25 January 2026 at 18:56:20 GMT

Day 16 

There seemed to be no reason on a mostly clear night, but strangely Orion lost his head and shoulders!

3.30am and 32 knots was the point where I was definitely uncomfortable with our sail set.  I unintentionally managed to awake the whole ships company but happily having watched the instruments for a while it settled back down to something more seemly, a mere 22 knots or so. I watched the radar as my large cloud outran us moving away at 85 knots.  Other clouds have been 56 knots and lower.  This panned out to be the order of the day.  Fundamentally lesser winds but squally rainy clouds passing mostly to our port or starboard, very occasionally overhead, though any of these incidents causes the wind to increase and sometimes change direction.

We’d thought it would be a more relaxing day with seas down closer to 3 metres(!) but goes to show that you never can know what’s around the corner.

Nature provided a beautiful spectacle which we all witnessed.  Sunrise with an indescribable limpid blue spanning 180 degrees of the horizon as if the sky is backlit by the sun.  Luminous, captivating, hearalding the adventure of a new day.

Generator challenges with various error messages.  Recitified by giving it some load before attempting to start.  It worked!  And internet connectivity challenges continue.

In an attempt to be prudent we continue to pull the pole inboard to check the jaws and the guy sleeve and also to make sure that the bowline isn’t experiencing friction. Malcolm and Paul on the bow.  Me on the sheets in the cockpit – how I wish I had 3 hands! We’ve also run the other guy as a barber hauler to help things stay where they should and provide some downward force.

Today was overcast almost all day and like being in a washing machine with confused seas, like Dungeness on a bad day for those who sail.  We played with the wind all day or rather it played with us.  More sail, less sail, running by the lee with the aid of the storm jib which in 20 knots of wind was perfect, but then the wind changed direction so the storm jib had to go being more of a hindrance than a help.  All in all it felt like a very busy day.

Inbetween times we stagger around below like drunkards moving as best we can with the ancipated and unanticipated movement of Sukama.  It is a unique art form until any other I know, but it’s our daily living.  You can find yourself jettisoned across the cabin at a fast pace, sometimes literally caught hopping as a wave takes a sidewayes swipe at us. Whether standing, sitting, or attempting to sleep Sukama works your muscles the whole time.

Grapes are particularly tricky as I prepared chicken grape and walnut salad requiring some quick reactions to keep them in the vicinity of the chopping board.  A dinner of mediterranean vegetables and cheese saw us dancing with our bowls to accommodate the rocking and swaying in any direction at any time.  Maybe we need a gimbled table?

Day 17

Overnight it was quiet for all of us whether on watch or asleep.  Clear skies, gentle winds and benign seas.  We had a silvery moon to light our way with a fat crescent and Orion found his head and shoulders again.

26 January 2026 at 12:45:57 GMT

Day 17 cont ……………

Think this qualified for the easiest day of the entire trip.  Sunny.  Warm.  Swimwear. Easy morning. Constant winds. Moderate seas. Fresh fruit salad – impressed myself with that! No squalls or showers. Baked soda bread. Genset challenge. Pole jaw pin challenge, though think we’ve found a solution to this using a dyneema soft shackle. Fridge door challenge.

A day to sit on the quarter seat at the stern to wonder and absorb.  To ponder and treasure this incredible journey, and how we come to be here.  To allow free rein to every sense to absorb the wind which caresses our bodies and drives our sails, the vast expanse and depth of the ocean, the unfathomable height of the sky with colours which are denied us on land, the fickleness of the wavelets on the surface and the power and roar of the rollers determining our decisions and direction of travel, the constant revolutions of the world as we experience the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets differently every day affording us all precious moments in our lifetimes.  I’m absolutely not ready for this to end, but I needed gentle pursuation to undertake this passage.  Jen was the catalyst with her invitation to Florida in February.  Now I’m left hungry wanting more, a reaction I hadn’t anticipated.  Paul is the best of company – affable, cheerful, helpful, pragmatic, always willing even when woken from slumbers, fit and strong. Would love to do this again with Anthony, and Paul too.  What a brilliant team that would be!  Maybe Malcolm and I could just sit back and watch them run the ship?  Whilst we’d love to see that, I don’t think either of us are ready to be passengers!

This sense of total freedom cannot be bought.  Neither can it be adequately described.  It has to be experienced.

Day 18

Moon lighting our way high in the western sky.  A myriad of stars this starlit night.  2 ships on the radar at one time!  With the closest passing 16 miles away.  And a brief squall for good measure.

Paul had an impressive breach of the cockpit on his watch with a rogue wave that came out of nowhere landing on his lap then finding the companion way steps to down below.  That’s a first for us!

Less than 200 miles to run to St Lucia.

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Team members: Malcolm, Sue, Paul, George the autopilot, Charlie our weather router

Photos from previous crossing 2020

Previous adventure updates

Day 13 – 15: https://blackwells.biz/atlantic-crossing-days-13-15/

Day 11 – 12: https://blackwells.biz/atlantic-crossing-days-11-12/

Day 7 – 10: https://blackwells.biz/atlantic-crossing-days-7-10/

Day 5 – 6: https://blackwells.biz/atlantic-crossing-days-5-6/

Day 1 – 4: https://blackwells.biz/atlantic-crossing-days-1-4/

Preparation and setting off on day 1: https://blackwells.biz/the-call-of-the-ocean/