Crash, boom bang
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Mon 13 Dec 2010 16:39
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Tuesday 14th December 0008 Local Time 1608
Monday13th UTC
04:09.82S 110:35.89E
We have spent more enjoyable times on passage on
Rhiann Marie than the last few days. After our hammering on Saturday night,
Sunday was not much better. We had squall after squall. For the most part they
were almost merged into each other but at the intense face of them we faced
several with sustained wind speeds over 40 knots. The short sharp sea was still
running but we had no cross sea. Gradient wind was about 20 knots on the nose -
progress was slow. The pitching was severe and many times from the comfort of
down below we felt more like we were in a submarine than a yacht. The amount of
water on the decks was unreal and the only upside was that to have
it raging round your ankels in a torrent was actually like having a warm
water foot bath! On the foredeck between the worst of our dunkings it was very
hard just to keep your feet on the deck. Both feet and both hands needed
to have a firm grip.
Sleep was again taken in twenty minute naps here
and there until about 0615 Monday, with conditions slight, Trish
insisted took over and I went to bed for two and a half hours - the first
in 48 hours and very nice it was too.
With all this poor weather several things have
broken over the past few days, however none of them are from the
Hebrides.
The latest thing to break was a block mounting for
the main sheet at the end of the boom. It just sheared. Strange, because it was
only twenty knots of wind at the time. The 8mm stainless steel fitting to carry
a mainsheet block just parted with an almighty bang. The boom went crashing off
down wind trying to rip the mainsheet track out of the deck with it. Trish
was up quickly and calmly with torch in hand and I quickly rigged a jury rig to
get us under way again. We really feel like we are limping to the
"finish line" of Singapore. However to "finish first" first you have to
finish...... It has been an intense 15 months with Rhiann Marie having done more
sailing miles in her first year than many yachts will do in a lifetime, and
these last two days were in exceptionally poor conditions.
Throughout Monday just as forecast the wind eased
to 15 knots but still straight from our berth in Singapore - very demoralising I
have to say.
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