CRUISING COMMUNITY
Atlantic with the Vikings
Lee and Kirsty Matthews’ ethos of ‘go with the wind’ has led them to take part in the third edition of the Viking Explorers Rally.
The couple from Fowey in Cornwall sailed their Warrior 40, Delphinus from
Gran Canaria to St Vincent along with 18 other yachts. Although they enjoy the solitude of sailing together, they decided to cross the Atlantic with two crew members Paris, 19, and James, 26.
Both have been taught by Lee, who is an ex-teacher and RYA Ocean Yachtmaster and Yachtmaster Instructor.
Lee and Kirsty, who have thousands of sailing miles between them, said the event’s ethos – to let skippers decide on the route and when to leave – made the event ‘ideal’.
The crew of Delphinus had to deal with ‘the usual gear failures’, including problems with the watermaker. Their main sail also got stuck, and the towing generator line ‘inadvertently’ became wrapped around the rudder which required a dive to free it. ‘We had a brilliant crossing with light to moderate trades,’ said Lee, who had previously experienced a rough Atlantic crossing in 2012. ‘Even when we had a 3-4m swell Delphinus seemed to cope without putting us into a roll on every wave.’
The couple are continuing their cruising in the Caribbean. Entries for the 2021 rally are now open. Visit www.vikingexplorers.eu