Chaser 2 - Day 11 I think!

Day 11 I think!

Chaser 2

Yvonne Chapman

Thu 7 Dec 2006 12:01

We've been moving on quite quickly under our twizzle rig, doing about 8 knots at the moment. Our position is 16.21.00N 40.42.00W the night was a long one but not too bad.

I was thinking with my alleged mind last night while on watch. Many people ask why we want to cross the Atlantic in a small boat, why not fly there and charter one. Well, I believe there have been a lot of people out here at the moment asking themselves the same question! Of course chartering is only an option for a week or two, the price is out of the question for longer, but part of our cruise is the trans At passage, there are times when we think should we have done this? and times that are really exhilarating.

Many times we have been asked if it will be boring or is it pure tranquility. Believe or not there is not too much time to be bored when you are double handed, there is always something to do during your awake hours, and tranquility it ain't.

Picture this if you will, last night for example, 0300hrs alone with 1500 miles to the nearest land, the sea was black and the sky so dark it was difficult to see the horizon. Our boat speed is 8 knots that's 10mph or 16kph. I look over the side and see the water flowing past the back of the boat, but its the noise, its not the noise of the boat speed only 8 knots) Its the noise of the wind and sea. We have a following sea and following wind, the wind was blowing between 25 and 30 knots and the sea, the sea was quite big, You see the waves that are following, are themselves, traveling at maybe 20knots.

I'm staring into the darkness and all I can hear is the roar of a 15 foot mountain of water catching up on us, the wind is whistling and howling through the rigging, then I can see the white foam cresting the wave just before it lifts the stern of the boat and then we surf down it at maybe 12knots the surf screaming from Chasers hull and sea is white with foam alongside with then a combined boat speed and wave speed giving the sound and appearance that our 12 ton vessel is surfing at 30 knots. We slither down the wave Helmsley, (our autopilot) fights to keep Chaser on course, as the wave overtakes and passes under the hull it lifts our bow, looking skywards we now slow and the roaring wave storms off and discards us like a cigarette butt. A little calm follows until the next wave 100 metres behind and the episode is repeated, maybe a little slower, maybe a little more violent and continues on through the darkness.

When daybreak comes, you can see what has been hammering away at you, it doesn't make it anymore pleasant, but a little more reassuring when you know what's arriving on your doorstep.

It can be an ordeal but if it was you wouldn't do it, its what's in your head, how you accept the voyage, it can be an ordeal if you choose or it can be an adventure. It's ones attitude towards these things. That's it, attitude, attitude - is the difference between ordeal and adventure.