Gibraltar to Lanzarote: Five days, two in one boat, first taste of the waters of the ocean

 

Four days have flown by since we landed at Lanzarote Marina. Feels like a month, even though we haven't really left the boundaries of the marina yet (not to mention the boundaries of the pier…). 

The dominant feelings are: we have arrived, we relax, there is all the time in the world, slowly…Udi went to town, there are all sorts of "excuses" like missing items (not really) / repairs (not really) in short an excuse to get out of the marina for cycling. I am "busy with chores" debating whether to start the day with a phone call with loved ones (this morning Noam the niece and Eliana the daughter in law), clean the fridge or sit and write. Hard…After deep thought, and familiarity with the limitations of memory, I decided to write before I forget the events of last week, which was stormy and exciting. A week and a day since we left Gibraltar, excited about leaving for the new world. All the feelings surrounding this matter have been described wearily throughout the blog, and in the ears of some of you. So I'll save it this time.  

After various calculations, we decide to release ropes at 5 in the morning, long before sunrise. In the evening, everything necessary for a quick and easy exit is already organized. Fill water tanks, disconnect electricity and water from the shore, tie the dinghy that will not shake during the voyage, fold and store bicycles, arrange sails, and arrange the ropes that tie us to the pier so that there is a quick release from the boat, without having to go down to the pier. And everything is accompanied by a lot of attention to the little details, and of course excitement and more excitement…At night you don't sleep really well, a bit like before giving birth, when you know you need to gather strength and sleep well, because then there will be days when you pray for a continuous night. The hormones drive the mind crazy (in this case adrenaline), and sleep is fragmented and short. So almost the same 😄

We set out three Israeli boats, the other two we met by chance in Gibraltar, and since then, as often happens on trips, with the occupants of one of the boats we have become a kind of family at lightning speed. I have already written a few words about the occupants of these boats in a previous post. Did not read? Can be completed 😊

In the morning, the three leave at minute intervals. We make sure we see an AIS signal that is broadcasting from each boat, and we make contact on the radio. Fine, we're connected. It all becomes irrelevant after another hour of sailing. We see "Veronica" in the first half hour, and even manage to take its' photograph, then we lose sight of it. We lost Odi at Northstar before.

Ester in the Straits of Gibraltar just before raising a sail
courtesy of Dan Torten on Veronica

Veronica in the Strait at sunrise

Sunrise towards a new world
feel at least like Magellan 😂
Reading a lot of travel stories at sea

That is, we understand that it is Udi, Ester and I in the Great Sea. Our exit through the strait is accompanied by dozens of dolphins bouncing in the water at sunrise. I could not document, they were not enough close and the light, twilight light. So you will have to believe the unbelievable!

In the strait above the Moroccan coast,
the sky is scary, but it did not reach us ...

Half of the first day passes us by in what is called Motor sailing. We raise sails, but the wind is not good enough, so to advance we add engine power. Towards the afternoon, the strength of the wind rises, and manages to perfectly push us forward, at good speed, a restful, quiet cruise! No engine. Only the hum of the wind in the sails and waves that accompany the movement. A sheer happiness!

Coast of Morocco on the Atlantic side
Lots of small fishing boats with net markings

And there are also those loaded with containers along the way

Completing hours of sleep, preparing for the night shifts, preparing a good dinner, a beautiful sunset, a rising moon. The bright side of postponing the crossing . The moon fills up as the days progress. Much more pleasant and restful than dark nights. 

I am on first shift, 21:00 - 01:00. I utilize the time for cleaning after dinner, music, reading, writing, staring. In the shift this time, quite a few fishing boats, requires vigilance and surveillance. And suddenly I hear on the radio "Ester, Ester over" the first thing that comes to my mind, is that the Israeli friends are doing a prank on me… But the repeating calls, is on Channel 16, the one that is open on all boats and beach stations, and is meant for really important communication. The reading repeats over and over. After recovering from the shock, I reply "This is sailing boat Ester, Over" and then someone in obscure language tells me something (probably important). Asks in plain English "come back again"…. After a few rounds like this, I realizes that this is the fishing boat in front of me, which I saw well, but moves in circles that can confuse the reporting devices, and is busy fishing and raising a net. He asks me to change direction. I carefully take 20 degrees off the path. The sails are open and you need to maintain a suitable angle from the wind, so that it does not affect thesails. So I say in my defense: I was alert, I saw him well, and I thought of getting a little closer to try to figure out what his sailing direction was and act accordingly. There was no danger here. On the other hand, I was so excited! First time a foreign boat calls our name in the middle of the sea. How did they know? Of course… This is what the AIS device is for, which also transmits and not just receives. This is how you are identified and know how to read your name. I passed them a good distance, turned 20 degrees back, and this was the only "storm" that disturbed the peace of my shift.

One in the morning we take turns. I'm going to catch a few hours of nap, before a shift that starts at 5 in the morning. The mood is uplifting, a wonderful sense of discovery. Sailing in the ocean is a completely different experience from the Mediterranean. As everyone has promised, the wind is fairly constant in terms of direction and strength, the forecast is accurate, the waves can be significant, but come from the stern direction and have a significant "duration", and Ester casually rises and glides. In the Mediterranean, on the other hand, the winds are not really predictable, changing frequently by a few hours, and when there are waves they are bouncy and annoying. I accompany the sunrise with pleasant music on headphones and something in between gymnastics and dance exercises. One that you only allow yourself when no one is looking at you. Fun!!

When the sea is at rest, crossword puzzles can be solved

And playing with the rod
that this time was a source of a lot of frustration and no fish

 

This pastoralism does not last throughout the voyage. At some point the wind rises (a little too much for our liking), so we reduce sails. Later the sea rises and the waves no longer come from the direction of the wind (stern). The next thirty hours pass us by in a "washing machine." For the first time in my life I feel nauseus the boat. We still need to eat, so I bake fresh rolls and plan on a light meal of sandwiches in the evening. The rolls were fine, the sandwiches hearty, and despite the shaky conditions I was able to complete the task.

And there is also a new tool that helps make fresh sauces, for the fancy sandwiches

A video that demonstrates the art of cooking on the boat.
I spared you the shaking to the other side ...

Meanwhile the appetite went away, and after one bite, we realised it was better to skip this meal. Night, cold, I'm on shift again. Not much can be done when the boat is so swaying. Sometimes the waves that chase us are so high that it seems like a "black wall" is following us. But then Esther goes up and down, just a little swaying more than necessary. After another 24 hours like this, Udi and I look at each other sadly, and admit for the first time in this journey that "this is not fun for us" 😥

The thought is disturbing… Is this what crossing an ocean looks like? If so, I really do not want to suffer. That is not what we aimed for. It got to the point where I (who always had the iron stomach) vomited, and only after a long, deep sleep did I recover. Constantly thinking about the leisurely descriptions of crossing the Atlantic that we have heard from so many people who have done it with / without children, often more than once. This cannot be the experience. We are not the most soft-hearted in the world, or at least do not consider ourselves such…

And what about all the plans for a world tour? Is that over? Back to Greece? (Not necessarily a bad option…). A total of 30 hours pass, the sea calms down and aligns with the wind, we spread sails full of pride, in what is called a "butterfly", one sail to the right and the other to the left, and from now continue on a perfect voyage to the pier at marina Lanzarote, the point of entry into the Canary Islands, when coming from Gibraltar.

Sunrise of last day in crossing

Ester in a perfect butterfly position!

Happy to see land.

 Notice the lifebelts that accompanied us throughout crossing

Ahoy !! Land!! Lanzarote, Ester is coming!!

On the pier we are awaited with intense waves, the trio from Odi's boat, who heard us on the marina's channel, and come to help tie ropes right next to them. They arrived a few hours before us. They greet us back and forth, and salute us. Turns out Odi was still very worried about us because he lost our signal in AIS, and thought we might have turned around because of a glitch. Other than that, it turns out we were particularly heroes. The rest, regardless of age and experience, experienced the crossing as much more difficult than ours, and swore it was not typical of an ocean crossing.

The hours that have passed after the "washing machine", and the happiness that accompanies them, have made it clear to me that I am ready and willing to continue the journey across the oceans as large as they are, even at the cost of a few less pleasant hours. So when do you go next? tomorrow??

I am full of adrenaline and energy, inviting everyone to Ester for an aperitif and raising a glass in honor of the arrival, and in honor of the cruises to come.

Slot! With the NorthStar team From left to right: Tzafrir, Udi (the captain) and Paul

I'm there too ...

Luxurious maze table

 

Now relax…

There is a lot of time ..

We deserve a long, long rest, and in fact not a rest but an entry into a new routine that we dreamed of.

And about Lanzarote and the new routine…

In the next post!