Antigua to Portsmouth Day 6: ‘Absolutely Perfect’ Sailing

Tuesday 15^th January 2019

The Sailing Blog

What a day to be on the water! The 4am till 7am watch this morning was sublime, not a cloud in the sky, full view of the myriad stars and planets that cover the firmaments and a count of at least 20 prominent shooting stars. Then the sun came up and it was the sort of day sailor’s dream of 15 knot winds just behind the beam, flat seas and cloudless skies, it was the day they show videos of when trying to sell you expensive things at the boat show, it really was absolutely perfect.

How To Win Friends And Influence People

William and I have had the immense pleasure of covering mother watch today with the culinary talent that is Tom, not only did we provide pancakes for breakfast, quesadillas for lunch and pasta and meatballs for dinner, Tom also found time to rustle up an afternoon tea of homemade cinnamon buns! That’s how to win friends and influence people whilst sailing.

Challenger 4’s Galley

A Personal Note

Dear Penny darling, I regret to say that I will not be able to return our wedding photo to its rightful place on the mantelpiece upon my return, regrettably due to some very poor motor skills on the part of one of my crewmates it now resides at the bottom of the Atlantic at least 1,000 miles from anywhere, You can expect a full letter of explanation and apology from Clive shortly. Xx

Hope everyone at home, friends and family of all this great crew are in good spirits, thank you for letting us do this.

Mike

Penny, the location of your wedding photo is underneath the blue boat – in case you were wondering

Mark’s Meanderings…

From Challenger 4, Mid Atlantic. We’re over 1,000 miles from land in any direction and heading directly for the Azores about 1200 miles away. There’s a 15 knot following wind and we’re making 8 knots of boat speed in an easy sea. The weather is glorious.

This place is amazing! In all directions there is nothing but deep, deep blue sea and cornflower skies. Today there is a little cloudbank sitting on the horizon. All of us crew I think feel the enormity of the isolation and are in awe of it. Despite the remoteness, this is a friendly, contemplative place and I for one love it (though we are very aware, it can have a brutal side too…). The skipper and mate look on us with slight amusement and clear understanding; they’ve seen this reaction before, but for us first-timers it’s a bit overwhelming and difficult to put into words. We all comment on it regularly and are bowled over by the severe, clean beauty of this remote spot.

The Watch System

Incredibly it’s only 11 days since we came together as a crew. This environment breeds friendship and trust and it works quickly. We are a happy contented bunch and each of the 3 watches has its own character and identity. Our little home revolves around the watch system: 3 hours on and 6 hours off, around the clock until we reach our destination. It is a simple life away from all the trappings of the 21^st Century and we are re-discovering simple pleasures too – a good meal, a hot drink on a night watch or freshly baked bread (cinnamon buns today – fantastic!).

My personal favourite time is the 16.00 to 19.00 watch. Usually most of the crew will be eating or resting below and there’s normally only 4 of us on deck. The sun sets on this watch and is followed by around 30 mins of glorious colours and then the unveiling of the stars before we go off watch; it’s truly magical.

Finally for now, I think to be here is something of a selfish pleasure. Most of us have loved ones at home, are acutely aware of the distance that separates us, and think of them often. There is even a chance that we may become better people from this experience J.

Much love from Challenger 4…..

Mark

You can read more blogs from this voyage or other Atlantic Sailing Adventures here

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More blogs about this Atlantic Adventure can be read here: Portsmouth to Gran Canaria

Posted by: First Class Sailing