2016 ARC USA Rally Part I: Tortola BVI to Bermuda

This is Part I of a two-part blog. Part II details our trip from Bermuda to Portsmouth.

We returned May 27, 2016 from our longest offshore journey to date. A total of approximately 1500 nautical miles, we traveled from Tortola to Bermuda, then Bermuda to Portsmouth, VA. Each leg took six days (seven calendar days, six 24-hour periods). This was not expected, because the second leg is nearly 200 nautical miles shorter than the first. But as all sailors know, Mother Nature, not nautical miles, determines the length of the journey.

Michael and I were fortunate to participate in this journey as crew members on a Southerly 42RST named Dawn Chorus, captained by Martin Whitfield of Bristol, England. Martin was participating in the 2016 ARC USA rally and needed crew. “ARC” stands for Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. ARC is part of the World Cruising Club, which organizes ocean sailing events around the world. The rallies are devised for the ‘average’ cruising boat and crew; helping people to realize their dream of making a long offshore passage. Jason Kyriakou, a trained chef from Toronto, was the third crew member. We were also very happy to have a four legged crew member on board: Buzz, Martin’s Welsh Collie.

Michael and I arrived at Nanny Cay Marina in Tortola at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3rd. Upon our arrival, we met Martin, Jason, Elizabeth (Jason’s soulmate) and Buzz. Our first impression of all four of them was splendid, which is quite impressive given that we were exceedingly tired after having traveled for 17 hours. We enjoyed lively conversation over adult beverages and received a nice hug from Buzz.

We spent three days in Nanny Cay participating in ARC sessions (a flare demo and lifeboat demo in which we were lively participants), a safety briefing by our captain, hoisting the Code 0 sail (which backfired so I got to take the Bosun’s chair to the top of the mast to retrieve the halyard), provisioning, and relaxing. We faithfully and willingly attended all ARC sponsored happy hours and dinners and met many other fabulous sailors.

The rally began at midday on Saturday, May 7th. (Note: Elizabeth left on May 6th to return to work.) Without going into day-by-day detail, suffice it to say that we experienced the following (and more, not documented) during our sail from Tortola to Bermuda:

• Broaching: At the beginning of the rally we were sailing with the mainsail and a Code 0. (For those of you not familiar, a Code 0 is a BIG sail.) We were sailing on a port tack in a narrow space between two islands. We needed to sail close to the island on our port side to stay clear of the sailboat to our starboard side. I was at the helm. A strong gust of wind pulled our boat to port and I lost helm control. I called out to Captain Martin and he took over the helm . . . to no avail. We were heading straight for the island. Michael released the main sheet as Martin turned on the engine and put it in full reverse. Jason furled in the Code 0 and dropped the mainsail, but the wind in the mainsail only allowed it to drop about one meter. Martin still couldn’t steer the boat away from the island. At this point we were probably about 50 to 70 feet from the island with our bow facing straight towards it. I asked Martin if I should go to the mast and pull the mainsail down manually. He thought that was a fine idea. Michael came up and helped me. After doing that, Martin was able to regain helm control and steer away from the island. Our error: too much sail for the conditions.
• Rough seas. Michael and I slept (or tried to sleep) in the V-berth. The seas were quite rough our third night underway. After having been bounced around on the bed for an hour or so, I left the berth for the cockpit. It was three hours until my shift started (at midnight), but it was clear I would not sleep in the V-berth so the cockpit was the better option. I slept like a baby in the cockpit until my shift began. (This raises a point of great interest to me. At home, the slightest noise wakes up Michael, but in the middle of the ocean he sleeps through squalls and severe pitching. My only explanation is that he must be far more exhausted at sea than he is at home!)
• Lights winds. When the winds were light the sailing was largely relaxing and/or we motored.
• Beautiful night skies: Getting a decent camera is now on my To Do list. I wish I could show you the art that the moon and the clouds created. Since I can’t, just trust me that it happened.

Bermuda
We arrived in Bermuda on Friday, May 13th. We’d met our goal, we were glad to see Bermuda, and we were all glad to learn that Elizabeth would be joining us again.

We cleaned the boat and ourselves before attending ARC’s pirate costume party/dinner. It was a delightful evening. We reconnected with people we’d met in Nanny Cay, imbibed a fair amount of wine and Dark and Stormy (a mix of rum and ginger beer) and enjoyed being clean (seriously, one rarely showers on a boat)! At an awards dinner a couple of days later Michael and I were happy to learn that we’d won first prize at the costume party.

While we were docked at the marine in Bermuda, a source of amusement (for some of us, anyway) involved “walking the plank.” The only way to get on and off the boat was to walk a plank placed between the bow of Dawn Chorus and the concrete dock. We humans were okay with it, but Buzz the Sailing Dog was quite leery. Although he was delighted to walk on land, he was not too keen about the process involved in getting to land. After firmly digging his nails into the plank and letting Martin know that crossing it was a definite “no go,” it was clear that walking the plank would require intervention on Martin’s part. Buzz eventually resigned himself to the fact that he would need to walk the plank, but he never did embrace the idea of hurdling the bow pulpit. The picture below demonstrates Martin’s commitment to assisting Buzz.

When asked, Martin had described Bermuda as “quaint.” This is an apt description. It is a largely flat island with an interesting history, colorful abodes and numerous lovely beaches. We were in Bermuda for a week and spent nearly every day walking (about seven miles per day) some stretch of the island. We talked with folks who’d lived there their entire lives – some who loved it and some of who were eager to leave. No matter who we met, we were always afforded a warm welcome and offers of help. We’ve traveled far and wide and we’ve experienced few places where we felt so welcome. Our hats off to the people of Bermuda! We highly recommend this island if you are looking for a relaxing place to visit for a week or two. A few pictures: