Steve and Linda write a regular column for SetSailors from wherever they happen to be. Join in as they cruise the world and discuss topics of interest to sailors everywhere. Here you’ll find their articles dating from 1996 to the present.
Greetings from the FPB Wind Horse where there are now significantly more ocean astern than ahead. The last few days we have been concentrating our intellectual resources on weather routing. We have the tools to make this a pleasant passage in spite of the unusual weather, if we use them correctly. Hence an obsession with grib files, weather faxes, local conditions, and our good luck totem.
Greetings and salutations from the FPB Wind Horse, the crew of which is about to partake in an officially sanctioned half way there party this evening.
Thursday morning, 25th of November,the front is well behind us, seas are calm and the breeze almost fair. The Wind Horse executive committee has convened and after due consideration declared:(a)a bath and shower are the first order of business; (b) Thanksgiving holiday shall take place on it official date; (c) Pumpkin pie will be the first off the oven production line; (d) Steve shall engage the services of a barber (note that item (d) shall take place prior to (a). The maintenance staff aboard are directed to do a wash and dry cycle with the laundry facilities, and (should a rain squall not appear by 1600)rinse the salt of the windows.
So here we are on a “downwind” passage with 25 knots+ blowing straight from St Lucia. There is a steep two to occasional three meter (six to ten foot) sea running, close coupled of course. Nothing like two waves per boat length to help with digestion (and diet). You might say we are just paying our dues since we have been able to avoid slogging to weather this entire cruising season.
This morning brought a wonderful sunrise with the moon still well above the horizon. Those of you old enough to recall the days before Sat Nav and GPS will recognize the navigational benefits this used to confer. Not only good visibility during the evening, but you could get celestial lines of position during the night if it was clear, and sometimes a crossing LOP from a planet. A few days after the full moon, during the day offered crossing LOPs from sun and moon. Hence the cruising fleet tended to move on a full moon.
Each day a little after noon ARC headquarters sends out a list of boats, positions, and distance to the finish in a text file. This afternoon we are pleased to report that on our own we were able to import this into an Excel spreadsheet, and sort for distance to the finish. It makes for an interesting study if you are not otherwise occupied.
The first thing to note is that Berenice, the Swan 80, is 204 nautical miles behind Wind Horse after 71 hours. More interesting is the little Open 40, 58 miles behind the Swan. There is a group of half a dozen yachts that have followed us west rather than sailing south to pick up the trades. The latter are running out of wind and the prognosis does not look favorable. The radio is buzzing with folks discussing a detour to the Cape Verdes for fuel. This might make sense for another reason. There are strong headwinds forecast a few days hence in the east.
Meanwhile, aboard Wind Horse we are doing our usual eleven knots. The southerly breeze, formerly on the beam, has started to swing to the western quadrants, where is is prog’d to stay until tomorrow when we are promised light NE for Thanksgiving.
The three boats closest behind us are all north of our track. The GFS weather model shows some difficulty for them over the next 48 hours. Hopefully we can extend our spacing as when they get into the trades – the Open 40 in particular – our lead should rapidly vanish. It would not surprise us at all to see a big kite bearing down on us as we close with Saint Lucia. Mind you, we are an Unsailboat and therefor not racing anyone… except the clock.
A good place to check the weather for the ARC is www.passageweather.com
Nap time.
Position: 22 39’04.39 N, 028 25’46.50 W
Squalls seemed to be on the mind of a lot of the cruisers with whom we chatted in Las Palmas. As we have had two sets of line squalls in the last 18 hours, we thought a few comments might be of interest.
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Position: 26 11’23.09 N, 021 38’42.83 W. This morning’s sunrise was particularly spectacular. We had a wonderful light show in the east, followed by the full moon setting in the west
Since we will be unable to send photos while we are at sea we have put together a high res side show of our favorite photographs from Playa Francesa to fill the void. Click here to open the web page. To view these full screen touch the “F” key or click on the box bottom right of the slide show screen.
11/22/2010 1:54 AM (UTC) position 27°20.98’N 017°36.67’W spd 11.7 hdg 260T
We have had a lovely evening with full moon, eight to ten knots of breeze over the stern, waves just big enough for the odd surf, and nothing on the horizon. As always, it feels wonderful to be free of the land, surrounded by water and sky.
The galley magically produced a delicious pasta dinner from the stash in the freezer and we have been practicing self control regarding the chocolate chip cookies.
Radio propagation is good and there are strong signals from the weather fax stations in Baton Rouge and Boston. What is shown confirms the raw GFS model grib data downloaded with Saildocs. It is not pretty. The forecast has deteriorated, with a large trough now extending across and south of the great circle route to Saint Lucia. This looks to be around for a week bringing headwinds close to the course we would like and light airs south. For the smaller boats and those with limited range under power this is shaping up to be a long passage.
Just after midnight there was a soft, barely perceptible deceleration, and the revs dropped on the starboard engine. Fuel filter gauges looked good, the throttle linkage checked out, and when the Morse cable was removed from the injection pump arm moving the throttle actuator by hand did not change the result.
The exhaust gas temperature climbed rapidly when trying to run up the revs indicsting something was loading the prop. A further clue was the fact that the engine revs were fine out of gear.
We backed down several times and this cured the problem. We never saw whatever was hung up,
The above issue notwithstanding, progress is on target, running at 1800 RPM for 11 knots, averaging a bit more with a favorable current.
Weather tactics are comples. For now we will stick with the great circle but kick up the speed a touch. There is a chance we can get far enough west and avoid or minimize the forecast unpleasantness.
More later.
We have successfully resisted the temptation to start at the pin with the gun. Hanging back, making a conservative start, allowed us to watch Berenice roll Steinlager. We suspect that a hard luff would have ended this had a more aggressive crew been watching their weather hip.
It is 45 minutes until our start and there is time for a quick update. We’ve been sent off from the dock with a marching band, a first for us.
It is Saturday and tomorrow we and 238 other yachts start for St. Lucia. We have enjoyed our time in Las Palmas, but are really looking forward to getting out to sea.
Two days to go until the starting gun fires. There is a definite sense of anticipation in the air. The docks are buzzing, the crews walking briskly, sails are being run up, sheets led, and there is a never ending parade of supplies marching by our stern.
There are so many sources of weather data on the Internet what to use can become confusing. There are a series of sights we check twice a day, to get a feel f or the rhythm of the weather, which incidentally is shaping up for a fast sailing passage if what we are seeing now holds.
There are all sorts of competitions within the ARC. There is wall painting, a costume ball tonight (we have other plans), and then the passage itself. Being a cruising race those who choose not to join the racing division – most of the boats – are allowed to use their engines.
Seeing Moonshadow ensconced between two broad beamed production yachts got us to thinking. She is a few feet longer than either of her neighbors, significantly less beamy, with a rig one quarter or more shorter. Which configuration do you suppose is quicker, or would you rather sail short-handed across the ocean?
In pre FPB days it would take us two or three days of work to check the sails, rig, rigging, engine, and systems. With Wind Horse this is down to half a day. We started in the engine room yesterday, got interrupted, and finished this morning.
Colorado State University has published its review of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. We’re interested because the more robust the season has been to date, the less the odds are we will have to deal with a late tropical storm, or worse, as we make our way to the Caribbean and on to Florida.
We have been caught up in the ARC whirl. There are evening events to attend, cruisers to chat up, a talk to give, all interspersed with our continuing FPB endeavors. We have yet to see the lights out before 0100.
We are now in Las Palmas with 250 other yachts who are preparing to take part in the 25th running of the Atlantic Rally for Cruising, or ARC as it is known.
The promise of dawn at sea pulls us from a snug bed this morning and has us underway by 0500. The distance to Las Palmas is short, just 95 miles, and the early start is an endeavor to get the ARC paperwork sorted out before the herd begins to arrive.
Our cruising mode the last five years has been one of constant movement, high latitudes, and being on our own. This season our MO has been more traditional, spending time sitting, making new friends in the cruising fleet, and getting to know the locals. The three weeks spent anchored in Playa Francesa is a record for sitting in one place for Wind Horse.
In the last few days the anchorage has cleared out with just a few boats left, amongst whom are Interlude and Moonshadow.anchored with us in the lead photo.
We have been watching the pattern of the North Atlantic weather for the past month, in preparation for our coming trip across the pond. NOAA continues to create new web based products to ease the mariner’s job one of which is a URL with the complete fax run in one document (http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/A_brief.shtml).
Last night and again this morning the 500mb chart showed rigorous upper level troughs at both ends of the Atlantic. (since the weather we experience at the surface starts in the upper atmosphere, understanding 500mb charts is of critical importance).
In this case, the two troughs shown above, rotated as they are to the west, promise real blows in the next day or two as they rotate to the east.
Here is a benign looking grib file (Playa Francesa, where we are anchored,is off the tip of the northeastern island). The GFS model, usually pretty accurate, is saying 10 to 15 knots. if we were in the open ocean it would probably be OK. But there is a large island immediately to windward of the anchorage, and the weather models typically do not do well with the affect of land masses on local weather.
It is that time of year, the Azores high is pumping out a lovely trade wind breeze, and at anchor eventually you make peace with the conditions and get on with enjoying the environment. Cruising yachts are arriving and departing, making new friends and renewing old acquaintances.
Although halloween is primarily a US holiday, it has been adopted by cruising kids around the globe. Here in Playa Francesa, Canary Islands, the kids are out early trick or treating.
The breeze is up at Playa Francesa courtesy of the Azores high pressure system. Offshore seas look to be running the predicted 12 to 20 feet (four to six meters) from the northeast. With the seas and wind aligned we’re thinking the risk is low of these waves wrapping into the anchorage. We are hanging out for the moment (but have moved to the outer fringe of the anchored yachts so we can depart quickly should the desire arise).
The photo above is looking to the southwest, into the open ocean.
Back in the olden days, more than a quarter of a century ago, the Deerfoot 2-62 represented our best shot at the ultimate short handed cruiser. As we are presently in the same neighborhood as Moonshadow, it has been interesting (and enjoyable) to have a close look at this design after all these years.
We’ve been anchored under the caldera in the background (photo above) off and on now for more than two weeks. This morning, when Katy and Kirk Braun from nearby Interlude knocked on the hull and announced a climb in the afternoon, it did not take us long to accept. We had a drawing that had to be finished, a stack of e-mails to answer, and it was time to pack our gear.
The forecast was for light east to southeast breeze , starting around midnight. The GFS model got the time and direction, but as you can see above, was a little off on velocity. This 90 degree wind shift created a series of problems.
Crowded anchorages, neophytes with light ground tackle, and a bit of breeze can lead to getting up close and personal.
We are still on the hook at Playa Francesa, doing a few chores on the boat, working on the FPB program, and hanging out with the cruising fleet. We’ve had some amazing light the last few days as you can see above and below. The first two photos are morning shots. Interlude is above.
We have enjoyed the benefits of big roach mainsails for a long time (beginning 50 years ago in cats). In the late 1980s we started putting roach past the backstay on our monohulls. With the Sundeer Series a combination of swept spreaders and rig geometry allowed really aggressive roaches. When Dan Neri moved to North Sails and made sails for Beowulf in the photo above they were the biggest roached sails – mono or multihull – North had made. The advantages are many:
Just when we thought it could not get any better at Playa Francesa, a deck of clouds moves in promising a spectacular sunset. With friends aboard to help conclude a lovely day at anchor we settle down to enjoy the moment. As you will see in the photos which follow, Mother Nature outdoes herself yet again.
Official Notice received via e-mail Wednesday:
BEACH PARTY – Thursday October 21, 2010 – Celebrating Birthdays & Anniversaries Aboard: CRISTATA, BARE FEET, INTERLUDE, etc.
Playa Francesca West – Petonque Tournament begins at 1500 hrs
Bring: Your Own Beverages, Plates, Cups & Utensils, Dish to Share,
Supplied: Cake, Music, Games
ALL CRUISERS WELCOME
A happy Sunday morning to you.
Lanzarote is an island of amazing visual contrasts, made all the more powerful when there is good light and a few clouds. Yesterday we did a bit of touring, pulling off the road periodically to sample the aesthetic delights, of which there are many, with perfect conditions for taking the odd snapshot.
Puerto Calero marina is throbbing with music, lights, and serious partygoers. Although it is midnight there is no sense in trying to sleep, so we dressed, put on our ID bracelets, and determined to test the low light capability of the Canon 7D camera. The photos which follow were shot at an ISO of 3200 and have been run through NIK Define anti-noise software.
If nothing else, the Puerto Calero special events staff know how to put on a regatta soiree. Party planners take note.
We have a ring side seat to the RC 44 Worlds, both preparation, and the racing which is taking place within view of the breakwater. A few photos follow, shot with a 500mm F4 lens (occasionally with a 1.4 extender). If you want to see the latest in fast sail design, check these out.
We noticed this beautifully fashioned stainless steel anchor down the dock and got us to thinking.
Puerto Calera and Lanzarote are looking better all the time. I turns out one can rent a car for a weekly rate of about 120 euros, insurance included, which makes it convenient to explore as time permits (they even bring the car to you). Yesterday we did a bit of reconnoitering for photo opportunities. The light was not conducive to anything wonderful, but we now have a handle on some local options for late in the day, once the clouds disperse. A few samples follow.
We have been keeping an eye on the Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane season. Although we won’t be heading across the “pond” until the 21st of November, we want to keep track of the trends. This season is forecast to be a more active than recent years and if the heat energy isn’t being transferred out of the tropics the risks increase for late tropical cyclone activity.
The graphic above is from the National Hurricane Center for this evening (2100GMT). You can keep an eye on these yourself here.
Although there are still a few weeks left to our European cruising season we are going to make an early award of the Wind Horse “Marina of the year” trophy to Puerto Calero. The facilities are lovely, there is a nice mix of shops and restaurants, the staff is great, prices are reasonable, and the surrounding countryside is amazing.
We could enjoy an anchorage like Playa Francesa for a long time. But having convinced ourselves we didn’t care for the odds of the anchorage with six meter/20 foot swell wrapping in, we said our goodbyes and set out to see some new territory. The coastline of Lanzarote is starkly beautiful. It reminds us of parts of Nevada and New Mexico in the US Southwest.
Playa Francesa is what cruising should be. No crowded marinas, no crowds, just beautiful surroundings and a few like minded friendly cruisers (at the end of this post there is a link to a high res slide show).
There’s a large fall storm brewing in the North Atlantic that is going to generate some sizable swells. Will they or the southwest wind shift have a major impact here and if so what do we do? The image above is of Playa Francesa on Graciosa Island. Waves generated by northeast winds have no trouble finding their way around the island, albeit in attenuated form. But what about northwest swells?
Playa Francesca is a bouncy anchorage and when we found out Interlude has a pair of Magma Flopper Stoppers we decided to test one. You can see it and our well worn unit on the aft deck. Their’s is nine years old, ours five. Surprisingly they both weigh the same, so are both easy to handle. Note the anti-twist/retrieval line added by Interlude’s owners.
Our approach to Isla Graciosa and Playa Francesa, at day break, is a good example of how we use the various electronic nav aids closing with land. Our preference is always going to be eyeball navigation, but when conditions do not permit this, we put these tools to work.
We’ve been hove to – which in FPB terms means running slowly on one engine – waiting for the sun to illuminate Playa Francesca. Our Maptech electronic charts of this area are essentially worthless (more about this another day) so we are using radar and sonar to work our way in.
“That day, in those conditions, it was the only boat I would have wanted to climb aboard to face the English Channel.”
–Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine
Given the wonderful sea and wind conditions we’ve had on the passage between Gibraltar and the Canary Islands you may find our fixation on having interior spaces and handrails optimized for rare negative events puzzling. We’ll let the photos in this blog, all taken within a 12 hour span, speak to the subject. After reading this blog if you would like to see high res full screen photos of the waves there is a link at the end. Read the rest »
We are a little less than a day from our hoped for destination, Playa Francesca on Isla Graciosa, just off the northwest corner of Lanzarote. This is reputed to be one of the better anchorages in the Canaries and authorities willing, we can hang out for a few days before going into a marina. We have been making such good progress that we have had to slow down so we don’t arrive in the dark.
The breeze has finally clocked to the northeast as predicted and is now squarely behind us. We’ve been experimenting with various lenses and camera angles trying to capture the size, shape, and chaotic nature of the seas. While far from perfect we have an interesting collection to demonstrate how things are in pleasant conditions, and why if you are headed to sea, you want the interior and deck designed for security when the unexpected happens. Once we get connected we’ll post these for your viewing pleasure.
Meanwhile, we are adapting to the being at sea. Reading, watching an afternoon movie (Casablanca of course given Morocco is under our lee), writing, a few photos, a bit of design work and some very slow speed motion tests with our stabilizers for an interesting project that is in its preliminary stages. The washer and drier are in use, we luxuriate with hot showers and baths (we do recall the old days before watermakers), enjoy the flying bridge, communicate with both Sailmail (SSB) and UUPlus (Iridium satphone), and keep watch. In short, aside from a change in sleep patterns, this is much like being at anchor.
10/2/2010 8:32 AM (UTC) position 31
We are roughly half way to Lanzaroate Island in the Canaries and we have had a chance to do some real world prop protection testing. Last night we encountered dozens of fishing boats with nets – they appeared to be a mile or more in length – on the surface. There was a six to ten foot (two to three meter) sea running. Some nets were lit, others not. In the process of maneuvering around these obstacles we became entangled – a cruiser’s (power or sail) worst nightmare.
We were running at 10.5 knots at the time and the instant we heard the net on the hull we went to neutral. Stopping left us beam to the seas which set us rolling, but surprisingly not enough to disturb keyboards, computer mice, binoculars, and various clocks all of which were unrestrained on horizontal surfaces.
We put our eight cell flashlight to use (the first time it has been used in earnest in five years) and could see the surface line and string of floats trailing from the starboard stabilizer fin, but it did not appear to be on either of the props.
We rotated the boat clockwise, using first one engine and then the other, until we were head to wind with the boat at right angles to the net. Backing down cleared us of the net and we proceeded without any further excitement.
We were pleased to find that the leading edge fences on the stabilizers worked as intended to keep the net from catching on the fin shaft and that the full skegs on the props kept them from entanglement. Since we previously tested with logs and ice we no officially conclude this phase of research.
The wind and waves are not as advertised, being initially forward of the beam. However, they have now gone to the starboard quarter, deep enough to start surfing, which we are doing at present to 13/14 knots. Given the wave shape we are hopeful of more fun as we alter course to the left.
10/1/2010 1:17 PM (UTC) position 34
It was 62F/16C inside Wind Horse this morning, our fenders are soft in the cool air, there are three mega yachts fueling next to us in Gibraltar, and the Azores high is pumping. This means an easy exit from Gibraltar and 20 to 30 knots on the stern all the way to the Canary Islands. We have the deck rigged for passaging, emergency gear is about to be deployed, a last trip to the market is in the offing, and the engine room check will proceed shortly. And then we are off into the Atlantic heading southwest.
With a short hop like that between Gatos and Gibraltar – 165 nautical miles – there is always discussion about how best to deal with timing. It can be done in two day hops, or a single leg which requires an 0200 departure so that we arrive in time to check in. Getting up in the middle of the night could be considered painful but working out of an anchorage in the dark is one of the pleasures of cruising and compensates for the requirement to leave a warm bunk.
There are a few roadsteads along Spain’s Costa del Sol where it is possible to tuck in and gain protection from westerly winds. When we saw the shape of Gatos anchorage, and the lovely desert colors, it was obvious we needed to stop.
The last three days moored in Barcelona a surge began to wave us back and forth along the sea wall to which we were tied. This caused an uncomfortable jerk at the end of each cycle, so we modified the aftermost dock lines as shown above.
The prevailing current in this part of the Med. is west to east. But there has to be a balance to the flow, and that balance can provide a counter current. We’re running at 1800 RPM here, which should move us at 10.8/11 knots, so the 11.4 knots shown indicates a favorable push. How do you find counter currents?
We’ve enjoyed the Balearics and loved Barcelona, but none of it compares with the feeling of Wind Horse slipping down the six foot (1.85m) waves in which we currently find ourselves surfing towards Gibraltar. A spectacular sunset and clear sky filled with stars heightens the mood aboard.
We were walking back to Wind Horse a few days ago and stopped to chat with the owner of this very cool looking A-class cat. 85kg all up, simple rigging, major buzz for the buck. Given the recent noise in the yachting press about the new axe bows and wave piercing designs, this got us to thinking.
Barcelona. Home to Gaudi, Miro, Picasso, where Mies van der Roh introduced the Barcelona chair, an amazing visual and historic mix and simply the most astonishing city you can imagine.
We’ve now been in and out of half a dozen Med. mooring situations and have a handle on the technique required to keep the blood pressure normal and avoid giving pleasure to bystanders waiting for “fun”. As we are about to head back to the Atlantic we thought we’d pass on what has been learned.
When the modern mega sailboat era started in 1988 with the launch of the Ed Dubois designed Aquel, for the most part the boats were ungainly, hard to manage, and very slow. This started to change a decade later as owners who were sailors began to demand more performance. One of the benchmark designs was the Ron Holland designed, Huisman build, Juliet.
As we have seen in Palma the performance end is these days well covered with very high performance designs. Now there is a new trend, energy efficiency. The 87m/190 foot ketch shown above, another Holland/Huisman collaboration, is a lovely looking cruising yacht into which great effort has been put to make her efficient. We suspect she represents a new benchmark in the field of design and construction. Juliet provided the inspiration for this project.
We were fortunate to be invited aboard for a tour.
We have been hearing for years from our friends in the ranks of the pros what a great spot Palma was to spend the winter. Having now been in and out of the harbor for the past three weeks we understand the allure. Out of season – it is quieting down now – Palma has a desirable mix of marine infrastructure second to none, a lovely town, and interesting countryside to explore.
We’ve had a four hour hang in the slings in Palma to replace our damaged stabilizer fin. We are not happy with what we found.
We promised a few days ago more on this yacht.
Let’s start at the beginning, with the hull shape. We are looking at a 36/40 ton 73 footer, motor sailing at 9.4 knots, or a speed length ratio of 1.15. Check out the bow and stern waves, which will tell you how hard her original 150HP Izusu diesel is working. Maybe that’s why it is still running smoothly after 10,000 hours.
Enigma, ex Katana, may be the coolest mega stinkpot in Palma or anywhere. She is svelte, and rather than maximize volume, has clean lines, and will be exceptionally efficient at planing speed.
After a week of meeting with clients, chores, a bit of design work, some writing and socializing, we have escaped from Palma. Heading east around the island we are hailed on VHF by old friends on the yacht to the right above. Conference, check the chart, reverse course, and here we are. This 27-year-old design has been afloat for 24 years, is on her fifth set of custodians, and about to complete a third circuit of the globe. Any idea of her provenance? We’ll have more in a few days.
We have used Furuno radars for 30 years without a single problem until last week. The image went blank on the monitor, and after replacing a blown fuse was still blank, and red as shown here on the secondary output. The word from our friends at Furuno USA was a bad processor board and to get t he local rep aboard.
Here is the latest thing in booms – the carbon equivalent of the “Park Avenue” boom pioneered by the J Class mega-cutters in the 1930s. This is a healthy, performance oriented trend, something we like a lot better than in the mast and in boom furlers. They are simple, reliable, and making a neat, svelte package with the sail furled and cover in place. You can even make a case for a slight end plate effect from the platform, increasing effective aspect ration and reducing induced drag.
We mentioned the coffee shop at the corner of the cay or muelle as piers are called in this part of the world. It is a morning hang out for some of the professional crews and they are having a wonderful time from the looks of things. There is work of course, but it takes place all over the world. New places, new people, new experiences.
The last two mornings clouds to the east have made for wonderful sunrises. The marina is quiet, the water is glass smooth, and it is refreshingly cool. What more could you ask for? A cup of coffee and pastry? Coming right up at the coffee shop on the pierhead.
We have been pleasantly surprised by the water clarity in some of the Mallorcan anchorages we have visited. So we charged the battery on our three year old Olympus submersible camera and decided to see if the seals were still watertight.
Every now and then we look at Google Analytics to check traffic on the SetSail and DashewOffshore websites. In the past we have done this on a monthly basis. This morning we decided to look at the previous four months in total, and were amazed to find 333,463 pages had been downloaded – over a million pages a year on an annualized basis.
To the 12,000+ unique monthly visitors who spent time with us we say thanks for coming.
Sunday morning, its quiet aboard Wind Horse, and there is time to partially catch up on photos. A few items which have caught our eye follow starting with this brand new 105 footer, just in from her Capetown builders.
Our wifi amp/preamp booster recently died and at the suggestion of Troy Bethel of Yacht Dynamics we picked up an Alfa Networks AWUSO36NH two watt booster. This is connected with a USB cable (our previous unit was ethernet based).