Bernd via DL9BS/mm – Page 2

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 8

On May 9, 2023

After 24 hours under Genaker sail we got finally stopped in the early morning hours at the time the wind dropped below 5kn. No way we could keep the light wind sails up and the lady moving.

No option. We have to accept. Taking all sails in we started the engine for a couple of hours and had a peaceful morning tea under the emerging sun. Boat clean up was overdue and took us another couple of hours while checking latest weather forecasts. Less wind than predicted from changing directions. Hm, nothing we really need but on the other side we are absolutely aware, that our Low Wind Challenge has only started.

We will grab maximum movement under sails from any suitable winds around with the help of the engine, if needed. I am not a fan of motoring on the ocean but sometimes you need to bite the bullit.

Less than 500nm to go.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 7

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 9, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

Some time has passed since the last logblog entry and its mainly enthusiasm, which drives this. Not that we have been lazy, not at all, rather the opposite. A lot has happended on this very interesting passage.

There are MUST DO duties and CAN DO ones and both filled the days. One of the MUST DO is to take time to enjoy, which very often comes too short. This time I managed better and the accompany I have with Rainer at the moment has got some good influence into this.

A lot of energy has also been put into moving the lady forward. Numerous changes to the sail configuration and constant observation of the weather developments to ensure our route will not bring us into trouble. On this subject I want to state that Uwe/DD1HUR is providing amazing guidance and care taking. It seems he is somewhere here onboard as a virtual passanger. On the sunset attached there is a front visible, which passed through last evening and only hours before Uwe informed us that besides blue sky during the day there will be a front coming through at the later ours of the day. Rainer and myself looked at each other with shaking heads and asking ourselves: where the hack is Uwe hiding on SY Hullu Poro ?!?

++++++++++++extract Uwe/DD1HUR – 8th May 2023+++++++++++++++

Zunächst aber ein kurzer Überblich: Wir haben es jetzt 14:30 UTC und die Satellitenbilder sind von 13:40 UTC. Selbst, wenn man so ca. 1 Std. “processing time” rechnet, sollten die Bilder doch sehr aktuell sein. Danach sollte sich die “Hexe” unter einer etwas lockereren Wolkendecke aufhalten, während die Hullu Poro eher in der Sonne fährt, also, relativ leichte Bewölkung, die im Infrarotbild fast durchsichtig wirkt. Auch das “visible” Image zeigt das so. südwestlich von euch so in einem Gebiet 24°40’N; 055°16’W – 34°05’N;040°08’W liegt ein kompaktes Wolkenband, das nach Norden zu sich etwas auffächert. Das reicht bis nahezu an die Hullu Poro heran, die Wolken müsstet ihr sehen.

++++++++++++extract Uwe/DD1HUR – 8th May 2023+++++++++++++++

A Champagne Challenge was called alive but did finally not take off due to some regulatory issues, which could not be resolved. Therefore our focus has shifted back to maximize fun during this passage while staying engaged in an ambitous way to sail the lady eastwards. This works best for us. The party in Horta is a given.

It has become chilly. After such a long time in warm climate we need to get the socks and sleeping back out again during the nights. It’s good we sail into the summer, so it will be fine soon.

I will try to document a few more points a bit later but now I need some hot tea.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 6

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 6, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

The wind has increased to 30+kn gusting close to 40kn as forecasted. The gusts are rare but we have adjusted the sails for the worst and are in principal under full foresail only plus a tissue sized main sail. Our speed is still constantly above 7kn. We had one rain shower so far, the moon is out in a still milky sky.

For at least the last 12 hours we are running along the 1014mbar isobar pressure line with the low pressure on port side and the high pressure on starbord side.

We have finetuned our strategy to stay in the race against our friends from SY Hexe. The gap has been closed recently.

The waves are high but pleasant and therefore do not really matter anymore as I have become part of the system. Even prepared a lasagne last night, which Rainer and myself enjoyed accompanied by 100ml of rosé wine, which is the max allowable sip under the regulation on SY Hullu Poro, in case a nice meal got prepared.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 5

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 5, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

While downloading the latest weather GRIB files I came across a German group talking on 14313kHz. I have made contact with this group before, some time back and reconnected to say hello.

Besides Gerhard/KR8R vom Eriesee/Ohio there were also Heinz/DL9DBC from Dortmund and Thomas/DL1MDS from Ammersee. Finally Susanne/N1QFE came in and said hello as well. Susanne is an extraordinary sailor of similar ranking like Kirstin Neuschäfer (GGR winner 2023) preparing for landfall in Horta shortly on her SY Nehaj. She is also a TransOcean e.V. member and enthusiastic HAM operator. After a very nice conversation we shall now meet in Horta to exchange some sailor’s yarn.
Susanne is almost there while we are running at 30kn TWS a heading close along the great circle with 1100nm to go.

It will get crowded soon in Peter Café Sport.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 4

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 4, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

Our Etmal remains high over the last 4 days. It is close to 175nm. We will keep pushing and remain confident to win the Champagne Challenge 2023. Cross fingers.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 3

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 4, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

There were some Breaking News coming in via Pactor Mail today from Uwe/DF5AM but read youself…

***********************************************************************

….. Breaking News…..

Ein freundliches Halli Hallo an Alle!

Hier meldet sich der allseits bekannte “Flurfunkreporter” Uwe, der “Ahnungslose”! Und gleich zur Einordnung… der Knabe hat 2 Domiziele, eins in Lanzarote, das andere…man mag es gar nicht glauben, aber es ist in einer Gegend in Bayern, die eigentlich nicht dazu gehören möchte, glaubt man einigen “Sachverständigen”, es ist Franken, Lauf bei Nürnberg!

Schon mal was von Ocean Race, Minitransat, America’s Cup oder gar Vendée Globe gehört? Sicherlich, für eingefleischte Hochseeseglerenthusiasten keine Fremdwörter!

Aber, das ist alles “Nichts” gegen ein z.Zt. auf dem Atlantik ausgetragenen Rennen, der “Champagner Challange”. Man stelle sich vor, 2 Yachten, die wohl kaum unterschiedlicher sein können. Ein Katamaran der Marke Outremer 5x (Hexe), ausgerüstet mit allem “was des Segler’s Herz höher schlagen läßt”, einer gemischten Crew, Cornelia und Volker, gegen einen Einrumpfer, eine Hallberg-Rassy 43 MK I (Hullo Poro), ebenfalls gut für solche Races ausgerüstet, “bevölkert” mit einer Crew, bestehend aus 2 Männern, Bernd und Rainer.
Beide Crews mit Amateurfunkern, oh, korrekt wohl mehr 2 Amateurfunkern (Bernd, DL9BS, Rainer, DO6GO) und einer Amateurfunkerin Cornelia, DL3HEX kennen sich persönlich, die “Hexe” auf dem Weg aus der Karibik zu den Azoren, die “Hullo Poro” von Bermuda ebenfalls in Richtung Azoren unterwegs.

Begleitet werden diese herausragenden Segler (Cornelia, sorry, bin kein “Genderer”…) von einem “Hobbywetterexpertiesemeteorolügen” mit Namen Uwe, auch Amateurfunker, DD1HUR. Dieser, beheimatet in…. Bayern…! ergänzt die lokal von beiden Yachten eruierten Wetterprognosen mit denen von ihm Eruierten und in kompetent klingende Worte gefassten Prognosen :-).

Soweit, so gut! Wohl dank der Kommunikationsmöglichkeit des Amateurfunks wird nun dieses bedeutende, ja sicherlich in diesem Jahrzehnt ev. einmalige Race vereinbart! Wer als erster in Horta auf den Azoren ankommt, hat gewonnen und der Verlierer muss den Champager bezahlen, der dann gemeinsam genossen wird! Man kann sich als Nichtsegler kaum vorstellen, welch eine Schmach dies sein kann 🙂

Aber, wie ist der Stand des Rennens? Nun, der geneigte Beobachter “Uwe, der Ahnungslose” kann nur im Moment berichten, es sind noch einige Seemeilen zu segeln, das Wetter scheint sich täglich zu ändern, gereicht ev. mehr der einen oder anderen Yacht zum Vorteil, somit ist und bleibt es hochspannend!

Wird der Wettergott gnädig sein und beiden Yachten passendes Segelwetter bescheren? Nutzten die Crews alle Tricks und Kniffe, denen sie habhaft werden können, um das Ziel so schnell als möglich zu erreichen? -> Man darf annehmen…JA! Werden die täglichen Berichte, die ausgetauscht werden, immer der “Wahrheit” entsprechen? -> Ein entschiedenes JA!!

So vielleicht zum Schluß dieser “Breaking News” eine Eigenerfahrung von “Uwe, dem Ahnungslosen”… Der Segler ansich…ist fair!
Wir bleiben dran und berichten weiter, wenn von den Crews gewünscht!!

***********************************************************************

Uwe is a long time supporter and friend within the Intermar e.V. & HAM community.

Indeed, SY Hexe and SY Hullu Poro, both members of the TransOcean e.V. and Intermar e.V. associations ended up in an ongoing friendly race towards Horta/Azores.

Skipper Volker on SY Hexe and Sailmaster Rainer on SY Hullu Poro are both ambitious regatta sailors. The race is ongoing and I am sure we will get the chance to agree on the regulatory aspects in this David versus Goliath set-up at Peter’s Cafe in Horta, the unmatched sailor’s melting point in the world. Good fun.

Stay tuned.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 2

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 4, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

Time is getting deluted on these passages and after some 48 hours I do not even know how many days/nights we are out on the ocean. Funny, but what does it matter?!? The routine takes over quickly including some hours with headache and getting used to the boat’s movements again. Once the cooking picks up independent from the sea state, you are there! Body and mind have fully integrated into the chosen environment and have become part of the moving system. You don’t consider the three dimensions of physical movement as something unnormal anymore. You are part of it. The up and down, forward and backward or left and right shifts – in general it is a combination – has just become the new normal and you live with it and in it.

Our routing strategy so far worked fine but we also learned, that weather charts in this part of the world have a meteorological half-life period of 12 hours. The dynamics of the low pressure systems being produced off the American costline is incredible. Their movements are fast, much faster than our lady, which makes it mandatory to check regularly. These systems also decide arbitrarily where to go next, NE, E or SE, the latter one being our biggest threat. If they move too far SE, we are in trouble.

Glad we have our weather team from Intermar e.V. around the two Uwes, callsign DD1HUR & DF5AM sitting in Germany and Lanzarote and Sutje Jan, callsign DFPX2, keeping an eye on the situation currently anchored in Tabago Cays/Antilles. It feels good big brothers watching and advising you to ensure we are not getting into a fight with one of the depressions.

Besides the weather subject we became part of a regatta, the Champagne Challenge, which was not planned but announced by Cornelia from SY Hexe. A complex subject, which will be addressed in a separate logblog entry shortly.

Today’s full moon night is fantastic and I am gratefull that the gusts expected for tonight have not turned up yet giving the moon precedence and us another great scenery at sea, Nevertheless, I am sure the depression is laying its cards and will entertain us sooner or later with some positive natural spectacle. We are prepared.

Fair winds…

Bermuda to Azores – Logblog 1

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On May 1, 2023

In Bermuda, Portugal

We left one hour early after check out at the Immigration & Customs Office in St. George.

Before we passed through the Town Cut to get back on to the ocean, we paid a visit to superyacht Visione, which has anchored in the bay and which we saw earlier in Hamilton, a remarkable yacht under German flag. Very impressive to look at, whatever the running cost might be.

Sails got lifted, a final glimpse back West before our attention turned completely East.

Around six o’clock I started to prepare dinner. Eight o’clock I did talk to Cornelia and Jan on the Marine Radio and shortly after that I felt asleep. As per our routine, Rainer took the watch until midnight and claimed to be fit. What a luxury!

We are now sailing through the first night with good visibility under clear skies and strong moon.

All good, we are back into our routine.

Fair winds…

St. Martin to Bermuda – Logblock 14

By Bernd via DL9BS/mm

On April 19, 2023

In Bermuda

After minimum care for the lady we enjoyed a good glas of BB Rum distilled in Dominica before calling it an early night. Despite good rest during the passage my batteries were empty and tension in body and mind started to release slowly. Another great adventure on the ocean was gifted to us.

Fair winds…