Crossing Shipping Channels (Frogger)

We ushered in our fourth night at sea aboard QD. Following the events of the evening before (rounding the tip of Spain), the next mission was more methodical. We needed to start bearing West away from the coastline of Portugal. While the fishing vessels would lessen in frequency, a daunting obstacle awaited – the busy shipping lanes of Portugal. Large Tankers and Cargo ships traverse a steady route between the Strait of Gibraltar and the numerous Northern ports of Europe. As the interactive chart plotter is reviewed, it is clear there is a steady “ocean highway” of two lanes North and two lanes South. These large ships (100m-300m) fall into formation and form parallel lines of continuous vessels in rows traveling various speeds of 9 knots to 20 knots. How was a modest 42-foot sailboat supposed to make it to the other side?

Imagine the popular arcade game from decades ago – Frogger! The object of the 1981 arcade action game was to direct a frog to its home by crossing a busy road and hazardous river. Likewise, we must find the gaps in the lines of ships and quickly move through and on to the next lane without getting squashed. And do it all at night! Armed with the deep knowledge of a seasoned seaman on board, we were coached on how to use our state-of-the-art navigation equipment to set bearings to oncoming ships and “time our leaps”. As soon one ship was successfully cleared, another was waiting its turn to take a crack at squashing little QD. However, a methodical approach, patience and solid math prevailed easily. Over the course of the next 4-5 hours, QD worked her way through the busy lanes to reach the open ocean with a clear path south. We always knew those arcade game skills from our youth would be useful one day. Queen’s Dream is now heading South the next 4-5 days to our provisioning destination – Maderia.

*Actual screen shot of our nav station during the “Frogger Game”. Each of the green triangles are large ships moving much quicker than QD.