Polar Seal VS Northern Atlantic weather
If there is one thing that we've learned in the three years that we've lived at the pace of weather, it is that no passage is entirely up to us and nothing should be taken for granted.
We arrived in Bermuda two weeks ago, expecting to be in and out in four days. We were going to "quickly" replace our broken VHF, wait for a strong low-pressure system to pass over us and we'd be on our merry way again, with some nice winds in our stern, towards the Azores.
Have I mentioned already, that nothing is ever granted?
Northern Atlantic weather: 1 - Polar Seal: 0
While our friends Willem and Anett from Catamaran Supply did everything they could to get our new Raymarine VHF to Bermuda as fast as possible, we eventually received it on the very last day of our weather window.
By the time the VHF was installed (exactly two hours after we received it), it was too late for us to depart on that weather window and we knew we'd have to wait.
This was on Monday last week. After days of monitoring the weather forecasts and talking to our (now multiple) weather routers, we made a decision to wait until the weekend to depart again.
But as the weekend approached, the weather started to look weaker and weaker for a Bermuda-Azores transatlantic.
A Sunday departure would have given us three days of good winds to head North-East. But after three days, the winds seemed to die off, absorbed by a weak jet stream and a tropical storm/hurricane on the East coast of the US.
The result is a really wishy-washy mix of no winds, wonky low-pressure systems West of the Azores, and overall no real solid wind for us to sail consistently across the Atlantic.
Worse: the low-pressure systems West/North West of the Azores carry with their days of upwind sailing and days of motoring, which is a really hard way to spend over 2 weeks at sea.
With this type of forecast, our Bermuda to Horta passage could take up to 10 days longer than it would if we had consistent winds and would be quite stressful.
Our philosophy is: why would we spend 10 extra days at sea, bobbing around in the middle of the ocean or motoring, stressing to chase whatever wind we could get or battle upwind for days, when we could spend those extra 10 days somewhere nice?
So with some disappointment, we decided last night that we were not going to depart today, and postponed our departure to next week.
This brings the score to Polar Seal: 0 - Northern Atlantic weather: 1
At this point, we have been preparing to depart no less than three times.
Each time we believe that we will depart, we deep clean the boat, we run the engine and the watermaker to top-up batteries and water tanks, we do an engine check, we go to the grocery store and drop a couple of hundred dollars on (very) expensive groceries under the pretext that this will be the last time and that we need fresh produce for the passage, we go do one last load of laundry, we rush to get everything done so we can rest for a day before leaving…. only to make the decision not to depart for X, Y, or Z reason and we have to do it all over again.
When we decided to make a stop in Bermuda, this is not what we had in mind, but we knew that there could be a risk of this happening. In the almost two weeks that we have been here, we all have lost some precious time that we could have been working, editing, writing, etc… and it is a bit frustrating.
I would have loved to film and publish some videos, but I am focused on the coming departure date(s), and have barely any time to even post any updates anywhere on the internet.
The three of us have professional engagements in July, and while this lifestyle has made us laid back and flexible, it is impossible not to feel a tiny bit of pressure.
Northern Atlantic weather: 1 - Polar Seal: 1
But one important skill we've developed since we left on our sailing adventure is to make the most out of any situation, and Bermuda makes it very easy for us to do that.
What a wonderful place to be stuck at!
We were in absolute disbelief when we learned that Bermuda is one of the least visited countries in the World.
The architecture is absolutely unique, the beaches are stunning, the scenery is out of this world and the climate is perfect. Imagine the white sandy beaches and wildlife of the Caribbean, minus the heat, humidity and bugs.
We have taken every opportunity we've had to go out and explore the island, and this extra time in Bermuda gives us a chance to go to the places we've missed so far.
All in all, this is a win-win situation, and we are not actually mad at the weather in the Northern Atlantic.
Yesterday, as we were exploring the trails, beaches, and caves of the Walsingham Nature Reserve (moments before we made the decision to stay), Ryan told us "no matter when we decide to leave, we will have a fantastic passage to the Azores".
So until we can depart on our fantastic passage to the Azores, we will have a fantastic time here in Bermuda!
