LOG DAY 7 - Prop wraps and piles

Global Yacht Racing's EH01
Global Yacht Racing - sponsors: Caspian Services
Sun 27 Nov 2011 11:19
Sunday morning and its our 7th day at sea. We gybed over onto starboard yesterday expecting to be laying St Lucia (ish) however wih the weather forecast being, well, a forecast we are heading the wrong way again so it looks like another gybe session later today. Those familiar with sailing and racing will think this involves a short manouvre with most hands on deck, trip the pole, float the kite, gybe the main and reset the pole hey presto! Sadly when rigged for low chafe ocean mode as we are its an hours work to drop the wrap preventer then the kite, swap around all the sheets and guys, check for chafe then re hoist the kite after wooling it so it goes up sweetly. In all a bit of a mission, but its not like we have loads of other pressing stuff to do!

Regarding the subject of this blog, it appears we have someting around the prop, this could be a plastic bag or sheet, rope or fishing gear we havent determined yet. It hasnet affected us much other than vibration when we run the engine out of gear to charge (prop shaft spins) howeer it slowing us by about a knot, this is quite significant when you factor tis in over the next week or so, not to mention how ever long the 'object ' has been there.
What to do? thats' the question isnt it. Two options really; drop all sails and send someone swimming, something I am reluctant to do as the sea state could make this dangerous for the diver or suck it and see and go for a swim when we cross the finish line and can drop anchor in Rodney Bay.

We have a top tip from Al too, who earlier this morning came on deck looking rather discombobulated. It appears as if his pile cream is in a very similiar tube to his toothpaste....he put toothpaste on his arse and had a bit of a shock, still, it could have been worse!

TTFN

Andy (skipper)