Outremer katamaran krysser Nord-Atlanteren med Greta Thunberg

[Douro]

Det er veldig spennende å følge katamaranen La Vagabonde som krysser Nord-Atlanteren "feil vei" på denne tiden av året. De godt kjente Youtube'rne Riley Whitelum og Elayna Carausu har tatt på seg å hjelpe Greta Thunberg til klimakonferansen i Madrid. Med om bord er den profesjonelle seileren Nikki Henderson, faren til Greta Thunberg og den snart ett år gamle babyen til de to australske båteierne.
Å krysse Nord-Atlanteren fra vest til øst i november, mellom vinterstormer i nord og tropiske lavtrykk i sør, krever særdeles godt sjømannskap og god oversikt over de skiftende værsystemene. 
Både værsystemene og posisjon, kurs og fart til La Vagabonde kan følges her: 
http://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SailingLaVagabonde?mapMode=useAtlas&windSymbol=WindStreamlines&weatherSource=ECMWF

[Sun Flyer]

Oppdatering fra Nikke Henderson for 7 timer siden:

 

"

Day 18

The stars have just disappeared - after providing a glistening sparkly blanket for us all night. Ever since the front passed over us 24 hours ago, the sky has been clear; the exact same weather pattern that produces those winter mornings after a thunderstorm the night before - where there is frost on the ground being slowly melted by the low-lying sun. You know it’s going to be a stunning day, but hats and gloves necessary. Svante, Greta and I took the morning to soak in some vitamin D and consider the excitement to come with the arrival and the COP.

OK some technical jargon:

We have spent the day heading ENE - keeping a true wind angle of about 140-150. Essentially we are trying to make best VMG (fastest speed) east to position ourselves well for when the wind tracks right around to the north east. This has already begun. We started the day yesterday with a wind direction of 270 and it is now (0500 UT-1) 295. We expect by tomorrow morning it will have gone to the right of north, and we should be pointing straight at Lisbon by lunchtime.

It’s an interesting phenomenon that sailing 100 extra miles will get us there faster. It can often feel a bit ridiculous to draw these big s curves on the chart. But we will be thanking it for sure tomorrow when we are taking it aft of our beam, rather than smashing into the wind closehauled - as we would have done If we kept to the rhumb line. This boat in particular is just so much faster with a little downwind in the mix.

Ooo and I’m proud to say that at dusk today we smashed La Vagabonde's speed record and hit 23.8 knots!! I’d love to say it was due to expert helming and precision concentration ... but honestly, I was doing a bit of star gazing with Svante - coffee in hand - the credit goes to Agatha (our autopilot which we named a few weeks ago). She is pretty good in this flatter sea-state - and the way that she hums - she is obviously loving it ?

I was saddened to hear about the terror attack in London yesterday - and the anger that is so prevalent. I hope that following us and reading these blogs gives you a little cheer to your morning. There is definitely a feeling on-board that we are about to achieve something pretty special; making the impossible possible really. For maybe the first time today I allowed myself to register that we are likely to actually get Greta to the COP!! Wow. 3 weeks ago we hadn’t even met. I’ve seen first hand from my talks I’ve given that a story like this can be a source of inspiration - a pocket of sunshine - for the day. I hope it is for all of you this Saturday! (Is it Saturday?? Losing track of the days!!)"

[Guest Avmønstret#]

Link til FB siden med Nikki sine oppdateringer underveis. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/nikki.henderson.sailing/

[pacuare]

Har hatt det litt for travelt i det siste, ikke følgt med på værmeldingene under overseilingen. Nikki skriver godt på Facebook. Det lille jeg har sett på været har ikke gitt gode vibber. Er ikke meningen å seile den veien i november. Uansett gir det ett godt bilde av hvordan livet ombord er. Er dum nok til at jeg gjerne skulle vært med. 

 

Værrouting er vanskelig. Koster å gå 100 mil omvei for å få en gevinst om kanskje en uke. Eller å bremse som de gjorde. Viktigste for de fleste på havet er å unngå mye vind, Hadde jeg hatt tid kunne dette vært en god læring, men tviler på om jeg kjenner så mange som faktisk vil seile denne veien i november. 

[Arne Henriksen]

 23.8 - ganske grei fart, for autopilot i halvmørke...

[pacuare]

Autopiloten styrer ofte bedre en man klarer selv, spesielt på slutten av en 3 timers vakt. Ny fartsrekord i dag, men da håndstyrte de. Jeg er rett og slett imponert over hvor bra en autopilot styrer. Fartsrekorden på vår båt er med autopilot (17.8 knop), ingen var på dekk når det skjedde. Snittfarten den timen var nok over 12 knop, det med en enskrog turbåt som er vesentlig tregere en en outreemer 45.

 

500 nm igjen, så eventyret er snart over.

[Arne Henriksen]

Nikki Henderson

Day 19

Well that was a pretty full on day. Now - with nightfall - the sea state has thankfully subsided slightly. The 5 metre waves today came as a stark reminder of who is in charge out here - the ocean did what it does and we managed the situation as best we could.

By managing ... I mean - it was such good fun! We surpassed yesterday and hit a top speed of 24.1 knots - surf after surf after surf hurtled La Vagabond eastwards. Riley and I helmed the entire day and the smiles / very wide eyes said it all. As we accelerate off the tops of the waves the boat starts to hum - faster faster faster - it’s the best feeling in the world - the helm is light, the boat is flat, you are just carving through the water - I likened it to slicing a knife through soft butter (!) and then whoosh - we sink into a trough - the adrenalin kicks in as you concentrate to make sure the boat remains under control through the slow down - and then before you know it the next one swoops us up again.

We sailed 250 nautical miles averaging 10 knots - not too bad at all!

Meanwhile - life went on as usual. Elayna made the most delicious vegan pancakes. Everyone was shocked at my choice of lemon and sugar for a topping - apparently that’s not universal?! Another new skill honed: surfing at 20 knots (see above) whilst looking down at Lenny every 5 seconds with a different funny face playing peekaboo. It’s amazing seeing how much his cognitive levels have developed in just 3 weeks. Greta and Svante soaked up their usual morning rays, and then held a solid effort in the tea and coffee making department. Yes ... we are truly in a rhythm.

Just a few more days - less than 500 miles on our count. We await Lisbon with anticipation ... and I suppose a tinge of sadness that the adventure - as every adventure does - is soon to come to an end. But enough of that for now. Tomorrow is the start of advent, so preparations for the celebrations Swedish style are about to begin!

[Sun Flyer]

To siste fra Nikki. Kommer nok fram i natt.

 

Day 20

After a day sailing east, we reaped the rewards at midnight and turned to starboard onto a course (145°) straight for Lisbon.

The previous 12 hours had been painful. As forecast, around lunchtime the wind shifted east of north so we started smashing upwind - gaining headway east. I think I actually gained air in my bunk a number of times during my afternoon nap! Lenny and Elayna relocated to the saloon as they couldn’t sleep down low - it was all a bit chaotic! We reefed down heavily at dusk, and thankfully so. It’s been blowing 30-40 knots all night, and it’s still going!

But at midnight it all became worth it for we gained about 15 degrees wider wind angle (this generally improves comfort, safety and speed) and the boat smoothed out. We can now say “only a day left”!

That’s both sad and exciting. But the sense of achievement will start to seep in - there is nothing quite like arriving somewhere and looking behind you and going “woah 3000 miles that way is America and we worked for every mile!”

Life yesterday - well it’s the 1st December so Svante and Greta kept in the Christmas theme with cinnamon oatmeal (porridge). We listened to a lot of Florence and the Machine whilst Elayna and I reminisced fun times at festivals. We have almost finished all our fresh food - so excellent provisioning Elayna. Actually some credit due - we all said we have honestly not wanted for anything - it’s been amazing (apart from when the tea ran out...!)

It can be hard as you approach a destination after so long at sea. Things are probably a little tense onboard. Just the anticipation of getting there really. The knowledge that we nearly can have a little space and privacy makes the boat feel a little smaller. The reality of ‘real life’ stuff like emails and bills and so on looms on the horizon. Land life starts to integrate with sea life. For Riley and I it means we have to be extra vigilant not to make mistakes or get too caught up in getting there. Just keep doing what we have done - safely, calmly - not let emotions drive any decisions - and we will arrive when we arrive. But yes - we are excited - very!!

 

Reflections from the North Atlantic:

For what feels like the first time in the entire journey, we are pointing directly towards Lisbon. We have 100 NM left to run before we can officially announce ‘mission complete’. The mission being - to safely sail Greta to Europe in time for her to attend the COP25 climate conference in Madrid.

Riley and I have spoken many times this trip about the ‘mission’. About feeling like we are now part of something significant. Like this crossing had real purpose beyond the normal “go from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’” which of course, whilst so simple, is one of the true beauties of travelling by sea: purpose.

Reading back through my messages from - unbelievably - only 23 days ago, we were discussing whether I would be the best person to help him and Elayna with the trip. I wrote to him and advised he make whatever decision was best for their safety - for there was “something bigger at stake than any of us”. I ... we ... felt a pull to work together for this bigger ‘thing’. There were good reasons to choose someone else - for example, the fact that I had to fly was not ideal considering what the trip represented, even though I did buy carbon offsets. What ultimately brought us together was the pull of the adventure, yes, but also a deeper common interest - a shared purpose ...

We have had many conversations on-board about the climate emergency - about how bleak the situation is. There have been some heated discussions too - is it too late? Should we still hope? Can we feel positive? Is it constructive to be afraid? To name a few.

Every discussion for me has been informative, and interesting. I’ve learned in much greater depth about the issues at hand - and had some ideas about how to contribute to fixing them. This was one reason I agreed to be part of this and support the crew - so in my view a successful 3 weeks!

One of my favourite conversations was with Svante and Greta yesterday. We were considering how the sailing trip that we have just done - a voyage that Greta decided was necessary for her to take - is so symbolic. On departing the USA we sacrificed any control or strict agenda. We surrendered to the ocean and to Mother Nature. We relied on science - the weather forecast - to guide us. We supported science with our own instinct for survival. We gained a unique perspective of how small we are in this big world. We compromised many of at least a Westerner’s life luxuries - plenty of food, running water, fast internet access - to name a few. Despite this, we are arriving feeling richer and more fulfilled than we left.

Reflecting on what this trip was about - the bigger ‘mission’- this conversation feels extremely relevant.

Whilst it could be misinterpreted this way, this trip was not about telling people what to do, or how to live. It was not about Greta or any of us travelling in the most sustainable way possible. If it was, there were probably slightly better options - although none perfect. There may have been skippers who could have joined the boat in two days without flying. There may have been boats without a diesel engine as a back up for power. There may have been vessels that could monitor their carbon footprint more closely.

This trip was about the bigger mission. It was for us to enable Greta - one of our influencers - our role models - to travel in the way that she felt was most in line with the youth climate movement message: To highlight the need for big structural change to fight the climate emergency. To make the point that there isn’t a sustainable way to travel yet, and there needs to be.

‘Big structural changes’ - no one knows exactly what that will entail. But I think it’s so beautiful that just by choosing to sail across the Atlantic, we demonstrated that it is possible to adopt ‘big structural changes’ into our lives - even if just for three weeks. These changes surely correspond with some of the changes necessary to solve the climate crisis: trusting science, setting aside differences and working together, sacrificing some of life‘s indulgences, surrendering control, compromising, staying optimistic - finding a shared sense of purpose.

By sailing across the Atlantic we have shown what it is possible to achieve if you work with nature, and not against her.

In making it to Lisbon by the power of the wind, we have in a small way, contributed to the youth climate movement. We had ‘walked the walk’ and ‘talked the talk’ so to speak. Perhaps that was our shared purpose after all … ?

It has been a privilege to have helped Riley and Elayna sail Greta and her father safely to Europe, and ultimately to her family and her home. Being part of this project is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It’s been an opportunity to deepen my understanding of the climate emergency; to make five new friends; and best of all, to enjoy and share the purity, the perspective, and the peace that sailing across an ocean provides.

[Arne Henriksen]

Straks i mål.

Når man ser døgnoversikten skjønner man hvor rask den båten er.  Etter den 20. november er det kun 2 dager hvor de har vært under 200nm/døgn, med en topp på 253...

https://www.oceanshepherd.co.uk/blog/transatlantic-frequent-sailor-greta-thunberg-speeding-at-27mph-towards-lisbon/

[Barbaria]

Live på 

 

Redigert 3.Desember.2019 av Barbaria (see edit history)

[casie]

Artig seiltur for klimaet...Men nå er sikkert mannskapet slitent og vil fly tilbake igjen

[pacuare]

Arne Henriksen skrev for 14 timer siden:

Når man ser døgnoversikten skjønner man hvor rask den båten er.  Etter den 20. november er det kun 2 dager hvor de har vært under 200nm/døgn, med en topp på 253...

Må nesten forvente så mye. En Outremer skal være en av de raske tur katamaranene, en rask enskrog turbåt til samme prisen klarer mer i samme forhold. Med tilsvarende størrelse enskrog er det enkelt å nå 200 nm, men har aldri klart 240. 10 knop i snitt krever gode forhold ett helt døgn, 9 er ganske greit. 

 

Skulle gjerne prøveseilt båten, har fått en sundowner i en outremer på samme størrelse, men den var gammel. 2 familier på tur, masse barn, de var vel borte 6 måneder. Franske selvfølgelig. De regnet 300 som en vanlig dag. Husker ikke om de sa det før eller etter noen drinker. 

[Sun Flyer]

Tror nok ikke La Vagabonde var i nærheten av å seile opp båtens fartspotensiale på denne turen. Sikkerhetsmarginene var nok i høysetet. Det er også min innvending mot å bruke raske katamaraner som langturbåter. For på de strekkene der de kan gå fort velger man å seile like sakte som de mer komfortable katamaranene.

 

Et annet eksempel er jo den norske Neel 51'en som deltok i arc+ nå nettopp. Jeg var ombord og pratet med eieren på båtmessen i oslo. Han skrøt skikkelig av båtens fart. Men på arc seilte de jevnt med en eldre bavaria 49. Da kan man jo likegodt dra i en lagoon som gir mye mer comfort for pengene.

[TideRace]

Sun Flyer skrev 22 minutter siden:

Et annet eksempel er jo den norske Neel 51'en som deltok i arc+ nå nettopp. Jeg var ombord og pratet med eieren på båtmessen i oslo. Han skrøt skikkelig av båtens fart. Men på arc seilte de jevnt med en eldre bavaria 49. Da kan man jo likegodt dra i en lagoon som gir mye mer comfort for pengene.

 

Hva er årsaken til at de ikke ønsker å utnytte fartspotensialet og båtens egenskaper i slike sammenhenger?

Da kan man jo likegodt dra i en .. ehh ... Bavaria 40 ....  som gir mye mer .... for pengene.

Redigert 4.Desember.2019 av Phoebe (see edit history)

[Sun Flyer]

En bavaria 40 har jo ikke i nærheten av det comfortnivået. Men aktive seilere i en godt utstyrt bav 40cr hadde ikke vært langt bak fartsmessig. Hvis man derimot hadde seilt en Neel 51 opp mot potensialet, ville det vært i en annen liga. Hvorfor man velger å la se blåse over i stedet for å seile aktivt; det kan ha mange grunner. Sikkerhet er en av dem. Kompetanse en annen.

Redigert 4.Desember.2019 av Sun Flyer (see edit history)

[Arne Henriksen]

De har nå toppet over 24 knop underveis - skulle gjerne sett den Bavaria'n (eller andre standardbåter i cruisingmodus) som hadde holdt dem over dammen her, med reelt 2 personer som sto for seilingen..

[Framtia]

Outremer 45 er sikkert grei nok, om man ikke har råd til en Nigel Irens 78:-)