09:38S 121:07W

24 hour run – 146ml (depressing to see it’s our slowest day to date)

miles to go - 1040

 

 

Today is our 14th day at sea and, strangely enough, each day just feels like the one before.  On passage we tend to mark days by “the day we caught the fish” or “ the day we took the big wave” or, most exciting, “halfway day”.  We tend to keep track of the days of the week by the person running our SSB net – “it’s Jack Tar’s turn today....it must be Friday”.  Life revolves around eating, reading and sleeping.  Very much a case of Groundhog Day. 

 

We run strict night watches but keep to a pretty loose watch during the day.  Every 10 – 15 minutes the on watch person does a full scan of the horizon looking for ships.  In theory this is probably a little bit long between “looks” as we can only see about 2.5 nautical miles, but a ship’s superstructure rises well above it so will be seen for some miles. Last night the AIS alarm went off and alerted us to a  ship about five miles away, not on a collision course. I don’t know how the single handed sailors balance the need for sleep and the need to keep a lookout. I am told they catnap in 20 minute periods accepting there is a risk factor. We too accept the small risk we place on ourselves by not having a constant watch, but in 2000 miles we have only seen two ships and both were alerted to us with the AIS alarm. 

 

The AIS (automatic identification system) is one of our most valuable tools.  A mini radar it picks up ships that have an AIS transmitter and as they are mandatory on ships over a certain tonnage few boats don’t have them.  Our AIS only receives but many cruising yachts have an AIS that also transponds – ie gives your information.  A radar system can also pick up ships but they can be power hungry and don’t give the details an AIS does.  AIS tells us the ship’s course, speed, call sign and most important, its closest point of approach.

 

 

The need for sleep is starting to take its toll. Last night the wind first increased with a squall then died away to almost nothing leaving us wallowing until the early hours this morning. Brenda woke from her off watch when she heard me reef and then couldn’t get back to sleep.   Come 2am after change of watch she was desperately trying to stay awake on watch and I was desperately trying to sleep.  Around dawn I did sleep despite all the crashing and banging and slept right through our morning SSB net. We have damaged the boom vang and it is clonking and banging so will have to be fixed today.

 

One of the sights I enjoy on night watch is coming up on deck for the regular horizon scan.   Climbing up the companionway I am confronted with the sight of the back of the boat silhouetted in the moonlight with the moonbeam stretching away directly behind us.  There is a total eclipse of the moon in a couple of days and we are in a prime spot to see this, I hope to clouds don’t come and spoil it.