Weathering a severe gale

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