The western central Atlantic (N 23° 25,0’/ W 43° 43,5) – By Ed Paulat
Words fail to describe my Transatlantic experience on Sea Dragon thus far… Well, this would make for an awfully short Blog entry so let me try and have a go at it regardless and share this exciting journey with you and the exhilaration I am getting from it!
Having recently given early retirement a second chance, I am coming out of a period in my life where any ‘me-time’ was exceptionally limited. One of my post-retirement goals was to finally fulfill my dream of participating in what must be one of the most iconic offshore sailing races in the world – The RORC Fastnet Race. The campaign of a total of two qualifying races ahead of Fastnet and the 51st edition in its 100th year for Fastnet itself with a grand finish in Cherbourg, France, going up on the podium with our team having come first in our class, was nothing short of breathtakingly exhilarating. Draw a mental picture of the ‘after party’ in your head and you won’t be disappointed. Note: In true French style, there was a lot of Champagne involved! 😉
On the race campaign trail, I came across Sandra from Panexplore and we talked about my next big challenge of completing my YachtMaster Ocean qualification – which requires to cross an ocean as my ‘qualifying passage’. As so often in my life the stars seemed to align, with Sandra sharing that she had one spot left on Sea Dragon on an upcoming Atlantic crossing as part of the 40th edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (the ARC) from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia in late November. Well guess what, the trip was booked and here I am, following an impulse to grasp the chance of getting this adventure started.
Being the impulsive me – I blame my star sign of Aries (wait for it!), being easily excited for new things – I had to cram a full week of a Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Course and exam in Cowes on the Isle of Wight into my already super busy schedule. As ever, my other (better) half, being supportive and understanding and encouraging me to chase my dream.
It always feels so special to go back to Cowes, the ‘Home of Yachting’. The course did not disappoint, on the contrary it felt like it opened up – literally speaking – a universe of stars, planets and celestial bodies that I was always fascinated by but never quite understood its way of working and indeed how the moon, sun and stars can guide your way on the big wide ocean. Learning how to use the sextant and astro navigate I felt had the potential to finally put me in a long line of many accomplished sailors who preceded me in understanding and maybe one day mastering this amazing skill.
Joining the beautifully refitted Sea Dragon in Las Palmas was great! I got a very comfortable bunk, the whole crew for the trip seemed to instantly bond. What else can you wish for? We then all had such an amazing couple of days in Las Palmas before the start of the Rally, the highlight being the first sea day out on Sea Dragon to get to know the boat, practice some drills including an MOB recovery which saw me having my first dip in the sea as dedicated swimmer to recover the casualty. But it was also about rubbing shoulders with so many cool people who signed up to the ARC. Another was getting a big fill of ‘boat porn’. I love looking at sailing yachts!
The Sunday start of ARC was right up my street, with so many people having come out to farewell the departing fleet following in the steps of Cristobal Colon’s triumphant journey to discover the new world. The harbor breakwater was lined with people, waving flags, cheering us on and wishing us a great crossing. I am forever grateful for the spine-tingling moment of leaving the marina making our way to the start line. The start of ARC could have been mistaken for that of a serious sailing race with a hundred yachts in our class jostling for best position ahead of the starting cannon shot! Pure exhilaration!
Being on board soon fell into a comforting and familiar routine. Every day, different jobs have to be done on Sea Dragon which keeps everyone involved and quickly familiarizes everyone with the boat and life at sea. The highs everyday were being surrounded by the vastness of the Atlantic ocean, the bird and sea life, the amazing sight of our visible part of the universe at night without the experience being spoiled by light pollution. The sunrises, the moon and sun sets, the midnight squalls, the changing sea state with exciting winds and swell that was big enough to get mighty Sea Dragon to surf down a wave accelerating to top speeds of close to 16 knots. How grateful I am for being on this mighty boat. Her length and weight makes her handle all sea states and gusts at ease. She was built for this. Helming at night feels like being cradled as a child in my mother’s arms.
Being on watch, doing your daily jobs, catching some incredible and delicious fish and getting some rest/sleep time means the days are simply flying by. So far I have done my celestial sights every day, completed a steering compass check and being happy I still remember all the important bits about correctly calibrating the sextant, taking my sights, completing the calculations and plotting it on a sheet. Aries? The universe as we see it, has been mapped starting with the star sign of Aries. I knew it was fate for me coming on this trip.
Sea Dragon’s skipper Dan allowed me to step up to watch lead – which is one of the qualifying YM Ocean exam criteria – and it feels good to use my sailing skills and experience to keep the boat and crew safe when it is my turn to do so.
Now here we are, 1100 Nautical Miles and less than a week away from the finish line in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia and I could not have wished for a nicer and more exciting experience! So far the journey has been everything I had hoped and wished for and more! Being at sea, helming under the incredible infinity of the universe in the middle of the night allows for plenty of time for you to take a deeper look into yourself, your heart and soul. It focuses the mind on what is really important in life: your health, your happiness, the people you love and care for. Your own motivations and understanding of yourself as a person with all your epic qualities and all of your own flaws.
Sailing across the Ocean on mighty Sea Dragon is a life changing experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life!
Ed Paulat
