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Passages and Paradise ⛵️
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  • Cathy Manuel

Passages and Paradise ⛵️

This is for you Dad… I’ll try and update often Read more
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    🌊 Sargasso Sea
    Cathy ManuelPassages and Paradise ⛵️Traveler

    Day 7

    November 7, Sargasso Sea ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    At the helm again, the sailing is beautiful, although the wrong direction. The engine room is too hot to keep all our precious Costco meat and fresh caught fish frozen…. So we are giving it a break!
    There is a Cold Front coming tomorrow and we are racing our way towards a line, below which the storm won’t be so bad. The past few days have been fairly calm, although we did have one squall.
    Yesterday we ripped apart the boat trying to find the sender for the Port fuel tank, with no luck. I also manually pumped out the bilges and prepped and “froze” the Tuna and Mahi we caught yesterday. The guys were pretty happy with the fishing success! Last night we feasted!
    After a week we are all a little tired and trying to find the groove of sleep, solving problems, outrunning weather and bracing for the next unknown. Many boats, about 1/3 of the feet have diverted to Bermuda to wait for a better weather wind…. We persisted (but are now close to the back of the pack). There are 7 other boats within 25nm of us.    Read more

  • Cathy ManuelPassages and Paradise ⛵️Traveler

    Fifth Day at Sea

    November 5, North Atlantic Ocean

    It’s 3:30am on Saturday morning. I am on shift. A sea sick crew member is sleeping in the helm, and Brian has gone to bed. My Veggie Straw snacks have been eaten and now I am trying to stay awake for the next 2.5 hours.
    We are heading close hauled, triple reefed (over reefed as weather is 18-20knots), and only making an average of 5knots. Bermuda is 184 from us (ENE), and we are slowly tracking to Antigua.
    The forward bilge pump stopped working as did the Port fuel gauge. Otherwise, the trip is fairly smooth. It’s frustrating having a sea sick crew as they are unable to assist with food prep or anything below. He does take his shifts, but he also sprawls in the helm, making it impossible for all 4 of us to sit above. I am sure it’s even more frustrating for him.
    In our crew rotation we each have a night off. Mine was yesterday and the sea was calm so I got some good Zzz’s and feel pretty good now. On day 2 I was feeling pretty rotten and also on the verge of sea sick. I’ve found the rhythm between sleep and helm.    Read more

  • Cathy ManuelPassages and Paradise ⛵️Traveler

    Third Day at sea

    November 5, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    This was a rough two days! I am sitting at the helm on my 6-9pm shift writing. Finally able to look at my phone as I was feeling sea sick yesterday. The weather has calmed although we are still around 22knots of wind.
    The gust got up to 39 knots yesterday and the swells were about 8-10feet. It was nasty! Today much better and I got a few hours sleep during the day.
    This Morning after doing a walk around, where lots had shifted due to the violent rolling of the boat all night, we decided to get rid of the Gudgeon, so I unceremoniously threw it overboard.
    Tonight we have 1 reef in the main and 80% jib. It will be a much calmer night, and after this shift, I have the night off! The auto helm noise is beside our head in the aft cabin, and very loud. Reminds me of trying to sleep in a hospital! However, I downloaded some music and use that and headphones to lull me to sleep.    Read more

  • Cathy ManuelPassages and Paradise ⛵️Traveler
    1

    First Day at Sea

    November 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I am in my midnight to 3pm shift. Only an hour left 😊. We have been sailing for 22 hours and should hit the Gulf Stream in the next two hours. We won’t stay in it long, crossing it in six hours. There are about 50 boats within 10nm of us… however over the next 48hrs the pack will spread out more. The winds have been light and we have motored ALL day and night and will likely need to do so for a total of 5 days on this trip.
    The crew, Andy (from the UK, whose wife teaches Pilates) and Michael seem great and I don’t think we will have any problems. Brian and I were on the helm for the first 6-8 hours, then took a break in the afternoon. I was first in for meal prep (Shepherds Pie) and Brian did clean up. Brian was the 9-12 shift and Michael comes on at 3am. We rotate the shifts so that every 4th night you get a full nights sleep.
    I managed to do some yoga and a little exercise today, plus some journal writing. Hopefully I can keep that up every day. The calm seas are a nice way to start this journey! Due to the government shut down in the USA I cannot officially depart the country through ROAM (an app) so I don’t know how it will affect my re-entry. Happy to be heading to another country though…. As my allowable days in the USA was dwindling.    Read more

  • Cathy ManuelPassages and Paradise ⛵️Traveler

    The Docks at Downtown Hampton

    October 26 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We have been at the Docks for a week now… getting the boat ready for passage to Antigua. Lots of boat chores and little socializing! Although I have been teaching a lot of classes for RWW and continuing to practice yoga once a day.
    The morning have been very cold (6 degrees today), but Melissa and the wind and rain have passed so at least there is sunshine ☀️.
    The crew bunks are ready, although a project today it to make sure the door to one of the bunks closes properly and to waterproof the hatches. Crew will join us tomorrow and we will leave at dawn on Tuesday.
    I have cooked 5 meals and want to get one or two more in the freezer so we are prepared for the 12-14 day passage… especially if there is rough weather.    Read more

    Trip start
    November 2, 2025
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