Voyage of My Motu: From calm seas to stormy skies

During the night hours, while Jeroen and I are lying in our bed, we suddenly feel a strange movement of the boat and we hear Rajesh starting the engine. Within seconds, we are both outside. The wind has suddenly turned 180 degrees. With two Genakkers on board, this is not ideal, but Rajesh still manages to quickly get the boat back on course and trim the sails. After we go back to bed, an uneasy feeling lingers. After half an hour, I decided to get up; just at that moment, Rajesh called us both on deck. Jeroen has also already gotten out of bed because of an indefinable feeling, which turned out to be true. He shouts that the Genakker is gone, but upon inspection, we see it flying high up on the mast like a flag. Jeroen and Rajesh quickly wear their life jackets and secure themselves to the lifeline as they walk to the bow. I stay in the cockpit to operate the rope there. It is always hectic at such a moment because you have to understand the situation quickly. As soon as the Genakker is back in the sock, we see that the rope that attaches it to the bowsprit has been broken in half. After the Genakker has been stowed, we also take down our Mizzen Genakker and adjust our course to set up the remaining sails. Then peace returns, and everyone can go back to bed, but we all don’t really sleep well or much anymore.

The vast ocean stretches before us like an endless terrain of discovery, surrounding not only our journey but that of our beloved boat, My Motu. As her fourth proud owners, we share a history dating back to her very first days. She was originally purchased from a German dealer who, in anticipation of a one-year wait for Super Maramus, pre-purchased six. This allowed him to offer them directly to eager buyers who were willing to pay a premium. My Motu thus found its first home with an Italian owner, who sailed her solo across the Atlantic Ocean to Antigua in 1994.

Antigua was her home port for many years, where she found shelter during the summers, ashore, under a protective cover and in the winters safely moored behind her owner’s apartment in Jolly Harbour. The staff at Jolly Harbor have maintained her well, and over the years, she has undergone several upgrades, including the replacement of the engine and generator. The minor damage caused by a hurricane in 1999 to her bow rail and railing was professionally repaired.

After the death of the original owner, My Motu was sold to its second owner, who found it in excellent condition thanks to good maintenance. Further improvements followed in St. Maarten, including the installation of a solar panel arch, a dinghy lift, a new drinking water tank, a new dinghy, and an outboard engine for the dinghy. Although our boat crossed the Caribbean up and down many times, she never circumnavigated the world.

In 2015, My Motu was handed over to her third owner, who sailed her solo and prepared her for a Pacific crossing. However, a tempting offer for a newer Super Maramu led to its sale.

Although the second owner initially considered buying her back, he is pleased to read that we, the current owners, are keeping My Motu in optimal condition and are enjoying our journey. We have made numerous upgrades, successfully navigated the Panama Canal and started a new chapter of our journey, both for our boat and for ourselves.

Now that we are on our way to French Polynesia, we are now sailing with a group of 18 different sailboats and catamarans. It is intriguing to discover that even though we all left on the same day, each sailing trip tells its own story. This is because every boat has its own character. Some sails sail perfectly close to the wind, are light and quickly reach high speeds, even in little wind. Others are heavier, need at least 12 knots of wind to gain speed, and cannot sail as close to the wind.

The course choices differ among us. While some sail straight south, where the waves are higher and the winds are more challenging, others choose to stay further north, where the waves are calmer and the winds gentler. Can true adventure be found in embracing challenges and risks or in the pursuit of security and stability? This raises another question: “Can someone really be a true sailor if they avoid great risks and prefer comfort to challenges at sea? Or can the pursuit of comfort and safety be equally an essential aspect of seamanship, with wisdom and prudence the form guiding principles?”

We receive regular updates on broken records, such as 226 nautical miles in one day at speeds of up to 14.5 knots while surfing 5-meter-high waves. We also set a new record for the fewest number of nautical miles sailed in one day, namely 74.6. Regardless of which choices and routes we take, the end goal for all of us is the Marquis Islands. One sailor might take 26 days, while another might take 33. Everything depends on the route, the wind and, of course, the characteristics of our boats. As long as everyone arrives safe and sound, we are happy.

On the tenth day of our crossing, we reached a nice milestone: we had travelled a combined 10,000 nautical miles since our departure date on July 1, 2022, when we sailed from the British Virgin Islands. This milestone symbolizes not only the distance we have bridged but also the unforgettable experiences we have gained along the way. We look back with pride on the many lessons we have learned, not only in the field of navigation and seamanship but also on a personal level.

After inspecting our Genakker and attaching a new rope, we were ready to hoist it again. But the Genakker got stuck halfway. Jeroen pulled harder, and then we all heard the sound: shrree, no! A crack in our beloved Genakker. After a few words, which I will not repeat, we took down the Genakker and hung it up so that we could view the torn part from inside the boat. I took the nylon repair tape and stuck it to both sides of the tear. We then sewed over the tape and the tear for extra strength. We hoped it would be enough, but both felt the crack was a little too big. When we lifted the Genakker again the next morning, everything seemed fine. But an hour later, we saw part of the repaired piece come loose again. We quickly took him down and decided to leave it to the professionals. It was a shame as it is our favourite sail. Let’s hope someone at Hiva Oa has time to fix it.

Not long after reaching the 10,000 NM milestone, we reach another milestone, crossing the equator, also known as “crossing the line”. It has a long history in the sailing world. It is a milestone that dates back to the earliest days of sailing when explorers and sailors ventured into the unknown waters of the world. In the 16th century, during the great sea voyages of European explorers such as Columbus and Magellan, we find the first documentation of crossing the equator moment was imbued with ceremonies and rituals. The newcomers, known as “Pollywogs”, underwent elaborate rituals and sometimes humiliating jokes. All this was designed as an initiation process, during which Pollywogs were transformed into full-fledged sailors, “Shellbacks”. to test them, but also to welcome them into the brotherhood of those who had conquered the equator.

All three of us are newcomers to the sea crossing the equator, while there are no experienced sailors (“Shellbacks”) on board. To mark this transition, we have dressed in appropriate clothing and taken this oath to King Neptune:

“King Neptune, ruler of the seas, we honour you as we prepare to cross this sacred border into the Southern Hemisphere and ask your blessings for our continued sailing. We are your humble servants and offer you libations (the sacrifice of liquids) in gratitude for your protection. We ask you for favourable winds, calm seas and exciting adventures. We, Jeroen, Aagje and Rajesh, hereby solemnly declare and pledge our status as newcomers (“pollywogs”). to be loyal and true sailors (“shellbacks”) on our beloved ship My Motu. On King Neptune!”

After offering King Neptune a large drink of rum, we drank a modest amount ourselves as an initiation ritual.

Here, amid a sea of calm, where the winds whisper instead of roar, we find ourselves at this moment in our journey. Sometimes, a dolphin or a small whale comes to say hello to us as if to let us know that all is well and that we need to be patient. Then they dive into the depths of the ocean again and mysteriously disappear. When it is so flat around you, you expect to see them resurface somewhere, but not at the times we were looking.

We are in an area known as the doldrums, where the sun is high in the sky, and the air vibrates with heat. This region, also known as the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), is an area around the equator where the trade winds meet. It is known for its low wind speeds and variable wind directions and is characterized by mostly calm, windless conditions. Because we still have 1/3 of our diesel in our tank, we are forced to accept the calm of the doldrums. We leave the call of the winds behind and rely on the power of the currents that propel us at a calm yet determined speed of 1.5 to 2 knots. We’re all going into the ocean, yes, even me! Of course, I felt the nerves as I descended the stairs. Still, I do it. The water feels wonderful, and the clarity allows you to see for miles. Jeroen notices build-up and enthusiastically sets about the task of removing it to burn off some energy. Every now and then, he hears something underwater and looks around quickly, but he hasn’t seen anything other than the flying fish. Could there be underwater creatures watching him?

We also continued fishing, and to our great surprise, we caught a Skipjack Tuna that we could eat for two days. On April 25, we have a birthday boy on board My Motu. It’s Rajesh’s birthday, and we’re celebrating with a birthday song, a present and a home-baked lemon cake. Rajesh would like to thank everyone who remembered his birthday and is grateful for the many phone calls, text messages and video calls. Starlink makes this possible again, we say gratefully to each other. Still special in the middle of the sea. An extra special birthday gift was catching a huge Wahoo. Rajesh and I keep an eye on Jeroen with wide eyes as he does his utmost to reel in this enormous fish. Jeroen really succeeded; the Wahoo did not manage to escape! We are very proud of this catch! It’s the first time we catch a Wahoo. The Wahoo appears to be 1.30 meters long. That evening, I will prepare a delicious birthday feast. We can eat it more than eight times! There is no shortage of food and drinks on board.

Rajesh takes photos and videos daily to create a movie of our adventures while I write the blogs. The videos can be seen on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

As we float quietly on the glistening surface of the ocean, we strive to enjoy the tranquillity of this moment. There is something special about the doldrums: the way the sunset sets the horizon on fire, the number of stars that can be seen and the full moon that shines, lighting up the ocean. Every evening, I stare at the stars and often see one or two shooting stars. What exactly are shooting stars? Shooting stars are actually small pieces of space debris that enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up due to friction with air. When you look from Earth, they appear to fall from the sky, hence the name “shooting stars”. Usually, I see a bright streak or flash.

Shooting stars remain something special to see. People around the world have long had the habit of making a wish when they see a shooting star. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is. This tradition connects us all. The idea is that if you make a wish the moment you see a shooting star, that wish might come true, and that touches something deep within us. It reminds us that even when everything seems dark, there is always hope. It’s like a bright spot in the darkness, a sign that good things can happen even when things are hard. It is a way to express optimism and belief in a better future. While the sun rises slowly in the east, the moon sinks slowly in the west, and at one point, they are both visible on opposite sides of the horizon. I believe that you cannot experience such a unique spectacle like this anywhere else than on the water.

Dark clouds pile up ominously above our heads. The waves become higher and fiercer while the wind increases to a loud roar. We are tossed roughly back and forth and do not sleep a wink. Is idyllic sailing under bright sunshine a thing of the past from now on? All this will be in the next blog update.