Category Archives: Passage

Time spent between destinations travelling on the water.

Gran Canaria to Guadeloupe Days 3 – 4

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Day 3 0800 UTC location: 25°42.20’N by 018°48.20’W. Yesterday we only averaged 5.6 knots at 1600 RPM. We are sad about our speed being down by so much.

Of course, the calm couldn’t last forever. By 0800, the seas had definitely picked up. Swells were now 4 feet and a little closer together, with 1 2 foot wind waves on top of that. Wind picked up to 12 18 knots apparent, still on the port aft quarter. It was still a nice ride overall, but noticeably lumpier and rollier than it had been. At the 0900 radio net, one of the boats told a joke. Q: What did the Atlantic say to the Pacific? Continue reading →

Start of Crossing the Atlantic

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Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe – Days 1 – 2

Yesterday morning the weather was erratic. It was sunny for a while, and actually got warm enough to remove all coats and sweaters, then suddenly a big cloud blew in and it was cold and rainy. We went through the usual get ready to go routine, which went by incredibly fast with Neil and Colin helping. With the long passage and potential for rough seas, we really needed to batten down the hatches especially well, and we probably would not have left until sunset without their help.

When we were ready to go, we went for a last lunch on dry land. We have realized there is a palpable air of resignation amongst the boaters here. We already mentioned that everyone is friendly, and in the boating world, usually friendly and social go hand in hand. We have noticed there Continue reading →

Passage to Gibraltar Days 3-5

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Day 3

It was another relatively warm, sunny and beautiful day. At 1000, all was still status quo. The only change was that sometimes the wind would move to starboard aft corner for a while, but it usually stayed on the port aft corner. The wind speeds are consistently between 7 29 knots apparent, though they sometimes sit for a while at the higher end of the spectrum, and sometimes stay at lower end of spectrum for a while.

The waves were still big and lumbering, coming at us in long intervals, hitting primarily from the port aft quarter, which makes that terrible corkscrew motion. The waves definitely feel worse when the wind kicks around to the starboard, and the seas become mildly confused. It is still hard to Continue reading →

Passage to Gran Canaria – Days 1 and 2

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Yesterday we wanted to get up early so we could leave ASAP. Mind you, early for us these days is before 0800, when the sun rises. It was cold and dark, making getting out of bed painful, but we had to do it. We had no time to dilly dally. Fortunately, it wasn’t as cold as it had been all week, so getting up before turning the heater on was a little more bearable. The wind was calm when we awoke. We knew it would change soon.

Eric gave Kosmos a quick wash down. There was jet fuel residue all over the boat, and we are afraid if we go out to sea that it will turn to cement and be difficult to remove down the road. Christi ran to Continue reading →

Entering Gibraltar

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By 0200, we decided the wind was confused. It would pick up for a while, then die down for a while. It changed direction often, rotating from starboard to port and back. It was afraid to commit. Seas had picked up some more, but it was still nice ride overall.

By 0230, the seas really picked up out of nowhere and it started to get a little bit rough. If it were head seas, we would definitely be well into the “uncomfortable” category, but since they were following seas, and it was tolerable, but not fun. The stabilizers were Continue reading →