Day 4 (PM) – 30.12.08 Tuesday. Log 76nm. N16 53.88 W30 01.05
With the winds dying off again in the afternoon, I could see a squall line ahead and heard from Quartermoon that they were experiencing 15kn winds and rain in which they were washing. Rather than falling behind I decided to use the motor to head straight for the weather system.
Within 30minutes the wind had increased to 10kn and changed direction by 90 degrees (the opposite tack). Then it started to rain and ‘Naked Sailor Man’ put in an appearance with a bottle of shower gel. Once everything was clean it was back into waterproofs (its cold being naked and wet in about 15kn of wind!).
Some real progress and wind at last. By 2000 I had 2 reefs in the mainsail and 1/3 of the genoa doing around 6-7kn. There is a horrible knocking sound coming from the rig, I thought it might be the intermediate shrouds (the ones I didn’t tighten) but it seems to be the vang knocking in its mast bracket. When you gaze up from the heads window the movement and stresses on the rig look frightening!
With a horrible swell building and constant rain by 2100 I was thinking that morning couldn’t come soon enough! Everything feels damp and the swell is keeping me from sleeping properly.
At 0300 there is a huge ship (cargo) about 2 miles off my starboard side, he overtook me and passed in front of my bows maintaining about 2nm distance by 0400. Another glow on the horizon is dead ahead, Quartermoon? No response.
After another hour the glow turns into what looks like a neon floating city! With this ‘thing’ coming straight towards me I raise them on the VHF. It’s a ‘long liner’ and Chinese guessing by the confused conversation we just had. Straight in front of me heading east (towards me) and could I ‘wait’ for them to look out of the window to see where I was! Hmn no radar then….
With the glow getting brighter I decide its time to charge those batteries and motor clear. I always said that the odds on getting hit by shipping in the Atlantic were minimal, but I feel that this would have been my end had I not been keeping watch.
Day 5 – 31.12.08 Wednesday. Log 106nm. N16 52.20 W32 01.37
After motoring clear of the long liner for about an hour it was time to sail and sleep until 0830 when it gets light. The swell had developed as forecast 3-4m (maybe 5m) from the north. They look scary until you realise they are so wide and you simply rise over the tops, it looks like you are sailing up hill.
After playing with sail configurations I stick with mainsail only as Goosewinged just makes the foresail flap in the swell which annoys the hell out of me.
I spent the afternoon installing navigation software Tsunamis99 (thanks Luna!) and getting it to talk to my handheld GPS. Hopefully I should have some useable ‘real time’ navigation software for the Caribbean now and not just a photocopied pilot book!
Through the afternoon I continued with full mainsail, until just before dark the winds grew and had me putting one reef after another until I spent most of the night using the 3rd reef to reduce speed and heading further south of the rhumb line with the swell to make the ride more comfortable.
I sent out a few New Years messages to friends and spoke to my mum for a short while on the Sat phone around 2000. Around the same time I briefly saw a light on the horizon. Quartermoon? Still no response on the radio and I am guessing they are long gone by now.
Time now 0700 and I am 8nm off course, its dark, raining and miserable – Happy Fvcking New Year!
Day 6 – 01.01.09 Thursday. Log 116nm. N16 40.48 W34 04.75
0830, a new day, a new year and a new ocean. This one’s no longer a deep blue but a cold black with a confused 2-3m swell running with 22kn of wind blowing to make that slight howling noise in the rigging. I have 3rd reef in the mainsail and 1/3 of the genoa for some drive through the ‘chop’. The art seems to be having the bare about of canvas to prevent the boat from rounding up and stalling in the steeper swell. We are making about 6kn of speed with minimal stress on either me or Doris, so I think I’ve got it right.
The boat is covered with fish scales this morning (more than usual), even Heidi is bearing the tell tale marks and last night as I was reefing the sails, a flying fish missed me by inches. As if things weren’t dangerous enough without being fired at! I wonder if they would hurt?
Noon log reads 116nm, the best yet but still poor. I am curious to how the ships log and the GPS distance over ground compares as I know the log under reads. I have decided to turn off the main ships GPS to save power and rely on my small handheld GPS instead.
1300 sees me screaming in a demented rage as I need to clean my contact lenses and all the solutions etc are in a cupboard on the windward side. It takes me over 30 minutes to get the stuff back inside the cupboard after picking it all up from the floor. No fiddles on cupboards, well Hanse – genius! Does anyone who designs boats actually sail? Doris is classified as a class A Ocean going vessel – oh but please do not try and use any of the cupboards while at sea. Rant over!
1400, the suns out, the seas are decreasing and a post chocolate bar sugar rush has me calm and collected and snoozing.
A few hours before dark I decide that due to increased winds forecast for tomorrow I will try using just the genoa for simplicity and reluctantly drop the mainsail, knowing it will be a bitch to get back up in the swell and dark. However, the genoa is easier to reef and adjust quickly in the dark. The gribs suggest 20kn for tomorrow and then dying off over the next 3 days with no other worries visible in the near future.
Almost dark and its corned beef Bolognaise, followed by a large cup of tea and then the washing up, ah the good life.
I still need to find time to shave, but I am intrigued as to what I look like with a beard. Not just a few days without shaving type beard, but a full bad boy Bellamy type beard! What Lindz calls a ‘Burley Beard’? I am actually starting to resemble Robin Knox Johnson, not when he was my age but his current age!
Darkness brings the winds again to 25kn. The ride is a nightmare, all day there has been a following swell that gets us surfing nicely. However, a second smaller but harsher swell remains from the north which gives Doris a loud ‘Bitch Slap’ straight on he beam every few minutes sending her careening off course with poor Heidi doing her best to try and correct things, but appearing pissed!
Several times throughout the night I was convinced the rig was coming down we were swaying around so much. I can’t make up my mind as to whether the genoa is better than the mainsail at night or if the uncomfortable ride would have been the same regardless of sail due to the sea conditions?
Anyway, its morning (1000), the sun is showing through and I’ve just had Tea, Biscuits and Cornflakes for breakfast, the mast is still standing and we are still afloat and heading in the general direction of the Caribbean. Another day…
Aliisa: I could really use that oil rig we discussed as an Atlantic ‘Half Way Hotel’ about now! Hope you guys are safe and well, drop me an SMS via the Sat phone.
Where is Doris?...
Friday 2 January 2009
Tuesday 30 December 2008
Atlantic 1b
Day 1 – 27.12.08 Saturday. (Mindelo Harbour)
All positions are recorded at noon boat time 1200utc & all log distances are water under the keel as recorded by the boat not necessarily distance covered in a straight line towards the destination during a 24hr period (1200 to 1200).
Left the anchorage at 1100utc and motored for 1 hour to put some charge in the batteries. Made the first two waypoints at 1130 and 1200 to reach the start of the open water crossing conveniently at noon.
The channel between the islands was very windy with sustained gusts to 25kn and a following swell. I sailed through the channel using only the genoa with minimal manual steering. Outside the channel into open waters there was some crazy wind shifts followed by almost complete calm. I could see Quatermoon approaching from behind as they had left a few hours after me. I ran the engine for another hour to clear the effects of land and hopefully find some wind. By this time I had the mainsail up, but Quatermoon was still gaining on me fast and using a poled out genoa and goosewinged. I thought about using the same sail configuration but decided against it due to the swell and rolling foredeck.
Saw large pale Whales or Porpoises following me for about half an hour I am sure they were much bigger than Dolphins.
Quartermoon overtook me just before dark and by this time the wind had shifted from dead astern to a beam reach. I sailed all night with 2 reefs in and ¾ genoa sleeping half hourly and hourly between 2300 and 0800.
Interestingly, the course I planned was 270 degrees due west, however, my ships GPS has plotted a ‘great circle’ route with a bearing to waypoint of 282 degrees in an effort to save me a few hundred miles. No doubt I’ll ruin its plans as I go off course wandering around the Atlantic ocean.
Day 2 – 28.12.08 Sunday. Log 113nm. N16 54.39 W27 06.07
I woke at 0800 and to my surprise saw that Quatermoon was still in sight all albeit a fleck of white on the distant horizon. Following a hot drink I set my sails Goosewinged as the swell had dropped down considerably. Spent the day chatting and playing catch up with Quatermoon which was good motivation to keep sailing well despite the poor winds of around 10kn dead astern. Through the afternoon I played some guitar and slowely closed the gap on Quatermoon with Doris being much lighter in the weak winds.
I made the mistake of being greedy and left full sail up into the darkness when the wind increased and I had to tame a runaway Doris. With appropriate sail now set it took hours to finally get the boat sailing steadily again with the wind shifting and dropping making the hydrovane self steering useless. To make matters worse it rained throughout the night making everything feel damp. I ran the engine and played music loudly while helming in the rain to charge the batteries and get back on the rhumb line after my runaway had taken me ~3nm off course.
By 0400 I still had not slept and was basically heading more North than West, completely pissed off and after trying every sail configuration I could dream up, I dropped all sail and climbed into bed to try and get some sleep until first light (0800). I managed about an hour’s sleep at most due to the swell and the fact that I can’t sleep when just bobbing about in the middle of the Ocean!
Day 3 – 29.12.08 Monday. Log 85nm. N16 57.86 W28 38.83
I awoke to find the barest hint of breeze (~4kn) and making about 1-2.5kn of boat speed most of which was current. With Quatermoon still in VHF radio range we shared our depression. Every now and again there would be a few minutes of sustained 10-15kn of wind followed by nothing.
We searched for the wind all day until 10kn appeared 30 minutes into me running the engine for an hour to charge the batteries. There is a distinct lack of sunshine for the solar panels with today being a depressing monochrome grey. I milked the wind for every second trying to make some ground and held on to full sail into darkness again ( I never learn). Quatermoon was 10nm in front of me and just audible over the radio. Slowly the wind changed direction and died. I managed to keep the boat sailing at 3-4kn close hauled which took me slowly North of my desired route. At least with the boat sailing herself steadily I managed to get a few hours of much needed sleep. I had one moment of horror midway through the night when I pulled the dial off my kitchen timer, all fixed – no harm done, phew!
Day 4 – 30.12.08 Tuesday. Log 76nm. N16 53.88 W30 01.05
Another black, cold and damp night. The morning bought much of the same conditions of around 6kn of wind but it changed in direction to bring me back to the rhumb line (10nm off course) without changing tack. I am still pinched up tight to the wind to create some false wind from my ‘speed’ to keep her moving in generally the right direction. This is supposed to be trade wind sailing 15-20kn of wind from the NE, not 5kn of breeze from the SW – am I in the right Ocean? I have tried to raise Quatermoon several times on the radio this morning without any luck so it looks like they are well ahead by now.
Update, after a few hours (1000), I finally got through and Quatermoon is about 8nm ahead of me, also struggling for wind.
So … how am I doing? Generlly good, not eating much as it takes a few days to build a hunger and settle into a routine, besides I think I might need to save the food!. At this speed it will be time to leave before I get there and I will have to fish for food and catch rain water! I also have a beard I need to lose and I probably smell weird! Still it’s only 1791nm to landfall.
C ya in a few days…
All positions are recorded at noon boat time 1200utc & all log distances are water under the keel as recorded by the boat not necessarily distance covered in a straight line towards the destination during a 24hr period (1200 to 1200).
Left the anchorage at 1100utc and motored for 1 hour to put some charge in the batteries. Made the first two waypoints at 1130 and 1200 to reach the start of the open water crossing conveniently at noon.
The channel between the islands was very windy with sustained gusts to 25kn and a following swell. I sailed through the channel using only the genoa with minimal manual steering. Outside the channel into open waters there was some crazy wind shifts followed by almost complete calm. I could see Quatermoon approaching from behind as they had left a few hours after me. I ran the engine for another hour to clear the effects of land and hopefully find some wind. By this time I had the mainsail up, but Quatermoon was still gaining on me fast and using a poled out genoa and goosewinged. I thought about using the same sail configuration but decided against it due to the swell and rolling foredeck.
Saw large pale Whales or Porpoises following me for about half an hour I am sure they were much bigger than Dolphins.
Quartermoon overtook me just before dark and by this time the wind had shifted from dead astern to a beam reach. I sailed all night with 2 reefs in and ¾ genoa sleeping half hourly and hourly between 2300 and 0800.
Interestingly, the course I planned was 270 degrees due west, however, my ships GPS has plotted a ‘great circle’ route with a bearing to waypoint of 282 degrees in an effort to save me a few hundred miles. No doubt I’ll ruin its plans as I go off course wandering around the Atlantic ocean.
Day 2 – 28.12.08 Sunday. Log 113nm. N16 54.39 W27 06.07
I woke at 0800 and to my surprise saw that Quatermoon was still in sight all albeit a fleck of white on the distant horizon. Following a hot drink I set my sails Goosewinged as the swell had dropped down considerably. Spent the day chatting and playing catch up with Quatermoon which was good motivation to keep sailing well despite the poor winds of around 10kn dead astern. Through the afternoon I played some guitar and slowely closed the gap on Quatermoon with Doris being much lighter in the weak winds.
I made the mistake of being greedy and left full sail up into the darkness when the wind increased and I had to tame a runaway Doris. With appropriate sail now set it took hours to finally get the boat sailing steadily again with the wind shifting and dropping making the hydrovane self steering useless. To make matters worse it rained throughout the night making everything feel damp. I ran the engine and played music loudly while helming in the rain to charge the batteries and get back on the rhumb line after my runaway had taken me ~3nm off course.
By 0400 I still had not slept and was basically heading more North than West, completely pissed off and after trying every sail configuration I could dream up, I dropped all sail and climbed into bed to try and get some sleep until first light (0800). I managed about an hour’s sleep at most due to the swell and the fact that I can’t sleep when just bobbing about in the middle of the Ocean!
Day 3 – 29.12.08 Monday. Log 85nm. N16 57.86 W28 38.83
I awoke to find the barest hint of breeze (~4kn) and making about 1-2.5kn of boat speed most of which was current. With Quatermoon still in VHF radio range we shared our depression. Every now and again there would be a few minutes of sustained 10-15kn of wind followed by nothing.
We searched for the wind all day until 10kn appeared 30 minutes into me running the engine for an hour to charge the batteries. There is a distinct lack of sunshine for the solar panels with today being a depressing monochrome grey. I milked the wind for every second trying to make some ground and held on to full sail into darkness again ( I never learn). Quatermoon was 10nm in front of me and just audible over the radio. Slowly the wind changed direction and died. I managed to keep the boat sailing at 3-4kn close hauled which took me slowly North of my desired route. At least with the boat sailing herself steadily I managed to get a few hours of much needed sleep. I had one moment of horror midway through the night when I pulled the dial off my kitchen timer, all fixed – no harm done, phew!
Day 4 – 30.12.08 Tuesday. Log 76nm. N16 53.88 W30 01.05
Another black, cold and damp night. The morning bought much of the same conditions of around 6kn of wind but it changed in direction to bring me back to the rhumb line (10nm off course) without changing tack. I am still pinched up tight to the wind to create some false wind from my ‘speed’ to keep her moving in generally the right direction. This is supposed to be trade wind sailing 15-20kn of wind from the NE, not 5kn of breeze from the SW – am I in the right Ocean? I have tried to raise Quatermoon several times on the radio this morning without any luck so it looks like they are well ahead by now.
Update, after a few hours (1000), I finally got through and Quatermoon is about 8nm ahead of me, also struggling for wind.
So … how am I doing? Generlly good, not eating much as it takes a few days to build a hunger and settle into a routine, besides I think I might need to save the food!. At this speed it will be time to leave before I get there and I will have to fish for food and catch rain water! I also have a beard I need to lose and I probably smell weird! Still it’s only 1791nm to landfall.
C ya in a few days…
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