Well they look like the trade winds , smell like the trade winds, feel like the trade winds but I am still not convinced they are..the clouds and fog/mist/haze make me a little cautious but who cares..the sailing is great!..last night and the night before had us moving at 5 to 7kts with no water on deck a few stars and the start of the moon ..it was just too exciting to think about sleep so there were long conversations in the shimmering light..the days we a bit lumpy and the 25kt winds dropped off leaving strange seas for awhile and makes us think there are some current eddies that will sometimes go against us..last night the seas were way down in relation to the wind strength so we suspect we had a strong current going with us..but we will not really know till we find Australia soon..we think there is about 1035miles to go so still Chasing Bligh?
The routine continues watch after watch and for the first time I am starting to sense a loss on energy not moving around but when I go to get up after sleeping etc..my food intake is very little..same as the others but Dave W and I usually only take one Biscuit morning and night..but do not feel hungry..strange..BUT!! I was annoyed today when I lost my LUNCH??
Chris is excellent on the helm but he will only watch the compass and is not aware of what is happening around the boat..I have for many days been trying to get him to watch the clouds ,waves and sails to get the feel for the Boat..under protest at night he has to if it is dark and we all hate that unless there are stars out...but during the day he still stares at the compass...and not his surroundings..anyway about an hour before lunch I had a go at him and said watch the sails and the boat but he said NO ..he likes staring at the compass and daydreaming!!
So lunch was all served into our mugs..nuts raisins and apricots..Chris is on the helm ..staring at the compass and wallop!! he missed a wave and did not recover fast enough ..the boat went down the wave came into the cockpit..and my lunch went into the bilge..others over the seat under the tent..
I recovered three apricots from the bilge water and ate them but as Dave W has a pussy foot infection and there are lots of other grimy bits around the rest was committed to the deep..everyone had a go at Chris..he said it was his first wave and continued staring at the compass!!..he had his lunch which was saved...so a bit more training required there..he is a worker though so all part of a package which is very good..I am pleading for a few apricots for dinner tonight...there was not going to be any as it was not one of the five nights for dinner but a bird landed on the main Yard so that allows us to have a small can of turkey luncheon meat!! Yippppeee!!
All very gray as I write..a 2 mtr confused sea but yesterday was a 120 mile day and today another 124 mile day so we will put up with anything..Dave W is having real trouble reading the compass at night as he has the wrong glasses and to his horror I made him aware that as his hair is growing out from being shaved about 25% are coming back Grey!!..he is impressed with that!
We have all been caught by random waves today taking a drenching..Dave P caught a big one while sleeping in the bilge..I got mine while on the helm this morning so the salt grime is slowly working through things..we are just so happy to have caught that water days ago..we have had no rain since.
Yesterday we passed a huge container ship about six miles away..the sea was big but he saw us and it was good to chat with him..he was going to check out the web site after the call....Oopps...Just had a wave crash over the boat and Dave W was laying on the life raft..he is now VERY wet..he was too scared to lay in the bilge but it got him anyway..tonight could be fun??
Wind about 15kts ..sea 2.5mtr..total cloud..temp 22c...sea warm!!..BOAT SPEED 5.5kts...way to go!...Don
The routine continues watch after watch and for the first time I am starting to sense a loss on energy not moving around but when I go to get up after sleeping etc..my food intake is very little..same as the others but Dave W and I usually only take one Biscuit morning and night..but do not feel hungry..strange..BUT!! I was annoyed today when I lost my LUNCH??
Chris is excellent on the helm but he will only watch the compass and is not aware of what is happening around the boat..I have for many days been trying to get him to watch the clouds ,waves and sails to get the feel for the Boat..under protest at night he has to if it is dark and we all hate that unless there are stars out...but during the day he still stares at the compass...and not his surroundings..anyway about an hour before lunch I had a go at him and said watch the sails and the boat but he said NO ..he likes staring at the compass and daydreaming!!
So lunch was all served into our mugs..nuts raisins and apricots..Chris is on the helm ..staring at the compass and wallop!! he missed a wave and did not recover fast enough ..the boat went down the wave came into the cockpit..and my lunch went into the bilge..others over the seat under the tent..
I recovered three apricots from the bilge water and ate them but as Dave W has a pussy foot infection and there are lots of other grimy bits around the rest was committed to the deep..everyone had a go at Chris..he said it was his first wave and continued staring at the compass!!..he had his lunch which was saved...so a bit more training required there..he is a worker though so all part of a package which is very good..I am pleading for a few apricots for dinner tonight...there was not going to be any as it was not one of the five nights for dinner but a bird landed on the main Yard so that allows us to have a small can of turkey luncheon meat!! Yippppeee!!
All very gray as I write..a 2 mtr confused sea but yesterday was a 120 mile day and today another 124 mile day so we will put up with anything..Dave W is having real trouble reading the compass at night as he has the wrong glasses and to his horror I made him aware that as his hair is growing out from being shaved about 25% are coming back Grey!!..he is impressed with that!
We have all been caught by random waves today taking a drenching..Dave P caught a big one while sleeping in the bilge..I got mine while on the helm this morning so the salt grime is slowly working through things..we are just so happy to have caught that water days ago..we have had no rain since.
Yesterday we passed a huge container ship about six miles away..the sea was big but he saw us and it was good to chat with him..he was going to check out the web site after the call....Oopps...Just had a wave crash over the boat and Dave W was laying on the life raft..he is now VERY wet..he was too scared to lay in the bilge but it got him anyway..tonight could be fun??
Wind about 15kts ..sea 2.5mtr..total cloud..temp 22c...sea warm!!..BOAT SPEED 5.5kts...way to go!...Don
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2 comments:
I stuffed it up again - The Island they are headed for is 1928 Km's Nor West of Brisbane not Qld.........sorry, am 45 and have snior moments kicking in!! MJ
Losing your lunch can't be ideal especially when it is so little and precious .....must admit though, I was relieved to hear you lost it that way and not through some regurgitating situation which is what I expected when I saw that line in blog!!!
Chris - watch the bloody waves!!! and sometimes the compass:-)
Wow these guys have a long way to go and are just a little speck in the ocean out there - can anyone help drum up some more support??? Container ship passing them must have, and would have, thought they were nuts.. and they are. I am trying to drum up support here in Brisbane but it is tough..............Anyway agree with William Watson - would be awesome if they could read our Blogs cos that would be huge encouragement but also understand why they can't! Have a great weekend all. (I just have a new phone (blackberry) that totally baffles me! It's so cool cos I send text msgs to people which are pretty much illiterate and then just say sorry blame it on the phone..........works a treat!! But now people have realised I have had it for a week or two so have to start spelling etc correctly and work it .goddammit!! Spent the first week getting text msgs from people saying "who is this"!!cos I was sending messages to people I didn't mean to................ Slowly but surely getting it sussed! To those that got random messages - well p too bad!!
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