I didn’t update the blog on the way down to Cape Verde as it turned out to be a windy and lumpy first leg; wind gusting 35 knots and big, confused seas weren’t exactly conducive to getting out the laptop! We are here in Mindelo now, crew and boat intact, all still talking to each other and rested after a good night’s sleep.

We left the dock at 1130 last Sunday after a last minute trip up the mast again for Adrian to sort out a twisted halliard. The fleet processed out of the marina to the crowds of waving supporters and friend.

The start gun went at 1245 and the boats moved off the line and headed in search of more breeze; at first heading offshore and then back into the coast at the south of the island where a wind acceleration zone is caused by the wind being squeezed by the high mountains on Gran Canaria. 48 hours later we’d have plenty of wind!

There are 27 catamarans taking part in the rally this time, 30% of the fleet. It’s a measure of how attitudes to catamarans have changed in 5 years. Last time in 2018 our Nautitech Open 46 was one of the fastest cats in the fleet. This time there are about 10 “performance” catamarans, from either Outremer or Marsaudon which should be faster than our new boat. It was great to see our old catamaran now called Pinnacle on the water and the new owner Richard put his drone up to send us this great photo of Offbeat old and new just before the start.

As we got going we put in 4 gybes in fairly quick succession to stay in the strongest wind which helped us all get to know the boat a bit more and demonstrated that we had a strong crew that knew what they were doing (thank goodness!). Our first meal at sea was followed by settling into the watch system for the night.

We have one person on watch at a time for 3 hours each starting at 6pm. The last watch is planned for four hours from 0600 to 1000 but normally other crew have got up by 0800 so they are usually released early. The boat is normally set up to run on autopilot so the responsibilities of the person on watch are broadly:

  • Don’t run into anyone – keep watch visually, using the AIS markers on the chartplotter (transponders showing where most boats are) and the radar. If a boat is considered dangerous (i.e. expected to get within 1/2 mile of us), the watch person gets the skipper up to determine the best course of action under the COLREGS rules (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea).
  • Check the wind and seas are ok for the sails we are using and monitor the weather against the forecasts. David sets ranges of wind strength and direction and should be called if we move out of those or encounter unexpected conditions. We then decide if we need to get everyone up to decrease or increase sail areas or perhaps just make a course change.
  • Check the boat systems are running ok. This is mostly checking the battery levels, we run the generator most evenings to top up the batteries and water for the night.

The watch system is posted on the wall of the saloon, so we know what’s expected of us. As the experience levels weren’t all the same David modified them from day to day as the conditions changed.

And boy were the conditions about to change….. Monday was continued with moderate tradewinds using the Code 65 gennaker downwind sail but the forecasts showed that the high pressure over the Azores and a low pressure over the African coast were going to generate big winds and a large swell / waves from NW and NE at the same time.

By Tuesday afternoon the winds were starting to build and as the front hit us we had steady force 6 gusting 7. We dropped the Code 65 sail, put first one reef in the main and then, when the winds increased further with gusts of 35kts overnight, we got the whole crew up to put in a second reef.

This video was taken on Wednesday morning but they never give the same impression of the waves when when you are on the boat. We sailed most of the rest of the trip dead downwind with the mainsail reefed and rolled genoa. There is a WhatsApp group for the skippers this year and most of the comments were likening the conditions to being stuck in a washing machine for 48 hours!

Running through the night at high speed and with a reluctance to change course created a few problems throughout the fleet as boats crossed close to each other. The best practice is to call the boat that’s going to be close to you so that you are clear about the other boats intentions. We can see most boats using the AIS transponders on our chart plotters. Bizarrely one of the few boats we came close to was Ægle sailed by our friends Rachel and Rob. I called Rachel on the VHF as we approached, we were the “stand-on” vessel with right of way, Rachel was the “give way” vessel. We ended up passing about 1 mile ahead.

The winds and sea state started to ease slightly as we approached Cape Verde. In hindsight we probably sailed too far to the east on the first 2 days and lost ground on the boats that sailed straight down the rhumb line (the direct route). On the last night we hoisted the Code 65 sail again to try to catch up the few monohulls that were potentially in striking distance. We passed our friends Hector and crew on Mangata (a very smart new Amel 50) and finally caught Be Love (a slightly old Amel 55 ketch) but couldn’t catch Xmeralda (an X-46 cruiser/racer) but that’s ok because it’s a ra..ra..rally!

As we approached the finish line we all showered and changed into our crew tops for the obligatory photo shot. We crossed at 0950 local time, dropped out sails and motored into the Mindelo marina where we were welcomed by the Yellow Shirts (the organising team).

First leg complete, we’re all in good shape, just a couple of minor repairs needed on the boat but nothing compared to some other boats (more on that in the next blog). In the evening we welcomed Rachel, Rob, Mills and Simon on their arrival and then retired to the Floating Bar to share war stories! This week we’ll explore São Vicente island again, take a trip to the neighbouring island of Santa Antão, fix a few boat bits and party from time to time!