The day dawned with sunshine for a change and the breeze holding up sufficiently to sail quite fast for most of the day. As the afternoon progressed, our timings suggested that we might be able to arrive in time to have a celebratory drink in the evening and this became a manic obsession but the loss of wind then plucked this prospect away. The decision to motor for a couple of hours was a ‘no brainer’ and we reverted to the sails for the ARC photos taken from a rib as we ghosted across the finishing line and through the tight entrance channel into Rodney Bay Marina. The tradition of being greeted on the dock by generous rum punches was maintained and I have to say, they were wonderful!

This being the final blog before ‘blogging’ is suspended as we move into the ‘Bay Gardens Beach Hotel’ to await the arrival of our wives; I would like to make a few comments as a retrospect on the adventure to date.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the fact the Barry is staying on board while Stephen, Bob and I decant to the luxury of the hotel to join our wives and amazingly, he has prepared a list of repair, maintenance and improvement jobs which he intends to tackle during this period. I am enormously grateful for all the help and support Barry has provided over more than two years while we have been preparing Hejira for the ‘Atlantic challenge’, we work well together and he has been a great sounding board for ideas. Barry treats Hejira as though she is his own and she greatly benefits from his care and attention, as do I.

Bob is the ‘original’ crew member, having joined Hejira in Dover on the 22^nd of August 2012 when I completed the purchase having sailed her back from Holland. Bob has shared all my trials, tribulations and frustrations as she was stripped back to undertake the necessary fundamental repairs and improvements that have now left her in such good shape. Bob will remember the frosty early mornings driving down to Itchenor where we seemed to take one step forward and three backwards as the extent of the issues became evident. He was a support when the enormity of the necessary remedial work could have left me sobbing with my head in my hands. For Bob, I know that the Atlantic has been a Holy Grail which, now achieved, will allow him to pursue his own sailing ambitions and he will take a wealth of experience to this next phase, teaching his grandchildren to sail in his own yacht.

Stephen and his wife Mary have been family friends since our daughters were at the Marist Convent Junior School together. They have sailed with us as a family on two of my previous yachts, going back to my Parker 31 in the Solent. I distinctly remember a week’s supposedly sailing holiday in Barcelona in my Jeanneau 44 which was compromised waiting for a part for the engine. When it finally arrived just before the end, we went out in a bit of a blow and Stephen was sooooo sick. His vulnerability to sea sickness has dogged him ever since and I have to say that I was surprised when first mentioning my Atlantic aspirations at a restaurant meal, he lent over the table in deadly seriousness, holding his hand out for me to shake and promise that he would be in the crew. His sea sickness seems to be under control thanks to the use of ‘patches’ which he also recommended to Bob and seem to ‘do the trick’ for them both. Being a committed doctor, Stephen has equipped Hejira with a multitude of pills and potions and we will all remember him holding an impromptu ‘surgery’ in Arrecife, Lanzarote for fellow sailors who had missed the luxury of consulting a Doctor. Stephen’s enthusiasm and willingness to ‘take things on’ has been a revelation and justified his position in the crew beyond just being the Doc.

I think we can count our adventure a resounding success. We have exceeded our expectation in terms of position, finishing ahead of some yachts which we had no right to beat. The main achievement however has nothing to do with positions which matter not a jot. We have crossed the Atlantic under sail in a small yacht! We have done it all in good humour and accord, it has been a really great crew and we did it together!

Hejira has been a wonderful yacht and has inspired such confidence in her ability to take on all that has been thrown at her. She has never moaned and groaned (flimsy yachts do as they flex) and even in the towering, sometimes breaking swells, she never once ‘slammed’ and just shouldered aside all before her and ploughed on.

The easterly winds of F4-7 were ideal for a downwind crossing but I didn’t expect quite so many squalls or so much cloud, we only had sun for probably 25% of the time. Our sail plans were good with the twin poled out Yankee jibs proving very effective and the prevented main and poled out jib was an adequate ‘fall back’ after the problems with the bow sprit. The Parasailor, whilst a really powerful and stable sail, is not at its best dead downwind and prefers an angle. We didn’t fly it after the bow sprit problem and before that, we flew it only once through the night when the weather seemed sufficiently settled. Our charging regime worked well and a daily running of the generator for hot water topped the batteries up nicely. We finished with a spare full tank of diesel and water. Special mention must go to the auto steering system and the instruments. I had upgraded the whole instrument system earlier in the year to the latest Raymarine kit. The auto drive control is much praised in the yachting press and so it proved. The auto system steered for 90% of the time (I had bought a spare Lewmar Mamba drive unit just in case) and we used it steering to a course, to a track and to a wind angle, all of which it took in its stride, we only took over in the big swells and winds after we resorted to main and jib.

For any aspiring trans-Atlantic skippers, I would recommend maintaining a blog and including everyone in the process. We had great fun poking fun at each other and even if it is not read beyond our family, it was a very positive and morale boosting exercise.

The preparations for this adventure and the ‘shake down’ cruises have dominated the last 3 years. I am very conscious that Paula has been a star in accepting the situation and largely working around it. I think a ‘big holiday’ must be in the offing for the two of us once Hejira is repatriated next summer. I am also only too aware that there is a backlog of outstanding jobs at Thornleigh so, thank you Paula, I will get on with the house and make it all up to you.

 

Stephen writes:-

‘The time has come, the Master said to talk of many things

Of sheets and cleats and Parasails

Of TRUTH and of Goose wings’

(Apologies to Mr.Lear)

I would like to set the record straight about my shipmates and the privilege it has been to share this adventure with them, I could not have asked for better companions (sorry about the gushing boys). I can only hope I have raised my standing slightly above ballast by now.

Nick (aka Skipper and the ‘Master’) whose meticulous attention to detail has ensured our safe passage in the magnificently prepared Hejira, whose demeanour in the face of incessant ribbing in our daily blogs has been an exemplar of gracious good humour.

Barry (aka ‘The Silver Fox’), whose presence on board has been akin to an insurance taken out with Lloyd’s of London, iron clad and copper bottomed.

Bob ‘I feel the need for speed’ Haywood my companion for the night watches whose gentle tutelage in the ways of wind and sail has been a revelation to this landlubber who if none the wiser is at least better informed.

Hejira…well what can I say? I have never felt safer in any vessel on the sea.

I would also like to give my heartfelt thanks to Mary, my wife, who has supported me all the way in this ‘Boys Own Adventure’. See you Friday.xx

I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with Hejira when she is back in British waters and wish all her crew past, present and future safe passage and fair winds.

 

Bob writes:-

How can I possibly add anything meaningful to the skipper’s entry?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Hejira and particularly with the crew. It seems trite to state that we have faced issues together and overcome problems together, but we have. We have taken the mickey out of each other constantly and the camaraderie that has evolved is very strong. It has been a wonderful experience and a dream that few people actually manage to fulfil. I would therefore like to thank Barry, Stephen and especially Nick for being part of my fulfilment. Finally, I would like to thank Alison who, as so many other times in the past, has provided the extremely stable home base from which I have launched several madcap schemes and to which I look forward to returning.

Barry is looking forward to some peace and quiet!

It may be interesting to note that the blog series (as posted on the World Cruising website)covering the Atlantic crossing have won the ‘best blog’ accolade and this has helped to come to terms with the colossal fee for the satellite data transmission !

 

 

 

Light winds persisted through the day which did nothing for our progress and when I turned in we were still struggling to make 5 knots. It was therefore a welcome surprise to rise to a fresh breeze and 8.4 knots on the log. This has brought our predicted arrival time forward, if not into daylight, at least to a time that the bars are likely to still be open!

Stephen scored another success with the rod, landing a Dorado which provided 4 very adequate steaks which were delicious, fried in butter with garlic and chilli.

During the slow paced afternoon, I remembered a piece of kit I had made which enabled the mounting of a camera on the telescopic whisker pole. It resulted in an unusual picture of Hejira using this giant ‘selfie stick’.

I have noticed a significant change in the demeanour of Stephen and Bob as our arrival approaches, they have certainly become more animated as they count down the miles. For Barry and me the job is not completed and we still have another 3000 miles to go to bring Hejira home to the UK. However, I will allow myself a little glow of satisfaction at the completion of this, the longest leg on the Atlantic circuit.

Stephen writes:-

Glad to report that Hejira had a 1-0 victory in the final fishing match and we enjoyed our last Dorado, pan fried in butter, garlic and chilli ,served on a bed of five spice two rice (pretentious …moi?). We then put away the fishing rod and tackle as we will be busy squeezing every last Nano knot out of Hejira in the dash for the line. We believe we were visited by a Wandering Albatross (Diomedia exulans) in the morning, a truly beautiful sight. The late afternoon saw us treated to a display of spectacular flying and diving by a Northern Gannet and then for the icing on the cake, dusk saw the appearance of a Magnificent Frigatebird .

The Master`s mood has improved so much that we were able to capture an image of him smiling (see above). A picture whose rarity will give it added value at auction. We also noted a significant decrease in the frequency of the ‘bellowing’ so expect the crew`s tinnitus to improve from now on.

Bob and I spent a companionable watch together (probably our last on this passage) putting the world to rights whilst being harassed by squalls, but Bob`s fine sailing skills allowed us to slide by without getting soaked and Hejira romped onwards at 7-8 knots. It was soon time to rouse the Master from the Royal Apartments so dispensing with the doorbell a loud `Ogy Ogy Ogy!` produced the desired effect and he shot out of bed like a breaching whale. Even that rude awakening did not dampen his mood so we were dismissed to our berths with only trivial use of the lash.

The crews various aliments are improving so hopefully they will be all fit enough to enjoy the delights of St. Lucia.

Bob writes:-

Last night’s sail during the night watch was superb! We were sailing Hejira to maximise position and speed, using the almost constant stream of squalls to spin us off into the next one. Really good fun and some significant speeds attained.

As this is the penultimate blog, I feel that it is time to acquaint the dear reader with some of the less savoury traditions that endure on Hejira. I feel that I need to do this as a form of catharsis. Besides, tomorrow’s blog may give me a chance to apologise, if I have to!

The dear reader may recognise that Stephen and I are probably the less reverend contributors to the blog. This is probably because we are the less competent members and at the receiving end of most the skipper’s handy hints and tips on how to sail, delivered at maximum volume with much invective, even to the point of split expletives!

The skipper maintains discipline much along the lines that Captain Bligh adopted in the past. (I think that the skipper secretly models himself on Antony Hopkins portrayal). Stephen and I have decided to include the photograph of a crew member’s back (name withheld to protect from further retribution). The miscreant was guilty of nothing more than catching insufficient fish!!!! This form of punishment continues on Hejira, as part of its rich tradition.

Past Hejira tradition also involved the skipper and his errant anatomy. The skipper’s favourite attire used to be a pair of shorts, Tilley Endurables. These were extraordinarily hard wearing items with the one significant failure…….they could not contain all of the skipper’s anatomy! As a consequence of this, it was an everyday occurrence for one or other of the skipper’s rollocks to make an appearance! Although the crew got used to this, it came as quite a shock to visiting females, or maybe that’s why they visited?

I had thought that this particular tradition had died a death when the Tilley Endurables finally departed. However, imagine my joy when the skipper sat on the aft deck in his new shorts, and, sure enough, there was the same offending rollock on show!

All of which indicates that tradition dies hard on Hejira!

Barry is looking forward to a night not spent on rinse cycle in the ‘washing machine’.

We experienced a somewhat frustrating day under sail with the wind variable in strength and direction but at least the sea state was diminishing. We maintained our sailplan but resorted to the engine on two occasions, once for an hour and then for a quarter of an hour, it’s difficult to accept speeds of less than 4 knots when those rum punches beckon!

Bob has unfortunately been ‘hors de combat’ having suffered a bang on the knee which has swollen to painful proportions and confined him largely to his bunk. Stephen has written a sick note and is ministering pills and potions in an attempt to have him ambulant for our arrival.

The removal of the hydrogenerator revealed more teeth (?) marks on the unit and I wonder if any reader has experience of what a shark bite actually looks like, do they feature on the internet; can anyone positively identify the damage?

We are beginning to pick up other vessels on the radar as we converge on the northern tip of St. Lucia with 230 miles to go but they seem to be out of AIS range so we are unable to identify them at present. We know we have been exchanging places with ‘Lea’, a Norwegian Bavaria crewed by ladies. They were moored alongside us in Mindelo but we fear that these lighter conditions will favour their more sporty yacht. Interestingly, Dave Cooke, crewmate from Portsmouth to Spain, met the ‘Lea ladies’ in Anglesey in the summer when sailing on a friend’s yacht.

We had another strange ‘happening’ in the evening, the crew were sat in the cockpit and experienced what they described as a ‘metallic clunk’, felt through the seats, which was accompanied by one of the keel lights flashing, had we hit something which kicked the swing keel up and dropped it back down with a clunk?

The only crisis has been an awful smell emanating from the fridge and thankfully, ‘the Doc’ volunteered to investigate the source. It turned out to be a putrid cucumber which must have been left from when Barry and Helen were on board in Lanzarote back in October because we have not purchased a cucumber since then, no wonder it was putrid!

Yesterday’s culinary offerings were driven by the need to use perishable items before we retire to the comforts of a hotel in Rodney Bay as Barry will only be able to eat so much on board on his own. Lunch therefore was a very generous omelette which rather diminished our appetite for the planned evening extravaganza so we reverted to something more basic, sausage, beans and spuds.

 

Stephen writes:-

Yesterday was a strange day with no visiting wildlife whatsoever, no takers for the lure so again a 0-0 draw in the fishing. When the Master says “volunteer!” it has a meaning not found in the Oxford English Dictionary which is why I ended up to my elbows in liquefied cucumber.It is a tribute to the patches that I felt not a trace of nausea and I justified the clean up on Public Health grounds. The day had settled into its normal rhythm when the Master insisted we listen to a recording of a radio reconstruction of the Titanic disaster. Dear reader can you think of anything less appropriate? Needless to say we were on iceberg watch for the rest of the day. The evening repast was a nostalgic reminder of home as we enter the home straight. Our proximity to the finishing line was further evidenced by the sighting of some navigation lights off our port beam and a radar `hit’ to starboard although both vessels were not showing on the AIS.

As Bob was invalided out of the night watch by his knee (the Master insisted I wrote him out a sick note!) I had to amuse myself for 4 hours, and squall watching can be quite fascinating. It was odd to note that the squalls that did appear followed our original track but as we had drifted south to follow the wind missed us. One can start to imagine all sorts in the wee hours of the morning but in the cold light of day I am sure they were not out to get us. To help us through the night Bob and I have taken to raiding the Master’s chocolate store of `fun sized bars’ (although the juxtaposition of `Fun sized’ and the Master in the same sentence seems totally incongruous to say the least) so in Bob’s absence I felt it was only right that I eat his share as well. When it was time to raise the Master from the Royal Suite he had insisted on the use of the ‘cable free’ doorbell so I gave it free reign until the bellowed shout of “Enough!” confirmed that the staff had dressed him for his watch.

One swollen knee (improving) and one tennis elbow.

 

 

Bob writes (from his bed):-

It is quite interesting to listen to the banter that goes on from the ‘safety’ of your bed.

Whilst the skipper’s accommodation has been cited as ‘apartments’, Barry’s has been identified as ‘the washing machine’! This because there is much agitating movement (of the yacht, not Barry, as far as we know!) accompanied by sounds of rushing water, much as we imagine the inside of a washing machine to be. My cabin has been christened ‘the tip’, since all plastic material that we need to save to get rid of in St. Lucia, as well as the Mines patented vacuum packed rubbish receptacles, finds its way into my cabin, for stowage in the bilge. What members of the crew have not identified with is the ‘stowed in the bilge’ bit and quite often the door is opened and some rubbish or other flung in to the darkest recesses of the tip! You may now see, dear reader, why I say ‘safety’ of my bed. Since last night, two large flattened water bottles have been flung in and I have to report that they made excellent skates as I gingerly descended from my bunk only to slide less than gracefully out of my cabin into Stephen’s bunk! I believe that the Doc thought that I was about to molest him and I have seldom seen him erupt from his pit with quite such speed…….Ussain Bolt, look to your laurels!

 

Barry is looking forward to some peace and quiet when we all ‘bugger off’.