On our WAY: off the Coast heading south

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Sun 3 Oct 2010 19:48

Destination : Pleaster De Sol Nicaragua
Location: 13.06:001n 88.38:904 w
time to go: 19 hours
Well it was 9 .30 am we had cleared the authorities got our International ZARP, (departure document) and we pulled out of the dock or at least tried to, we had not quite got to slack tide and we were having trouble going into the current, and got pushed onto the docks, but after some real man handling by the people on shore we were off. I had little no steering, so I did a circle and then did one in the opposite direction and all seem to be good, I had some vibration suspect something was on the prop.
So next was the bar, "Sunsenation" was ahead of us, and the pilot (Rohillio) took them out, and on a big set the bar was closing out, so it was going to be challenging. As we followed out we notice "Sunsenation" slow down, sure enough one of their engines overheated in the critical moment, lucky as a "cat" they have two. So they had to adjust their plan, but they also had a good timing.
As we came up the pilot came alongside for instructions, and off we went, ( I seem to be a bit slower than normal, suspect I will have to dive the props and bottom when we get down south), but the boys and Tracy and all of us were relaxed, as we went into holding mode in 30 feet of water waiting for a break in the waves. They were not breaking evenly or consistently so it was a matter of keeping the bow into the waves and waiting, but 3 big ones were 30 feet in front, and had gone into rolling mode, so whitewater coming down on us. I put it in gear and we rose over the first as it hit the deeper water then the next and then the third with the bow plunging into the bottom of the wave and white water coming over, but the boat handled it well,. Tracy was busy taking photos, and Sean was trying to understand what was happening, the canoes on the side of the boat rose as the waves came through, being pushed up. But surprisingly we were all calm, and just waited for the gap and signal which came and we stride out as much as you can in the middle of a line of surf, borken white water in front of and behind us, reminded me of days on a surf board, in a 45000lb 50 foot boat (I don't think it was designed for this surfing purpose) but Gijima handled it well..
We had 7 feet under the keel and we cleared out to meet "Sunsentaion" who was running on one engine and cooling the other down, we had issues with our cockpit VHF, which I had to fix, and then up went the main sail, and we set a coarse of 130 deg to make it around the rivers which were south and with them come sand bars.
I ran the engine at high levels initially to blow any cobwebbs out of it, before we settled down now to 4.5 knots under motor sail. We have to go slow so that we arrive at dawn tomorrow morning not at night, but the wind is 8 knots at 128 degrees 25 deg off our starboard side, I have adjusted us down to 112 deg, we have 19.5 hours to go.
There is a line of shrimp boats big liners hanging off the river mouths there must be 12 of them which we have just worked our way through. I have put my fishing lines out, caught the first fish a Travelled" good size not good eating so showed the boys and put it back, and we have seen turtles, and dolphins off the bow.
About 5 miles out the water went clear and it is nice with the breeze, seas are 5 feet big period.
Boy it is nice to be out here again, the water, the breeze, the wildlife, while Bahia De Sol has been great, it was time to move on.
Stay tuned