Au Revoir La Rochelle

Friday, 25 April 25, 2008: Today we say goodbye to the charming town of La Rochelle, where the people are friendly, the seafood is incredible and there are sailing masts as far as the eye can see. The sea trials ended April 18th and Ile de Grace was determined to be sea worthy by the co-owner of Fountain Pajot, Eric Brunell. To get to this point, we owe many thanks to Gregor Tarjan of Aeroyachts, our broker and friend, whose enthusiasm for multi-hulls is unending and inspiring. He made the final commissioning of the boat go smoothly.
The staff of Fountain Pagot was also prompt to respond to any inquiry or problem, but special thanks must be given to Jean Vincent and Muriel for their professionalism and assistance.

The captain and crew arrived Monday evening the 21st, and I think we have a great combination for a transatlantic passage. Captain Larry Trow, is making his 32nd transatlantic passage with his trusty sea mascot, who is making the same number. (More about the mascot in a future blog—have to see how good he keeps watch first.)
First Mate Dominique Mertens hails from Antwerp, Belgium and is making his third passage, after which he can captain deliveries himself. This is also his third trip with Captain Larry
Alex Nichols, Second Mate, is making his first passage like me, but unlike me, he has Yacht Masters ticket and more sailing experience. Being the youngest on the boat, however, he had the pleasure of inspecting the top of the mast and installing our radar reflector. Here he is waving hello to his mom (at my request).
Along the way, we have also made new friends with other Fountain Pajot owners. Lawrence and Lexie own a 60’ Eluthra named Papillon and were sources of much needed company before the crew arrived as well as information and tips about our boats, provisioning, and restaurants. Their crew, Harvey and Todd were also instant friends. Next door to our boat is another Orana 440, Far Out, owned by Rick and Barbara. Because our boats are hull numbers 20 and 21, we have relied on each other this week for help understanding our boat’s particular idiosyncrasies. In fact, I still owe Rick a drink for his noticing that our anchors were too small for our boat. 35 lbs. were installed instead of the necessary 45 lbs. FP had the correct one exchanged within hours, so all’s well that end’s well, and many thanks Rick!

Provisioning and preparing Ile de Grace has consumed most of our time. All that remains is rigging the jack stays and topping off the fuel and water. Our float plan is to arrive in the Azores by May 6th, Bermuda by May 21st and Annapolis by May 29th. This is a conservative plan, so hopefully we’ll make better time. The weather looks good for our plans to get around Spain, and if the gods are good to us, then we’ll head out straight for the Azores. If they are not, then we will duck into one of several Spanish towns that Captain Larry knows, which would not be so bad.

So wish us well and I’ll post at our next landfall. Jon may hear from us by satellite phone. When he does, he’ll keep you all posted on our positions and conditions. All the best, and Godspeed.

Jennifer