The Atlantic

Dear Future Michael,

About this time last year we lay in our bed in Irvington, New York talking about what it would be like to cross an ocean in our sailboat, Gerty.

“There will be more stars than sky,” you told me, “there will be an expanse of ocean that will make us feel small.  Like Bernard Moitessier, the sea will capture our souls.”  

“Isn’t Moitessier that French guy who left his wife on dry land and never came home?” I asked.

We laughed.  Then ten months went by in a time warp, where days were so full of new experiences that they were both the longest and the shortest they had ever been.  We met sailors who filled our heads with real life tales of the Mediterranean and just like that, we were afloat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  It says in our ship’s log on day 5 that we were stuck in the doldrums, bobbing about, listening to the dishes clunk against the galley cabinets.  You were pondering the sail-drive oil problem.  I was trying to remember where I hid the chocolate.  We sat in the cockpit and gazed over the lifelines as Man-o-war jellyfish floated over a smooth blue desert.  It was peaceful, but slow.  We were unafraid, but bored.

“Why are we doing this?” I asked you.  

It was a big question and you gave it the appropriate pause.

“To get to the other side?” You answered my question with a question.

We laughed.  We agreed.  The wind picked up.  There were squalls and waves that rose up out of the ocean like sea monsters grabbing at Gerty’s arch.  There was a fresh gale with a steady 34 knots on the starboard aft corner that lasted for two straight days.  There were massive pods of dolphins and whales spraying in the distance.  There were ships that haunted me on the radar during my nightwatch.   The spinnaker tore to pieces, the water filter clogged, the galley drawer detached, the engine alarm screamed and the rudder stocks howled.  The propane tank ran out in the middle of cooking quiche.  We almost hit an adrift rowboat!  You tethered in, braving the deck to change the jib pole as the sea jumped up to douse you in a torrent of teasing water.  

I wrote an eleven page blog about it all.  Alas, we arrived in Horta and the days at sea washed away with the falling tide.  We stretched our legs on the painted docks where sailors have marked this place as a crossroads – a port that only receives those that have experienced an ocean journey.  A salty place, just for us few, where I feel that we belong.  

As my toes hung over the soles of my sandals and touched the Portuguese mosaic sidewalk, I knew what I would want the future-you to remember about our Atlantic crossing – how you made me feel.  Brave.  “So brave,” you said, “not because you aren’t afraid, but because you fear and do everything anyway.” 

Thank you for taking me sailing,

Jill

Last remarks

Thank you to friends and family for rooting for us and using our satellite email to keep us company on the long journey.  It made all the difference!

By the numbers:
  • Distance 2,538nm
  • Time 16D19H
  • Avg SOG 6.3kt
  • Max SOG 18.1kt
  • Max nm/day 204
  • Max wind speed 37kt
  • Max estimated seas 6m 

Comments (23)

  1. OMG, scared but did it anyway? This must be love. I can’t fathom why a nice Jewish girl from Melville would become a captain and support a transatlantic journey with a guy from Potomac who is always itching for all things “boat.” Glad to read about your journey, and you know how Moms are… so enjoy this unique opportunity and stay in love.

    Reply

      1. So glad you made it safely and, even more importantly, enjoyed the adventure! We may be following in your wake next year, so will need a few tips from you this time! Hopefully, we’ll catch up with you on the other side! Simon, SV Parati PS We are currently in the Bahamas waiting for a weather window to head for North Carolina or Virginia….

        Reply

  3. Dearest Jill – as usual, your words are very special and now, better than ever. The pics are spectacular. We’re mesmerized by it all. “For the future…” thanks for letting us ride along. And, P.S., thanks Michael for making it to the other side!

    Reply

  4. This is my third time trying to write a comment because ” awesome dudes!” doen’t quite capture my reaction to what you have acomplished. What you guys did is off the charts. You couId hang with Elon Musk and talk about going to Mars now. I have spent my life seeking adventures but I could never imagine pushing the limits as far as you two have. You and Michael are heroic. as a couple and as individuals you are so special. Crossing an ocean doesn’t change how I feel about you. But it does confirm that I’m a good judge of character knowing you would pull this off. I have bragging right too. My friends sailed across the Atlantic! I couldn’t be happier for you. The pictures should be hanging in Stacey’s gallery and Jill’s writing is better than Hemmingway. I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
    XO,
    John

    Reply

    1. We are laughing and choked up at the same time. What a comment- and coming from two people that we genuinely feel are awesome in everything you do!!!

      Reply

  6. I too am looking to do the same as you: take delivery in Europe and start the trip from there. I noticed that Allures 45.9 now has an option for a deep blast-ed swing keel. Presumably, it might improve up-wind performance. Thoughts? Also if you were re-do the whole purchase all over again, would there be some things that your leave off or add to configuration/option list?

    Reply

    1. Mark, The swing keel should improve performance as they are able to reduce the total ballast and keep the boat lighter. I believe they have only made one of these. To get the performance gains I suspect you would need to be sure not to overload the boat. You would probably order it with a taller carbon mast and performance sails. You would loose the ability to dry the boat out, the boat would have more draft, and I believe the swing keel would be hydraulic instead of a simple line hoist. Additionally, sailing with the keel up would not be recommended since the righting moment would depend on the keel being down. It would be a trade off that we probably wouldn’t do; however, I would be interested in hearing what kind of performance gain would be achieved.

      If we were to reorder the same boat I don’t think we would leave off anything we ordered. I would have upsized all the winches one size and probably would have had the factory implement some of the upgrades we have made. It would have been easier to do them during the build process.

      Good luck with you planning!

      Reply

      1. Very insightful response. As all things in sailing, everything is a compromise of sort. Sounds like I would give up too much to get a bit more performance and pay whole lot more for it, both in terms of dollars and headaches! Regrading deck hardware. On my current boat, which I also bought new, I had to upgrade all the mast blocks, clutches, and increase the purchase on my adjustable genoa cars and traveller to make things more civilized, when the boat was fully loaded. Besides the winches, are these other deck components sized properly? Anything else regarding deck hardware and sail setup you would change now that you’ve gained all that sailing time with Gerty?

        Reply

  10. Just absolutely amazed by you two – and a little scared ! I also can’t believe that you manage to do more cooking on a sailboat than I do on land!
    Let’s set up another FaceTime call
    Soon! Enjoy the adventures ! Xoxo Amy R

    Reply

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