AN EAST-BOUND ATLANTIC CROSSING VIA BERMUDA AND HORTA WAS A VOYAGE OF CONTRASTS FOR VIVIAN VUONG
We tacked for the first and only time on our 13-day crossing. The view off Ultima’s bow revealed the alluring sight of not only an approaching landfall but elevation too. Pico, one of the nine Azorean islands of Portugal, jutted out from the Atlantic. The volcano’s crater and base were exposed, while swirls of cloud encircled the entire midsection. “We can hike to the top,” Nathan suggests. My legs yearned for a stomp after two weeks on the boat. I know that while my husband is fuelled by the deep ocean and passage making, it’s the exploration of new places, foods and culture that is my motive to sail. So with these and a love for adventure in mind we designed an itinerary for crossing the Atlantic with Bermuda and the Azores as our waypoints.
Before we owned our Compass 47, we’d managed a sail charter business, living in the beautiful Grenadines but working long hours with only rare days off. I would stare at beaches and peaks, daydreaming from my office desk, and seldom got a chance to truly explore the island we lived on. We also delivered sailing and motor yachts for a living while saving up for our own boat. Our routine would be to arrive at an airport, taxi to the marina, provision and prepare the yacht, then shove off. Any desire to explore the exotic locations each boat was in had to be satisfied by a day or two ashore, usually eating at restaurants within walking distance of the marina or going for a short swim, if time allowed.
We bought Ultima three years ago, eager to start our sail training company Ocean Passages, hoping to voyage the world at our own pace. But running a travel business during a pandemic was not sensible, so we delayed our international trips and instead sailed as far up and down the US east coast as we could from Florida to Maine. We became true snowbirds, migrating from north to south with the seasons, then were finally able to indulge ourselves by exploring the Caribbean more fully.
CARIBBEAN WINTER
One by one, countries dropped entry requirements for vaccinated travellers and our training passage plans expanded to sail through the Lesser Antilles. We often design passages our clients may one day take on their own boats, giving them an opportunity to get familiar with customs procedures, anchoring, mooring, navigating, and sailing offshore. The tradewinds were a great way to island-hop south in the prevalent north-east to easterlies winds. Ultima was happiest on broad to close reaches, particularly since her hatches were becoming leaky and any upwind sailing meant a dose of salty water inside the boat.
In between training passages we spent several weeks in Grenada, taking the opportunity to go beyond the marinas. We practi
