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Land Sickness – Looking Forward to Horta

by | Jan 22, 2020 | Antigua - Portsmouth, Atlantic Adventures, Sailing Holidays, Sailing Trips

Today’s blog sees the crew’s moral increase, along with the speed of Challenger 2, as they start to contemplate their arrival and all the pros and cons of terra firma.

Sailing upwind at an angle

Sailing upwind at an angle

21/01/20

A shift in momentum.

First things first; weather. Less of it. Finally. Today saw a massive improvement in sea state subsequently resulting in a vast improvement in speed. In the early hours this morning, progress was attritional, our vessel consistently and stubbornly refusing to go past 5 knots (nautical miles/hour). Since the flattening of the sea state allied to a more easterly wind; average speed has increased to above 8 knots ; which has also coincided with a not inconsiderable rise in crew morale.

At the time of writing this blog; we are currently 230 miles west of Horta and the promise of having a shower, beer and doing our laundry; not necessarily in that order! The general feeling of the crew is one of anticipation; particularly in regards to being able to contact friends and family. We are also with equal degrees of trepidation and delight looking forward to a respite of not having to constantly battle with gravity and living life at 30 degrees (starboard tack!) whilst wondering what the effect of our new found stability on land will have on us (apparently land sickness is a thing) and a story many of us will vehemently stick with after a few at Peters Bar!

So a few things to report; minor calamities have afflicted our stoic crew. These amounted to a bruised knee; a grazed leg which was deftly treated by our fabulous on-board medic and the reoccurrence of seasickness. Though one does suspect more egos have been bruised as opposed to physical ones! Apart from these very minor quibbles; everyone on board is safe, happy and well.

Roll on Horta!!

Jane, Alexis and Karl.

 

170 miles to Horta

170 miles to Horta as the crow flies. Unfortunately, CH 2 can’t sail in a straight line for Horta at the moment because of the wind angle

Skipper Sue’s Log

Date Tuesday 21st Jan, 2020
Time : 1200 GMT (1000 boat time)
Position : 38 27’N    34  15’ W
Destination : Horta, Azores
ETA : 22/23 Jan
Sailplan : 3 reefs, storm stay, Y3

Apparent wind: 25 gusting 30kts

SOG 8kts
Fuel : 2 full, 1 in use, 1 empty
Water : 2  full, 1 in use 1 empty – watermaker now switched off
Gas : 2 full, 1 in use, 2 empty

 

I can’t say that anyone is enjoying beating into 30kts to finish the first leg of our passage to Horta. Spirits fell a little last night as we struggled to make 5kts in a lumpy and difficult sea state and the more optimistic arrival prediction times came & went. Life is a bit more cheerful this morning as the sea state moderated enough to make helming with the Y3 up more manageable – for a time – and we are at least making a reasonable speed if not a great course. 265nm to run but it will involve at least a couple of tacks. Overnight saw 2 relatively minor impact injuries, one of which is just a painful knock, the other a small laceration that I have sought medical advice on as the medic on board recommends a suture or glue to close the wound.  Looking forward to Horta.

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More blogs about this Atlantic Adventure can be read here: Antigua to Portsmouth

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Hi Maurice, we're so pleased to have been with you from the start of your sailing journey. That's great that you enjoyed the ratio of students to instructor and felt confident with the levels you achieved. Thanks for the review, we hope you manage to get plenty of sailing in after all the hard work you've put in.
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I just finished another training week at First Class Sailing’s training center. The week was dedicated to Yachtmaster Ocean Theory, with a highlight on Celestial Navigation. The instructor, Nigel Rennie FRIN (Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation), was fantastic. It was very fast-paced, but covered the basics and theory behind Celestial Navigation. The jewel of the week was Rennie. His abundant patience, coupled with his experiences and passion for the art, made the week incredible. First Class Sailing have the best instructors. They know their craft and have real-life experience to make training both fun and memorable. Well Done!
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Thanks Marty. We're so pleased you enjoyed Nigel's expert guidance and passion for sailing. Like all our instructors, he loves teaching and sharing his knowledge, but manages to make it fun too. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Being in an all female boat is a great way to learn. Kirsten, our instructor, had a very calm and reassuring style. The small size of the group (only 3 of us) meant we got a lot of attention and many opportunities to practice. Such a good week!
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Really great experience with First Class. My partner and I did our Day Skipper over two weekends with our instructor Mark. He was fantastic. Patient as we learned and made the whole thing fun. The boats are great and organization by First Class was seamless. Would totally recommend.
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Thanks Angus. That's good that you enjoyed Mark's style of teaching and also had lots of fun along the way. Wishing you lots of happy sailing in the future.
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I just finished a fantastic week taking my Day Skipper practical with First Class Sailing and I highly recommend them. I chose the Women Only week and had an incredibly patient instructor who was able to help each of us individually with areas of weakness but also worked great with us as a group. I had never sailed in the Solent before and it was the perfect location for this class. I am so grateful for First Class and my instructor for helping me build confidence and experience.
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Thanks Tricia, we're so pleased you enjoyed the Women Only week and had a positive experience. We always say that the Solent really is one of the best places to learn and it has some beautiful scenery to explore too, so that's good that you appreciated it. Hope you manage to get out on the water soon.
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They do say that what sets great companies apart is customer service. This is my third time with first class sailing the first time was a few years ago when we did our competent crew it was one of the best weeks of our lives. Then we came again in August for the kids to do their competent crew and my wife and I to do our day skipper course. Unfortunately when I did my day skipper course the weather was terrible and I was unable to have a good session to pass. So Jake said to me you can come back and have a free weekend on us to enable you to pass. And again I had a fabulous weekend. There was just three of us on the boat. A wonderful instructor, Tom, and another student. Tom was an excellent instructor he was relaxed, he had great experiences, he got on with the practical part of sailing not just a lot of theory and he was thorough. He had lots of practical tips to make sailing easier and had some good exercises forest to try. We had a super trip down to Yarmouth where he cooked a wonderful dinner and then we went to the pub. Where we met another first class sailing group and spent the evening listening to their tall tales. The following day we had a super sail back to Southampton, with lots of cool exercises and I was thrilled to pass my day skipper.
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Response from the owner 16:46 04 Nov 25
Thanks for the review Evan and congratulations on passing your Day Skipper practical, the hard work has paid off. That's good that the whole family joined you for one of the trips and so now hopefully you have some willing crew members for future sails. Good luck!
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Justin Brooks profile pictureJustin Brooks
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We would highly recommend First Class Sailing.

Very well organised with a top quality instructor who provided tuition tailored to our differing needs.

A fantastic option for a couple wanting an entire boat to do a mixed Competent Crew / Day Skipper itinerary.
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Thanks Justin. We always find that mixing the Competent Crew & Day Skipper works well, so that's great that it worked for you too. Hope you manage to get out on the water soon and put all your learning into practice.
ChrisC profile pictureChrisC
15:37 22 Aug 25
Great experience doing a Yachtmaster Offshore prep week followed by exam. Lots of useful paperwork up-front for the course admin and training exercises. The 3-day prep format worked well and Hayley did a brilliant job of cramming in the training over those days. Lovely modern boat too called Sazerac. Will be back.
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Hi Chris, thanks for the review. Congratulations on gaining your YMO qualification. There's a lot to cover, but as you've found, the hard work really pays off. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future.
Miles Barr profile pictureMiles Barr
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I completed my Competent Crew and Day Skipper Practical with First Class Sailing. It was a great experience. I hired the whole boat each time, taking my family members along who also earned their Competent Crew qualifications.
Response from the owner 15:21 21 Aug 25
Thanks Miles. That's great that hiring the whole boat for your courses worked well for you all. Now that your family have their comp crew qualifications, you'll have plenty of help onboard for future sails! Good luck.

star rating  All female boat for day skipper practical  - Being in an all female boat is a great way to learn. Kirsten, our instructor, had a very calm and reassuring style. The small size of the group (only 3... read more

ALMC62
October 15, 2025

star rating  First Class experience.  - Very good experience with First Class Sailing. Mark was a terrific teacher and the boat was well equipped and comfortable for a 5 day course. Would definitely recommend.

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October 8, 2025

star rating  Great night sailing weekend. - I did the night sailing weekend on the Solent. Callum was very friendly and knowledgeable. He planned the weekend together with the participants such that everyone could have an input... read more

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