Bulletin: 14th February 2008

A harsh entry into the Mediterranean

Though the weather forecasts can sometimes have some good surprises in store, this was not the case today. As the files indicated, virtually without transition, TEMENOS II left the calms for a strong gale, which set the anemometer spinning as the breeze went from less than 10 to 35 knots in the space of a few hours.
These harsh conditions were doubtless not strangers to the breakage of the monohull’s mainsail batten car at the end of last night. And even though they were able to replace it, Michèle and Dominique took this as a serious warning. Tossed about by chaotic seas, the duo didn’t have to think twice about getting out the 'heavy artillery', including the storm sail, in order to try to take the pressure off the boat a little.

At the approach to the Straits of Gibraltar, which they are preparing to pass through tonight, the winds remains steady and the duo is unlikely to see a real calm before tomorrow. And even though the wind is set to ease progressively during the course of the night, the big seas picked up by several days of rough weather on the trot, will take a lot more than a few hours to calm down.

The day’s frantic pace resulted in the need to wait until the start of the evening to have any news from onboard. The noise of the boat slamming through the waves resonated down the telephone handset and left no doubt as to the conditions encountered by the two co-skippers.

“We’re being ‘roughed up’, announced Michèle, “it’s the straits in all their splendour. The seas are messy and very short and we’re slamming dramatically. It’s a boat breaking sea. We cannot allow it to be fully powered up. We're hoisting less sail than we should so as to preserve the boat. We’re not going quickly. When you look at our trajectory on the computer screen it looks like we’re making no headway and this passage of Gibraltar goes on and on. Conditions are very laborious. Down below we're on all fours. We’re being thrown about and are having to cling on, unable even to eat. We got drenched on deck and our foulies are soaked. We haven’t slept since yesterday and we haven't rested at all today and tonight will be difficult too. We're looking forward to when today is but a distant memory. It’s not great having to face up to such conditions on the way back from a round the world. The boat is tired as are we. We should make it into the strait between 0300 and 0500 in the morning at which point the wind should at last ease.

The cargo ships are being understanding. They change course fairly quickly once we signal our presence to them. The watch is assured by the AIS in the main. With the swell we're fairly low down on the water and the visibility is poor so most of the watch is done via the screens.”

The night aboard TEMENOS II looks set to continue at this frantic rhythm then, with the two co-skippers having to make a series of tack changes in what is a channel less than 14 kilometres wide in places.

Given the monohull's difficult headway over the past two days, TEMENOS II is not expected in Barcelona before late on 17th February.