From Bowditch's American Practical Navigator:
Offshore, some shade of blue is common, particularly in tropical or subtropical regions. It is due to scattering of sunlight by minute particles suspended in the water, or by molecules of the water itself. Because of its short wavelength, blue light is more effectively scattered than light of longer waves. Thus, the ocean appears blue for the same reason that the sky does. The green color often seen near the coast is a mixture of the blue due to scattering of light and a stable soluble yellow pigment associated with phytoplankton. Brown or brownish-red water receives its color from large quantities of certain types of algae, microscopic plants in the sea, or from river runoff.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Shackles and Slides
Main sheet shackle issue: When we bought Ladybug, the previous owner was not on hand to answer questions and the running rigging had been disassembled and stowed below out of the weather. When I re-assembled the main sheet purchase, I made best guesses as to what shackles to use and I see now that I must have used a shackle designed for a lighter load for the main attachment (see blog from a few days ago about this shackle failing). I found what was probably the original shackle being used to attach a running backstay and have replaced the anchor shackle stop-gap with this one. So apologies for blaming Garhauer for this one :)
How a boat can be like a playground: At lunch time yesterday, we were sitting on the settee when the boat took a huge lurch in the 3 meter cross swells running at that time. I had my feet well braced against the dinette table, but Rani did not. She slid off the settee and all the way across the boat coming to rest under the table. She probably would have joined me in my laughter, for she looked just like a little girl sliding down a playground slide, except that she had been holding a bowl of salad in her left hand. This was now, of course, spread evenly over one of the carpets.
How a boat can be like a playground: At lunch time yesterday, we were sitting on the settee when the boat took a huge lurch in the 3 meter cross swells running at that time. I had my feet well braced against the dinette table, but Rani did not. She slid off the settee and all the way across the boat coming to rest under the table. She probably would have joined me in my laughter, for she looked just like a little girl sliding down a playground slide, except that she had been holding a bowl of salad in her left hand. This was now, of course, spread evenly over one of the carpets.
Day 9 - Finally a starry starry night!
First, excuse me for several typo's in my last post. I blame it on the angle of my stomach while typing!
The wind finally settled down yesterday evening to a respectable 15 Knots from the west and the seas were smoother at only 1.5 meters. After taking the the 5:30 pm Drifters' Net check-ins, we ate grilled aged cheddar sandwiches with salad and looked forward to a good sleep. Chris spotted a light just ahead of us to port and on the off-chance that it may be our friends on "Off Tempo", I put out a call on VHF 16. A surprised reply came from Terry of Off Tempo. However, they were 8nm to our east and a few behind, so the light ahead remained a mystery. Their autopilot had broken down but the wind vane was doing her duty. We offered to lend them Frankenpilot (our spare autopilot, assembled from the remains of other deceased autopilots), but they told us they were used to hand steering from previous passages and probably would not need it. Hopefully, there will be enough wind ahead to use the wind vane anyway.
Later on, as we were shaking out the third reef from the main, I heard another woman's voice on the VHF and jumped into the cabin just as she finished giving out her position. I asked her to repeat her info. It was the German yacht "Victoria" and they were only a mile off our starboard beam. Mystery solved! Thankfully on a clear night we could all avoid running into each other, but it would have been very difficult during the previous few days.
Our double reefed main and full jib allowed us to continue sailing during the night at 5.5-6 Knots. My initial resolve to not disturb Chris while he was sleeping did not last long as I saw sheet lightning ahead. Should I change course to port which looked clearer? Would there be squalls associated with the lightning? I hate lightning! Chris had a look and told me to relax - "It's very far and we are moving at a slow 5 Knots". There were also a few expletives which I cannot print ;) I stored our hand-held GPS and VHF in the oven in case of a strike and was afraid every time I stepped into the cockpit to tweak the wind vane. I used to live in southern Ontario and had listened to some horror stories from the terrific lightning storms over there during the summers. Curling up in the corner of the dinette settee I chanted a relaxing meditation in my head for the rest of my shift.
On the other hand, I spent my next shift,from 2am till 5am, almost entirely in the cockpit, gazing at the millions of stars above and the roll and sweep of sea below. It was also the best position to monitor the wind and adjust the windvane as required.
Our 3pm position today was 22 47S 178 05E. Our 24 hour run was 135nm with 122nm made good. We are 3 days away from landfall.
The wind finally settled down yesterday evening to a respectable 15 Knots from the west and the seas were smoother at only 1.5 meters. After taking the the 5:30 pm Drifters' Net check-ins, we ate grilled aged cheddar sandwiches with salad and looked forward to a good sleep. Chris spotted a light just ahead of us to port and on the off-chance that it may be our friends on "Off Tempo", I put out a call on VHF 16. A surprised reply came from Terry of Off Tempo. However, they were 8nm to our east and a few behind, so the light ahead remained a mystery. Their autopilot had broken down but the wind vane was doing her duty. We offered to lend them Frankenpilot (our spare autopilot, assembled from the remains of other deceased autopilots), but they told us they were used to hand steering from previous passages and probably would not need it. Hopefully, there will be enough wind ahead to use the wind vane anyway.
Later on, as we were shaking out the third reef from the main, I heard another woman's voice on the VHF and jumped into the cabin just as she finished giving out her position. I asked her to repeat her info. It was the German yacht "Victoria" and they were only a mile off our starboard beam. Mystery solved! Thankfully on a clear night we could all avoid running into each other, but it would have been very difficult during the previous few days.
Our double reefed main and full jib allowed us to continue sailing during the night at 5.5-6 Knots. My initial resolve to not disturb Chris while he was sleeping did not last long as I saw sheet lightning ahead. Should I change course to port which looked clearer? Would there be squalls associated with the lightning? I hate lightning! Chris had a look and told me to relax - "It's very far and we are moving at a slow 5 Knots". There were also a few expletives which I cannot print ;) I stored our hand-held GPS and VHF in the oven in case of a strike and was afraid every time I stepped into the cockpit to tweak the wind vane. I used to live in southern Ontario and had listened to some horror stories from the terrific lightning storms over there during the summers. Curling up in the corner of the dinette settee I chanted a relaxing meditation in my head for the rest of my shift.
On the other hand, I spent my next shift,from 2am till 5am, almost entirely in the cockpit, gazing at the millions of stars above and the roll and sweep of sea below. It was also the best position to monitor the wind and adjust the windvane as required.
Our 3pm position today was 22 47S 178 05E. Our 24 hour run was 135nm with 122nm made good. We are 3 days away from landfall.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Day 8 - Squally Skies and Stormy Seas
Okay, enough of the rough stuff, we want blue skies, please! Last night was the worst one so far as Ladybug was pursued by relentless squalls. The regular wind of 20 Knots WNW would spontaneously rise to 35-40 Knots and dense fat rain drops drummed harshly on the deck. Poor Hoochie Mama could not keep Ladybug from turning into the pounding waves, so with a bone jarring shock, we would be catapulted into action. Chris stripped to his undies, climbed over the main hatch, turned us a little downwind, rolled in some jib and hopped back into the cabin. I monitored and yelled out our course and direction from the GPS and stood by to mop Chris's salty feet with a freshwater soaked cloth as he stepped inside.
When the first squall arrived I switched on the radar and only saw a mile or two of rain ahead. Then almost the entire 6nm scan went white - there was no escape! That was only the beginning as later on we sailed through six hours of tightly packed squalls over 6 hours! With only a few feet of jib unrolled and the triple-reefed main we ran off before quartering seas for comfort and stability, thus preventing damage to little Ladybug. The bigger boats ahead of us reported being almost out of the squall zone this morning, so we are optimistic that it will be over for us by late tonight. The only patch of blue skies we saw briefly today was behind us :(
One good thing about this passage is that there is lots of time for reading in between the sail adjustments, if you have the stomach it. I just finished a 930 page book that my niece Sabi recommended, "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. The author is a self-proclaimed revolutionary, past drug addict, criminal, philosopher, poet and writer. It is a work of fiction but his vivid details of life in the slums of Bombay, the activities of the Bombay mafia and the wonderful Indian characters and eclectic ex-pats cannot all be imagined. The novel was written over thirteen years while the author was incarcerated and tortured. It is philosophical and gritty at the same time - a must read!
Our position at 3pm today was 24 17S 177 58E. We sailed 131nm over 24 hours, with 110nm in the right direction.
When the first squall arrived I switched on the radar and only saw a mile or two of rain ahead. Then almost the entire 6nm scan went white - there was no escape! That was only the beginning as later on we sailed through six hours of tightly packed squalls over 6 hours! With only a few feet of jib unrolled and the triple-reefed main we ran off before quartering seas for comfort and stability, thus preventing damage to little Ladybug. The bigger boats ahead of us reported being almost out of the squall zone this morning, so we are optimistic that it will be over for us by late tonight. The only patch of blue skies we saw briefly today was behind us :(
One good thing about this passage is that there is lots of time for reading in between the sail adjustments, if you have the stomach it. I just finished a 930 page book that my niece Sabi recommended, "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. The author is a self-proclaimed revolutionary, past drug addict, criminal, philosopher, poet and writer. It is a work of fiction but his vivid details of life in the slums of Bombay, the activities of the Bombay mafia and the wonderful Indian characters and eclectic ex-pats cannot all be imagined. The novel was written over thirteen years while the author was incarcerated and tortured. It is philosophical and gritty at the same time - a must read!
Our position at 3pm today was 24 17S 177 58E. We sailed 131nm over 24 hours, with 110nm in the right direction.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Day 7 - No rest for the wicked!
Well, here we are again being tossed and tumbled in a maelstrom of surf and waves - ugh!Our twelve hours of respite during yesterday are a faint memory. We ran the engine for almost ten hours and then the new low brought 20 plus knots on the nose at night. It is truly a case of feast or famine in terms of wind on this voyage. We decided to heave-to until it changed direction. Both of us enjoyed more sleep than on previous nights while Ladybug drifted 4 miles to the east as the motion was not all that bad.
One of the unspoken reasons for not sailing last night was the pain in Chris's shoulder. He can barely lift his arm past the elbow without agony. This has been a concern for three weeks but he would not wait for it to heal when the weather window opened for our departure. After cleaning the salty cockpit locker and dealing with a free swinging boom, it was more painful than he let on. Using pressure on points at the shoulder and elbow gives some temporary relief - thanks, Jo!
This morning we checked into the Drifters' Net and were encouraged to put up our sails after hearing all the other yachties' reports. The wind had also started to clock into the west northwest. Putting out a small bit of jib and keeping the triple-reefed main we set off on a course of 45 degrees magnetic at 4-4.5 Knots. Chris actually cooked crepes on a very hot roti pan while balancing at a very crazy angle as we pounded along :)
We are continuing to make progress northeast despite the building seas. The wind is now in the northwest and varies between 18-22 Knots.
Our position at 3pm today was 26 21S 176 31E. Our 24 hour run was only 69nm with 45nm made good, since we hove to for 10 hours.
One of the unspoken reasons for not sailing last night was the pain in Chris's shoulder. He can barely lift his arm past the elbow without agony. This has been a concern for three weeks but he would not wait for it to heal when the weather window opened for our departure. After cleaning the salty cockpit locker and dealing with a free swinging boom, it was more painful than he let on. Using pressure on points at the shoulder and elbow gives some temporary relief - thanks, Jo!
This morning we checked into the Drifters' Net and were encouraged to put up our sails after hearing all the other yachties' reports. The wind had also started to clock into the west northwest. Putting out a small bit of jib and keeping the triple-reefed main we set off on a course of 45 degrees magnetic at 4-4.5 Knots. Chris actually cooked crepes on a very hot roti pan while balancing at a very crazy angle as we pounded along :)
We are continuing to make progress northeast despite the building seas. The wind is now in the northwest and varies between 18-22 Knots.
Our position at 3pm today was 26 21S 176 31E. Our 24 hour run was only 69nm with 45nm made good, since we hove to for 10 hours.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Day 6 - Grass is greener
Yesterday, while running before a gale with water bucketing over our cabin roof, we thought back wistfully to our time in New Zealand. On the sea, the grass is certainly greener elsewhere - or at least there is grass - and nice solid earth under it!
As the wind dropped, today, the seas continued rough and irregular - mounds of water the size of a house throwing us around like the play-thing of some irritable child. Unfortunately our main preventer (light nylon line) broke during a violent lurch and because there was little wind to steady the sail, the boom swung violently back and forth a couple of times and a shackle at the traveller twisted and parted, leaving the boom swinging freely from side to side. I dropped the mainsail and then grabbed the boom and hung on to the dangling main sheet while Rani started the engine to keep the boat pointed into the swells. Cleating off one of the reefing lines tamed the beast, while I went through our collection of spare shackles to replace the damaged one. Fortunately a 1/4 inch anchor shackle fit and we are now progressing under motor in a rolling 2-3 meter swell.
Post mortem on the traveller shackle: The main sheet purchase is all Garhauer gear. While their blocks and stainless hardware are generally very good, the stainless shackle had bent and the pin pulled free. This is not the first time we have put sudden shock loads on the traveller, so to be fair, the shackle may have been weakened earlier. However, it looks to me like the shackle is a bit undersized. It is sized the same as the other three shackles in the purchase, which only take partial loads. This shackle takes the full load of a multi-part purchase and also must handle potentially strong side loads from the boom as it comes across. I was able to bend back the shackle and re-thread the bolt, but I will not trust it for normal duty again. I hope we will be able to find a stronger one in Fiji!
I spent the rest of today cleaning out the cockpit locker near the fridge compressor and drying everything out. A previous owner put a vent over the top of the electronic controls of the compressor, so in rough seas, water sprays the poor thing. Rather then stop working, the fridge gets stuck in the on position. I dried it out today and everything now works again, so this solves a mystery of more than a year as to why on some passages the fridge gets stuck running. I had thought the problem was related to angle of heel or continuous pounding, but it was much simpler, I think - just a short due to wetness. I have duct-taped the vent shut and hope this will help (although water will still get in around the locker seat lid in foul weather).
One thing that is hard to envision when coastal cruising is just how much water can come over the top of your boat in a big sea. Yesterday, I was lying down on my off-shift when I was awoken by a bang followed by a yelp. A big sea completely broad-sided us and Rani, who had been looking out one of the port lights when this happened, was not particularly happy. It was my turn to yelp later in the day when I was discussing the weather on the SSB with another cruiser and a similar wave arrived about 6 inches from my right ear!
Life feels a lot better today. Surprisingly, yesterday was the first real gale we have experienced at sea in Ladybug II, in over ten thousand miles of sailing . We have gone through many squalls and shorter periods of gale force winds, but nothing that lasted for 30 hours. Fortunately memories seem to be short and we are both quite cheerful today despite another low, which is forecast to reach us tonight. Rani preserved some hot New Zealand yellow peppers - a parting gift from our friends Holger and Roz and is now preparing a lentil curry to enjoy tomorrow, when cooking will be the furthest thing from our minds.
Our 3pm position was 26 53 S 175 43 E - about half way from New Zealand to Fiji. We ran 122 NMs in the last 24 hours and made good 111.
As the wind dropped, today, the seas continued rough and irregular - mounds of water the size of a house throwing us around like the play-thing of some irritable child. Unfortunately our main preventer (light nylon line) broke during a violent lurch and because there was little wind to steady the sail, the boom swung violently back and forth a couple of times and a shackle at the traveller twisted and parted, leaving the boom swinging freely from side to side. I dropped the mainsail and then grabbed the boom and hung on to the dangling main sheet while Rani started the engine to keep the boat pointed into the swells. Cleating off one of the reefing lines tamed the beast, while I went through our collection of spare shackles to replace the damaged one. Fortunately a 1/4 inch anchor shackle fit and we are now progressing under motor in a rolling 2-3 meter swell.
Post mortem on the traveller shackle: The main sheet purchase is all Garhauer gear. While their blocks and stainless hardware are generally very good, the stainless shackle had bent and the pin pulled free. This is not the first time we have put sudden shock loads on the traveller, so to be fair, the shackle may have been weakened earlier. However, it looks to me like the shackle is a bit undersized. It is sized the same as the other three shackles in the purchase, which only take partial loads. This shackle takes the full load of a multi-part purchase and also must handle potentially strong side loads from the boom as it comes across. I was able to bend back the shackle and re-thread the bolt, but I will not trust it for normal duty again. I hope we will be able to find a stronger one in Fiji!
I spent the rest of today cleaning out the cockpit locker near the fridge compressor and drying everything out. A previous owner put a vent over the top of the electronic controls of the compressor, so in rough seas, water sprays the poor thing. Rather then stop working, the fridge gets stuck in the on position. I dried it out today and everything now works again, so this solves a mystery of more than a year as to why on some passages the fridge gets stuck running. I had thought the problem was related to angle of heel or continuous pounding, but it was much simpler, I think - just a short due to wetness. I have duct-taped the vent shut and hope this will help (although water will still get in around the locker seat lid in foul weather).
One thing that is hard to envision when coastal cruising is just how much water can come over the top of your boat in a big sea. Yesterday, I was lying down on my off-shift when I was awoken by a bang followed by a yelp. A big sea completely broad-sided us and Rani, who had been looking out one of the port lights when this happened, was not particularly happy. It was my turn to yelp later in the day when I was discussing the weather on the SSB with another cruiser and a similar wave arrived about 6 inches from my right ear!
Life feels a lot better today. Surprisingly, yesterday was the first real gale we have experienced at sea in Ladybug II, in over ten thousand miles of sailing . We have gone through many squalls and shorter periods of gale force winds, but nothing that lasted for 30 hours. Fortunately memories seem to be short and we are both quite cheerful today despite another low, which is forecast to reach us tonight. Rani preserved some hot New Zealand yellow peppers - a parting gift from our friends Holger and Roz and is now preparing a lentil curry to enjoy tomorrow, when cooking will be the furthest thing from our minds.
Our 3pm position was 26 53 S 175 43 E - about half way from New Zealand to Fiji. We ran 122 NMs in the last 24 hours and made good 111.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Day 5 - Beam Me Up, Scotty!
If only my heroes were around today, I would leave this washing machine in a nanosecond to sit beside Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk on the Enterprise and be whisked into space! We are still stuck in the low, with winds of 25-30 Knots and 4m seas. The sky and sea are almost uniformly gray and visibility poor. Every ten minutes or so a gnashing white wave comes chomping at the starboard port lights and any little thing that was left unsecured flies across the cabin. Nothing has broken so far as we put away almost all our bits and pieces in the cupboards after the first time this happened.
Sometimes the water finds a little chink in Ladybug's armour and dribbles onto the galley counter or the cabin sole, the pressure forcing it to curve around corners and enter the air vents or the miniscule slit between the sea hood and main hatch.
As the evening approaches, Chris has just unrolled about 30 square feet more of jib since the wind may be dropping a little bit, fingers crossed! As it is impossible to step outside without getting drenched we are confined to our nest of pillows, cushions and blankets on the port settee. We snooze, read, eat chocolates and hang on to something solid while Hoochie Mama,the wind vane, steers the boat.
Our 3pm position today was 28 42S and 175 11E and we sailed 141nm in 24 hours with 125nm made good.
Sometimes the water finds a little chink in Ladybug's armour and dribbles onto the galley counter or the cabin sole, the pressure forcing it to curve around corners and enter the air vents or the miniscule slit between the sea hood and main hatch.
As the evening approaches, Chris has just unrolled about 30 square feet more of jib since the wind may be dropping a little bit, fingers crossed! As it is impossible to step outside without getting drenched we are confined to our nest of pillows, cushions and blankets on the port settee. We snooze, read, eat chocolates and hang on to something solid while Hoochie Mama,the wind vane, steers the boat.
Our 3pm position today was 28 42S and 175 11E and we sailed 141nm in 24 hours with 125nm made good.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Day 4 - Shake Rattle and Roll
We are on the trailing edge of a large and slow moving low pressure system that lies about halfway between Fiji and New Zealand. Boats ahead of us (most of the fleet) reported winds of 30-40 knots and 3-4 meter seas. Being late to the party has its advantages and we are experiencing lighter winds of 25 knots and smaller seas below and to the left of the low.
That being said, Ladybug is being tossed around like a play thing by short, close spaced 2.5 to 3 meter seas. She is rolling regularly through 20-30 degrees with buckets of water drenching our uphill side and an unnerving close-up view of ocean out the downhill port lights. We have only a quarter of our small jib rolled out and I lashed down the triple reefed main a few hours ago. Surfing sideways down the swells we are hitting GPS speeds in double digits and averaging about 6 knots. It is remarkable how little sail (maybe 100 square feet) is needed to push 10 tons of boat along in 25 knots of wind!
Life below is predictably difficult, but I am very glad for our reliable windvane gear that is steering Ladybug on something approaching a beam reach. Hand steering in these rough seas would be tiring indeed. Below, even the simple acts of typing a blog entry, using the bathroom, or chopping up veggies and cheese for lunch are fraught with difficulty. An analogy for using the toilet would be to try using a porta-pottie, strapped to the back of an ill-tempered rodeo bronco - ughhh.
Our position at 3pm was 30 56 S 175 14 E. We sailed 128 NMs in 24 hours and made good 119.
That being said, Ladybug is being tossed around like a play thing by short, close spaced 2.5 to 3 meter seas. She is rolling regularly through 20-30 degrees with buckets of water drenching our uphill side and an unnerving close-up view of ocean out the downhill port lights. We have only a quarter of our small jib rolled out and I lashed down the triple reefed main a few hours ago. Surfing sideways down the swells we are hitting GPS speeds in double digits and averaging about 6 knots. It is remarkable how little sail (maybe 100 square feet) is needed to push 10 tons of boat along in 25 knots of wind!
Life below is predictably difficult, but I am very glad for our reliable windvane gear that is steering Ladybug on something approaching a beam reach. Hand steering in these rough seas would be tiring indeed. Below, even the simple acts of typing a blog entry, using the bathroom, or chopping up veggies and cheese for lunch are fraught with difficulty. An analogy for using the toilet would be to try using a porta-pottie, strapped to the back of an ill-tempered rodeo bronco - ughhh.
Our position at 3pm was 30 56 S 175 14 E. We sailed 128 NMs in 24 hours and made good 119.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Day 3 - Preparing for gales
It has been a day of light winds and flapping sails. We motored for much of the morning when the wind vanished completely. The boat got a nice clean-off in a couple of showers and the rainbows framed by black squall clouds were quite beautiful. Until a half hour ago we had been sailing under full main and jib - something we do surprisingly rarely in the open ocean where there is often more wind than we need. The boats ahead of us are reporting much more wind, so we will be reefing down soon, no doubt.
Rani was a bit cranky when I woke up this morning after a chilly watch, but cheered herself up by making parathas (stuffed flat breads) taking advantage of the flat conditions. Later we prepared for a gale that is forecast to arrive tomorrow by rigging our jack lines and retrieving our personal harnesses from the lockers. We also took out the life raft from its locker under the V-berth and Rani made up a 'ditch bag' full of survival gear in case we have to leave in a hurry. We hope to see no more than 20-30 knot as we should be on the edge of the low, but it is too early to tell for sure.
Our position today at 3pm was 32 54S 175 12E. We sailed/motored 90 nautical miles in the previous 24 hours and of those 85 were towards our way-point off Astolabe Reef.
Rani was a bit cranky when I woke up this morning after a chilly watch, but cheered herself up by making parathas (stuffed flat breads) taking advantage of the flat conditions. Later we prepared for a gale that is forecast to arrive tomorrow by rigging our jack lines and retrieving our personal harnesses from the lockers. We also took out the life raft from its locker under the V-berth and Rani made up a 'ditch bag' full of survival gear in case we have to leave in a hurry. We hope to see no more than 20-30 knot as we should be on the edge of the low, but it is too early to tell for sure.
Our position today at 3pm was 32 54S 175 12E. We sailed/motored 90 nautical miles in the previous 24 hours and of those 85 were towards our way-point off Astolabe Reef.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Day Two - placid but noisy!
As the sun went down last night so did the wind but it was pretty sailing under the moonlight and stars with good visuals on the commercial traffic nearby. It felt strange to be on night watch again, scanning the horizon for lights and ufo's ( unidentified floating objects ).I resisted the urge to call Chris to verify my "read" on a couple of large ships passing a mile or two off Ladybug. As they passed safely to north and south I put away my binoculars and smoothed out the worry lines.
This morning was quite placid and we burnt some diesel for six hours. We know that there will be a low following us in a few days and want to get as far away from NZ as possible. Other boats checking into the Drifters Net this morning also reported motoring in light winds. Only the guys nearing Fiji are getting the 30 Knot winds and 6 metre seas. One of the boats had two knock-downs two days ago during the worst of the high winds, which we sat out in the river at Whangarei.
This afternoon the roller furler jammed, so we were glad we had calm conditions to fix the problem. The worm set screws in the drum had backed out, causing the foil to ride up and we could not furl/unfurl after a few turns. Chris manually unrolled the jib around the forestay to take it down. We found some chafe at the top of the jib halyard, so while Chris reset the screws, I cut off the chafed area and re-seized it. It was good to feel useful. Just as we raised the jib, the wind came up, so we are now sailing again in 4-5 Knots from the SW.
There is a lot of low cumulus cloud cover over us but the pressure is quite high at 1032. It feels like an oppressive sort of day. My solution was to cook a hearty lentil and vegetable soup, with beetroot, carrots, tomato, onion and potato. We also enjoyed a crunchy salad with fresh greens from Jo's garden and some delicious local feta cheese.
Our progress during the last 24 hours from 3pm to 3pm was 104nm, 96nm made good. Our position is 34 21S 174 49E. Please join us in our prayers for a wee bit more wind this evening.
This morning was quite placid and we burnt some diesel for six hours. We know that there will be a low following us in a few days and want to get as far away from NZ as possible. Other boats checking into the Drifters Net this morning also reported motoring in light winds. Only the guys nearing Fiji are getting the 30 Knot winds and 6 metre seas. One of the boats had two knock-downs two days ago during the worst of the high winds, which we sat out in the river at Whangarei.
This afternoon the roller furler jammed, so we were glad we had calm conditions to fix the problem. The worm set screws in the drum had backed out, causing the foil to ride up and we could not furl/unfurl after a few turns. Chris manually unrolled the jib around the forestay to take it down. We found some chafe at the top of the jib halyard, so while Chris reset the screws, I cut off the chafed area and re-seized it. It was good to feel useful. Just as we raised the jib, the wind came up, so we are now sailing again in 4-5 Knots from the SW.
There is a lot of low cumulus cloud cover over us but the pressure is quite high at 1032. It feels like an oppressive sort of day. My solution was to cook a hearty lentil and vegetable soup, with beetroot, carrots, tomato, onion and potato. We also enjoyed a crunchy salad with fresh greens from Jo's garden and some delicious local feta cheese.
Our progress during the last 24 hours from 3pm to 3pm was 104nm, 96nm made good. Our position is 34 21S 174 49E. Please join us in our prayers for a wee bit more wind this evening.
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