Atlantic Crossing Season Wrap-up

Billy Brannan being rescued by tanker

The Atlantic crossing season has come to a close and our last vessel assisted spent 54 days at sea. It's a long story but I've written it up elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here. But here's a tally of outcomes during the 2020 pandemic return to Europe. 

We estimated about 900 vessels were in the Caribbean in 2020. About 300 returned to the US with the Salty Dawg flotilla. Another 200 signed up with the OCC Atlantic Crossing group on Facebook, and about 190 ended up crossing. There were more that crossed on their own and the rest remained in the Caribbean in Antigua, Grenada and the ABCs. 

In our group, we followed 103 on a PredictWind tracker. One solo sailor with only one arm sailed all the way home from St. Maarten to Ireland nonstop because his crew could not get to him. We were with him by email every step of the way. Numerous urgent and distress situations were assisted, and disaster averted. These included two steering failures, three dismastings, one sinking, two significant storm damages, one lightning strike, plus other minor incidents. We had reports of 4 vessels striking or being struck by whales, one of which resulted in the sinking vessel. The skipper of the sinking vessel was rescued by one of our group vessels. Two of the reports of killer whales repeatedly striking boats occurred near Portugal, fortunately without significant damage. The last of the yachts arrived in Horta after 54 days at sea, having been disabled by a torn jib and engine malfunction and becalmed mid-Atlantic.

It is hard to know if this was a typical season or if the return from the Caribbean by so many yachts heading home exacerbated the situation. We had experience also working with a number of organisations including Noonsite, SSCA, the coast guard in the US and GB and BoatWatch. We also saw first-hand the cooperation offered by the merchant marine and navy of Portugal in assisting yachts in trouble. Ships diverted to rescue one sailor and to deliver food and fuel to another. The Portuguese navy met a yacht some 200 miles from Horta, delivered food and fixed the engine so the single-hander could complete his voyage safely. 

Nicholas whose steel yacht was struck by lightning mid-Atlantic

Yacht being abandoned and skipper rescued after hitting a whale 100m off Horta 

Garry Crothers safe return to Derry

Joseph with Dellamyra's torn jib

Irish Yacht Danu being welcomed by the staff of Peter Cafe Sport in Horta