The Atlantic Diaries – Antigua, Caribbean to Cascais, Portugal
Dedicated to the crew of the Blue Clipper…
Part one – written while at sea…
As is so often the case in life, it’s been all about the little things. I have longed for and dreamt of this trip for almost four decades now and as I write, those of us off watch are sitting in the saloon, some of us are writing, some are studying, some are reading. The kind offer of a coffee made for me, the feeling of companionship, of being amongst like minded souls.
At last.
Not before time either. We left Antigua after a last trip ashore to access wifi to download the Star tracker app which would allow us gaze at the celestial constellations whilst on night watch.
So far it’s been a trip of sublime sunsets and even more exquisite sunrises, catching fish, star gazing, deck push ups whilst on watch – (just for the fun of it like!!) celestial navigation classes, eating, sleeping, chatting and lots of doing not very much at all.
“La dolce far niente” as the Italians phrase it.
The beauty of doing nothing. Something we have all too much forgottten. The crew are mostly unchanged from the Caribbean trip. But this time we are on a watch rota. A mix of mostly four hour watches with some three and one two hour watches throw in. Time during which we play an eclectic mix of music, do gym push ups, make coffee, chat, stargaze, hoist and drop various sails and jibs, steer the ship, and fill out the log book. Oh – and there’s been tons of sing songs too! And with five Irish on board out of a total of 21, well of course the wit, banter and general repartee for which us Irish are rightly famous, the slagging has also been non stop! At the end of each watch, we have to also note our course on the good old fashioned log book as well as note our current position on the nautical chart. Nothing like making sure we still use the old fashioned way!
I still find myself pinching myself that I am actually finally, finally doing this trip. I remember my first ever sailing course in Glenans West Cork in my early thirties when I was newly separated from Ruth’s dad and someone asking me one evening what I really wanted to do with my life. My immediate answer was –“I haven’t a clue” and seconds later I found myself saying “I want to sail around the world” followed by closely thinking to myself I hadn’t a feckin’ clue how I’d do it. At the time I was a total newbie to sailing, Ruth was only two years old, I was also a poor swimmer, and at the time was holding down two jobs to support us both.
As the years went on however I did a fair bit of sailing, including crossing the Bay of Biscay on the Stavros S. Niarchos Tall Ship in 2009, and eventually had a teeny weeny boat called “Ruth” in Kinsale Harbour for almost two years – during which time very little sailing was done (!!), but deep and enduring friendships were formed. Friendships which continue to this day.
I then found myself In recent years thinking, well I could still sail around the world, I could just do it an ocean at a time! And not on my boat but on someone else’s. And hence Tall Ships became my focus. However after Ruth’s death when I finally had the finances to embark on such trip, I was precluded from several major trips as I had not had the Covid vaccine.
But ooh my oh my, it’s been so worth the wait. The utter simplicity of each day is beautiful. Nothing to do except as I have already written, sleep, write, paint, eat, go on watches. All in whatever order I choose once I’ve done my watch. My watercolours are with me here and I have unexpectedly come up with my watercolour planetary collection which will most likely be called the planetary portals – inspired by photos taken of the Atlantic waves washing against the portholes. All different colours, keeping it simple for now. The more complex stuff will come later. If and when it does. My vision for hand painted natal birth charts is also almost complete. Keeping that one simple also.
The deep peace I feel sitting amongst fellow adventurers cannot be underestimated. It is also hard to fully describe. Calm and peaceful as we either read or write or paint in the saloon when off watch. Or simply sit and drink a quiet coffee.
This blog post was started in the present with the intention of being completed immediately at the end of the trip. However that did not happen as I was still travelling and so the rest of it below is written some weeks later – with even deeper reflection from my current home base of Vibo, Reggio Calabria in Southern Italy
Part two – written six weeks after arrival at our final destination – Cascais, Portugal
After two and a half weeks at sea, the Gods however, decided to mightily, and I mean mightily! – up the ante for the last four or five days. We went within hours from reasonably good sailing conditions to a Force 9 gale, with winds of up to 50 kmph. On our watch – Green Watch – we actually hit 9 knots of speed one stormy night. There were days when the sails and jibs went up and down constantly, to maximise our speed and make the most of the wind. There were some lengthy and extremely painful injuries and ailments acquired along the way – nothing serious thankfully. The simplest movements became challenging, showering became almost an impossibility unless you were willing to acquire several bruises in the process! We had to be clipped on the instant we opened the saloon door for our watch and usually needed the assistance of two others to assume our watch position. Three sails were ripped and the most dramatic night was definitely when one of the main winches broke and I had to man the helm and take over from the captain for about 15 minutes. It was beyond terrifying, yet now remains my most exhilarating memory.
The combined boat and guest crew were all mighty and stepped up incredibly to the challenges of the extreme weather, often selflessly going over their own watch time. Almost all the boat crew were aged between 19 and 29 and I really can’t write highly enough of them. By god, they all gave 250% of themselves at all times. Watching how they cared for each other during the last weeks when two of the boat crew were ill and watch leader changes had to be made as we were now down not one, but two watch leaders. They continued to give. The gym sessions – i.e. push ups and planks during the night continued. The laughing and banter continued. The music and swopping of music boom boxes continued. Several sail tears were also repaired whilst at sea in these ongoing stormy conditions. Not once was anyone even two minutes late on watch.
Not once did I see a wrong sailing decision made.
Not once.
May I repeat – not once did I see a wrong sailing decision made.
A cup of hot coffee (the real stuff!!) whilst on watch became what I craved and savoured the most. I was endlessly slagged about my half cup of coffee as to which side of the cup did I want the coffee in this time – the left or the right!
It’s always the simple things, huh?!
On the clear nights we could indeed see the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter twinkling above us, along with so many of the constellations – The North Star, Orion, Ursa Major, the Southern Cross, Andromeda and so many others. The Skar Tracker app helped a lot once on land, but was not accessible at sea. Still the learning was great.
The First Mate gave several insightful lessons about how to read and also use a sextant. It brought me back to my Celestial Navigation Course of 2022 (which I failed gloriously for several reasons!), and I found this sextant however, far easier to use. We also had weather talks, sail talks lessons, knot lessons, plus lessons on how to strengthen a worn rope (known as whipping!).
I offered to give a talk on astrology which was magical, as I haven’t given many in person talks on astrology in recent years. I’m proud to say the numbers attending were the highest of any of the talks given, as even the skeptics really couldn’t help themselves and slithered in quietly!! I did several mini on the spot readings which was magical, as again that was something I had not done for years either. And of the handful of readings I did – well the massive collective Sun Jupiter and Moon Jupiter energy was what shone out the most. It totally explained all those extra activities I have described above!
We arrived in Horta the Azores a whole week ahead of time and hence ended up having almost 12 days there as our departure was also delayed by two days. Some of us moved ashore for the duration including myself, but boat activities still continued and lots of repair and maintenance was carried out. Three other tall ships arrived behind us but we had the distinction of being the first tall ship to do the Atlantic Crossing in 2025.
An almighty celebration dinner was had that night followed by the Captain’s dinner aboard some days later on St Patrick’s Day with the rest of that night spent in the world famous Pete’s Bar where sailors from all over the world congregate. It was most raucous night I’ve had in almost a decade and magical to finally have all the crew together at the same time, which of course multiplied the slagging throughout the night!
While in Horta, some of us hired a car to see round the island, the volcano was however invisible due to fog and rain. Another lovely day was spent in Pico, a stunningly beautiful and very different island just across from Horta. The landscape and foliage changed every few miles and it was a much more volcanic island than Faial. The great ship’s chandlery back in Horta meant I could upgrade some of my sailing gear too, by buying ueber sexy Guy Cotten trouser waterproofs!
Several more guests were with us for the last of the crossing from Horta to Cascais with different watch systems. There were still three watches, one mostly the Polish Watch, the others the Swiss Watch, and the third one which I was part of, was known as the “Other” Watch !!(we were in fact still Green Watch!) It was a great relief to simply have more bodies on board and we arrived in Cascais about a day and a half ahead of schedule on Wednesday 26th March mid to late morning, just over two days before the solar eclipse.
Well, how fitting!
Venus retrograde followed by the Lunar Eclipse and the subsequent solar eclipse on arrival in Cascais throughout the whole trip left -as expected – a sort of brain fog for a while. This Atlantic crossing has caused me to shed so much of what no longer serves me. My ongoing grief at losing Ruth – that wound is finally healed as much as I can and not before time. Selling my house in Courtmacsherry last October was absolutely the right decision, with the house sale closing, as expected – the day before her 33rd birthday, poignantly at exactly the right time too.
I complete this blog in Vibo Southern Italy where I have had to stay for unexpected emergency dental treatment. Unexpectedly this quiet peaceful marine town has all I have aspired for and more. Good infrastructure, far lower cost of living, several apartments well within my price range, year round sunshine, beautiful sandy beaches including the stunning Tropea beach just forty minutes away, yoga studios, and two gyms. Everything is walkable in the town too. There are three Vibos which is a bit confusing, Vibo Marina on the water and Vibo Valentia the main town a short fifteen minute drive away. There is also a Vibo Pozzo but I have not been there yet. And Sicily and the Lipari islands are only a short boat ride away too. Good flights connections to Ireland are no longer a factor for me, poignantly. My remaining possessions are in storage there and can be sent over at any time.
Yes my astrocartography even further south changes more than I expected and my mid heaven in Pisces, is ruled by Neptune. And I’m really not sure how I am going to handle an upcoming solar return chart in 2025 which is Sagittarius Rising with Jupiter angular on the descendant for the very year I had planned to settle down!! I cracked up when I saw it – it is so full of joy and lightheartedness – Sun, Moon and Mercury in Gemini in the fifth house of creativity and children, with Jupiter also in Gemini in the sixth!! Lots more exciting projects, all around creativity. I’ve yet to discover what they will be!
Eclipses are portals of opening, the Lunar Eclipse of March 13th symbolising a huge letting go, in preparation for the forthcoming Solar Eclipse on March 29th, two days after we arrived in Cascais. Having sailed a total of over 3,500 miles it was with a totally different sense of joy and relief that we arrived. I stayed on ashore another three days and had one or two lovely meals with crew and we then all went on our way.
So I am still processing the fact that at almost sixty five years of age, yes I have finally completed my first ocean crossing. The trip was certainly not planned around the planetary alignment of Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Nor was it planned to also experience two eclipses.
As I finish this blog, I find tears coming to my eyes at the memories of the youthful boat crew, always joyous, always witty, stellar discipline, going – as I said earlier way, way, way and beyond what they were expected to do. The hilarity of the dancing and singing on deck, the raucous rows and laughter during the bingo musical night, the art afternoons which were held. Not to mention the murder game which lasted a full week!
So this blog is hence dedicated to all the boat crew of the Blue Clipper with eternal love and gratitude.
Photos copyright Martha Clarke
Thank you dear readers for reading my blog on The Atlantic Diaries which I dedicate to the crew of the Blue Clipper.