Monday, May 17, 2010

Through Vanuatu!Restoration Next Stop

We had a windy night last night with water coming into the boat on regular occasions..a few sneaking up without warning and one nearly getting under the tent..no moon or stars as usual so very challenging on the helm with 3 mtr seas and some bigger sets but we were fast ..so who cares!!! we were doing 9 to 10kts on some of the waves but if you were in the tent it was very hard to get any sleep as the motion was very jerky..it is a funny move to get your wet gear off outside, slip into the tent before the next wave,try to suda cream your bum and put on some dry thermals before laying down on the damp lambswool..but who care!! we were headed west...

It has been a bit frustrating knowing Bligh is still out front.

I woke up this morning really hungry and for a split second thought I would get a big breakfast..then realized where I was..strange..still hungry all day today and we get only two biscuits for dinner..Chris just gave us the finger pricker to check blood Glucose and everyone is normal so things can't be too bad.

For all those giving us ideas on our solar panel problems I forgot to mention that our multimeter spat the dummy..which makes it hard to track problems..anyway Margie has organized a couple of flexi panels from Chris Bray to be sent to Restoration Island just in case.

We hit the islands in Vanuatu pretty much as we expected early this morning which was good for DR nav and compass course..we had headed a little south of Bligh as there was the risk that we would have to stop for water on one of the islands..but now we have enough water on board for 3 liters a day!! cool

Dave P is starting to get an allergy to all the mold on the boat..a few are sneezing..yes there are some interesting clothing smells around as it is hard to air things..my Tilly hat has a nice layer of black spots!

The drama at the moment is our ships clocks..I have a very expensive 1882 pocket watch and another from 1834..both have gone on the blink..Bligh lost his watches on the Queensland coast...I have regular media calls and now have had to flash up our watches again!! Bligh wins again..Bummer

So the big topic for today was the various states of growth!! on face and head..the bald heads now have a small cover but Dave W beard is non existent..so too Chris..follow the pictures latter..as for me luckily we are not eating anything with gravy!! it would be all over my face fuzz!

Now the wind is 18kts from the SE,total cloud cover,1.5mtr sea,temp about 24c and we are making about 4kts so hopefully we will have a fast but comfortable dry night..the funny part about this next stage of the voyage is we just hold the one course all the way for the next two weeks..hopefully we will catch "HIM!" and make Restoration Island on the 29th??..we shall see....

Thanks to all those who joined the Talisker Bounty Boat Challenge and made a donation to SIF after starving for yesterday..hope it was fun..I am hungry right now!!...Don


4 comments:

Charlotte said...

I am all a bit confused by what was "planned" and what, in reality, is being done now. I thought there was not going to be any modern navigational equipment used, only the sextant, to navigate. Thought no flashlights or torches, no watches, no stops for the first 28 days...the list goes on. Glad to know everyone is safe and sound, but I am wondering about alot of this. Calls twice a day to Margie? The "reason: given seems only to be, "Bligh wins again." Hmmmm....

Anonymous said...

loving your blog, keep smiling and sliming....

Steve
NZ

Anonymous said...

How can we talk to the Bounty crew if they don't get our comments? What's the point?

Patron of Sheffield Institute Foundation said...

Dear Charlotte,
Further to my answers to previous comments,
There is normally no communication from land to the Talisker Bounty Boat, unless there is some kind of emergency, loosing the voltage from the solar panels is not good news, and Don could not get through via the normal channels to publish the blog so he spoke via sat phone. and Margie passed his blog to me, to be published.I normally get the blog sent direct to me here in the U.K.
The watches that he carries are very similar to the watches that Bligh carried. They are from about the same period. they are not chronometers!
The TBB is now heading for "RESTORATION ISLAND" not resolution Island!
RESTORATION ISLAND IS off The North East coast of Australia.
Please keep commenting as the crew will read all blogs at the end of there journey, a book will be written, your comments a vital to set the adventures record straight. There will also a documentary, So please do comment and be part of this brave adventure.
Thank you all, Stuart the Moderator