Memories of Nimue’s first Atlant ic crossing.
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The most important aspect of the Atlantic trip was to get us all and
Nimue safely across. However, with our extra crew, Nigel on
board we were all looking forward to push Nimue a bit more than usual to enable
a quick crossing e.g. circa 18 days.
However, from receiving the first weather reports in Tenerife, it was
unlikely that we were ever going to get any strong trade winds for our trip.
Our expectations were raised after
leaving Tenerife as we sailed on a fast broad reach for 2 ½ days, but then we
came to a standstill as the wind just died. After a refuelling stop in the Cape
Verdes, we hit some stronger winds for a few days, but again they became
inconsistent and rarely went above 15 knots. Nimue sailed well, but we just knew that
with 20 knots she would sail so much better and give a more comfortable
ride. The trouble with weak winds
is that you still have a swell, which rocks the boat from side to side and this
becomes very uncomfortable and tedious. Apart from the lack of wind, the trip was
a great achievement and a fantastic experience and we still managed to complete
it 20 days! Leaving San Miguel Marina, Tenerife
Nigel with the Video camera – used to record each days’ activities
Leaving Tenerife, Mt Tiede in background Nimue with cruising chute’ bombing down’ the African coast Memories:-
Fresh stores taken on board in Tenerife – The tomatoes were still good even after we arrived in Barbados Dorado our first catch What a beautiful looking fish!
A Whopper of a Wahoo Too heavy for 2 men – over 50lbs!
Yes it actually bit Michael on his foot – Love this photo!
The 1000 miles to go party (the green boat represents Nimue) and it all went down well!
Refuelling underway just before Cape Verdes
Reporting in to Sally (Nigel’s wife)! Cape Verdes – Mindello port Orca Whales Some exhilarating sailing Some other notable events.... Having some fun with Nigel Hitting a 35+ knot squall in the middle of the night! The watermaker consistently made 25 gallons of water an hour, so we could all shower every other day. The SSB (single side band radio) and eventually participating in the Net (enables you chat to other boats at a given time of the day). Managing repairs on the go e.g. the outhaul shackle pin came unscrewed, which meant the mainsail was not attached to the end of the boom for a while The 3.5 hour watch system – worked well, but that extra half hour became a struggle towards the end of the trip. The night sky and ‘wall to wall’ stars
Early morning – just unbelievable colours!! Daily Advent calendar opening
The ‘goodie bag’ for night watches Nigel writing up his daily diary.... and finally.................................
Arriving in Barbados, hoisting courtesy and customs flags
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