Friday 13th  January 2012  Caribbean Sea 10 23.7N  77 09.5W 

Today’s Blog by David

(Ooooeerr.  Friday 13^th…. I’d better keep that quiet!)

Well.  Yesterday, Bob said: ….“but with the wind forecast to increase a little over the next 24 hours we live in hope.”  I think that may have been a case of “Be careful what you wish for!” because, the wind did indeed increase, accelerated around the coast of Columbia, off Cartgena so that the prevailing 18-23 knots gradually built to 25-30 kts and then 30-35kts then more!!

Yachts are displacement vessels

Bob also lamented the fact that we had not yet accomplished a  “200 mile day”. Well, that requires the boat to sail and an average of a little more than eight knots. “Displacement yachts”, such as Serendipity “push” the water out of their way rather than skim over the surface like a speed boat. Their maximum speed through the water (maximum theoretical hull speed) is proportional to the square root of their length. Quite what Serendipity’s MTHS is we don’t know but we can tell you that 9 -9.5 knots is about as quick as it gets… unless a wave breaks behind us end essentially we surf down the wave, just like s surfer on a surf board.  We quite often see 10 and occasionally 11 knots when surfing down waves.   

A  brief  meteorological primer.

Wind Speeds are measured on the Beaufort Scale.  It has 12 ranges or Forces  to describe the speed of the wind. What is important for this discussion is:

Force 6                                 23-27 knots         A Yachtsman’s Gale

Force 7                                 28-32 Knots        A Near Gale

Force 8                                 33-40 knots         A Full Gale

Force 9                                 41-49 knots         A Severe Gale

Force 10 and Up               >50  knots          A Real Hoolie,…. Err,  let’s not go there.

However, to “qualify” for the description “Gale Force 8”.  the wind speed needs to be blowing an average of 33-40kts; likely there will be individual gusts of 45+ knots. So just as, “two swallows do not (among other things – see below)  a summer make”, a single gust of 35 kts does not make a Full Gale 8.   Human nature being what it is though, looking back on it from the comfort of the bar, just as the fish that got away gets longer, a single puff of wind in excess of 32 kts will be reported as a Full Gale 8 – and with the passage of time, one doesn’t let the absence of that single puff spoil a good story!   So it will be told that, last night, Serendipity ended up out in a Real Hoolie!

“Racing” through paradise

But that is to make light of a challenging night. There was a small 1-1.5 knot current against us – and since we are sailing downwind then against the tide. It is a fact that when the wind an tide are opposed the seas tend to build into (much) higher waves than when the wind and tide are in the same direction.  So well before  dark – probably by 17.00 – the sea had built quite steeply and we were surfing down what seemed like every third wave.   The wind was – as I said – in the 25-35 knot range and 11 knots became commonplace as the wind built  – then 12;  we were truly racing through paradise and we were all (well, nearly all!)  exhilarated by the experience – adrenalin coursing through our veins.  Check this out:

Simone remained the still small voice of calm and reason, pointing out that: i)  the boat becomes less stable when surfing, ii) we risk broaching and iii) if we were to rush down the back of a really big wave we could – in extremis – bury ourselves in the back of the wave in front, and iv)  even  - yes, really – “pitch-pole” the boat base over apex.  Simone was concerned that that might ruin her hairdo; she asked me to review our options.  David adopted his “reassurance” bed-side manner. Those of you close to us can guess how that conversation was going when all chance of a reasoned debate evaporated as this appeared on the speedometer:

!!!!!!

And so it was that we “hunkered down for the night”.  After all we are “not racing”  so what does it matter if we lose a few places overnight? So we put deep reefs in everything, battened down the hatches and prepared dinner. 

By the time David came on watch at 02.00AM, the wind had continued to build.  The sea was bigger, building against the current, and the tops of the waves were now breaking as they passed, driving spume off the wave tops ahead of them. For about an hour the wind was consistently in the 33-40 knot range, with gusts up to 47 knots. (As it transpired we had it easy; others reported 55 knot gusts).

Then, gradually, just as it was forecast to do the wind began to moderate and has taken 12 hours now for the sea to  become a nicer place to be.  So that’s how it will be told that Serendipity braved a “Real Hoolie”; to my great pleasure the crew all retained their composure and sense of humour and – to my great surprise - the contents of their respective stomachs – yes indeed, All of them!). 

We have been averaging 200+ miles per day now for nearly 24 hours and are now only 88 miles from the finish. We will finish this leg about 03.00 unless the wind really dies away to nothing.   There has been much jockeying for position – and much kit broken. Five spinnakers and a genoa blown out a steering quadrant, an electric in mast  furling system, a manual genoa furler, and  mainsheet block (carried away in an involuntary gybe) were all casualties of last night’s festivities. Not bad among 27 yachts.  In case you asked, Serendipity sustained some superficial damage of no real import.

As to the race that is not a race, well who knows.  Looks like there are two boats ahead of us, including a multihull – Anastasia – which got away from us yesterday (at the cost of their spinnaker); there is another yacht close behind. But it is not the finishing line order that matters really -  because we are all handicapped.  There are boats out there who can finish in 30 hours after us and still beat us on handicap.  Time will tell!.

Two final observations:

1              Two Swallows do not a beer make,  either!

We have increasingly been encountering retail beer being sold in smaller and smaller cans and bottle measures. The UK is pretty consistent ; there are three sizes of can/bottle widely available: something around an imperial pint (540ml) or a girl’s pint (484ml) is pretty standard with some lagers in particular being sold in 33ml cans and bottles.

While we are sailing we prefer to buy it in cans; firstly they crush for disposal and glass is anyway a hazard if it breaks (as it surely will).  In the Cape Verdes it was hard to find beer available in greater than 200 ml  containers; in St Lucia 250ml for both Heinekin and local beers  is the norm. I tell you, 25ml is about two mouthfuls - barely a mouthwash let alone a beer!

2              The Booby Trap

Sailors of yore, away at sea for weeks on end, needed to eat meat from time to time. So they used to catch Boobies in (yes, you guessed it)  in a “Booby Trap”. Now, one look at yesterday’s photo of the Booby would tell you that they are not the sharpest tool in the box!   The sailors simply put food in the centre of a small loop of string  shaped with a noose, Booby steps up for lunch, sailor pulls string and then Boob turns up for dinner!