Friday, 12 June 2009
Day 10 to 33:53N 60:24W Wind F3-4SW 143nm
The last 24 hours have been idyllic. On the 9pm to Midnight watch last night (Thursday) I got to see a fiery red moon rising through the clouds like an enormous Mars or an inverted sunset and just now at the end of today we had a “Green Flash” the first Jim had ever seen and only about my fourth (the final part of the disk of the setting sun goes green just before it disappears – I have no idea why but it is beautiful) and everything else about the day has been perfect including the fact we are at last under sail going at a pleasant 7knots on an almost flat sea. Also, I am pleased to say that our Stugeron has finally put pay to Louise's and Justin's seasickness but at the cost of them both feeling a bit tired which should wear off soon.
Everyone agrees our watch rota is working very well. Each day in a cycle of four you have a different set of watches and duties, from 9pm to 9am we have four three hour watches and from 9am to 9pm we have six 2 hour watches. For example, today I have galley duty which means that last night I got to sleep from midnight until 9am then was on watch to 11am after which I have no more watches until midnight but have to cook lunch and dinner and clean up the inside of the boat. Louise is my galley help (as I was for Justin yesterday) and assists with the washing up. Tomorrow I am on midnight to 3am then 11am to 1pm, and 5 to 7pm.The 12-3am watch is the quietest and you get neither sunset nor dawn but all the others have their own particular pleasant aspect.
We had been motor-sailing at cruise power until 9am and making just under 6knots with about 7knots of apparent wind. The latest forecast showed we had at least the remainder of the day to go before the wind picked up so I reduced power to 30% and our speed dropped to about 4.3knots. This effectively doubled our remaining motor-sailing range from 700 to 1400 miles and we had about 1560 to go. At this speed the passage would take about 3 days longer so we’d prefer a bit more wind.
Buying the spinners in Bermuda meant we could try out one of our new lures and we rigged our “Pink Willie” which is about 7 inches long and as its name suggests fluorescent pink. It is supposed to vibrate enticingly and dive much deeper than our others which almost float. When I read the advertising tag line on the packet I had to check carefully it was in fact a lure.
Chicken salad wraps with apple coleslaw for lunch and high hopes of fish for dinner.
Justin didn’t like the new lure as it was pulling too hard on the line and changed it for a pink squid on which we rapidly caught our first fish a flashing silver “baby Tunny” with an iridescent dark blue patch near its tail which under Justins direction I filleted ready for dinner.
The weather continued calm and pleasant and the wind picked up slightly bringing us back to 6knots. We had all been reading or writing this morning and for a change this afternoon Louise put on a movie. I carried out my daily rigging check and discovered why our last topping lift (holds up the boom when the sail is down) had chaffed through. Watching the new one at the masthead through binoculars when it was to Port of the sail I could see that it chaffs on the top block of our double purchase halyard (The pulley that gives a two to one ratio to the rope with which we raise the mainsail). There is a very easy fix, we just keep it to Starboard.
At that point a pod of large grey spotted dolphins arrived to play for a short while. Louise sat on one of the bow seats and tried waving and whistling in her secret dolphin language to get their attention (much like Dory in finding Nemo) and although I’m not sure if it worked one did some nice jumps up out of the water in front of her.
Everyone is getting along well, we are all readers and not “in your face” types so there is a gentle conviviality. (And no, I’m not like that anymore, a year off has made me much more laid back). No-one is yet fretting about the journey time or their duties which bodes well for the next few weeks.
At about 6pm the wind rose sufficiently that we could shut off the engines entirely and still make over 6 knots. For dinner I flash fried the Tuna in a spicy flour coating and served it with a green salad followed by a lemon cream pie on an Oreo base with Hagen Daz ice cream. There is something really special about eating a dinner you have caught and we sat around for an hour afterwards in a self satisfied daze listening to Paul Simon, watching the sun dip down and avoiding the washing up.
Finally the wind came up to 14knots, we started making 7 and we saw the green flash. It’s been a wonderful 24hrs and I just have time for a good nap before my midnight watch.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Day 9 to 33:12N 62:58W Wind F2-4WSW 108nm Part Day
We unfurled the Genoa at 03:03 this morning but it was another 12 hours before we had enough wind to hoist the Main. If anything technical bores you witless skip the next two paragraphs.
At best the wind has managed a low force 4 and we have been motor sailing down-wind Goose winged (with the wind at 150 degrees or more to starboard we have the Genoa to starboard and the Main to Port - we can use the autopilot but set it to steer to keep a consistent angle to the wind rather than a specific direction). Whilst not faster than motoring this improves our fuel consumption which with 680 litres on board and 12 days to go is a big priority. Hakuna Matata is an electric hybrid and works a bit like a Toyota Prius. The diesel generator produces 240 volts AC which is converted to 72 volts DC to charge the battery banks and power the 72 volt Leroy Somers engines. The maximum current the generator can produce is 210 amps and you can use this to power the engines, charge the batteries or both. You can even use the engines at 300 amps (maximum power) for a limited period as this uses all the generator can produce and gets the remaining 90 amps from the battery bank.
My usual cruise setting is 75 amps per engine which on a completely calm sea (with a clean bottom) gives me 6 knots. This leaves 60 amps to charge the batteries if they need it. Using the sails today gave us some forward propulsion but not enough to keep up the 5.7 to 6 knots we want to maintain so we use some power from the engine as well and we get this from the batteries. The batteries then run down over a period of time to about 50% which they can do without damage and the generator automatically comes on and recharges them. This allows us to maintain speed with the generator running about half the time and with a bit more wind as little as about one 6th of the time. Usually beyond that we have enough wind to sail with no motor and we just run the generator occasionally when we need mains electricity or to charge the house batteries that run the lights, instruments and charge all our iPods if they aren't getting enough from our solar panel. Finally, if there is lots of wind we can also use the engines as generators and at the cost of about half a knot charge up the batteries or power stuff directly in an entirely green and sustainable manor - cool eh!
Other than another sailing boat heading North we haven't seen a soul and the only wildlife has been the damned fruit flies that came in with the broccoli and are breeding like; well flies. Gregor Mendel must have been driven completely insane with the things buzzing around the monastery all the time and if he'd had a can of bug spray we'd have avoided all those tedious biology lessons and no-one could be sure who their fathers were. We do have bug spray aboard that Louise carefully selected to be as non toxic as possible (it only uses "botanical" pesticides) sadly the flies also consider it non-toxic but I have successfully swatted some with the container.
Sorry , it's been a bit of a surreal day today the only thing that actually happened was that a catch on one of our winch handles broke and we discovered that our Lewmar spare didn't fit our Harken winches (except one). We were all sure (except Louise who's never seen a winch in her life before) that these things were one size fits all. I footled around with a file and my micrometer callipers until I got bored and will have another go in the morning.
I'm finally going to have to give up the nightly beer as I am now certain it is affecting my sleep. For heaven knows what reason the following has been going round and round in my head and as I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to blog today.... "My research on beer is over I fear, my solace now for many a year. But sweet repose I find so fine, still perhaps it doesn't apply to wine."
Good green curry from Justin tonight hopefully a bit more wind in the morning (I know I said this yesterday).
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Day 8 Powder Hole Bermuda
I mentioned yesterday how we were looking forward to dry clothes and bedding and most of us were able to enjoy them. Unfortunately not Louise who had left her hatch open to air out the cabin and let in about 10 gallons of rainwater which soaked her bed, books and clothing. We did our best to dry everything out but Louise spent the night on the couch in the saloon.
This morning after a delightful swim around the boat followed by a cold shower on the deck we went into town and did some shopping to top up the provisions and get a few things we'd run out of like spinners to attach lures to our line so we can continue to amuse the fish population with our complete lack of aptitude. We took some pictures of one another in the town pillory then booked tickets for a sightseeing train ride to get a better sense of the island and its history. The train turned out to be a sort of truck with two trailers and we were the only passengers. The commentary was quite extraordinary and had obviously been learned completely by rote. "We are going west along Prince Street and to my left is the White Horse which is a very nice place to eat your lunch or dinner. To my right is a pine tree and a wall. On my left now is another pine tree and a very nice view of the Norwegian Majesty". It did include some facts and we saw Tobacco beach, some forts, nice Bermudian houses and over and over this nice view of the cruise ship that as far as we were concerned was blocking a much nicer view of the harbour and our own boat. It turned out that his normal customers all come off the cruise ships and the only variable part of the commentary is to put in the cruise ship name. None the less it was a pleasant diversion for an hour.
I had decided to leave late this afternoon and after getting everything squared away we set off for the fuel dock on the other side of the harbour following a straight route also being used by small boats. About 100 yards before we reached the dock Jim said to me aren't you going to use the channel and pointed to two large pylons sticking out of the water just on our right. The leftmost one had a red top and the right had an indeterminate top that might have been green. Over the years I have learned to trust my judgement but in the second or so I had to make up my mind I decided I must have made a mistake and missed this on the chart so I turned straight between the pylons. Twenty seconds after that a loud scraping sound and judder brought us to a full stop on the reef. Closer inspection showed that the red top pylon had a left arrow painted on it and I should have kept it on my starboard side as I had planned. The other marker was not in fact green but grey and completely irrelevant. I should stress that this was not Jim's fault but mine for not sticking to my guns. As a helpful local pulled us off he consoled us with the fact that we were by no means the first visiting boat who had though this was the channel. At the fuel dock we topped up our diesel and water and I snorkelled under the boat to make sure we hadn't damaged anything important. Fortunately we just knocked a small bit of fibreglass off the back of the keel at its lowest and narrowest point probably as we were being towed. Our keel is solid here so although I will need to patch it up next time we are on the hard to prevent osmosis it isn't going to create a safety or performance problem. We piloted out through the cut and then watched the nice sunset as Bermuda faded into the distance. Bratwurst in hot dog buns with fried onions and a spinach salad for dinner courtesy of Justin, then Louise and Jim turned in as they have the midnight to six am watches.
I am expecting to have to motor all or part of the next 36 hours and am heading North of the rhumb line to get into some wind. After that we will be motoring only if we can't make 5 knots as I want to make the fuel last as long as possible and maintain a reserve of at least 48 hours so we can avoid any severe weather.
I spent a lot of time mentally kicking myself for what happened today. Yes you should stick to a plan but you can't ignore experienced people and you can make mistakes. I think the lesson is to share the plan better even a simple one so other people have a better idea of what you are going to do and what information you have used. As the crew gain experience they are bound to question things and it can be valuable in helping to avoid mistakes particularly as on a long voyage the skipper can get tired - but it only works if they know enough to be able to get it right. As the skipper you can always say no we're doing it my way but once in a while they are going to have a better idea. Gareth, my first mate across the Mediterranean and on the ARC, could be a complete stubborn pain in the ass (and so can I), we argued on many occasions but it kept me on the straight and narrow and as neither of us had the monopoly on being right we could almost always go straight from major argument to sharing a joke without a pause. The wind is starting to flirt with us now so hopefully we will have the sail up by morning.
Fair winds and flat seas to you all.
This morning after a delightful swim around the boat followed by a cold shower on the deck we went into town and did some shopping to top up the provisions and get a few things we'd run out of like spinners to attach lures to our line so we can continue to amuse the fish population with our complete lack of aptitude. We took some pictures of one another in the town pillory then booked tickets for a sightseeing train ride to get a better sense of the island and its history. The train turned out to be a sort of truck with two trailers and we were the only passengers. The commentary was quite extraordinary and had obviously been learned completely by rote. "We are going west along Prince Street and to my left is the White Horse which is a very nice place to eat your lunch or dinner. To my right is a pine tree and a wall. On my left now is another pine tree and a very nice view of the Norwegian Majesty". It did include some facts and we saw Tobacco beach, some forts, nice Bermudian houses and over and over this nice view of the cruise ship that as far as we were concerned was blocking a much nicer view of the harbour and our own boat. It turned out that his normal customers all come off the cruise ships and the only variable part of the commentary is to put in the cruise ship name. None the less it was a pleasant diversion for an hour.
I had decided to leave late this afternoon and after getting everything squared away we set off for the fuel dock on the other side of the harbour following a straight route also being used by small boats. About 100 yards before we reached the dock Jim said to me aren't you going to use the channel and pointed to two large pylons sticking out of the water just on our right. The leftmost one had a red top and the right had an indeterminate top that might have been green. Over the years I have learned to trust my judgement but in the second or so I had to make up my mind I decided I must have made a mistake and missed this on the chart so I turned straight between the pylons. Twenty seconds after that a loud scraping sound and judder brought us to a full stop on the reef. Closer inspection showed that the red top pylon had a left arrow painted on it and I should have kept it on my starboard side as I had planned. The other marker was not in fact green but grey and completely irrelevant. I should stress that this was not Jim's fault but mine for not sticking to my guns. As a helpful local pulled us off he consoled us with the fact that we were by no means the first visiting boat who had though this was the channel. At the fuel dock we topped up our diesel and water and I snorkelled under the boat to make sure we hadn't damaged anything important. Fortunately we just knocked a small bit of fibreglass off the back of the keel at its lowest and narrowest point probably as we were being towed. Our keel is solid here so although I will need to patch it up next time we are on the hard to prevent osmosis it isn't going to create a safety or performance problem. We piloted out through the cut and then watched the nice sunset as Bermuda faded into the distance. Bratwurst in hot dog buns with fried onions and a spinach salad for dinner courtesy of Justin, then Louise and Jim turned in as they have the midnight to six am watches.
I am expecting to have to motor all or part of the next 36 hours and am heading North of the rhumb line to get into some wind. After that we will be motoring only if we can't make 5 knots as I want to make the fuel last as long as possible and maintain a reserve of at least 48 hours so we can avoid any severe weather.
I spent a lot of time mentally kicking myself for what happened today. Yes you should stick to a plan but you can't ignore experienced people and you can make mistakes. I think the lesson is to share the plan better even a simple one so other people have a better idea of what you are going to do and what information you have used. As the crew gain experience they are bound to question things and it can be valuable in helping to avoid mistakes particularly as on a long voyage the skipper can get tired - but it only works if they know enough to be able to get it right. As the skipper you can always say no we're doing it my way but once in a while they are going to have a better idea. Gareth, my first mate across the Mediterranean and on the ARC, could be a complete stubborn pain in the ass (and so can I), we argued on many occasions but it kept me on the straight and narrow and as neither of us had the monopoly on being right we could almost always go straight from major argument to sharing a joke without a pause. The wind is starting to flirt with us now so hopefully we will have the sail up by morning.
Fair winds and flat seas to you all.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Day 7 Powder Hole Bermuda 81nm Part day
We eventually arrived in Bermuda at about 3am. The pilotage went very smoothly with Jim plotting our position on the chart and cross checking with the depth contours while I spotted for buoys and helmed. Justin got up to help us drop anchor, but after her 9-12 watch Louise had decided she'd prefer just to wake up in the morning in harbour.
We were woken by a large group of mad French people on a sail training boat who were diving and jumping into the water about 50 yards away to the cheers and jeers of their peers depending on the complexity and execution of their dive. I don't blame them as this is the nicest harbour water I have ever seen - very clear and lots of Sgt. Majors and other fish.
At about half past 8 we headed over to customs to check in and fill out the normal paperwork. We expected to pay $15 per head for entry but were told there had been a small increase of 166% and it was now $40. On leaving customs we ran into an old but apparently still current Bermudian custom which had attracted a crowd of tourists. They had a loud and angry woman tied in a chair suspended from a long wooden lever and four men were dunking her into the harbour on a regular basis spurred on by chanting from the tourists. It wasn't immediately apparent what she'd done but she was being encouraged to repent and seemed reluctant to do so. Next to this they had the stocks and whipping post so we will try to remain on our best behaviour while here.
We had a perfectly OK salad/sandwich lunch in the White Horse pub but we all agreed we have been eating better on board. We will try to find something a bit different tonight.
This afternoon we've been using the Yacht club facilities to do our email and laundry (and get a beer in the bar). In the last half hour or so Justin has made good enough friends with a pretty local girl here that she's let him go for a swim off her boat. I can't imagine why he got laid off from his job as he is one of the fastest workers I have ever seen. I've just discovered that Kim is putting this on the blog site each day and I've added some pictures.
Jim and I have been looking at the weather forecast and simply put it is very windy North and very calm South. Hopefully we can wend our way through the middle and get enough wind to sail without getting too knocked about. This leg is pretty critical as it is going to take us nearly two weeks and we can't forecast for the whole trip before leaving. Current conditions en-route are pretty nasty with 20ft seas and 50knot winds in places - not being a masochist I am planning to stay as far from this as we can and I use the en-route weather information we get every day from a professional forecaster and experienced round-the-world racing skipper via sat phone to do so. Fortunately the system is moving and there is nothing of this magnitude as yet forecast to follow it.
It will be great to have clean and completely dry sheets and clothes tonight. In the morning we are going to visit the maritime museum, pick up some provisions and then get ready to leave in the afternoon.
We were woken by a large group of mad French people on a sail training boat who were diving and jumping into the water about 50 yards away to the cheers and jeers of their peers depending on the complexity and execution of their dive. I don't blame them as this is the nicest harbour water I have ever seen - very clear and lots of Sgt. Majors and other fish.
At about half past 8 we headed over to customs to check in and fill out the normal paperwork. We expected to pay $15 per head for entry but were told there had been a small increase of 166% and it was now $40. On leaving customs we ran into an old but apparently still current Bermudian custom which had attracted a crowd of tourists. They had a loud and angry woman tied in a chair suspended from a long wooden lever and four men were dunking her into the harbour on a regular basis spurred on by chanting from the tourists. It wasn't immediately apparent what she'd done but she was being encouraged to repent and seemed reluctant to do so. Next to this they had the stocks and whipping post so we will try to remain on our best behaviour while here.
We had a perfectly OK salad/sandwich lunch in the White Horse pub but we all agreed we have been eating better on board. We will try to find something a bit different tonight.This afternoon we've been using the Yacht club facilities to do our email and laundry (and get a beer in the bar). In the last half hour or so Justin has made good enough friends with a pretty local girl here that she's let him go for a swim off her boat. I can't imagine why he got laid off from his job as he is one of the fastest workers I have ever seen. I've just discovered that Kim is putting this on the blog site each day and I've added some pictures.
Jim and I have been looking at the weather forecast and simply put it is very windy North and very calm South. Hopefully we can wend our way through the middle and get enough wind to sail without getting too knocked about. This leg is pretty critical as it is going to take us nearly two weeks and we can't forecast for the whole trip before leaving. Current conditions en-route are pretty nasty with 20ft seas and 50knot winds in places - not being a masochist I am planning to stay as far from this as we can and I use the en-route weather information we get every day from a professional forecaster and experienced round-the-world racing skipper via sat phone to do so. Fortunately the system is moving and there is nothing of this magnitude as yet forecast to follow it.
It will be great to have clean and completely dry sheets and clothes tonight. In the morning we are going to visit the maritime museum, pick up some provisions and then get ready to leave in the afternoon.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Day 6 to 32:03N 66:06W 132nm Winds F2-3WNW-SW
132nm run and just off the coast of Bermuda.
I am incredibly chuffed with our radio, I just called Bermuda from 30 miles out and both reception and broadcast were clear as a bell. The old one never worked very well and I suspect that the horrible connector we replaced with a shiny gold one is as much responsible as the new radio - so much for getting professionals to fit the important stuff!
Wind since yesterday afternoon has been a very relaxed force 2 and 3. During the night we had sails up and down to catch every breath of wind but eventually decided to become a motorboat for a bit and get some rest. We also had some close cargo traffic to avoid so I had something to do during most of the watches. The rest of the crew kindly let me sleep in for an extra hour this morning to make up. Consequently I still don't know if the beer has any effect on my sleep and will have to conduct further research (Drug research is conducted using double blind tests so with alcohol would they be double blind drunk?)
Everybody has been reading and relaxing today, Jim and I finished off the detailed pilot plan this afternoon as we are now likely to arrive in the early hours. Had it not been a full moon I might have held off but with neither difficult weather nor full darkness it should be fine.
My galley today and we had a Greek salad for lunch and Thai red curry beef for dinner which appeared to go down pretty well. No alcohol today until we get safely anchored. We used "Newmans own" dressing in the salad which prompted a conversation about the irony that Paul Newman has been immortalised in balsamic vinaigrette rather than celluloid. I bet he didn't see that coming as a young man. Louise and I spent some time inventorying what we've used to cook with and what other things we'd like for the long middle passage to Horta in the Azores. As we all like flat bread which keeps well we've decided to swap some frozen loaves for Ice cream. I won't even go into our fishing activities today except to say that we could have built a small island out of the floating sea weed we've hooked.
Justin has picked the music again this evening and he is introducing me to some great new artists. Last night we had Madeline Peyroux (Jazz) and currently playing is Pink Martini (Jazzy Salsa). As is usual everyone is looking forward to land and I've decided not to set out again until at least Wednesday to give everyone a break.
I am incredibly chuffed with our radio, I just called Bermuda from 30 miles out and both reception and broadcast were clear as a bell. The old one never worked very well and I suspect that the horrible connector we replaced with a shiny gold one is as much responsible as the new radio - so much for getting professionals to fit the important stuff!
Wind since yesterday afternoon has been a very relaxed force 2 and 3. During the night we had sails up and down to catch every breath of wind but eventually decided to become a motorboat for a bit and get some rest. We also had some close cargo traffic to avoid so I had something to do during most of the watches. The rest of the crew kindly let me sleep in for an extra hour this morning to make up. Consequently I still don't know if the beer has any effect on my sleep and will have to conduct further research (Drug research is conducted using double blind tests so with alcohol would they be double blind drunk?)
Everybody has been reading and relaxing today, Jim and I finished off the detailed pilot plan this afternoon as we are now likely to arrive in the early hours. Had it not been a full moon I might have held off but with neither difficult weather nor full darkness it should be fine.
My galley today and we had a Greek salad for lunch and Thai red curry beef for dinner which appeared to go down pretty well. No alcohol today until we get safely anchored. We used "Newmans own" dressing in the salad which prompted a conversation about the irony that Paul Newman has been immortalised in balsamic vinaigrette rather than celluloid. I bet he didn't see that coming as a young man. Louise and I spent some time inventorying what we've used to cook with and what other things we'd like for the long middle passage to Horta in the Azores. As we all like flat bread which keeps well we've decided to swap some frozen loaves for Ice cream. I won't even go into our fishing activities today except to say that we could have built a small island out of the floating sea weed we've hooked.
Justin has picked the music again this evening and he is introducing me to some great new artists. Last night we had Madeline Peyroux (Jazz) and currently playing is Pink Martini (Jazzy Salsa). As is usual everyone is looking forward to land and I've decided not to set out again until at least Wednesday to give everyone a break.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Day 5 to 31:55N 68:32W 147nm (in 23hrs as changed time zone) Winds F3-4WSW
Sailing is a fine hobby, it gets you out in the sunshine gives you exercise and you get to meet lots of interesting people. But it would be so much better if you could just dial up the right wind direction and strength. Yesterday there was definitely too much and today there is not enough. Through the night we cruised along at a gentle 4-5 knots including a bit of push from our one functional engine (still got a rope or net around the prop and shaft) and this morning we hoisted the spinnaker (with slightly less cursing and confusion than I was expecting). Now we are whizzing along at... 5-6 knots including a bit of push... The apparent wind is only 7 knots so what can you do?
Early yesterday the watermaker decided to go on strike until I met its extensive list of demands. (We had a full tank in reserve so I put the job off until it got less bumpy). These included: scrubbing the strainer with my toothbrush to remove a thick coating of red algae or corrosion or something, changing the 50 micron intake filter, then changing the 20 and then the 5 micron filters. Unfortunately it is capable of only asking for one thing at a time so you do one, assume the problem is fixed, run the watermaker for a bit and then have it break down with a new fault code. While I was head down in the bilge doing this Jim noticed the generator exhaust was smoking a bit so as last time this was a symptom of overheating I went into diagnostic disassembly mode. First I removed the hose on the through hull to check water was coming in, then the one way valve then the impellor then the cover to the heat exchanger - absolutely nothing apparently wrong but when I put it all back together the smoke had stopped so my conclusion is that the generator got jealous of the attention I was paying the watermaker and had a tantrum.
Justin has made his contribution to improving the function of the boat today. The back of the helm seat has always been horribly uncomfortable as you can feel the metal bar through the padding. Justin's solution was to remove the cover and padding, wind thick rope around the bar, duct tape it in place and replace the rest. It works really well and the rest of the watches will be noticeably more comfortable.
I believe Louise to be sneakily studying in her cabin as she seems to know more about sailing the boat each day and I spied a cruising book in there while checking the through hull. She is now confidently taking a hand with reefing and sail changes as well as watches and has got the hang of steering into the wind and using the winches. Her seasickness has substantially diminished today so I think she is feeling more cheerful.
We had a go at fishing again and had a number of false alarms. We reeled the lines in to do a sail change and didn't have the heart to put them out again especially as Justin had already defrosted some prawns to put in a Pad Thai for dinner. In the end with the sea calm and not enough wind for either the Spinnaker or Genoa I could no longer put off going under the boat and cutting out the clump of fishing net and rope that was lodged there. Doing this in mid-Ocean gives me a feeling somewhere between having agoraphobia and being an expendable minor character in Jaws.
We've now eaten the Pad Thai which was very nice and are motoring along comfortably at 6 knots using both engines. Jim is sitting in back waiting to see if there is a green flash (Bahamas/Caribbean phenomena where the sun flashes green just as it sets) in the nice sunset we are seeing.
I never had the Sam Adams last night and am sleeping better for not drinking which is a real shame as I like beer almost as much as I like sleep. Anyway in the name of proper research I had one at 5o'clock today and I'll see how it goes. Jim saw me lying in the sun with my book in one hand and the beer in the other and said "hard life isn't it" - and really you know it's not, it's just absolutely great. Oh, we are now on "Atlantic time" so we are one hour later here than the US East coast.
Early yesterday the watermaker decided to go on strike until I met its extensive list of demands. (We had a full tank in reserve so I put the job off until it got less bumpy). These included: scrubbing the strainer with my toothbrush to remove a thick coating of red algae or corrosion or something, changing the 50 micron intake filter, then changing the 20 and then the 5 micron filters. Unfortunately it is capable of only asking for one thing at a time so you do one, assume the problem is fixed, run the watermaker for a bit and then have it break down with a new fault code. While I was head down in the bilge doing this Jim noticed the generator exhaust was smoking a bit so as last time this was a symptom of overheating I went into diagnostic disassembly mode. First I removed the hose on the through hull to check water was coming in, then the one way valve then the impellor then the cover to the heat exchanger - absolutely nothing apparently wrong but when I put it all back together the smoke had stopped so my conclusion is that the generator got jealous of the attention I was paying the watermaker and had a tantrum.
Justin has made his contribution to improving the function of the boat today. The back of the helm seat has always been horribly uncomfortable as you can feel the metal bar through the padding. Justin's solution was to remove the cover and padding, wind thick rope around the bar, duct tape it in place and replace the rest. It works really well and the rest of the watches will be noticeably more comfortable.
I believe Louise to be sneakily studying in her cabin as she seems to know more about sailing the boat each day and I spied a cruising book in there while checking the through hull. She is now confidently taking a hand with reefing and sail changes as well as watches and has got the hang of steering into the wind and using the winches. Her seasickness has substantially diminished today so I think she is feeling more cheerful.
We had a go at fishing again and had a number of false alarms. We reeled the lines in to do a sail change and didn't have the heart to put them out again especially as Justin had already defrosted some prawns to put in a Pad Thai for dinner. In the end with the sea calm and not enough wind for either the Spinnaker or Genoa I could no longer put off going under the boat and cutting out the clump of fishing net and rope that was lodged there. Doing this in mid-Ocean gives me a feeling somewhere between having agoraphobia and being an expendable minor character in Jaws.
We've now eaten the Pad Thai which was very nice and are motoring along comfortably at 6 knots using both engines. Jim is sitting in back waiting to see if there is a green flash (Bahamas/Caribbean phenomena where the sun flashes green just as it sets) in the nice sunset we are seeing.
I never had the Sam Adams last night and am sleeping better for not drinking which is a real shame as I like beer almost as much as I like sleep. Anyway in the name of proper research I had one at 5o'clock today and I'll see how it goes. Jim saw me lying in the sun with my book in one hand and the beer in the other and said "hard life isn't it" - and really you know it's not, it's just absolutely great. Oh, we are now on "Atlantic time" so we are one hour later here than the US East coast.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Day 4 to 31:48N 71:09W 163nm Winds F5-8SW
Hakuna Matata 31 degrees 48 minutes North, 71 degrees 5 minutes West. 163nm logged, 158nm run to destination.
This trip is something of a baptism of fire for those with no previous ocean experience. Things were pretty bumpy last night and my log for 4:35am is Force 8 SSW speed 10 knots with two reefs in the main and 40% Genoa - it also says "White knuckle ride". Looking at the radar we seemed to be coming out of the rain so I ran downwind for a while instead of waking people to reef again and within 30 minutes we were back to a manageable 6. Justin and Jim have the forward cabin and spent much of the night in the air. We shipped two flying fish and a lot of water during the night but are now all cleaned up and Jim is preparing sandwiches for lunch. We tried eating flying fish on the way out and won't be repeating the experience.
I started working through the pilotage for Bermuda this morning. It's surrounded by a massive reef and as I do not have detailed electronic charts we will be doing it the old fashioned way. The wind is expected to die off towards Monday and we need to make a good 6.5 knots average if we are to clear in and get dinner on land. The alternative is piloting in the dark and sleeping anchored at Powder Hole fortunately there are enough lit buoys to make this practical.
I haven't really done a watch today as people like to sit up in the refreshing air on the helm seat when they aren't dozing to recover from last night so I have read and watched lots of TV on my iPod. (Actually, Louise hasn't dozed and I think she's been up there almost all day reading the first novel in Patrick O'brien's Aubrey/Maturin series) I'm watching season 2 of 24 at the moment and must say it is becoming silly. If the US government's entire response to a nuclear terrorism threat to LA was to bring in a washed out ex-agent with no current information and phone him occasionally to check how he was doing - hang on a minute, this was done during the Bush administration so perhaps I see where they are coming from.
This evening we have slowed down a bit and Jim has been preparing an elaborate dinner of stuffed pork chops with couscous and we will finish up the birthday cake for pudding. We are only doing just over 6 knots and the sea is quite a bit calmer although we have waves up to 10ft they are a long way apart and gently rolling. From the weather forecast and the sky I think tonight will be much easier and as the wind dies down a bit I wouldn't be surprised to get the Spinnaker up on Monday. We have just been joined by some seabirds apparently attracted by the smell of Jim's cooking.
Time perhaps for a spot of critical self-appraisal for the skipper:
So far I've maintained calm, made at least apparently good decisions and not parcelled out any blame (my personal bête noire). This crew are a good bunch and where they lack experience they make up for it with common sense so perhaps I've had an easy ride - the phone interviews obviously worked well. The only thing I've got to watch out for is a certain tendency to laziness in one member and probably the best thing for me to do is set a good example by overcoming my own tendency in the same direction. I do need to make sure everyone gets enough rest particularly on the long run from Bermuda to the Azores as this is probably going to be the key both to harmony and efficiency. Jim and Justin are sleeping in the bow and it can be bumpy and hard to sleep. If I have to I will give up my own cabin but for the moment I'll just see how it goes. The birthday cake celebration was a nice little team builder and I've got some videos and games as well as some training sessions up my sleeve to keep everyone occupied. No grumbling yet and the diversions of Bermuda not too far away. I give myself 8/10 so far.
I am on watch right after dinner and then am going to treat myself to a Sam Adams before I go to bed.
This trip is something of a baptism of fire for those with no previous ocean experience. Things were pretty bumpy last night and my log for 4:35am is Force 8 SSW speed 10 knots with two reefs in the main and 40% Genoa - it also says "White knuckle ride". Looking at the radar we seemed to be coming out of the rain so I ran downwind for a while instead of waking people to reef again and within 30 minutes we were back to a manageable 6. Justin and Jim have the forward cabin and spent much of the night in the air. We shipped two flying fish and a lot of water during the night but are now all cleaned up and Jim is preparing sandwiches for lunch. We tried eating flying fish on the way out and won't be repeating the experience.
I started working through the pilotage for Bermuda this morning. It's surrounded by a massive reef and as I do not have detailed electronic charts we will be doing it the old fashioned way. The wind is expected to die off towards Monday and we need to make a good 6.5 knots average if we are to clear in and get dinner on land. The alternative is piloting in the dark and sleeping anchored at Powder Hole fortunately there are enough lit buoys to make this practical.
I haven't really done a watch today as people like to sit up in the refreshing air on the helm seat when they aren't dozing to recover from last night so I have read and watched lots of TV on my iPod. (Actually, Louise hasn't dozed and I think she's been up there almost all day reading the first novel in Patrick O'brien's Aubrey/Maturin series) I'm watching season 2 of 24 at the moment and must say it is becoming silly. If the US government's entire response to a nuclear terrorism threat to LA was to bring in a washed out ex-agent with no current information and phone him occasionally to check how he was doing - hang on a minute, this was done during the Bush administration so perhaps I see where they are coming from.
This evening we have slowed down a bit and Jim has been preparing an elaborate dinner of stuffed pork chops with couscous and we will finish up the birthday cake for pudding. We are only doing just over 6 knots and the sea is quite a bit calmer although we have waves up to 10ft they are a long way apart and gently rolling. From the weather forecast and the sky I think tonight will be much easier and as the wind dies down a bit I wouldn't be surprised to get the Spinnaker up on Monday. We have just been joined by some seabirds apparently attracted by the smell of Jim's cooking.
Time perhaps for a spot of critical self-appraisal for the skipper:
So far I've maintained calm, made at least apparently good decisions and not parcelled out any blame (my personal bête noire). This crew are a good bunch and where they lack experience they make up for it with common sense so perhaps I've had an easy ride - the phone interviews obviously worked well. The only thing I've got to watch out for is a certain tendency to laziness in one member and probably the best thing for me to do is set a good example by overcoming my own tendency in the same direction. I do need to make sure everyone gets enough rest particularly on the long run from Bermuda to the Azores as this is probably going to be the key both to harmony and efficiency. Jim and Justin are sleeping in the bow and it can be bumpy and hard to sleep. If I have to I will give up my own cabin but for the moment I'll just see how it goes. The birthday cake celebration was a nice little team builder and I've got some videos and games as well as some training sessions up my sleeve to keep everyone occupied. No grumbling yet and the diversions of Bermuda not too far away. I give myself 8/10 so far.
I am on watch right after dinner and then am going to treat myself to a Sam Adams before I go to bed.
Friday, 5 June 2009
Day 3 to 31:25N 74:12W 158nm Winds F5-6S
I forgot to mention that we refuelled the main tank yesterday to get the weight out of the forward hold where we store the jerry cans. We have used 140 litres of our 680 and expect good sailing weather the rest of the way to Bermuda so should have more than enough. As it turns out we won't be using the engines anyway at least not the starboard one until I can get under the boat (we have 6ft waves at the moment so that will be a while) and remove the large anonymous mass that has got stuck around the propeller. I am going to try and do this en-route as we are encountering a large number of cargo ships and I don't like to be without the ability to manoeuvre should the need arise. Fortunately I was on watch and noticed the change in vibration when we picked this up so was able to shut down immediately and then verify it was there this morning through the water-window in the Port hull.
Overnight and much of today we continued to have squalls around us but most disappeared before they hit. The wind has been in the 20 knot range for much of the day and sometimes well above so we carried 3 reefs (probably overkill) during the night and 2 most of today. Running well reefed has cost us time today but we have logged 158 miles and made 142 on course. We just passed the half way mark so hopefully we will get to Bermuda on Monday.
There has been a bit of queasiness aboard as the boat has been so actively moving and I have recommended Stugeron which I know works well for Kim. I had a slight touch of it from hanging head down in the watermaker compartment changing filters and only Jim seems untouched.
Speaking of Jim, it was his birthday and as he had mentioned it to Kim I included some candles, cake mix and Happy Birthday napkins in the provisioning - nice to be able to celebrate something.
We saw a nice pod of about a dozen dolphins just before dinner but although they came up to us they seemed disappointed with our 6 knot bow wave and left very quickly.
Louise cooked chicken pasta for dinner with cake and Ice Cream to follow. Jim has something special planned for tomorrow and we have been told to keep our hands off the sea salt and pepper cashew nuts as they are an essential ingredient.
As usual after three days I am looking forward to dry land or at least a calm sunny patch tomorrow.
Overnight and much of today we continued to have squalls around us but most disappeared before they hit. The wind has been in the 20 knot range for much of the day and sometimes well above so we carried 3 reefs (probably overkill) during the night and 2 most of today. Running well reefed has cost us time today but we have logged 158 miles and made 142 on course. We just passed the half way mark so hopefully we will get to Bermuda on Monday.
There has been a bit of queasiness aboard as the boat has been so actively moving and I have recommended Stugeron which I know works well for Kim. I had a slight touch of it from hanging head down in the watermaker compartment changing filters and only Jim seems untouched.
Speaking of Jim, it was his birthday and as he had mentioned it to Kim I included some candles, cake mix and Happy Birthday napkins in the provisioning - nice to be able to celebrate something.
We saw a nice pod of about a dozen dolphins just before dinner but although they came up to us they seemed disappointed with our 6 knot bow wave and left very quickly.
Louise cooked chicken pasta for dinner with cake and Ice Cream to follow. Jim has something special planned for tomorrow and we have been told to keep our hands off the sea salt and pepper cashew nuts as they are an essential ingredient.
As usual after three days I am looking forward to dry land or at least a calm sunny patch tomorrow.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Day 2 to 30:42N 76:53W 147nm Winds 5-6SSW Squalls
Today we've logged 147 miles and covered 143 towards our destination which is good going for Haku. I got a great sleep as last night's watches were fairly uneventful. At 6am Jim woke me to say we had a south going current of almost 2 knots which is bizarre for an area supposedly in the Gulf stream but wasn't exactly on my list of things to wake the skipper for.
We ran with 2 reefs during darkness and put full sail up at 08:30 just in time to have to drop it again for a squall. We have had powerful squalls threatening us on and off all day but only got blasted occasionally as they have veered away or dissipated. Most of the day has been 14 to 20 knots apparent just forward of the beam and our log speeds have been between 7 and 9 knots hence the good progress. So far squalls have only gusted to 36 knots.
Louise has started to enjoy her night watch and saw 3 shooting stars. Justin apparently saw a white "Moonbow" in the rain... Speaking of strange stories when Louise and I went provisioning at Wynn Dixie on Tuesday the checkout operator asked if we were shopping for a month so we explained our voyage. She proceeded to tell us that as a child she had been going round the world on a sailboat, it was to have taken three months but that she and her Pa decided to return home after seeing a shark off the tip of Africa in the first week - her bagger was seriously impressed.
No fishing today as we have been going too fast, but very exhilarating sailing. Louise has been wearing a scopolamine patch but is now switching to an electric bracelet - I thought both of these things were used by torturers but at least they don't make you sleepy.
Jim has been teaching Louise the basics of navigation and the in's and out's of true, magnetic and compass courses which as everyone knows requires a true virgin making dull company*
I'm pleased to report that my very expensive and nearly new but leaky Musto MPX gear is now waterproof around the crotch after dousing it with a bottle of waterproofing spray. There is nothing worse than a damp... place to sit.
It was my galley duty today and for lunch we had chipotle scrambled eggs, freshly baked fruit bread and a spinach salad with blue cheese, candied pecans, apple pieces and raspberry vinaigrette (which is much nicer than it sounds). We had Chilli for dinner which was easy to cook and to eat as we were moving around quite a bit.
We've just reefed down for the night as we still have squalls on the radar. I think everyone else is secretly keen to have a proper one to see what it feels like. Personally I like a nice gentle wind on the beam.It's too early to predict a good run but it has been a good day.
*(mnemonic for True, Variation, Magnetic, Deviation, Compass)
We ran with 2 reefs during darkness and put full sail up at 08:30 just in time to have to drop it again for a squall. We have had powerful squalls threatening us on and off all day but only got blasted occasionally as they have veered away or dissipated. Most of the day has been 14 to 20 knots apparent just forward of the beam and our log speeds have been between 7 and 9 knots hence the good progress. So far squalls have only gusted to 36 knots.
Louise has started to enjoy her night watch and saw 3 shooting stars. Justin apparently saw a white "Moonbow" in the rain... Speaking of strange stories when Louise and I went provisioning at Wynn Dixie on Tuesday the checkout operator asked if we were shopping for a month so we explained our voyage. She proceeded to tell us that as a child she had been going round the world on a sailboat, it was to have taken three months but that she and her Pa decided to return home after seeing a shark off the tip of Africa in the first week - her bagger was seriously impressed.
No fishing today as we have been going too fast, but very exhilarating sailing. Louise has been wearing a scopolamine patch but is now switching to an electric bracelet - I thought both of these things were used by torturers but at least they don't make you sleepy.
Jim has been teaching Louise the basics of navigation and the in's and out's of true, magnetic and compass courses which as everyone knows requires a true virgin making dull company*
I'm pleased to report that my very expensive and nearly new but leaky Musto MPX gear is now waterproof around the crotch after dousing it with a bottle of waterproofing spray. There is nothing worse than a damp... place to sit.
It was my galley duty today and for lunch we had chipotle scrambled eggs, freshly baked fruit bread and a spinach salad with blue cheese, candied pecans, apple pieces and raspberry vinaigrette (which is much nicer than it sounds). We had Chilli for dinner which was easy to cook and to eat as we were moving around quite a bit.
We've just reefed down for the night as we still have squalls on the radar. I think everyone else is secretly keen to have a proper one to see what it feels like. Personally I like a nice gentle wind on the beam.It's too early to predict a good run but it has been a good day.
*(mnemonic for True, Variation, Magnetic, Deviation, Compass)
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Day 1 St Augustine to 30:21N 79:54W 87nm part day
For the next few days I am going to be using every spare minute training the crew on boat systems, navigation, watch duties and safety. There is a lot to take in and I expect to be going over and over this stuff on a formal and informal basis for some time to come.
Last minute tasks and provisions all complete before the tide but someone has parked 10,000 tons of bridge and a crane on a barge five feet behind us and we have ten in front. We are manoeuvrable but can’t go sideways so managed to beg a tow from the bridge construction team.
The weather channel has decided that Huricanne Ana is not in fact on the way and as none of my other weather sources predicted it I suspect they conjured it up to increase viewing figures.
Through the 5:30pm bridge opening and anchored ready to catch the tide I did the condensed safety and systems brief. After 2 hours I ran out of steam and decided the rest could be done underway. Our official departure time 7:30pm.
The crew: Jim, French Canadian cameraman and seafarer; Justin, young experienced great lake racer from Chicago and Louise, another Canadian and a dinghy racer with as yet no sea experience - the famously bumpy exit through the St. Augustine cut must have made for an interesting first taste.
From 7:30 to midnight was pretty bumpy as we were into wind and sea but with sails and motor we still made good progress and we saw some whales. Jim and I did our own night watches plus another with Justin and Louise to get them used to the job and using the plotter and Radar. Despite lots of large traffic and the AIS not working all coped very well (other than an accidental reset of the plotter and engine shutdown), the new day dawned bright and clear though with not much wind.
I had only a few catnaps but a cup of coffee and Jim’s pancakes had me up and running again.
We saw our second set of marine mammals at a distance either black (Rissos) dolphins or killer whales just before catching a beautiful Mahi-Mahi and reeling it right up to the transom. We got some nice pictures but the fish was very effective at avoiding the gaff and wriggled free at the last second before it became lunch.
Last minute tasks and provisions all complete before the tide but someone has parked 10,000 tons of bridge and a crane on a barge five feet behind us and we have ten in front. We are manoeuvrable but can’t go sideways so managed to beg a tow from the bridge construction team.
The weather channel has decided that Huricanne Ana is not in fact on the way and as none of my other weather sources predicted it I suspect they conjured it up to increase viewing figures.
Through the 5:30pm bridge opening and anchored ready to catch the tide I did the condensed safety and systems brief. After 2 hours I ran out of steam and decided the rest could be done underway. Our official departure time 7:30pm.
The crew: Jim, French Canadian cameraman and seafarer; Justin, young experienced great lake racer from Chicago and Louise, another Canadian and a dinghy racer with as yet no sea experience - the famously bumpy exit through the St. Augustine cut must have made for an interesting first taste.
From 7:30 to midnight was pretty bumpy as we were into wind and sea but with sails and motor we still made good progress and we saw some whales. Jim and I did our own night watches plus another with Justin and Louise to get them used to the job and using the plotter and Radar. Despite lots of large traffic and the AIS not working all coped very well (other than an accidental reset of the plotter and engine shutdown), the new day dawned bright and clear though with not much wind.
I had only a few catnaps but a cup of coffee and Jim’s pancakes had me up and running again.
We saw our second set of marine mammals at a distance either black (Rissos) dolphins or killer whales just before catching a beautiful Mahi-Mahi and reeling it right up to the transom. We got some nice pictures but the fish was very effective at avoiding the gaff and wriggled free at the last second before it became lunch.
Squalls threatened the afternoon but melted away before us and the breeze came around to make the sailing both faster and more comfortable. During the afternoon we fitted new red tell tales on the mainsail. These help us to see how efficiently the the sails are working and whether we need to adjust them for changes in the wind.
Our next lot of marine mammals were definitely dolphins and lots of them as they came very close but they distained our bow wave and left us too soon.
I had a brief afternoon nap and woke up to a snap from one of our reels as a large fish tore the whole line straight off. Fortunately, I used up my last dollar bills buying extra lures and line so we should have fish yet despite a rocky start.
Justin is on galley today and produced multi coloured sandwiches for lunch with a chicken and rice dish due for our dinner. We have run 87 miles by the log and about 92 over the ground thanks to the Gulf Stream. A good start and everyone shaping up nicely.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
St Augustine to Gibraltar: Day 0
St. Augustine municipal marina. Weather bright, warm and humid. Sea state calm. Wind 2SW.
Yesterday was the start of hurricane season and the weather channel already announced a tropical depression in the Atlantic may turn into hurricane Ana. I have been madly shopping. If there is bad weather we won’t get into Bermuda and it could take up to 21 days to get to the Azores. Mind you if there is the hint of a hurricane tomorrow we will be staying in port.
Food for four people for twenty one days plus eleven days of emergency bottled water a few bottles of wine and an unusual amount of chocolate weighs almost 500Ibs so the shopping has been my exercise for the week. Fortunately we still have a stock of canned food left over from the ARC (The race not Noah’s) which we would use if the freezer and fridges failed. With luck we can supplement all this with some freshly caught fish.
Two of the crew arrived yesterday and I got them doing some odd boat jobs like taping up anything rough that a sail or rope could snag on and stowing provisions. It’s amazing how quickly people’s character becomes apparent and in these two we had the easy going hard worker and the hands in the pocket helpful advice provider. I wonder what my third crew member is going to be like.
This morning I hired an economy car and was upgraded to a big American SUV - perfect for getting Kim, kids and luggage the 120 miles to Orlando airport ready for their trip to Yellowstone and so I could bring back the third member of my crew. I put in $40 of Gas and set off.
As skipper one of your primary goals is to gain the confidence and trust of your new crew. So it’s not a good idea to run out of gas as you bring them back from the airport. Fortunately a passing cabbie took us to a gas station and then to another one that actually had gas containers, then back to the first to use the ATM so she could be paid and so the gas guy could try to sell me one of the twenty gas containers he had since found. To be fair I did put fuel in this morning and being from the UK didn’t realise how quickly one of Detroit’s finest could lay waste to half a fossilised forest (12mpg!).
Pub grub tonight and a last couple of pints for the crew before we set off. Also the chance for our first serious "Team talk" - describing the route, what they could expect to experience and how the duties would be shared out. I did wonder if I might get anyone drop out at this point as there are inevitable nerves for anyone without Ocean experience (and with - but I saw no need to mention that) and although I had been over most of this on the phone it is easy at a distance for euphoria and excitement to prevent people from hearing some of the harsher details of life on a long crossing.
Louise, Justin and Jim
Yesterday was the start of hurricane season and the weather channel already announced a tropical depression in the Atlantic may turn into hurricane Ana. I have been madly shopping. If there is bad weather we won’t get into Bermuda and it could take up to 21 days to get to the Azores. Mind you if there is the hint of a hurricane tomorrow we will be staying in port.
Food for four people for twenty one days plus eleven days of emergency bottled water a few bottles of wine and an unusual amount of chocolate weighs almost 500Ibs so the shopping has been my exercise for the week. Fortunately we still have a stock of canned food left over from the ARC (The race not Noah’s) which we would use if the freezer and fridges failed. With luck we can supplement all this with some freshly caught fish.
Two of the crew arrived yesterday and I got them doing some odd boat jobs like taping up anything rough that a sail or rope could snag on and stowing provisions. It’s amazing how quickly people’s character becomes apparent and in these two we had the easy going hard worker and the hands in the pocket helpful advice provider. I wonder what my third crew member is going to be like.
This morning I hired an economy car and was upgraded to a big American SUV - perfect for getting Kim, kids and luggage the 120 miles to Orlando airport ready for their trip to Yellowstone and so I could bring back the third member of my crew. I put in $40 of Gas and set off.
As skipper one of your primary goals is to gain the confidence and trust of your new crew. So it’s not a good idea to run out of gas as you bring them back from the airport. Fortunately a passing cabbie took us to a gas station and then to another one that actually had gas containers, then back to the first to use the ATM so she could be paid and so the gas guy could try to sell me one of the twenty gas containers he had since found. To be fair I did put fuel in this morning and being from the UK didn’t realise how quickly one of Detroit’s finest could lay waste to half a fossilised forest (12mpg!).
Pub grub tonight and a last couple of pints for the crew before we set off. Also the chance for our first serious "Team talk" - describing the route, what they could expect to experience and how the duties would be shared out. I did wonder if I might get anyone drop out at this point as there are inevitable nerves for anyone without Ocean experience (and with - but I saw no need to mention that) and although I had been over most of this on the phone it is easy at a distance for euphoria and excitement to prevent people from hearing some of the harsher details of life on a long crossing.
Louise, Justin and Jim
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