Our pals John & Sabine (Chevaldy) had new standing rigging fitted and set off again to cross the Atlantic on Wednesday 17th December. We had the task of sending them weather forecasts every 3 days. They could send us their position via text from their satellite phone and we could text or better still, message for free via the Immarsat website. As well as their position, there were characters left to tell us how they were getting on. Our weather reports were rarely good news, sometimes 20-40kn winds (all over the place) and 4m seas. Sometimes they asked 'when will this sea state and wind abate ?' 'We have a problem with our rudder!'. Only once did our forecasts give steady weather for 3 days running. We used Weathertrack on our iPad. They finally arrived after 26 days, safely at Martinique, we were so relieved!
To say that everything went wrong for them is either accurate or an understatement.
You can read about the full adventure on their 'No holds barred' blog. chevaldy.de.tl/Chevaldy-English.htm
This has made us even more unsure about crossing the pond - until the other day. We were chatting to a French couple, Yves & Bettie, they informed us that a very good time to cross (smaller boats) is March/April as the seas are calmer. Also when Chevaldy arrived, they too were chatting to sailors in Martinique who informed them that it was better to cross March/April time. We had never heard this before, didn't even think it was possible. A revelation. There is hope for us yet! This year or next year?
Miles with John
Miles with John
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