Glassy calm 40 10.7N: 44 51.5W
Ellatrout3
Fri 6 Jun 2014 14:25
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4 o clock Thursday morning I was woken
because the ship suddenly stopped and the wind appeared to have switched
off. The plotrter showed the change had just happened so I waited expecting the
wind from a different direction, nothing happened so I took the sails down and
went to bed.
Theday brought my first real calm, bright sun with
odd cloud which if it passed over you dropped some rain. An ideal drying day as
all the rain clouds went round me. I had a whole list of jobs that
neededdoing when it was calm. The first to sort out my navigation lightsas I
have had none since the first near gale after I left plymouth.
The mast head one I could only check the power at
the base of the mast. I went on deck to see if it all looked ok at the top
the mast and no matter where I stood front or back I could not see the light, it
was gone, shaken off byt one of the heavy hits we took. I have a set of
nav lights at deck level bow and stern. To get to the one at the front you
have to hang over the bow and diswmantle it over the water. The tricky bit
is when you undo the little screws hold the electrical wires in the connection
all the lower parts of the lantern can slide off and into the water. I
managwed this task successfully. (relief).
I then spent about anhour and a half restoring the
lantern to working order. At this stage I was quoetly confident that the problem
was solved. Now putting it back; I went through every move in mymind, tools in
one pocket small screws and parts in the other.I got the first two parts in my
hands , lay over the bow to put them on, one hand on the wire ready to stop them
sliding off and as I offered the two parts to the wire I rwealised they
were the wrong way round and in turning them around one piece went on a
long journey 4774 meters down. The one move I hadn't planned for
AHH! - frustration, fury you name it I had all those emotions, All
that time wasted! I was so cross I really did not know what to do with
myself, sit down..................... Solution - put the kettle on
and make a cup of tea.
Frustration I think suims up my feelings about the
whole trip so far, we've had no easy running days, apart from that spell of
easzterly right at the beginning, the wind has always been against us and I
think it shows in that I am currently 360 miles behind where I was on my first
trip in 2010, And now the glassy calm has gone what are we doing? Answer
beating to windward!
Enough of my moaning - ADvice on engine gratefully
received and signs are you could be right, water gwetting ing, because yesterday
was very hot and I ran the engine for 2 hours and notice when I turned it off
there were no warning lights on, nonetheless I will get in the back of the
control panal and do as you advise.
Apart from the nav light desaster it was a good
days calm when I got a lot of important jobs done. It finisheed with one or two
of those clouds passing over and deluging rain upon us and sending the wind in
all directions. The wind kept me on the hop until 0100 this morning
when it finally settled down to a south westerly.
Today is bright and sunnyblowing 18 kts across the
deck and we are a bit over pressed with No 3 jib and one reef, I think I'll have
to take in another reef.
Love Poppa/Dad/Roger
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