André Schwartz - Singlehander

I thought I would post another note on single-handers, since our neighbour here in Fiji is an interesting chap. This post is dedicated to two of our favorite single-handers - John Spicher and Randall Reeves

André is from Hungary but claims Canada as his base, most recently in and about Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Since 2000, he has been on an extended voyage, sailing his Benetau Oceanis 390 (39 foot) boat from Vancouver to Alaska and then down the coast of the Americas all the way to Cape Horn. From there he sailed across the Pacific to the Galapagos islands and then on via French Polynesia to Fiji.

André arrived here in January, completely blind in one eye and with only 20/100 vision in the second, due to cataracts. It is amazing that he managed to work his way through Fiji's reefs in this state, as by his own account he could not even make out the somewhat substantial tower that marks the reef off our bay. American doctors brought in by local missionaries operated on his eyes earlier this year and his vision is now good. However, his propeller fell off during the passage and he has been working on replacing this and on re-aligning his engine before he moves on from here.

André was not shy about telling us his story and clearly enjoyed having an attentive audience (at least in me - Rani nodded off after an hour or two). A man wearing many hats, he is certified in 14 trades including (ironically) optician, as well as Zen master, martial arts instructor, and counsellor. He is proud to be an iconoclast and clearly sees himself as different from the crowd. He told us that most people are sheep ambling blindly and comfortably towards death. André realized he was different from an early age, recalling an argument with a friend when he was 11. It was raining and he told his friend that it was not raining in the spaces in between the drops. His friend insisted that it was raining and was very upset by the idea that it could be both raining and not raining. I was tempted to suggest that looking at things using probabilities might also be useful, but did not want to get into an impossible to conclude debate.

He is also an authour with one book out and another in the works. His tomes are philosophical and address human and societal failings. The second book has "lots of sex because that is what sells". André seems to be a libertarian, regarding society as something to be used only as necessary - not something to be a part of, and he told us he could survive just fine on his own. We pointed out his recent cataract operation as something he could not easily perform himself and how one would have to mine and smelt ore to make the scalpel, etc. To this he replied that he would have been healthy without the doctors, just blind. He did agree though that society has some uses, but that most of us depend far too much on others - we should try to do everything ourselves.

As a sailor, André likes to sail on his own, unlike some single-handers who take on crew for longer passages. His autopilot and wind vane are not working, so he hand steers. At night on passage he sleeps for 15 minutes at a time and wakes up for 5 minutes to check for ships and reset the course if needed. This waking up happens automatically, when on passage, without a need for an alarm. He uses a car radar detector to warn of nearby shipping and stays fit by doing isometric and martial arts exercises.

More on André's book, "Oceanborne Madness???", can be found here  

Fiji - First Impressions

We arrived here four days ago, cruising for a whole day and night through the islands to the little port town of Savusavu. The harbour is crowded with yachts, mainly from Europe and the US. There is a Canadian boat anchored just behind us - Symbiosis - with a single-hander on board named Andrei. He was based out of Vancouver and Maple Bay for a while and we will have drinks with him tonight or tomorrow. Andrei is not too popular with the local marinas because he is anchored on the edge of their mooring field and not paying for the privilege.

Another Canadian boat came to grief here a while back when it caught on fire and was abandoned. The story is not entirely clear, but it appears that the owner may have got on the wrong side of some locals and the fire was no accident. The steel boat, about the size of Ladybug, lies on its side just up the river - a reminder that we are guests here and need to watch our step.

Savusavu reminds us of a small Mexican town. The people are even friendlier and almost everyone we pass says hello, or 'Bula' (pronounced "mBula". Many people walk, the buses are cheap (40 cents), and the stores are small and mainly family-run. There is an excellent market everyday with decent fresh produce. The population is 50% Indian - mainly from south India. Rani is happy to be among people of her nationalìty and we are looking forward to some great street and restaurant food at reasonable prices.

The check-in process went smoothly with visits from Health and Customs/Immigration. EVeryone came on-board and we baked a mango upside-down cake to serve with coffee and tea. Even though there were 14 boats that had arrived that day, the officials were relaxed and friendly and in no hurry to move to the next boat. We filled our forms in before they arrived (delivered to our boat by Aseri, a Fijian boatman who works for the marina) and there was no inspection of the boat. Costs were quite high at about 170 Fijian dollars for the health visit and 80 for the bio-security chap, whom we visited at his office on shore. That amounts to about $150 Canadian. It could have been a lot more if the officials had come out on Sunday when we actually arrived, since overtime is charged. By the way, Fijians do not celebrate the Queen's Birthday any more, contrary to our old cruising guide information.

We are on a mooring operated by the Waitui Marina, which costs about $6 Canadian a day and includes use of a toilet and a slightly grungy shower, dinghy dock, and water. We elected to pay an extra few dollars a day to the rival marina (Copra Shed) to use their nicer showers - it keeps Rani happy! The marina moorings are helix moorings - a giant screw is twisted into the sea bed and they are supposedly suitable for sitting out a cyclone.

Many of our friends are moored nearby and we had Heather and John from 'Evergreen' along with our newly married friends, Bob and Ann off Charisma for an Indian dinner last night. Evergreen is out of Boston and we first met them in Samoa where they were alongside the same jetty. Heather and John jeep their boat in immaculate condition and are an inspiration to those of us with less talent in that direction. Charisma is from San Francisco and Bob was one of our rescuers when Ladybug dragged anchor in Huahine last year. Other neighbors include Charlotte, with Sue and Stefan on board. They hail from Northampton in the UK. Stefan was a full-time shepherd - surely an uncommon former occupation for a circumnavigating sailor! Rani is currently in town with them attending a seminar put on by one of the local ex-pats.

We will likely remain here a few more days and then start exploring the nearby islands.

Day 12 - On a mooring in Savusavu

We are at rest tonight on a mooring at the river mouth in Savusavu, Fiji. Position: 16 46.47 S 179 19.90 E. The anchorage is charming - a few small stores along a quiet road, Fijians walking in small groups, and 30 or 40 yachts from all over the world. Mangroves line the shore and the sun has just set behind the distant volcanic peaks of Vanua Levu. And it is calm - the first peaceful day we have had since we left New Zealand. So nice to be able to write this note without having to brace my body against the pitching and rolling!

We arrived at Noon, sailing all the way to the river mouth in a southeast breeze. Our friends Bob and Ann from Charisma helped us find a mooring and Bob came over in his dinghy to take our lines and secure Ladybug. Charisma had an even rougher trip than we did and are in the middle of engine repairs (due to sea water-contaminated fuel). We will compare notes after we have checked in and can leave the boat, tomorrow. We plan to spend about a week here, exploring, cleaning up the boat, and doing a few projects that we did not complete in New Zealand.

Stats from the trip: Total nautical miles: 1300 with 1192 in the 'right' direction. Time: 11 days, less 3 hours. Average speed 5 knots. Engine hours: 22 @ < 1500 rpm (about 36 liters of diesel consumed). We motored at 3-4 knots during the calms to keep from rolling too much as well as when we left the marina in NZ and on arrival at Savusavu. We sailed with un-reefed main and jib for a few days, but most of the trip was under 2 or 3-reefed main and partially furled jib. The last few days were under furled jib only in 15-30 knot following winds.

How to avoid the 'Cruising Bug'

This illness seems to be most prevalent in middle aged males, but it can strike anyone of any age. Often diagnosed as a form of escapism, symptoms include endless surfing of boat for sale ads on the web, subscriptions to cruising mags, obsessive following of cruising blogs, and an unhealthy interest in all things nautical. I propose two approaches to dealing with this disease - one preventative and one curative.

First the prevention: I call this the 'Cruising Simulator'. It is a room 10 by 20 feet containing a mock-up of a cruising sailboat interior, In fact, my first model of this will use a hull from one of the many cruising boats abandoned by terrified and inexperienced crews during their first storm at sea.

The cruising simulator will use a combination of NASA and fun-fair ride technology to simulate the motion of a boat at sea in a wide variety of sea conditions and wind directions. The device will be capable of rolling, pitching, and yawing through 50 degrees every few seconds. The climate of the simulated cabin will be controlled to provide realistic temperature/humidity combinations from Arctic to equatorial. A variety of simulated smells will also be available including 'diesel in the bilge', and 'hot sick'. Finally, digitally sampled sounds of wind and wave in addition to the thumps, squeals, and groans of a boat at sea will furnish a suitable audio background.

Individuals and couples suspected of developing the cruising bug will be locked in the simulator for 3 hour sessions and given a variety of tasks to carry out under typical open ocean conditions. Tasks will include cooking a warm meal from scratch, bleeding a diesel fuel line, drinking from a full cup of hot liquid, plotting a position on a chart, reading a book, using the heads, etc. There will, of course, be an enormous cost for each session in order to provide a completely realistic simulation of the cruising life.

Should the preventative 'medicine' fail to have the desired effect or be refused by the patient, I propose a straightforward cure that will also save on search and rescue costs. I call this the 'Get me the %#^$ out of here' box. Resembling an ordinary EPIRB locator beacon, the 'Get me the %#^$ out of here' box can be used when the patient(s) reaches a point where he/she/they realize that the dream does not match the reality and they just want to get the heck of the boat. Activating the beacon will summon a rescue helicopter to retrieve the patients and place a professional delivery crew on board. The crew will return the vessel to the patient's port of choice where it will be cleaned up and listed for sale with a yacht brokerage. Further curative options include assistance in buying a home to replace the one just sold to finance the cruise and psychological counselling.

Day 11 - Land ho!

The consistent SE trade wind of 18-20 Knots blew all night and Ladybug swept along at 5.5K to 6.0K with a partial jib. We sighted land, the mountain slopes of Kadavu Island, shortly after sunrise and celebrated with a glass of cold fruit juice. The sky was finally clearing and rays of sunshine warmed us through the portlights. At 0800 hours we reached our initial GPS waypoint and debated whether to check into Levuka, the old Fijian capital, or Savusavu where most of our friends are at this time. Plus, we would not have to heave to at night if we carried on the extra 60nm to Savusavu.

The conditions are still very uncomfortable and we sometimes wonder why we are doing this. I was reading Robert Service's poems from the Yukon Gold Rush days and found a verse which goes like this:

" There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest.
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest."

Our position at 3pm today was 18 22S 178 57E and we achieved a total of 136nm.

Day 10 - Roll, Roll, Roll your boat...

We woke up smiling to see sunny blue skies and a steady 12 Knots from the south. The wind slowly shifted into the SE and Ladybug sped along at 6-7 Knots, the GPS recording double digits as she surfed the swells. We poled out the jib and ran wing and wing more or less on our rhumb-line towards Savusavu. As the swells became larger, the rolling got worse, so we turned off ten degrees to the west. Our fast pace would see us arrive on the weekend, incurring overtime charges for the customs officials, so we reefed to slow her down. At 0215 this morning we took down the pole and ran on starboard tack for a while. The wind varied from 15-18K SE, so even with a triple-reef main we were averaging six knots. Before noon we took down the main altogether as it was blanketing the jib in the rolls. Our speed over ground is still well over 5 Knots.

Sometimes, especially when I am trying to keep my balance in the rolls, I just want to get to an anchorage as soon as possible so I can jump off the boat for a refreshing swim and wash. However, at other times I think we can use the extra few days to do more research on Fiji, i.e. which islands to visit. Customs require yachts to state a rough itinerary in order to issue the appropriate cruising permits and introductory letters to the chiefs of the villages. We will likely clear in on Monday and still pay overtime as it is Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Holiday. Even though Fiji became an independent republic in 1987, they still celebrate her birthday! Public Holidays also include Christmas, Prophet Mohammed's Birthday, and Diwali, reflecting an ethnically diverse population.

Our position at 3pm today was 20 33S 178 38E. We gained 139 nm in the previous 24 hours, of which 135 were in the right direction.

Why is the water out here so blue?

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.

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.

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.

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.