I guess what I hear most often from other cruisers is that you must remain flexible. Things change, people change (their minds, that is), situations change. As Brian and I reflected over the events of the past couple of months, we ultimately decided that getting to La Coruna, Spain, from England in a mere 2 1/2 months time, was well, just too slow of a pace for us. Not ever wanting, nor prepared for cold, wet, winter weather sailing, we found ourselves smack in the middle of it. I was depressed, and we felt like we were in a rut. So.... change! And we have.
New plan; jump on another, faster boat, heading for South Africa, and/or maybe Vietnam. Just think "ultra limber". Oh, we could go anywhere....
Stay turned for you never know what will happen next.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Some fun in Lisbon!
For a country's capitol city, Lisbon has a great small, old world feel to it. Landing here, for the first time in my life, via bus of course, was a dream come true. I was totally excited. However, during our journey, we, of course, left some crap on the bus (what's new!), and the bus broke down, resulting in us arriving late. Again, nothing new there. Scrambling for somewhere to stay, we immediately consulted the "good book". Well, it wasn't really an anvil (book) anymore as we just riped out the pages of the Lonely Planet guide book for the countries we thought we might be in. Luckily, Portugal made the cut! But so did Spain, Morocco, Italy, Corsica, & Greece. You can see where my brain's at - all over the place! Meow.
Speaking only four words of Portuguese, I immediately went for the "Pensao" that said "English spoken here". Okay, so I'm a wimp, but it was late people, and we were tired. Path of least resistance. Well, it wasn't actually that easy as the pension was not known to the taxi man, nor his posse of co-workers, & very hard to find. Totally worth the trouble as it was in this ultra cool little neighborhood of Bairrio Alto. Stone streets, more like alleyways, mostly pedestrian walks (traffic controlled area), with small coffee shops & cafes by day, and swanky clubs by night. It was, literally, the happening spot. Score! Oh, and best of all, our room was only 30 euros/night. Outrageous, such a good deal.
The next day was ours to explore, as we weren't due at the boat until Thursday. As it happened, with the predicted bad weather approaching, we didn't need to arrive until Friday night. Bonus, and we enjoyed the extra time in Lisbon.
The first day, we did the usual - the hop on, hop off bus. It was fun and informative but bloody cold when the sun went down. That was after I first had my AWESOME cafe ole, or con leche, or in English - espresso with milk, for only 55 euro cents! It was just some dime a dozen cafe next to the bus stop for our tour. Ooo and the Portuguese sweet breads, and Pasties Nada's (custard cups) are o so good too. Brian even started drinking coffee again, well, for 3 days.
After a long day of sight seeing we took a cable car up to the castle for sunset. It was beautiful . Just outside of the castle, we tried to go to a Portuguese-India restaurant but it wasn't open yet. However, the restaurant owner took us to the wine bar down the street, and we sampled a few of Portugal's great wines and cheeses. We had a blast with the host, Nunu, as he treated us right! Later, we returned to the restaurant when it was open, and we were the only ones for dinner. The owner was great in explaining the many dishes and matching wines. The food was terrific too, and we were stuffed when we wandered down the hill hoping to burn off some calories. After a few mile wander we caught a bus to our little 'hood', and wandered the tiny streets checking out the crowds.
So I'll let the pictures do the talking, but this was a great city. It had all the makings - a hilltop Castle, Monuments to Explorers, Museums, Pepper Cathedral, a fort in the bay, a tree lined main avenue, squares, great restaurants, a bull fighting rink, futbol stadiums, parks, old classic streetcars, a world class Ocean (aquarium) center, expo site, gondola ride, wine tasting, and even a Golden Gate bridge (the 25th of April bridge). I fell in love with all the fully titled buildings (outside facades), so there is a lot of pictures of tile.
Enjoy! We did. (Picture to follow. Sorry, out of time!)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Somethings you just want to do once
After a big weather discussion, we decided to shove off the dock at 6:30 pm, gas up, and head around the corner towards Cape Finisterre, the northern most point of Spain. By the time we left the fuel dock, it was already getting dark. The big rush was to beat a long line of predicted winter storms. Things were good, a little rough, with the wind on the nose at 20-25, but we had 24 hours to make it to our next harbor just 38 miles away.
Around 8pm everyone was feeling sea sick, not fun. By 8:30 things were so lumpy & dark that I needed Bri to cover the rest of my shift so I could go attempt to throw up. There was only 30 min remaining, so no biggie. However, during Brian’s turn at the wheel things picked up a bit more. The winds had climbed to a solid 28-29 knots, with gusts well up in the 30’s. On the plus side, we were starting to make some good time, but had to have things reefed in a bit. Somewhere around 9 pm-ish the rain was coming in sideways and was painful. It turned out later that sand was blowing from the beach miles away (so it was like a facial peel- Ouch!). When Brian’s shift had ended at 11pm, he had been tossed to the deck 6 times by rough waves, and had emptied the contents of his stomach as well. Survey says; 3 out of the 4 crew puked their brains out! Barfing, burping, and farting – a truly heinous experience! Sleep was not possible now either, as one was tossed around no matter where you tried to wedge in. The paint locker had over turned and solvent smells filled the below deck space, specifically our cabin. Yeah, it was enough to make you, well, hurl (again). At 3am, I tried valiantly to get up and ready for my shift at the wheel. I was headed on deck when the captain took one look at me and said” I’ll cover for you for a minute or two until you feel better”. Well, that never happened!
We pounded into the wind the rest of the early morning, and finally, were only 6 miles from our port! Unfortunately, after the next watch had past, the sound of the winch handle pounding on the deck telling us to ready the boat for anchor, was replaced by the confusing info that land was barely in sight. We needed to figure out why & fast. Brian checked the charts, both electric and hard copy, and found we had drifted north, away from the harbor, by 10-12 miles in just 2.5 hours (while sailing in 25 knots of breeze). A 5 knot tide had developed in just one hour. So, we were 16+ miles away, and north from our safety harbor with predicted 50 knot head winds approaching.
The captain decided the best course would be to head back to La Coruna. Stunned silence, and dull heads nodding in agreement, we gybed the boat around with 21 miles to go. We made the return trip in a mere 3+ hours. 12 hours to make 30 miles, 2 hours to be shoved out to sea and a 3+ hour return? It was actually the most enjoyable sailing I have done on this boat thus far. I averaged a good 6.5kts the entire way back, and got this heavy metal slug to surf! It was so fun when I hit 10.8 knots going down a wave! Also, I wasn’t throwing up anymore, so that’s always a plus.
We found a nice hiding hole (anchorage) just off a beach, deep into the La Coruna harbor recommended by our harbor guide book, and dropped anchor. It took a couple of tries to get us tucked in just right. Dinner of veggie lasagna was served for the 1st meal in 24 hours and was quite good. It was kept down by everyone. Then this loud, ship shaking noise started as the keel was striking the rock bottom and sliding around. Oh crap, the anchorage was not deep enough. We tried to motor off of our position, but no such luck as we were stuck. Good thing she’s a metal boat! We would just have to wait it out until the tide came back...
Let me tell you the pounding and shaking was just as bad as the beating we took off the coast. We all laid down trying to grab some rest and wait it out. The beating the boat was taking was frightening. Tides take around 6 hour to come in and 6 hours to go out, so we expected to move the boat off the rocks about 1 am or so. The captain was on the anchor watch, waiting for the depth gauge to give us a proper number, when he fell into a deep sleep. At 2 AM we were awaken by more loud sounds. Brian bolted out of bed, looked out the cabin window and said “we are on the breakwater”. What!!! He yelled for the Captain to “start the engine” as we all jumped into our foul weather gear in 2 seconds flat, and got on deck. I had thought that we had drifted back only about 35 yards, and were pounding the stone island that was part of our protective anchorage. I was completely disoriented & when I figured out where we were, I was totally stunned to see that it was the harbor breakwater 1 ¾ miles away. This is like drifting from Alameda out across the bay and into Treasure Island, missing tankers, cargo ships, and the bridge! Brian raised the anchor chain hoping to pull us off the mole (breakwater), but only found a missing anchor. Yikes. I rigged towing lines and the captain called a MAYDAY as he couldn’t start the engine. After he knew help was on the way, Richard settled down long enough to properly get the engine running. The rescue boat (mayday) was cancelled, & Brian behind the wheel, drove us off the rocks, and into the nearby Marina we had left only some 30 hours earlier. Sitting at the dock, at 3:30 am, we began to realize how lucky we were to drift onto the inside breakwater wall. If we had missed it, we would have drifted to the other side of the bay, which had 20 foot seas breaking onto shallow rock reefs and all would have been lost.
Around 8pm everyone was feeling sea sick, not fun. By 8:30 things were so lumpy & dark that I needed Bri to cover the rest of my shift so I could go attempt to throw up. There was only 30 min remaining, so no biggie. However, during Brian’s turn at the wheel things picked up a bit more. The winds had climbed to a solid 28-29 knots, with gusts well up in the 30’s. On the plus side, we were starting to make some good time, but had to have things reefed in a bit. Somewhere around 9 pm-ish the rain was coming in sideways and was painful. It turned out later that sand was blowing from the beach miles away (so it was like a facial peel- Ouch!). When Brian’s shift had ended at 11pm, he had been tossed to the deck 6 times by rough waves, and had emptied the contents of his stomach as well. Survey says; 3 out of the 4 crew puked their brains out! Barfing, burping, and farting – a truly heinous experience! Sleep was not possible now either, as one was tossed around no matter where you tried to wedge in. The paint locker had over turned and solvent smells filled the below deck space, specifically our cabin. Yeah, it was enough to make you, well, hurl (again). At 3am, I tried valiantly to get up and ready for my shift at the wheel. I was headed on deck when the captain took one look at me and said” I’ll cover for you for a minute or two until you feel better”. Well, that never happened!
We pounded into the wind the rest of the early morning, and finally, were only 6 miles from our port! Unfortunately, after the next watch had past, the sound of the winch handle pounding on the deck telling us to ready the boat for anchor, was replaced by the confusing info that land was barely in sight. We needed to figure out why & fast. Brian checked the charts, both electric and hard copy, and found we had drifted north, away from the harbor, by 10-12 miles in just 2.5 hours (while sailing in 25 knots of breeze). A 5 knot tide had developed in just one hour. So, we were 16+ miles away, and north from our safety harbor with predicted 50 knot head winds approaching.
The captain decided the best course would be to head back to La Coruna. Stunned silence, and dull heads nodding in agreement, we gybed the boat around with 21 miles to go. We made the return trip in a mere 3+ hours. 12 hours to make 30 miles, 2 hours to be shoved out to sea and a 3+ hour return? It was actually the most enjoyable sailing I have done on this boat thus far. I averaged a good 6.5kts the entire way back, and got this heavy metal slug to surf! It was so fun when I hit 10.8 knots going down a wave! Also, I wasn’t throwing up anymore, so that’s always a plus.
We found a nice hiding hole (anchorage) just off a beach, deep into the La Coruna harbor recommended by our harbor guide book, and dropped anchor. It took a couple of tries to get us tucked in just right. Dinner of veggie lasagna was served for the 1st meal in 24 hours and was quite good. It was kept down by everyone. Then this loud, ship shaking noise started as the keel was striking the rock bottom and sliding around. Oh crap, the anchorage was not deep enough. We tried to motor off of our position, but no such luck as we were stuck. Good thing she’s a metal boat! We would just have to wait it out until the tide came back...
Let me tell you the pounding and shaking was just as bad as the beating we took off the coast. We all laid down trying to grab some rest and wait it out. The beating the boat was taking was frightening. Tides take around 6 hour to come in and 6 hours to go out, so we expected to move the boat off the rocks about 1 am or so. The captain was on the anchor watch, waiting for the depth gauge to give us a proper number, when he fell into a deep sleep. At 2 AM we were awaken by more loud sounds. Brian bolted out of bed, looked out the cabin window and said “we are on the breakwater”. What!!! He yelled for the Captain to “start the engine” as we all jumped into our foul weather gear in 2 seconds flat, and got on deck. I had thought that we had drifted back only about 35 yards, and were pounding the stone island that was part of our protective anchorage. I was completely disoriented & when I figured out where we were, I was totally stunned to see that it was the harbor breakwater 1 ¾ miles away. This is like drifting from Alameda out across the bay and into Treasure Island, missing tankers, cargo ships, and the bridge! Brian raised the anchor chain hoping to pull us off the mole (breakwater), but only found a missing anchor. Yikes. I rigged towing lines and the captain called a MAYDAY as he couldn’t start the engine. After he knew help was on the way, Richard settled down long enough to properly get the engine running. The rescue boat (mayday) was cancelled, & Brian behind the wheel, drove us off the rocks, and into the nearby Marina we had left only some 30 hours earlier. Sitting at the dock, at 3:30 am, we began to realize how lucky we were to drift onto the inside breakwater wall. If we had missed it, we would have drifted to the other side of the bay, which had 20 foot seas breaking onto shallow rock reefs and all would have been lost.
Monday, November 16, 2009
La Coruna
It only took us 30 hours to go 15nm, and despite being totally pissed off about that, grumpy, and tired, I stunk! Making a quick decision not to anchor out first, when we hit the dock I was off and running, shower bag in hand. 7 nights & 8 days, the kitty got a bath. I had grown a whole new coat of fur! Okay, too much info. Anyhow, getting a shower these days is a big event for me (us). Next up, the laundry mat, I was well, out of underwear. Laundry wasn't to be, as we needed Propane/Butane for the stove/grill/oven first. Yeah, we were out of that too!
Clean, but still a little off due to the state of the cloths, nothing some perfume couldn't handle, we were in a cab with the gas bottle in hand. "Oui", I mean "Ci", what language are we speaking again? Oh, Espanola - "claro"!
Anyhoo, we arrived just in time for siesta! Great, not really, as we were on the edge of town with no real options of anything to do. As we waited for the "big boss" to come back we waged our odds on getting the English UK Butane bottle actually filled, as we looked out on a sea of orange Propane ones. It wasn't looking good and after some "Spanglish" (discussion), the main man just gave us a whole new bottle. No contract, no payment, except for the propane gas of course. However, the gas cost us half what the taxi ride did! So 30 euros total, at least we could now cook (all the stuff that was in the freezer which thawed out from our "power issue").
La Coruna is a modern, very proud city of around 300,000 inhabitants. As it goes in most places we have been, town was just close enough, but still about a 15min walk away. That was of course, after walking the 5 - 10 minutes down the dock. Yeah, we were way out there.
After we had taken multiple showers, did all the wash, we thoroughly explored this seaside city. For a big place it sure had a very small feel. We ate tapas, did some shopping, and took just a few pics (to be posted later). As our main goal was to clean, rest, & fix a couple pressing problems, we spent the next couple of days doing deck work & procuring supplies. I, of course, went to the Super Mercado to procure some cheese - Meow! Brian shouted more fish, every time (and for almost every meal).
The marina was only 1 year old and very nice. Lots of people and boats coming in due to weather, and going out to beat anticipated storms. As well as meeting several other cruisers, we also met some locals. Bring on the salsa dancing (Irene says). Well, in the end Brian and I just couldn't hang. It was 1:30 am and we were sitting in a traditional Spanish bar, waiting til it was "late enough" to go to the club. What?!!! We had to beg off at 2 am. Am I getting old or .... I guess if I have to ask then it's a YES. Hmmm. Either way, the scene isn't happening until 2:30 am or so, and goes to about 6:30am (if you leave early) or 8:30am. Crazy, fun, but you have to be in the right mind frame.
Being winter and wet conditions, we were looking at our options to get south on a daily basis. Thirteen days later, 2 new batteries, and some bits & bobs, we were off. And, we were ready to go as we were all looking forward to the better weather one gets the more south you move.
Clean, but still a little off due to the state of the cloths, nothing some perfume couldn't handle, we were in a cab with the gas bottle in hand. "Oui", I mean "Ci", what language are we speaking again? Oh, Espanola - "claro"!
Anyhoo, we arrived just in time for siesta! Great, not really, as we were on the edge of town with no real options of anything to do. As we waited for the "big boss" to come back we waged our odds on getting the English UK Butane bottle actually filled, as we looked out on a sea of orange Propane ones. It wasn't looking good and after some "Spanglish" (discussion), the main man just gave us a whole new bottle. No contract, no payment, except for the propane gas of course. However, the gas cost us half what the taxi ride did! So 30 euros total, at least we could now cook (all the stuff that was in the freezer which thawed out from our "power issue").
La Coruna is a modern, very proud city of around 300,000 inhabitants. As it goes in most places we have been, town was just close enough, but still about a 15min walk away. That was of course, after walking the 5 - 10 minutes down the dock. Yeah, we were way out there.
After we had taken multiple showers, did all the wash, we thoroughly explored this seaside city. For a big place it sure had a very small feel. We ate tapas, did some shopping, and took just a few pics (to be posted later). As our main goal was to clean, rest, & fix a couple pressing problems, we spent the next couple of days doing deck work & procuring supplies. I, of course, went to the Super Mercado to procure some cheese - Meow! Brian shouted more fish, every time (and for almost every meal).
The marina was only 1 year old and very nice. Lots of people and boats coming in due to weather, and going out to beat anticipated storms. As well as meeting several other cruisers, we also met some locals. Bring on the salsa dancing (Irene says). Well, in the end Brian and I just couldn't hang. It was 1:30 am and we were sitting in a traditional Spanish bar, waiting til it was "late enough" to go to the club. What?!!! We had to beg off at 2 am. Am I getting old or .... I guess if I have to ask then it's a YES. Hmmm. Either way, the scene isn't happening until 2:30 am or so, and goes to about 6:30am (if you leave early) or 8:30am. Crazy, fun, but you have to be in the right mind frame.
Being winter and wet conditions, we were looking at our options to get south on a daily basis. Thirteen days later, 2 new batteries, and some bits & bobs, we were off. And, we were ready to go as we were all looking forward to the better weather one gets the more south you move.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Some Quotable Moments
"We've accomplished more challenging projects, then putting the Bung in the Bung hole." - Irene
"You've heard about the slow boat to China, well this one is going to Australia." -Kat
"I'm going to humanize. It takes a lot to go from Hobbit to Human." - Richard
"I've resorted to growing micro bacterial (bugs) in my coffee cup for extra protein." (Said in reference to being on a more veggie diet than normal.) -Richard
"We are so gonna kill some rats tonight." - Irene
"A lot of ventilation's" (in reference to voicing issues) - Irene
"You named the mouse - Raticus Maximus? This is not good" (In response to Richard and the uninvited rodent on board) - Kat
"You've heard about the slow boat to China, well this one is going to Australia." -Kat
"I'm going to humanize. It takes a lot to go from Hobbit to Human." - Richard
"I've resorted to growing micro bacterial (bugs) in my coffee cup for extra protein." (Said in reference to being on a more veggie diet than normal.) -Richard
"We are so gonna kill some rats tonight." - Irene
"A lot of ventilation's" (in reference to voicing issues) - Irene
"You named the mouse - Raticus Maximus? This is not good" (In response to Richard and the uninvited rodent on board) - Kat
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bay of Biscay
We did it! Finally, only 4 months later than we originally planned (back in the early part of July). We first tried jumping off from Brest (well, Camaret- 8 km away, close enough) and turned around an hour out due to swell and 28kt winds! After exposing many weakness and breaking a few things in this short time, and lacking spares, we spent the next day in Camaret doing last minute stuff. The next attempt followed the day after that. The plan was to just go further down the coast. We looked at the tides & weather, and planned for a 55 nm day trip to Pte. de Penmarc'h, with a bail out plan at 22nm in Audierne. With a 5 kt tide in our favor, and 20 - 25 kt breeze, we were confident.
No such luck, as the breeze was on the nose & we were 1 hour late for slack tide so we had to fight a current that, when running full force is 3 times stronger than the Golden gate. After motorsailing in for 1 hour we made it around the point and out of the bay. Since we had lost so much time we bailed out at Audierne, France - Only 22 Nautical miles in 10 hours. That's a 2.2 kt SOG (speed over the ground). Those of you who are boaties know this sucks! Also, as we would come to find out, the boat is a slug!
We found a cute little anchorage that happened to be the ferry turning basin, but who knew? It was dark when we pulled in and hid from the storm. The next day we hiked 5k into town, picking up some delicious cheese, having coffee, and being reminded that every shop closes for a 3 hour mid day nap, or something like that. We readied ourselves for the journey that lied ahead, beginning the following day. As it would turn out, the weather was absolutely beautiful, but still chilly.
Watch schedule was set and now being a veteran, I would be standing watch solo. I did this once from Fowey to Brest, but it’s still a bit nerve-racking. So, doing night shift by oneself gives a lot of time to sort out your head, or be totally bored! Then Van Morrison’s song “Into the Mystic” comes on my iPod – “We were born before the wind…… sail into the mystic”! So apropos. As my mind started to wander the following thoughts ran through my head.
-Thinking about that movie “Whale Rider” and how it was the little girl (with the gift) all along. And just how strong women are in general.
-How slow this boat is going and why it’s so slow. Captain Richard’s theory of the legend of a giant squid attached to the bottom of the boat, reducing our speed by 2-3 kts was, well, just not holding water. The boat just had a mud bath for months in England and that bottom should be smooth and silky!
-Brian and I are destination driven people. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the journey, but I like to get places to. This speed is just too slow for us. I like to see progress, and not look down at 211 NM to go with my heart sink. (That’s like 55 hours at 4 kts.)
-How Richard said he didn’t want to “blow” past things/places. Well, their is no danger in that happening at average speeds of 3- 4 knots/hour!
-How we were in a big blue watery abyss of nothingness. Nothing but water for hundreds of miles around you. It was kind of neat, definitely a very unique perspective.
-How cool the dolphins that came and played in our bow wake are. So beautiful, so fast, so curious
-Only making 5 knots in 25 knot breeze. Hmmmmm…
-Dave Matthews song “Ants Marching” (I think that’s the title), and the lyrics “Take these chances” & “words unsaid are crimes” – so true. We get older and stop risking ourselves, our souls, and our thoughts. This truly is a crime because when we stop doing this, people cease to know the real you and we become a just another cog in the big machine of the “Man”. Personal growth and enrichment, it takes effort!
-11pm – 1am shift: Hove to 3 times! (Wind on the wrong side of the sails). We did only have very light winds which makes the helm virtually impossible to control. The first time took me 20 minutes to correct, the second only 5 minutes, and the third, well, I just tacked her over – screw it we needed to go that direction anyhow. Oh, and I made a total of -0.1 nm. Yeah, that’s a negative way.
-5am – 7am shift: woke up pissed off, dark, no helm due to light winds, no compass that worked. The moon had just set and it was now cloudy, only a handheld GPS that needed fresh batteries to steer by. It lags so far behind(15 to 30 sec) that you are too late when you go to correct. No AIS(a big ship finder), no Autopilot, no compass oh yeah, we got those things; they just aren’t hooked up (installed)! Plus, a brand new wind indicator that is useless– *face palm* No power – yes a very grumpy kitty indeed!
-Why does the generator (our back up power source that was being used as our primary source of power since we needed batteries & a voltage regulator) always run on my shifts?
-7am – 10am shift: Light winds again. Made 2nm/hour. I can swim faster than that! Oh yeah, I have. Sun came up at 9am with pre dawn light at 8am. So, it was dark for most of my morning “day shift”.
-How difficult it is to write while sailing. It’s like trying to write while in the car. I hope I can read my own notes!
-3am – 5am night shift (Oct 27th): Standing watch alone in 25kt winds is like running a 10k with your arms while being on fear factor! Oh and dad, you would have been puking your brains out! After taking 2 days of sea sickness medication & eating some yogurt covered crystallized ginger, I still wasn’t 100% myself. 2 hours at the wheel was enough & I was ready to go lie down!
So that’s what’s in the kitty brain, you say! We left on Oct 25th around 10am and arrived 6 days, 5 nights later, on Oct. 30, 2009 in La Coruňa, Spain. We were only 35nm off the coast on day 4 but spent the next 48 hours trying to make our way in, due to wind (light and on the nose), power (as in, we really didn’t have any – batteries were duff), and fuel (lack of fuel filters, old diesel, etc.) issues. In the mean time we ran out of propane for the stove too – Great, not really. Meow!
On the positive, we made it safe and sound.
No such luck, as the breeze was on the nose & we were 1 hour late for slack tide so we had to fight a current that, when running full force is 3 times stronger than the Golden gate. After motorsailing in for 1 hour we made it around the point and out of the bay. Since we had lost so much time we bailed out at Audierne, France - Only 22 Nautical miles in 10 hours. That's a 2.2 kt SOG (speed over the ground). Those of you who are boaties know this sucks! Also, as we would come to find out, the boat is a slug!
We found a cute little anchorage that happened to be the ferry turning basin, but who knew? It was dark when we pulled in and hid from the storm. The next day we hiked 5k into town, picking up some delicious cheese, having coffee, and being reminded that every shop closes for a 3 hour mid day nap, or something like that. We readied ourselves for the journey that lied ahead, beginning the following day. As it would turn out, the weather was absolutely beautiful, but still chilly.
Watch schedule was set and now being a veteran, I would be standing watch solo. I did this once from Fowey to Brest, but it’s still a bit nerve-racking. So, doing night shift by oneself gives a lot of time to sort out your head, or be totally bored! Then Van Morrison’s song “Into the Mystic” comes on my iPod – “We were born before the wind…… sail into the mystic”! So apropos. As my mind started to wander the following thoughts ran through my head.
-Thinking about that movie “Whale Rider” and how it was the little girl (with the gift) all along. And just how strong women are in general.
-How slow this boat is going and why it’s so slow. Captain Richard’s theory of the legend of a giant squid attached to the bottom of the boat, reducing our speed by 2-3 kts was, well, just not holding water. The boat just had a mud bath for months in England and that bottom should be smooth and silky!
-Brian and I are destination driven people. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the journey, but I like to get places to. This speed is just too slow for us. I like to see progress, and not look down at 211 NM to go with my heart sink. (That’s like 55 hours at 4 kts.)
-How Richard said he didn’t want to “blow” past things/places. Well, their is no danger in that happening at average speeds of 3- 4 knots/hour!
-How we were in a big blue watery abyss of nothingness. Nothing but water for hundreds of miles around you. It was kind of neat, definitely a very unique perspective.
-How cool the dolphins that came and played in our bow wake are. So beautiful, so fast, so curious
-Only making 5 knots in 25 knot breeze. Hmmmmm…
-Dave Matthews song “Ants Marching” (I think that’s the title), and the lyrics “Take these chances” & “words unsaid are crimes” – so true. We get older and stop risking ourselves, our souls, and our thoughts. This truly is a crime because when we stop doing this, people cease to know the real you and we become a just another cog in the big machine of the “Man”. Personal growth and enrichment, it takes effort!
-11pm – 1am shift: Hove to 3 times! (Wind on the wrong side of the sails). We did only have very light winds which makes the helm virtually impossible to control. The first time took me 20 minutes to correct, the second only 5 minutes, and the third, well, I just tacked her over – screw it we needed to go that direction anyhow. Oh, and I made a total of -0.1 nm. Yeah, that’s a negative way.
-5am – 7am shift: woke up pissed off, dark, no helm due to light winds, no compass that worked. The moon had just set and it was now cloudy, only a handheld GPS that needed fresh batteries to steer by. It lags so far behind(15 to 30 sec) that you are too late when you go to correct. No AIS(a big ship finder), no Autopilot, no compass oh yeah, we got those things; they just aren’t hooked up (installed)! Plus, a brand new wind indicator that is useless– *face palm* No power – yes a very grumpy kitty indeed!
-Why does the generator (our back up power source that was being used as our primary source of power since we needed batteries & a voltage regulator) always run on my shifts?
-7am – 10am shift: Light winds again. Made 2nm/hour. I can swim faster than that! Oh yeah, I have. Sun came up at 9am with pre dawn light at 8am. So, it was dark for most of my morning “day shift”.
-How difficult it is to write while sailing. It’s like trying to write while in the car. I hope I can read my own notes!
-3am – 5am night shift (Oct 27th): Standing watch alone in 25kt winds is like running a 10k with your arms while being on fear factor! Oh and dad, you would have been puking your brains out! After taking 2 days of sea sickness medication & eating some yogurt covered crystallized ginger, I still wasn’t 100% myself. 2 hours at the wheel was enough & I was ready to go lie down!
So that’s what’s in the kitty brain, you say! We left on Oct 25th around 10am and arrived 6 days, 5 nights later, on Oct. 30, 2009 in La Coruňa, Spain. We were only 35nm off the coast on day 4 but spent the next 48 hours trying to make our way in, due to wind (light and on the nose), power (as in, we really didn’t have any – batteries were duff), and fuel (lack of fuel filters, old diesel, etc.) issues. In the mean time we ran out of propane for the stove too – Great, not really. Meow!
On the positive, we made it safe and sound.
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