Day 8 and a new tack
Juniper
John and Sally
Mon 30 Nov 2009 12:23
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21:31.186N 38:01.657W
Well, still flying along after a short few hours
yesterday throttled back.
In sailing you tack (turn) through the wind or gybe
(turn) through the wind behind you to move the boom onto a new tack. In short
course racing this happens all the time in a race. In ocean sailing you put a
gybe in the diary for a day that you have to change course. Well we learnt a
good lesson last night not to leave one particular member of our crew on watch
at night with nothing to do but think about gybing. Sure enough, at 0200 a voice
was heard to say to the sleeping remainder of the crew - " I think we need
to gybe." This despite the fact that it was in the diary for monday
morning.
Well, you might think so what? Turn the wheel, duck
and Bob's your uncle. Well- not so fast batman . Everyone up, furl the genoa, drop the pole onto the foredeck,
re-run the lines port and starboard, move the bl...y bananas on the jam cleats
that someone had left to rippen, re-hoist the pole, centre the traveller, re-run
the main preventer, gybe the boom (18kts of wind so being 4ft 2 inches is an
advantage) re-trim, roll out the genoa, clean up the lines (all in the dark
albeit a full moon) and then.... the rest of you can go back to sleep.
Thanks.
Fat chance.
We may ban gybes on his watch!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday the skipper did 2nd meal from scratch in
20 years ( chilli as you asked) and everyone plays a full part in b'fasts,
snacks, lunch and enough tea to sink the Titanic. Great team-work.
Half way should be during dinner tonight- weather
is now warm 24hrs and spirits are high.
Strategy still looks good. Sailing as I write with
the Gennaker up at nearly 8 kts straight at St Lucia. And when do we arrive?
Computer says 10th at 1030 - but who knows.
John, Jonathan, Guy, David
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