We Made It! 3,202 Miles!
We Made It! 3,202 Miles!
Big Emoceans will depart Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to cross the Atlantic Ocean starting on December 12, 2023. We are going via Cape Verde, which means the first leg of the trip is 800 miles, approximately 5 days sail to Mindelo.
We are lucky to have three extra crew members on board, all from Annapolis: our good friend, Brian Regan, plus Jackie Rolleri and Aaron Seligson, two experienced sailors with whom we will no doubt be good friends by the end of the trip.
Along with Gus and Russ, our sailing crew is well-rounded. Jess will make sure everyone is well-fed, while Rosie and Jordan will ensure that no one is bored, even when they are.
We hope to put our feet on the ground in Grenada around December 31/January 1.
We Made It Across The Pond!
After 11 days and 5 hours, we arrived in Grenada at 3:30pm on Saturday, December 30th. We made it in good spirits and we can’t thank Brian, Gus, Jackie and Aaron enough for being the best possible boat family. Because of them, we made it here safely and had a blast doing it. They are hardworking, smart, fun, and funny and we have memories that will last a lifetime. 3,202 miles to finish out 2023. To recap our final few days at sea:
On Day 10, we caught a Wahoo just in time for dinner and had ceviche.
We competed in a Mexican train marathon from double twelves to double blanks on our last full day at sea. Gus resoundingly kicked our collective a!@#%.
I am relieved that our provisioning worked out. We had fresh fruit: persimmons, oranges, lemons and limes, and vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, onions, potatoes, leeks and peppers - all the way through the last day with some to spare. We barely touched the 75 eggs, but we did go through about 3000 grams of butter, several pounds of flour, at least 20 liters of milk, many pounds of pasta, and had to throw out dozens of green bananas from Cape Verde that never ripened. The freezers are still full of meat!
We docked at the marina with only about 200 liters of fuel left. Our last week of motoring was fast and we ran the generators whenever possible to supply much-needed air-conditioning. No one was here for unnecessary suffering.
Grenada is beautiful, lush and green. The people are friendly, the drinks are strong. We happened upon a restaurant also featuring karaoke night and were not shy.
Thank you all for cheering us on during this journey of a lifetime. Wherever you are in the world, we wish you a happy and healthy New Year!
Day 10! 400 miles to go!
The days since Christmas are marked by superlative sunsets and majestic moonrises. The sea is calm with slow swells that gently rock the boat, the breeze just enough to cool us down - we rely on engines to move now - sometimes through seas of sargassum.
On Boxing Day we stopped the boat for a swim and it was glorious. Warm, clear water, a bit of a current, some drone shots and a group jump off the bow. No one around for hundreds of miles, the sea 6000 feet deep. Magical.
Yesterday we caught another beautiful mahi and grilled it over charcoal for dinner. Today we put a sign out: Tuna Only, Please.
Last night the Parets passed a massive milestone - we hit 6,000 miles of sailing on Big Em! From March 5 - December 27, 2023, we have sailed further than we dared to dream. Adults and kids alike have proven their tenacity, bravery, moxie and a little bit of crazy.
On the 27th, we passed a Swedish boat. For perspective, they left Las Palmas on December 5th (we left Dec 12 and spent three nights in Cape Verde). We had a little radio chat and both boats seemed content with their progress….
While by all measures we are having a blissful sail, everyone onboard is cheering for a Saturday afternoon (Dec 30) arrival in Grenada. We’re pushing 9 knots now with only 48 hours to go!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas on Big Emoceans did not disappoint! Although we all missed family and friends and puppies, Santa came (Jackie even got a photo of him) and left a mess of sooty footprints and cookie crumbs. He brought a Barbie car and a solar powered robot and stockings full of cheer. We feasted on beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes and stuffing, and toasted the day with the “insta-famous” snow globe champagne cocktail.
Aaron got some cool drone shots for our holiday “card”.
We are currently about 860 miles from our destination! That is 4.5 days, so we are really imploring Russ to put the throttles down and get there on the 30th in time for a land-based dinner! The wind predictions are spot on - we sailed the first half of the trip and sure enough, the wind is gone. We have plenty of fuel and are now onto the motoring portion of the trip.
We didn’t get a swim stop yesterday because the swells were still moving quite a bit, but the sea has really flattened out today and aside from the seaweed, looks like a beautiful day for a swim.
Dec. 24 Merry Christmas Eve
We passed the five day mark at 10am this morning (day six out here). We’ve crossed a couple of time zones but we’re sticking with our original time to keep with the watch schedule. It’s odd being somewhere where the time doesn’t really matter. Here are some highlights of the last few days:
We’ve seen three other sailboats in the distance and our first commercial ship.
Jordan received an accordian as an early Christmas gift. Everyone on board is super-thankful for this burst of music…
All shipmates were invited to a pre-holiday performance by “The Christ-Misses” starring Jackie and Rosie. Only Gus and Aaron received VIP tickets which also entitled them to autographs and photos with the stars, but the rest of us enjoyed the show from the cheap seats.
Work continues on the Harry Potter 3d train puzzle.
We figured out why the starboard engine was working too hard, and cleaned out an air filter filled with Sahara dust. We’ve picked up speed now and hope to bring our average up to (or over!) 8kts.
Today we reach the halfway point— 1,100 miles!
Dec 21, 2023 DAY THREE
We know there are other boats out here, but we haven’t seen a single one yet. We finally outran the sand storm and we have blue skies and sunshine. The temperature is up to 82 during the day, which is quite nice due to the great breeze always behind us.
Unfortunately, a fuse blew and we couldn’t roll in the gennaker. This is one of those times we are even more happy to have Brian, Jackie and Aaron with us, because to get that sail down in the wind required five adults. After much wrangling, we got the sail into the boat and the fuse is an easy fix once we get ashore.
The days run together but also feel long at times. End of semester school work continues for Jordan, and each day the kids get a little gift to help with the boredom that day. It’s hard to believe we’ll be making Christmas dinner on board in only a few days!
Dec. 20, 2023 DAY TWO
Day 2 dawned uneventful except for the flying fish that landed (and died) on the trampoline overnight. The big waves and rollers continue. We have two sails up and turned off the engines since the wind is a steady 20kts.
There were many games of Connect Five and more sailing than motoring. Not much to report here yet. We aren’t fishing because the swells are so big but it’s supposed to calm down in the next few days. No news is good news!
Dec. 19 We Begin Again
After three nights and two full days in Cape Verde, we departed for Grenada at 10:10am. Cape Verde was once again full of dust and completely hazy, the boat that Gus and Brian diligently cleaned upon arrival covered in a fine layer of sand.
The town of Mindelo felt like a fairly typical African coastal town. Lots of colorful colonial architecture, generally developing buildings and facilities, and lots of stray dogs. Jackie and I found a great fruit and vegetable market where we restocked a bit. The grocery store was tiny and left a lot to be desired. They also take only cash (Escudo) which required a run to the ATM as we were 2000 Escudo ($20) short.
The marina was full of cruisers preparing to cross, in all sorts of vessels. A lively tiki bar at the dock provided fun atmosphere and camaraderie, and Rosie met three kid boats and found a friend to play with.
Gus bravely spent hours at the top of the mast running line and checking things - a difficult task because the marina had considerable ground swell and the boat was constantly moving. Aaron launched his drone and captured some really cool footage.
We’ve had nonstop swells since we left, some at 4m, rocking the boat from side to side making it super uncomfortable, loud and difficult to do basic things. Luckily, Aaron seared some amazing steaks for dinner so at least our bellies are full. Kids slept on deck and I am beyond grateful for an amazing crew that helps us keep the kids entertained and the atmosphere cheerful!
Day 1 we covered about 200 miles, under 2000 to go!
Day 5: We Made It To Cape Verde!
We are in Mindelo, Cape Verde! We covered the last 215 miles or so on Saturday, so our total time underway was 4 days, 6 hours hours— 4:15pm Tuesday to 10:15pm Saturday. We averaged about 8.5 knots.
It was an uneventful but uncomfortable day, with 3m swells raising us up from starboard quarter and sending us surfing, only to hit opposing waves at the bottom with a giant “slap” against the hull. (Word of the day: donkey slap, when the waves hit the underside of the catamaran creating a loud bang.)
We inadvertantly caught a few flying fish - Brian woke up to a dead one in his bathroom hatch—so we pondered why flying fish fly. Aaron put it best: “If you were a fish that could fly, wouldn’t you just go flying for the fun of it?”
Games were played, kids asked more than once, Are we there yet?? And we reviewed funny names for groups of animals (e.g. a group of jellyfish is a smack, a group of flamingoes - a flamboyant).
We took down the main before dark and spotted Cape Verde at 9:30pm. Snug in our berth we all enjoyed a much quieter night’s sleep. Now we will spend a couple days washing the boat, sightseeing, fixing things and provisioning. We plan to depart Tuesday morning. More soon!
Day 4: Fish!
It was our lucky day! Within five minutes, we had 3 mahi on two different lines - the first two got away but Aaron reeled in the third on his hand line. It was quite the fish, at least 36” and 8 pounds. Brian gutted it and Jess made mahi crudo for lunch and fried fish tacos for dinner. Yum!
Christmas cookies were also on the menu today, along with some Christmas music - Jess practicing guitar and Rosie perfecting her Santa rap.
The winds picked up steadily all day to about 24kts and we once again proved that Mexican Train is the ideal game for a breezy flybridge. The sun and blue skies peeked through the dust haze for a bit, but we have yet to see a good sunrise or sunset. As Brian put it, “the Sahara is just so damn big!” and we are going all the way down its west side.
Jackie, Aaron and Gus ended the day starting a batch of 2-week limoncello that will be ready for celebrating when we reach Grenada.
On Day 3, we conquered another 215 miles. It looks like we will reach Mindelo in almost exactly 100 hours, around 10-11pm on Saturday Dec. 16.
Day 3 - Fun & Food But No Fish
Thurday came and went quickly. Last night was uneventful except the layer of dust continues to grow. We continue to make good speed, running several hours with the engines off and averaging 7.5 knots. For Day 2, we covered 206 nautical miles and we’ve passed the halfway mark!
Aaron, Jordan, Russ and Brian worked on fishing gear and despite two lines in the water, we didn’t have any bites—so it was chicken for dinner. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have sushi.
There were some highly competitive games of Mexican Train on the flybridge and Gus was declared the day’s winner.
Overall, the time goes faster than expected and we could not ask for a better team to be with out here!
Day 2 - Fun With Dynema; Dolphins and Christmas
Today dawned dusty, the sun a white disk behind a cloak of haze. No clouds, no blue, just a sky covered in fine dust from the Sahara desert. The seas started out big on Tuesday but as we turned south, the wind and waves were behind us, 2m swells that we surfed down in an odd but not unsettling way. We made good time the first day - avg 9 knots and 220nm - with engines and sails, getting as far as we could before a bigger wind blew in.
We had a spectacular show of dolphins in the morning, and then two worried children were very happy when they learned that we would not miss Christmas. The first day of Christmas brought a tree, stockings and decorations!
Brian, Gus, Aaron and Jackie are the "dynema team” - replacing the first reef line and preventer — not easy tasks with the boat moving so much. The watch schedule continues, spirits are high, dust is everywhere. Sail on, sailors!
Today Is The Day!
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
The boat is fine-tuned (or at least, working well), the fruit and veggies are in their hammocks, we have matching crew gear. It’s time to do one last rudder check to ensure our auto-pilot is ready to guide us, and head to sea. As predicted, the weather is clear and beautiful, with light winds building behind us through the week as we get closer to Mindelo, Cabo Verde. 800 miles/5 days to the first stop!
8 December 2023 Friends, Fixes and Provisions
We’ve been in Las Palmas since November 27 and every day we say goodbye to boats leaving to cross. This is the place and the season, so crossing is the norm here. We have to remind ourselves that it’s a big deal!
Russ and Gus are busy fixing all the things, and Brian arrived on the 5th and is chipping away at old solar panels in anticipation of new. Hannah departs soon for Australia to be with family over the holidays and will meet us on the other side.
Each day we’re approached by people from all over the world hoping to catch a ride across the the ocean. There is an entire subculture of vagabonds and hitchhikers here in LP with backpacks full of wanderlust.
Jess is provisioning, planning ahead for the Caribbean as much as the passage. This means many trips to the grocery store and quantities in the dozens of kilos - pasta, coffee, ketchup, cheeses, toilet paper, sunscreen…anything you can think of, all boxed up and delivered to the boat.
We get to see many sailing friends here in LP as we all funnel through - it’s the best part!
