NORDHAVN ATLANTIC RALLY COMMENTARY
From Milt Baker, NAR Organizing Committee - May 23rd.
Leg one of the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally 2004, the first-ever Atlantic crossing by a large convoy of motor yachts, is history.
All 18 rally yachts and their nearly 100 crewmembers arrived safely in Hamilton, Bermuda, at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on Saturday, May 22, and the rally fleet's first experience with "Med mooring" was smooth as silk--thanks in large measure to good preparation by rally skippers and crews and to light winds and very flat conditions.
For most of the yachts, the trip was about 990 nautical miles.
Division 1, the slow division, departed Fort Lauderdale Sunday afternoon, May 16, in 15-20 knot easterly winds, gusting to 25, and 5-6 foot seas. The 11 Division 1 yachts were led by Nordhavn's company yacht, the Nordhavn 57 Atlantic Escort, skippered by Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE) vice president Jim Leishman.
The start was documented on video under the direction of Bruce Kessler, who is making a video production on the rally. At times, three helicopters were in the air off Fort Lauderdale with video and still cameras rolling. After the start, the yachts settled down on the slow slog to Bermuda.
To provide a more comfortable ride, rally weather forecaster Walter Hack of Ocean Marine Navigation Inc. called for the fleet to follow the Gulf Stream for 180 miles north before turning for Bermuda. That added about 70 nautical miles to the trip, but by all accounts it worked. By the time Division 1 boats turned for Bermuda, wind and seas were down.
"It was a little bumpy for the first day and a half," one rally crewman reported, "but I think we'd all seen worse. And then it got dramatically better!" The yachts' stabilizers helped a great deal.
The 11 division 1 yachts traveled within sight and VHF radio range of one another all the way to Bermuda. At night they maintained a minimum distance of one nautical mile from one another, and the closed in a bit during the daytime.
Division 1 escort vessel was the Nordhavn 62 Autumn Wind, captained by Bill Smith. Division leader Brad Smith, a PAE employee, was aboard Autumn Wind, and he quickly learned that his expertise was much in demand. Technical questions for Brad came rapidly, and division 1 skippers found him a terrific resource.
The seven Division 2 yachts, larger and faster, departed Fort Lauderdale 24 hours after the first yachts. Their forecast also called for heading 180 miles north in the Gulf Stream before turning. All but one of these yachts followed the recommendation and traveled together, but skipper Bob Rothman of the Nordhavn 57 Emeritus decided to take the most direct course to Bermuda and traveled outside the group. He slowed down on the approach to the island, arriving with the rest of the fleet.
Division 2 escort vessel was the Nordhavn 62 Sans Souci, owned by Ken and Roberta Williams and skippered by Capt. Rip Knot. Acting as division leader aboard Sans Souci was PAE president Dan Streech who did his best Robin Williams imitation on the daily roll calls, opening with a few seconds of rock music followed by a hearty "Goooooood morning Division One!"
Two days out of Bermuda, one crewmember called the weather "oily calm," and another called it perfect trawler weather. The fleet launched small boats, took pictures of one another, swam in 15,000 feet of ocean water, and even delivered lattes to one yacht whose precious cappuccino machine had ceased to function.
PAE is sponsoring the rally is provide owners and crewmembers an opportunity to take part in a safe and enjoyable ocean-crossing event, experience the personal challenge of crossing the Atlantic aboard their own vessels, and enjoy the camaraderie of voyaging with friends and a degree of added safety by having other vessels nearby. Rally staff members travel ahead of the fleet, easing official clearance and making advance arrangements for dockage, duty free fuel and other luxuries and necessities in each port. A physician and two EMTs travel with the fleet, along with PAE technicians and other experts.
Problems aboard rally yachts were remarkably few. Three yachts experienced problems with active fin stabilizer systems, but two of the three ended the passage with stabilization from their systems. One yacht's watermaker ceased to function, and at least one other watermaker was reported leaking. Thanks to satellite telephones and e-mails, parts for the systems were ordered and are expected to meet the boats during the Bermuda stop.
Fuel system problems are common aboard small yachts on offshore passages, especially when the weather is rough. However, the NAR fleet had virtually no fuel problems. A few of the yachts reported changing filters due to dirt in fuel taken on before departure and one broke a fuel fitting, but everything was handled onboard with no significant loss of time or speed.
The yachts reached Bermuda right on schedule, passing Five Fathom Hole at the entrance to the 17-mile channel into Hamilton at first light Saturday and arriving at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club a few hours later. All 18 yachts were Med moored at the yacht club well before noon, and the demand for lunch on RBYC's scenic patio all but overwhelmed the club's staff.
The Nordhavn Atlantic Rally yachts will be at RBYC for about a week. Division 1 yachts depart for the rally's longest leg--1,800 nautical miles to Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores--on Sunday, May 30, and Division 2 yachts on Tuesday, June 2. All are scheduled to arrive in Horta on Friday, June 11.
After a little over a week in Horta, the yachts depart for the final leg, 1,125 nautical miles to Gibraltar.
The rally fleet consists of 18 yachts ranging from 40 to 90 feet, all but three of them Nordhavns. The yachts include:
Nordhavn 40 Uno Mas, John and Sue Spencer
Nordhavn 46 Satchmo, Bill and Ellen Bane
Nordhavn 46 Envoy, Wayne and Pat Davis
Nordhavn 46 Egret, Scott and Mary Flanders
Nordhavn 46 World Odd @ Sea, John and Dulcie Harris
Nordhavn 46 Star Gazer, Michael Perfit and Kevin Keith
Nordhavn 47 Strickly for Fun, Scott and Terri Strickland
Nordhavn 50 Sundog, Robert Greenbaum
Seaton 55 Que Linda, Hal and Linda Wyman
Nordhavn 50 Four Across, Doug Seaver and Charles Metcalf
Nordhavn 57 Goleen, Chris Samuelson and Sonaia Hermida
Nordhavn 57 Atlantic Escort, Jim Leishman
Nordhavn 57 Emeritus, Bob and Janis Rothman
Krogen 58 Sea Fox, Dennis and Julie Fox
Nordhavn 62 Grey Pearl, Braun and Tina Jones
Nordhavn 62 Autumn Wind, Bill and Arline Smith
Nordhavn 62 Sans Souci, Ken and Roberta Williams
Monk McQueen 90, David Stone
--Milt Baker
5:17:38 PM 
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Later, I'll post an item on what temps Brad Smith believes are crucial to the wellness of machinery in the engine room of a trawler yacht.
A bunch of well-placed shots with the heat gun gives Brad Smith a quick overview of how things are working in the engine room af Autumn Wind.
Arline Smith tends to her herb garden on the upper aft deck of Autumn Wind.
Aboard Autumn Wind, watchstanders make an hourly engine-room inspection and log entry.
How to pass the time on a long passage? Try snoozing.
How to pass the time on a long passage? Try reading.
How to pass the time on a long passage? Try reading.
How many sunrise shots do I plan to post?
Aboard Atlantic Escort, Dr. Kevin Ware dreams of being 20 years old again while Jim Leishman calls an end to the water-skiing.
James Leishman takes his turn on the tow line.
Step Three: Keep way on. Be patient.
Step One in refuelling at sea, or, in this case, refilling water tanks aboard Four Across, suffering from watermaker ills:
The ocean may be calm but it still heaves and swells. On the roof of the pilothouse, Brad Smith has the best seat in the house.
James Leishman of Pacific Asian Enterprises and Scott Shane of Yachting magazine pick me up in the Caribe inflatable from Atlantic Escort for a photo op: the refilling of water tanks at sea.
Try as I might, I never could get the Autumn Wind divers to jump in unison.
Brad Smith
Eric Leishman
The third day of the passage is one of those unbelievable days at sea, when the water is so flat landlubbers would never believe it. Here, the boys of Autumn Wind dive into 17,000 feet of North Atlantic Ocean.
Every morning, weather permitting, Arline Smith takes the poodles out on the foredeck of Autumn Wind for them to conduct their business. When the weather turns lousy, the dogs use the aft deck, or the Portuguese bridge, or . . .
