Oyster News 62
5/6/07
11:19 AM
Page 29
OWNER REPORT
challenge of the trip - Biscay! We duly headed off wondering what was in store for us. Well Biscay was like a pond. No wind, no waves - just a huge expanse of sea gently lifting/falling with our bow making the only ripples! What an anti climax! It was a surreal experience as we motored across with the odd dolphin to keep us company. I will never forget Biscay that’s for sure - but for different reasons than most stories you will read! Once across Biscay, Finistere was quick to let us know that Biscay is not the only challenge of this route! The wind quickly picked up to
30 knots along with the sea. Fortunately the wind was right behind us so Mike was quick to rig up a goose wing set-up with poled out genoa. We were FLYING! What an amazing white-knuckle ride it was to be. With either Mike or Ross on duty, the three of us ‘rookies’ took turns to take the helm and watch. There was only one thing to watch though - the speed! We were cruising at 12 knots generally with rushes of speed as we surfed down the ever-increasing waves. At 17.4 knots we (well me) were beginning to feel that we were over powered so reduced sail! We were still bombing along though at healthy double-digit speeds and really covering ground fast. These conditions continued but after rounding Lagos the wind turned on to our nose again and steadily increased with new storm warnings coming in for the area around Tarifa. Mike made his second correct call to head for refuge, this time in Cadiz. Arriving here we soon realized that this stop would not be a simple few hours until the wind blew through. Apparently, the Sirocco wind had been blowing a week already and was forecast to do so for another few days at least. On this news we decided to head for town and enjoyed another exciting night out in
Cadiz. The following day it was clear that the wind was here to stay for a few days. We decided to accelerate the crew change and hired a car and drove to Almeria where my wife Alison and children (Cara, Naomi and Nelson) were staying. Ross also departed, as planned at this point, so we were down to just Mike as crew from Oyster plus the five of us Healey’s. Waiting for the wind to die is so frustrating. Day after day it blew. On day four the forecast was for it to subside as the day went on and veer round to the North again. We made the call to head out, banking on
the wind subsiding by nightfall. This was a real mistake. We should have waited until it had subsided. An important lesson learned. We left Cadiz in 25-30 knots of wind and actually enjoyed a nice sail for a few hours. As we neared Tarifa the wind steadily increased remaining in the mid 30’s and staying on the nose making progress laborious and uncomfortable. We considered heading back to Cadiz but the forecast maintained that the winds would subside so we carried on into nightfall. The winds steadily increased peaking at 45-50 knots and remaining firmly on the nose with the sea picking up to match. It was exhausting, slow progress and not the first passage you would wish on anyone let alone your family on their first voyage on their new boat. I felt like a first class idiot being out there in these conditions. This was the longest night ever. The closer we got to the Straits the stronger the wind blew. I really feared what would meet us as we rounded the lighthouse into the Straits. Unbelievably, the wind started to subside - 30 knots, 25 knots, 20 knots, 10 knots. The storm was over. Wildcard was fine and my family were all asleep >
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Duck when you see a wave! Chris, Mike, Peter, Daniel and Ross ready to leave port Wildcard infront of the Healey’s home in Port Grimaud
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