anahita.ch

We (Alexa and Benno, the kids being generously taken care of by their grandparents) set sail in St. Martin on 30 April and arrived in Cascais, Portugal, on 25 May. The Atlantic crossing would have been 3056 miles on a straight line but we probably ended up sailing some 3600 miles. On our best day, we made 180 miles, on our slowest day about 50 miles towards our target. The weather was not what it was supposed to be. Most of the time, the wind blew straight into our faces, so we had to point as high as we could. At some stage, our way was blocked by a low in the east and a high in the north, forcing us to make a detour into the higher latitudes. We also had days of calms (when we had to use the motor) and days of pretty strong wind, quite a rough sea and rain. Altogether, conditions were far less pleasant than what we had expected

Yachts leaving St. Martin for Europe fill tanks and jerry cans with (tax free) diesel. We loaded up 240 liters of which we had 60 liters left at our arrival in Cascais. In fact, during our Atlantic crossing we accumulated more engine hours than during the previous 12 months. Still, we did approximately 90% of the distance under sail.

It is always nice to see dolphins at sea. They come close to our boat, jump out of the water or play with Anahita`s bow.

Benno is happy because he has a fish on the line. Note the ingenious solution with the snapshackle on the boom to bring in the beast. Once the killing behind us (and the cockpit cleaned), the fish ends up as sashimi, grilled fish, fish curry, fish in lemon-ginger-marinade or fish nuggets.

We originally planned (and provisionned) for a trip to the Azores. However, on the way we decided to sail straight to Portugal. So, we did not stop at Corvo. Later we learned that we had taken the right decision: boats that stopped in Horta were stuck for days in an overcrowded harbour.

Between the Azores and Portugal we had bad weather and a relatively heavy sea...

... and when the sun finally came back, we let our foul-weather gear dry in the cockpit.

For most of the trip we had fresh vegetables. Here, Alexa cuts the last pumpkin for her delicious soup, four days before our arrival in Cascais.

We had plenty of time to read. While Alexa kept her focus on higher-quality literature, Benno also enjoyed some trash.

	We (Alexa and Benno, the kids being generously taken care of by their grandparents) set sail in St. Martin on 30 April and arrived in Cascais, Portugal, on 25 May. The Atlantic crossing would have been 3056 miles on a straight line but we probably ended up sailing some 3600 miles. On our best day, we made 180 miles, on our slowest day about 50 miles towards our target. The weather was not what it was supposed to be. Most of the time, the wind blew straight into our faces, so we had to point as high as we could. At some stage, our way was blocked by a low in the east and a high in the north, forcing us to make a detour into the higher latitudes. We also had days of calms (when we had to use the motor) and days of pretty strong wind, quite a rough sea and rain. Altogether, conditions were far less pleasant than what we had expected
	Yachts leaving St. Martin for Europe fill tanks and jerry cans with (tax free) diesel. We loaded up 240 liters of which we had 60 liters left at our arrival in Cascais. In fact, during our Atlantic crossing we accumulated more engine hours than during the previous 12 months. Still, we did approximately 90% of the distance under sail.
	It is always nice to see dolphins at sea. They come close to our boat, jump out of the water or play with Anahita`s bow.
	Benno is happy because he has a fish on the line. Note the ingenious solution with the snapshackle on the boom to bring in the beast. Once the killing behind us (and the cockpit cleaned), the fish ends up as sashimi, grilled fish, fish curry, fish in lemon-ginger-marinade or fish nuggets.
	We originally planned (and provisionned) for a trip to the Azores. However, on the way we decided to sail straight to Portugal. So, we did not stop at Corvo. Later we learned that we had taken the right decision: boats that stopped in Horta were stuck for days in an overcrowded harbour.
	Between the Azores and Portugal we had bad weather and a relatively heavy sea...
	... and when the sun finally came back, we let our foul-weather gear dry in the cockpit.
	For most of the trip we had fresh vegetables. Here, Alexa cuts the last pumpkin for her delicious soup, four days before our arrival in Cascais.
	We had plenty of time to read. While Alexa kept her focus on higher-quality literature, Benno also enjoyed some trash.