Happy Days
Skye Blue sailing
Stephen and Malene
Sat 17 Jun 2023 21:51
|
Day 15,
You have to feel sorry for flying fish. They have
evolved to avoid tuna and other fast fish and can now fly 60 m and bank to
the left or right and rise over waves - a great way to avoid being eaten.
Unfortunately boobies come along from the air to scoop up any slow to get back
in the water. The flying fish are scared of the boat so as they fly away from us
the boobies dive for them. That said the boobies are not very successful but it
keeps us amused while at the helm for long periods.
We finally hoisted our BIG headsail yesterday after an
epic battle to avoid twists, wind shifts, and getting all the lines in the right
places. The new furling line was too thick for the wee hole in the
furler - that was an upset until M suggested we remove the sleeve of the
rope and use the core for the knot to keep the line on the drum. I
(Stephen) was so pleased with my wee knot that i left it dangling a little too
much (as men do) and of course it got caught so - redo again [the knot is
tied at the bottom of the furling drum in a very tight space and it will almost
certainly get caught the first time you furl resulting in the drum not being
able to turn and thus the sail not furling. Bad design really, Harken]
Phew it now seems to work and we are charging on in the
right direction in full sun - this is what it is supposed to be
like!
I also actually spoke to another person last night
at 0315 - a fishing vessel - beyond the horizon. He called us to see if we were
fishing but as we were sailing he was happy for us to continue on the same
course - their nets or lines must be massive. He was very polite on the radio
and wished us a good journey - so there is other life here.
We are eating proper cooked food made from
fresh stuff - long may it last - and getting used to the watch system - 3
hours on and off between 1800 and 0600 and relaxed during the day. However we
have extended the 0300-0600 shift to 0700 to give one of us a bit more
sleep and for the person on duty at 0600 it is a nice time as
the sun comes up and coffee calls.
Finally excitement is building as we near the Equator -
traditionally sailors always mark the occasion with a toast to Neptune etc...we
will see.
All is well.
0:12.6288N 102:32.5273W
|