Harris Crew

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Atlantic Crossing : At A Glance

Megan

Vessel.

  • Name: S/V Matriarch

  • MMSI: 316039406

  • Make: Hallberg-Rassy

  • Model: 2001 HR46

  • LOA: 48.5ft / 14.75m

  • Tonnage: 18.5

  • Water: 1000L

  • Fuel: 950L

  • Engine: 110hp Yanmar

  • Generator: Northern Lights 5KW

  • Watermaker: ENWA, 135L/hr

At rest in Horta, Azores. She did beautifully as did her crew.

The crew striking a pose on Horta’s famous seawall where we left our mark amongst the saltiest of salty sailors who have come here before us.

Crew (oldest to youngest).

  • Greg Harris (43)

  • Megan Harris (42)

  • Andrew Harris (40)

  • Liam Harris (14)

  • Aden Harris (11)

  • Grace Harris (9)

Route.

  • Port Canaveral, Florida, United States —> Horta, Azores, Portugal

  • 3028 nm, 431 hours 11 minutes (18 days)

  • Average Speed Over Ground (SOG): 7.0 knots

Not exactly “as the crow flies” but with good intention. Working with the weather and the wind meant even though it looks like we went out of our way, we actually had a really fast and safe passage!

 Watch Schedule. (EST)

  • 9:00pm – 11:00pm: Greg + Aden

  • 11:00pm – 1:00am: Andrew

  • 1:00am – 3:00am: Liam

  • 3:00am – 5:00am: Megan

  • 5:00am – 7:00am: Greg + Grace

  • 7:00am – 9:00am: Andrew (or longer)

  • 9:00am – 11:00am: Megan or Liam (Megan usually up between 8 and 9 and made breakfast)

  • 11:00am – 7:00pm: various people throughout the day as desired including Aden and Grace

  • 7:00pm – 9:00pm: Megan (shift added later in passage as the daylight hours changed)

Squall dodging. One of our favourite on-watch pastimes where we get to play with the radar’s target acquisition abilities and use our localized navigation skills to try and avoid getting wet!

Note: We didn’t change the boat clock from EST the entire way. This resulted in the shifts changing gradually in conditions. For example, my shift from 3:00am – 5:00am started out as being all pre-dawn and by the time we arrived it was all after the sun had risen. We needed to add a scheduled shift before Greg’s about 5 or 6 days before arrival because everyone was starting to quiet down about an hour before the night shifts were to begin. The benefits of this was the consistency of the rhythm, and general lack of need to talk about who is on watch and the drawbacks were the fact that not everyone (i.e. not Andrew or Greg) got to see the sun rise (which can be pretty baller) and we had some minor mental adjustments when we arrived.

Communications.

  • IridiumGo (Iridium Mail, Text)

  • PredictWind Pro

  • PredictWind Offshore App

  • Garmin InReach

  • VHF

  • SSB

  • EPRIB

Ground Support.

  • Julia Andrys: Climatologist and Weather Routing Support

  • Erin Getty: Instagram Feed Manager and Veg Hammock Consultant

  • Heidi Harris & Nick Richardson: Weather Assessment Support

  • Diane & Bill Harris + Mel & Crystal Getty: 24/7 Safety Reminders and General Well Wishers

  • Kyle & Kristen Getty: Activities Coordinators

  • Sarah Richardson: Cheer Squad

  • Joshua Long: GPS Troubleshooting

  • Marine Pro, FL: Generator Troubleshooting 

Just a clip of many many many forecast runs which were the basis of discussions with our shore support. This one just before the sh*t hit the fan as we got rolled by a pretty strong front. Thanks to our routing advice we were lucky enough to stay below the worst of the circulating low to the north of us.

Wildlife.  

Number of Whales: 4 (1 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, 3 Sei Whales)

 Number of Dolphins: 4,000 (including Bottlenose, Common & Spotted)

 Number of Man O War: 4,000,000,000 +

 Favorite Meal.

  • Greg: Pepperoni and Pepper Pizza

  • Megan: Chicken and Mushroom Stew with Dumplings

  • Andrew: Chicken and Mushroom Stew with Dumplings

  • Liam: Bean Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

  • Aden: Chicken and Mushroom Stew with Dumplings

  • Grace: Chili

The crew nutrition was on lock-down and we ate like royalty every day.

When this is your view at 1am when the boat is heeled at 30 degrees and getting tossed like a cork, you know it’s been a hard day.

“Nearly Broke Me” Moment.

  • Greg & Megan: Noticing the alternator wasn’t charging the batteries at the same time as exhaust flooded the aft cabin after the brand-new generator died

  • Andrew: Thinking we were going to have to hand steer for 8 days after the instruments failed

  • Liam: Writing my girlfriend a long email telling her how much I missed her

  • Aden: Seeing the auto pilot shut off because it took the fun out of crossing the Atlantic

  • Grace: Leaving Florida because you have no idea what is going to happen or how long it is going to take (it was scary and nerve wracking)

“I Can’t Believe This is Happening” Moment.

  • Greg: Dropping the anchor in Horta and slapped high-fives on the aft deck with everyone

  • Megan: Approaching Horta and taking family pictures on the bow

  • Andrew: Knowing we weren’t going to have to hand steer for 8 days (once the GPS was fixed)

  • Liam & Aden: Watching the dolphin super pod for half an hour

  • Grace: Seeing the whale was so close to our boat

Random Bits.

Highest Observed Wind Speed: 45 knots AWS @ 120AWA

Hours Motoring: 106

Most Frequently Spoken Phrase: Knock on Wood

Number of Suggestions in the “Matriarch Matterz” suggestion box (limit 2 per crew / day): 0

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Overall we had a fast, safe passage and honestly, what more can you ask for? We were grateful for our experience and while it was hard work and stressful, it was also peaceful and lovely. We often downplay our accomplishments but I truly am proud of our family for this one…it was a long time coming and at times required a healthy dose of bravery and faith and trust and patience. We hope the kids take something positive away from all of this but even if they don’t, we certainly will :)

Stay tuned for the Daily Logs where we share a detailed look at our day to day from Florida to the Azores.

Until then…much love,

M