The Team is sailing along nicely, and with little wind is well on course and schedule. It seems that they have the worst part behind them. From now on the wind, current and sea will be a lot more favorable en route to Hawaii. Of course apart from the explosive changes that the Pacific has as a surprise.
The latter was proven again during the night of 4-5 June. In the evening they celebrated Ruurd’s birthday on a calm sea, only to literally have to have all hands on deck a few hours later to get through a sudden crisis. Due to a sudden increase in wind and waves they made so much speed that the autopilot could no longer keep up. Even steering by hand could not keep the boat on course and the Ambrosia threatened to become uncontrollable. In an attempt to reduce the speed, a rope was released behind the boat, which was supposed to serve as a brake.
Shortly afterwards, the Ambrosia appeared to respond even less to the rudder, and turned violently across the waves at every moment. Not something you want, because that can quickly become dangerous. The next 3 hours, the entire team had to give everything to keep the boat with its nose in the wind until the cause of the unresponsive rudder was finally found. The loose rope at the back of the boat appeared to have attached itself to the rudder under the boat. Just when Wilco was ready to lower himself into the cold and dark water to pull the rope around the rudder, the Ocean decided to show its friendly side and the rope came loose, and control of the Ambrosia was quickly regained, and a course could be set for calmer waters.
This kind of precarious situation shows once again how unpredictable the ocean is, and how quickly things can get out of hand. However, there is a positive aspect to this short adventure. The cooperation and communication between on board and with the shore team went smoothly, which allowed for quick and efficient action. There you have it. Working together and acting as a team keeps even an ocean under control.
