Guirec Soudée Adventure, March 22, 2018

What a weekend!  Friday night I saw something not normal on the radar. One more time, it was huge ! A piece of pack ice from Antarctica drifting 55 degrees South!

Salacia (things (Yvinec) that take refuge in the sea) conjunct Sun (men, self dependence) square Mars (self-reliant (I did the best I could. At this time, it was me and my luck)) trine Varuna (competent). Sedna (diving bells that go into the dark of the sea) quintile Neptune (the sea, chaotic) bi-quintile Mars (destructiveness (on board, it was chaos. There was cereal and pasta on the ceiling, lots of things were broken including the navtexe screen)).

*the first body to bear the mythology of the arctic’s Inuit culture.

I was nervous : a huge storm was supposed to come on us in few hours.

I absolutely had to get away fastly from this piece of ice !

I decided to go downwind to save time. There was still some light outside. It would allow me to watch out and avoid this drifting ice.

This continent of ice seemed endless to pass. It was impossible to see the end of it !!!

Once downwind, it looked like a wall of ice but I was sheltered of the wind by it. I turned on the engine, and tried to avoid all the piece of ice rejected by this monster.

Once passed, the wind came back, I set sail to maximum to go east. I had to go fast, the storm was coming and I didn’t want to be in it … surrounded by ice in the middle of the night. It could be fatal.

Once I got away, I thought I was out of danger. The wind was getting stronger and stronger. The swell was waving furiously and it was dark.
Suddenly, I saw something on the radar, very close to us.

Worried, I went outside and turned on an ultra powerful projector. Bitter, I guess the silhouette of an iceberg, dancing in the swell.
I was very worried ! A shock and we were done.
Yvinec would break.

I decided to slow, luff and unroll a very small piece of staysail. I tried to get as close as possible to the wind.

The waves covered the deck and were freezing me to the bones. I did the best I could. At this time, it was me and my luck.
I was watching my radar, imagining the worst-case scenarios.

Suddenly, a huge breaker striked us powerfully, in a deafening din.
I was projected on the table. Around me everything was flying.
I hit my head and got a little knocked out.
I didn’t know what was happening.

The first thing that came to my mind was Monique. But she was here and felt good, even though she was looking at me surprised .
I reassured her and hold her in my arms, poor Momo.

On board, it was chaos. There was cereal and pasta on the ceiling, lots of things were broken including the navtexe screen.

Outside it was much worse: the starboard front balcony is broken, my paddel has disappeared, the boom’s attachment (gooseneck) broke again, an anchor has been torn off and and a window has exploded!

This nightmare seemed endless. I continued, as I can to navigate.

Finally, the day has risen and the wind has died down.

I was hoping to reach South Georgia, to repair the boat before continuing.

But we were contacted by the authorities before we saw the coasts. Impossible to stop there without permission. But a stopover was essential.

During Sunday and for twenty hours, I drifted away from the wind and the swell, near the north-eastern tip of the island.

As best as I can, I tried to repair everything I can in a hurry, especially the gooseneck who needed to be welded.
I took this opportunity to turn on the heat and dry the boat.

Actualy, we are back on our way and heading east/northeast towards milder latitudes (we hope).

13 March 2018. Exactly 100 years ago, Shackleton and his crew had their boat crushed in the Weddell Sea here in Antarctica, and finally ran aground on Elephant Island! https://www.facebook.com/GuirecSoudeeAventurier/videos/978126355667725/

15 March 2018. Momo, Don’t you think that with the discovery we just made we can consider ourselves as explorers?? https://www.facebook.com/GuirecSoudeeAventurier/videos/979273995552961/?hc_ref=ARQ3VYG_970nXGykLC1wrMTIF1izG5BoAJSV61Jmgiw_tAhLKH8cc1tLVukW5-hOvDQ

16 March 2018. Our drifting icy island was spotted yesterday via satellite by Red Randal, bravo! https://www.facebook.com/GuirecSoudeeAventurier/photos/a.265323210281380.1073741828.264815366998831/979852708828423/?type=3

22 March 2018. We are back on our way and heading east/northeast towards milder latitudes. https://www.facebook.com/GuirecSoudeeAventurier/photos/a.265323210281380.1073741828.264815366998831/983962531750774/?type=3

Minor planet keywords developed by Philip Sedgwick, used with permission http://philipsedgwick.com/

Source: facebook.com