Routine part 2
The most important activity is navigation and weather forecasting and strategy as New Zealand has a wild weather behavior pattern. This makes it especially important to keep the boat and bunk tidy and all stowed away. At any moment conditions change, pans fly, computers take off, and the coffeepot goes ballistic.
Yan Mar San interface Mademoiselle MaxSeam
Otto and Attus Helm Otto Helm at work Mostly we try our best to sail, and preferably not against the wind. This requires monitoring sails, wind speed and direction, tracking the charts and AIS¹ , for rocks, obstacles and other boats. When conditions and sailing speed are under 5km/h old faithful Mr. Yan Mar goes to work. On top of his 140 horses he rides the waves like a pro with the help of Otto Pilot. Actually a member of the Autohelm dynasty, he steers relentlessly under all conditions, 24 by 7, giving the crew the tranquility to enjoy the ride. Otto immigrated to Sweden, with his twin brother Attus Pilot, which lives as a stowaway on Dawnbreaker, rarely to be seen. Mademoiselle Maxseam, although French, is keeping us in line for most of the time. As some French do, she often has a nervous breakdown and crashes, requiring some TLC to operate again.
Our Las Waves Slot Machine … a daily gamble!!! Energy and resources management take an important role on the daily routines. A combination of eight 200Amps batteries supply a wide range of power to the boat, from 220V hairdryer outlet to 5V USB ports. Charging goes through a combination of solar panels and generators. Here some improvement has been seen over last year. Since 2011 Herr Westerbeck has been nuisance and long overdue to walk the plank. But our main problem was on how to rig a plank for him to walk. After some kiwi and Swedish ingenuity he was offloaded and room was made for young healthy Jean A Rator Phasor, with her voluptuous curves and housing she fitted perfectly on DB.
Herr Westerbeck Jane Arator Water is also an issue. We carry 1600l of fresh water, plus Harry a Watermaker for pure drinking water. Hot water and a bathtub are also available, but the latter for exclusive drinking fluids reservoir. Going to work requires a painful process. Pending on weather and sea it goes through warm under layers, full Musto fowl weather gear, high boots, life vest and safety harness to attach to the safety lines on deck. The only good thing you don´t need to commute or park. And when you off all you need is to shed your working gear and hit the scene. |
