2015 Another bad year in the Azores..?

[Interzone]

The story of Reves D'o is absolutely heartbreaking, and it's hitting quite close to home for us: their trip is essentially identical to what our young family aspires to do in just a few years (perhaps even on the same model boat). I hope soon we are able to learn exactly what happened to them out there, as it's hard for me to get my mind around the fact that a Lagoon 400 could capsize ... the conditions must have been horrific. My heart goes out to them during this terrible time.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Interzone

their trip is essentially identical to what our young family aspires to do in just a few years (perhaps even on the same model boat).

NO!! It should NOT be!

There are two methods to ensure your trip is much, much safer

1) Sail at the correct time.
This passage is one to leave the Caribbean or the USA mid-late May to early June. No other time. A week early is not good enough. A month early is not good enough.
Last year 6 people, at least, were killed doing this route too early.
Pick up Jimmy Cornells "World Cruising Routes" and READ the section on this passage and go when he says.

2) Do not stop in the Azores! People stop there because cruisers have always stopped there. But if the Azores did not exist cruisers would take a more southerly route that excludes them from the gale prone areas.
Look at going south of the Azores. You will get lighter winds as you get closer to the high, and you will get less winds astern. But modern boats can sail much better than the old timers so you dont need wind behind, and you can still sail well in lighter winds.
Throw a few extra gerry cans of diesel aboard if you get too bored, but I love my sailing even in calms.

Let science be your guide, not old timers cruiser myths. You will find you have a nicer passage in nicer waters.


Mark

[hasse_A]

I have got some good news about Missy. They are now within 19 nm from La Palma and they have enough diesel to enter the harbor Puerto de Tatzacorte. Keeping my fingers crossed and hope all will go well these last miles.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by hasse_A

I have got some good news about Missy. They are now within 19 nm from La Palma and they have enough diesel to enter the harbor Puerto de Tatzacorte. Keeping my fingers crossed and hope all will go well these last miles.

I looked them up a bit later and found them at 4.5 miles from W coast of La Palma.

I got a bit tossed in the morning when I saw them going 241 at 0.6 knts then I realized the update was from very early morning so probably they were in their nap&recover mode for some time last night.

I think we could see their updates via the AIS Internet gate in el Hierro.

I hope morning come we will see Missy all safe in La Palma.

Cheers,
b.

[hasse_A]

Missy entered the port of Puerto de Tatzacorte early this morning (03:00) and the crew are probably sleeping at the moment.
/Hans

[barnakiel]

I think it takes some desperation and some balls to enter a harbour at 03:00! Canary Islands are way south and so we get light only at about 07:00 or thereabouts.

I hope they will update their blog when they get proper rest and stress out some. Will be fantastic to read a first hand account from that terrible weather.

Bravo and well done.

Cheers,
b.

[CarstenWL]

I think it takes some desperation and some balls to enter a harbour at 03:00!

... although the harbor website seems to suggest you can enter at night. HAve not been there myself yet ...

http://www.puertotazacorte.com/docs/...ntoEntrada.pdf

Carsten

[Delancey]

For what it's worth, I link below to a website that has webcams in a variety of locations in the Azores which I thought it might be of interest. Some of the webcams are wide-angle and have a slider bar along the bottom.

SpotAzores.com - Azores Islands Webcams - HORTA

[Delancey]

Plus another one that shows the marina in Horta, but with lower quality images.

Webcam Horta (Azores) Live! Webcam Horta (Azores), Portugal (Marina) - Including Weather and Hotels Horta (Azores)

[Interzone]

MarkJ -- you are hitting on a key part of what I'm trying to understand. I certainly don't want to sound like I'm Monday morning quarterbacking, but is it really as simple as making sure you don't head out a few weeks early/late as you are planning major crossings and then choosing the safest possible route? Perhaps adding in a weather routing service to provide a sanity check as things evolve? Certainly those steps can reduce the risk, but I'm sure the crews that have been rescued looked at data and advice that convinced them they were making a reasonable choice.

That's what's so scary to me: that a competent skipper, sailing a safe and solid Lagoon 400 S2 with his family and taking what he undoubtedly considered to be acceptable risks for an enjoyable and safe adventure with his family, could end up in such an unthinkable catastrophe.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think it takes some desperation and some balls to enter a harbour at 03:00! Canary Islands are way south and so we get light only at about 07:00 or thereabouts.

b.

Do you honestly think this? Entering even entirely unfamiliar harbours at night, unless known to be badly mischarted, is a perfectly normal, indeed routine activity. Or should be. Something I have done many hundreds of times, scores before GPS or chart plotters, with no issues. When I teach sailing it is a routine aspect of any skipper level course, and an absolute requirement for YM. Basic skill. Perhaps I misunderstand?

[neilpride]

The Marina at Las Palmas in the night is tricky as hell, the entrance is to narrow and obscured sometimes by Tankers and heavy shiping anchored in the entrance of the comercial port, then you got billions of lights , i mean you can see clear the entrance when you are there , done that a couple of times and is not funny, but i agree with you, every skipper need to have the skills for night arrivals no matter what...

[CarstenWL]

The Marina at Las Palmas in the night is tricky as hell

... Missy entered the port of Puerto de Tatzacorte?!

Carsten

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by neilpride

The Marina at Las Palmas in the night is tricky as hell, the entrance is to narrow and obscured sometimes by Tankers and heavy shiping anchored in the entrance of the comercial port, then you got billions of lights , i mean you can see clear the entrance when you are there , done that a couple of times and is not funny, but i agree with you, every skipper need to have the skills for night arrivals no matter what...

Well, not as tricky as Wick! Once did that under sail alone after 17 hours solo across the Pentland Firth down from Orkney. Engine died, sailed against a foul tide for 4 hours just watching the one light among many in the narrow, blind, dogleg entrance which steals your wind. Had to hook a wall ladder at the end as I ran out of puff… but you have to do that kind of thing sometimes. Heck, I once unexpectedly had to come in to the tidally locked anchorage of the poll an tighmall at Rodel in the South tip of Harris with nothing but ded reck, plotter, pencils and paper, and no lights at all on a moonless night. Was a F10 steaming up to the Minch, with tide about to turn against and I had no choice. Only have 1hr either side of HW to get in and made it like threading a needle. That I rate as probably my greatest ever navigational feat, but had I NOT done it, I may well have died the best part of 20 years ago. And a big commercial port like Palmas? I know Las Palmas well. It ain't that bad. Not perfect, not easy sure, but fine enough. I mostly teach off Scotland, when I do, and I suppose it is very much in my mind that in places like that you often just don't have the luxury to hang around until it's all nice and light!

Remember the days when we didn't have GPS? I spent many an hour lying off some flat town like Bruges trying to figure out which were the reds and which the greens and which the freaking traffic lights!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Do you honestly think this? Entering even entirely unfamiliar harbours at night, unless known to be badly mischarted, is a perfectly normal, indeed routine activity. Or should be. Something I have done many hundreds of times, scores before GPS or chart plotters, with no issues. When I teach sailing it is a routine aspect of any skipper level course, and an absolute requirement for YM. Basic skill. Perhaps I misunderstand?

Yes, you do misunderstand. Never go into an unfamiliar landfall in dark.
Wait out side.

I always do.

Often my landfalls are at night. I slow down or hove to untill daylight. If its your own port you know intimately then go in. But never, ever, ever have I been into a new landfall port at night.




Mark