ARC 2015:-Engineering Dept to the Rescue
Nina
Steve and Lynda Cooke
Fri 27 Nov 2015 17:20
21:01.67N 24:16.63W
Day 5 - Nov 26
Engineering Dept to the Rescue
The early watch from midnight to 4am reports some of our biggest seas yet. Chris, Mike and Frank have a busy time under a full moon keeping on course in a mass of heaving blue
water and foam.
Nina has a gantry on her stern where the photo electric panels are mounted. We estimate its height at 3m above the waterline. When we're in the trough of a wave, the view looking
back to the helm is a wall of water all the way up to the top of the structure. So our roller coaster tonight is thanks to these ten foot waves following us, lifting our stern and tossing
our 15-ton lady around like a cork. The wind is gusting to 35 knots off our port quarter.
We get through the night with some concentrated hand steering, a close eye on the autohelm and plenty of tea and biscuits. At the morning changeover of the watch, we gybe at last
to the west and declare ourselves on the rhumb line to St Lucia at last. However, thanks to the unfolding drama below from the stern cabin, nobody notices that the weather has
suddenly improved.
Wherever the leak is, it has been shipping water through the night. Now we're baling a bucket at a time from the stern cabin whilst working out a solution. First suspect is the rudder
gland: but this was renewed afresh before leaving and is not the likely culprit. Mike has a theory about the bolts supporting the Hydrovane self-steering fixed to the transom. He clips
on and investigates with a spanner: one bolt seems loose. We need more input: he and Frank strip the space behind the bed to check the reverse of the bolt. There it is: a definite
squirt of water with each dunking. 10 foot waves and a following sea didn't help: but we've identified the issue. Frank reaches in with a spanner to hold the back of the nut while Mike
hangs over the stern and tightens.
While this was going on, we learn that the autohelm is now not working, which could be due to the water in the stern cabin affecting the rudder position potentiometer ... oh, forget the
technical stuff, it's just not working! After a bout of head scratching and reading of manuals (always a good place to find ideas but seldom visited), Mark strips the vital part and dries
it out. No joy. What do we do now? Peter finds evidence in the manuals that the autohelm may work without the failed part so he gets on the satphone to Spencer in Almerimar,
who confirms that this is the case. If this doesn't cure the problem could we hand steer for another two weeks? Probably, but it's very welcome to see Peter bring this vital boat
system back to life by disconnecting four wires.
Over the ARC email updates come tales of the (even worse) weather we managed to avoid by tracking south and not taking the direct route from the island. Magritte, a venerable
Moody, has disconnected her boom and is diverting to the Cape Verdes for repair. Another ARC yacht is shipping water through her transom door and is also diverting.
On Nina we're back in great shape. Skipper Steve proposes sundowners to celebrate. Cans of Heineken never tasted so good; Frank marks the moment with canapes from the
galley: Tuc crackers, Emmental cheese and tomatoes. As the sun sinks under our bow, we're all happy to be in the trade winds at last, sailing due west to keep the headsail filled.
The sea is a slow lazy roll of azure blue. Over our stern, a stunning orange moon has risen over the Sahara desert, 500 miles behind us.
In the cockpit, the discussion is of the relative dunkability of Hob Nobs and Ginger Nuts. Steve is beaming from ear to ear after his crew's sterling display of teamwork.
Under full jib and reefed main, Nina is pootling along superbly in the moonlight at 8 knots.
Ahead of us, 2,200 miles of ocean to Rodney Bay.
Stay tuned!