CHAPTER ONE
FLORIDA—COUNTDOWN TO THE CROSSING
Sixty-two-year-old Rudy Snel from Canada is standing in the warm Florida sunshine. He is outside an airport waiting to meet Jean Pierre de Lutz, the owner of a sailboat named the Sean Seamour II. The 44-foot sailboat will carry Rudy, Jean Pierre, and a third sailor from Florida to France.
Jean Pierre arrives and the two men shake hands, then drive to the sailboat in Jacksonville, Florida. Jean Pierre, who goes by the nickname JP, is excited about the upcoming voyage. He is 57 years old and has been sailing since he was a boy.
When Rudy first sees the Sean Seamour II, he is impressed. The sailboat has a center cockpit protected by a hard dodger (rigid windshield), and a single mast rises directly in front of the cockpit. During stormy weather, the cockpit can be completely sheltered with canvas curtains and windows. It’s a sleek-looking boat—Rudy thinks it’s beautiful.
The third crew member, Ben Tye, emerges from the boat’s cabin. JP introduces the 31-year-old sailor to Rudy. Ben is British, with a short, stocky build and a shaved head. He has just sailed from Europe to the United States, and on this trip he will reverse course.
Each man has a different reason for making the voyage. JP wants to have his sailboat near his home in France, Rudy wants the thrill of an Atlantic crossing, and Ben wants to expand on his sailing experience. For Rudy, the trip will be the culmination of a lifelong dream.
May is the optimal time of year to travel east across the Atlantic, primarily because it puts the sailors ahead of hurricane season. During the next few days, the three men bring food on board and prepare the boat for the voyage. They replace lines, clean equipment, and practice using the pumps that can remove water from the vessel in an emergency.
The men learn about the life raft and the GPIRB: a global position indicating radio beacon, which in an emergency can send a signal to the Coast Guard, pinpointing the boat’s location. Also on board is an older emergency beacon from one of JP’s earlier boats.
Departure is scheduled for May 1, 2007, but the men have to wait an extra day for some new batteries. These batteries are important for powering the radio, the pumps, and the electronics. However, this one-day delay will have dire consequences. The three sailors don’t know it yet, but the Sean Seamour II will now be on a collision course with a storm of incredible power.
CHAPTER TWO
JEAN PIERRE AND RUDY
Before beginning the voyage at six thirty in the morning on May 2, JP checks the marine weather forecast. Everything seems fine.
Using the motor, JP guides the Sean Seamour II down the St. Johns River, right through the heart of Jacksonville, Florida. The men reach the open ocean at two in the afternoon.
I’m finally doing it, thinks Rudy as he watches the shore disappear. We’re on our way.
There’s a slight breeze from the southwest, and the men are able to get their sails up. They’re at the edge of the Gulf Stream, a current in the ocean that runs northeastward from the tip of Florida along the coast of the United States. The Gulf Stream’s current will help propel the Sean Seamour II on the first days of the journey.
After admiring the sunset, JP and Ben go to bed. Rudy stands watch to make sure the boat doesn’t get too close to any other vessels.
Just before midnight, with a half-moon shining over the water, Rudy has his first thrill of the trip. Peering at the ocean, he sees the outline of a dolphin come through the water. There are about twenty of them swimming along either side of the Sean Seamour II. Occasionally, one breaks the surface with acrobatic leaps. Rudy watches, mesmerized. He has never seen dolphins at sea, and this pod wants to race the boat.
Later, JP joins Rudy in the cockpit. JP loves sailing so much, he doesn’t want to miss any of it by sleeping. Born in New York City, JP had a difficult childhood. His father, from France, and mother, from Belgium, were not ready to raise a child, so JP spent time in foster care, where he struggled with bullies.
When JP was ten, he was shipped off to France to live with his mother by the ocean. After many stressful years, the sea was soothing to the young JP. When he wasn’t in school, he spent much of his free time eagerly watching the fishing boats come and go from the port. Local fishermen eventually noticed JP and taught him everything they knew about the ocean and boats.
Now, many years later, JP viewed his transatlantic crossing aboard the Sean Seamour II as a potential first step in sailing around the world.
CHAPTER THREE
RIDING THE GULF STREAM
May 3 is another fine day, with a brisk breeze from the west. The Sean Seamour II is now traveling northeast, riding the Gulf Stream. The ocean’s temperature has climbed from 73 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday to 78 today.
The warm waters of the Gulf Stream come from its source in the Gulf of Mexico. The current shoots through the 50-mile-wide Florida Straits, passing between the tip of Florida and Cuba, sending the flow north along Florida’s eastern seaboard.
When the Gulf Stream reaches Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, it curves to the northeast, losing a bit of its power. Farther north, the Gulf Stream flows eastward, slowly heading across the Atlantic and beyond the British Isles.
The Gulf Stream can be challenging. Its waters heat the air directly above it, helping to produce a microclimate. When the warm air collides with a cold front, violent thunderstorms erupt.
The Gulf Stream is not the place to be caught in a storm. If winds come out of the north, those winds collide with the water current coming from the south. That combination produces dangerous waves.
* * *
On the evening of May 3, Rudy prepares dinner and the sailors enjoy the nice weather by eating in the open air of the cockpit. During dinner, JP mentions that the latest weather report continues to call for favorable conditions. Rudy can’t remember when he last felt so relaxed. No phone calls, no television, and no schedules.
May 4 and 5 are also sunny days; with little wind, the crew of the Sean Seamour II relies on the boat’s motor to propel them forward. On the night of May 5, the captain decides to adjust their course. Some squall lines with rain and wind on the western edge of the Gulf Stream are moving east. The latest weather report also shows two major storm fronts inching closer. Winds might increase to 25 miles per hour. If bad weather hits, JP wants to be out of the Gulf Stream, where waves can grow larger than the surrounding area because of the current.
For now, JP is still relaxed and enjoying the voyage. He loves his sailboat, loves the sea—but both are about to betray him.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE GATHERING STORM
At dawn, JP takes over the watch from Rudy. He can’t stop thinking about the latest weather report, which shows the low-pressure system to the north of the Sean Seamour II gathering strength.
Later in the morning, Ben and Rudy are in the cockpit, thankful for how fast they are moving away from the Gulf Stream. The waves are four feet tall and choppy, but the Sean Seamour II slices through them at eight miles per hour.
At 1:00 p.m., the two men notice wispy yellow-brown clouds off to the north.
“What do you make of those clouds?” asks Rudy.
“Rain is coming, and maybe a squall,” answers Ben.
Rudy nods. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen clouds that color. They’re so menacing.”
JP comes up from below, glances toward the stained clouds, and says, “The winds are forecast to veer out of the north to northeast late in the day, and that’s when they are supposed to really pick up. We’re in for some rough weather, so let’s prepare.”
The three sailors decide they don’t want to get caught with all the sails raised in the event of dangerously extreme winds. They begin lowering the sails but continue advancing toward the east and away from the Gulf Stream.
An hour later, the winds are howling at 50 miles per hour out of the north-northwest. Raindrops, propelled horizontally by the gusts, lash at the three sailors. JP thinks, This is not good. Nothing is going as planned.
Copyright © 2020 by Michael Tougias
Copyright © 2020 by Mark Edward Geyer
