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by KC2RIY, on April 26th, 2010 ( At Sea) 825nm to go.
On day 14 we had some delicious wind powered bread. By wind powered I mean that it was needed and cooked electrically in the bread maker using power from the boat which in turn was collected through the props the night before. Without going to the bother of figuring it out I wonder what the true cost of cooking the load is. Ignoring wear and tear, the extra juice would come at the cost of extended regen time which in term extends the duration of the trip. My guess is the bread cost us somewhere around 10 minutes.
Spent the daylight hours recovering our lost overnight line by sailing wing on wing. The zig-zag continues. Because I write this on day 15 I can say that the wind has shifted 10-15 degrees to the south and we’re only off by a bit this morning. Less zagging to do today. Speed was off a bit but we’ve still made about 153nm point to point in 24 hours (further if you count distance actually traveled). We’re remain on course for a daytime arrival on the 1st. In my recent blogs I’ve been referring to the rhumb line when I really meant great circle route. They’re not the same thing. The rhumb line is the route which keeps you at a constant bearing to the lines of latitude. This ends up not being the shortest route – simply the easiest to navigate. In this day and age of GPS we aim to sail the great circle routes which are the shortest point to point but the bearings vary as one goes.
I’ve finished reading all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories and am now working my way through the longer ones. Currently on The Hound of the Baskervilles.
We lost another lure today despite being quick off the mark when the nut dropped. I’m now thinking than the lines have been in the water for so long and been tangled too much and may have small dinks which are giving way. I’ll replace them and use the same line from which we made the hand line for Leu Cat.
That’s about it. I’ve managed a blog without once mentioning those pervasive, nasty, stinking flying fish.
by helen, on April 25th, 2010 ( At Sea) Today I had slight anxiety attack.
It wasn’t because we were on a plastic boat, being tossed around like a speck on a vast ocean, a thousand miles from the nearest land.
It wasn’t the realisation that there are potential fronts bringing possible squalls or storms.
It wasn’t the knowledge that the continuous pounding of the waves and shaking of the boat could cause serious wear and tear.
What’s really really really getting to me is the growing pile of dirty washing. Steve doesn’t want me to use the washing machine because the movement of the boat could damage the drum during the spin cycle. And I’m sure he’s right but I do have a limited tolerance to smelly washing. Its hard having a much needed and loved appliance and not being able to use it.
You may say ‘What about hand washing’
Well, I have no tubs or large bowls and our small sinks can only fit two or three small items to hand wash. And try filling a sink with soapy water on a swaying, rocking boat. There’s a lot of large items to wash too. The sheet that Steve was on when a wet fish landed on him. Our used damp stinky towels, numerous sweaty T shirts, countless underwear. I am getting pretty desperate and obsessive. Steve may not mind wearing his undies for a couple of days but it doesn’t sit well with me. I like my clean knickers.
by KC2RIY, on April 25th, 2010 ( At Sea) Flying fish have run out of enthusiasm. Only three found this morning.
On the subject of fish. Deciding our recent problems with losing lures was due to inattention I rigged up a couple of ‘alarms’ using nuts on pieces of line set up in such a way that if a fish strikes, the nuts drop to the deck creating a noise that can draw the attention of the watch. Needless to say we caught nothing. We did learn that Leu Cat have caught 17lbs of yellow fin tuna using a hand line we made up and gave to them.
Sailing wing on wing yesterday proved to be more of a success than I expected. Tying preventers to both main and head sail we were able to sail 162 degrees to the apparent wind as opposed to the 125 we’ve been doing on a broad reach. These headings straddle our desired heading so we’re able to zig zag our way to Fatu Hiva. The ride was more comfortable and less windy. The motion was more regular as we were riding the swell more or less in line giving less side to side movement of the boat. I’m not comfortable sailing this way at night so for the next 2-3 days we’ll sail wing on wing during the day and revert to the broad reach for the night. Despite the lack of current, the zig zag course and our daily regeneration we’re still making over 160nm per day. We may just arrive on May 1st, just six days away, as long as the wind holds out.
In a way, this change in sailing represents the initial maneuvering aimed at landfall. For me this has raised my excitement levels a little. The Marquesas, in mind mind, are the first real South Pacific landfall which form the core of the round the world sailing dream that has driven me for the last eight or nine years. I’m looking forward to this immensely. Overnight we’ve passed the 1,000nm to go mark and our now into triple digits remaining. I think I can speak for all that we’re all looking forward to landfall. A decent, regular nights sleep. A stable boat. Land. A beer.
by john, on April 25th, 2010 ( At Sea) Not much happening, we’re still off course by about 20 degrees and winds not playing nice.
The fishing lines were not out and I suggested that we put only two lines out and put them up on the line hook things, as we would then have a visual indication when we get a bite, as they would pop off them. Steve went one further and put a mental nut on each so we would also have an audible warning.
After a few false alarms and the massive lure out about 20-25 feet, still no fish, but we have all the lures back on board safely.
We went “wing on wing” today for a few hours, just to see how the boat handles. Very smooth as we are going nearly totally down wind and with the swells. No longer in a mechanical bull rating scale for ride, it is now like a very lame little children’s fairground ride or the ones you get outside supermarkets, you know like the Postman Pat ones.
We are now back to the normal setup for the evening, but will go back to “wing on wing” in the morning.
by helen, on April 24th, 2010 ( At Sea) No milestones.
No incidents.
No visitors.
No fish
No change!
Am I repeating an old blog or are the days repeating themselves?
We did have one moment of excitement. We sighted a large boat about 2 miles away. John took a photo and zoomed in to see what sort of boat it was. It looked like an old rusty fishing boat. Within an hour we lost sight of it.
The wind has been the same for days so the waves are the same height, same choppiness, same direction, same amount of white crests, same color but still ever changing. If you look closer you’ll see smaller waves on top of the waves and then tiny waves on top of the smaller waves and teeny weeny waves on top of the tiny waves and so on. Like a fractile. I sometimes stare at the sky and clouds too. Finding shapes in the clouds. A boot, a witch, a wobbly wedding cake. Its amazing how many different faces you can see in the clouds. Sometimes all sorts of strange thoughts and ideas enters my mind as I stare out, mesmerized by the sea and sky. At other times my mind goes vacant, and an hour goes by without notice.
There’s a song we hear often on our player by the artist Seal. One line in the chorus really relates to me.
“You’ll never gonna survive unless you’re a little crazy”
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