As October approached, we were eager to exit the Mediterranean and start connecting with other sailors and live-aboard families. We had found ourselves pretty self contained over the summer months and started to feel the need to interact with fellow human beings in more depth. We were gradually heading towards the Canaries to join the ARC+ and its fleet, a yearly transatlantic rally (Canaries to Grenada via the Cape Verde islands) held by the World Cruising Club. An organisation offering continuous support during preparations, a wealth of seminars and resources, and an opportunity to meet many sailors of all backgrounds and levels of experience. The rally was to leave Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on the 7th of November.
On the way along the southern coast of Spain in a quiet anchorage off the regional park Cabo de Gata, we witnessed two refugee boats chased by the guardia civil making landfall at dawn. In the distance we saw people running for the hills. They were soon after intercepted by the border police who arrived in a convoy of cars. Search lights, dogs, shouting.. It was absolutely heart breaking.
We transited via Gibraltar for a couple of weeks, mainly to take delivery of the parasailor we had ordered a few months before. There we crossed paths with old friends (Quintessence crew!) and made new ones (Vast!), enjoyed a taste of British culture and history. It felt great to be social.
Shortly before leaving Gibraltar, we noticed a crack in the mast in the alignment with the boom (gooseneck). We had hoped to visit the Canaries archipelago before mooring up in Las Palmas to join the rally fleet, but we had to have the mast inspected as soon as possible so we could fix it in time before the rally. Other things came up that had to be fixed before crossing an ocean! A pole on the stainless structure holding the davits for the tender had broken all the way across as if sawn. We also found significant delimitation under the floor, and the satellite phone wasn’t working. It is essential for receiving weather forecasts while at sea.
We had a fantastic 5 day passage out of the Med to Lanzarote, the most northern island of the Canaries. We flew the kite up pretty much all the way, by day and by night.. the conditions were ideal. It didn’t take long to figure out this sail was going to change everything for our navigations. It can be flown in very light winds up to 20 knots, and from a very wide range of angles. It also lifts the bow and stabilises the boat when going downwind (no more rolling!). It will prevent much wear and tear to the boat as well as limit our fuel consumption significantly.
Tama did his first night shifts with enthusiasm, 1-2 hrs at a time while we slept next to him in the cockpit. His involvement will be invaluable when we sail for three weeks across the Atlantic and get that extra rest here and there between watches. We’ll figure out how to maintain a rythm that allows for enough rest and times spent together.
We enjoyed a short stop over at anchor between La Gracioza and Lanzarote (Northen Canaries) to rest from the crossing, then continued on the next day for another 120 miles overnight to Las Palmas. Beautiful dry volcanic terrain and sand dunes formed over time from the nearby Sahara desert.
In Las Palmas, we immediately found ourselves surrounded by a really friendly community of sailors, many of them families. We were uplifted by the community spirit and conviviality of very capable, open-minded people of all cultures and ages.. every crew with the same focus of preparing to cross an ocean, many for the first time. Our kids have been roaming happily ever since, adopted new families and made great friendships, which gave us the space to focus on the big task.
With two weeks to go before the start of the rally, we were hoping a local fix would be possible on the mast, however it turned out to be a major.. the mast had to be pulled out!! (again…)
We would not be ready to set off on the 7th and hoped to make it for the next rally two weeks later. The stress levels peaked as we waited for a diagnosis.. if we needed a new mast, that could be our entire cruising budget swallowed at once.
Simon worked really hard to mobilise a reluctant insurance broker, and moved very fast to orchestrate everything so we could be ready for the next transatlantic rally leaving Las Palmas on 21st November. This one, from Las Palmas straight to Saint Lucia in the Caribbeans..
We farewelled the ARC+ fleet as they set off and kept busy working towards our new departure date.
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Here is a very big shout out to Dmitriy and his fun and super hardworking team at the Rigging Point who flew in from Mallorca to conduct testing and repairs on the mast. The way these guys have supported us and made a stressful process happen seamlessly on such short notice has been phenomenal!!!
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We set out across the Atlantic tomorrow. We are very eager to be out there and disconnect from all the busy-ness. We are tired, ready to regroup as a family and enjoy the real thing. There has never been a better time to find ourselves totally unbound, a free electron.
Meanwhile, we realise how fortunate we are to be at a distance from the hysteria and division that are ramping up across the planet. Extreme sanitary measures are imposed forcefully and people’s most fundamental rights confiscated. It is so grossly absurd, it is hard to believe it is happening. We are thinking of you all and sending lots of love and strength. Kia kaha tātou!!
The greatest crises bring on the greatest evolutionary shifts.
ABOUT THE RALLY …..
We have a tracking device for the duration of the rally. Those interested can follow us and the whole fleet in real time across the Atlantic ocean. Download the YB Races app / select ‘ARC’/ you can search by individual boat names.
The forecast predicts very little wind until we reach the southern end of Gran Canaria… we will take it as it comes and expect to arrive in Saint Lucia in more or less three weeks.
