Yesterday was mixed sailing and the night even more so, winds up to 19 knots then hours of winds at 4 or 5 knots. Frustrating on the crew, morale sapping and technically testing.
Northern Child weighs 23 tons un-laden, and for this crossing there are 12 crew and all the kit and tackle needed to feed them and sail the boat for 18 plus days. Probably an additional 3 tons. So light airs are not her preferred sailing environment. Christian tells us that he can carry full sail un-reefed at between 25 and 30 knots depending on sea state. So far reefing hasn't been a problem, keeping the boat moving has.
All of us are surprised though at how slippery Northern Child actually is for a heavy displacement boat. She will still keep sailing in winds of three knots and once the wind goes to 4.5 knots she will do a steady 4 knots if we are sailing just off the wind. And that is what we have to do on every watch when the wind dies; coax and tease her, never letting her stop, moving the head sail in or letting it out, watching the telltale on the main constantly. At time it is almost like the light airs Sportsboat sailing we do on "Twisted", restlessly tweaking for speed.
The fierce Low 200 miles to the North is generating an enormous swell and this causes the boom to slam as the boat rises up and drops down without enough wind to keep it filled . So to maintain sail shape we fix a preventer even when sailing up wind and keep the boom locked tight.
When all else fails us we have a secret weapon, we have noticed that every time Judith, the Woman who Sails Catamarans, takes the helm the wind rises by three knots. So when all else fails we ask her to steer. The last three times of asking it has worked. Zephyr has his favourites.
We are the crew, these are our challenges. But for Christian and Lucy these conditions bring a set of completely different challenges.
Firstly there is the weather logistics; where to position the boat today for the best changes of wind tomorrow or the day after. At 12.00 we get a download of weather stats, which is followed by a radio net with boats within a 50 mile radius, comparing conditions and forecasts. Then the debates begin and the plan for the next 24 hours emerges. Christian is now under a lot of pressure. The 5 Big Dutch men all have their family in St Lucia waiting for them and their flights home are booked for the 11th. So we have to be in St Lucia by then. If we put on our engine we will be disqualified from the race division.
At lunch time today he called us together to discuss the situation. Sailing tests leadership and decision making. He explained the situation, he also explained that we only have a 500 miles range with our fuel load and that our top motoring speed is 6.5 knots. So firstly he established that as far as he was concerned arriving before the 11th was more important than maintaining our racing status. We all agreed with this. Switching on the engine would be a disappointment but understandable if it meant ensuring the Dutchmen make their flights. Secondly he explained that as long as we could maintain a 5 knot speed or so, putting on the engine at this stage in the race was not sensible, we still had 2,200 miles to go and we need to conserve fuel for the times when we can motor to clearly better wind. Currently the best strongest wind is over 600 miles away and by the time we motor there it may have gone. We all agreed now is not the time to switch on the engine.
It's quite a challenge to skipper a boat of 10 untrained crew across the Atlantic, who have never met before, who each have different and possibly competing agendas, to maintain their morale, keep them focussed and ensure they are enjoying themselves. To all of us, Christian appears equal to that challenge.
 |
| Christian and Lucy look at the Weathersmall |
Go Nick, go!
ReplyDelete