Position 30:13.44N 65:11.73W
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Sat 7 May 2011 13:51
|
The wind gods are finally smiling upon us and shifting
the breeze in a clockwise direction. For the first time in five days we are on a
direct heading to Spit Buoy, Bermuda. Last night we were in easterlies and this
morning it's swung south east. Oops, spoke too soon, it's still in the
south east but gradually wilting. Yesterday on the radio I heard PATRICHE II
complaining of clogged fuel filters and enquiring about the possibility of
finding a 'fuel polishing' service in Bermuda. This is something I could add to
my list of nagging fears if we continue using the engine. Since leaving
Tortola we've been drawing diesel from our No. 1 tank and it's around
three-quarters gone. At best, I reckon we might have another twenty hours worth
in it, not including generator time. If the promised 20 knot southerly appears
this evening we'll be fine. If not, we might have to switch to our No. 2 tank
will be something of a gamble; it's fuel we loaded in Mindelo, Cape
Verde six months ago and it's been sitting there ever since. Although I
dosed it with biocide at the time, tropical heat and humidity might have done
their worst to breed the micro-organisms that give filters
constipation.
On the back of my IMRAY-IOLARE chart for Bermuda (yes,
it's amazing what passes for reading material at three o'clock in the morning
when you're on watch), it states, 'The local repairmen suggest that 20 per cent
of the boats arriving in Bermuda have a gear failure of some sort...' We have
around 24 hours to hope and pray that we stay within the other 80 per
cent.
Apart from that, all is well on board. Our fresh fruit
is still holding out and the meals Nirit cooked and froze in Tortola are
something to look forward to each evening. The last day or night of a passage
like this always seems to pass slowly, especially when I sit reading the notes
on the back of a chart whilst imagining the crews of AGUA DULCE, SPECIAL
DELIVERY and TRILLIUM already in St George's trying to catch the bartender's
attention for another round of 'Dark and
Stormy'.
|