Potvis, Benateau Excess 11; La Rochelle, France – IJmuiden, Netherlands, January/February 2025
Now I’m very sure: I’m never gonna sail again on theNorth Sea mid winter….way too cold!
Friday, January 17th La Rochelle
When Bas called me in December, the boat was still under construction. It was scheduled for delivery in La Rochelle sometime in January.
Bas and Jolanda had purchased a brand-new boat, an Excess 11, with the ultimate plan to sail it to Fayal, in the Azores, once their house there was finished. Until then, they planned to live on the boat in IJmuiden.
However, neither of them had any experience—neither with sailing nor with boats. They were truly at the very beginning of a whole new chapter in their lives.
We got acquainted and quickly agreed on everything. I would assist Bas with the handover and then arrange a crew to sail the boat to IJmuiden.
The delivery process went fairly smoothly. There were a few minor issues, but nothing major—certainly no deal-breakers for the trip. The sea trial also went well, helped by excellent weather conditions.
That was quite different the following week when Jur, Jelle, and I arrived in La Rochelle on
Monday, January 27, for the delivery.
The worst storm and flooding in 40 years…
It was clear that we wouldn’t be able to set sail until Friday at the earliest, when conditions were expected to calm down and remain stable. I wanted to make sure that their very first journey at sea would be a pleasant one!
Until Friday, we mainly used the time to gradually introduce Bas and Jolanda to all the essentials of sailing—at a pace they could absorb.
Sunday, February 1st. Position 49:20.932N 003:34.462W
We’ve now been underway for three days and have already encountered a variety of weather conditions.
On Friday morning, we set off with barely 10 knots of wind and sunshine. However, later in the afternoon, the wind picked up considerably, and we ended up sailing with a double reef in the mainsail and a reef in the genoa. The wind had also shifted direction, forcing us onto a close-hauled course.
The sea state followed suit—short, steep waves, which are quite the ordeal on a catamaran. We pounded into the night with a lot of noise and heavy slamming. The watch schedule didn’t quite go as planned: most of the time, two of us were on deck together.
On Saturday, the weather cleared up a bit. The wind eased and shifted south, allowing us to sail downwind at great speed. That evening and into the night, the wind picked up again, and during my watch, I hit 11.6 kts SOG.
Near Brest, we had to gybe, putting us more beam-on to the waves. By that point, we had gotten used to the slamming and noise.
Bas and Jolanda were holding up remarkably well. The weather wasn’t exactly following the forecast—another learning experience—but they did their best to enjoy the journey. The dolphins that had visited us twice certainly helped lift the mood.
By Sunday, the wind eased again, and the sun even made an appearance. That immediately made everything feel much more pleasant.
In about 6 to 7 hours, we’ll be passing Alderney. By then, we’ll have covered over 300 nautical miles and reached the halfway point.
Tuseday, February 4th; position 50:54.819N 001:37.206E
We’ve just passed Cap Gris-Nez. hat was a bit tense, as we were sailing right on the limit of a broad reach. The autopilot struggled with the waves and 20 knots of apparent wind, but I managed just fine steering by hand.
The sun is shining, and we’re flying along. The southwesterly wind is supposed to shift westward during the day, and with 15-20 knots, we should arrive in IJmuiden tomorrow.
The night was as bright as it could be—midwinter, no clouds, and a sky full of stars! (and very cold of course)
This morning, we were once again treated to a visit from dolphins—always a great moment!
The atmosphere on board is fantastic. Jur, Jelle, and I have everything under control, and Bas and Jolanda are finding the journey both exciting and enjoyable.
Thursday February 6th, IJmuiden
The wind did eventually shift west, but it also died down, so we ended up motoring on the last day. That was a pity. Luckily, we had decided to follow the Belgian coast rather than cross over to the UK.
One big advantage of sailing a catamaran is having two engines. Since it was a brand-new boat, the engines required their first oil change after 50 hrs. By running just one engine at a time, we managed to stay within the 50-hr limit.
We made a very short stopover in Scheveningen to drop off Jur, who had to be home on time for a meeting. Around 6:30 PM, we moored up in IJmuiden.
It had been a nice trip after all—way too cold, but still…. Bas and Jolanda enjoyed it and will never forget their maiden voyage.
