SHORT-HANDED OFFSHORE
Four sailors from the Mailasail Azores and Back (AZAB) 2019 explain how they made their cruising boats ready for offshore sailing and share their experiences during the race
Four skippers from the AZAB share what it takes to sail offshore with just two people on board
As cruising sailors, many of us might not even contemplate taking part in an offshore yacht race, but the preparations made by the skippers participating in the Mailasail AZAB 2019 provide important lessons for anyone planning to sail offshore. What kit do you really need for a safe passage? How much does it cost? How do you make your boat more seaworthy for heavy weather conditions? What do you need to plan for the longer offshore legs? Since the inaugural AZAB in 1975, sponsored by Yachting Monthly, the Corinthian spirit of the race has endured, with seasoned racers who have previously made the passage from Falmouth to São Miguel’s Ponta Delgada and back happy to offer help, tips and advice to those taking part for the first time. It is in this spirit that four sailors, who were all racing doublehanded, share the highs and lows of this year’s event. Volatile weather and constant headwinds made it one of the toughest competitions in recent memory, with two dismastings. Just 32 out of the 44 boats that crossed the start line made it back to Falmouth, having sailed a round trip of 2,500 miles.
Having H
retired from Paralympic sailing in 2016, I was in need of a new challenge. Keen for us to start having adventures together, it was my husband, Stephen, who suggested that we enter the Mailasail AZAB 2019. He had previously competed in a 29ft Starlight half-tonner in 1987, finishing 3rd overall, and now, 32 years later, we were on the start line in Shuna.
The race was a challenge for me. Until 2018, when we competed in the Yachting Monthly Triangle Race, I had never been at sea for more than 24 hours. We wanted to race offshore in comfort and as safely as possible, which meant buying some expensive equipment, but this was also an investment in our future longterm cruising plans. We didn’t skimp on provisions either, carrying 200 litres of water, despite our water maker, and 175 litres of fuel, as well as stocking up on tinned food and snacks.
We ran a one-hour watch system which would start around 2200 and continue until the afternoon; an unusual approach but it worked for us.
The race will probably go down as one of the toughest, with a third of the fleet retiring due to breakages and the conditions. The weather was volatile, with gale-force winds during both legs, and our tactics were simply to avoid the worst of it and get back to the rhumb line.
Many days were spent with three reefs in the main and a heavily furled genoa, preferring this to battling on the foredeck setting the heavy weather or storm jibs. Neither
Shuna nor we had experienced
conditions like these: 600 miles offshore means you are a long way from rescue and there is nowhere to hide. So we pushed hard in the lighter winds, but backed off in the big winds and seas.
The Iridium Go and Predictwind Offshore App and the Monitor wind vane, nicknamed Monica, were essential. Monica was like a third crew member, steering through strong winds and rough seas with us keeping watch down below. It was a relief to finally get into the lighter winds of the Azores High and see the island of São Miguel.
We had some gear failure early in the first leg, which cost us time. Too far east, we spent most of the leg hard on the wind trying to get back west. We were disappointed with the result, but had learned so much.
The return leg home was a really slow start with very little wind, but bizarrely Shuna seemed to excel in these conditions, and after two days we were leading our class.
The Iriduim Go and Predictwind App allowed us to take advantage of some wind shifts and tactically positioned ourselves to win the return leg.
It certainly was an adventure, but the camaraderie of the fleet and finding new friends made the race something quite special.