Knightrider Bulletin: Day 10 Squally Squally Night.
Knightime
Wed 2 Dec 2009 21:53
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Dear Readers, It's time to get your Ovaltine (other
Brands are available) and settle down to our version of Home and Away. Each time
we come to press, we write about Day 10 while getting ready for
Day11.
Tonight we are 1 hour behind you but, tomorrow we
will slip back another hour as we move West. Tonight's pic shows pretty well the
view we get each evening after dinner in the cockpit so, it's a way of you all
getting an idea of the hell we are going through.
Last night a bit of a storm passed by, requiring us
to quickly get the Genoa away completely for a while. On my shift with
Steadi-Medi-Hoff we learned a few ''Top Tips'' about reefing... 1/ One dot (3rd
reef, meaning smallest amount of sail showing) is for WIMPS. 2/ Another gem is,
if you are thinking about putting a reef in, it's already too late! and 3/ If
you are thinking of putting more sail back out after reefing, make a cup of tea
first. Funnily enough, I have not read these ''Top Tips'' in any RYA manual so
it just goes to show those guys can't know everything. Anyway, suffice to say
that the new shiny wet gear got an outing... money well spent!
During the squall, which was quickly upon
us, the winds hit 36.8 knots, the Fasten Seat Belt sign came on, and Hoff
decided to leave the comforts of the First Class accommodation to see what the
fuss was about.
First thing this morning we (Cap'n Kitt) found some
serious chafe and it was necessary to rerun the outhaul for the mainsail.(for
those of you who don't know what that is, join the club! )
Tonight, MediHoff managed to turn what looked like
mince into an Italian Spag-Boll-Fest much enjoyed by all. Grated Parmesan
would have added to the joy but, hey!, it ain't the Ritz out here and it was
delicious anyway.
Continuing on the food front, we witnessed the
changing of plantain back into bananas.. a sort of double miracle, since we
originally thought we had bought bananas.
Tomorrow, we are hoping that 2 tins of Beef Chilli
will turn into Lobster Thermidor with all the trimmings! (A nice crisp Chablis
would not go amiss either)
There has been conjecture today as to whether we
have passed the ''1,000 miles to go mark'' but while we initially thought
that we had passed it, it turns out that that would be as the crow flies, and
obviously we are NOT going by crow, so, the most likely thing is that we will
pass that milestone tomorrow.
The Knightriders are now getting obsessed with
cleanliness, and we now have a solar-powered shower on deck. It sounds grand but
it looks like a big hot water bottle hanging from the masty cross thing. If my
efforts of yesterday are anything to go by, I will probably get sudsed up and
slide gently into the scuppers. More news on this subject, tomorrow and
dear readers perhaps a photo can be arranged for your viewing
pleasure.
Right now, it's 20.00 hrs local, it's dark outside
and we are running the engine to recharge the boat's electrics, (but not
motoring in gear).
All in all it was another lovely day and we look
forward to updating you again tomorow...Stay tuned.
Choff, on behalf of El Hoff and the
Knightriders.
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