Here is the story that we have all been waiting for of the transatlantic crossing by Sarah and Sébastien, a couple who left everything behind to cross the Atlantic aboard a Sun Légende 41…
“We departed Mindelo in a flotilla: nearly ten boats left on the same day that we did! We were happy to be in their company. The boats exchanged messages by radio, and we contacted Deep Blue, an English boat also headed for Barbados.
A Transatlantic Crossing Filled with Emotion
Our first night and the first flying fish landing on deck… we truly are crossing the Atlantic! The days are very hot and the nights very humid, but the moon is with us now, and the watches are more enjoyable. We are sailing under gennaker and main sail, and we are taking in and shaking out the reefs. The wind is squarely from the northeast, but its strength varies a lot.
On the 6th day, the wind fell, and so we took down the main sail and only raised the spinnaker. The night was magical: at 9 knots, The Love Boat had never sailed so fast! The wind climbed to 20 knots, we took down the spinnaker at night; we had this maneuver down pat. At 6:00 in the morning, a boat appeared on the AIS: it was Deep Blue! Incredibly, we found each other, just three nautical miles apart, in the middle of the Atlantic. This was a big moment for us, since we had been all alone for a week. The same day, we caught our first mahi-mahi — small, but delicious!
Midway through our journey, the wind strengthened again. We spent two days under genoa only, and with a deeper course. This course is very tiring, as the boat rolled too much for us. Even though we were completely adjusted to the sea and at ease on board, our bodies began to tire of all these movements, the perpetual motion. And it was a bit stressful for me, as we took our first breaking wave in the cockpit... Fortunately, the days preceding our arrival were calmer, and The Love Boat averaged 6.5 knots! With land in sight, what emotion we felt after 15 days at sea!
A Very Positive Experience
With no technical problems, plenty of wind and no motoring, and our lives rhythmed by watches, we have enjoyed this very special time together as a couple. At anchor, facing a beach straight from our dreams, we are now celebrating our adventure with the crew of Deep Blue!”
