Position of Wells Fargo - American Pioneer 39 46N 52 46W
It's been a rollicking couple of days for the crew on Wells Fargo - American Pioneer. After a slow start with snagged lobster pots and unsettled conditions, the wind finally kicked in and the boat has been reveling in the conditions. "The wind picked up from the northwest and started to blow," Joe reported in a satellite phone call this morning. "Then it started to blow a bit too hard. At one point during the night on Wednesday we saw gusts as high as 57 knots." The strong winds combined with a favorable Gulf Stream current to give the crew a days run of over 300 miles. If they are able to maintain that kind of average they could be in England in a little over a week.
Crossing the Gulf Stream allowed the temperature to moderate a little as the warm water in the Stream took the chill out of the air, but they are now on the south side of the favorable current and the water and air temperature have plummeted once more. "For a while there while we were in the Gulf Stream it was really nice," Joe said. "The wind was blowing hard and the seas were quite big. We all spent the afternoon on deck getting soaked and taking turns at the helm. There was some friendly competition to see who could get the highest speed." Joe did not mention who hit the top speed of 24.7 knots, but that number remains a record for the passage. If the favorable conditions persist it's likely to tumble before the lines are thrown ashore in Plymouth.
When Joe first talked to Brad Van Liew about buying his boat, they agreed that part of the purchase price would go toward having Brad train Joe on the passage to England. Brad is the most experience solo sailor in the US with two solo circumnavigations under his belt. Since leaving Boston, Joe and Brad have worked closely together studying weather and strategy. Yesterday they tackled one of the toughest sailing maneuvers on the boat. "It was finally time for me to gybe the boat alone in a lot of wind," Joe said. "Brad and I talked about it for a while and I made point-by-point list of what needed to be done. Then Brad went below and left me to it." A gybe is when you change the direction of the boat so that the wind passes from one side to the other. With the wind blowing from behind, to complete a gybe successfully the massive mainsail has to pass though the eye of the wind. While that sounds easy enough, it's not. There are two "running-backstays" that support the mast. Only one is in use at a time. The trick is to release one and take in the other just as the boom comes crashing across the boat. In light winds it's tricky: in a blow it's downright frightening. "I pulled it off okay," Joe said, "but it was really scary. The mainsail, even with three reefs, was very hard to wind in and when it went through the eye of the wind the motion was really violent. I managed to get the new running backstay on and the headsail around and Brad said that I did a good job." There will be plenty more of those maneuvers in the weeks ahead and many of them will be alone without Brad there as coach.
The Iridium satellite phone has been an extremely valuable piece of equipment on the boat, not only to transmit these updates, but also, as Joe found out, an important communication tool when there is a medical emergency. Brad has been suffering from what he thought might be Strep Throat. Unsure of the exact problem and confused about what medicine to take, they started to work the phone. "After a few calls we had the problem diagnosed along with the appropriate antibiotics to take," Joe said. "Fortunately Brad had brought along his medical kit from the Around Alone and he is now on the mend." The crew have covered 840 miles since leaving Boston maintaining an average speed of 9.3 knots. Just over 2,000 miles remain in the passage.
- Brian Hancock (great.circle@verizon.net)
