AL SHAHEEN -
Saturday 15th June 2013: Well, finally on our way! We can see the sun for the first
time in about 8 days, the wind has dropped, the rain has stopped, the diesel tanks
are full, water tanks refilled, food lockers and fridge chock-
Time to go.
Weather gurus Chris Parker (an old friend from way back when) and Jenifer & Dane
Clark (new to us but very well-
Click here to go to the beginning of our diary, which is in reverse chronological order.
You can watch our passage through a Spot signal; here is the link for the shared page:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=05z80Sg34Nf02qA3EN7O68pGijI PR6cLs
We will also be keeping a blog, at www.getjealous.com/thesoutpielsafari, which we will hopefully update every day.
Azores to Ireland -
Position at 1600z. N51-
Distance to Schull: 25 miles. ETA 2000z
We ran all night downwind but on our rhumb line with 25 kts behind us and boat speeds
7.5 -
0500 found van S and myself on the foredeck with mountainous seas, 35 kts of wind and torrential horizontal rain. We stowed the poles, sorted out all the lines and set a heavily reefed jib to port (no main) and were back on our rhumb line again at 7 knots.
By 1200z the wind had moderated and abruptly veered from SE to west and dropped to 5 knots. We have been motoring since then in order to get into Schull tonight.
The boat got very wet from all our wet gear but we now have sunshine and are drying out slowly. Jenny did an incredible job making macaroni cheese for lunch with the boat bucking wildly in the residual swell. We have just passed the 1100 mile mark and it now looks as if we should be in Schull before dark tonight. Terry has just sighted land!
Azores to Ireland -
Position at 2100z N49-
Distance to Schull: 146 miles
We have carried our Trade Wind Rig all day again and it looks as if it will now take us all the way to the Fastnet Rock. Last night was a perfect night with a cloudless sky and a near full moon. The wind was up and down but during the day it has been steady at 15 kts and from the SW which is perfect for our course of 043T.
The day started sunny but it clouded over and the wind increased to 20 kts giving a boat speed of 7.5 knots. This evening it is raining and we have had a squall to 30 kts. The forecast tonight is for convective squalls to 50 kts. When the squalls come through we have to wind in half of each headsail, which is all done from the safety of the cockpit. Visibility is poor tonight and we are already experiencing some shipping bound for northern Europe, so we have our AIS activated.
It is difficult to predict exact time of arrival in Schull but it looks as if it will be after dark so we are hoping for better visibility tomorrow.
Azores to Ireland -
Our following wind carried on all night and through today until an hour ago when it fell off light after a weak front passed through and we had to start motoring. We still have a huge swell which makes for most unpleasant rolling. We managed 148 miles noon/noon, all under the Trade Wind Rig and it was very easy sailing with only gentle rolling and no crashing of gear. We have left the poles rigged in case the wind comes back again.
Present plans are to head for Schull which is now 300 miles away and we should be
in there on Thursday morning. It is difficult to say what wind conditions we will
get before then but it looks as if we might still get a westerly wind of 10-
Two other OCC boats, which left before us, have now reached port; Toodle-
Azores to Ireland -
We motored all last night and, having been told that we would see no usable wind until Thursday, I spent the night trying to estimate fuel consumption at various engine revs and optimise boat speed for minimal fuel consumption. I concluded that we would probably just make it to Baltimore or somewhere in the SW, if we had to motor the remaining 500 miles.
Then, at 0800 today we got an unexpected wind from the WSW which rapidly increased
to 15-
We have carried this all day and it looks as if it will continue all night. This unexpected bonus relieves the pressure on fuel. This evening it is overcast with some light rain.
Position at 2000z N46-
Azores to Ireland -
Our wind finally died early this morning and sailing became impossible in the swell,
which is about 3-
Later we tried flying the cruising chute but, without engine, that only gave us 3 knots max. Now back to engine plus jib and 5.3 kts.
After 4 days elapsed to 1100 today we had covered 536 miles, almost all sailing, an average of 134 miles per day. Not bad considering the light conditions.
Present position at 1930z. N45-
Azores to Ireland -
2000z. Present position N43-
The wind fell light early this morning and it was sloppy and frustrating for a while,
then the wind started veering as a weak cold front passed through. We set poles,
handed poles, gybed and tried various sail configurations until the wind established
itself from the SSW. We then set off on a beam reach in the right direction and have
spent all day reaching at 6+ knots in sunshine -
From early tomorrow we are expecting the wind to die and there to be no usable wind UNTIL MAYBE THURSDAY! By that time (early Saturday) we will still be 650 miles from Kinsale and our remaining diesel will take us maybe 550 to 600 miles. There is a suggestion of light easterly winds off the Irish cost on Thursday, but they will be headwinds and it will be touch and go to see if we have enough fuel. We could be out here for weeks! It is going to be very frustrating but there's not much we can do about it.
From where we are now it is probably 140 miles shorter to La Coruna in northern Spain, but we don't have much enthusiasm for diverting there as we would still have to get back across the Bay of Biscay.
There are 5 OCC boats ahead of us which set off before us and they are all considerably closer to UK/Ireland. We talk daily on the SSB.
Azores to Ireland -
Well, what a change!
At 0300 last night, on instructions from our weather router, we took in the genoa pole, gybed onto starboard and headed off to the north east on a broad reach. We immediately picked up speed and were soon up to 7.5 knots on a course of 040T. At that time the seas were down so we stormed off into the night with a wind of about 14 kts.
By dawn the wind was up and the seas were up and our speed was up to 8 knots most of the time. By midday the ride was getting wild so we took in a reef, with no loss of speed but more comfort down below.
This has continued all day except that the wind has now eased a little. It has been
a humid day with 100% cloud, poor visibility and now a little light rain. Day 2 noon
to noon run was 150 miles -
There is a complex weather system ahead and we'll either run out of wind by Friday night, or have too much!
Friends in Nova Scotia, Maine, Connecticut and England are all reporting extreme
heat -
Position at 2000z is N42-
Azores to Ireland -
Last night was very frustrating. We were either motoring at reduced revs to conserve fuel, or ghosting along under sail at 2.7 knots. Either way, with a sloppy swell, all the gear was crashing about. Today has been a little better with a SSE breeze but less than 10 kts. We have been making 5.5 kts most of the day but it has fallen light again now and we face the prospect of motoring again but with the certain knowledge that we shall require all our diesel for later in the trip.
Meanwhile, other boats which left 2 days ahead of us are powering along with 20 kts of wind....
Day's run to noon was only 10 miles.
Present position at 2100z is 40-
Azores to Ireland -
We finally left Ponta Delgada today (16 July) at 1100z and motored westwards along
the south coast of Sao Miguel. We had a forecast of SSE/S winds at 15-
It looks like being a very slow trip and we'll be very short of fuel by the time we get near Ireland.
All is well on board with a strong crew -
Nearly 1100 miles to go to Kinsale.
Monday 1st July
Horta
We left Flores at 0800 yesterday and arrived in Horta at 0950 today, 1 July, back on schedule. We motored all the way against a light north easterly breeze which was too weak to sail. By the time we had refuelled and completed the entry formalities it was around noon.
Have spent the rest of the day socialising, doing laundry and had a fabulous steak in Peter's Cafe Sport tonight. This is where we will be having our OCC Dinner tomorrow. Cafe Sport is a legend with Atlantic sailors and has always been then OCC base here . It is now run by the grandson of the founder, Jose Henriques Azevedo who is the OCC Port Officer for Horta. It looks as if we shall be having be special evening tomorrow with a number of local dignitaries including the Director General of tourism for the Azores.
Sunday 30th June
Flores to Horta, Faial
We are at sea again, thank Heavens!
The Lajes Marina was a disaster in the prevailing easterly swell but, once in, it was too small to turn around and we couldn't get out. We were buffeted continuously by the swell rolling into the marina and had to resort to using car tyres as fenders as ours mainly burst as we were sandwiched between the dock and the heavy German boat in the adjoining slip. Consequently our white topsides are now black. We got very little sleep during the 3 days we were there. We did manage to fill up with diesel and see most of the very beautiful island. We also made a lot of friends.
We managed to extricate ourselves at 0800 this morning with a lot of help from the mainly French community of sailors in the marina. In the end, it was a lot easier than I had anticipated.
Once out, we immediately went into a watch routine to enable us to recover some sleep.
It is 133 miles from Lajes to Horta. There is still a heavy easterly swell and a light NE wind so, yet again, we are motoring as we have to get there tomorrow in time for the OCC dinner on Tuesday. ETA is early Monday morning.
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Lajes, Flores
Dawn saw us in the lee of Flores with no swell and little wind and a cloudy murky
morning. We decided to press on to Lajes which is on the SE corner of Flores, although
we had heard that several other boats had gone into an anchorage at Faja Grande on
the west coast having decided that the entrance to Lajes was too dangerous in the
prevailing conditions -
The entrance to the small marina, only 20m wide, was quite frightening with a big swell running in but once inside we found it crammed with boats, all sheltering from the easterly wind and swell. The marina manger directed us to a berth which he considered "just perfect" but in fact was the only one available and designed for a 9m boat, not our 12.7m. With the swell it was just like living inside a washing machine and it took us nearly 2 hours to secure the boat. We burst 2 fenders within the first couple of hours and I borrowed a car to drive to Santa Cruz to buy more fenders from the fisherman's store. One of these has now burst and we have replaced them with old car tyres which are now leaving black marks on our white paintwork. It really is a dreadful place but there is nowhere else to go. Having said that, the island is quite stunning, with the most glorious wild flowers alongside the road and in the hedges and fields.
Too tired to say more except that we covered some 1731 miles in 3 hours under 12 days (11 days and 21 hours) from leaving Halifax at an average speed of 6.1 knots. The logged distance was 1814 miles. the difference of 83 miles was probably the effect of the adverse current or may have been an inaccuracy in the speed/distance log.
The first 8-
There may now be a few days break in messages. We'll resume when we leave Flores.
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Short message tonight as I am sitting on the floor (cabin sole) braced where I can't fall, typing this on my knee with a 30 degree heel.
Last night we sailed all night until the wind fell off, then we motored until the
seas got too rough, then we sailed again at 6 kts in sunshine, all the time beating
to windward towards Flores which is still 45 miles away to windward. In 24 hours
to 100 this morning we made good nearly 100 miles towards our Flores waypoint. We
should get in tomorrow -
We know that 2 bigger boats which left Mahone Bay and Marion, Mass at roughly the same time as us are both 60 miles behind us, so relatively, we are doing very well but difficult to convince ourselves of that in these difficult conditions..
Present position 1900Z is N39-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
This is the day we were supposed to arrive -
The first 8 days of this trip were glorious off-
This is the Azores High and while it just sits where it is we shall get easterlies and a tough ride to Flores. We have food, water and about 180 litres of diesel. If the wind and seas go down we'll motor. If they don't, we have little option but to continue beating to windward.
Position at 1900Z Tuesday is 39-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
We motored all night and all day..... Wind about 7 knots dead on the nose. Sunshine
all day but now overcast and a few specks of rain. Hot water from the engine means
showers all round -
Yesterday's run was 148 miles; that's a total of 1386 in 9 days. 154 miles/day average.
Present position at 1700Z is: 38-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
We made really good progress last night; 85 miles in 12 hours and that was with one reef in. Since this morning the wind has fallen off and at 1400Z it fell away to nothing and we started motoring directly towards Flores at 6 kts, distance 400m miles.
Present position at 1830Z is 38-
Motoring is miserable, noise, vibration, unstabilised motion of the boat, sails slatting etc. The only upside is that we now have plenty of hot water and, with the boat finally upright, the prospect of showers at last! At this rate we should get to Flores some time on Wednesday, fuel permitting.
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Last night was fairly uneventful, except for the full moon, until near dawn when it got really squally. We had in one reef and working jib. I relieved Jenny at 0400, decided the boat was going too slowly and decided to set the genoa, which can be done from the cockpit. We have a rule that no one leaves the cockpit unless there is someone else there watching them, so I couldn't take out the reef without calling the watch below. No sooner had I stowed the jib and set the genoa than a dirty great squall hit us. The boat was on her ear, speed up to 8.7 knots, water flying everywhere, so I had to reverse the whole procedure, and all in the dark! Pity I didn't look up to windward before I started!
The day started grey and overcast but is now brilliant sunshine and we are crashing along at 7+ knots due east with wind 60 degrees apparent and one reef in. Wonderful sailing.
Yesterday's run was 144 miles 1300/1300 but that was another 23 hour day as we advanced the clocks again. We have somewhere near 550 miles to go but the ETA of Wednesday depends very much on how we transit the Azores High with its light winds. We can't hope to keep up this express train ride for more than another couple of days at the most.
Position tonight at 1830 Z was N38-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Sorry about yesterday's errors and thanks to Peter for picking them up!
Today has been a day of navigational significance. Firstly,the Skipper decided to do a sun's meridian altitude (for the uninitiated,this is a sextant sight of the sun at local noon). It was the first for at least 5 years and taken in a 2m sea, so the result which placed us only 1.3 miles north of our actual latitude by GPS, was quite satisfying in the prevailing sea and boat motion conditions. Secondly, we achieved 1,000 miles by log in just 6 days which isn't bad for a crew of geriatrics (Ken excluded of course!) not having made an ocean passage for 4 years. Thirdly, having achieved 1,000 miles, Ken now qualifies as a full member of the OCC. Fourthly, the trip function of our electronic log, which can't cope with displaying thousands, on reaching 999.99 suddenly decided to display 347.19! We haven't figured that one out yet.
Last night was very trying. The wind fell light and eventually failed so we had to
motor for a couple of hours. Early this morning it came back from the SSE which wasn't
ideal but has enabled us to maintain an easterly course and speeds 6-
Present position 1800 local (2000Z) tonight is N38-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Sitting in glorious sunshine, wind aft of the beam, clean warm air blowing through
a recently cleaned boat -
Last night was very squally. Wind SSW about 18 kts but gusting to 25 every few minutes.
We held onto 2 reefs and part rolled jib and maintained 7 to 8 knots in a 2m sea.
Our course was 110 so with wind well forward of the beam we were well heeled and
very wet on deck. That lasted all night. early this morning we passed our "waypoint"
of N38-
Then started the great boat clean up.
As we advanced clocks by an hour we had a 23 hour day. We made good 149 hours 1300/1300 against a logged distance of 167, the difference of 18 miles being the effect of the adverse current. Today we are having wonderful sailing but somewhat slower at 7.3 knots.
We are now heading up to 50N so that, hopefully, as we approach the Azores we will get beam winds. We will continue to watch the position of the Azores High and alter our strategy accordingly.
ETA Flores? Maybe Wednesday? it all depends on that High.
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Present position 1800 local, 2100Z, N39 01.8 W051 47.9. Distance made good 1300 to 1300 was 155 miles, but by log 167 miles. We had an adverse current most of the day which has worsened today and will cost us about 25 miles today. Before we left we obtained a Gulf Stream chart , at great expense, from the acknowledged "expert" Jenifer Clark. This showed the position of a whole series of hot (clockwise) eddies and cold (counter clockwise) eddies. The only problem was that due to wind direction and strength it was just too uncomfortable to sail a course to maximise the effect of these currents. We have, in effect, largely ignored them, but to our detriment so far.
For our weather we get Grib files by SSB and occasional forecasts from Chris Parker our weather guru in Florida. So far he has been very accurate.
After the light winds of yesterday it increased slowly during the night, first one
reef, then 2, then 3, then #3 out again this morning. Ken took a soaking putting
in one reef last night as a wave hit the side of the boat and dunked him. During
today we have had a succession of mild squalls rising from 19 kts to 25, but wind
consistently in the SSW. It is now quite hot in the sun but as we cannot open hatches
due to water on deck, ventilation below is poor and the boat is becoming quite fetid.
There is little chance of doing anything about this for several days to come. Perhaps
when we reach the influence of the Azores High we'll get gentle winds and seas and
then we can open everything up, ventilate the boat, clean up and maybe take a shower
-
Tonight we advance clocks by an hour so we'll have a 23 hour day.
All's well aboard Al Shaheen. 690 miles so far, 100 miles to our next waypoint and now under 1,000 to Flores. ETA Flores maybe next Wednesday 26 but a lot depends on the position of the Azores High.
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Monday evening was quite wild; big seas (5m)and SW wind gusting to 30 knots. We hove-
At 1800 local (Z-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Quite a wild day. Wind initially S@ 15kts making a SW course very difficult. Then
AM both wind and seas got up and up to 25kts and 3-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
Another day of glorious sunshine bowling along at 7 kts with a WSW wind@16-
Saw hundreds of dolphins this afternoon jumping against the sun.
Position at 2230Z N41-
Nova Scotia to Azores -
We left Halifax at 1300 local yesterday with blue skies and sunshine -
All well aboard but living conditions difficult in this lumpy sea.
