South Across the Labrador Sea - Running Before the Wind.
- Chris Leigh-Jones
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
As the first snow of winter kissed the mountains behind Nuuk, Greenland, and with a trove of memories to sort, we set forth into the Labrador Sea on the 2500NM transit home down the Atlantic coastline. By the time we reach Halifax, NS, we will be halfway home.
Crossing the Labrador Sea
Our voyage plan was to take the shortest route across, some 650NM to Cartwright, then hunker down pending the passing of Hurricane Erin off the southern coast of Newfoundland. The effect of Erin is major even though she has now weakened to a Category 2 as she passes east along the Eastern US Seaboard. A low-pressure system has formed around Cape Farewell on the southern tip of Greenland. Rather than typically spinning off East, it has headed due West (thanks, Erin). We chose to ride the northern edge of this depression, ensuring both winds and waves were on our stern for the crossing. A little lumpy but dry and quite quick, even with stabilisers deployed, we were averaging over 8KN at 1600 engine RPM. Four days and a hard-won 780NM later, we entered the Gulf of St Lawrence at Belle Isle.
480NM into the crossing and the winds veered south, leading most of the swell in the same direction. 4M wave height with a long period as they approached stern on. We rocked and rolled, but our decks stayed dry and we surfed a little (turn up the autopilot gain to max or risk bowsteering). Cartwrite was jettisoned soon after in favor of Belle Isle and the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The currents here are complex but generally cycle between slack water and about 3.0KN Easterly, and do not mirror the tide. The plan was to take advantage of the current and whatever wind remained, motoring down to the nearest bunker port, being Port Au Choix. Top up our fuel tanks on Monday and then press on the next day, checking in at Sydney, cruise the lakes of Nova Scotia, and onward to Halifax.
In the eye of the beholder
I had reason to converse with our youngest son, Rhys, who is along on the journey. Port au Choix is a typical Newfoundland location. It has its obvious challenges for the locals, and it's easy to be critical, given a privileged past. They have been overtly welcoming, with a plethora of friendly locals. Making the most of what they have in a rough world, openness, generosity, and curiosity, we have seen. A pride in their past and a hard-working fishing fleet, free, clean facilities, and a sharing of stories, I do so like stories. This land, like many, is what you make of it.
How did Vanguard react in steep ocean seas?
Our ice pilots are part of a very small community taking suitable yachts in
to high latitudes. They recently provided direct feedback on how Vanguard behaved in a seaway and compared this to their experiences with contemporaneous FPBs of similar size.
Most of the time, we sail without deploying stabilisers. It's faster and takes less power. That decision provides a comfortable motion up to Force 3/4 and/or about a 1.5M swell on the bow/stern or 1m on the beam. We are presently sailing in Force 4/5 wind with a 4m swell both on the stern quarter. Sabilisers are deployed, she is bouncing along, rolling 5/10 degrees and pitching, but no slamming or bow steering, provided the autopilot was set to a fast response. Similar motion to an FPB 70 having forward lift in waves, some way back from the bow, and a swim platform that gets wet in a following sea but is generally otherwise dry. Without stabilisers and in a beam sea, its tendency to roll was much reduced to that of an FPB 78. We also have less wind heel (due to the open flybridge design?).
We received incisive and unique feedback from their direct experience.
Chris Leigh-Jones
Tuesday am - Just departing Port au Choix, a gift of moose and smoked mackerel from a friend ashore and a thank you note for the absent Harbor Master. I like this place.