In the last days of August we left UK to head for the Carribbean via the Canary islands. That was the general plan anyway! Always bending to the wind with Captain Neptune and to the general adventurous nature of our lives at sea.
Windy tells us that the weather for the coming 10 days is ideal to cross the bay of Biscay and onward to the strait of Gibraltar. This might be our last opportunity this year to sail South before the autumn storms start. OK, first step is sail down the Irish sea.
Windy tells us the wind will be against us all the way. Our first tack brings us straight to Glenarm, Ireland.
We anchored in the bay in front of Glenarm village said to be the oldest in Ireland where we stretched our legs and looked around. We had to ask the fishermen special permission to leave the dingy at their jetty and they kindly gave us the key to the gate. It is tricky getting to land, at times.
The walk round the estate woods was pleasant.We did not feel like shelling out the exorbitant fee they were asking to walk the castle gardens. The trendy tempting restaurant there looked imaginative and delicious but also we were not in the mood for eating out. Perhaps the trip to the garage where we bought a few buts of diesel had emptied our purses. We are super grateful to the nameless sailor who drove us to the pump at the next village. We remember him for his story. He takes his little boat out, drops the hook and sticks his gadget deep down into the water to enjoy the sights down there. No more fishing for him, thank you.
My first night watch of the year. The wind increased to 20 knots so I reef genoa, not as much as a challenge as it once was for me. Then I realise I m not sure how to do the main which I know needs the sheet let out so there is no tension on the sail when reefing, and the furler is tricky everone says so. So I wake Stefan . Poor thing has only been down an hour but is as sweet as can be. Helps me . Then goes back to bed. Two freighters creep across from behind keeping 2 nm away all good. Wind fluctuates but is manageable. We are sailing close reach towards Wales in a slow attempt to catch the appropriate wind south of Ireland. An unexpected lack of Internet will take a bit of getting used to as it could be almost continuous til Morrocco.
I nap and jump up every twenty mins for my last hour . I spend a while telling myself not to eat, but I loose; the biscuits are exquisite. Stolen snacks at three in the morning just can t be beaten. I go back to bed after my four hours, at five,and slept a little til coffee time . Stefan has a nap later.All is so quiet as we speed, (not really )traverse the irish sea tacking south. I draw him, his interesting strong artistic hand half propping up his stubble jaw, fleecey shadow around the form . The wheel leathered, criss crossed, with the throttle Mark 2002 in the background.
Struggling against unfavorable winds and half the time unfavourable currents had taken its toll: we only made 145 nm as the crow flies in that time. Then, at the end of the Irish sea, disaster struck… we damaged our genoa and had to divert using the engine.
We were very grateful to make it to Skomer island off Wales after 3 days and nights tacking south in the Irish sea. But far worse, during the last nightwatch our genoahad ripped sobadly it was unusable. We furled it in.
Finding safe harbour at Skomer Island was our only option to rest and think about it. We did not have a spare genoa, the most important sail on the boat as without it a boat can only sail with the wind, not against it. The anchorage in better weather and better spirits would have been one of the best. A remote dell surrounded on three sides by wild cliff faces full of birds with room for about three big boats. Beautiful. Once the hook was dropped Stefan sat us down facing each other. Close. He said and I will never forget this, he said “This is the end. The end of our adventure” with tears in his rich brown eyes, normally an intelligent grey blue green. He meant it. Our world as we knew it had finished. We went to bed.
After the nights good rest a new light shone on everything, life had taken an upturn. The idea to use the spare mizzen sail in its place was born and although it is half the size its worth testing, at least.
A group of grey dolphin’s dance towards us, tens of them, they including us in their play, swooping up out of the water and around the boat. You can see clearly their blow holes and sometimes an eye. They are pale underneath with grey backs unlike the very dark ones of the Irish sea. Our last anchorage there was in Wales, Skomer Island. Sonia from the reviews off Navily enjoyed puffins at Skomer but we saw non sadly! A lot of swell. No Internet.
End of day 3 of the 13 day passage to Tangiers. So many possibilities went through our minds in the face of our calamity. Our future in the shreds of our coffinless sail. After only one night’s sleep Mr Mcguiver aka Captain Neptune here got on with it. Our new friend Eric, another Dutch Amel owner we met this year, was a huge support via email. So kind.
The voyage from Skomer to Tangiers took a pleasant 13 days. In that time the plan was hatched to order new sails in Turkey and collect them in Gibraltar. For that we would wait 6-8 weeks in Tanja Marina, Morocco.
We had a memorable midocean encounter with a Greenlander on his way to Galapagos. Three days previous, I spotted a sailing boat behind us on the horizon some 12 miles away. On the second day I observed he was closing in on us. Must be motoring we say to each other supercilious as we would never use our engine if there was only even this tiny hint of wind. We float on, averaging 2nm an hour, content that we move south and the sun shines. Then, in the morning I look and he is gaining on us so fast and headed for close 5 metres away. I shout for Stefan ‘what should I do ?’ Meanwhile, this GreenLander says good morning! We explain we are going so slow because of our tiny headsail. He is under full sail making 9nm knots of speed ahead. Amazing. He tells us his story. He is alone, sailing nonstop to the Galapagos because he has never been there. Wow. And off he went.
