Reflections

     There are so many things I could say. It’s hard to choose just a few.

     I think it’s fair to say that we (at least me) experienced nearly every possible emotion on this journey. Crossing an ocean is no walk in the park, unless of course the park in question is a vast ocean and you’re a tiny sailboat, a mere blip, bobbing up and down for month. If that’s the case, then it’s definitely a walk in the park. I think I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, but it’s worth mentioning again; sailing has some extreme lows but it also comes with some extreme highs that make up for everything else along the way.

     On this trip the secret was trying to enjoy all the moments for what they were and when that just wasn’t possible simply trying to keep my cool was the next best thing. Everything can change in a heartbeat on the sea. It was when things changed for the worst that I got overwhelmed. I knew from previous passages that freezing up and panicking wasn’t going to help anyone or anything on the boat. I think we were our own best medication in the face of looming danger. We relied upon each other for bravery, courage and sometimes just a good laugh when everything seemed to be falling apart. This is why the crew of Argo was great. As for me, I know I relied on the fearless spirit of Darvil more than once. His unyielding valor was undeterred by the worst of the worst. I tried to model my emotions after his; don’t worry about things out of your control and always think smart. My new motto was; don’t panic until Darv panics but then panic all you want! 

This guy...

Good thing we had two hammocks. Otherwise there might have been blood shed  

     When you’re staring down gnarly waves in monster storms you tend to put your priorities in order quickly. First on the list? Family, always. They might get taken for granted sometimes but they’re definitely the most important. This is a lesson you don’t need to sail the ocean to discover, but it certainly highlights, bolds and underlines the fact. 

BFF

Papa Bear & me 

     So while it was bittersweet to finally say goodbye to Argo I am walking away with the experience of a lifetime and one epic journey. I know we’ve soaked up every last ounce of this experience and I’ll be forever grateful to have shared this incredible voyage with my parents and husband. I couldn’t have asked for better company. But this isn’t going to be our last escapade, I know we’ll always be squeezing every last drop of adventure out of life. So until next time …    

Family makes the best crew :) 

  

The Home stretch

     The last 48 hours of the crossing were probably the hardest and most terrifying of the whole trip. The last two days seemed to last forever, probably because so much happened. The wind was relentless and blew over 40k. So much for ‘ fair winds and following seas’! We spent most of the last two days overpowered and surfing down step braking waves. 

Surfing' frothy waves  

      Because the rolling mechanism on our fore sail was broken there was no way to take in the sail. We were stuck with it out in full power. This caused us to heel over so far that the boom often splashed in the water. Under normal circumstances we would never have left that sail out because it is much too power to have out in strong winds.

     The hardest part though was the massive waves! As the days progressed the waves only built up higher and higher. I felt like I was starring down two story houses when I saw the big waves approaching from the stern. By the last night it was nearly impossible to steer. Darvil was the only person with enough strength to steer. Dad would relive him for 15 minutes so he could get a drink and go to the bathroom, and then he was back on. When the waves finally settled down early the next morning Darvil’s arms were like mush. Waves were constantly crashing over the front of the boat. At some point in the night a rope was washed over the side of the boat and wrapped itself around the propeller, so we had no motor.

     By about 2:00am we could see the lights of land, and by 5:00am we made our final jibe to try and make the harbour entrance. This was not going to be a normal arrival. We had two major problems. 1. There was no way to take down our fore sail 2. We had to motor.

Here was the game plan. To get the boat into the lee of the island so there would be no wind. Then we would take down the sail and finally Darvil would dive under the boat to cut the ropes loose from the propeller. Easier said than done …  

     With the wind direction and our “disabled” boat we could not make the opening of the harbour so we simply had to veer off. We knew of a huge rock called ‘Diamond Rock’ about a mile off shore and we headed a course for it hoping there would be a lee on one side of the rock. As we got behind the rock there was a reverse current that started to suck us in. Lets just say I we examined Diamond rock MUCH more closely we wanted to. That was terrifying. We realized that because it was so windy there was simply not going to be a leeward side of the island today. Dad called on the VFH for a tow boat. Meanwhile Darv was able to jump into the water and unravel the ropes from the propeller. Now we had an engine again. When the tow boat arrived there was no way to tow us when we had a big powerful sail out. It had to come down somehow. 

Diamond rock. This time from a safe distance. 

The tow boat that didn't tow us. Yet still gave us a hefty bill  

Trying to bring the sail down 

     We attempted to take it down several different ways but nothing would work, as the wind was too powerful. The sail was violently flapping and making a noise that sounded like thunder. I thought the entire bowsprit of the boat was going to come flying off.

     Darv eventually had to climb to the top of our 55-foot mast. We had a topping lift and a second rope attached to him for safety. Keep in mind the sail was still flapping and the boat was leaning hard from side to side. Darvil jumped from the mast to the stay and with a knife strapped to his hand and he ripped the sail as he slid down. He was the Hero of the day. We lost of sail, but all we cared about was the safety of the family.

up up up. 55feet. He had a toping lift on as a safety hardness 

My brave man! 

     Before Darv went up the mast he said “Em you better get this on video, I’m never doing this again”. So I have part of it on video, but unfortunately my hands we shaking harder than I thought so half the time the camera isn’t pointed on Darvil. But HERE is a link anyways (around minute 1:54).

Safe and sound 

Ship Shape

     No trans Atlantic Crossing would be complete without a few breakages and damages along the way and Argo was no exception. This shouldn't come as any surprise, 'BOAT' does stand for 'Bring On Another Thousand'… 

     We enjoyed our big beautiful mail sail for about 5 minutes before it ripped in a jibe. Without a main sail it is basically impossible to tack in our style of boat. This left controlled jibes as our only option. Jibing requires much more work, preparation and is more dangerous than tacking.

Our main sail 

    We found out a week into the trip that the alternator that charges our batteries was not working. We have 2 solar panels on the boat but they don’t produce enough energy to power everything on the boat. Luckily we have a small generator on the board. We were able to power the batteries with the generator but we had to be very conservative with our power. 

Some nights we would conserve the boat's battery power by using these portable lamps instead of our masthead lights. We mostly did this in the middle of the Atlantic when we rarely saw another boat.  

     About mid way through the crossing we had to use the motor a lot because there was very little wind. We were all sitting in the cockpit when all of the sudden the engine just stopped. Right away our stomachs dropped. Dad went down below and opened up the engine hatch and smoke began to billow out. After a few minutes the smoke disappeared enough that we could begin to investigate what had happened. The fan belt had fallen off and the engine over heated. When the engine cooled enough to work on it Darvil and dad rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Even after we fixed the engine we were still uncertain if the motor would work as it may have seized. Dad turned the key as we all held our breath …It turned on! Disaster narrowly avoided. 

Grease Monkey savin' the day 

     After a week without wind we were all relived when we finally got some 15 knots. We were under full Genoa sail. Sitting in the cockpit just before supper we all heard a loud noise. We all jumped up immediately to see what had caused the noise. What we saw was our fore stay and Genoa sail ripped out of our boat and blowing up into the air. This was very bad news. The rolling furling system that brings in the sail had blown to pieces. And our forestay which helps hold up the mast was ripped out of the deck. After about an hour Dad and Darvil were able to jury-rig the sail to the bowsprit of the boat using ropes. But now we were faced with having to be under full Genoa sail power with no way to reef. This can be very dangerous when strong winds come that can overpower your boat. We checked the makeshift repair daily, replacing ropes if they had chafed through.

The jury- rig 

Darv's masterpiece 

This thing wasn't going anywhere 

     We also hit a giant ball of tar in the middle of the ocean! We’re not sure if it was related to an oil spill or if it occurred naturally.  It didn’t do any damage to the boat but it did leave a big old tar stain on the bow of our boat! Dad was able to scrub it off with a lot of elbow grease when we landed on shore.

Most of the tar stain was on port side but you can still see some black stain on the starboard bow of the boat 

      Even with a lot of adversary thrown our way I was always amazed at how well my parents and Darvil dealt with our mishaps. It was good to have such optimistic and levelheaded crewmembers aboard. They might have been terrified on the inside but they all put up the bravest front. Argo had a courageous crew! 

Hard to be sad when Darv play's the happiest instrument in the world! We got some free concerts 

Dad chatting on the SSB 

The Best of the Ocean

     So I realize I’ve mentioned more than a few of the challenges of sailing a long passage, but there’s also some amazing highs. Here are some of the highlights the ocean had to offer us.

     There is something both terrifying and exhilarating about being at sea on a sailboat completely at the mercy of the elements. There is an element of pure awe that envelopes you when you think a few pieces of big canvas can drag you across the ocean. It was also refreshing to be “out of the world” for a month. It gives you some time to live more simply and you realize you can live with a lot less. When we finally arrived in Martinique the first things we all did that day was check our emails, facebook, instagram etc. Almost instantly I felt bogged down and slightly overwhelmed. The Internet and all the media communication sites I use can be very convenient and at times addicting, but after a month without any tech communication I realized how inconsequential they are in my true overall happiness.  

Sailing into the horizon 

Always on the lookout 

Captain Chas 

Full power 

Mom on duty 

R&R

Darv loved to dive beside the boat

A lot of canvas 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY-O

The cake 

     The view. You have the same view in all direction for miles and you begin to grasp how vast the ocean is. Almost every sunrise and sunset you are given a spectacular show. I love sunrises for what they promise, the end of darkness (and a long night shift), but I’ll take a beautiful sunset over a sunrise any day. We saw skies that made all the worst parts of sailing worthwhile. 

I loved that we were sailing West so we were always sailing into the sunset 

The looked like it was on fire this particular night 

A typical view from the boat 

     The stars. They were always incredible. Without another light on the ocean I felt like we could see every star in the galaxy. I have never seen the starts seem as bright and infinite as on the sea.  Every night we would lay our heads out and count the shooting stars we saw. Some nights you could even navigate by the stars, although I’m quite happy to have modern navigation on board.

     We spent hundreds of hours floating on the surface of the water, but it’s what’s underneath us that excited us the most. We had some really great sightings on this trip. One night watch Darvil and I heard big swooshes of water and air. We shone the spotlight beside the boat and not ten feet from us was a massive 40 foot whale swimming beside the boat. Another time a  Minke Whale swan around our boat for about an hour diving down and coming back up. We saw many pods of dolphins that would play in the waves beside our boat. Darv swam in the water with them and took pictures. We also passed a group of about 10 pilot whales. Whales are super exciting to see when you're on the ocean, but you also have to be careful because many boats have been damaged hitting whales. 

A big Minke Whale swimming beside the boat 

BIRDS! They are an uncommon site on the ocean

You can't see them very well but there was large pod of pilot whales that we sailed past

Click HERE for a great compilation video Darv made of some of the best videos and pictures from the trip. 

      The SSB. When you are secluded on a boat for month without much contact with the outside world it’s nice to talk to someone other than your crew for a change. The SSB gave us this opportunity. We talked with two other boats twice a day and it was often the highlight of our day. Dad would sit at the navigation station talking over the SSB radio and I would sit on the stairs behind him hanging on every word. On the ocean can go days or weeks without seeing another boat so it’s nice to know you’re not along alone out there. 

Some of the other sailors we talked with over SSB

Plenty of Fish in the Sea

     One of the major points of excitement on the trip was fishing. Darv went all out before the trip and outfitted himself with the best equipment to get some action. And it paid off. By the end of the trip we were often catching and releasing the fish. Of the 28 days we spent on the ocean, we ate fish 26 of them. Without catching fish for dinner, we might have been rationing our last canned goods. But as it was we ate really well. Darv was also master chef in the Galley. He brought a toolbox full of spices and wasn’t afraid to use them! After our first disappointing Tuna loss, we were so excited to catch our first fish, a small Dorado. After that the fish kept getting bigger! We ended up naming most of our lures and we had our favorites by the end of the trip. They all found a special spot in our hearts. 

Here they are from left to right: Green Machine, Gorgeous George, Red Baron, Show Girl, Elton John, and Marilyn Monroe. They all look a little worse for wear after all the action they saw. Especially Marilyn, who had a lot of her platinum blond locks bitten off.  

 Here are some pictures of all the delicious fish Darv cooked for us! Mom and I made the rest :)

This is called 'Poke' and we made it with fresh Dorado. It's raw fish with marinate. Man is it ever tasty! 

Darv cooking on the gimballed stove 

FIsh tacos on the sea!

Happiness is ... 

  

     We had two really big  prize catches, a 50 lbs Dorado (Mahi Mahi) and a 70lbs Wahoo. I had no idea how thrilling it would be to catch such enormous fish. My adrenalin was always pumping when we had a fish on the line. I even reeled one in myself! When we got a strong hit on the lure and we knew it was a big fish it was all hands on deck. Darv would masterfully reel in the fish and then as soon as it was close enough to the boat Dad would gaff the fish in the gills and we would pull it into the boat. They would often be flopping around powerfully so I would pour vodka into their gills to calm them down. Mom would be behind the wheel steering us safely. Darv always had to go up on deck to bleed and filet the fish, and often it had to be done in rough seas. I don’t know how he did it, but were thankful he did! Afterwards we would scrub down the deck from all the blood. Soem of the fish we caught while we were motoring and some were caught while under sail. The best speed to catch fish was between 5-7 knots. 

The fish look so beautiful and colourful when they swim in the water!

Dad gaffing the Dorado! He always hooked them on his first try, so we started calling him the Gaff Master 

The big guy is in the boat!

50lbs Dorado 

You can see how they lose their pretty colours very quickly after being caught

Measuring up. 52 inches long 

The fish is almost as big as mom!

The Gaff Master and Darv 

The fish was too big to bleed inside the boat so we had to drag him in the water by a rope 

 Ok,I had to get a picture with it too! (I'm holding up a local newspaper from my hometown. You send them pictures of yourself from your trips around the world holding up the newspaper and they publish them. Were hoping for front page ;) ) 

The Wahoo. Caught with 'Show girl' lure 

Wicked stripes!

70lbs Wahoo 

     The official fish caught by rod and reel: Dorado, Blue Fin Tuna, Bonita, Wahoo and Bill Fish. Fish caught by spear gun: Sheep’s Head, Parrotfish, Grouper, Mullet, Scup, Octopus, Lizard Fish, Red Snapper and Lobster.    

Bleeding a fish 

Trolling all day every day 

Darv's tarp he used to fillet the fish 

Feeding the family 

First time reeling in! 

My first catch! Dorado! 

My biggest catch ever and the Dorado 

After trolling at night for days without catching anything Darv finally caught this .. thing! It was a bit of a mystery fish but we thought it was part of the Bill fish family maybe. Of course he saved his mandibles.  

Mom named it 'Ugly fish' 

We couldn't eat the fish fast enough and without a freezer on the boat and this particular fish was going bad. So darv dragged it over the side of the boat hoping to attract a big fish. About an hour later Dad heard some splashing while he was on shift, when we looked over the side of the boat it was gone and the rope had been chewed right through. We suspect it was a shark, or at least a realllly big fish   

Marilyn Manroe. The platinum blond with red lips 

More beautiful Dorado  

       

Skip Jack Tuna 

The first red meat fish we caught on the trip 

The Skip Jack Tuna flipping his tail fast 

Gorgeous George makes his debut  

Awesome stripes on a smaller Wahoo.  

Darv saved this Wahoo as it had some orange rope (still in Darvs hands) caught in his mouth. We released him after. 

     I’m glad that I took so many pictures of the fish we caught because they were absolutely breathtaking! I never considered fish very beautiful until this trip, now I definitely have a new perspective. 

Some pictures of the fish caught by speargun: 

Atlantic Sheep's Head 

Octopus 

Parrot fish and scup 

Giant Oyster!