Finally arrived in Barbados!

2,218 nautical miles, 368 hours, or 16 days—we set out as a group of five and arrived as a group of four.

But let’s take it one step at a time. Two days after arriving from Germany, Florian complained of feeling unwell. He was suffering from diarrhea and a fever. After two days, we took him to the doctor. The diagnosis: a salmonella infection! As a result, our planned departure across the Atlantic was delayed by another five days. On Thursday, December 13, 2018, at 10:45 a.m., we finally cast off, quickly filled up on diesel, and set sail. The first two days at sea were marked by three- to four-meter-high waves coming from astern, with an average speed of 6.4 knots. On the third day, the waves subsided and the wind had already shifted to the right direction, allowing us to set the sails for a downwind course—and thus sail in a “butterfly” formation (mainsail on one side, genoa/jib on the other). Unfortunately, Florian informed us that his health was deteriorating, as evidenced by persistent headaches and a stabbing/pulling pain in his left chest.

After dinner, we discussed the various options, and a return to Mindelo was considered. So, without further ado, we furled the sails and set a course back for Mindelo. Unfortunately, the waves and the current were so strong against us that we could only manage a speed of about 3 knots over ground. Given our diesel supply, a successful return was out of the question. We contacted the coast guard via our Garmin satellite device. We were instructed to slow down until a solution could be worked out. The next day, we were initially told that a helicopter was on its way, but after a few hours, this plan was canceled because we were already out of the helicopter’s range. At the end of the day, we were informed that the hospital ship “Esperanza del Mar” had changed course to head toward us. Since the ship was about 850 sm further south, the estimated time of arrival was 48 hours. As Florian was feeling increasingly better, we called off the rescue operation and resumed our journey toward the Caribbean.

Unfortunately, Florian’s pain became unbearable again the very next day, so the maritime rescue service was contacted for the second time. I spent the entire afternoon in contact with the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) in Dakar and then with the MRCC in Fort-de-France. We were given information about several ships in the region, but unfortunately without exact coordinates. Nevertheless, I tried for several hours to reach the ships via emergency radio channel 16, but to no avail. Later in the afternoon, we were informed that the freighter AOM Aphrodite—over 200 meters long—had changed course toward us. Unfortunately, it was about 270 nautical miles away, and we were instructed to change our course as well. However, the meeting point was about 70 nautical miles in the direction from which we had just come. We were forced to change both our course and our sail configuration.

From then on, it was a 20-hour struggle on a half-wind course against the waves and the current. We reached the agreed-upon meeting point, which was in the middle of the Atlantic, on time. Yum Yum looked tiny next to the freighter. Anyone who thought a freighter of this size would have a dinghy is wrong. I had to steer Yum Yum as close as possible parallel to the freighter—not too close, not too far away. Over the radio, the captain said, “Don’t come too close—you could destroy your boat.” That’s not exactly what you’d call a relaxed maneuver in rough seas. Florian, along with his luggage, was secured to a rope and first pulled a few meters through the water, then hoisted up the ship’s side. Florian has since arrived in Brazil and is doing well again. Yum Yum then changed course again by 180 degrees, set sail, and headed for Barbados. Over the next few days, we cooked a lot, ate, cooked some more, ate again, took siestas, read books, enjoyed life, and went fishing. The latter, however, turned out to be more difficult than we’d expected. The Atlantic was littered with carpets of seaweed stretching for hundreds (!) of kilometers. For us, this meant casting the line out, pulling it back in, clearing the bait of seaweed, casting it out again—and repeating this several times a day. Our efforts were rewarded, however, by two mahi-mahi, both one meter long. On the second-to-last day, however, the HydroCharger’s propeller also fell victim to the algae. Due to stable weather conditions—though with winds that were at times weaker than expected—only a single watch was manned each night, each time under the newly repaired Parasailor (a gennaker with a sail area of 140 square meters). With a full moon, a magnificent starry sky, countless shooting stars, and sparkling plankton in the water, the two-hour night watches flew by.

Early in the morning, about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Barbados, land was sighted for the first time in 16 days. After more than 368 hours, the anchor was dropped off Port St. Charles on December 29, 2018—just in time for New Year’s Eve. Now we’re enjoying life on land again before setting off once more in a few days.

The Yum Yum Team wishes everyone a Happy New Year!

P.S.: Those of you who have been following our journey may have noticed that the tracking wasn’t working for a few days. In emergency mode, GPS location data is only shared with the MRCC.