Conditions are tough for the Hermione and her crew. The frigate left La Rochelle on February 21 for her first stopover, Tangiers in Morocco. At the time, Commander Cario was delighted to benefit from exceptional wind conditions to quickly leave the Bay of Biscay, dreaded in winter. East winds (which have been icing Europe lately) allowed the Hermione to "unglide" in only 2 days with a good average speed.
The crew expected to be able to make long tacks in the Atlantic, but this weather system, called "Moscow-Paris", persisted. This high pressure spread out very widely over the North Atlantic and blocked the classic passage of Atlantic lows, which usually land on our west coast and those of the Channel. They then slid along the edge of this high to run aground unusually in the Gibraltar funnel: from the Portuguese coast to Morocco. The very place where the Hermione was.
The crew acted accordingly by lowering the highest yards on the deck to reduce the dunnage and thus the roll of the frigate. The stowage of the guns was doubled and life lines were installed on the deck. "Since last Sunday, we have been facing waves of more than 4 to 8 meters and winds of up to 50 knots (90 km/h), with a cross swell. On several occasions, the captain has had to mobilize all 78 crew members on deck to maneuver the rig and sails in complete safety. No damage was done on board and the crew behaved very well, despite the fatigue" said Yann Cariou, commander of the Hermione.
As the weather situation is not expected to improve over the next few days, the decision was made to take shelter or to sail to a port along the Spanish or Portuguese coasts. But the coasts being too exposed to the west wind, Yann Cariou decided, in consultation with the Hermione âeuros La Fayette association, the ship owner, to continue towards Morocco with the idea of anchoring in the bay of Tangier.
But considering the weather conditions, the roadstead was not the best shelter. The crew therefore continued its route and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to anchor in Fnidek Bay under Ceuta. L'Hermione was finally able to drop anchor during the night of March 2nd to 3rd.
The crew, which has not stopped maneuvering, day and night, is tired and will now be able to rest. The Hermione should remain at anchor until the date of her stopover in Tangiers (March 9 to 12) unless the weather conditions improve. She will then be able to set sail again and the gabiers will be able to continue their training.
