Saint Helena Island to Recife
Posted by Graham Cox
‘Cruising is contrasts. Cruising is being frightened, thrilled, delighted, satisfied; and you never can tell which will be next and how long it will last.’
Eric Hiscock, CRUISING UNDER SAIL
Eric could have added ‘bored’ and ‘frustrated’ to his list, at least for tradewind passages! A circumnavigation race in small boats like the 580 is really just long-distance cruising with an edge. The same disciplines, skills and parameters apply.
Since they embarked on this adventure more than 12 months ago, the 2025 MGR skippers have experienced the full gamut of conditions and emotions one can expect. Although I don’t think they have been frightened by weather conditions between Saint Helena Island and Recife, the passage has certainly offered up some notable contrasts, frustrations, and a certain amount of boredom.
They all commented on the uncomfortable sea-state experienced in the early days of this passage, which is challenging while transitioning back to life at sea. This was followed by a period of softer winds and calmer seas, allowing the skippers to settle in, catch up on sleep, and get some boat chores done. Later, the seas kicked up again, before easing back once more towards the end of the week.
By this time, there was an increasing separation between the leading boats and the middle of the fleet, while those who had left Saint Helena last began to lag even further behind. (This is a pursuit passage, with each boat leaving Saint Helena 7 days after arriving there from Cape Town.) The boats further west carried the breeze and increased their lead, while those at the back experienced lighter winds in general as the days went by.
Three days before making landfall in Recife, Dan noted, “Not a whole lot to report over the past couple of days. The passage has been quite uncomfortable in general, with messy seas, and this morning I had my first squall in a while, likely a sign of things to come in the next leg.
“For now, though, the sea has settled down and I’m enjoying a nice sunset and the evening breeze, as the days are starting to get hotter as we sail closer to the equator. Other than that, my mind is starting to think of enjoying a nice cold cerveja and eating churrasco upon arriving in Brazil.
With any luck I’ll be there in time for happy hour on Friday!”
And he was! Renaud took line honours (yet again) at 0929 UTC on 30 January, with Dan following at 1408 UTC that afternoon. Images soon appeared on social media of these two best buddies/rivals enjoying a cold beer on the pontoon at the Recife Marina, the host for this stopover of Leg 4. Dan noted that the final miles were calm enough to hoist all his flags and make a proper entry.
Earlier, Renaud had posted a video of CAPUCINETTE gliding towards the Brazilian coast across a smooth ocean at sunset, with his A5 winged out opposite the A3. Whatever the discomforts of the passage earlier on, it looked like a tranquil scene.
Next in was Pilar and PETER PUNK, crossing the finish line at 1313 UTC on 31 January, to take 3rd place. She was looking forward to celebrating Carnival. Earlier, she had noted, “250 miles to go to Recife. I reckon I can get there in two days. The sun is strong and it’s hot so I take a shower every day. I usually eat carbs which is what my body craves, and may be my brain too.”
After arriving, she said, “I’ve crossed the Atlantic again, but this time the South Atlantic. Port of arrival, Recife, BRAZIL. The next stage will be the last. We will sail from Recife to the Ancient CARIBBEAN, about 2,400 nautical miles. Getting close to finishing. You can see the miles accumulated on a small boat with little space, where stretching or standing is all a luxury. Despite everything I’m still happy… happy to fulfill a dream that I’ve always had in my head… in my heart.”
Jakub reported from BIBI on 27 January. “This passage is on the most uncomfortable water so far. The sea was very confused, and when the weather came at 25 knots, the waves were steep and turning the boat like a jack’s knife. My longer dagger boards were helpful, but the starboard one’s housing cracked and I had to pull it out. That shows how much force is on them when the stern slides down the waves. However, we found our harmony with the ocean, and beautiful skies in the night was my reward after hard days of sailing. Now only 500 nautical miles to Recife and the weather has become very pleasant. I can already smell the steak cooking from that distance!”
On 30 January, in a video showing BIBI gliding along over a very calm sea, he added, “I am completely naked, there’s no way you can wear anything in this weather. It is 33°C in my cabin, and my small ventilator works all the time, which provides some nice cool breeze.
“Very gentle weather, about 10-14 knots of wind. My sails are goose-winged, trying to push the boat as much as I can. I even use my sun awning to give me a little bit more push. It is so hot that I can’t even think straight, I can’t talk. But it is enjoyable, much better than the rough sea a few days before.
“We’re going along at 4 knots, VMG, on this beautiful Atlantic Ocean. I’ve been trying to catch a fish, but no luck. I lost 3 lures, and once I caught a fish, but as I was pulling it up, the shark came and got the fish before me, so bloody bastard.
“I have 200 miles, 220 miles to Recife, and I’m hoping to be there in the midday on Saturday. The weather is amazing, the blue of the ocean is also amazing. I could stay out here forever – just give me one cold beer, one bloody steak, and I can stay here for another month, no problem!”
BIBI sailed in through the breakwaters at Recife at 1608 on 31 January, three hours behind Pilar, to secure 4th place. What makes his achievement even more remarkable is that he is a conservative sailor. He has operated his MGR campaign on a shoestring budget and cannot afford to replace gear, but by this time he is very much in tune with BIBI. Like his inspiration, Bernard Moitessier, during the latter’s great days aboard JOSHUA, Jakub is in the groove.
On 27 January, Christian said, “Fast conditions and a better sea-state since yesterday, so I could catch up some sleep. Last week also was very busy, with live interviews on the Düsseldorf boat show, so it was good to have some rest. I love my freeze-dried food, (he must be the only one!) but I’m looking forward to getting fresh vegetables in Brazil.”
Despite Christian suffering increased levels of pain from his damaged shoulders, a lack of good-quality food, and tired sails, ARGO has been sailing consistently fast, and on this day he overhauled Adam and LITTLE WREN, going on to cross the finish line in 5th position at 0618 UTC on 01 February.
He has been getting some good-natured ragging from fellow-competitors about his rugged, handsome, ‘Viking’ image (John Guzzwell also experienced this!). Christian is one of those people that the camera loves, and he could easily have been a successful model if he’d chosen a different path. Jasmine posted a hilarious photo of herself posing as Christian on the deck of NUMBATOU, with a strand of hair across her upper lip simulating a moustache. Christian took it all in fine spirits, retorting that Jasmine looked good with a moustache!
On 28 January, Adam noted, “Trying to make the most of the last open ocean crossing. It’s been very quiet. I saw my first cargo ship and enthusiastically called the bridge for a chat, but got a two-word response, ‘I see you,’ click. LITTLE WREN seems happy enough. Four days to go.”
At 0100 on 31 January, he added, “A busy night, and not much sleep, with multiple sail changes required. At least there is wind, and LITTLE WREN is making way. And there is only 4 hours to dawn, when things should improve.”
He reported lots of changes in wind strength and direction, plus a fair bit of rain. He looked tired, and mentioned that he’d had more than enough of the incessant downwind rolling. I reckon he’s not eating enough sardines (private joke). He was sporting a venerable silver beard!
LITTLE WREN crossed the finish line at 0914 UTC on 01 February, to claim 6th place, with a passage time of just under 14.5 days for 1800 NM made good. No doubt, he is relieved to get in and be done with the incessant heat and rolling down the trades, but like all sailors, a cold beer (or two), a good steak, and a decent sleep in a stable bed will put things in perspective.
Keri has been working hard to take advantage of fickle conditions. After a tremendous struggle, he managed to pass Eric and claim 7th position. He has been maintaining a 15 NM lead over the latter for a few days. On 30 January, he reported, “At the back of the fleet, we have had lighter winds for most of the passage from Jamestown. The sun is intense; and with little apparent wind as we continue dead running, it is uncomfortably hot on board.
“Weather predictions lack consistency. Some days predict very light winds until Recife. Others suggest a more homogenous wind pattern. We just have to keep moving, invariably following the swell direction to provide some stability to the capricious twin-kite configuration. These are nevertheless idyllic cruising conditions and an opportunity to read and learn basic Portuguese.”
Later that same day, Keri noted, “Finally stored a few amps. I have been without electrics for a few days. At least my Kindle was well-charged and my Portuguese is coming along well (I think). Whether the phrases I have learned will have any practical use, I should find out tomorrow. Just seen that SUNBEAR has been creeping up on me. I need to hit the coast before we are back into motor sailing conditions.”
At 2000 UTC on 02 February, ORIGAMI had 55 NM to go to Recife, with SUNBEAR 13.5 NM behind. Boa sorte para você, Keri!
On 27 January, Eric reported, “Better sea-state today, and last night I managed to have some sleep. The sun is still very hot during the day, but we are making good progress at the moment. All is well, and I am looking forward to Recife.” He later serenaded his followers on YouTube with a song he’d written about solo sailors, titled ‘Lonely Sailor’. He hit all the high notes, too. Most impressive. Is there any end to Eric’s talents?
On 29 January, Susan Harrison reported, “Apparently there’s absolutely nothing happening on the Southern Atlantic Ocean right now aboard the little ship NUMBATOU! (Apart from impersonating Christian!) There is not much wind, and no need to touch the steering, as the Hydrovane is doing that. The sails don’t need changing, there are no ships around, no wildlife and no litter.
“So, it’s just a steady hot plod towards Recife, lots of contemplating, and enjoying this last big open ocean passage before heading up to Antigua. It also means continued recovery time from the swim, especially trying to stay out of the sun to allow her skin to continue to heal.
“Ertan, on TREKKA, was close enough to call Jasmine on the radio this morning for a chat, and the conditions have meant that some cooking has been possible.”
On 31 January, Susan reported, “Jasmine has just over 400 miles to Recife. There’s been a smidgen more wind today, but progress is still just steady away and Jasmine’s really happy and enjoying the sailing. ETA is looking to be Wednesday (04 February), but as always this can change.
“She’s been flying two spinnakers (A7 & A5), to try and maintain momentum, but also being really careful with the smallest one (A7 Yorkshire Tandem Patents) as it’s pretty fragile now.
“It’s super, super, hot, so it was lovely to take a ‘shower’ and wash her hair. There have been some stunning sunsets too! She tried to catch a fish to supplement the boat food, but wasn’t successful. However, she has been managing to eat proper meals, as she’s been unusually hungry (probably her body trying to restore energy after the swim). Hopefully there will be good food soon in Brazil!”
At 2000 UTC on 02 February, she had just 209.9 NM left to go, had covered 93 NM in the previous 24 hours, and was averaging 4.1 knots of speed over the ground.
On 29 January, Josh reported, “Around 5am this morning the breeze actually filled in enough to warrant taking down the A3, after running it day-and-night all week. Should be just about finished with northing today and can make the turn towards Recife.” He has since altered course to the west.
“This passage has seemed interminable,” he continued, “but I have been savouring it, even though Spotify decided to delete all of my downloaded songs, and I’ve finished all of my audiobooks. Life on board has become more meditative, that is boring.”
He was joking, of course – not about losing his music – but about the boredom. He has been tuning in to programs on his little single-sideband receiver, BBC broadcasts, world music, etc. “It’s been kind of nice, one more step back towards how things used to be, which is obviously what I like.”
John Guzzwell only had a small, portable, transistor radio receiver aboard TREKKA, powered by a couple of dry-cell batteries. He said it was a great friend, and he religiously followed certain programs, dropping whatever else he was doing to tune in. On his 1959 South Atlantic crossing, he was listening to a South African thriller, ‘No Place to Hide’, until it faded. He never did hear the end of that story. He then tuned into the BBC, which was getting clearer by the day.
Prior to the satellite age, it was common not to have ship-to-shore communications in small, simple yachts. The transistor radio became a fragile thread to the outside world, providing time signals essential to celestial navigation, entertainment, and, paradoxically, enhancing a wonderful sense of solitude and independence. I will always remember the thrill, enroute from New Zealand to French Polynesia in 1980, when the first strains of Tahitian music crackled over my little radio.
Asked about his choice to sail further north than the rest of the fleet, Josh said, “I chose this course because the current here flows due west. On the approach to St. Helena, we were trying to cut northwest across the west-heading current and it was really uncomfortable. The sea-state was awful. I didn’t want to do that again, so I came up as close as I could to the latitude of Ascension Island. The current flows due west at that latitude, and I’m pretty much going straight with the current and the waves now. It only added 25 miles to the trip. It was like 1,770 NM, and then when I rerouted my course, it was 1,800.
“For the first five days or so out of St. Helena, I carried the A5 and A7 wing and wing. And then the wind died, so I was on A3 for probably the next five days. For the last few days, I’ve just been on the A5. Sometimes I’ll pole the jib out as well if I have the right angle for it.
“The sea state is not bad right now; the waves are probably about half a metre, and because of the course I chose, I’ve been going with the waves, so it’s been really comfortable. If the breeze kicks up, the seas get a little steeper, and the boat kind of rocks back and forth, but for the most part, it’s very comfortable.
“I haven’t touched the tiller in, oh gosh, I don’t know, a week or more. The windvane (South Atlantic servo-pendulum unit) is working great, even in the light wind. I just let the boat follow the waves. I’ve got my line on the chart plotter and I’ve been staying between like a mile and a half to two and a half miles north from it. When the boat gets to two and a half miles from the line, I turn back. It’s just a matter of turning the windvane a little, not even 10°.
“Sometimes we sail into these little patches of current where the waves get all messed up, and the boat wants to spin one way or the other. What I’ve done is lash the tiller to the stern cleats on either side, so that the tiller can’t move more than about 5° off of the centreline in either direction. That keeps the boat from oversteering, and that has really made a big difference.
“If the wind is strong, I also have a piece of shock cord that I attach around the windvane’s air paddle, and tie it to the main vertical shaft, which also reduces oversteering. That was Renaud’s tip.”
Asked about shipboard routines, he said, “I sleep 40 minutes at a time, but sometimes I’m just not sleepy at night so I stay up longer, and then sometimes I feel sleepier during the day. Sometimes there’s nothing really to do and so I just go to sleep. I read for a while, and reading always makes me sleepy. It’s a very, I wouldn’t say inconsistent, but more like organic rhythm. I don’t really have to do much in the way of driving, or sail trim or anything. The boat really is pretty relentless in its ability to just carry on.
“It’s just a matter of like, oh, is that cloud going to hit me or not? But to be honest, there haven’t been many clouds. It’s been perfectly clear every day. Occasionally, early on in the passage, a cloud might come over, bringing a little sprinkle of rain or two, and maybe the wind picked up briefly, but the wind was so light that it just went from nothing to like, oh, now there’s something. It wasn’t even hardly noticeable.
“But for the last week, at least seven to nine days, there haven’t been any clouds, like anything measurable. In the morning, there’ll be some clouds on the horizon, but by the time the sun is up over them, they just burn off. It’s pretty warm. I have a little 12V fan that I got in Panama and that thing is my most prized possession!
“It’s pleasant at night. It’s a full moon right now, and it’s pretty much like daytime out here. I spend some time outside at night, and the sunsets have been absolutely unbelievable. I probably have a hundred pictures of the sunset. They all look the same but each one is different. I don’t have any reason to race or to try to go fast anymore, so I’ve just been enjoying these perfect cruising conditions.
Asked about his mood, he said, “Every day feels the same, like that movie, Groundhog Day. I try not to fast-forward through the days, though. It’s easy to just kind of go to sleep and try to get the day over with. But then that’s one day less. I try to just savour it, and when I feel like it, I go outside and stare at the sea.” (That sound more like the film, The Men Who Stare at Goats, rather than Groundhog Day!)
He has about 3-4 days left before landfall. “The wind looks like it’s going to be pretty light on Tuesday and maybe Wednesday. I am expecting the weather to be more variable because the effect that land has on it, and then when you get close to the coast the current takes a sharp dive southwest, so I am going to have to do some more cutting across the current, which is probably going to be a bit more uncomfortable.
“I’ve got 25L of water left. I use about 2L a day, so it should be more than enough. I’m considering whether I have enough to take a bath or not, because I would really like to have a wash, but I don’t want to use my fresh water if I’m gonna need it. I’ll have a shower on the last day.
“I’ve eaten all my snacks. I wasn’t able to restock at Saint Helena as it was a bit expensive for me because of the exchange rate. All I really ever buy is chips and candy bars and stuff like that. As far as meals go, I’ve got days and days – weeks’ worth.
“I’m looking forward to Recife. This will be my second trip to South America. I’ve been to Argentina before, but never Brazil. I’m kind of excited to see what Brazil is like. And from what I understand, the marina is pretty nice, and so it should be a good rest before the final passage.”
On 02 February, Josh had 342 NM to go, and was the fastest in the fleet, slowly closing the gap on those still at sea. He was feeling lyrical, and posted, “Immaculate azure skies, breathtaking tangerine sunsets, and crystal-clear nights illuminated by a full moon, swollen fat as summer fruit approaching peak ripeness, glittering on an indigo sea like a king’s ransom of diamonds, all combine to give this passage the feeling of a special small slice cut from the cake of time.
“Ahh, today is groundhogs day back home, and just like in the iconic film, I cannot tell if it is yesterday, today, or tomorrow, and yet I am resolved to do it all again, and again, and again, seemingly without end. I am however glad for my choice of route on this passage, as having mostly aligned myself with the current, I have had comfortable following seas and an easy time holding course.”
