The Bay of Biscay is dark. Only a pale red light from the dimmed chart plotters and the — a bit enervating — non-dimmable compass light makes for a visual focal point for our eyes. He does not seem to be scared, but this occasion is certainly not the most comfortable situation for the young sailor. We are still on full canvas out. The boat is sprinting along on an upwind point of sail, making a good pace with 7. It may have been a risky decision to cast off right away. Getting the ship ready with provisions, safety equipment and sorting all things out in a matter of a few hours was pure stress.
Maybe it would have been smart to allow us all a full night of restorative sleep. But here we are now: Dashing away from the French coast into the pitch black night.
Four hours of constantly checking the AIS-surroundings, sails trim and weather. For me a routine, although the last time I went sailing overnight is sadly a bit long time ago. After being relieved I just fall into my cozy bed. The boat is moving gently through the waves, even upwind with an increasingly building seastate, so that it does not take long until I really fall asleep. After two or three hours, sun is up and a I can spot a beautiful sunny day through the large hull windows of my aft cabin, I brush my teeth and get on the deck.
The owner and his other son, Jesper, are at the helm. Waves have increased as did the wind speed. We are still close hauled on a strict upwind point of sail, course some degrees, much higher than you would need to cross the Gulf of Biscay. The reason is of course the weather.
Our sailing strategy needs to be panned 3 days ahead, reacting to the latest forecast. The problem: Atlantic Ocean weather patterns are pretty dynamic and forecasts become very uncertain over 24 hours. Our last internet contact is some 24 hours away, so the forecast may have stayed the same — or may have changed. In this, the idea is to follow close hauled sailing until roughly the middle of the Biscay. Then, a west-shift of the wind is expected with a sudden drop of wind speed up until a full blown calm.
