S/V Montauk Light Trans-Atlantic 5/24 6/20, ,500 NM. Capt. Steve Runals

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1 S/V Montauk Light Trans-Atlantic 5/24 6/20, ,500 NM Capt. Steve Runals

2 Sky 51 (1982): LOA: 50 7 ; LWL: 44, Beam: 14, Draft: 7 Cutter rig w/main, Yankee, staysail and cruising spinnaker Perkins 85 hp Fuel: 130 gal in three separate tanks Water: 110 gal in two separate tanks w/ Spectra water maker Fisher Panda DC generator The Boat CAT II, 406 EPIRB ICOM 802 SSB w/pactor modem Iridium SatPhone with external antenna SPOT transmitter VHF 2 Chart plotters SIMRAD Auto helm 8-man life raft 2

3 The Crew Jerry Nigro (NY) Capt; Mike McGovern (DE); Benjy Bertossi (MI), Steve Runals (VA), Arshak Sarrafian (MD) All with significant offshore experience Used Webinars for trip coordination

4 Trip Coordination 4

5 June Pilot: NY - Azores Wind Rose Ice Currents Shipping Routes Variation Changes 5

6 Gulf Stream and Rhumb Line 6

7 Trans - Atlantic : 5/24 6/20 S/V Montauk Light Rhumbline vs. Route Traveled Departed NY 5/24 GS CE Arrived Horta 6/10 Departed 6/14 WE Rhumb Line Arrived Lagos. Portugal 6/20 Arrived BDA 5/28 Departed 5/29

8 NY to Bermuda (BDA) Approx. 680 nm; 4 days; daily avg 180 nm, spd 7.5 knots. Best day 215 nm Underway 5/24, winds generally from NNW and W 3-18 knots Thru Plum Gut and around tip of Long island by midnight time current Winds generally from W-SW 5-26 with waves 1-4 ft generally from W Each evening conduct a review of the day s events over a beer or glass of wine with some hors d oeuvres and discuss plan for night watches Boat rigged for downwind sailing, sail wing-n-wing 8

9 Topping lift Sheet After guy Fore guy 9

10 Long Island to Bermuda (BDA) Early morning 27 th Arsho falls down companionway steps and hits his back against stove safety bar. Has severe pain on left side above kidneys. Decision made to alter course to BDA to seek medical attention. Notify Bob Cook, our wx router, and BDA Harbor Radio on decision by sailmail and request assistance. Arsho s wife meets him at customs dock and takes him to medical clinic - has a cracked rib. The cruise ship terminal now a reception station for cruisers. 10

11 BDA to Faial (Horta) Approx nm: 12 days, avg. daily distance 151 nm, speed 6.3 knots. Best day 170 nm, least 134 nm Underway 5/28. Sailing wing-n-wing; squalls, dolphins and lumpy seas. Generator fails to start, bled fuel system starts. A series of passing low pressure systems between BDA and Azores prevent the development the normal Azores High. These low s combined with GS eddies shifting West drive us further to SE. 11

12 BDA to Faial (Horta) Wx updates from airmail over SSB keep us moving and generally avoid the worst wind and sea conditions from a series of passing Lows. 29 thru 31 st W-SW winds knots. 6/2 able to alter to a more direct course to Horta, winds S, SSE knots. 6/3 determine the refrig is not cooling and temp on freezer is higher than expected. Auto pilot not holding course, replaced with spare control module. 12

13 BDA to Faial (Horta) Winds generally W/SW/SE 5-22 knots, highest 27 with occasional gusts to 32 knots, seas 1-4 ft. Barometer Generally overcast skies during evening and morning, clearing at night and during the day; occasional squalls. Sail wing-n-wing on several occasions, some rolling but boat moves well with this configuration. Boat wet at times good foul wx important. Several times AIS acting up incorrect direction and speed resets itself after mins. Great night skies filled with stars till moon comes up. Some great sailing. Adjusted time based on moving East, during this leg by 4 hrs.; Horta on DST. Dolphins, seabirds and some beautiful sun rises / sets but no green flash. 13

14 Horta One of 9 islands spread out over 370 nm that make up this Portuguese archipelago. Early afternoon of 6/10 we see a bank of clouds ahead in direction of Faial. To the right, a larger cloud bank and above it a dark outline which grows as we approach; the tip of the 7,700 ft. conical volcano mountain on Pico. 14

15 Horta Both islands remain covered in clouds until very close. Rugged coastlines; ashore lush, quilt-patterned fields. 15

16 Horta After clearing in, we move to a spot along the sea wall beside a French catamaran and German monohull. Boats either in slips or tied together along the sea walls - as many as 3-4 deep. Incredible ship logos on walls around the harbor Time in Horta is filled with numerous boat repair projects supported by trips to Mid Atlantic Yacht Services (MAYS) store for parts and support from their refrig technician, some reprovisioning, and catching up on sleep. 16

17 Horta, Azores

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19 Horta The marina has shower, laundry and a snack bar with internet to support the large numbers of boats coming and going each day. Overcast, rainy and very windy during most of our stay but times of sun highlight the incredible range of colors from boats and surrounding buildings. Many excellent places to eat to include one with food cooked over lava rocks. In addition to arriving during the Portugal Day holiday, we have the chance to see the cars and some of the racing of an island road rally 19

20 Horta to Lagos, Portugal Approx. 947 nm: 6 days, avg. daily distance 150 nm, speed 6.3; best day 174, least 135 nm Depart Horta 6/14 under an overcast sky and windy conditions triple reefed main and ½ Yankee sailing NE to round Pico Island just ahead of approaching cold front. Sailing between Pico and Sao Jorge in gusty winds katabatic knots, initial boat speed 10+ knots. After working thru the gusty conditions for the majority of the day; decision made to motor sail east to clear the tip of Pico. 20

21 Horta to Lagos, Portugal Wind down on 6/16. Started engine, ran first fuel tank down. Fly spinnaker for short time in lumpy seas. Winds thru 6/16 SE/E <5 25, sea flat to 4 ft. 6/17 to 6/18th NW/SW 8-18 knots, seas 1-4; 19 th thru 20 th winds S-SSE Sailing wing-n-wing helps stabilize boat in lumpy seas. Work thru several starting problems with generator to include blowing last set of fuse links. 21

22 Horta to Lagos Portugal Sometimes glassy, flat seas, able to see reflection of moon and stars; other times great sailing - night of 6/19-20 sailing in winds speeds of knots. Sighted Cape Vicente and European coast at 1715 hrs. on 20 th Romans thought it was the end of the world. Final 19 nm run to Lagos in fading light reveals a rugged, dry coast with several small harbors. Sighted the entrance light to Lagos harbor at 2215 hrs. 22

23 Lagos Portugal Start and end point of numerous ARC rallies. An old Roman town and a one-time capital of Portugal. Great port and well-known tourist destination. Very easy entry process, all done by marina staff who ed our arrival info to customs office. Once cleared in and refueled, docked and secured by early afternoon on 21 st. Beautiful area with lots of restaurants and bars within marina compound; easy access to town. Majority of boats and people are British or Irish with several French boats tied up around us. Several boats still here from the ACR rally from Caribbean. 23

24 Lagos Portugal World Cup soccer the major event seen on almost every available TV in the marina and town. The last night, walk down to the beach after a great dinner at a small local restaurant and have a chance to watch some beach seine fishing. 24

25 Observations 25

26 Weather/Navigation WX : Leg to BDA was generally warm during the day but wet (squalls or wave action) and cool/wet at night. Leg from BDA to Horta was about the same but not as wet or as warm during the day. Generally very pleasant once sun up. Leg from Horta to Lagos generally dryer but much cooler during the day and especially at night. Once away from NY, water temp varied between degrees, generally in mid to high 60 s. Coolest water temps first two days after leaving BDA. Layers and good foul wx gear important. Passageweather.com used prior to departure to get weather and Gulf Stream info. Lots of folks using it in Horta. Utilized the excellent Imray RCC Pilotage Foundation Cruising Guides for the Atlantic Islands and Portugal and Spanish Coasts as well several Imray charts for the North Atlantic and Azores. Many NGA print on demand (POD) charts are no longer available for public sale and not being updated so will be out of date; recommend Imray charts for Atlantic Islands. Imray catalog: 26

27 Weather/Navigation Utilized Bob Cook from Ocean-Pro Weather and Routing as wx router. Did a good job of utilizing favorable currents and keeping us out of severe wx. Combination of several passing low pressure systems, associate cold frontal passages and GS counter currents resulted in a course that was significantly further SE than expected based on the Gulf Stream track. Info generally passed by sailmail utilizing SSB or SatPhone. Additionally, received BOUYWEATHER.COM forecasts by sailmail. GRIB forecasts downloaded from sailmail generally at night to minimize download times. The combination of this data plus our observations and barometer readings generally confirmed each other and were 85% accurate in forecasting wind conditions. GRIB files provided wind direction and speed but not wave conditions. Data from BOUYWEATHER.COM as well as input from Bob Cook included wave direction and height. Daily provided the boat s position, course, speed and current wx related information, received routing and wx updates every other day. 27

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29 05/12 29

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31 39.25N 66.28W 38.12N 60.31W 39.02N 52.20W 37.24N 48.40W 31

32 Initial Route Plan 32

33 As of: 20 May 33

34 Communications ICOM 802 SSB w/ Pactor modem provided HF radio contact and airmail (Sailmail and HAM) throughout trip. (Dockside Radio) Airmail requires a $250 annual fee but worth the money because of its reliability data compression. Daily radio contact with the Cruisehimer s Net during the first leg of the trip to BDA and first few days after BDA. Daily able to send and receive short s and receive GRIB files. Messages composed and then saved to send when able to get a good connection with a shore station: hrs. good times to send and receive large messages like GRIB files. Radio propagation impacted the ability to conduct radio calls but generally did not impact airmail, occasionally the use of the SatPhone was needed to make timely connections. Use of the airmail system requires picking the best shore station and time to send/receive the software helps select. The auto pilot had to be turned off when the SSB was used. 34

35 Communications The Iridium SatPhone with an external antenna worked very well. Worked thru several maintenance issues by talking with company technicians over the phone; very reliable communications. $ spent on airtime. AIS provides an excellent capably to monitor passing ships, providing closing info and ship s names for effective contact when required. Contact with passing ships on VHF channel 16. The SPOT transmitter proved an effective way for friends and family to monitor our progress. Excellent instructional videos for ICOM 802 operation at 35

36 Communications 36

37 Large refrig and freezer. Meals A meal plan developed with crew input, associated provisioning and meal prep were excellent. Pre departure efforts made meal prep much easier. The daily evening cocktail hour provided an opportunity to savor the sailing conditions and the day s events and prepare for night watches. Resourceful use of on-board provisions for several of the meals produced new food entrées to include the use of. SPAM. We did fish. Finally caught one after a long and despite struggle ; once landed only to have a decision made that it was too small and thrown back. 37

38 Other Observations Boat prep: An all-consuming activity for owner and Capt. The need to balance boat prep, responsibilities at home, setting up things for an extended absence is very challenging. The ability of the crew to arrive early to help the skipper proved very helpful. Downwind Sailing: Several reaching legs in strong and light winds. Being able to sail wing-n-wing with pole secured allowed us to sail in lighter winds and help stabilize the boat in higher winds saves fuel. Extended Maintenance: Cruising requires the spare parts and the ability to fix inoperable equipment. Immediately prior to departure and during the trip a wide range of equipment repaired or replaced. 38

39 Other Observations Watch system: 4 hr. watches. The initial watch system with a 5 man crew had a two-man watch with rotating crew for period and hrs; remainder of time a one-man rotating watch. Once Arsha hurt, went to a system with 2- man watch , & hrs. Jerry and Steve alternated the and watch and Mike and Benjy alternating the and as a one-man watches. Worked well. 39

40 Other Observations Water maker: The water maker generally worked well after we resolved a problem caused by air bubbles entering the seawater intake. Recommend having a hand held TDS meter as a backup when trying to determine if water maker is working correctly, this would prevent contamination of potable water supply if water maker needs to be run in manual mode. AIS : ID of passing boats and closure data very helpful. Remember - not all boats have transmitting AIS or have AIS at all still requires an alert watch. 40

41 Shore Based Support: Other Observations Shore based support provided updated wx and routing info. This input combined with downloaded GRIB files, barometric pressure readings and local observations to validate forecast. Other support included: medical on-call support and POC s to monitor progress and kept friends and family updated on our progress. Having the ability to contact or be contacted by support able to access a wide range of information/contacts available ashore was very helpful and provided an effective way to keep folks aware of our progress and issues as they developed at home or on the boat. 41

42 Other Observations Auto Helm: While the SIMRAD autopilot did an excellent job steering, hand steering was required when using the SSB radio and proved helpful when sailing off the wind in lumpy/rolly wave conditions; minimized the work of the autopilot, reducing wheel movement and boat roll making for a smoother ride. Entry/departure: Clearance into BDA remains straight forward at the customs dock. In Horta the clearance in/out done during marina check-in; customs and immigration - are all handled within the marina office. At Lagos the marina staff handled all check-in, notified the customs /immigration we had arrived by . In BDA, fuel dock separate from custom dock. In Horta the fuel dock is located at the marina office, recommended to refuel during check in. In Lagos the fuel dock is next to the reception pontoon. 42

43 Other Observations Fish nets and Portuguese Current: The Imray cruising guide warned of the potential for numerous floating fish nets along the Portuguese coast as well as south setting current. We selected waypoints to account for both but did not see any affect from the current and saw only two buoyed fish nets. Boat Insurance: Multiple companies reviewed, Pantaenius Yacht Insurance gave the best quote and seemed most knowledgeable ( ). Boats at Horta: Few US boats, mostly British, GE and French. Few with in-mast furling mains, mostly cutter rigs, many with wind van steering systems; small outboards (2-2.5 hp). Boats in Lagos: Cutter rigs, many more with in mast furling mains, small outboards (2-2.5 hp). Lots of British and French boats. 43

44 Some Take-Aways Sail a solid, well maintained boat: Standing and running rigging inspected yearly Oil/filter changes annually or more often based on use No deck or hatch leaks; securable lockers Steering system regularly inspected spares for auto helm Engine area clean fuel filter and spares Fuel tanks clean Know Your Boat: Sail in wide variety of conditions (DELMARVA a good intro to offshore sailing) Know how and when to sail w/o the auto pilot Know when and how to reef: two min or less SAIL YOUR BOAT develop areas of expertise 44

45 Some Take-Aways Have an easy to use rig for downwind sailing: - Preventer system for main - Pole for headsail w/topping lift, aft & fore guys - Asymmetrical spinnaker w/snuffer - Practice in high winds and light airs Learn about weather, onboard forecasting and how to access external info: know what the information means Be confident in coastal and offshore navigation: More than turning on the chart plotter Learn how to relax and enjoy the ride, keep a log to record the event Have good walking shoes, a backpack and camera for exploring ashore 45

46 Why Go? Expand your sailing experience and confidence in your ability to handle a wide variety of conditions Enjoy God s creation: The places The People Beautiful sun raises/sets and incredible night skies See dolphins, whales and other sea life up close To answer the question what s on the other side of the mountain 46

47 Resources Mid Atlantic Yacht Services (MAYS) in Horta WX/Gulf Stream (GS): NOAA Wx Fax Atlantic:: NOAA Ocean Prediction Center: Bermuda Wx Service: Bob Cook: Ocean-Pro Weather and Routing BOUYWEATHER: Wx & GS: Gulf Stream: GS and sea temps: GS: GS: NOAA Pilot charts: e_62&pubcode=

48 Navigation: Resources Imray RCC Pilotage Foundation Cruising Guides for the Atlantic Islands and Portugal and Spanish Coasts. Imray charts for the North Atlantic and Azores. Imray catalog: NOAA on-line chart viewer: Active Captain: Pilot House Nautical Books & Charts: Time: & check at Communications: Dockside Radio: Instructional videos on ICOM 802 operation: Cruiseheimers Tech Net: Pantaenius Yacht Insurance: 48