The real transatlantic
Off the coast of Cape Verde 15° 10.952' N 32° 42.139' W to Martinique 14° 27.575' N 60° 52.099' W
We are finally in the trade winds. We discover this mythical wind which crosses the Atlantic from East to West and which allows the sailboats to cross this expanse of water. We find ourselves in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus and we discover the weather conditions that so many people had told us about.
First of all the wind: it is constant and blows day and night between 15 and 20 knots. We still have a few days with gusts over 25 knots and we are forced to reduce the sail. Then we discover the Atlantic swell. The waves are well formed and come to our backs; sometimes we even have 10 ft high waves.
All along the crossing the temperatures will not have ceased to increase in spite of the few squalls having surprised us towards the end of the journey.
The boat is making good progress with weather like this, and we are getting closer to the estimated average: 110MN per day.
Nevertheless the navigation is also more complicated and challenging physiquement. Avec la houle, le bateau recommence à gîter : il bouge, vit et nous suivons son rythme. Il devient difficile de lire et d’écrire. Faire la cuisine reviens à faire un numéro d’équilibriste. Dans ces conditions là, chaque effort nous demande plus de concentration et nous nous retrouvons donc plus rapidement fatigués. Malgré cela, le moral reste au beau fixe et nous parions tous les jours sur la distance que l’on parcourera dans la journée.
Nous profitons aussi de la mi-transatlantique et de l’anniversaire de Lucas pour s’offrir “nos repas plaisir” : my father's duck confit and 3kg of cassoulet. The appearance of sargassum and Phaethon also reminds us that we are getting closer to Martinique.
We end this transatlantic journey with a mechanical problem A rudder stock allowing to helm the boat has broken. We are repairing it with a makeshift rope that will hold during the last 300 nautical miles that separate us from the land.
At the arrival after 28 days of navigation, we manage to fish our first transatlantic fish : a barracuda that Emilien will cook the same evening.
Nous arrivons le 7 décembre au coucher du soleil dans la baie du marin 14° 25.924′ N 60° 53.629′ W.
To conclude, Here are the feelings of each of us at the end of this transatlantic:
Léo CARPENTIER
Personally, I found the beginning of the transatlantic crossing very difficult. It took me several days to get used to this new way of life. You have to imagine that from one day to the next, we found ourselves alone, among ourselves, surrounded by water.
After this time of adaptation, I really enjoyed the first part of the trip. The calm, the rest, the reading, the discussions,...I really enjoyed it.
The messages exchanged with the family, my girlfriend and my friends via the satellite phone also helped me a lot to adapt to the life at sea.
On the second part, the fatigue and the sea conditions complicated life on board and it was less pleasant. I was also very impatient to arrive! Nevertheless, I am very happy with this trip as there was never any conflict. Life on board is not easy but we have always been there for each other and that is the most important thing for me.
What I liked best during the transatlantic race? Smell the land at the arrival after a month of sea spray
Lucas NICOLAS
Not being a sailor at all and having only sailed alongside Emilien and Léo on a crossing from Toulon to Sardinia on a small racing boat (a J80), the transatlantic race was a big leap in the dark for me.
This incredible experience helped me understand what "long time" meant. For me, the days look the same and add up. It is difficult to get into the rhythm, it takes me a week to adapt my body to this new way of life. Once I got into the rhythm, I didn't feel very tired.
I am enjoying helming Noddi, getting to know this old ship and all its intricacies, qualities and flaws.
I'm learning as the days go by and I'm really enjoying improving. The mechanisms are being created, I feel more and more at ease on the boat. The reaction leaves more room for anticipation, it's nice.
Sometimes boredom can take a certain place during the night watches and when everyone leaves to rest, I find myself alone surrounded by thousands of stars that light up the waves encircling the sailboat. The music and podcasts occupy my thoughts and do a lot of good.
I retain moments of conviviality, a group intelligence which leaves room for the respect of the spaces of each one, more difficult moments and many colors dressing the sky which come to splash the retina of their splendor.
The Pacific is a step I am looking forward to, crossing this ocean will be an accomplishment in my little life!
But first, let's go to Costa Rica!
Emilien Pierron
Jumping into the void held by a rubber band that you made yourself, that's what the transatlantic was for me, captain of Noddi.
The previous few weeks of sailing had allowed me to get to know the boat well, to fine-tune certain settings and to make certain improvements.
The ship's behavior during a storm in the Mediterranean also reinforced my confidence in this yacht built more than 50 years ago. Finally, in the absence of an autopilot and windvane gear, the crew made rapid progress in handling the ship and carrying out maneuvers.
Nevertheless, to travel 2700 NM at the speed of a runner without being able to count on anyone is intimidating. So it is with a mind full of responsibilities that I set off westward. During the first few days, I had a lot of questions: what course to follow to go as fast as possible without sacrificing too much comfort? What sail configuration to adopt?
On top of that, Leo's condition worries me a lot. I even imagine that he will ask me to go down to Cape Verde.
Finally he pulls himself together and my worries subside.
The conditions are rather calm and despite the distance to the coast which is growing, we are calm. After 15 days, when the trade winds pick up again, the hardest thing is to keep the rigor of the start: going around the deck every day to check the equipment, watching the weather, taking reefs... Anticipating rather than suffering.
It is thanks to this seriousness that we were able to detect and solve some problems before they became annoying: broken engine throttle lever (repaired with a door handle), water leak in the hold because of a broken collar, defective solar panels (a cable melted because of the too high intensity in the tropics), disconnected compass light...
When we arrived in Martinique, we were 5 miles from the coast, the helm broke while we zigzagged between the drifting nets, under sail, in force 7. We quickly installed the emergency helm, then quickly decided to lower the boat. The engine starts perfectly and everything works well, the crew remains concentrated until the end.I am convinced that if we had not maintained the equipment during the crossing, the outcome would have been different.
It is only once we are anchored in the sailor's bay, motionless under the stars and on a lagoon, that I realize that we have just crossed an ocean. The rubber band mentioned at the beginning held!
As Eric Tabarly said: "Sailing is an activity that does not suit impostors. In many professions, one can make an illusion and bluff with impunity. In sailing, you either know or you don't know."
stéphane
September 20, 2023Merci pour les photos et ce récit très intéressant.
Les infos sur les alizés et la hauteur de vagues sont très utiles.
stéphane
July 28, 2022Merci pour vos témoignages.
Bel article!
Bravo
Alain MATESI
January 23, 2022Hi guys! Emilien, Léo, Lucas
Projects belong to those who make them happen!
Ce voyage par delà les Océans est un véritable voyage intérieur, il va vous permettre de mieux vous connaître et de mieux affronter les difficultés de la Vie d’un Homme.
N’oubliez jamais que vous êtes là, l’un pour l’autre et que les petites chamailleries insignifiantes ne doivent pas gâcher l’histoire que vous êtes en train d’écrire et les souvenirs précieux que vous raconterez à ceux qui vous sont les plus proches.
You will make live by proxy, this experience to all those who remain at the quay...
Face à l’adversité vous faites preuve de courage, de détermination et de créativité, tous les ingrédients pour écrire une formidable histoire qui va vous suivre toute votre vie.
“Heureux qui comme Ulysse a fait un beau voyage”... Kalos Kagathos!
Alain MATESI Pdt de CoLLecT-IF environnement
Carpentier Claude/Nicole
January 22, 2022Bravo boys for these summaries of trips that make us dream. Continue to feed us with your testimonies and stay united in all the moments of life as a sailor. See you soon in Costa Rica.
Monique et Christian
January 21, 2022The humility and sincerity of your testimonies are very touching.
Each of your comments testifies to your solidarity and the complementarity of your differences.
All this augurs a rich and exciting sequel that we can't wait to discover.
See you soon in Costa Rica (in principle).
A M
January 21, 2022Each of your testimonies are incredible to discover, what you lived, what you felt, each of you manages to retranscribe this part of your adventure so that we, the readers, can glimpse the beauty of your journey.
Nous sentons que vous évoluez chacun à une vitesse différente mais que vous restez soudé face à l’adversité et les épreuves qui s’additionnent au fil du temps.
C’est toujours un immense plaisir de lire vos articles, vos découvertes, vos impressions.
Can't wait to read the rest, see you soon and good luck.
Laura Mlt
January 21, 2022Super article les garçons ! Merci de nous avons partagé votre ressenti à chacun lors de cette traversée. Cela prouve votre confiance et nous permet d’imaginer l’inimaginable … ce grand saut dans le vide! Nous sommes très très fières de vous.
Vibert
January 21, 2022Congratulations guys for this first part well apprehended and thank you for your feelings. Good luck for the next part.
Fanny
January 20, 2022In addition to being navigators, you are poets! Thank you for sharing your emotions with us! See you soon for the next part!
Nicolas
January 20, 2022Thank you for this beautiful story
Vivement la suite