Day 11
I relieved Paul at 4am who reported starlit skies, still no moon (?), wind gusting 19 – 27 knots, and lots of shooting stars. My watch came with plentiful wind, even bigger seas, and a yacht which didn’t show up on the radar at all passing 0.7miles ahead of us. I’m thankful for alarms on the electronics! All good fun.
20 January 2026 at 09:36:21 GMT
We decided to have another think around the watch pattern today as Paul is currently missing out on both sunrises and sunsets! I made a suggestion which Paul annotated giving me a whole day off until midnight – an unexpected bonus – so I made the most of it and played my harp as Sukama rocked vigorously from side to side and I clung on tightly! I’m picking up the dog watch from midnight to 4am but plan on a different sleep pattern to Paul’s meaning I get both sunsets and sunrises. We’ll see how it goes.
Maintenance before we set off from Tazacorte
Whilst I pleased myself Malcolm helped Paul become better aquainted with the water system, Paul is seeking to capture video footage demonstrating some of the art of living on board, and Malcolm tried his hand at fishing to no avail. We’ll have to wait for Anthony to join us at Easter when we’ll anticipate fish for supper every day! But best of all, the new watch system means that I’ve also delegated the evening meal preparation to Paul, but Malcolm is gamely stepping up to support him and they’re doing it together.
Big seas stayed with us until after lunch meaning that we had to choose to live safely or dangerously – holding a cup of tea and/or marshalling the chickpeas from the salad as they made a bid for freedom with the significantly lively motion. Needless to say we accepted the challenge though Paul did find himself sliding off his seat as a wave heeled us when he failed to brace himself!
After lunch the boisterous seas had calmed a little so we talked through and made the sail adjustments required in order to change from a southwest heading to west along the 15 degree north latitude, or as closely as conditions will allow. Charlie had recommended gybing but as we already had the pole set on the port side, we made use of that and anticipate gybing at first light. So with the main now with 3 reefs, the genoa with 2 reefs, and the storm jib centred, we achieved a much flatter, more balanced and comfortable platform. We celebrated appropriately with tea, cake and jam at 4pm.
Whilst potentially a much calmer setup running downwind, just one degree difference in the course can have a disproportionate impact so we’re making adjustments to find the sweet spot cautiously over time and giving them time to settle.
Day 12
Midnight – 4am Sukama is now tracking well unless upset by an errant wave, and there are many as either our eyes or the radar tells us, but having both the wind and waves up behind you is a totally different motion where one minute you are sailing, the next the speed picks up as you surf with the momentum of the wave. For a short period it was gusting up to 30 knots but for the most part it’s 18 – 23 knots.
All being well we’ll have gybed onto starboard by the time you see this – next exciting installment to follow…………
21 January 2026 at 10:03:02 GMT
Day 12 cont………….
First light was a sight – 4 metre seas with a short period, breaking crests and foaming water everywhere, and stronger winds forecast through the day and overnight. But first things first. Tea, breakfast, run the generator.
With winds consistently 25 – 27 knots we needed to get the main down. We briefly considered doing it whilst running, but realised the short cut wasn’t an option in these conditions. So it’s make sure everyone knows what we’re planning and is ready to play their part. Malcolm volunteered to go forward to the mast to climb a few steps to help the main to drop, we had Paul on lines and me on steering. Somehow we found the right moment to turn to wind, drop the sail and secure with sail ties, and turn back to course. All was remarkably smooth but I’m not sure how many 71year olds would be game!
The entire day has been a maelstrom dominated by mountainous seas piling up behind us and on all sides and coming from all directions. The waves tower over you before picking up the stern, rolling underneath with a roar and a surge and powering away in front of you. Mostly their seried ranks are behind us, but they can come from almost any direction when it’s all highly confused. The sails and George moreorless cope but once in a while it feels like bit of a lottery as to whether they will regroup in time for the next……….and the next and the next………….. The force of nature is laid bare.
Followed by tea and victuals. And thankfully a quiet spell in the afternoon to regroup. But along came the evening and up went the wind and the waves, again!
Day 13
It’s only 999.99miles to run to the southern end of Martinique! By 1am we were back to higher wind strengths, making exhilarating speeds, and wind shifts to add to the fun. But overall our course is good, our speed respectable, and spirits are high in spite of the magnitude of any challenges.We all enjoyed the chicken in peri peri sauce with pasta this evening.
Thanks for being part of this adventure. We love that we’re able to share some of our joy in this way.
Sue
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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 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/
2 Comments on “Atlantic crossing days 11-12”
Sue, your updates make it clear that while “George” and the sails do the heavy lifting, it’s the raw human pulse—clinging to a harp in a maelstrom or chasing fugitive chickpeas—that actually tames the Atlantic. There’s something beautifully defiant about meeting thirty-knot gusts and four-meter walls of water with a coordinated main-drop and a round of peri-peri pasta. Crossing into triple digits toward Martinique is a massive milestone; keep finding those sweet spots in the surge.
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