a mixture of Diesel, extra virgin olive oil and lamp oil in the tank - the engine seems to like it!

On the last night in Bermuda we shared a meal with some old friends of mine whom I met in the Canaries, Jinny and Carol, two ladies who had sailed Jinny’s boat across to the Med, then to the Caribbean and are now heading back to Maine in the States. Great friends and inspirational in what they are doing with their lives. We had a fantastic evening.

After having been engaled in Bermuda for the last couple of days, we left on the back of a good forecast for the next 5 days. Things are never quite that simple under canvas, and after three days of hard and fast sailing I downloaded from the SSB radio a weather fax that was horrific. Two low pressure systems were going to form, one day after another, 120 miles to the south of us. These systems were hugely powerful generating winds in excess of 50 knots with our expected winds to be about 50 knots.

So I made the decision to take Thomasina south, down to the edge of what is called the ‘Azores high’, this would involve beating into the wind in F5 and 6 for 140 miles in order to get around the base of the systems, which were then tracking across to the N East along the edge of the ‘Azores high’ and, in the end, to the UK. Yes, it was hard and a real trial by storm for Dave. Thomasina does not go as close to the wind as modern boats, but in those conditions she revels and for 140 miles she just got on with the job without fuss. She is so reassuring in the kind of seas that are generated out here. It worked, and we rounded the base of the secondary low. We could see it (a little too close for comfort), and a meaner looking system I have not seen. There was a wall of black cloud rain and lightning going from the sea to probably about 10,000ft, and as far to the north east as I could see. We got a swipe - just to put us in our place - from the back end of it, just a wee slap but enough to inform about the real power inside it. I had a thought the other day that here is the birthplace of much of the UK’s weather and seeing a system born then shoot off on its way to you lot is incredible.

Day 5

After half a day of motor sailing in light winds through hugely messy seas, a legacy of the storm, we are now sailing fast in near perfect conditions in sunny skies and F5 - 6 on the beam; this came in at midnight last night giving a fantastic sail with a clear star laden sky. Dave and I do 3 hrs on and 3 off, a regime which our sleep patterns are just getting used to again. I do the 3 to 6 early morning shift, I love seeing the new day arrive and waking Dave with a new ‘Crack of Dawn’ joke: "Crack of Dawn a little damp this morning" etc. Childish and totally non pc, yep, but always has us in gales of laughter.

Day 6-7

Light winds, annoyingly on the nose, so we are motor sailing to the north east to try and get onto the ridge of high pressure forming there which will give us NW winds for tomorrow - if we make it, as we have picked up a one knot counter current. Bit of a bummer. The good news, though, is that on the SSB radio I heard a couple of boats giving their positions to one another and they are close by, well 150 and 200 miles which is close for out here. I tried to get one of them this morning on the VHF, and succeeded and we meet before down in Antigua, they are a family of 4 in a Bowman 40. The good news: Apart from talking to them. They and the other boat, both bigger than Thomasina left Bermuda a day in front of us and we are now in front of them.

Day 8

Flat calm and motoring North East, back to the edge of the high to get wind. It’s a bit of a knife edge thing this edge of the ‘Azores high’, with the high dominating one day and gales, if you are not careful, the next. Had a night of large shipping having a go at us - two ships, to be precise. The first on a collision course, but manned by a very efficient Indian crew who were totally on the ball when I contacted them. Once we had resolved the situation we had a nice chat for half an hour. It’s nice when that happens and fills in your watch nicely.

The other ship (very big) I spotted at a range of about 13 miles and loomed down on us ignoring my vhf call to check if he had seen us. I hate that, as it puts you on edge, but in the end I did not have to change course, and it passed 2 miles off our stern where it looked very, very big.

Saw two turtles today, they had numbers on their shells - whatever next! Also had a large school of dolphins around the boat and in the near calm clear water it was fabulous.

Day 9

We shut down the boat last night and slept. A couple of reasons for doing this: Listening to Herb Hildegard on the SSB (an amateur boat weather router for the Atlantic of the highest order who has won many awards for his work), there could be a really nasty storm brewing just below the Azores and he is strongly suggesting that all up at this latitude and longititude slow down and don't pass 45 degrees west before Thurs. This will give the system (and predictions) time to mature, so that some sense can be made of its track. Looks like it could be a bad one, so keeping fingers crossed.

The other reason we shut down, is that it’s flat calm, we are 1 mile short of being half way across and it really appeals to have an evening having a good meal, sitting talking then sleeping, half way across the Atlantic. Can’t be many people who have done that?

Fantastic night’s kip. Now under engine again just ambling East.

Day 10

Nice breeze today, still keeping the boat speed down staying to the west of 45 West awaiting the outcome and track of the nasty low to the East. It’s frustrating not using the good wind to capacity, but being safe is about patience out here. Head butted the spinny pole early this morning, it won so baldy head with another scar. I am sure that as soon as you lose your hair an invisible target bull’s eye appears, inviting all inanimate objects to have a go!

Day 11

Well, the nasty low is becoming a bastard low! Herb has very strongly suggested that boats in this area stay put over the next couple of days, not only are the winds very strong further east but there are two strong currents flowing, making, as he put it, very large square waves. So we hove-to last night and will remain that way throughout today and maybe tomorrow.

It’s blowing 20 - 25 knots from the NW with a lumpy sea building, but Thomasina heaves-to well and is sitting comfortably under an aback storm jib and mizzen sheeted hard. There are at least three other boats in the vicinity (20 miles or so) with two of whom we are in VhF contact, both are Brits. I have never knowingly been this close to other sail boats in the Atlantic, all seem to be drawn to this neck of the woods as it’s the logical place to be to sit out the storm.

Day 12

A night of rising winds and seas, although comfortable in our hove-to position. Decided to move a little further east today for morale's sake, so, with the storm jib still on the inner stay and the Genoa reefed just outside that, plus mizzen, she stormed along in the F7 winds on a close reach. We did 30 fairly quick miles then heaved-to again.

Currently it looks like it will be at least a couple of days before the low moves away from the Azores. It is centred just south east of the Azores so any approach at the moment not only means entering 40 knot winds but also getting them on the nose. “40 knots behind boat manageable, 40 knots on the front, nasty, nasty, nasty.”

Day 13

After a windy old night hove-to; I got a weather map download from Boston and, after listening to a conversation from a Dutch boat in the near vicinity which had a weather file from its Sat system, decided to hitchhike the winds on the outer area of the storm and get North West from it. The winds were looking still strong and on the nose from doing this, but if we managed, it would get us a hundred or so miles North West ready to take advantage of the winds in that area after the storm moves off to the North East.

Day 14

In the event, it was hard, very hard and probably the best bit of sailing that I have done with Thomasina. The wind was 26 to 30 knots all day and all night. The seas were very large and breaking, and in the 24hr period we managed 114 miles, close-hauled all the way. In the morning Dave and I shook hands, it had been quite a night! This got us through to 18 knot beam reach winds and sunshine. Bliss. Still can't head straight for the Azores as there are North Easterlies forecast, but hey, the sun’s out, the boat’s level and you can move through it without feeling that you are in a washing machine.

Days 15 - 16 - 17

Still having to work hard at positioning the boat in the right bit of ocean to get the best out of the now much lighter winds, and also to get out of the current that has been .5 to .7 of a knot against us. Getting there, though.

500 miles to go. Just been sorting through the latest forecast from a download and Herb. Looks like the next two days light North Easterlies, then wind from the North strengthening with the threat of another gale forming just south of the Azores for the end of the week. So, have made the decision to use up 48 hrs diesel that I have kept, to get us to the stronger winds, this will leave 6 hrs diesel for emergencies / getting in to Horta. Reaching the stronger winds will (touching all available wood) get us in a position over two further days to use the start of the expected gale to push into Horta. That’s the plan at the moment; it might well change over the next 3 days as the positioning of the new gale firms up.

Days 18 - 19

Got an updated forecast. At the moment we will get a swipe of the gale and not its full extent, this still means 35 knots of wind, maybe more, because the track is still not 100% sure, so I have taken Thomasina further North over night to get the Westerly on the back quarter of the boat, and to have the option of heading for Flores as well as Faiel. Flores being closer, and more to the North.

On a brighter note, we had a big Fin whale go under Thomasina today - fantastic sight, it was longer than Thomasina! It decided that we were not a threat, or that it did not want sex with my boat, and rejoined its mate further away.

Have been doing battle with the diesel filters over the past couple of days due to Caribbean crap diesel and the very bouncy 4 days we had which has stirred up all the silt in the bottom of the tanks. I have now used up my spare filters and am having to take the existing ones off every 5 hours of motoring or so to flush as much muck out of them as I can before replacement. Just how much fun can you have in one day?

Days 20 - 21

The last couple of days seem a blur now, gale force winds and huge sea's the main fare. We ran before then under storm jib one side and deep rolled Genoa on the other until I no longer had the energy to deal with them, we then hove-to. Turning into the wind and sea to heave-to, the full force of the wind was apparent and Dave’s face was a picture. But Thomasina sat comfortably with the occasional wave breaking over her, while we slept the sleep of the dead.

We then tried for Flores and, 50 miles out, it became apparent with the wind direction forecast that we might not make it. So, disappointedly, I turned the boat towards Faiel and the port of Horta 140 miles further on, towards which we are now sailing in frustratingly light airs.

Foe me one of the highlights in the height of the storm was eating a can of Ambrosia rice, then throwing the can overboard to see it not touch the water until past the front of the boat, because of the wind strength. Another was in the morning, Dave's quote: "Crack of Dawn, wet and very exciting today"…..simple pleasures.

Day 22

Sailing down to Faiel overnight was a definite highlight - a full moon, great northerly wind and the boat scorching along at 7 knots, add to that dolphins escorting us throughout the 130 miles and the great landfall of Faiel, green and mountainous.It was a hard crossing, but rewarding for all that. Our grand total of sea miles 2,077

Going now for probably about 5 days R’n’R looking around Faiel before the last bit across to Ireland. Then back to Scotland.

It’s a year now since I started this trip, and Scotland calls very loudly.