The long port tack to Antigua

Hermione Pattison’s family endures a tough passage when they leave the US on a tumultuous 1,600-mile beat to windward

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The phrase ‘never trust the brochure’ seems incredibly appropriate for our crewmember Mike, who has just stepped off Alisara, our Moody 47, after a 1,600-mile passage from Virginia to Antigua.

I had back surgery a few months ago so my husband, Douglas, and I decided to recruit an additional crewmember for the voyage with our children Alice (7) and Arthur (9). This proved to be a wonderful decision.

Participating in the Salty Dawg rally was another good idea. To get back to the Caribbean this year has required a great deal of planning and paperwork. This volunteer-run organisation compiled the ever-changing information and offered us support to ensure smooth entry into Antigua. Looking at their crew list was overwhelming, but Mike Draper caught our eye and after one FaceTime call from the other side of the US we decided that he’d be a good fit. The main challenge was to find someone who was able to live in close quarters with two young children, be physically fit, and have the time to do the necessary quarantines. The up-side (I said in my sales pitch) was that he’d have his own double cabin, own heads/ bathroom and be well fed!

After a three week haul-out in Virginia and a huge amount of boat work, Alisara was in great shape. Spotless inside and out, she was ready for this trip. Provisioning done, we waited for the weather and finally our very chilly and itchy feet left the dock in Hampton at 7pm on Monday 2 November.

The strategy