Bobbing about and now some wind thank goodness
Magnetic Attraction
Roger and Margaret Pratt
Mon 9 Dec 2013 17:08
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Monday
9 December 2013
15:05.8N 41:56.8W Course: 268 Engine Hrs: 2 Day's Run: 113 miles Total: 1,935 miles - Expected total distance 3000 miles Air Temperature 28.1C Water temperature reading 30C Wind speed:
14knts
Wind direction: 20T We had a very
slow day yesterday with light winds for most of the time and so motored to
charge the batteries. By about 1300hrs the batteries were fully charged . It
felt like the hottest day yet - we were melting. There was no wind so
stowed all the sails and bobbed about in a still sea until after dinner of spag
bol. It is a strange feeling to be in the middle of a vast ocean where the
sea is smooth, it's airless and you're going nowhere. However, things are
looking up since the wind filled in after 7.30pm and we are now averaging
over 7knts close-fetch in about 15 knots of wind (72 miles covered over the 12
night hours with Lucy again achieving the highest total in her 3-7pm
shift.) What a relief to be moving again. The forecast for the days ahead
shows good winds so we hope to make good speed for the final stage. This
year the passage has been hard work and the lack of trade winds has been very
frustrating; there has been everything except good steady NE
trades.
The only sign of human life has been a catamaran
that motored across the horizon as we were bobbing about; and a cargo ship where
the lights were visible for about an hour in the early dusk.
An additional challenge for the crew is the
restrictions on water and electricity due to there been no generator to provide
the little luxuries that make life so much more comfortable. To make
things even more difficult there has been very little sunshine to feed the solar
panels and, until last night, no rain to provide on-deck shower facilities.
However, with the wind last night came rain - and one down pour at
5.30am so Margaret was out there in pitch black taking a shower and washing
her hair. She sat under the mainsail to catch as much of the rainwater as
possible, and says she had to cling on tight with one hand and wash with the
other. She says she feels much better now! During the downpour
I investigated topping up the water tanks by blocking the scuppers and then
allowing the water the feed into the starboard tank. Unfortunately this was
unsuccessful because too much salty sea water was coming onboard from the waves
etc. We slowed down but it still came overboard with the wind abeam.
It seems the method is of no help if there is much wind but maybe it will work
if we are sailing downwind. Bryan slept through all of the excitement braced
across his bunk in the forepeak to counteract the movement of the
boat.
On the fishing front yesterday we had no strikes,
we think that the speed was too low. I put the muppet out this
morning, we were doing 6-7knts, and while I was preparing breakfast there
was a strike. Bryan reeled in but the fish and muppet was lost. The line
on my reel is a little too small so it takes great care to retrieve or it may
have been the big one that got away! I'll try stronger line next
time. The hand line is strong but that means it is large in diameter so we
think it can be seen more easily and therefore deters the fish etc.
Part of our daily routine is to walk around the
boat to check for chafe or other problems plus to clear the decks of flying
fish. We usually find one every morning and today there was quite a large
one near the mast. The poor thing had hit something hard on the boat so
hard its head was smashed in, not a nice thing the find early in the
morning. It's now been sent to a watery grave.
As ever, many thanks to all of you that are
providing us with such wonderful shore support which acts to raise our morale
every day!
Roger (Mother, chief Engineer and general dogs
body)
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