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Mark Wade's Atlantic crossing in Kittiwake - Extracted from news sent back by Mark
March 2007
Kittiwake’s Atlantic Islands Adventure continued...
Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay, St Lucia
2950 nautical miles covered in 19 days, 23 hours at an average speed of just over 6 knots are the simple statistics of Kittiwake’s Atlantic crossing from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay, St Lucia. But these simple facts give no insight into an amazing adventure that will live forever in the memories and emotions of the four of us who shared the experience.
The Newhaven Yacht Club burgee now flies proudly from Kittiwake’s spreaders 5000 miles away in the tropical heat of St Lucia. The longest passage to get it there was completed in fine style as part of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) 2006 organised by the World Cruising Club. We left Las Palmas on 26th November after an enormous amount of work to provision and equip Kittiwake for the three weeks at sea. With me was James my son, Graham Irving our own Vice Commodore and Chris Snook of NYC sea shanty fame. Together we made for a great team of complementary skills and personalities that worked so well and considerately together.
We arrived safely and happily with the boat in great shape after having sailed well within our abilities all that distance. At no time did we feel other than in complete control and Kittiwake behaved superbly in spite of often challenging conditions. This was in contrast to many of the 220 or so boats that left Las Palmas that beautiful Sunday morning in light airs with bands playing and sightseeing boats milling about the gathering fleet. The casualty list was quite high: three dismasted, three severely damaged rigs, two lost rudders (one after hitting a sleeping whale!), one skipper who had a nervous breakdown, one other crew who couldn’t stand the strain and who threw himself over board and had to be rescued twice (!) and three boats abandoned at sea with one recovered and sailed in by a Royal Navy crew that came to lift off the crew who had had enough. Gale force winds, surging swells, light airs, stunning seascapes, majestic waves and bejewelled star ridden nights, rain squalls and flying fish all contributed to the theatre of the crossing.
It is impossible to recount all of the thrills and emotions, events and doings of such a trip in the few words of a Newsletter. But along the way I kept a daily log and from this I have extracted a few passages that I hope give a flavour of what we went through. If you would like to read more and to see lots more photos please visit www.kittiwake-Atlantic.net for the full Monty!
Log Kittiwake: Sat, 02 Dec 2006 12:42 (GMT), 750 nmiles SW of Gran Canaria
At 15:00 we celebrated the 'turning of the corner'. We had run down as far South toward the Cape Verde islands as we needed to catch the trade winds and set a course just south of west directly for St Lucia. By the 06:00 watch the wind had really picked up and with it the seas. Our world is now a heaving welter of planished steel rising to crests and sinking valleys that rush down on us a great speed. The sound is a mixture of a speeding express train, renting sheets, fizzing spray and the occasional gu-splosh of a collapsing pinnacle of water. The whole scene is a tossing patchwork of deep blues, steels, decorated by the diamond sparkles and turquoise of the breaking wave crests. The sun is brilliant in a featureless dome. It is strange not to have any clouds in this tossing seascape. To add interest to an already amazing scene are flying fish putting on a remarkable display. They burst out of the waves ahead of us and glide for 100s of metres skimming the waves and following the valleys before landing on their tails to skip once before burying themselves in the next wave. It is quite clear they are steering with control and intent like low skimming seabirds on the hunt.
Log Kittiwake: Sun, 03 Dec 2006 13:19 (GMT), North West of the Cape Verde Group
One week at sea, one third of the journey done, 950 nmiles sailed, on track, on schedule, Kittiwake and crew all doing fine. It is amazing how quickly we have adapted to the changes. Yesterday dawn the world was a heaving cauldron of what seemed like huge waves and challenging conditions. True, the waves were upto 12 feet high, at times, the wind was gusting gale force and the boat had adopted a crazy rocking, pitching motion. But now this has become the norm and not worth remarking on. We continue to cook, eat, read, do e-mails and even sleep while everything around is creaking, groaning, banging and clattering on deck, in the cupboards and under the floor boards. Graham was on the middle watch last night when this huge wave, all of 15 feet, came thundering out of the night as a wall of water racing to the stern. The boat stopped all forward motion, was 'sucked' backwards and then surged forward on a white rapid of raging foam incandescent in the moonlight. This lifted up and propelled all 15 tonnes of Kittiwake along at over 13 knots for a hundred metres or so before settling her down again in the wave patterns of before.
Log Kittiwake: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 13:36 (GMT), 17:32N 35:50W
What a night! This pushed us all to new levels of experience. As dusk gathered last night the wind continued to grow and build the seas around us. Throughout the night we had a steady near gale conditions gusting gale force with 12 foot curling seas boiling around our counter and spilling along the port quarter gunnels. The waves viewed from aft were larger than we have ever known. Rearing out of the dark they loomed down on us in a rolling irresistible gathering wall that came on with a tearing, rip-rushing noise akin to a passing jet engine. The rigging was whistling in sympathy in an eerie way.
Log Kittiwake: Thu, 07 Dec 2006 12:47 (GMT), 17.05N 38.46W, Africa 1300 nmiles east
S America 1100 nmiles south west, St Lucia 1296 nmiles west of west south west
Over half way in time and distance now and running our westing down at a fine rate of knots. We did 170 nmiles in the past 24 hours rushing through the night and into the new day on just heads sails. We have 1296 miles to go. The conditions that so taxed us two nights ago are now the norm. Again it amazes me how we accept each turn of the ratchet and get on with it.
None of us would contemplate going out into these conditions of continuous near gale to gale force winds and 12 foot breaking seas in the English Channel but we have been coping with this for the last 72 hours. And it is set to last well into next week. The frequency of the viscous cross waves has decreased but we still get them and they slew us around in a haphazard way making life very uncomfortable. In the sunshine and the warmth on your back it is an exhilarating experience, at night in the damp confines of the cabin it is horrible.
Log Kittiwake: Sat, 09 Dec 2006 14:44 (GMT), 16.06N 44.32 W, 945 nmiles to go
What a difference a day makes. The seas moderated at the beginning of last night and the frequency of the vicious cross seas diminished. Accordingly we all had a much better night's sleeps and a good run through a quietening night. Even so we made 166 nmiles in the 24 hours to 09:00 UTC at an average speed of 6.92 knots/hr. Last night was a night of stars.
Brilliant in intensity, majestic in their slow progression before the rising of a near half moon dimmed those around it. I was fortunate enough to be on watch twice last night and saw both the rising of the moon and later the sun out of a dawning new day. As the moon rose directly in our wake to the east it created a silvery road leading all the way back to the coast of Africa 2000 miles away. As the night wore on the moon arched directly above us shining through the hatches to light each cabin in turn. So bright was its brilliance you could read a clock face easily as its dancing beams bounced off the bulkheads and floor.
Log Kittiwake: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:01 (GMT), 14.25N 58.29W, 144 nmiles to St Lucia.
A wet, wet, wet morning. If it were not for the 25c, the grey, the slop and the chop would make you think we were in the English Channel. Rain coming down in sheets from huge rain clouds - scuppers awash, wash boards in place, hatches closed, Graham cooking us all porridge. The experience has been close to my expectations of being routine 90 percent of the time, exhilarating 10 percent of the time and uncomfortable all of the time. The best bits have been surfing down 10 foot swells in 30 knots of wind and screaming out loud with the joy of being alive standing half naked in a rain shower as the cool fresh water cascades upon you. The quiet evenings have been special with the wind light and the swells low, talking or singing shanties to entertain ourselves as the sun sets to the west and suffuses the cockpit in a rosy glow. The worst bit has been the swell - constant heaving and jerking, rolling and pitching, sometimes regular but often quite random and occasionally viscous. It can catch you off guard at any moment even in periods of low activity. It makes it impossible to really relax and doing even the simplest of tasks is made irksome. We are now on the home run. One night to go and a dawn approach through the St Lucia channel south of Martinique and then a quick run down the north west coast of St Lucia to Rodney Bay. The sun is out again, the rain dispelled and we are in fine spirits and good health.
And so it was that we arrived out of the 19th dawn to make our landfall on St Lucia to a welcoming party on the pontoon with rum punch and help in tying up – we had made it.
Kittiwake is ready now for cruising the islands before the return trip via Bermuda and the Azores in May/June when Kittiwake’s Atlantic Islands Adventure continues. More of that in future NYC News.
Mark Wade
Kittiwake
More of that in future NYC News.
Mark Wade
Kittiwake
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Page last updated: 10/12/2007 12:47:11 AM