Half Way
Digiboat's "Product Testing"
Simon Blundell
Sat 18 May 2013 00:39
12:51.68N 097:24.36E
18/5
0700LT
22kn SW, seas
lumpy
SOG
9.5kn
COG
NNW
Well the Lampi
Island passage detour never quite eventuated. Only about 5 miles out and on
course, much storm activity to windward started appearing on the RADAR so
decided to head upwind to leave as much sea room as possible if we needed to run
off. Good choice as it turned out! A few unthreatening squalls passed over us
and then a very dark menacing one started to build. This travelled from 8 nm
away to on top of us within minutes. When 4-5nm out we started furling the genny
in preparation - half way finished, the 30kn squall bombed us, the resulting
flog as we wrapped up the rest of the genny tore away a few metres of the leach
thread (that had been sun-damaged from her time laid up in Singapore) and gave
the appearance that the sail had been shredded.
A wild 2 hour ride
with reefed main and fill mizzen at 12+ knots downhill in gale force winds and
blinding torrential rain was fun for the two of us sailors on board, however
Aimee pefrormed beyond her pay-grade (actually she's free) and managed to pass
us coffees and toasties. Rog was nowhere to be seen and was possibly in the
fetal position on his bunk. He says he slept through it, but unless he bedded
down on the floor beforehand I do doubt it.
The storms passed by
mid morning and we hoisted the No1 staysail for an hour or two of decent,
although slower without genny, sailing. After my daily minute or two of sleep,
Luke woke me due to no wind and need to start engines. So underwya with just one
engine on fast idle and favourable current it was a perfect opportunity to
inspect damage to the jib. Dumped on the foredeck we see no tears in the dacron
or sunbrella, just a few metres of stitching had gone, so in a mad rush as
evening storms were started to brew around us we got the sewing machine setup on
the foredeck and within and hour the jib was fixed (but perhaps not prettily)
and hoisted and furled! Just in time for evening snacks and
G&T's.
The lack of wind
persisted through the night so gentle motoring only. Just on dawn this morning
storms started up again, but well porepared this time I took advantage of the
25kn with half a jib out and the mizzen to truck downhill at
10+kn.
The
on-again-off-again winds have been a bit frustrating, from record breaking
speeds to slow motorised crawling.
200nm remain to the
river mouth, should arrive late Sunday.
Will start fishing
in ernest today as we are travelling near the shelf and have had good success
here in th epast with tuna.
SJB