Crew Notes

Batic 64 Newport to St. Martin from member Julie Neal
I have been on a whirlwind since getting back to MN from St. Martin. I am excited to get back to sailing again after the wonderful trip I had going from Newport to St. Martin.

The trip was such a great experience. I loved the sailing, the ocean, the boat, the crew and the camaraderie of all the members of the fleet. The sailing experience alone was enough but being part of a rally of boats that had crews with varied experience and backgrounds made the trip more special. After each leg of the trip it was fun to share experiences of the crossing over beers and dark and stormy’s at the Dinghy Yacht Club bar in Bermuda and at the Lady C in St. Martin. I was also proud to see there were 5 Minnesotan’s in the rally! We don’t need to live on an ocean coast to be a little salty!

Below is an excerpt from something I wrote the day after I got back to MN in an email to some sailing friends of mine. It mostly describes the leg from Bermuda to St. Martin but also some general observations from my standpoint. The boat Triumph is a Baltic 64 and the crew of this leg was Captain John, Rob, Mark and Julie!. Four of on a 64 foot racing machine. What a beautiful fast boat Triumph is. She loves to sail fast.

Since there were only 4 of us from Bermuda to St. Martin hand steering we were on one 3 hour watch during the day (0600 - 1800) and 2 two hour night watches during the night (1800-0600). Our watches were individual which was great for me to experience. The night sailing was stunning - waves washing under the boat that you can hear and not see until they wash under the bow lights; bright stars with some falling; no moon till the last night so it was DARK except for the bright stars; phosphorescence in the water; flying fish flying at the boat lights; sailing at 7-9 knots (we didn’t press the boat as much at night especially on my watch); being alone in the cockpit in the Atlantic under the stars with the wind in your hair! There were times I was overwhelmed with emotion during these night watches. I'll never forget it.

Then there are the times when the boat below is noisy due to the stress on the rig and all the stuff banging around. You don't get great sleep especially the first day or two as you adjust. You get into a routine that takes time. Those first nights your alarm goes off 15 minutes before your watch - it may be squally outside. You walk around the bashing boat to collect your foul weather gear, shoes, harness; You struggle to get into your bibs (falling several times) and your jacket (which are crusted with smelly salt water), then you struggle your life harness on. You’re hot but you need your gear to keep the salt water wave spray off of you out on watch. You carefully pour your cup of water (I missed my glass several times); you clamber up the companionway hatch with one hand on the cup and one hand on the boat. You spill your water; You sit in the forward cockpit to assess the conditions. You crawl carefully over the deck to the rear cockpit where the current man on watch awaits. He states heading; wind/wave conditions; weather and points on any ships and headings. You crawl on the deck again around this gigantic wheel and clip on. You say goodnight and then you are alone. Then you look up at the rigging, sails, stars and sea and are amazed. You drive on - mile after mile...

There is also the whole issue of living at 45 degrees or whatever the current heel is as the boat is bashing along. It is unrelenting at times. Brushing teeth, peeing, using tampons, cooking, walking etc. becomes very tedious in the rougher conditions. Its ok if there is some consistency to the motion but there really isn't. The rogue waves or waves with higher than average wave height come along often and break in different places on the hull at the most inopportune times. I was thrown across the aft cabin one night while dressing for my watch. I had several large bruises from that one. I was nearly thrown out of the shower but managed to brace myself in time. The rest of the time its the subtle stuff - you get to a standing position but you're thrown back to a sitting position. It's not that these are individually an issue but the constant nature of the motion tends to add up and really stress your body. The first night at the St. Martin marina I awoke at 3:00 am and clutched the side of my birth because I felt the boat violently sway right and left and back again. I couldn't stop this feeling for about 3 minutes. The boat was tied to the dock but my body was on the now reverse process of adjusting. Last night in my bed here in MN 72 hours post sea I woke with the same feeing. In fact I have awoke every night with this feeling. It is bizarre.

I am glad there were only 4 of us on the 64. We became a team relieving each other round the clock. The watch schedule I describe above shifted through the days naturally so I was able to be out there at all watch segments and experience the sea at different times - i.e. sunset, sunrise, 4:00 am; 12:00 am; day etc. The boat handled well but you really had to pay attention because we were hand steering the whole way. Between the seas and wind it was hard to keep the boat on course. As soon as your mind wanders you are 20 degrees off course. It was work but it was the best sailing I've ever experienced. The Baltic was built for racing so it was a great boat to sail. There is an excellent video clip of me soaking wet (wave bash) in my t-shirt, shorts and life harness driving the boat in 25 knots of wind going 10-12 knots. It captures the speed and power of the waves and sailing power of the boat.

A few stories to tell of course. Our rudder bearing held but 2 of the bolts did back out again about 2 hrs from Bermuda. We had a wrench back at the helm and had to check the bolts every half hour on watch. My first night watch the boom bolt holding the boom to the mast backed out during a sail change - the hydraulic boom vang was holding the boom on the boat - next morning we fixed it; we blew out the spinnaker in 20 knots of wind going 13 -15.4 knots 300 miles from St Martin; we caught two fish at the same time on the two yo-yo rigs we had out - a mahi mahi and wahoo. Since my watch was at 9:00 am and we caught the fish at 8:00 am, I was served fresh pan fried wahoo at the helm for breakfast- Bright sun; HOT HOT air temp; Wind 20 knots - Seas 10 ft and fresh fish.

I did not throw up on this leg like I did the one time on the previous leg. Stugeron does the trick. I bought 200 tablets in Bermuda! The fist 2 days I had the other symptoms of sea sickness (sick stomach, tired). If I wasn't on deck sailing, I was below laying down. Since the seas were bashing from the rear quarter the whole way down the motion was fairly uncomfortable and difficult to get used to. Laying down, driving or at the nav station were the safest place to be. I just about got nailed by flying cans from a cabinet in the galley one day. Eating was something I did cautiously. I'm quite certain that I did not eat enough calories the first two days which may have been ok on my stomach but not good for my overall health and well being at the time. After 2.5 days I started to feel a lot better.

St Martin is another excellent port to visit. We were in the Simpson Bay Marina which is really nice. St. Martin is hopping and a very beautiful island. Lots of restaurants, cheap booze & wines and a beautiful nude beach. It was fun to get there and hang out with all the crews from the other boats. I got to know everybody. There was quite the camaraderie between the crew members of the whole fleet.

This truly was a great experience. I cried when my flight flew over the marina leaving St. Martin. We flew right over Triumph! I was just filled with emotion because it was such a valuable experience that exceeded my expectations. It was a great adventure that had beautiful moments mixed with miserable moments. I met great people and made good contacts for future sailing opportunities perhaps.

Julie,
Minneapolis, Minnesota