Page 24 - Yachter Spring/Summer 2021

24 CRUISING REPORTS
ATLANTIC ASSOCIATES - A TALE OF TWO BOATS DURING LOCKDOWN
William, Peter and Wendy Whatley and Chris and Katie Russell
This is a story of how cruising friends helped each other after the pandemic hit the Caribbean. It is the story of how ‘Team Whatley’, (Peter,Wendy and their son William), helped Chris and Katie Russell by sailing their boat, Associate 3 from St Lucia to her home in Antigua during lockdown. ‘Team Whatley’ then sailed their own boat, Henry, home to the UK. It is a story in which everyone has a voice.
William
I had a long-held ambition to do a singlehanded transatlantic so on 1st January 2020 I set off in Henry from Gran Canaria, on my own, heading to Antigua. It was
a fantastic trip, and I was fortunate with the weather. I did not need to head south from the Canaries to find the trade winds and was able to aim straight for Antigua and had a successful westbound crossing in 17 days. I met up with Chris and Katie in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, and enjoyed
a very pleasant evening aboard Associate 3. Little was I to know that our paths were
to become so entwined over the next few months.
Chris and Katie
We enjoyed an extremely pleasant 2019/20 season cruising the Caribbean aboard Associate 3 from our recently established base in Antigua.We returned to the UK
in early March to see our elderly mothers and our grandchildren leaving Associate 3 laid up in Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia fully expecting to return and continue our cruise back to Antigua. It was a good job that we put her safely to bed including thorough cleaning and pickling the water maker as we were not to see her again until November 2020. It quickly became clear that getting back to Associate 3 was going to be difficult, then reality hit – it was going to be impossible! Each Caribbean island had
started to lock down and travel to and from the islands, and between them, was cancelled. We started to hear of stories from different islands that cruisers were being quarantined on their boats. Curfews were being imposed – movements restricted. Friends running businesses in Antigua were starting to
pull out.This was serious.We knew that Henry with Peter and Wendy on board was anchored off Jolly Harbour where we have a villa and a dock. Maybe they would prefer to be on dry land, if this were going to be a long stay?
Peter and Wendy
The plan was to leave the Caribbean in April 2020 and head north to cruise the east coast of the USA in preparation for a transit of the North West Passage. Of course, April 2020 was a time when everyone’s plans changed, and ports of the world locked down.
William, Peter and Wendy and Chris and Katie