Setting sail across the Atlantic – the words themselves hold so much adventure! Standing on the dock in the Canaries, looking at the Victoria – our 19-meter home for the next few weeks – felt both exciting and daunting. There were ten of us: our capable skippers JP and Jeroen, experienced sailors like Eddy, Guido, Inge, Nienke, Yvette, Rudy, Ben, and myself (Evelien), ready to tackle over 3000 nautical miles together.
Final Frenzy Before Freedom
The final days before departure were a whirlwind of organized chaos. The shopping lists seemed endless – Inge and Nienke tallied something like 180 unique items! We made countless trips hauling groceries in rental cars, trying to figure out the complex puzzle of stowing everything logically yet accessibly. There were last-minute technical checks too; I recall someone spending hours high up the mast fixing the crucial foresail halyard. Amidst this flurry, JP and Jeroen led the safety briefings, ensuring we all understood the procedures, and helped us finalize the all-important watch schedule. It was intense, but working together under pressure definitely started building our team dynamic even before we cast off the lines.
Finding Our Sea Legs (and Routines)
And then, we were finally off! Leaving the familiar sight of Gran Canaria shrinking behind us felt momentous. The Victoria sliced through the waves, quickly settling into a comfortable rhythm, often hitting 7-8 knots. The first few days were crucial for finding our sea legs and adapting to the completely new environment of a moving world. Life onboard quickly structured itself around the watch schedule, a constant rotation ensuring vigilance day and night. Guido and Eddy, with their experience, often shared insights during these initial shifts, helping us get familiar with the boat’s systems.
For me, personally, the biggest challenge surfaced immediately: sleep. As a very light sleeper, the constant motion, the unpredictable noises of the hull and rigging, combined with the necessarily fragmented sleep allowed by the watch schedule… it was tough. Accumulating tiredness quickly became my unwelcome companion, a factor I knew I’d have to manage mentally throughout the voyage to keep appreciating the journey. It wasn’t seasickness, thankfully, but a deep fatigue that required conscious effort to overcome each day.
The Rhythm of the Ocean
Beyond watches, a unique daily life took shape. Cooking together in the galley became an exercise in coordination and balance. Cleaning duties, boat checks, and even simple tasks like doing laundry in a bucket on the sunny deck became part of the shared routine. We started noticing the subtle shifts in the ocean, the changing colours of the water, the vast emptiness stretching in every direction. Early sightings of playful dolphins racing alongside us, sometimes spotted first by Yvette or Rudy on watch, were pure magic, sharp bursts of joy reminding us of the incredible wildness surrounding us. We were settling in, ten individuals becoming a crew, carried across the blue by the wind and the Victoria.
