MEU goes Caribbean - in the final stages

Young skipper Clara Weimer has been living on the water for almost a year now, having set sail in August 2023 under the project name “MEU goes Caribbean”. Accompanied by changing crews, she is currently sailing from Travemünde to the Caribbean and back on the youth yacht SY MEU of the Lübeck Yacht Club.

After crossing the Atlantic from Bermuda for almost 2 1/2 weeks, we have now arrived in the Azores, where we will do three one-week sails around the islands. We’ll probably explore the islands of Faial, Sao Jorge, Pico, Terceira and Sao Miguel and will then set off to Galicia before sailing back to Germany via England and the Netherlands.

What have been the highlights on board so far?

I have very fond memories of the festive and emotional farewell ceremony on August 5. After a shared breakfast, the Chairman made a speech and then a Lübeck shanty choir gave a short performance. As we sailed out of the Trave, a large cluster of boats accompanied us out into the Bay of Lübeck.

Another wonderful moment was our arrival in Barbados. The destination of the “MEU goes Caribbean” voyage had been reached. It was a great relief to arrive there on our own keel despite some difficulties at the beginning, such as the rudder damage caused by orcas.

Encounters with the inhabitants of the oceans can be quite wonderful. When dolphins suddenly appear out of nowhere and shoot up all around the boat or turtles stick their heads out to catch a breath in the anchor bay at breakfast. One moment in particular stands out: On the Atlantic crossing back to Europe we spotted a sei whale that surfaced very close to the boat several times and accompanied us for several hours.

The incident with the orcas off the Spanish coast was the worst. Thankfully, we were able to deal with it in a calm, level-headed manner and a healthy dose of humour. On land, we immediately received support from club members, the Board and our insurance company, so we could have the damage repaired as quickly as possible and continue our journey.

On the crossing from the Canaries to the Cape Verde Islands, we had aft winds of FORCE 6-7. This wind caused correspondingly high waves, which meant that the power from the autopilot motor wasn’t transmitted to the rudder stock and we had to steer by hand. At the time there were only three crew members on board who could safely manage the boat in such conditions, so the days and especially the nights were physically and mentally challenging.

The Atlantic crossing to the Azores presented us with technical, physical and psychological hurdles. Our nerves were tested right at the beginning because we got stuck in the doldrums for four days with no prospect of wind. After we had made good progress for a few days, the wind picked up and we had to change headsails. One crew member injured his knee and had to drop out of the watch schedule. The forecast wind came and shifted to ESE, so that we found ourselves with FORCE 5-6 winds in the direction of the Azores. This put our psyche to the test again at the end of the crossing, as life below decks in these conditions is very uncomfortable and every mile drags on. 10 nm off the westernmost island of the Azores archipelago, we noticed damage to the rudder bearing that we couldn't really assess in the prevailing conditions and we sought shelter for the night in an anchorage off Flores, so that we could examine the damage more closely the next morning and make plans for repairing it and covering the remaining 140 nm to Horta.

In addition to the sailing challenges I have already mentioned, there is of course the ongoing maintenance and servicing work. Then there is the organization of changing the crews, crew planning for the next stages and carrying out unforeseen repairs without falling off the set timetable.

The atmosphere on board is very relaxed and good 99% of the time. Thanks to the changing crews, there’s always a breath of fresh air on board and no feelings of boring routine.

No two days are the same and every day brings a new challenge of varying degrees of difficulty. I also have the freedom to anchor in a variety of bays, watch the sunrise and sunset and enjoy the pleasant temperatures of the Caribbean.

What I miss most are my friends and family. And probably one thing that many Germans miss after a long time abroad: good German bread! Although we now bake our own bread on board, which is a significant improvement after months of eating toast.

How did you celebrate Christmas, Easter and birthdays on board?

During my birthday in the Canary Islands, there was a very hard-working crew on board who baked me a cake, decorated the boat and sang songs for me. We celebrated Christmas in the middle of the Atlantic. We had two Advent calendars on board and there were a few presents from friends and family. In the evening we toasted with caipirinhas.

Dream, plan and find a way to make it happen.

How will you continue after the project?

After I arrive in Travemünde in October, I'll be spending a lot of time with my friends and family. And I'll also have to write a few job applications so that I have a job at the beginning of 2025.

Apart from that, there will probably be enough work to be done on the MEU during winter storage and in summer 2025 we will be invited to visit some sailors from Sweden whom we met on the trip. Maybe we'll even be able to visit them on the MEU.

Thank you, Clara!