SeaKnots

The story of our Atlantic crossing


After our first long offshore passage (Tortola to Bermuda) we finally faced the crossing of the Atlantic ocean on the morning of May 20. Coincidentally, Aunt Carol, Uncle Joe and not-so-little Joey were visiting Bermuda on a cruise ship and thanks to Bermudian (and Sailforwater.com sponsor) Joanne Kippax we were not alone that day. She had the courtesy to pick them up in Hamilton and drive them all the way to our dock to see us off on the Big Day! Thank you, Joanne!! You're truly amazing!


The start through the Town Cut under sail was spectacular and the 18 days we spent at sea were full of adventure. Watch the video below to see what our life was like every day, our autopilot drama and how we traded engine oil for some much needed fuel in the high seas:


Find more videos like this on SeaKnots
First stop in Europe

Being on land after 18 days at sea was real treat. We spent a few days rafted up in Horta, prisoners of Mid-Atlantic Yacht Services’ busy schedule, just like everyone else that was waiting for some repair.


To make matters worse, once the repairs were done and we were finally free to leave we dropped a vital screw inside the mast driving us to desperation. You see, that day all stores were closed due to Portugal Day. Little did we know that the solution to our problem was sitting just a few feet away in Mike’s “bag of screws” on Private Affair’s spares box. Ah, the wonders of crusing in great company!


Horta is also known for the artwork left behind by crews that have been there before. The whole marina is covered in paintings, some of which are real works of art. Where was Marc Fuste (the designer of the Can Drac logo) when we needed him most?


Another of the highlights for us was meeting Peter from Peter’s Café Sport, the most famous watering hole for sailors in the whole Atlantic Ocean. As you can see below, he was kind enough to post one of the flags we flew all the way across the ocean for everyone to see.


The last leg: five days of Force 8 winds!
Despite the Azores being our first European port of call, we still had another 800 miles of Atlantic Ocean to cover before reaching the mainland and we decided to bring some family along for the ride. Franc’s dad and brother, Lluis and Marc signed up right away, not knowing that could be the toughest leg of all…


And it was! They wished they had brought their thermals instead of bathing suits. We had a fantastic start proudly flying our baby spinnaker out of Ponta Delgada but soon the wind started to climb the Beaufort scale all the way to the high 30s and the going got tough.


The night of June 15 will be one to remember for life. That was when the waves started to build to match the strong winds. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury to turn and run with the wind because we had to stay North of the rhumb line to avoid the treacherous waters over the Josephine sea mountain.


This meant we had to sail close hauled all the way. We were dealt five days of constant pounding, much longer than ever before. In fact, some of the yachts that were returning home from sailing the World ARC Rally said they had never had to endure a leg this tough in any of the oceans they crossed during their whole circumnavigation.

Oh, and did we mention we didn’t catch any fish? We must have lost our mojo because all we saw was a calamari that decided to commit suicide on our deck. I don’t blame him. It was really rough out there!


Dinner and a movie
All it took was for the wind and seas to calm down a bit on the last night for us to go back to our usual cruising habits. As soon as we had a chance, we grilled some steaks and potatoes and played a movie for the crew that was off-watch.


What a difference it makes when your whole world stops rocking violently and you can finally enjoy some rest out on the water!



Fog ho!
The last morning was expected to bring us the long awaited “land ho” moment. Apparently, Cabo San Vicente, the South West tip of the Iberian Peninsula is a spectacular sight.


Instead, all we saw was the profile of a mountain below the sun as it rose, before a thick fog took over and covered our view all the way to the breakwater in Lagos. Oh well…


What matters is that we did it. It’s done! We’ve crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Some people only dare to dream of a challenge of that caliber. Others give up somewhere along the way. We just did it and no one can take that away from us. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always fun. But it was all worth it!

If you want a 4 minute visual summary of this leg take a look the video below. As the lyrics go: It started as “a beautiful day” and ended with “the moment we’d been waiting all our lives”:


Find more videos like this on SeaKnots
Finally in the Old Continent
Once we were all tied up at Marina de Lagos, all we could think was long showers, drinks that don’t spill and a full night sleep! Here are our friends Mike and Pat from Private Affair, bruised from a tough passage, holding a bottle of Catalan cava that Andrea decorated with band-aids.


Considering the damage other boats sustained during this leg, we must say we are quite proud of Can Drac’s performance. Everyone had some challenge along the way and so did we. One of the two bolts that holds the port back stay failed but we caught it during our routine rig inspections and were able to remove the pressure before the mast had a chance to come crashing down. It was a close call but all is well that ends well!

If I had a dime for every friend we made…
When you have a chance to share an experience like this with other cruisers, going your separate ways is always tough. That’s why we decided to have some friends over for some good wine and live music on the last night before the closing ceremony of the ARC Europe Rally. Want to take a guess of how many people we can fit in our cockpit? Nope. More… Keep trying… Higher…. Yep: 26 people!!


Special thanks to all who purchased charity: water bracelets to support our cause on this very magical night!


The last official event of the rally brought us a wine tasting, prizes and many heart-felt good byes. We must thank World Cruising Club for organizing such a unique adventure, for always being there for us and for recognizing our efforts to document our adventure with the Oscar for Best Motion Picture!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Views: 220

Comment

You need to be a member of SeaKnots to add comments!

Join SeaKnots

Comment by Suky Cannon on July 1, 2009 at 12:11pm
Sicily ~*!*~!**~!* ~! ... can't wait to see those pics and video.... ! ...
Comment by Suky Cannon on June 28, 2009 at 3:51pm
I second that ~!~!* Well done ~!~ .... where are you off to ? do you have a particular next destination in mind ? Thanks so much for maintaining such great communication with the SeaKnots and Sailforwater crowd ~!~! I especially love the pics of CanDrac ~!~!! Fairwinds ~!~!
Comment by Alain Brauckmann on June 26, 2009 at 2:44pm
Well done!
What`s your next destination? Do you leave the boat now in Europe ?
Would be nice to meet you, just tell me where you are sailing next
Comment by Kevin on June 23, 2009 at 1:00pm
Glad to hear you made it safely and had fun along the way.
Comment by Capt Tom on June 23, 2009 at 11:21am
Franc & Andrea,

As expected a quality job done in fantastic style!!!!

Capt Tom Blue

Latest Activity

Patrick Findaro posted a discussion

How many digital marketing channels are there?

Together with passionate marketers, WebnOnline delivers captivating, memorable brand experiences. With the surge in the effective online presence of brands, we propel the impact of your brand, no matter its scale, leaving a lasting impression on your targeted customers and attracting new audiences. Our team is growing, and our foundations remain firm. Our experts are natural when it comes to versatility in work and adaptability to changes, enough to keep us moving steadily towards upward…See More
6 hours ago
Patrick Findaro posted a discussion

Enat 400 benefits for skin

 Enat 400 is a brand of vitamin E supplements, specifically containing 400 IU of vitamin E. Vitamin E helps protect the skin from oxidative stress and damage caused by free radicals, which can lead to premature aging and skin damage. It helps maintain skin hydration and can improve skin texture by preventing moisture loss. Vitamin E can aid in the healing of wounds and scars, promoting skin repair and reducing the appearance of blemishes. It has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce…See More
yesterday
Patrick Findaro posted a discussion

Features Of Omegle Video chat

If you are looking for a new partner or friend, you can try the Omegle video chat. It is a convenient way to get in touch with strangers who share the same mentality as yours. Well, it is a text chat and video platform, and it is free of cost. Whenever you are using Omegle, you will get a chance to connect with a random stranger and have a one-on-one conversation. To be more precise, it is a private chat room. You don’t have to give any of your details before starting your chat. So, we would…See More
Tuesday
Patrick Findaro posted discussions
Sep 3
Patrick Findaro posted a discussion

How to Video Chat With Strangers?

chat random makes it easy to talk to strangers around the world! Browse free webcams on Chatrandom, basic video chat features are free to use. Our random video chat app pairs you with a stranger for instant cam-to-cam chat. There are always thousands of people online and with one click you will be connected instantly to chat with strangers. To begin using Chatrandom allow your webcam and press start, you will be instantly paired with a random…See More
Aug 24
medhealglobal is now a member of SeaKnots
Jul 23
Patrick Findaro posted a discussion

What is eToro and how does it work?

eToro is a social trading and multi-asset brokerage company specialising in financial and copy trading services. It was founded in 2007 and has since grown into one of the largest and most well-known platforms for trading and investing in various assets, including stocks, cryptocurrencies, commodities, forex, and indices. One of eToro's standout features is its social trading platform, which allows users to observe and mimic the trades of experienced and successful traders. This feature,…See More
Jul 15
Patrick Findaro posted discussions
Jun 29
ADVERTISE ON SEAKNOTS CONTACT US AT: 
candrac@sailforwater.com

© 2024   Created by CAN DRAC.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service