The stuff we cant talk about! 15:19.52N 054:12.95W
Seaflute
Wed 30 Nov 2016 14:26
creates pressure on the surface of the earth is back with us. It's also
moving at a fantastic velocity in generally the right direction for St
Lucia. We are enjoying a boat speed of 7.5 knots which is bloody marvellous
compared to the 3-4 knots we have struggled to achieve over the last three
days. The miles are ticking down once again with 395 to run and an ETA St
Lucia of Thursday midday.
Each morning, we partake in a radio net which is facilitated by one of the
fleet yachts on the SSB Radio. For those not familiar with SSB radio (Short
wave side band radio) it is effectively a radio send and receive system
designed for transmitting and receiving over very large distances, very much
like the ham radio enthusiasts use. The radio signals bounce of the
Ionosphere and depending on the frequencies used can cover distances from
200 miles to 10,000. Compared to VHF (standard ship to ship, ship to shore
radio) whose range is around 20 miles but also line of sight, it's a very
useful communication tool for ocean crossings. Using SSB is a bit of a dark
art and may explain why most ham radio enthusiasts are ....well quite
strange people generally. To use an SSB radio you have to be fully licensed.
Because of the quirky nature of the subject, I sent (bribed to go) Tom on
the course which consisted of FIVE days learning how to listen to radio
China from a small room in Southampton! So Tom is our resident SSB champion.
So anyway, the morning radio net consists of a role call where each of the
fleet give their current position in Lat and Long and the wind strength and
speed they are experiencing. It's fascinating to see how much the wind can
vary over a relatively small area of Atlantic ocean. The best call on this
crossing was to go further south early en-route and those that did have been
rewarded by consistently stronger winds than the rest of us. The strategic
challenge is that to make a difference you often have to divert hundreds of
miles from the most direct route which is a high risk strategy. The other
great unknown whilst discerning relative positions is how much some of these
yachts have motored so far in lieu of sailing and what fuel reserves they
still have left. The penalty on handicap position is quite penal when
calculating final positions, but I suspect most vessels have been far more
focused on just getting there than winning prizes, we certainly are.
The other function of the morning radio net is an opportunity for any
vessels experiencing any difficulty to communicate these to the fleet and
rally control. As expected, a number of slower vessels are expressing
concern regarding fuel levels and water reserves. One yacht has ripped her
mainsail in half and hobbling on under just genoa. Tragically one of the
main ARC fleet yachts was lost a few days ago, although thank goodness the
crew of two adults, two children and a skipper evacuated to their life raft
and were rescued by a research vessel just two and a half hours later. They
had apparently been taking on water from an undetermined leak and the bilge
pumps had become overwhelmed. The yacht sank within an hour of them leaving
it. A sobering story and illustrated if it was needed, this is a serious
undertaking and mustn't be taken lightly.
Yesterday evening whilst enjoying a quiet evening anticipating supper being
prepared by Tom, one of the fishing reels started screaming as the line ran
off it at an amazing rate. I dashed to take the rod out of its holder and
begin to slow the rate the line was playing out. It was immediately apparent
by the amount of friction that need to be applied to slow the line loss that
this was a sizeable fish. Ian and Tom who is well attuned to the sound of a
"screaming reel" and had now rushed up from the galley to assist, furled the
sails to stop the boat. In a well-rehearsed routine they stood by with gaff,
rubber mat, alcohol squirter (more about this later), fighting belt ( a belt
with locator to hold the butt of the rod and protect ones tender parts
during the retrieval) and of course the obligatory camera. Half an hour
later with my arms hanging off, the brute broke the surface and was
skilfully gaffed by Tom and hauled aboard. A 30kg Tuna for our troubles.
What a magnificent fish, they are solid muscle and fight for pound must be
one of the toughest game fish around. The skin on this fish was like chain
mail and when I eventually delivered the fillets to the galley Tom and I
began an industrial scale Tuna processing operation. We kept enough for us
to eat plenty of fresh (Sushi and grilled fillets today) and bagged the rest
(vast majority of it) for the freezer, which twenty four hours later hasn't
yet recovered its temperature.
This morning at sunrise we had the largest pod of dolphins we've seen so far
frolicking around Sea Flute and dashing through her bow wave with obvious
delight. It was even appealing enough to tempt Lindy from her slumbers to
watch in her Jim Jams. One of the larger dominant dolphins (clearly the
boss) had a very white nose which was unusual but very distinctive.
Well as I write, we are charging along at 7.7 knots propelled by a good
supply of the clear stuff....but don't tell anyone!
Cheers for now
Skipper Dave PS The Alcohol spray mentioned is a tried and tested method
of killing big fish. You spray neat alcohol into their gills and they die
instantly ...and probably happy. In this case the alcohol is a 1.5 litre
bottle of vodka bought for the purpose in Gibraltar, costing 4 euros. It
would probably kill most things you sprayed it on! Also, if anyone looking
at my fish picture think I have gone completely pirate with an earring..Id
like to point out it's only a loop on my cap to stop it blowing
off...honest!
Email - seaflute {CHANGE TO AT} mailasial {DOT} com
