Post 15

Navigating by the Stars.

Sailing across the Atlantic is a dream for many sailors and adventurers alike. The thought of spending days and nights on the open sea, being surrounded by nothing but water and sky, is both thrilling and intimidating. However, for those who have experienced it, there is no other feeling quite like it.

One of the most fascinating things about sailing across the Atlantic is navigating by the stars. This traditional method of navigation has been used for centuries, and it is still used today by many sailors. 

In this update, I’ll try to describe what it's like to sail at night across the Atlantic from Madeira to St. Thomas, covering a distance of 3000 nautical miles, while seeing more stars and  planets than I could ever imagine and satellites circumnavigating among the stars on clear nights, and complete blackness all around on cloudy and rainy nights.

The Journey Begins

As we set sail from Madeira, we left behind the lush greenery and rugged coastline of the island and entered the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Since we had already sailed many days from La Rochelle France around the tip of Spain and several hundred miles south off the Portuguese coast to reach Madeira, we were adjusting nicely to life on the open sea, getting used to the rhythm of the boat, and acknowledging a few days out of Madeira that while difficult, we would steer manually from here on out.

Navigating by the Stars

One of the most exciting aspects of sailing across the Atlantic is navigating by the stars. This traditional method of navigation involves using the stars to determine your position and course. It requires a good knowledge of astronomy and the ability to read star charts and navigate using a sextant.

On clear nights, the stars seem to shine brighter than ever before, and you can see the constellations and planets clearly in the night sky. It's a magical feeling to be surrounded by such beauty and to be able to use it to navigate your way across the ocean. Spoiler alert - it is easier than it sounds if you have a modern chart plotter and compass, which we do. But honestly, when the sky is clear, I find it easier to look up and out at a star or planet to hold my course. It is better than staring down at a compass and chart plotter for 3 hours straight. (Remember that we are steering by hand; no auto pilot. So you need to figure out your eye-hand coordination and at night things can get interesting since you frequently cannot see what direction you are going in the water.)

Satellites Among the Stars

In addition to the stars, I have also seen several satellites passing overhead on clear nights. Satellites are used for a variety of purposes, including communication, navigation, and scientific research. Seeing them passing overhead while sailing across the ocean can be a surreal experience. It is also a constant reminder to me of how my father (Albert Charles Reymann) designed and built satellites for John’s Hopkins in the 60s and 70s, among other things. “Show and tell” in grade school was always interesting when I would take a model of a satellite into class and explain what a solar panel was and how it worked. This was before people new what one was or what it could do. And now I have 3 solar panels on Just Live generating her daily power from the sun. Pretty cool, I think.

However, not every night is clear and starry. There are cloudy and rainy nights where the stars are hidden, and the sky is dark. And I mean really dark. “Close your eyes and tell me what you see” kind of dark. During these nights, you rely on other navigation tools such as our GPS and compass to determine our position and course.

Blackness all Around

During cloudy and rainy nights, the ocean can seem like a vast and endless blackness - except when a flying monkey/fish skirts through our red and green navigational lights. At night, I think the flying fish are actually blue.  Come to think of it, I think the color remake of Wizard of Oz also had blue flying monkeys-“I’ll get you my pretty.”

Steering manually at night takes constant attention on a clear night. But the absence of stars and the lack of visibility simply adds to the challenge. 

Navigating by the stars, seeing satellites passing overhead, and experiencing the blackness of the ocean on cloudy and rainy nights are all part of the journey. It's an experience that I know will stay with me forever and one that every sailor should experience at least once in their lifetime.

Cheers,

Paul

P.S. Remember, you can click on this tracker link to follow us across the Atlantic on an interactive map via Iridium Go - thanks to Captain Anthony.