Jerry Sandys
Jerry's Atlantic Adventure
Fundraising for Frimley Health Charity
Story
Final update and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Leg 3, 2100 miles on board Diana, 8th to 20th November 2010
Hi everyone, just a quick final update from Sailor Jerry, now I am back in the real world (or was the ocean the real world, I wonder!) of the final leg from Mindelo, in Cape Verde to Port St Charles, Barbados.
We left Mindelo at 1300 GMT on Tuesday the 8th November after an exciting race around some buoys in the harbour. Diana was second across the start line behind Isis, the race was finally on and with 2100 miles ahead of us we settled into our watch system straight away. The wind then dropped and we only covered a few miles before sunset. Little did we know that variable winds were going to be the theme of this Atlantic crossing? It took us 12 days to reach Port St Charles, Barbados. The sailing was excellent and so was the company. When you first board a 65ft racing yacht you marvel at its size, the rigging, the number of ropes and winches. Stokey warned us that after a week on board with 12 other blokes it will feel about 35 ft long with nowhere to go to get any space, he was right, but it was all good fun. The sky was blue and the sun fierce, some days we had no shade at all and one of the chaps found an umbrella to sit under! The temperature down below was always well over 30 deg C and the late afternoon humidity made everything damp. Some of the chaps slept on deck to get some cooler air as sleeping down below was virtually impossible, we did make sure they were strapped on! Things were made worse by the engine and generator starting up every 4 to 6 hours to either make water or charge the batteries; it was like having a hot radiator down below making you even hotter. The sea state was a gentle rolling swell most of the time, ranging from 4 to 5 metres. We sometimes covered over 50 miles in 6 hours and at other times only managed 170 miles in a day. We did have a couple of 200 mile plus days though, and a couple of very exciting nights. The fastest ever crossing by a Farr 65 is 9 days 10 hours. Diana was the last boat to arrive so now holds the slowest record of just over 12 days. Dave, my fellow sailor from the beginning, kept spirits high by baking cakes everyday towards the end. Somehow the simple things in life became the most pleasurable. We ran out of fresh fruit and vegetables after about 5 or 6 days. The water maker packed up so we were on water rations for a few days. The par baked bread turned itself into penicillin. Our fridge was good so the meat lasted about the same time but fishing became important and we caught Mahi Mahi, Dorado and baby Tuna called Skipjacks. All sorts of dishes were prepared including 2nd mate Jack’s, famous Goujons, his very special and excellent fish pie (first one he had ever made!), and a poached Dorado in onions garlic and lemon juice number. By the way, the dodgy looking picture with the blow up Parrot was our half way party, good fun was had by all. The wild life was scarce, as you would expect in the middle of nowhere, but it was amazing to see a pair of Storm Petrels thousands of miles from any land. The dolphins were incredible, the more we shouted and played with them the more they swam upside down under the bow. Anyway, I could go on and on but needless to say, as you can probably tell, I had a fantastic time. If you would like to look at the pictures taken during the 6 week trip please click on the link at the bottom of this page, be patient it takes time to load.
Lastly, once again, I would like to say a huge thank you for your support. Together we raised over £3100 so far and I know the Frimley Heart 2 Heart appeal is extremely grateful.
I wish you a restful Christmas and a healthy 2011.
Jerry Sandys, December 2010
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Update from Leg 2, 6th November, Mindelo, Cape Verde
Well, what a fantastic sail we had down to Cape Verde. Diana was last across the start line in Madeira and first across the finishing line at Mondelo. It took us 5 days and 4 hours to cover 1160 miles. On day 2 we sailed due west for 10 hours to pick up better trade winds and that did the trick. I have learnt how to surf these 38 tonne F1 racing yachts down the Atlantic waves, I only managed 15.2 knots but a great cheer was heard below when Kristy achieved 18+ knots during the night. The sea sickness has taken some getting used to and also the amount of water you must drink. 3rd mate Sam suggested I drink 2 litres every watch so that is 6 litres every 27 hours, I feel much better as a result. We have decamped into a hotel here in Mindelo and although it is very poor I have grown to like the place. It is very hot, 32 deg plus and humid but a good steady breeze keeps us cool. We have two minders to look after us if we want to go anywhere but generally I feel safe. Diana is restocked and we are all excited to be leaving for "the big one" 2100 miles on Monday morning. If the trades hold we will be there in between 11 and 14 days from the 8th. The only problem is that there are still storms in the west Atlantic so we are expecting a bumpy ride. Finally, just to say thank you so much to everyone who has donated, we are at £2800 with the gift aid element which is simply outstanding. Kindest regards to all... Sailor Jerry
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A quick update at the end of leg 1. We arrived in beautiful Funchal, Madeira on Thursday morning about 11am after 73 hours at sea. We are all in one piece and feeling great but tired. It was a good sail, with the engine being used quite a bit when the wind dropped. I saw turtles, storm peterals, dolphins and we caught and cooked tuna and dorado. I have added some new photo's, three Sam took when he went up the mast (85ft) with magnetic monkey. That is me helming.... brilliant pictures I think ! We had a wet welcome with heavy rain from about 7am, my watch was 6am to 9am but when you near port it all hands so everyone is busy. There was some more excitment when the locals started running and screaming away from the harbour, there was a mud slide coming down the hill and it sounded like a roar. The mud was gushing into the harbour and things were getting a bit scary. Anyway, all is good now, we were received by the VP of Madeira at the Town Hall on Friday and have a reception at Club Naval this evening at 7:30pm. The boats are nearly re-provisioned for leg 2. We are leaving for Mindelo on Tuesday morning, 1050 NM 204 deg south from here. Once again thank you all for your support, £2300 so far, it has been fantastic. Please keep the messages coming and also the comments to the blogs although we don't see those till we are ashore. Cheers and beers Jerry on Diana 24/10/10
We left Porto yesterday, 13/10/10 at about 9am and sailed through the night to arrive Cascais this morning, watch system is 3 hrs on and 6 off so mine was midnight to 3 am. Fantastic view of the milky way and occassional dolphin to keep us company. Just had our first shower and shave and feel great!
I have decided to put up the target again to encourage as many new donations as possible. Once again keep the messages coming, they are read out on deck by the skipper much to everyones enjoyment. You can read the blog at the link below. THANK YOU ALL so much for the donations.
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Next Wednesday, 13th October 2010, I start my Atlantic Adventure. I am sailing from Portugal to Barbados, 4050 nautical miles via Maderia and Cape Verde, hopefully arriving around the 22nd November. You can follow my progress on http://www.ondeck.co.uk/transatlantic/ondeck-atlantic-adventure.htm I am crewing on Spirit of Diana, a 65ft Farr.
This is my private challenge which I have paid for myself, but I wanted to ask you to help me raise some money for the Heart 2 Heart Appeal at Frimley Park Hospital, their Cardiology team do fantastic work.
You can sponsor me per leg, per nautical mile or just for getting there !
Every penny you can spare goes straight to fund the new Catheter unit. It does amazing work, please give anything you can, I really appreciate it.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you, cheers and beers, Jerry
it takes time to load so be patient there are a thousand photo’s in the gallery!