Storm force

Had to leave off blogging rather abruptly yesterday as the boat we were rafted up against decided to pull out and head for a different harbour with better shelter from the west. The forecast was bad enough to convince the organisers of the Round-Ireland Race to delay the start, with F9-10 expected in the vicinity of the Fastnet Rock. We therefore decided to get off the pontoon ourselves and take the vessel out to one of the mooring buoys in the bay. Good move. The winds in the bay peaked at 50 knots at around 0300 and, though we were tossed about a bit, we had a good and worry-free night's sleep.
We spent the morning and early afternoon doing various little jobs on board before Dermott (the super-friendly Harbour Master) suddenly appeared in a RIB asking if we'd like to be taken ashore for a couple of hours. Good chance to get the latest weather files and plan our strategy for the next few days.
The winds are supposed to go down this evening, so we'll likely pull out later on and make a break for it. Looks like there'll be another Atlantic depression coming through on Thursday so we're planning to get as far as we can by Wednesday evening, before tucking in somewhere to wait out the next spell of weather.
We'll do our best to complete the account of our crossing in good time. It's a bit tricky though, as when we have a few spare moments, we just feel like relaxing a bit. Anyway, managed to download the photos off the camera yesterday and they're looking good so you should all be in the picture soon.

the smooth and the rough

We had left Ponta Delgada with a forecast of light to moderate winds for the first four days, and this held true. In fact, we had Force 3 and 4 from the east for most of the first eight days and were beginning to wonder if things could really be this easy!

Then we crossed 48 degrees N, the pressure began to fall, and our first gale, from the northeast, was upon us. Since it was coming from the direction we wanted to go in, it was a straightforward decision to heave to and wait it out. You can see from the video clip below, taken while hove-to, that things were actually pretty calm on board. I got a bit of a jolt at the end and lost it, but it gives a fair impression.

We spent a comfortable night hove-to (actually got more sleep than usual) among high seas before things moderated and we got under way again, only to encounter a second gale a day later. This time, it was from behind so we ran in front of it for a while, then hove-to again. In total, we spent 25 hours hove-to on the trip.

This was the first time we had experienced full on gales on board Fettler, and it was a very positive experience. She hove to beautifully, and we felt safe inside.

Things were decidedly damp after the two gales, but luckily the next day was beautifully sunny, and we managed to dry out and had a great run past the Fastnet Rock and into Baltimore, a wonderful natural harbour with a cute, colourful village.

More later - we will spend tonight on a mooring buoy as the weather is picking up and then continue towards the Isle of Man tomorrow afternoon.

Safely arrived

We reached Baltimore in Southern Ireland yesterday evening, after a voyage of 11 days and 5 hours. Superb!
It was an incredible experience. Feels a lot longer than 11 or 12 days, but in a good way.

Fettling

We’re ready to go. The rigging was finished a couple of days ago. Just as well that we decided to replace it since one of the old deck fittings, beefy though they looked, crumbled in Thomas’s hands when he pressed on it after we pulled it out. The mainsail is back on as are the dodgers, the lines, the anchor and the solar panel. Engine-wise, the water pump has been serviced, gear and sump oil changed. Sonja has provisioned for the trip and the little hammocks are bulging with fresh fruit and veg.

Tomorrow we’ll wrap up the last bits and pieces and then take the boat out of the harbour so we can scrub the hull beneath the waterline. Sunday is looking good for departure.

My week here before Sonja arrived was full of boat work, but the social scene was pretty lively too. My days took on a strange pattern of waking early, working all day and then being sucked into some drinking session or other until late. Not bad. Last Friday, for instance, I was finishing my day’s work by scrubbing the chain, rode and anchor that had spent the winter on the harbour bed, holding us off the pontoon. Pretty foul. I was nearly done, when I noticed the chap who had helped out with the marina dinghy when I needed to get the anchor up. He was on a nearby boat, so I took him and his friend over a couple of beers by way of thanks. These were gratefully received and I went back to work. Soon though, I heard a cry of “Hey! Stop working!” and they invited me aboard for a beer. Several hours later, I staggered back to Fettler, clutching a parting gift of a large lump of swordfish, which I cooked up for a very late supper (and lunch the next day).

The weather has been beautiful, not too hot, not too cold. We’ve hung out with some of the friends we made here last year and met some other sailors as well. An interesting junk-rigged ketch pulled in from St. Martin (in the Caribbean), the day after Sonja arrived. Mike, the affable septuagenarian solo sailor, duly invited us aboard for six o’clock G&Ts that evening. Sonja slipped away at about 0130, while I lasted a further three hours. It was a lethal night for that bottle of gin.

The very next morning, at 0900, one of our Azorean friends, João (bloody brilliant guy), arrived to take us on a little tour of the island. We stopped at a remote spring that produced the most fantastic sparkling water, before having a lunch of small fried mackerel by the sea and looking for the elusive priolo, the Azorean bullfinch. This is Europe’s rarest bird, with only 200 breeding pairs remaining, and we managed to spot about 10 of them in the mountain reserve where they live.

João also made us a present of some freshly picked coffee berries from his garden – we were instructed to soak them in water, remove the outer shells and then dry the beans in the sun for a few days. This coffee will be processed across the north Atlantic and should be ready for roasting when we reach Edinburgh.

This evening we’re off to dinner on another friend’s boat (Ricardo). Delightful folk.

It’s quite hard to tear ourselves away from this beautiful island and our good friends here, but we will definitely be back!

View Larger Map

The route (intended) Part II

The map above is fully interactive. Zoom in, move around, marvel at the wonder that is Google Maps! Even better - click the link below the map to view it larger in a new window.

We will be heading back to the Azores in a couple of weeks, to get Fettler ready for sea again and make our way back to Edinburgh. The route on the map above comes with all the usual caveats of sea travel.

As always, we will update the blog to keep pace with our progress to departure and after arrival.

Winterising blues

It's always a bit of a sad time when you're wrapping the boat up for winter. We've been chipping away at all the wee jobs: varnishing, taking down and washing halyards, dinghy, canvas, servicing of outboard and inboard engines, etc., since we returned from Angra.
The weather hasn't been particularly cooperative, with brisk winds and frequent showers being the rule. Today, however, is lovely and we've used it to good effect. Good forecast for tomorrow as well, so it shouldn't be a problem to take care of the last few items on the list and still have a little time for relaxation before our early morning departure on Tuesday.
Then, it's back to Edinburgh to find jobs for the winter in order to replenish the coffers so that we can come back to the Azores in the spring and sail Fettler the rest of the way home.
It's been quite a trip so far. Many remarkable experiences, people and places encountered and the urge to roam satisfied for a little while, at least. Thanks for following along and keep an eye out for the continuing adventures of Fettler.