Atlantblog: There is not just one way to do it.

21/11 Position: 28°7´24"N 15°25´30"W

Today it was time for the gang to test the boat for the first time. We took a trip in the afternoon and hit a few strokes, put and took down the gennaker a few times. Already now I see that there is good experience on board and we will be able to handle a lot of sails and move quickly! Fredrik takes the opportunity to review safety on board, including how the life raft and lifebuoys are handled.

It is approaching the last day in the marina and I take a turn to see if our neighbors are getting ready to leave. We have met many different characters in the marina. Right next to us, two men from Hungary are preparing to row a small boat across the Atlantic. They have lined up their provisions on deck, which consist mostly of canned food and energy bars. They expect to maintain a speed of 2 knots, making the 2690-mile journey across to the Caribbean about two months long. Is that even possible?

I meet Jan, one of my friends from Chalmers in Gothenburg, sailing a Swan 44 from -77. They have 8 different sails that they can set depending on the wind conditions. These take up the entire foredeck of the boat and will lie down on the floor of the boat which is not at all as big as the More55an. They expect to cross in about 16 days and will compete in the racing class.

My friend Theo is crew on an Oyster of about 60 feet, here he has found a Swedish crew that needs a few more hands for the crossing. It's interesting to go on board and take a look at how they solve different practical problems, "well that's how you do it, we do it like this". You could say that there is more than one way to cross the Atlantic.

Mathias

(photo by: Mathias Edberg)