An Atlantic Crossing

I left Worth in July 2002 and worked to earn some money for a few months before setting off on my gap year adventures. My first challenge was joining the crew of Crackerjack to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. We were competing in an event called the Atlantic Rally for Cruising Yachts (ARC). There are many classes from the larger racing yachts to family crewed small yachts embarking on a trip that has been planned many years in advance.

Tom Podbury on the Crackerjack

Crackerjack left her home port on The Hamble, Southampton, last October and three weeks later arrived in the Canary Isles. On the 24th November, I joined my bother James, my Dad and three friends for the sail from Las Palmas, our destination being the Caribbean Island of St Lucia. I have completed RYA sailing courses in Southampton and have my Day Skipper Certificate but this was a challenge far removed from the Solent.

The week before setting off was filled with planning and shopping for the trip, carrying out safety checks, cleaning and checking all the equipment on board. We had to provision the boat for a month to allow for light winds or any unexpected delays, however, we hoped to complete the crossing in 16 days. The distance between Las Palmas and St Lucia is 2,800 miles. Entries into the event come from all over Europe and America. It is the largest transoceanic race staged with 240 yachts juggling for positions in the staggered start. I had taken part in a lot of the pre-race events and 'education', everything from flare displays, to air/sea rescue, medical emergencies at sea, weather, communications, satellite navigation and of course plenty of parties! On the final night there was a fancy dress party with the theme ‘what you were wearing when the ship went down’... very Titanic (I wore a towel and shaving foam), followed by a huge firework display.

I felt both apprehensive and exhilarated when we set out for the start. With six of us on board we had worked out a rotating watch system, two people working as a team with three hours on watch and six off, obviously operating 24 hours a day. We all took turns in chart work, navigating, cooking and the dreaded cleaning. We got off to a good start, however the trade winds had not quite set in and we were sent a long way south with high seas and strong winds keeping us off our intended course. We experienced some bad weather for the first week and all kept our heads down with harnesses and lifejackets worn when on deck and on watch.

We experienced some 50 knot squalls which made cooking and eating fairly difficult, however, eventually we made progress and blue skies and consistent breezes accompanied us for the rest of the journey and we eventually crossed the finishing line in St Lucia 18 days after setting out from Las Palmas, my first Atlantic Crossing completed.

Some of the most memorable sights along the route were the dolphins and pilot whales sighted and the fishing. I caught the largest Dorado (disputed!) and we also landed wahoo and tuna, all cooked on board and eaten. The stars at night kept us company and I learnt a lot about astro navigation. Despite the number of yachts at the start, we saw very few on the journey, unfortunately there was a death on the trip on a boat called Tuotmazout when a crew member was washed overboard and one boat was scuttled at sea. All other competitors made it to St Lucia and prize giving was held just before Christmas. Cups and trophies eluded us, but the experience was unforgettable.

Tom Podbury (Chapman 1997-02)