We’d anticipated our leg from the Swain Reefs to Rosslyn Bay would be a long and tedious day. It was, but not quite how we’d imagined. As we set off from the reefs the seas became a bit confused; short waves which were steep and coming from all directions. There was no regular rhythm to them.
To ensure that the Admiral didn’t succumb to seasickness I was allowed to sit like Lady Muck whilst Gerhard managed the boat and ran between the galley and cockpit preparing cooked breakfasts and freshly brewed cappuccinos. Just as well we did eat then – because it went haywire after that…
The 10-15 knot winds went out the window, instead going in excess of 30knots and the waves whilst not big were just all over the shop. The autopilot (aka Brittany Spears) couldn’t cope and Gerhard spent the next 10 hours at the helm managing the boat, putting in reefs and remaining unflustered. He said afterwards it wasn’t the wind or wave size that made it tricky, just the state of the ocean crashing us over each and every way. A couple of times we were bowled over on our side as the second or third wave in a row caught us off balance. It was grim, and went on for hours. We arrived at Rosslyn Bay after dark, and even then just as we entered behind the breakwall of the marina, in the darkness, the waves gave us a last bashing and I thought ‘oh lordie, we’re going to end up on the rocks!’ as Gerhard cranked up the throttle and went for it. Clearly we didn’t end up on any rocks but poor Gerhard must have been exhausted – I was completely over the battering after the first 5 or 6 hours. He still had to focus and zigzag us a way through the waves for a total of 11 or more hours.
As for our little ocean-going boys? Oscar went to sleep and Hugo listened to audio books. They watched a couple of movies, requested snacks and were completely un-phased by the fact that the boat was crashing about at an angle of between 30 and 80 degrees! They were banned from the cockpit – waves crashing over the deck and a chaotic sea may have terrified them. As it was they were totally non-plussed.