Look out - wahoo!
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Sat 7 Nov 2009 10:00
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We now have over 2000 miles on the log and are
starting to build up a basic feel for how this ship sails. We are now at Gran
Canaria at 28:07.55N 15:25.49W.
We set off from our anchorage yesterday morning at
0430 having got up at 0345. The time was passed teasing a very stubborn mainsail
out of the mast - nothing wrong with the system really just probably furled away
too much and overly bulky at the foot. This is an issue we are extremely
concious of and is the one of the big potential downsides of in mast reefing.
After whileing away half an hour pleasantly on the mast above the boom in the
pitch black in the middle of the night, we sailed out the anchor and tacked
round to feel our way along the edge of the reef extending a couple of miles
south of the point and which had enormous rollers breaking over it the
night before. With a little help from sleepy crew we rounded the reef and set
sail on a beam reach - woh! was this going to be fun. Stonking
straight up to 8 knots then 9 then 10 I was a very happy bunny and not the
least bit grumpy. We had winds fom 12 knots to 24 on the 50 mile
passage. While Trish slept below and Craig slept in the cockpit
we changed gear up and down ranging from full genny and main to Jib and double
reefed main and the only help I got was when Craig was forcibly stirred
from his slumber to lend a finger (to sheet in the main or jib) I didnt really
need him but was enjoying the helm too much to share it with the autopilot! I
decided to overpower her to such a stage that I had full lock lee helm in the
gusts to get to know her and check whether feathering into the wind was a
good option to spill power and what was the last point I could still get the
rudder to assert it self and wrestle the ship away from the clutches of the
wind and run off down wind having stolen some energy from her. Not quite a laser
but good fun and in this case good for toning the moobs. The only
thing that spoilt the fun was few big squalls which knocked us out of our stride
and a ship which tried to. I was sure he was playing chicken with me so at a
couple of miles I called him - no response. Then the MARPA showed him going
behind me, I was sure he had altered but on checking again
CPA was head on. I shouted him again - nothing then again "OK OK this
is so and so" - "channel 06" "ok 06". "What is your intention" says I
"to pass behind me or ahead of me" - 1/2 mile to go relative speed 17knots
- we are not a small boat but he asked are you a sailing
vessel? Clearly lifting his head to look out the wheelhouse window "OH! oh!
OK! Ok! Ok! I alter" in his best asian accented english - "well" I said
"you need to alter dramatically to starboard to to pass behind me". I think you
call the manouvre that he carried out a swerve. As he passed by my transom
he at least had the manners to come to the portside rail and wave an apology!
We spent the first afternoon in Gran Canaria
getting some more curtesy flags as I did not have enough - so atthe moment I
think I am covered to Galapagos. We also went to the fishing shop and got some
really serious lures rigged and a few other bits and pieces including a vicious
looking gaff and a rod holster to seat the rod end in when reeling in thebig
one. The guy in the shop also gave us a guarantee that we would catch good fish
on the atlantic - so look out wahoo, tuna, dorado and marlin we're a
comin!
Almost every day now we are meeting people that we
know either at sea, at anchor, in the marina or in some cases, on the
street. Last night we went out to dinner with David and Susan a Scottish couple
who circumnavigated in the Blue Water Rally a couple of years ago and along with
most other rally participants we had them at our house for a dinner and
party.
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