Indian Notion

CARANGO AMEL 54 #035
PETER and VICKY FORBES
Thu 13 Oct 2016 13:28
18:22.39S 066:37.42E

What does one do on an Ocean which takes several days to cross?

We work to sail the boat, sail changes, running repairs, rope work, Whipping and stitching and the like. Carango has been remarkably free of defects for the last weeks - she has, we think, matured into the daily routine of sailing together with all her equipment.

She is fitted with a long range radar signal enhancer and detector and it has worked with total integrity over this ocean. The antenna system detects and alarms when Carango is ‘swept’ by another ship’s radar. Cargo vessels being very tall and having radar mounted high and Carango’s aerial is at the top of the mizzen mast so the distance for this device detecting another radar is very long say 50 - 60 miles. So off goes the alarm and we can then use our radar to tell the range and bearing to the ship. This route has proved to be the shipping route for enormous cargo vessels from the Cape of Good Hope towards India and Asia - so lots of traffic. That keeps us entertained and awake on night watches.

Not many birds, no whales to date but masses of flying fish some minute and some quite large:
 We do laundry!!!


 And Mark continues to grow his beard. It looks so good he has decided to keep it! Cherry????


News Flash:

We learned at this evening’s radio check that a fellow WARC yacht has had a collision with a tanker [Ocean Phoenix] in mid ocean = the yacht is still afloat and sailing but has considerable damage to rig [a cap shroud removed] and the taff rail carried away. The VHF aerial has gone but they still have satellite phone and SSB long range radio. We on Carango immediately called them on satellite telephone to establish contact and that was successful - we have agreed to keep our satellite phone on 24 hours a day from now until they arrive. We are not far behind this yacht and will follow them all the way in. We have seen several of these tankers and always watch them until completely passed Carango. We have the most sophisticated radar surveillance equipment in the WARC fleet [see paragraph above] and there is no danger to Carango - we are on 24/24 watch as safe as can be. This is one of several dramas the we have been witness to on this circumnavigation.


Carango sailing safely on.