Day 78 - Leg 5 Day 4 at Sea 'Northward Bound'
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Thu 10 Sep 2015 09:39
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Now that we have left Cape Town, we are heading north
and officially on our way home.
The two days before we left, there was no water on the
docks, so the first thing we had to do, once we got into deeper, cleaner water,
was to run the watermaker. This is basically a desalination plant that
converts seawater into freshwater at the rate of 105 litres of water a
day. With both tanks full, we have enough water to last us for a week or,
if we use it sparingly, much longer.
The first 24 hours at sea are always a bit difficult as
it takes a while for everybody to find their sea legs. This is not only
due to the motion of the boat, but also, until you have got back into the rhythm
of watch systems, it can be difficult to get to sleep. By day 2, you are
usually tired enough that your sleep patterns start to adjust to boat
times.
We motored out of the harbour with low clouds covering
Table Mountain and the surrounding hills. As we were still close to the
coast, the winds were light and variable so it wasn't until around 17.00 that we
managed to hoist the sail. This lasted the grand total of 3 hours before
the winds became squally, with ever changing direction and we were forced
to motor again.
We motored for the rest of the day and also all day
Tuesday and Wednesday as the winds had died completely. On Wednesday
morning we altered course to the west to try to catch
the wind that was forecast and eventually,
at 13.00 hour today, Thursday, we found the wind that we had been looking for
and a bit more as well. We were sailing with 2 reefs in the main and the
genoa, but with the wind gusting to 40 knots and a building, confused sea, we
reefed the main further and switched from the genoa to a heavily reefed
jib. The boat was much more settled, and the crew much more
comfortable.
In the meantime, on Wednesday afternoon, we cut back the
engines and took the opportunity to carry out a few jobs, including transferring
the reserve fuel from the drum on deck into the main tanks. I was on
mother watch and that morning had suggested a bar-b-q so, jobs completed, we
enjoyed lamb steaks, spicy sausages, baked potatoes and a ridiculously spicy
pepper and onion side dish all washed down with a couple of bottles of
wine. I have mentioned before that we usually sail dry, but there was no
wind forecast for the next 18 hours, the seas were flat calm and we would
be motoring overnight. Needless to say, the meal was enjoyed by
everybody. I suggested that we should heave to once a week and do the
same, but there was a suggestion that we should do it every other day, until I
pointed out that I would like to be home before Christmas!!!
It is now 19.00 on Thursday evening, and we are just
settling down for the evening. The seas are pretty confused with some
pretty big waves, but the wind has settled to the low 30s, we are heavily reefed
and sailing along nicely downwind. Hopefully, the seas will start to calm
over the next 24 hours but the winds remain the same.
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