can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Makena - Nov 19 PW Reporting



November 19, 2014
Makena Lagoon 620

Position at noon
Marina Mindelo

After several glorious days enjoying the sights, sounds, tastes and hospitality of Mindelo, it was time to turn our attention back to Makena and Leg 2 of the Atlantic crossing. In addition to the local experience, it was great to be able to spend a little time with the crew of some of the other yachts that are sailing in the ARC+. The atmosphere was very supportive and relationships were born that will carry through with many sailors as they continue their cruising. Aboard Makena we hosted a nice happy hour and were very pleased to have had as many as fifty fellow sailors onboard at any one time.

The crew made ready the final provisioning, stowed the local fare throughout the boat. A new stowage addition to Makena was the fruit and vegetable hammocks that Philippe had custom made by local fishermen, to fit in the cockpit. Chafing gear was renewed, lines were set and off the dock we went. The start line was in line with the breakwater in the main port in Mindelo, making for a very exciting start with all of the boats hoisting their sails and maneuvering in a relatively tight space. We started conservatively and this turned out to lead to a wonderful photo op. Babsea had her spinnaker up, all others started under main and genoa. We worked our way through the fleet after we made the move to Tequila Sunrise. We decided to hold a long, deep starboard tack, bite the bullet and battle the wind shadow of Santo Antoa head on. We hoped to be able to break free into the better winds with the fewest miles sailed. The wind shadow extended for miles in the lee of the island and nearly all the boats ended up in the 0-5 knot winds. It was difficult for us to hold the Corinthian line and not motor as we saw nearly the entire fleet motor past us as we made about a knot of sailing speed and half a knot of drift. We took the opportunity to jump in the Atlantic for what we hoped was the last time before reaching St. Lucia. Boy was it fun to run the length of the deck and springboard off the bow pulpits into the water – I think we treated Malbork to some flips! We were able to swim around the boat for nearly 30 minutes before we got serious about trying to pull 2 knots of speed out of Makena.

Sarah had prepared a delicious Irish stew the night before departure. The crew eagerly dug into the large pot of stew, accompanied by unidentified local staples that might have been yucca and breadfruit. We will continue our discussion and do some research on that at another time. Before we could scoop out second helpings, we felt the wind increasing, before we could get geared up for some foredeck work, we had 15-20 knots of the much anticipated northeasterly blowing across the deck. Was this a response from Sarah's plea to the wind gods?

Noting that we rarely saw more than 18 knots, we furled the genoa and hoisted the gennaker. We took off like we were shot out of a cannon. 11 knots of boat speed was normal with higher speeds in the gusts. The night was moonless and very dark as we relied on radar, AIS and good watchkeeping to thread our way through the fleet. This was some of the most fun sailing I have ever had. When I got off watch at midnight, we had reeled in much of the fleet and I suspected that by daylight we would find ourselves in a great position. It took us nearly four hours to make the distance to the wind that nearly all of the fleet did in about an hour of motoring, I went to sleep feeling very good about our position.

[Submitted by SB for PW Nov 23. Photos on facebook!]

Previous | Next