Weathering A Severe Gale

Ocean racer Pip Hare tells how she survived a life-changing weather system in Biscay

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The passage started on a warm autumn day from Ireland. We were a crew of two, sailing my 39ft cruiser-racer south, bound for the Canaries, then an Atlantic crossing. I had spent the previous year refitting while living aboard and felt relaxed and confident about the trip across the familiar waters of the Bay of Biscay.

Every day before leaving I studied synoptic charts. The forecast looked stable and favourable for the time of year. There was high pressure to the north of the UK delivering easterly winds – ideal for our trip south. The five-day forecast showed little change and the trip should have taken around three days. My budget was meagre so satellite communications were out of the question. I’d installed an SSB [single sideband] radio for communication offshore and planned to rely on verbal ocean forecasts while at sea.

The first day was fun, smooth sailing with light winds and bright sun. The gentle rhythm allowed us to ease into life at sea. I was thrilled to have finally started an adventure. The radio remained silent and every hour was taken up with sailing, eating and sleeping. The forecast had been good on departure so checking for updates was in the back of my mind.

On day two, the wind started to veer, first to the south then the south-west. It was an unexpected shift but not bad. We tacked and were heading for Finisterre, this time close hauled. The 36 hours that followed will be forever in my memory.