5th August 2021 – Back on Board in Las Palmas Gran Canaria
When I left Sea Orchid in Las Palmas last December I hoped to return in January. Well so much for that unrealistic plan, I finally managed to escape UK in early August. I had Sea Orchid (SO) lifted into the boatyard a few days after arriving. I had been dreading to see how fouled the bottom would be and sadly I wasn’t treated to a pleasant surprise. The prop took a whole day to get back to shiny metal, limpets succumbed to a hammer, then multiple doses of Agua Fuerte (hydrochloric acid solution), applied neat, gradually dissolved the rest. Also as expected the anodes were well shot and had to be replaced. For some odd reason the hull anode had been attached with one bolt from inside to out and the other from outside to in, so it would not have been possible to change without the boat being out of the water. Both bolts were severely corroded as well so these have been replaced, both now from inside to out. I applied two coats of International Cruiser 250, which is recommended for these waters, we will see what happens when we get to the Med.
Overall the boat was in good shape though. Fortunately when I left her last year I stripped all sails and canvas, and covered the windows and as much running rigging as possible. The bilges were bone dry, that is until I went to fill the water tanks. After half an hour with the hose in the filler I thought thats taking a long time. Had a quick look in the bilge and to my horror it was full almost to the floor boards. The outlet pipe from tank to pump had split so I was steadily sinking the boat with a hose pipe !!
The other annoyance was that despite there being not a drop of water on board, or food, I managed to adopt a family of cockroaches. They are the german type apparently, only about an inch long fully grown, but capable of laying thousands of eggs. So I have been waging war ever since with small traps with a sticky substance and aerosol spray around the galley every night. We seem to have reached a stalemate, every day there are two or three, usually baby ones, but never any more, so I guess we just have to coexist.
Thursday 12 August
So as soon as the boat was lifted back into the water I set off for Lanzarote, about 96nm direct going west of Fuerteventura. Wind initially was light and from North so i was able to hold a slightly higher course, however this did not last long and soon it became clear that i would have to be in at least one tack to clear the north west corner of Fuerteventura. Just a few miles into the passage I had my first encounter with a dolphins, just a small pod of three. Wind remained a steady 15 to 20 knots with an occasional gust up to 22, so before nightfall I put the second reef in. As is usual with SO, at these speeds, reducing sail has no detrimental effect on boat speed, but does reduce excessive weather helm and improve sea kindliness. Despite the high daytime temperature, at night I was soon donning fleeces, full waterproofs and woolly hat. The sky was clear with no moon, and being far from any terrestrial light, I was treated to a spectacular show of the cosmos. Lying back in the cockpit and staring upwards, fixing on clusters of stars for a few moments, helped pass the time, but it was nevertheless a long night, at least until I could see lights as I closed the coast of Fuerteventura. Fatigue was momentarily forgotten while I tacked out to north west for an hour before tacking back for the final approach to Playa Blanca. Then I was overtaken by two ships heading through the straits. By dawn I had managed to snatch perhaps two hours sleep. The sun rose dead ahead and directly above Papagayo headland as I came past the lighthouse on Punta Pechiguera. It seemed even then to be promising another scorching day ahead. I arrived on the reception pontoon at Rubicon just after 8am, 22 hours of sailing.
The next four weeks were spent on Lanzarote where Amanda joined me and we had a few day trips along the coast. Cousin Lucy and her family, staying at their villa, joined us on one of these trips. We anchored off Papagayo beach and launched the kayak. Andy brought his rods and hooked a variety of fish seemingly with ease…. I really should try harder ! Time was also spent preparing SO for the next voyage, to Madeira. The solar array on the arch was doubled in size. I had obtained an additional 175watt mono-crystalline panel and controller in Las Palmas. The additional frame on which to mount it I obtained from Inox Naval in Arrecife, a really excellent shop where they supply any stainless tube and fittings you could possibly desire. By mid September I and the boat were as ready as we would ever be and just needed a good weather window. Graham from SOY had returned to his boat, Sir Vagabond, along with a friend Len. A couple of years ago I had sailed with Len, and as Graham’s boat was presently out of action, he volunteered to sail with me to Madeira.
Saturday 18th September
So after what seems like endless preparation and then waiting for a suitable weather window, the day has finally arrived to leave the Canaries and start to head back north. We are fueled up, watered up, gassed up and batteries charged. The larder is stocked up, and Len and I have each prepared a meal for two nights. Its going to be an upwind passage to Madeira so well healed over and likely bouncy. I’ve waited for the wind to move round towards east of north to give us the best chance of making it on one tack and slightly free of close hauled, otherwise its going to take much longer than three days. However the forecast has wind speeds up to F6 so its going to need good concentration on the helm to keep a steady speed and course.
We slip the lines at 07.00 and creep out of the marina with just the first glimmer of daylight. I punch in the course on the plotter and see the daunting distance to go number of 286 miles. By the time we round the lighthouse dawn has broken, the sails are up, and we settle onto a course almost due north, with a bearing to Madeira of 328 degrees, so able to start to build some headroom to leeward. Soon the sun is high so I put the cockpit hood up to give us some shade. The wind builds to 14kts and the first reef goes in, followed not long after by the second as wind continues to build to 17kts. And there it stays throughout the day occasionally a little less and sometimes more, prompting me to take reefs out and in again more frequently than I would wish ! Its a fairly big sea and whilst we are able to sail slightly free, at an oblique angle to most waves, its still an intense motion and its not possible to stay down below for long before feeling queezy. We don’t eat much for our first supper. We decide to do 2 on 2 off watches through the night as good concentration is needed to keep the boat at optimum angle to the wind in the dark. Fortunately its a a big bright new moon which makes it easier and, when clear of clouds, shines like a searchlight throughout the night till just before dawn. The temperature drops and we don fleeces and waterproofs.
Day 2 commences with Len on watch. Its been a long night and both very tired, so through the day we continue to snatch short naps. The wind has stayed in the same quadrant so we’ve been able to build up to 10 miles east of the rhumb line and hang on to it, whilst also keeping up a good boat speed of 6 to 7 kts. However there is a constant adverse current from north of about 1kt which slows progress. Its another fine sunny day with occasional large rain clouds which bring an increase in wind speed of up to a whole force. Reefs go in and out and the genoa is frequently rolled in and out. All to keep a little weather helm but not too much, and keep the boat at a comfortable angle. We have both got our sea legs now and have a good breakfast, lunch and supper. No other boats have been seen and nothing on AIS, I expect boats sailing south to Gran Canaria for the ARC will have passed well to the west of us. We pass the half way mark in the afternoon and as the second night approaches we are closing in on a distance to go of 100nm. We have had winds over 20kts at times so use some of our headroom to bear off. The boat has performed well with no issues except for a bucket of water in the bilge every day, due to a leaky water tank. Morale is good as we start the night shifts again. At about 6am I saw the first faint glimmer of the lights of Madeira.
Day 3 and I come on deck at 8.30 to see the Islas Desertas a few miles to starboard. The wind has increased to 20 to 25 kts so we are freeing off and closing on the rhumb line. Its a big see despite the islands to windward. As we close on Madeira the wind veers more to east again as it curls around the island, so we are able to maintain a high course. Eventually, with about 15 miles to go we start to get flatter water and then quite suddenly the wind drops to less than 10 kts and swings round to south as we enter the enormous wind shadow cast by the high peaks. The final few miles we motor to the marina at Calheta on the western end of the island. Its a hot, sunny and windless day here as we tie up at 4pm precisely. The police arrive moments later to see our papers and insist that we stay on the boat until our vaccination certificates have been validated by the health authority. This they say will take just half an hour. After a beer and then a cup of tea we are still waiting for permission to go ashore 2 hours later. The marina office has closed and the police gone home. A row of bars and restaurants on the quay beckon, to hell with formalities !!
Friday 15th October
Today Amanda flew home and Rob arrived to help sail us over to Morocco, or possibly Ceuta if Tangiers won’t let us in because of Covid restrictions. The boat is all set to go, I’ve rigged the third reef in the main ready for use just in case and prep’d the inner forestay and storm jib, last used during the infamous storm Miguel in Biscay two years ago. However forecast for next three days looks like light variable winds and then after that its up for grabs. Its just over 600 miles so anticipate five probably six days and nights depending on wind direction. Rob has brought a Garmin in Reach satellite tracker and I’ve asked Chris if he could send us a text message forecast daily, as he did so admirably during the Portugal ARC. We’ve enough food and water for 10 days, after that we’ll resort to Madeira wine and honey rum. Next update will be from the other side.
Saturday 16th – Day 1
At 0830 we beetled over to the Gaurdia National office for ceremonial passport stamping. I am particularly keen to get an exit stamp as it will stop the Schengen clock which has been ticking since 4/8 when I arrived in Canaries. I only have about 10 days left before I will have to get out of the EU and not be able to return for 3 months. Our destination of either Tangiers in Morocco, or Ceuta, a nearby Spanish enclave, are outside the Schengen…. although the customs man did not know Ceuta is and he took my word for it ! Anyhow that was all completed with minimal fuss. I punched in our destination on the chart plotter which produced an ominous long straight line, 620 nm long in fact, stretching so far we could only see its entirety with the plotter zoomed out maximum. We stopped at the fuel pontoon to up the diesel, €1.50 a litre compared with €1.05 in Las Palmas 2 months ago. Then were on our way by 0930, motoring in a flat calm 2 miles to the headland east of Funchal. There is an acceleration zone just the other side and the wind filled in on the nose about 10 kn. We settled for a port hand tack which took us toward the Islas Desertas. After a few hours we tacked and made a course to Baixa da Badajeira on the eastern tip of Madeira. Wind later dropped to 6kn and we had an adverse current running through the straits between the Badajeira and Desertas so resorted to engine for a couple more hours in til clear. By late afternoon wind had increased but still on the nose so we settled for another starboard tack which made a course directly to Porto Santo. Supper was had at 18.30, Rob’s chilli that he made the night before, and excellent it was too. There were a few passing boats, all heading south, no one tries to sail north east like us, into the prevailing trade winds. We sailed to within a mile of Porto Santo’s famous beach before tacking off. Rob took the first watch, 8 to 12, so I got my head down for a while. We are fortunate that it’s a full moon for the next few days, this will make night sailing easier. Through the night the wind veered more to the SE allowing us to steer almost a heading for our destination, but slowly faded and speed dropped to an average 3 kts . During my 12 to 4 watch I had a low voltage warning on the autopilot and discovered the batteries were very low. This is mystifying as mid afternoon they had been fully charged. So we motored for an hour to put some charge in. And so ended day 1, 95nm including tacks but only 70 off the miles to go.
Sunday – Day 2
A great ball of fire appeared over the horizon just after 0800. The moon, which had illuminated the horizon all night, had disappeared just an hour earlier, so the sun now provided a visible reference point in a world devoid of any other for 360 degrees. The wind is a feeble 6 to 7 kts and our speed is still only 3 kts . The chart plotter depressingly predicts another 6 days to our destination, the same as this time yesterday morning !! But we have reduced our distance to go by 80 miles. At least the sea state is good and the motion comfortable. Wind later manages a steady 8 to 10 kts SE so we are able to hold a course for the Gibraltar Straits, and make about 4 kts over the ground. Both of us are a little sleep deprived so we continue taking naps through the day. No other boats and no wildlife to report, just a vast empty ocean all around. We are still picking up some chatter on Tenerife traffic control on VHF , more than 300 miles away ! Supper tonight is lasagne, easy to prepare. We swap watches and I do the 8 to 12. It’s a huge bright full moon again, appearing soon after sunset. There is enough light to see the tell tales on the genoa, which are less tiring to watch than the wind instrument glaring in the cockpit. Just as we change shift we pass a tanker, then realise he’s not moving, in fact he’s anchored in the middle of the ocean, on top of an undersea volcanic mountain top ! And so ends our second day, with just another 82 miles covered.
Monday – Day 3
A day much like yesterday. The sun rose and made its steady passage across the sky. We ate, slept, steered, ate, slept, steered. There was excitement upon seeing another ship on the distant horizon, but no birds or sea mammals to be seen. The only wildlife was the appearance of a cockroach briefly in the cockpit, which took one look at the ocean and rapidly scuttled back down the hatch before I could throw him overboard. We continued to hold a course of about 070 degrees as the wind stayed in the SE , and for a while we were making 5 kts in 10 kts breeze as the sea state is still very good. Just after sunset we are back down to 3kts so started to motor. We are running low on battery power by late in the night, as during the day the solar panels are not able to generate their normal capacity due to the angle of the boat healing away from the sun. Supper tonight is the other half of the chilli. The full moon rises later each evening and seems to be tracking across the sky almost exactly the same path as the sun. Is that by coincidence or design I wonder ? By midnight the wind has died altogether and I drop the main as it’s flapping and not helping motor sail any more. And so ends another day. 126 nm covered.
Tuesday – Day 4
As predicted the northerly trade wind is starting to kick in so we are sailing again, now on port tack. Whilst we were on starboard tack I closed the cross over between the port and starboard water tanks so now we have a full tank on the port side which helps keep the boat a bit more upright. We continue to sail as high as we can to give some headroom to allow us to ease off later should the wind become too strong, or in case it veers more to east. Sea state is still good so we start to pick up speed to average 5 kts in winds of around 10 to 12kts. Yesterday we had a bit of a squealy alternator belt so Rob, given his experience of dealing with tractor engines, volunteered to make the adjustment to tighten it up. As the day progresses the wind increases and continues to veer so that by evening we are only just managing to hold the course. It’s now a bigger sea too so appetites are waning. We finish the other half of the lasagne, or rather a third, between us. The biggest challenge now is getting all our gear off and then on again when going off watch and back on. Down below the motion is now violent, it’s essential to hold onto something with one had at all times or face the prospect of being hurled across the cabin. Rob is sleeping on the starboard side of the saloon now and I have my lee cloth out to hold me in place in the aft cabin. Its a relief to lie down and shut your eyes. Approx 125 nm covered.
Wednesday – Day 5
When I come on watch at 0800 Rob has tacked onto starboard as the wind is now NE and we are about 10 miles to the south of our course and rapidly getting further away. Wind is now about 15kts gusting 19kts. Close hauled we are making just 55 degrees to true plus another 10 degrees leeway. With both reefs in we are able to keep speed above 5 kts. By late morning, when we are back to north of our line, the wind backs toward north so I tack back onto port and we mange to point only a few degrees below our course. It’s hard going though bashing into a rising sea. Sea Orchid’s relatively short length and flattish bottom mean she is not happy in these conditions, regularly slamming as she comes off a big wave and rapidly slowing as she hits the next oncoming wave, creating a jerky motion. We are both getting tired so its hard maintaining concentration to keep the boat on the wind and play the waves. This night seems a particularly long one but at least we are over half way, all downhill from here ! Approx 110 nm nearer to destination.
Thursday Day 6
The wind has shifted a little further toward north so we are now holding course. It’s still a very steep sea and so we are just managing about 5 kts over the ground. As the day progresses the wind continues to move further back to north so we are able to free off a little, making the motion more comfortable. We are now closing on the Straits so I’m considering the timing of our arrival. We can’t avoid it being in the night, and therefore dark, as we pass through the Straits, but I’m keen at least to arrive at Ceuta, on the other side, when it gets light. We get our first sighting of the lights of Morocco, about 30 miles away, just after dusk. We are now on a beam reach and have been bowling along, but as we close the coast the wind steadily drops away and moves aft. Just before I turn in for a final time I start the engine, and drop both sails as there is insufficient apparent wind to stop them flapping. When I come back on watch at 0400 we are just off Tangiers. Sadly we are not able to put into harbour here as originally planned, as private boats are still banned due to Covid. So we press on with the wind starting to pick up again as it funnels into the Straits. My concerns with passing through the Straits at night soon become well founded. This is the busiest shipping lane in the world. We have to keep out of the Traffic Separation where there is a constant procession of ships. This leaves a strip of water about 1 mile wide initially, reducing to half a mile, on the Moroccan side. I have the AIS ‘dangerous targets’ alarm going off about every minute, and at one time had over 12 targets to monitor at once. They are coming from ahead and behind and across from both sides. Just to add to the excitement the wind increases to 24 kts from astern, this is combined with a tide running with us at up to 4 kts, so I’m travelling at 9kts. I pass through a tidal rip where the sea has built up to steep 2m waves on the port quarter, so I’m watching these approach and steering away at the right moment so that the back end is square on and we don’t broach. There’s no problem keeping awake on this watch ! After passing through the narrowest point it all starts to calm down at last. There are the first signs of light in the eastern sky, Ceuta is just 5 miles ahead, it’s 0630 ships time but one hour ahead on land. So by the time we enter the harbour an hour later there is plenty of light. I call up the marina but can’t understand a word of the reply so we head on in and grab the first pontoon we see. Its journey’s end, almost exactly 6 days and 6 nights somce leaving Madeira. It feels strange to stand still for a moment, and without wind and waves screaming in your ears. No one was sick or injured and Sea Orchid performed her best. It took a little longer than hoped for but we are slaves to the wind. It was Rob’s first experience of a long passage, possibly his last, but a great achievement nevertheless.
The Adventures of Sea Orchid 