A Tough Day

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 14 Jun 2010 00:28

Position: 45 15.0 S 075 54.0 W
Course North, speed 5 knots
Wind: Northeast F4 moderate breeze
Weather: overcast, occasional showers, cool
Day’s Run (8 p.m.) 53 nm (75 nm sailed and drifted)

Today has been a bit of a rough day. We have had headwinds all night then light and variable winds on top of a large swell and big seas making life very uncomfortable, for much of it I have chosen to drift. We have been expecting a southerly change to arrive this evening and then I hoped to be in a good position to make some miles but the latest forecast indicates that the southerly winds will pass us by to the west and we will continue to get mostly headwinds. This could be a long passage.

I got the sails up this afternoon and tacked to try and make some ground back towards the coast and in the process found another seam opening up on the jib. Fortunately conditions were still pretty light so I immediately dropped the jib, pulled out sail makers needle, palm and thread and sewed the seam up. Once that was done I drifted for a little bit as there was very little wind and decided to run the motor for a bit to recharge the batteries. On attempting to star the engine it would not turn over. It was one of two things, a flat battery or water in the cylinders. With the heavy pitching and rolling we had been experiencing over the past 24 hours I suspected the latter. I managed to evacuate the water and get the old engine started again but not before making an absolute mess of everything, and I reckon I now have some water in the oil. Not good!

Meanwhile Persimmon and Sylph have parted ways. Persimmon must be snugly at anchor by now. She stayed a bit closer in to the coast last night and with her slightly better performance and judicious use of motor managed to get back into the channels this afternoon, so we are out here on our own, and it looks like we may be out here for a while yet.

All is well.

Bob Cat:

A tough day is right, so much for enjoying the comfort of the V-berth. That didn’t last long. And everything is damp - no heater, no fish - meowargh! Nothing else for it, back to .. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.