Team Cygne - Blog

Bermuda '08

CAPTAIN’S SUMMARY

CYGNE’s 2008 BERMUDA RACE JUNE 20-24

This was not a typical Bermuda Race. It was interesting, challenging, eventful and tough. The easiest way to describe it was a four-and-a-half day beat to weather, most of the time in confused seas. Four-and-a-half days to weather means you are always on a 15-25˚ angle of heel, pounding into a mixed set of waves, constant spray and solid water coming aboard, and changing sails on a heaving deck awash with water. This meant we had to wear foul-weather gear to keep salt water off, even though it was hot in the gear. Except for a few squalls, the weather was clear and warm but windy (20-35 mph with gusts to 40 mph).

START
Our series of events began two hours before our start. The first issue was the loss of charging from our alternators. This meant that we would not be able to use our electronics, instruments, computer, nor receive updated weather and Gulf Stream data. It also meant we could not run our refrigeration. Not knowing what was wrong, we decided to start and attempt a fix underway.
To preface what happened then, I would like to say that obviously we spent weeks and days on the boat to insure that all systems had been checked and double-checked before the race and found to be in good working order. An hour before our start, we tried to put down the center board (which extends the keel from 6 ft. to 10 ft.), a routine maneuver, only to find it did not go down. We took off the top of the centerboard mechanism and saw that the line was loose, which meant the board was stuck, which must have happened the last time it was checked. We motored close to shore, picked up a mooring, and Michael Rush volunteered to dive. Twice he dove, but could not pull it down. Michael is probably only 140 lbs. and the water was cold. He was freezing. Next Chris Hall, our grinder (big, strong) jumped in, put his weight and strength on the board and down it went. When Chris came out of the water, he looked warm. I asked him if he was freezing. He told us, “When you learn to swim in the English Channel, this is nothing.”
Okay, we now had full centerboard, but still no charging. So we decided to start anyway, hopeful to fix under way, but if we could not, we would still go even though it meant that we had no instruments or electronics.
We had to conserve what charge we had in the batteries for emergency communications. Shortly after the start, we hooked up our emergency running lights (run off of several D-cell batteries) and Hollister, Murray, and Chris began to diagnose our charging problem.
For navigation we had four hand-held GPS units that ran off of AA batteries. They would give us latitude, longitude and speed over the ground. This would be enough information for successful navigation to Bermuda but we would not be able to download updated weather or Gulf Stream data.
We had a good start, tacked to port to clear our air, sailed to Beavertail Point, then back on starboard for the long beat to obtain distance west of the rumb line.

RACE STRATEGY
Based on the weather, the position of the Gulf Stream and Gulf Stream eddies (an eddy is a circular area of water that can either circulate clockwise or counter-clockwise, which can make the difference in getting propelled forward or held back), our strategy was to go west of the rumb line to pick up a favorable eddy current and to gain enough westing so that when approaching Bermuda, we would not have to tack into the expected southerly wind.
Our goal was to enter the Gulf Stream 30-40 miles west of the rumb line. This would put us 20-25 miles west of the rumb line as we exited the Gulf Stream. (The Gulf Stream was about 40-50 miles wide at this point and has an east-flowing current of 2-4 knots.)
Since we could not download a new weather report or the water surface temperature chart, we had no choice but to use what data we had as of Friday morning. Our Friday report was from Commander’s Weather. The report is specific for CYGNE as the weather boats see is highly dependent on the speed of your vessel.
One of the keys to a winning strategy in the Bermuda Race is to know the location of the Gulf Stream and its eddies. The Stream flows east (bad), eddies can run east (bad), west (okay), or south (great). The surface temperature charts show the water temperature, which allows you to determine the location of the Gulf Stream and its warm or cold eddies. As the location of eddies, and at times the stream, can move 5-10 miles in a few days, knowing the exact location is critical. Sailing for ten hours with a favorable eddy of one knot (1.2 miles per hour) gives you ten extra miles. Ten hours in an unfavorable eddy costs you ten miles. Thus, a boat in a favorable eddy can gain 20 miles over a boat in an unfavorable eddy. The lack of surface temperature data would prove to be the deciding factor in our finish position.



CHARGING ISSUE
Hollister, Chris and Murray determined that a stud had broken off one of the alternators. The odds of fixing it at sea were not good. Using our satellite phone, we called the electrician/diesel mechanic that services our engine. He said we could not rewire to use only one alternator. Thus it was fix the stud or no charging. The H-M-C team worked for hours attempting to create a new stud. No luck. They had to stop when it got dark (no lights) and they discussed several options to try the next day. After several hours of trying on Saturday it was clear we would not be able to repair the alternator stud. Thus we would have to navigate and race the old-fashioned way (except for our hand- held GPS). We did keep a dead reckoning log which was updated with fixes from the hand-held GPS. At no time was there ever any question of dropping out and going back to Newport.

SAILING CONDITIONS
From the start on Friday until late Saturday, the sailing was great. Moderate wind and moderate seas. An HV #1 Genoa and full main. We had equal pointing and speed with all our major competitors.
Early Sunday and into Monday the wind and seas gradually began to build until it became a true uphill beat. The wind gradually increased until we had 20-30 from the S SW. Sailing close to the wind is called a “beat”. The name “beat” must have come from the fact that it beats up the crew and the boat. Fortunately, CYGNE is made for ocean sailing. However, beating into wind and seas for four days takes its toll on the crew. Regardless of the conditions, the crew responded. They never hesitated to do their job in difficult conditions. Most importantly, they worked as a team with no breakdown in morale or teamwork.
Unless you have done it, you cannot appreciate the effort required to go forward and change genoas from the #1 to #2, then a few hours later to #3 while waves are crashing over the bow and you. The new sail has to be dragged up from below to be on deck. Then you have to hoist the new sail while one is still up, then lower the old sail, put it in its bag and drag it below. This takes six crew members from the mast to the bow and four other crew members handling the ship. It’s hard, wet, very physical work, all on a moving deck. Note: All crew members wore inflatable life vests and safety harnesses.
From late Sunday until early Tuesday, we were sailing most of the time with one reef in the main and the #3 Genoa. Occasionally the wind would moderate and we would go to the #2 Genoa or shake out the reef in the main. However, the best combo was the #3 with one reef in main. In confused seas we could not use the #2 as it’s made for beating in flat seas. As the waves increased, they would catch the foot of the sail and put too much strain on the sail. Continuing to use the #2 would mean it would eventually blow out.
As we got closer to Bermuda the seas and wind diminished and we changed back to the #2 Genoa then to the #1. The last 230 miles was on one tack. We were moving at 8-8.5 kts. over the ground until the wind gradually decreased. We closed Bermuda on a tight reach/beat. The westing we had meant we did not have to tack until we were at the finish line.

EVENTS
This race had more happenings than I ever experienced in any other race.

BOAT RELATED EVENTS:
- Centerboard was stuck up at the start (checked and working the day before the race).
- Inability to charge batteries (serviced and inspected before the race).
- Boom Vang malfunction (all hydraulics inspected and serviced before race).
- Anchor chain lid at bow. When offshore, the anchor and chain is stowed below.
There is a lid and gasket that goes over the chain outlet to prevent water from getting in. The lid is held secure by a bungee cord arrangement. At some point Monday the lid opened, either by the bungee breaking or waves forcing it to open. Before we knew it, it was open and a large amount of water had come in. As the boat was on a heel, all the water went to one side. Before we could close the lid and pump out the water, enough water had entered to reach the engine batteries (low in the boat) and short them out. The engine batteries were toast. CYGNE has two sets of batteries. One set just for engine starting and a second set for lights, electronics, etc. The engine batteries were fully charged and we anticipated no problem starting our engine after crossing the finish line in Bermuda. Now we had no engine batteries and no service batteries. Well, it’s a sailboat.
- One crew member was using the forward head and holding on to the head for dear life as the boat pitched and tossed. A wave hit the boat. The crew member held on to the head and both he and the head were separated from its attachment to the floor. Not funny for the crew member but funny as a war story. The forward head was then out of service, which left the aft head as the only facility for 12.

MEDICAL EVENTS
- Several of the crew had various stages of seasickness. Some were very sick. It did not stop them. Fortunately “Doctor Dave” (Dr. David Siwicki) is an emergency room physician and a regular member of CYGNE’S team.
Doctor Dave had medications that brought the seasickness under control and allowed the crew members to function. When you really get seasick, you want to die. Yet none of the crew ever stopped, even when sick.
- While working on the engine, a crew member was hit on the head. Doctor Dave stapled him up.
- One crew member collapsed and fainted while at the helm. Fortunately he did not get caught in the wheel. The cause was dehydration. He recovered with Doctor Dave’s help. The crew was threatened that unless they drank more water, of which there was plenty on board, they would get liquids the hard way.
- One crew member’s old knee injury flared up and his knee became quite swollen. Doctor Dave drained _ liter of fluid twice.

BEING PROACTIVE
We saved our battery power for critical communications. The satellite phone does not use much power but the SSB does consume significant power to transmit.
On Sunday I used a sat phone to notify the race committee of our power situation, that we were in no danger, required no assistance, and would continue racing to Bermuda with emergency lights.
On Monday I again used our sat phone to call my son Raymond, as Erika was already on a plane to Bermuda. I told him of our situation and asked him to find us an engine mechanic in Bermuda to fix the charging problem. He found a great electrician and we were first on his list. Calling ahead was the key, as he was in such demand that there were boats waiting for his service after CYGNE left to return home. It took him five minutes to check it all out, confirm that the stud was the issue, and 6 hours in his shop to fix the stud. As the engine batteries were toast and the service batteries drained with reduced capacity to accept a charge, we had to replace all our batteries. CYGNE has a 24-volt electrical system, two 12-volt just for the engine and four 6-volt for electronics, instruments, lights, etc.

NO ENGINE
When I found the engine batteries had no charge, my first reaction was s---. The towing charge from the finish line to Hamilton would be painful. Then I remembered that four years ago I signed up with the Sea Tow Company for “unlimited coverage.” Thus, I was covered by towing insurance in Bermuda. They arranged for a private towing service to tow us into Hamilton to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The trip from the finish line to RBYC usually takes two hours. It took us six.
It turns out a total of eight boats had to be, for various reasons, towed in.

FINISH LINE
We had a good approach to Bermuda, never had to tack, and 150 miles out we were closing in on Bermuda at 8-9 knots. If the wind held, we would have moved ahead of several boats that were to our east. The wind did hold until 40 miles from Bermuda, and then dropped to 10-12 knots. This lowered our speed from 8-9 knots to 6 _ knots. This was enough to prevent us from catching more boats.
We crossed the finish line at 23:14 Tuesday. By the time we were towed to Hamilton it was 6:30 a.m. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was pre-notified of our situation. At 7:30 a.m., they maneuvered us into a slip. We all were tired, and after a quick clean-up got some rest.
All pitched in with cleaning and repairs, and by Friday CYGNE was back in good condition.

BERMUDA ACTIVITIES
We love Bermuda; there is no better landfall. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was packed with race boats, many of them with “dressed ship,” with all the code flags flying, which made it a colorful sight. Most boats had the crew’s foul weather gear draped over the boom, a testimony to the conditions at sea, and sails drying everywhere. Every night there were parties either at the RBYC or at the adjacent park, reggae bands, etc. Needless to say that most crews took advantage of all the happenings and the “Dark and Stormy” was THE popular and traditional drink (Goslings Black Rum with Barrit’s Ginger Beer) with of course the subsequent consequences.
Wednesday night the Storm Trysail Club had its cocktail party at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. Thursday was the CCA Cocktail Party. The same evening Nautor Swan USA gave a cocktail party on the terrace of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel. Immediately following was the Swan Owners Association Dinner in the Ballroom of the hotel. My term as Commodore of the SOA ended at the dinner. Erika has organized this dinner on my behalf since 2002. This year 150 people attended-owners, their wives and crews. Our guests of honor and their wives were: the new Commodore of the Swan Owners Association, the Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the Commodore of the Cruising Club of America and the Newport-Bermuda Race Chairman. A beautiful trophy was given out for the best SWAN result. Many did very well, as you can see from the website www.bermudarace.com .
Friday night we had dinner with our good friends Nick (the Race Chairman) and Maryann Nicholson on the terrace overlooking the water of the lovely Waterloo House, which by the way is sold, and like so many other beautiful-style buildings, will be replaced by a commercial unit. On Saturday night the traditional awards ceremony was held at Government House, which is a beautiful estate overlooking the Great Sound, an unparalleled location for the awards. Everyone was dressed in their finest.
On Sunday CYGNE left for the return trip to the U.S. Erika and I flew back to Boston the same day.

RACE RESULTS
CYGNE finished 10/15 in class and 51/128 as scored under ORR in the St. David’s Head Light House Division. Not what we wanted, but considering our issues, not bad.
The key to a higher finish was determining how far west of the rumb line to go. At the start we estimated 30-40, our actual was 34. The winning boats went 40-45 miles west of the rumb line. The extra distance they went was dictated by the movement of the eddies from Friday to Monday, information which was unfortunately not available to us. Without up-to-date sea surface temperature data, we had to use our Friday forecast and our best guess. Boats that went the extra ten miles west picked up a south eddy flow of 1-2 knots for 8 hours. That is a gain of 8-16 miles, or 1 _ - 2 hours of time.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Day Time Comments Distance Sailed Average Speed
Friday 6/20 1320 Start of Race
Saturday 6/21 1300 Starboard tack to eddy 145 6.0
Sunday 6/22 1300 Starboard tack 120 5.0 (some light air)
Sunday 6/22 1300 Tack to port in Gulf Stream
Sunday 6/22 2200 Tack to starboard 40 4.5 (against GS)
Monday 6/23 1300 Starboard tack 90 6.0
Tuesday 2314 Finish 230 6.8

The rumb line distance to Bermuda is 635 miles. Our elapsed time was 105.5 hours for an average speed of 6.0 knots. Actual distance sailed over the ground was 700 miles for an average of 6.6 knots. If we account for the effect of sailing against the Gulf Stream for 9 hours, our average speed over the ground was 6.8 knots.

OVERALL
A tough, hard, challenging, eventful, and in its own way, fun race. This was my 9th Bermuda race. In terms of difficult races, it matches my first in 1979. 1979 was also a starboard tack beat for three days. However, in 1979, we were in a 38 ft. boat that was a wet boat. The 1984 race had more violent conditions in the Gulf Stream. That year a SE gale against a south-flowing meander of the Gulf Stream produced steep seas that were close together, confused and the motion was like a washing machine. However, we were only in it for eight hours.

RETURN TRIP
Most of our crew flew home, but two people flew into Bermuda to help sail CYGNE back to the US, together with our regulars, Matt, Steve and Karyn. The forecast was for SW winds of 15-20 building to 30-40 for 8-10 hours as a front moved through. It did build and the crew and Cygne handled it.
A final event had to happen to remind us this was not a typical race or return trip.
8 hours out of Bermuda, a fan in the fore peak shorted out. The plastic melted, dropped onto a sail bag and started a small fire, quickly put out with an extinguisher. The sail is in for repair. We need to find out why the circuit breaker did not trip.


PERSONAL NOTE
Prior to starting this race, I told Erika that this was the best-prepared and committed crew I have sailed with. They performed superbly. Without their committed effort and support we could have had more serious problems and a poorer finish. Words cannot express my appreciation.