Day 9 - Crashing into walls
Posted On Monday, 14 June 2010 at at 16:19 by Kapten IngerupPosition: N 47° 41
' W 012° 02' UTC 1200Nautical miles left: 322
For the last 24 hours we've had winds of about 30 knots, the waves have become bigger of course. Like dad wrote they are mountains with waves on top. Cantare likes a lot of wind, most of the time we don't reef before 25 knots of wind. But now we have one reef in the main and have furled the head to the first reef point. We are doing more than 5 knots although we are very close hauled. The wind is from the north, most of the time we manage to go directly towards Falmouth on a 67 degrees course. It is amazing how good Cantare moves, not loosing too much speed when the waves come rushing towards us. But, sometimes and recently more frequently, she comes to a halt, a sudden crash, we wonder whether we've hit something before we realize that it is nothing as serious, only one of those extreme waves. The extreme waves are almost twice the height of the normal and usually they brake into Cantare's side, it feels like hitting a wall when the hull shudders and I imagine a big hole on the bow that will sink the yacht in no time. But I usually come to my senses at the same time as the top of the wave lands in the cockpit, if I'm too slow to bend down behind the spray hood it lands on me, cold water trickling down the neck and making me scream. When it's sunny outside I enjoy sitting with my face tilted a bit upwards, but that's a bad idea, especially on my morning watch when I have to sit behind the wheel not to be shadowed by the spray hood, nowadays it's a question of minutes before I get a free ocean spa cleaning of my face. Saltwater is healthy isn't it? A few minutes ago dad was sitting on one of the safe spots when we hit a big wave, there was so much water in the air a short while later that it even got to him there in the corner, his hair was soaked and flat on his head and his glasses where covered with water. We both laughed, what else is there to do. The waves keep excelling each other, when dad stood up to look for ships we hit another one, he could see a lot of water flying up over the yacht and almost reaching the spreaders. It's a wild ride, but a fun one, especially for the person sitting inside. / The Captain (who watch dad get wetter and wetter)
Day 8 - Becoming a seaman
Posted On Sunday, 13 June 2010 at at 15:40 by Kapten IngerupPosition: N 46° 38
' W 014° 36' UTC 1200Nautical miles left: 443
Today we have been sailing for one week. Cantare has been heeling with about 30 degrees to the starboard side and rocking more or less constantly. We have adapted routines for life onboard. I have been reading and listening to more books in one week than I have done during the last 15 years. While listening to books I can stand looking at the sea for a long time and I'm amazed how different the waves are from the ones in my home waters. They are like small mountains with waves on top of them. In the beginning of this trip I was afraid of getting seasick and the first two days I was a bit uncertain about how to behave and what to eat. I realized that I couldn't be looking at the horizon for seven to ten days. I must admit that the first two days I felt a bit queasy but from day three I got my sea legs and now I'm feeling perfectly well. I haven't been facing more than about 40 knots of wind for short periods so I'm not hundred percent sure about how I would cope with a storm. About my relationship with the captain I have realised that she has got much more experience on ocean sailing and trimming Cantare so I just have to obey orders. There is just one subject that I constantly disagree about, that's when she's giving me my rations of cookies or sweets. My point of view is that we have to eat the best things first and in a rather high speed due to the fact that we might have to abandon Cantare in case of an emergency.
So far we have been lucky with the wind speed and direction, the captain says that we will be in harbour on Thursday the 17th. We have come to the conclusion that we both need to take a shower, someone is smelly onboard. We're not sure whether it's us or the free passengers I have mentioned before. After that I look forward to a big steak and some beers.
Contact Details Sailing Safari / Well done Anders & Maria
Posted On at at 03:44 by First MateOnboard Safari there is also a satellite phone, so if you want to get in touch with me, or just send a little greeting don't hesitate to send a text message! It works the same as when texting our phone on Cantare, you just change the number! Safari's number: +881631619141
Forgot how to send text messages? Here is a little reminder: Click here to go to the Iridium Messaging page. The first numbers of the telephone number are already being filled in. All you need to do is to fill in the rest, that is, 31619141. Skip writing anything in the "reply email" box and just go ahead and write your message to us and then click the button "send message" and we will recieve a message from you within a couple of minutes!
I will post updates of my journey with Safari as often as possible, but as usual, finding internet can be hard. However, safari is also a keen on blogging and they have a very nice webpage, visit http://www.sailing-safari.com/ where you can read more about our adventure!
/First Mate Sofia -who is very proud of the owner Anders who is doing a great deckhand job onboard Cantare, and now also blogging while doing the dishes! And proud of Maria too who is skippering her dad and owner! I think she not only teasing with desert, also using a lot of candies to make him follow her orders:-)
Beautiful Scotland
Posted On at at 02:50 by First Mate
It is time for new adventures! After some rainy and cold but very nice days in Dublin Safari and MaggyV took off to find new adventures in Scotland the day before yesterday and First Mate Sofia is joining! Odin is now complete again after the arrival of Hella and Anna-Luna and they will gradually make their way back home to Norway. Safari and MaggyV are planning a quicker route and wish to reach Norway little faster which suits me perfect in order to be able to come home to Cantare again in time before our arrival in Sweden. Just noticed that it is less than a month left of our adventure, time flies at the moment, it is really scary! I had a wonderful time with Odin and would love to continue sailing with them, however, it is so much fun to join two of my new best friends, Lars (33) and Cecilie (27) on Safari and not to forget their crew at the moment, Glen (55). Maria and I met Safari in Puerto Mogan, Gran Canaries and we have ever since had a great time when seeing each other in the Caribbean! I will now sail with Safari to Norway and then Maria and I are planning to catch up in Copenhagen. I would like to thank skipper Lars and his son Nicolay on Odin for a wonderful time while sailing to Dublin, I had a great time and Odin sails beautifully! Hope to see you very soon again!
We left Dublin at lunchtime last Thursday and had around 200 Miles a head of us to Crinan Canal in Scotland. Occasionally we had 20-25 knots of wind against us and it was little rough coming out in Irish Sea and later North Channel. Despite having strong headwind and disturbing waves Safari’s Volvo engine (55hp) kept good speed (7 knots) and we quickly moved north together with MaggyV. We tried to plan the tides the best way to gain as much co current as possible and our calculations were right, yeah! During the night we passed Belfast on our port side and on starboard side England approached. The traffic to Belfast was rather busy and unpredictable fishing boats seemed to be everywhere. “Red or green over white, fisher tonight” – a little rhyme that was practiced during the night while keeping a good look out. Coming from the Atlantic Ocean where you hardly see any other boats you need to adjust a little when entering the traffic zones again. We crossed the North Channel and put a waypoint in Firth of Clyde and sailed north with the island Arran on our starboard side. Since Safari’s ordered electronic charts hadn’t turned up we navigated in true old fashion style with detailed paper charts! So much fun when you haven’t done it for a while! Onboard Safari Lars and Cecilie have different tasks. Before setting out on this sail adventure had hardly sailed before and they bought Safari 8 months before taking off and in order to be able to sail away so quickly the two novices decided to focus on different things. Skipper Lars for example learned the boat and its functions carefully while Cecilie studied navigation and other more theoretical subjects like communication. I am so impressed by how they have managed to fulfill a sailing and travel dream and how good sailors they have turned out being, Lars and Cecilie is a passionate dream team (I am really looking forward to the wedding invitation)!
After 30 hours we reached Adrishaig and the entrance to Crinan Canal. The local pubs in the little village of Adrishaig were soon visited by the Norwegian (and Swedish) Vikings and the evening turned into late night with Scottish songs and Whiskey. It was a bunch of tired hangover sailors that at lunch time entered Crinan Canal, one of Scotland’s most picturesque waterways. The tiredness however soon drifted away while motoring in the indeed fantastically striking canal. The canal is 10 nautical Miles and consists of 15 locks and 7 bridges and most of them you operate yourself. Locking is really fun and got me thinking about the wonderful chill canal ride Maria and I had in the Netherland’s canals. Cruising down a canal is very relaxing and especially nice in this beautiful Scottish landscape. We arrived at the last lock this late afternoon and tomorrow we will continue up north through the Scottish archipelago towards Fort William and the Caledonian Canal. Loch Ness is part the Caledonian Canal, I have been there once before but that time I didn’t meet Nessie, the lake monster, Maybe I will be luckier this time?
Over and Out from a Scottish paradise (with out palm trees though) /First Mate Sofia
Day 7 - Memories
Posted On Saturday, 12 June 2010 at at 15:36 by Kapten Ingerup Position: N 45° 35
Nautical miles left: 547
In about five days Cantare and I will have completed an Atlantic circuit. Falmouth is the first place that we return to and it is also the place where I feel that our long-distance sailing experience started. There we got to know the Norwegian yachts Escape, Johanna and TimeOut, the Danish boat Ing and the Swedish yacht Inga. We became a part of the big sailing family and exchanged power-walking and running for beer drinking and new friendships. I remember the excitement that we all felt right before it was time to leave for the Biscay, we were running around on the pontoons hugging each other and wishing the others fair winds. We gathered in front of Escape and took a few pictures of the group, we were dressed in waterproofs and ready to go. Together with the Norwegians we left in the sunset, small shadows with glowing lanterns on the rough sea, friends in the dark. Cantare returns without the others. But they are in my mind.
Escape was somewhere on the Atlantic on the way to Horta when we left seven days ago, hopefully they have reach land now, from there they will take the Caledonian canal to Norway. Johanna and TimeOut planned to sail around the world, but right now the yachts are left in the Caribbean waiting for the return of the guys who have gone home to Norway. Ing is somewhere on the other side, they took the Panama canal and do what I dream of, continue around the world. Where is Inga? I don't know. They should be on their way home to Gothenburg as well, but no one I've met has heard anything. I'll have to search for their email address.
I look forward to being back in Falmouth, I know that the showers are fantastic, the beer is good and the stores are well stocked. There is also another reason that I long to Falmouth. One of my best friends Sandra and her boyfriend Erik (boat bunny 2) will be arriving around the same time as us. They will sail together with me until we reach Denmark. I haven't seen Sandra for more than a year since she left for Australia half a year before my departure and didn't return to Sweden until I was gone. She is also the girl that I started to plan a trip like this with many years ago. To be able to sail together with her means a lot to me and I see this last part as a new adventure. It is now less than a month before we are to sail into Höganäs harbour, a frightening and exciting thought. But, a lot can happen and the fact that Sandra will join me makes me appreciate these last weeks even more. /The Captain
