Cruising World - February 2016

FEBRUARY

2016

cruisingworld.com

58

SOUTHERN OCEAN, FAMILY STYLE

mess that made both Tormentina and me

completely seasick. Then there was a close

call with a freighter. Fortunately, that was

the last ship we saw for the next month.

James’ plan for a safe passage was to keep

the high-pressure systems to port and the

lows to starboard. Just once did a high slip

under us, and the three days of easterly

headwinds weren’t pretty. We chose to go

due south, which meant the true wind was

on the beam, but on speedy Anasazi Girl,

the brisk apparent wind was in our faces.

The easterlies eventually passed and

the cold fronts progressed. The nights

were long and dark. Our typical sail com-

bination was three to four reefs in the

main and a fully battened storm jib made

of Spectra. I did not go on deck to help

James with sail changes, as I had on our

Atlantic crossings, because often the seas

were too aggressive, and I had to be vig-

ilant down below to make sure the kids

were always safe.

In extreme sailing conditions, the

simple acts of moving around the cabin,

cooking basic meals, eating, maintain-

ing personal hygiene and using the head

become a real physical effort. The galley

becomes dangerous; knives, hot liquids

and flames must be kept in complete

control. A toddler on the toilet is very

vulnerable when a big wave hits the boat.

The constant objective was to stay

balanced, braced and safe. Order was

maintained to avoid flying objects that

could create a mess, cause damage or

inflict injury. Above all, we wanted to

prevent broken bones and burns.

When the wind and seas were perfect,

we experienced the wild sensation of Ana-

sazi Girl accelerating and surfing in the

Southern Ocean. When the wind speed

increased from 20 knots to 30, then to

40-plus knots, it was a velocity rush — like

the first steep drop after climbing a giant

crest on a roller coaster. The cabin became

pressurized, and I found myself just holding

on. Speed down south was our friend, keep-

ing us in front of the weather systems.

We passed below remote St. Paul and

Amsterdam islands just in time, as a

982-millibar low we were surfing finally

caught up and rolled over us. We were 100

miles past the islands when the gusty shift

of nasty southwest air arrived. We jibed to

starboard tack and headed due east.

When the seas were confused and

coming from multiple directions, I experi-

enced some paranoia about the possibility

of Anasazi Girl breaking. I think I was es-

pecially wary because the Volvo 70s, sail-

ing at the same time in the 2011-2012 Vol-

vo Ocean Race, were getting pounded.

James reminded me that the Volvo boats

were being pushed extra hard. In order to

be competitive, they were also construct-

ed to be very light, with hollow- core car-

bon-composite material.

Anasazi Girl was a slightly different

beast. She has a solid, or monocoque, car-

bon hull with a carbon-fiber and Nomex

composite deck and cabin top. She is a

strong, proven, bulletproof boat, built spe-

cifically to sail in these conditions. Once

I relaxed, I gained renewed confidence in

the boat in which my family had crossed

both the North and South Atlantic. My

fears eased, and I surrendered to the sim-

ple act of being at sea.

Offshore sailing is an incredible thing.

It’s surreal to be so completely surround-

ed by water for such a long period of time.

The GPS and electronic navigation soft-

ware tell you where you are, but when

you see nothing — no person nor boat

for thousands of miles — you settle into a

completely different reality.

I found that when the kids were asleep

and everything was quiet, my mind

opened deeply into the recesses of old,

long-lost memories. There were people,

places, things and experiences that I had

not thought about in many years. I was re-

minded of who I was, and it filled me with

very strong emotions, especially now, with

my perspective as a parent.

Being at sea also reminded me of how

beautiful the natural world is in its com-

plexity and simplicity. All the subtle

changes of the environment — sea state,

wind, air, sun, sky — become so monu-

mental with the excess noise and drama of

the land taken away. With the connectivi-

ty of the Web and modern technology, the

world sometimes feels so small. Out there,

I was reminded of what a small part of

the universe we really occupy, and I felt so

grateful for my life in it.

One dark night, James made the only

mistake of the trip. Tormentina fell asleep

on his lap at the navigation station. He

picked her up and swiveled around to set

her in the quarter berth. A rogue wave

knocked us just at that moment, and his

knee hit the main battery switch.

All the power went out, which stopped

the autopilot. The boat rounded up and lay

on her side. The Espar heater decided to

rebel too, and filled the cabin with smoke.

This was not the first time Anasazi Girl

was on her beam at night in the Southern

Ocean, going backward with 1,700 liters

Nautical Miles

0 350 700

AUSTRALIA

AFRICA

Perth

St. Paul Fremantle

Cape Town

INDIAN OCEAN

RouteofAnasaziGirl

MADAGASCAR

40º S

30º S

20º S

TropicofCapricorn

10º E 20º E 30º E 40º E 50º E 60º E 70º E 80º E 90º E 100º E 110º E 120º E 130º E 140º E

Southern Ocean Passage

Being at sea also reminded me of how beautiful the natural world is in its

state, wind, sun, sky — become so monumental with

MAP: SHANNON CAIN TUMINO