Kotari blog
Kotari
Mon 30 Nov 2020 15:29
Onboard we still have
Mark C
Carol S
Eddie C
Richard D
Ruaraidh P… computer still giving me the typo
Day - not totally sure, but it’s Sunday 29th Nov
Yesterday was a good and mostly uneventful day. The exceptions to this were:
- the Whales/big fish that keep breaking the fishing lines
- the spinnaker hoist yesterday resulted in a bit of a forestay wrap that we managed to rectify,
- getting spat out the back of a few squalls and going slowly/nowhere for the hour that followed over night
This morning was a cracking sunrise (so I’ve been told) and a much nicer sky with no near squalls etc so it was breakfast, coffee, a quick trip up the mast to fetch the lost spinnaker halyard from Friday night (it wasn’t there and so much be lost inside the mast which is a bummer)…
So back down and up with the spinnaker - very slick hoist today apart from some loss of skin from Carol for her cracking efforts sweating the bugger up!
Now just chugging along with the wind forecast to drop a bit through the day. Sea states quite nice compared to yesterday, more surfing and less rounding up. Auto Jim has it under control
Time to check the position update!
——
Reviewing the position report, yesterday was one of our wurst days… bloody squalls
The wind has also been dropping off so now averaging 17 knots rather than our accustomed 23 ish
Not sure how we seem to be pulling away from many boats as they head further south while we sail the Rhum/great circle course (fastest route) and yet they have better vmg than us according to position report… hey ho
Peter von S has once again gained another 4 miles on us… grrrr they must either sail v fast in the day or maintain a better average over night than us because we can’t get much more that we are out of Kotari in the day time… We are sailing with 1 reef in most of the time but the control/stability this gives us is worth it in the gusts!
Main priority really is just to give the kite set up lots of TLC so it can last us!
The start of the race was exactly a week ago at 1300 and at 1300 today, Sunday 29th we have done 1234 nautical miles on the log… not to shabby!
As it’s Sunday chef Dennis is whipping up some Sunday roast chicken surprise!
I think that means salad!
Tonight we’ve got our 3rd Chilli and jacket potatoes in the last 4 dinners. This is it of the meals that should have been frozen!
——
This morning I’ve just been reminded a Barracuda was caught and released as they aren’t all that edible
Our Bowsprit for the Asymmetric kites has got such a sever case of Peyronies disease that it may have to be cut out of place.
The thought makes me wince… good thing we have a surgeon!
————
Day 9 - 30th November - Half Way Day
I’m a bit confused by my numbering of the days because it was a week yesterday afternoon that we started but day 9… anyway, more coffee!
Last night was chilled and slow with only around 12-16 knots, we also dropped the spinnaker a bit early yesterday as we discovered that our fractional (not all the way to the top of the mast) spinnaker halyard that blew out on Friday night was wrapped around the functioning and working spinnaker halyard inside the mast. (We knew this from spotting it through the slits lower down the mast).
This gave us concern that if it jammed then we wouldn’t be able drop the spinnaker and we’re short on halyards to go up the mast on to sort it out…. So we dropped early incase we needed to get creative.
Luckily all went smooth and to plan and we’ve untwisted and plucked the old halyard from the inside of the mast so it can’t cause any more chaos!
Lovely chilled eve poled out, bit slow at times but all going the right way
——
At some point in the night we must have crossed Peter Von S as they’re now South of us which has impacted their VMG. Yesterday they were 20 nm (nautical miles) closer to the destination than us, today 3! There is a big high pressure/ low wind patch to the West of us which by our weather info should slow us a little tonight, but then move off. Naughty Pete clearly has different ideas but lets roll the dice and see how it pans out!
They’re now 33 nm SSE of us so it’s all to play for!
Flirting with the idea of a spinnaker over night… I’ll probably talk myself out of that one when I remember the nightmare of Friday!
The boats to the South seem to be making good gains as well which is interesting… hmmmmm decisions decisions!
——
Cruising on in 12-16 knots from the ESE at the moment, nice to be on Port tack/gybe for a change! Making good speeds around 7 knots with the Symmetric kite up so hopefully making good ground on anyone in the same without a kite!
The first batches of bread are being prepped for the oven as we are now almost out fresh goods and moving into, as Richard says “making it up as we go” territory.