As I write sitting here in a safe marina surrounded by the hussle and bussle of 'yachties' preparing their boats for the big crossing, I can hardly believe we are actually here. I'll try to put you in the picture of our adventures so far.

To say we have been to Hell and back is not an exaggeration.

On the 9th November 1993, after many wet days spent in Gibraltar preparing ShiRal, the forecast from the airbase was favourable if we left on the ninth. We would experience 18 hours of rough seas and high winds but they would fizzle out and the seas become smooth. This did not quite happen. The first night we were hit by a couple of strong squalls that caused problems with our genoa. After Ralph spent what seemed like eternity squatting on the bow sorting out the furling gear, we managed to free the genoa with the help of another fierce gust of wind. We were now back in control doing seven and a half knots. With rain pelting down, thunder and lightning all around and huge seas we had visitors. A couple of birds landed on deck and spent the rest of the night with us. They left at day break.

The 10th brought large seas but the wind had dropped to about sixteen knots. The sun was shining. In the evening the wind increased to twenty-five or thirty knots and the sea grew angrier. Ralph spoke to Bill and Mike on the radio. They are behind us now ! We are well west of them and further out to sea. Later, we heard on the radio that another weather front was pushing from the northwest at an estimated thirty five knots so we decided to head for Port Anous in Lanzarote. For the next three days and nights we were being chased by the wind and hounded by the sea until we arrived in Lanzarote. We did not see another boat in all that time. You will never know how relieved we were to arrive in this fishing port. After we'd had a cup of tea it suddenly hit us as to what we had been through. It was then that we both decided this was not the life for us- the boat must go! We had done the passage in four days, almost a record !

The evening of our arrival in Lanzarote we spent chatting with out friends Ross and Mike, who left Gib two hours before us and arrived just before us, discussing the previous days' experiences. They had done the crossing to Lanzarote twice before, the first time taking twelve days and the second time taking eight days but never four days.. until now. In the meantime, Barbara and Bill hadn't arrived and didn't do so for another thirty six hours. Their automatic steering had gone down and they had to steer manually in those dreadful conditions. When they did come in they looked like zombies. Strangely though, after they'd had a couple of hours sleep, they perked up and joined us for dinner aboard our boat with Ross and Mike where we all decided to carry on to where we are now.

We left Lanzarote at 16.00hrs on the 16th November for the trip to Las Palmas on Gran Canaria. We had a pleasant overnight sail until 05.00hrs when we experienced a large liner coming up astern of us. It would not answer our radio calls so we shone our halogen spotlights on our sails. It still seemed to be bearing down on us until Ralph aimed his spotlight at the bridge of the boat. The liner altered its course to port and passed less than a quarter of a mile away from us. We arrived at Las Palmas at 08.30hrs the next morning.

I've already mentioned that all our instruments had gone down and we didn't know this until we were well into the Straits of Gibraltar. We now know the reason why. When we installed the new reefing system for ShiRal, we damaged cables within the mast when drilling rivet holes. As I write, hopefully this is being sorted out. When it is we shall then be able to enrol in the ARC.

The atmosphere here is electric. There is a real carnival feel. All the boats are adorned with flags and bunting (Ralph loves this bit!) and everyone is chatty and friendly. Ralph and I are in a happier frame of mind; no longer selling the boat and looking forward to the days ahead. Having said that, I have just heard some news from the guy on the next boat. Apparently, while we were making the crossing from the Gibraltar to Lanzarote, a storm had hit the island of Madeira and viciously attacked the marina. We were on the edge of it. Eight boats were sunk with five deaths and dozens of boats seriously damaged. George, who told us this, said his friend's boat was damaged and is unable to join the ARC. So we were very lucky.

Since being in Las Palmas we have met many old friends from the Balearic Islands who are also making the crossing so it should be great fun if we do eventually set off. All we can do now is cross our fingers and hope to be ready in time. The boat is loaded down with food and drink (!) so we have got to go even if it means leaving late. We know a lot of other people who are not crossing with the ARC so either way we shall have company.

We hope you are all well and the weather is a little more friendly.

Sunday 21st November 1993
09:15HRS
Telephoned home to speak to our sons and say our goodbyes.

10:20HRS
Left marina to participate in a photo-call for Oyster Yachts. We sailed around for an hour or so while the power cruiser with the camera crew aboard ponced about filming etcetera..!

13:00HRS
We're off! One hundred or more boats of all shapes, sizes and nationalities head for the start line. For the first ten to fifteen minutes it was quite chaotic. Everyone was seeking wind which at this time, would you believe, decided not to be around. The sea had a slight swell and when you're just crawling along, it feels worse than it really is. Gently ShiRal started to pick up speed and though it was only about five knots, it seemed a lot faster. This is when we had a sandwich and for me a half hour sleep. When I awakened I could not believe how things had changed. The winds were up to twenty knots and the sea agitating and speedily getting worse. By nightfall, it was blowing thirty knots and increasing. The sea was horrendous. There was no way we were going to get sleep tonight.

I am unable to describe the next two days. What I can say is that after the leg from Gib to Lanzarote, we swore we would not get into that situation again. And here we were repeating the entire experience.

Thursday 23rd November 1993
After a squall with wind speeds of forty knots and seas like mountains, suddenly the wind dropped and the sea became a little more bearable. I can understand now when Sir Francis Chichester referred to waves around twenty-five to thirty feet as 'mere ripples' because after what we'd seen and been through they were!

Saturday 27th November 1993
The past days have been really good. Winds have been averaging around fifteen to twenty knots. The sea has quite a strong swell but quite acceptable. The sun has been shining continuously and been getting very hot. I am feeling a lot better in myself now. The apprehension I was experiencing during the early days has gone. I am now able to cook (though a little precariously) and life is looking good.

The SSB (Single Side-Band) radio brings a lot of comfort to Ralph as he is able to communicate with other yachts and there are quite a lot of people he is now able to talk to despite them being hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away. Weather news is transferred in this way, which is very useful, along with the odd recipe. From information received I made a rather good banana cake, though I say it myself, especially as it was the first cake in over thirty-two years I had mixed myself without a Kenwood and baked in the galley's oven.
The highlight of today was our phone call home. We waited for the call to go through. This took about forty minutes as we had to wait our turn. The Ship-to-Shore Operator was so patient. He informed us there were three Humbles at the number given and which one did we wish to speak to. We said "The nearest one who's free!" and over the airwaves came Clive's voice loud and clear.

We celebrated later with our first cocktail after leaving Las Palmas. We both agreed that although we were a thousand miles or so away from anywhere sitting on a matchstick in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, we didn't feel so cut off. You tend to feel like this because there is no-one around you. The whole fleet dispersed in different directions after the second or third day. We occasionally spot another boat on the horizon, mainly at night when their navigation lights are more easily seen. We have seen only one large ship so far. We still don't know what sort it was. It appeared out of nowhere and we were heading on a collision course. The worrying part at this stage was that it could have been a huge trawler and we couldn't see where it may have been laying its nets. We veered off taking another course and after half an hour we had passed it. Apart from that incident, there has been nothing else happening.

So far we have seen no sharks, whales or dolphins. What we have seen, which was quite extraordinary, were Flying Fish in abundance. They came out of the water in large shoals some landing on deck. I think the bow of the boat disturbs them. Ralph was almost hit by one and was quite shaken up.

Once a day at 14:00HRS, ARC Control organises a roll-call. When you hear your boat number you give your position and wind speed. Afterwards, they have a period of time when you report any problems you are having or anything that may be of interest to other yachts. It was during one of these sessions when two yachts reported having seen a very bright light that had lasted fifteen minutes during the early hours of one morning. Well, who do you think was making this bright light ? It was me. Ralph had discovered that our topping-lift had lost a couple of bolts and that was the cause of a terrible racket. He roused me and between us we carried out emergency repairs. I was holding this very bright halogen spotlight while Ralph, suspended by his harness, did the necessary adjustments. We haven't let on that it was us. They probably think it was a UFO. (Unidentified Floating Object!).

One Week Later.
We are now well into our third week at sea with only three hundred miles to go. We are both feeling great. Time has speedily gone by. We have taken the weather as it comes. There is not much we can do about it anyway. It has been variable. Winds have gone from twenty down to eight knots. It is the latter one we are not keen on. During these periods we have been surrounded my sea mist and a low cloud base. It was during one of these periods when a large tanker materialized silently from out of the swirling void. We had been down below at this time and were only popping up every ten or fifteen minutes for a quick look. I shot up on deck. Ralph and I could hardly believe it. We were sailing straight towards each other. Ralph's immediate reaction was to call the tanker's captain up on the VHF radio to ask what his intentions were. He spoke to a very polite Greek gentlemen who said "Yes, I have seen you. Stand by". He then turned his ship on another course and within a few minutes was crossing our stern waving to us. We could breathe once again. He also gave us an updated weather report and wished us Bon Voyage. Apart from one other yacht a few days earlier, this was only the second boat we had seen after leaving Las Palmas.

With only three more nights to go we are feeling very excited. We shall miss the night experiences of brightly moonlit decks and brilliant star formations but what we are looking forward to are uninterrupted nights sleep, regular nightwear, a non-rocking boat and for me in particular not having the fear of being attacked by whales. I was told, however, that should this happen to flush the heads (loos) with disinfectant would put them off. I still do not know whether they were having me on.

There is only a couple of days to go before the sight of land, we have been reflecting on our experiences. In the first place we both thought we should never have set off. Reasons being that we were completely unprepared for our adventure.

• First the boat had not been tested for the new additions we had installed. For instance, the new rigging equipment still requires Ralph to go to the mast for some adjustment. During these moments I have kittens. Though he is hooked on, the boat is keeling from side to side, up and down. And I am helming. I have to admit I hate it.
• Secondly, the new autopilot wind vane, although brilliant, does take some getting used to. I am glad to say that Ralph is now back in charge.
• Thirdly, 'GooseWinging'. All the time we were sailing in the Med, we never had reason to use this method. As we had the necessary pole aboard, it was only obvious it should be used. There was no time better than with a following wind and sea. Well, after more than a week, Ralph decided to go on the foredeck and put it into operation. Once again, I was dying a thousand deaths. We can rig it now with no worries at all and kick ourselves for not having done it sooner. It makes a terrific difference to the mileage you can cover. I said before we were ill-prepared and have been learning 'on the job', so to speak.
  

The SSB and VHF radios have been great friends and stories of other peoples' experiences have been very entertaining. We were part of a relay network when a guy on another yacht wanted to be air-lifted off. It was real 'International Rescue' stuff. Ralph was really into it. It took several hours for any action but the outcome was the entire affair was handed over to 'Pan-Pan Medico' and a tanker took over having been diverted to the distressed yacht. It transpired that the guy decided to stay aboard and, from what we heard later, continued the voyage.

Another incident occurred to a boat that lost its rudder. It was a sixty-five footer and we had met the owners in Gib. He specialises in marine refrigeration. Several days after losing the rudder, he and his crew had constructed a makeshift replacement. They had welding equipment on board, would you believe it, and was now back in action.

One of the lead boats, a eighty foot Oyster currently circumnavigating the globe, picked up a a French man and woman from a sinking twenty-eight footer. They had been bailing out for ten days having lost their rudder from what is believed to be a collision with a whale. There was just enough time to get their valuables off before she went down. We were advised from ARC Control to avoid the area because they were not certain as to whether she was completely sunk or just submerged.

Two other boats have had their booms broken. This had happened during the squalls we had been having.
We have been very careful though it has slowed us down. At the first sign of a squall we have reefed in, sometimes taking the sails down completely. A few extra hands on deck would have been most helpful!
We both agree that the best time of the day is when the sun is going down and becoming cooler. We then put on a tape and have a V&T (Ralph a T) and reminisce on the day's events. As I have said before, nothing much really happens but it is surprising just how fast the time passes. We had plans of doing so many odd-jobs while we progressed across 'The Pond' and have done none of them. Plenty of time when we get there.

Another Day
Today's highlight was the company of dolphins at last. There was at least a dozen of them and they stayed with us for more than an hour. They weren't as big as those we've seen in the Med but gave us equal entertainment. Whereas those before merely ducked and dived, these stood up on their tails smiling just like 'Flipper'!

The other event which gives us a great lift is talking to our sons on the ship-to-shore radiotelephone. We both feel a little emotional when we do this but at the same time feel comforted having spoken to them.

Another Day [ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) 08:00HRS, 13/12/1993.]
As I write we have less than one hundred miles to go. The last couple of days have been brilliant sailing days charging along at a constant seven knots. We have three other boats around us somewhere. We can't see them but we have been chatting to them on the radio regularly. We have agreed that as we were all due to cross the finishing 'line' around the same time, we will wait for each other and enter the marina at Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia together. One of the guys has already asked ARC Control if they can berth us all together. It will be a lot of fun. We haven't met any of them yet but have had a lot of laughs on the airwaves.

06:00HRS 13/12/1993
The lights of two boats have appeared, one to port the other to starboard. Our friends from the radio have joined us. Our sails are out 'Goose Winging' fashion and we have sighted land. We're bombing along doing seven knots. Though this is not a race, we are determined to get to the finishing line first. The island is mountainous and very green. We are running with the sea and surfing. Our spirit of competitiveness is apparent as we are continually adjusting the sails to get more speed. We are now in the leading position and speaking to ARC Control on the radio for instructions on crossing the finishing line which we did at 09:00HRS. This means we crossed in twenty-two days exactly: 3,704 miles from Gibraltar/2,956 miles from Las Palmas. This was not a record but only being two old biddies on board was certainly acknowledged by the fantastic reception we received from other yachts that had already arrived. One just cannot describe it. The noise of horns and hooters was deafening. Our berth area was surrounded by 'yachties' waving, kissing, shaking our hands and congratulating us. A tray with two large ice-cool rum punches were handed to us along with a huge basket of exotic fruits hiding a large bottle of rum. The next hour or so was one big party and I was more than a little high when we phoned home.

In all we had a terrific crossing despite all its ups and downs. The boat performed faultlessly and instilled in us a lot of confidence. We intend to stay here until the end of the month and join in all the social activities of which there are a lot laid on starting tonight. Our plans for the months ahead..? We're still thinking about it. The friends we have made are urging us to continue sailing with them but we feel that we would like to cross to the East Coast of America. We'll see.

We trust you'll have a happy Christmas and we'll be thinking of you.
SHIrley & RALph.
ShiRal Oyster. Ship in Transit.
West Indies.
Caribbean.

© Shirley Humble. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorised Reproduction Prohibited.