A 10-month Atlantic Circuit

Time acts like a still. It distills memories and softens the recollection of logistical difficulties, mishaps at sea, and short-lived anxieties. What remains is the scent of sensations from the ocean and the quintessence of our favorite memories from the trip. After six months of settling back on dry land, here is my perception of what we loved during our Atlantic circuit aboard Yumelo, the Neel 43 we chartered for ten months.

Out at Sea

We loved being at sea. Sailing, crossing the ocean and confronting its vastness, experiencing the feeling of infinity inspired by its immensity, and the perspective of a circular horizon, unattainable by nature.
We loved becoming one with Yumelo: swaying to the gradually familiar undulations and jolts of the ocean, feeling its hectic movements. The harmonious rhythm of our days, the boat’s throbbing movements and the soporific tempo of our nights. We loved rocking, rolling, dancing and testing our balance against the swaying swell.
We loved being attentive to Neptune’s whims, to the slightest breaths of Aeolus. Feeling the sea breeze as it brushed or whipped our faces, anticipating its mood swings and living in tune with the fluctuating rhythm of this blue waterscape, often docile, sometimes hostile.
We loved the ever-present salt, which envelops, irritates, and yet evokes nostalgia for the seaside of our childhood.
We loved the ballet of the stars, when the last rays of daylight fade behind the horizon. When the moon makes a spectacular red appearance and then evaporates into a halo and when the sea sparkles at sunrise, glitters at its zenith, and glows red at sunset. We loved this panoramic and versatile technicolor daily life.
The sky darkens, the wind no longer blows, it whistles (Force 7-8). The waves are no longer green hills and valleys but resemble snow-capped peaks. There is electricity in the air, but also humility, as Yumelo rears up: we have reduced sail, borne away downwind, fleeing. The crew, united, mobilizes and redoubles its vigilance to face the suddenly belligerent elements. We take these passing storms as a reminder, an injunction not to neglect or underestimate the powerful impetuosity of our host, despite the adrenaline we feel.
Then, after the squall had moved on to other horizons, after the storm had gone to electrify other parts of the sea, after the front had moved on to other battles, we enjoyed the renewed freedom, the gentle trade winds, the benevolent breeze that blew sparingly once more. We hoisted the spinnaker once more.

Identifying the Marine Life

From Yumelo, from the height of our freeboard, we enjoyed trying to identify the abundance of the marine universe, detecting the clues that emerged from its depths. Here, an iridescent, translucent Mermaid’s Wine Glass carried away by the current; there, a school of flying fish trying to escape their eager predators; here, a sunfish or a weightless sea turtle swimming between two bodies of water; here again, an army of speedy ...