Local sailboat crew tested in 2015 Transatlantic Race
On a typical day for sailors around the North Fork, a sustained wind of 25 knots might be enough to cancel a race or at least give a sailor pause before hitting the water.
Out in the North Atlantic, winds that speed are the norm.
For the majority of the race, conditions were ideal. Part of the challenge is the need to sail into bad weather.
A calm, sunny day doesn’t translate to speed.
At one point, Prospector sailed too close to a low pressure system, leading the boat into its biggest waves.
“We faced the type of conditions where a mistake could have been catastrophic,” Mr. McDowell said. “There were times I was driving when you’d look behind you and see a wave above you and look down the front of the wave and see waves in front of you still.”
But Prospector was designed to handle the rough conditions and the boat served the crew well.
And when the sea was calm, it revealed a beautiful scene unlike anything they had ever witnessed before.
“As you go across, we saw lots of tremendous wildlife and the ocean itself is beautiful,” Mr. McDowell said.
At night, Mr. Landry said, a light blue glow was created by plankton — microscopic organisms in the water — and the waves breaking. Some crew members even saw dolphins swimming through the area, their fins creating even more light.
“At night it was like a light show,” Mr. Landry said. “It was really very pretty.”
After nearly two weeks at sea — something that prompted Mr. McDowell at one point to write on the crew’s blog, “We smell like goats and that’s an insult to goats” — the crew’s biggest highlight came at the end.
When the boat came sailing toward the finish line at Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight, a huge cheer erupted from shore.
They pulled up to the dock to find 15 family members waiting.
“It was an instant boost of adrenaline,” Mr. Wolf said.
Glasses of champagne greeted the crew. Cheeseburgers followed.
And, eventually, a well-deserved hot shower.
