There and Back Again - Atlantic Crossing

There are two inescapable facts of a cruiser’s life.  You are either waiting for weather or waiting for parts but waiting you are.

We spent 6 weeks in Gibraltar waiting for parts, with several false arrivals raising hopes but not delivering the goods.  Finally, the skill of Yanmar’s official service establishment in Gib showed through and Kevin machined up the piece Yanmar could not supply.  We were heartily sick of Tariq’s Rock by the time we put it at our backs.  I left with some damage to my left hand after nearly losing the finger pad of my middle finger, and breaking it as well, to a running dockline.  An ambulance run to St Bart’s and £214 later I was deemed seaworthy again.

Gibr-al-Tariq

Common Sense left Gibraltar in late December for the run to the Canaries, some 600+ miles.  Before leaving, I sought out a 3-day weather forecast from the local Gibraltar forecasting service. 

I expected, from the report, a following wind and that we would be out of the end of the straits before it turned against us.

No such luck.  We made good progress across to Morocco initially, as I wanted to be out of the current and hugging the coast, but then we got hammered unmercifully.  We were making 1 ½ knots even before the tide changed, and clearly, when this happened, we would be going backwards.  I turned to Ceuta for relief and we sailed in about 2 hours later.  We tied up in the slip we were in 5 years ago and settled in to wait out the weather front.  Johannes and Marie took the opportunity to go into Morocco and headed off to Chefchouen for a look.  I wandered about Ceuta amusing myself for 3 days before the weather was again in our favour and we headed out once more.  Despite being bumpy and bouncy, we made good progress and rounded the cape past Tangier before sundown.

We stayed well off shore, wary of the Moroccan fishing nets and traps, and made good time down to El Jededah, when we were again concerned about an approaching front.  We opted for a layover to see it out and motored with a great deal of apprehension along through the surf line that surrounds El Jededah.  We tied up in the dirtiest harbour I have ever seen in my life and checked in to Morocco.

El Jededah

We spent two days there, including Xmas Day, and left on the third.  We were definitely the only people who had Xmas lunch in the whole city as there were no other westerners whatsoever.  For $30 a day you don’t get a lot of facilities – no electric, no water, no showers, zilch.

Off again to Lanzarote, with reasonable weather for the first few days and then high winds from the east, on our port beam, for the last. Very unpleasant and very hard to manage. Approaching the tip of the south of Lanzarote, we motored until the corner and the engine cut out.  I doubted that we were out of fuel but evidence was no fuel.  We sailed to the entrance of Marina Rubicon and again tried the engine.  It fired up, but at the entrance cut out again.  I had already called the marina and told them we were in trouble and the marina’s dinghy came out and towed us in to the fuel dock.  We refilled our jerry cans and the main tank and only took ½ tank.  Definitely not out of fuel, so it must have been a blockage.  Off to a very nice slip in a very well appointed marina, with great bars and restaurants and good berthing.

Marina Rubicon at night

Next day, Johannes and I began looking for the blockage.  It took 5 hours to find and if it wasn’t for Johannes’ persistence, I may have given up earlier.  We eventually tracked it to the long main stem draw pipe in the fuel tank, were the blockage had risen to the elbow where it leaves the tank.  What was it?  It was a piece of welder’s flux.  I was beside myself with rage – we had had the fuel tank repaired for a leak in Almerimar, where they also cleaned the tank.  Some slack dickhead of a welder let some flux go inside the tank and it almost caused the loss of the boat.  Not impressed one bit.

Anyway, that over, we enjoyed Marina Rubicon for a few days and I caught up with Micky and Bridgeen Mallon and son Martin and his wife for a nice dinner and sleepover.  Johannes and Marie went off to the north of the island for surf for a day or two.

I went into Playa Blanca a few times, shopping and also to have my stitches removed from my damaged finger that I’d injured in Gibraltar.  Playa Blanca is not all that appealing, being very new and very much constructed as a holiday resort.  Comfortable but there is little to see.

Playa Blanca

We headed out to Las Palmas, 100 miles further away, and arrived to a logjam of boats headed out over the Atlantic.  As with all new arrivals, we had to spend days in the anchorage before a marina spot became available.  The anchorage is not all that pleasant but tolerable, and the marina is much more agreeable.  Theo arrived from Lanzarote to join us.

 Las Palmas itself is a very liveable island and it is easy to see why people flock there for holidays.  Great restaurants, particularly the restaurant El Palillo, run by  two guys in the old town, lots of history, good provisioning and a cheap marina.  I had to wait a week for the Garmin SD card with the charts of the n.e. Caribbean, Cuba and the entire USA.  I had ordered one on eBay and when it didn’t arrive, queried it with the supplier.  They said that PayPal had put a hold on the funds.  This was 3 weeks before, and PayPal had not bothered to let me know.  They seemed to be bothered with an Australian card ordering an item in the USA.  I’ve been using them for years doing this with no problem but all of a sudden it is?  With zero warning?  PayPal used to be a favourite of mine but no longer – they still will not acknowledge that they even blocked the funds so every time they send me a survey now (end of month) about recommending to a friend I put them way down.

Bearkat was in a slip opposite us but Kat and Jim were home in the UK.  Dave and Melinda Gunn on Sassoon were very close by in the same pontoon section, also preparing to cross over.  Laurent was on his replacement Caracal in the anchorage but was helping out a guy on the boat immediately in front of us so we saw him often.

We provisioned at the HyperDino and also at Carrefours, with free delivery to the boat.

Loaded up, we headed for the fuel dock and a top-up and headed for Cuba.

The trip was boring in the extreme.  Rocky, rolly, pitching and dropping.  The forward cabin was completely unusable so it became a store room and I slept in the cockpit wedged between the table and the seats.

Las Palmas markets

3 Vegetarians and me.  So, all mine.

Theo’s skill with sail balance proved to be the most valuable asset we had on board, and Johannes soaked up all Theo could show him.  Both of them being young, their greatest wish was to go fast and we were regularly in the 7s and 8s range.  I, on the other hand, was aware that our insurers had declined to cover the mast and rigging (at the last minute, with no chance of fixing the problem), and anxious to preserve the integrity of the bits that go upwards. 

Generally, we had reasonable Trades in the 19ᵒ area, but did find ourselves with next to no wind for 6 days, which was very hard to tolerate.

Finally, with decent winds again, we arrived in Tortola, BVI and motored into Road Harbour at around 10 p.m.  We took a mooring buoy belonging to Conch Charters, which is permissible provided you go in the next day and make a donation to the BVIs Sea Rescue boat of US$20.

Plug for Conch Charters: -  The people in the office were extremely helpful with information on where to go and what to do re propane, checking in, provisions, weather etc.  They run a fairly large operation and seem to have completely taken over the marina they are in and have boats coming and going constantly.  We weren’t clients of theirs so if they are this helpful to us, I’m sure their client base is even better looked after.  They’ve been in business for something like 30 years now.

We ran into the owner of the marina alongside, HR Penny’s, now run by the son of the founder who has recently retired from the BVI Government.  He is in the process of restoring the marina to full services and only charged us $30 a night.

Island life is expensive and shopping is not for the faint of heart.  US$10 for a single T-bone steak in the supermarket?  $7 for a box of cereal.  Everything comes in by boat so up goes the price.  For itself, the BVIs are pleasant enough but there isn’t a lot to draw me back.  Great place to charter and cruise perhaps but after provisioning and resting, we were off on the next 1,000 miles to Havana.

Two days out from the end, we were hit with 50 knotwinds which made life a little uncomfortable.  They didn’t let up for the whole time, and the day before we arrived, Marina Hemingway closed for entries.  Carol was already in Havana in an apartment and when she visited the marina she told the dockmaster that her husband was out there and she was worried.  The dockmaster said that he would be worried too.

Nevertheless, we arrived off the sea buoy at around 4 a.m. the next day and very carefully picked our way along the narrow channel between the reefs.  Johannes and Theo were set one on each side with torches keeping me straight – helps to have extra eyes as the marks change in the US system to red on the right going in.  Marina Hemingway has a diamond white light at the end of the channel and if you keep this straight-on, you are in the middle.  Staying exactly in the middle is the trick.  With the two young eagle-eyes on the lookout, it was far easier than I imagined it was going to be and we were soon in slack water and turning left to our first taste of Cuban officialdom.

The Immigration, Harbourmaster, Medical dude and customs drug checkers were most efficient and extremely polite (contrast with our departure where I was hit for a “present” but didn’t supply).  It was a great welcome to Cuba.  We eventually found our berth way out on Canal 4 – the marina was full as the Tampa Rally with about 80 boats was in town.

Marina Hemingway

Common Sense survived the voyage with only minor damage – a couple of tears in the spinnaker, a lost boathook, cups, buckets etc.  The fuel gauge stopped working and the batteries couldn’t keep up with the draw but mostly things of inconvenience rather than concern.

Of most concern to me was that some @#$# shark now has my favourite lure, a Rapala Redhead.  We caught a large tuna – 49lbs – with it, and then a week later, the same lure disappeared completely from the line, bitten clean off with not even a murmur from the drag.  I put on a soft plastic with a single hook and within a day, that was bitten in half by something that missed the hook.

All up, it was about 3,560 nautical miles, plus 600 from Gib to Lanzarote and another 100 from Lanzarote to Las Palmas, say 4,300 nautical miles. 

I’m glad it’s done with.

Approaching Tortola