Fizz in Horta - the crew blogs

01/06/2010 by admin.

So here, as promised,  are the blogs from each of the crew.

Alec

The sun had not long climbed into the cloudless blue sky and was now shining across the azure waters beneath as we walk down the fairway of the first tee at Tuckers Point golf club.  My tee shot had travelled two hundred and fifty yards up the middle of the fairway and my second shot was now sitting in the middle of the green some ten feet from the flag.  Dream on, if only that’s where we were.

It was the 23rd of May and we were beating into strongish headwind. I was lying on the port side saloon seats looking through the coach roof window at the spray flying over the coach roof, spray hood and into the cockpit behind as Fizz dug her bow into yet another

large wave.  This was not in the brochure, and worse conditions were to follow.  We have now spent the last five days of the run into the Azores in gale to severe gale force conditions but in spite of that also making excellent progress towards out destination.  (What a great boat Fizz is.) Fortunately the strong winds have been largely behind us and this has led to some spectacular sailing with daily distance run records being equalled or broken on three occasions. It has also led to some interesting techniques being required to move safely around the cabin.  The old maxim of one hand for yourself and one for the boat has been proven not to be adequate as I have seen all seventeen stone plus of Sully (Chef Pierre) being catapulted from one side of the yacht to the other, a truly frightening sight.  Fortunately I wasn’t anywhere near him as I was in the galley trying to stop a bowl of bread making flour from joining him, and only partially succeeding.

The trip has not just been memorable for the rough weather though.  Throughout these eleven days we have had some beautiful sunsets and sunrises and night watches with shooting stars and a full moon in a cloudless sky.  My personal favourite was on an early

morning watch on the 25th May, when, with the sun just rising over the horizon, a large school of dolphins came to play with Fizz.  They stayed around for a good five minutes before disappearing across the ocean.  Pure magic.

Morale in the boat remains high in spite of the conditions and we are all looking forward to being able to shower standing upright and sleep on a level bed when we get to Horta.  The only real downer of trip is that our port-drinking buddies from Setantii will not be with us, as they had to abandon their yacht some five hundred miles from the Azores.

Stu

Well that was fun. Looking back on the last 11 days makes me glad to be here but sad to leave. This trip has been by far the most challenging sailing I have done and makes it a great trip to end my year with Fizz on. We had a little bit of everything weather wise on this trip. The start was so promising, barely a cloud in the sky and steady breezes. The first 2 days we were pushing 200 miles a day and feeling good. With the cruising chute going up and down steadily thanks to our new foredeck crew consisting of Alec and Snuffer Sull (peter). If the rest of it was like this we would have had a very easy trip. The weather eventually changed to head on winds of over 25 knots. Luckily this did not last as we ended up sailing 60 miles off the course line in very uncomfortable seas. It was at this point we became aware of a series of lows that were headed our way carrying far more breeze than we had been expecting.  We were around about half way at this point having sailed 900 miles. Half way was as usual a day we cracked out the champagne and lighted up the cigars and talked about how we thought the rest of the trip would play out. Once the lows started hitting us we spent a lot more time down below trying to stay out of the weather. The wind rarely dropped below 25 knots with gusts of over 45 knots and waves of 4 to 5 metres making life onboard tricky. Watching the somewhat older members of the crew move about the boat was entertaining. A personal favourite was when I saw Alec fly from one side of the boat to other managing to hit dad on the way who was sitting at the chart table at the time. Watching us move around the boat can only be described as like watching people ice skate who have never done it before. But we all managed to get through it still smiling. I am very impressed that our new crew Peter and Alec were able to take the conditions like they did with no one complaining and them still wanting to sail on to Portugal. The crew including the skipper were some of the best crew I have sailed with and I would sail anywhere with any of them again. I hope the trip to Portugal goes smoother for them but I’m sure they can handle anything now. But for me it is back to the UK for yet more sailing and maybe a rest with plenty of golf but I hope to see everyone again soon.       

Peter

A foot less and a hand more…..

That’s what I would like to be an accomplished crew member of Fizz. The foot is 12” and that would be extremely useful as if I had a penny for every time I have bumped my head I would be very fortunate. The extra hand would be very useful to hold on in gale force conditions as to do anything with only one hand is challenging. Showering and shaving crouched over whilst pitching in a heavy sea has left a few bruises and shaving cut that warrants an entry in the accident book.

So we have arrived in Horta – Azores in a very pleasing 10 days 22 ½ hours, the second yacht to finish. To cover 1,906 nautical miles in this time is testimony to Fizz. She is truly a wonderful yacht. Even in high seas and severe gale force winds, she just kept going and going, some days over 200 nm run . Not a grumble or moan, in fact I got the impression that she was loving it.

So the experience, thus far. A colleague told me some months ago that crossing the Atlantic from west to east was “the hard way” and I now know what he meant. 3 days of broad reaching in 25kt winds on leaving Bermuda, 1 day of beating into a North Easterly, 1 day of no wind and then 6 days of South Westerly gales was for sure the full experience. It has not stopped raining since we arrived in Horta so all cleaning jobs and routine maintenance have been put on hold. We were told it might rain until Wednesday so the Marina bar “Peter’s Sports Bar” , (honestly that is it’s name,) is looking like it may become home for the next few days. Free high speed internet and draught Super Bock, what else does a transatlantic sailor need…..

More when we arrive in Lagos, Portugal on or around June 14^th

Ahoy there,

Snuffer Sull

 Chris

One of the benefits of being the skipper is that you always get the final word. This leg from Bermuda to the Azores has been without doubt the most challenging sailing I have ever done. We have had the full range of weather from sunny days with the cruising chute up at the beginning of the trip through becalmed conditions to full-on severe gale conditions over a 4 day period at the end . There were times in the middle of the series of storms when you start to wonder why you put yourself through this. However we came out of it having achieved our goal, and it was the severity of the weather that made it all the more fulfilling. We would not have had the same sense of achievement without the stormy weather. Fizz is a truly remarkable boat as I said after crossing the Atlantic west bound last December. The weather conditions over the last few days have been extreme and when you are out in the middle of the Atlantic facing conditions like these, with nowhere to run, it has been really good to know that Fizz was built for these conditions and handled them so well.    I can see now how you can get emotionally attached to a boat.

Looking ahead, Stu flies back to the UK on Thursday this week to complete his yachtmaster practical exam. Stu has been absolutely amazing throughout this trip, never once complaining, always up for the challenge and showing a degree of maturity well beyond his years. I have relied heavily on his fast-growing sailing knowledge, and I am sure the experience he now has of the last 12 months sailing across the Atlantic both ways will be a cornerstone of his future career. It’s been a lot of fun having him on board, and I will certainly miss having him with me on Fizz.

On Friday we sail to Terceira and then on to Sao Miguel, the largest and most populated island in the Azores, where Gary Sunderland joins us for the final leg to Lagos in Portugal. Gary is flying in from Greece where he has been skippering a catamaran on holiday with friends. Hopefully he has had plenty of sunshine in Greece, because there is certainly not much of it here.

More to follow

Chris

Fizz of Cowes

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