Bermuda to Azores | Day 11
Well, if Day 10 was wildly unremarkable, Day 11 will go down in infamy. At least, in our lives.
We are all exhausted. The front that has been with us for the past 24 hours has tested all of us mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
The highest winds we saw were probably 35 knots, which seems odd to write because we have sailed in 35 knots before. In fact, the inaugural sail on this boat, bringing her back from Grenada, was consistently 35 knots for the first three days. And it was hard. But last night was something wholly other. Last night felt violent. I never doubted Remedy. She was strong and steady the whole time. But man, it was like she was in the ring with Mike Tyson in his glory days. The seas dealt one solid blow after another,
We have a full canvas enclosure for our cockpit. Normally, that keeps us dry from rain and sea spray. But last night’s waves hit us with such force that the water infiltrated our enclosure. I am fairly certain that if the beating continued, she would have been breached entirely. Expecting that at any moment, we all suited up in our foul-weather gear, prepared to get very wet. But thankfully, she held through the worst of it. We will have to inspect the damage when we arrive in the Azores.
We also took on a lot of water inside. Every boat has leaks—microcracks where water seeps in. It has been the bane of my existence the entire time we have lived aboard. The multitude of waves we took over the bow and starboard side of the boat last night forced themselves through every possible entry. Everything is wet.
Last night, we decided that no one would keep watch alone. So all three of us hunkered down in the cockpit, which is already small, but one side was taking on so much water that it was eliminated as a seating area altogether. We gathered some snacks to munch on for dinner, tethered ourselves in, and prepared for a very long night.
At some point, Monica suggested I go below for an hour to take a nap. Then we would rotate, allowing each of us to at least get some rest. I don’t really have words to describe what it is like to hear the waves hitting the side of your boat. The best I can come up with is like a bomb exploding. We took some whoppers. As I lay below, trying to rest, one particularly brutal wave struck us, and at least a gallon of water came pouring into our berth (bedroom). I jolted up and saw something go overboard from our portlight window. We had 3 jugs of reserve diesel fuel and 1 jug of emergency water securely attached to our lifelines via a board on the starboard side of our boat. I was pretty sure that is what I saw go overboard. I ran to the cockpit to inquire, and sure enough, the wave that crashed into us snapped the board like a toothpick, and one of the jugs went overboard. We rushed to secure the other two, bringing them below and attaching them to the brass base of the table in our salon living area.
Once all of that was secure, I returned to our cabin to attempt to rest. All I could do was cry. I have known that the sea is big and powerful and should be respected. But I was sure that if the beating she was dealing us continued, she was going to do a lot of damage. After a few minutes of crying, I sent some SOS prayer texts to my friends. I told myself I needed to put my big girl panties on and get up and deal with it. We had a long night ahead of us, and I needed to be able to be a competent and reliable crewmate.
The snapped board that held our diesel jug reserves.
Throughout the night, the impact of waves hitting the side of the boat flung cabinets open, spilling their contents all over our floors, and slung books and other items from their secured cubbies. Galley drawers became projectiles, flying across the salon area. And every surface was wet. This morning, Ken described it as a frat house after homecoming. I think that is a valid assessment.
This morning, we have taken turns giving each other more time to sleep. We are not out of the woods yet. The elevated wind and seas, and the chaos they bring with them, will be with us for the next 24 hours before we see true abatement. We also have two challenges to address. First, the furling line for our staysail snapped when we tried to furl it in the early morning hours today. To bring this sail in, Ken will have to go up to the bow of the boat and furl it by hand until we can repair it properly in the Azores.
Second, even though we had plenty of wind to sail, we were using the engine throughout the night to supplement the small sail configuration due to the high winds and navigate through the heavy seas. Our priority was getting to more settled weather as fast as we possibly could. We began noticing our engine throttling down and even choking in the wee hours of this morning. Thankfully, we had reached a point at the southern end of the front, where we felt we could turn the engine off. Ken thinks the crazy seas stirred up gunk in our fuel tanks or that some water got in somewhere. Once the weather settles down, he will begin the diagnostic process and make any necessary repairs.
As I write this, the winds are still blowing well into the low 30’s. The seas are still elevated and tossing us all around. But the violence of last night seems to be behind us. We turned north this morning and are riding the coattails of this front up to Horta. We will hopefully be there by Sunday. I know we are all looking forward to showers, a good meal, and dry land for a bit.
Monica’s friend, a seasoned sailor, sent us an interesting stat this morning. She said that every year, more people climb Mt Everest than cross the Atlantic Ocean in a small sailboat. After last night, I completely understand why.
It is going to take a lot of elbow grease to put Remedy back together. Everything is in complete disarray. But it is all mostly minor repairs and cleanup. For that, and for the fervent prayers of our family and friends, I am profoundly grateful.
All is well improving.
Day Eleven Stats
Nautical Miles Sailed In The Last 24 Hours 155
Average Boat Speed 6.5 kts
Max Boat Speed 12.3 kts
GPS Coordinates 34 17.310N 37 59.004W
Miles to go: 570