Day 15 - 158nm - 690nm to run
Mor Toad / Moy Toad
David and Jocelyn Fawcett
Sat 3 Jan 2015 13:04
15:48.95N 47:40.89W
Getting there and still making good progress. We cannot access the blog or see the map and the little yellow flags ( quite clever I just have to put the co- ordinates somewhere in the blog text and lo and behold.) We however have the plotter screen and Dan has put little markers every 5deg. - approx. 290nm. apart and its a bit like a computer game watching the boat symbol munching away at them. Only 2 more to go and then the last one on Barbados but closer.
I think I said yesterday the 'rolling' calming down - in our dreams - must have been one of the most disturbed seas yet - waves coming from all directions breaking over the boat sometimes - both I, Kindle and I pad got wettings several times yesterday. They seem to have survived thankfully. The disturbed sea carried on all day and through the night with some rain too. Lots of rattles in the boat with stuff shifting around - suspect some of it due to supplies going down and spaces in various lockers and fridge appearing but they darn difficult to identify. We all feeling quite stiff too - need some good exercise instead of all this bracing.
2 challenges at present.
David tried to download the Caribbean charts onto the Raymarine plotter from a cf card he had - that he'd bought a while ago. Nothing on it ? After email discussion with the chart supplier - Navionics he thought the problem 'the plotter has an old version on it and the latest cards don't work.' We have Alex on the case in the BVI - which isn't easy for her as poor internet and few shops but she seems to have come up trumps. We do have paper charts and something on David's computer so hopefully we won't hit that coral reef!
Second challenge
When we were in the marina at Puerto Rica on Gran Canaria David and Dan checked the auto - pilot and its mountings in one of the back lockers on deck. Not easy access by any stretch of the imagination. They found it was loose and after discussion with Rustler it was realised that some washers were missing (? Should have been there from build) so washers were found and everything was tightened up and fingers crossed. However they checked it yesterday to discover it was loose again so after emptying the locker Dan ended up back in there virtually upside down, with David hand steering the boat trying to keep it straight and hence as as smooth as possible whilst Dan re tightened the bolts. Certainly not an easy job, very uncomfortable and hot and not surprising he felt a little sea sick afterwards. Other homes have been found for the rubbish and fenders and whatever else was in there so at least now they can check it daily and more easily. More fingers crossed that it makes it to Barbados.
Still plenty of seaweed floating past, plenty of flying fish and this morning one of the seagull- like birds with a long tail ? A Tropic Bird. Thanks Carol for that.
So another day - still 'rockin and a rollin' and a little less like a bucking bronco this morning. Brighter day and fewer rain clouds around so hopefully the sea will calm down a little but we keep the speed up.
If the blog stops please do not be concerned we have had a few flaky satellite connections.