Day 14: Position 02*57N 124*54W
&
Day 15: 01*23N 125*58W
Exiting the ITCZ and nearing the Equator... few to no squalls now. Wind on the nose and 2 knots of current against us. Shameless as we are we turned the key and started the engine. And the next day there was absolutely NO WIND – none. Zilch. Zero. Nada, Nothing. Occasionally a burst of 2 knots coming from somewhere sent us running to the bow to raise the spinnaker... only to watch it flop and flail and snap... and so we lowered her – again. As we have been keeping track of all the boat in our small flotilla to French Polynesia, I recorded that many boats above the Equator were motor sailing – anywhere between 05.00N and below 02.00N to 123.00W and 129.00W.
We used this time to tighten the puckerstring on the headsail's leech – close to the head there was flutter we didn't like. We also checked all lines for chafe – found some bad areas. We cut chafed line off and used some sail tape for chafe guard... worse area on the sheet where we have been poling out the jib. And my new dinghy chaps have been rubbed clear through in one spot where we have her secured on the davits. We re-adjusted the dinghy and I will repair the chaps once we are at anchor.
In the evening Day 15 we got a beautiful SE breeze that filled the spinny full and sent us racing ahead quietly at 5 knots. It was so nice that we dared to spinny through the night... a choice we regretted 4 hours later. I was woken from my sleep by Carolyne who alerted me the captain needed help. I quickly donned my harness and ran on deck. Except for the tack and the clew, the spinnaker and douser were completely in the water and being dragged behind us. Jim and I heaved and hoed until it was back on board – no halyard was found. The only explanation is that the shackle broke, the halyard chafed through or that the shackle pin loosed. Getting that halyard back down is going to be a nightmare – as we are no longer flat calm.
Luckily we have the genoa – so furled her out and kept on going.
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Sunday, April 20, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Day 12 & 13
Day 12 & 13
Our fresh provisions are coming to an end. I attended a seminar in La Cruz on how to prepare fruit and veggies for sailing voyages – what to do to them to make them last longer unrefrigerated. In the end, this is what we brought with us, this is what we did to them, and this is the result:
1. TOMATOES: I bought a flat of green tomatoes, did NOT wash them, wrapped each individually in paper towels and stored them in a plastic vegetable crate stacked neatly in the shower (the best dark and cool spot Jim and I could think of). Had I not been an eager beaver and bought them a full week before we actually left they would still be in excellent condition. But wonderful weather windows do not show themselves weeks ahead, so I took my chances. Now they are on their last leg. We've sliced and dried them, we've made fresh sauces and salsas – and lots of summer salads.
2. CABBAGES: We kept all the outer leaves on the cabbages and stored them in a green, plastic mesh bag forward. We didn't wash them. They lasted 2 weeks before getting smelly and contracting mold. I think we should have removed the ugly outer leaves as we went along.
3. POTATOES: We preferred to purchase unwashed potatoes, but couldn't find any. We stored these separately in a plastic veggie crate and in the shower. They are still nice and firm and no eyes.
4. GRAPEFRUIT: We only bought a few, did nothing to them and ate them within 2 weeks time.
5. LIMES: We did nothing to them, stored them in a plastic crate in the shower with cucumbers, bell peppers, grapefruit, avocados and pears. They are turning yellow, but are fine. If they begin to get hard I was told to drop them in some boiling water for a few minutes and they will be plump enough to squeeze.
6. BELL PEPPERS: Have lasted 2 weeks in the plastic veg container, although they have turned red and are very wrinkly.
7. PEARS: Bought very hard and threw the last 2 away 3 days ago.
8. CUCUMBERS: Washed, dried well and wrapped individually in paper towels – put in veg trays in shower. Have turned a bit yellow, but have remained crisp and flavorful.
9. ONIONS: I removed the ugly outer skins on the red and yellow onions , stuck them in a white muslin bag and stored in the bottom of the locker where we throw our dirty laundry. I check every so often and if there is a moldy patch or bruised area, I remove that layer.
10. GALA APPLES: We removed the stickers, washed well and rinsed and dried, and stored in hanging hammocks with other dry goods – no other fruits or veggies. They are still juicy and crunchy 2 weeks later.
11. ZUCCHINI: Didn't last a week. Wrapped in paper towels and stored in stackable veg trays. They got ugly spots on the outside and turned orange on the inside. Will refrigerate next time.
The produce we decided to refrigerate were lettuce, carrots, celery, avocados and cilantro. A day or so before we want to eat the avocados I remove one or two from the fridge and stick in the veg trays in the shower to ripen.
The kimchi we made several weeks ago is FABULOUS! The taste is pretty strong now – the garlic, radishes and the few Serrano peppers have infused and give it a hot-ish flavor without being too spicy. It is absolutely delicious. It is still in its 5 gallon air tight container in the shower – no refrigeration. Of course, if you hate sauerkraut you will likely not have love for kimchi. But it is such a great source of nutrition for cruisers. Don't forget that you can make fermented veg in much smaller batches.
And as of Day 13, we are motor sailing for the first time in almost 2 weeks - through the ITCZ. Wind is now on the nose from the south and we have a current against us. After conferring with our weather guru, we have decided to make a B-line to 2*N latitude and try to shake the moving target. We've altered course slightly west to gain some speed. Very squally conditions – thankfully no thunder or lightening.
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Our fresh provisions are coming to an end. I attended a seminar in La Cruz on how to prepare fruit and veggies for sailing voyages – what to do to them to make them last longer unrefrigerated. In the end, this is what we brought with us, this is what we did to them, and this is the result:
1. TOMATOES: I bought a flat of green tomatoes, did NOT wash them, wrapped each individually in paper towels and stored them in a plastic vegetable crate stacked neatly in the shower (the best dark and cool spot Jim and I could think of). Had I not been an eager beaver and bought them a full week before we actually left they would still be in excellent condition. But wonderful weather windows do not show themselves weeks ahead, so I took my chances. Now they are on their last leg. We've sliced and dried them, we've made fresh sauces and salsas – and lots of summer salads.
2. CABBAGES: We kept all the outer leaves on the cabbages and stored them in a green, plastic mesh bag forward. We didn't wash them. They lasted 2 weeks before getting smelly and contracting mold. I think we should have removed the ugly outer leaves as we went along.
3. POTATOES: We preferred to purchase unwashed potatoes, but couldn't find any. We stored these separately in a plastic veggie crate and in the shower. They are still nice and firm and no eyes.
4. GRAPEFRUIT: We only bought a few, did nothing to them and ate them within 2 weeks time.
5. LIMES: We did nothing to them, stored them in a plastic crate in the shower with cucumbers, bell peppers, grapefruit, avocados and pears. They are turning yellow, but are fine. If they begin to get hard I was told to drop them in some boiling water for a few minutes and they will be plump enough to squeeze.
6. BELL PEPPERS: Have lasted 2 weeks in the plastic veg container, although they have turned red and are very wrinkly.
7. PEARS: Bought very hard and threw the last 2 away 3 days ago.
8. CUCUMBERS: Washed, dried well and wrapped individually in paper towels – put in veg trays in shower. Have turned a bit yellow, but have remained crisp and flavorful.
9. ONIONS: I removed the ugly outer skins on the red and yellow onions , stuck them in a white muslin bag and stored in the bottom of the locker where we throw our dirty laundry. I check every so often and if there is a moldy patch or bruised area, I remove that layer.
10. GALA APPLES: We removed the stickers, washed well and rinsed and dried, and stored in hanging hammocks with other dry goods – no other fruits or veggies. They are still juicy and crunchy 2 weeks later.
11. ZUCCHINI: Didn't last a week. Wrapped in paper towels and stored in stackable veg trays. They got ugly spots on the outside and turned orange on the inside. Will refrigerate next time.
The produce we decided to refrigerate were lettuce, carrots, celery, avocados and cilantro. A day or so before we want to eat the avocados I remove one or two from the fridge and stick in the veg trays in the shower to ripen.
The kimchi we made several weeks ago is FABULOUS! The taste is pretty strong now – the garlic, radishes and the few Serrano peppers have infused and give it a hot-ish flavor without being too spicy. It is absolutely delicious. It is still in its 5 gallon air tight container in the shower – no refrigeration. Of course, if you hate sauerkraut you will likely not have love for kimchi. But it is such a great source of nutrition for cruisers. Don't forget that you can make fermented veg in much smaller batches.
And as of Day 13, we are motor sailing for the first time in almost 2 weeks - through the ITCZ. Wind is now on the nose from the south and we have a current against us. After conferring with our weather guru, we have decided to make a B-line to 2*N latitude and try to shake the moving target. We've altered course slightly west to gain some speed. Very squally conditions – thankfully no thunder or lightening.
----------
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Thursday, April 17, 2014
Day 10 & 11
Day 10 & 11
My husband is a super stud! He ran a 10 gauge wire to juice up the autopilot. It had actually begun shutting itself off several times during the night even after the batteries were fully charged – and I will tell you that it is a horrific feeling. Jim did a lot of reading, some tweaking with the settings and tinkering with the Ram. I can't tell you how relieved we all are that his methods made all the difference in the world! The unit is actually running beautifully now. None of us would ever consider doing this passage without an autopilot on purpose – never.
I, on the other hand, had one of those days. The eggs wriggled free of their bonds and a dozen or so of them plunged over the lee cloth to their deaths from the top bunk, smashing themselves and ruining our lovely cabbages. That was a very icky mess. The back of Nav Station swivel chair broke so I glued and hammered it back together fearing that if I didn't do so right away that one of us might become impaled on the sharp pieces of wood spindles sticking out. As I was working away on the chair, the seat of my pants became wet... a BIG wave had hit the side of the boat and water saturated our bed, linens, pillows and settee cushions... because an itty bitty port hole was open to let in some fresh breeze. After that I took a fresh water shower so that the rest of me didn't stink like my day. I went to my drawer to get some fresh, clean clothes – and everything in it was wet. Yet another leak.
I have asked Carolyne to write a little something to share – from a teenager's perspective. She sleeps a lot these days. (If nothing follows this sentence in this paragraph it is because I haven't received anything – probably because she is still in bed!)
We are half way there!! We should be crossing the equator in a couple days. We are thrilled with the Tartan – she sails fabulously despite our attempts to make her do things that defy physics. We are continually learning how to sail her better and under what conditions. Jim and I are actually sailing her 'together' – and I am anticipating what he wants me to do without him having to ask. That is like... well, HUGE for us. In addition, I no longer am the cockpit sailor. On my night watches, if a squall is coming and I have to furl in the jib – then I do so. We have actually caught up with and passed several boats that left La Cruz a couple of days before we did. Not that this is a race... but... ;)
And I am now going to go enjoy a little fresh breeze – in the cockpit. Because all the port holes are closed... and will remain closed.
My husband is a super stud! He ran a 10 gauge wire to juice up the autopilot. It had actually begun shutting itself off several times during the night even after the batteries were fully charged – and I will tell you that it is a horrific feeling. Jim did a lot of reading, some tweaking with the settings and tinkering with the Ram. I can't tell you how relieved we all are that his methods made all the difference in the world! The unit is actually running beautifully now. None of us would ever consider doing this passage without an autopilot on purpose – never.
I, on the other hand, had one of those days. The eggs wriggled free of their bonds and a dozen or so of them plunged over the lee cloth to their deaths from the top bunk, smashing themselves and ruining our lovely cabbages. That was a very icky mess. The back of Nav Station swivel chair broke so I glued and hammered it back together fearing that if I didn't do so right away that one of us might become impaled on the sharp pieces of wood spindles sticking out. As I was working away on the chair, the seat of my pants became wet... a BIG wave had hit the side of the boat and water saturated our bed, linens, pillows and settee cushions... because an itty bitty port hole was open to let in some fresh breeze. After that I took a fresh water shower so that the rest of me didn't stink like my day. I went to my drawer to get some fresh, clean clothes – and everything in it was wet. Yet another leak.
I have asked Carolyne to write a little something to share – from a teenager's perspective. She sleeps a lot these days. (If nothing follows this sentence in this paragraph it is because I haven't received anything – probably because she is still in bed!)
We are half way there!! We should be crossing the equator in a couple days. We are thrilled with the Tartan – she sails fabulously despite our attempts to make her do things that defy physics. We are continually learning how to sail her better and under what conditions. Jim and I are actually sailing her 'together' – and I am anticipating what he wants me to do without him having to ask. That is like... well, HUGE for us. In addition, I no longer am the cockpit sailor. On my night watches, if a squall is coming and I have to furl in the jib – then I do so. We have actually caught up with and passed several boats that left La Cruz a couple of days before we did. Not that this is a race... but... ;)
And I am now going to go enjoy a little fresh breeze – in the cockpit. Because all the port holes are closed... and will remain closed.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Day 8-9
Day 8-9
This is our progress the last few days:
Wed 4/9... 14* 01N 112* 05W
Th 4/10... 13* 24N 113* 29W
Fr 4/11... 11* 57N 114* 50W
Sa 4/12... 11* 11N 116* 58W
Su 4/13... 10* 48N 119* 23W
Fortunately, the trades are now with us. 18-22 knots from the NE. We have gone 1070 miles.
Are we having fun? Not exactly. This is not my idea of fun. But most pilgrimages aren't. Most rites of passage require some discomfort. This is simply a means to an end. Going through "it" to get to the other side - it is all part of the process. Last night was rough. The main had 2 reefs in her and Jim partially furled the jib. We were still raging on (or so it felt) at 6.5 knots. It reminded me of sledding as a kid... lying on my belly and holding on for dear life as the vehicle beneath me surged and lunged and skidded off the sides – flying faster as she rounded corners and maneuvered over lumps... but the snow doesn't race behind you. It stays sedentary. The frothy rush of flexing waves, on the other hand, makes it feel like a giant roller coaster – inside a washing machine. Luckily, everyone has their sea legs and no one else has gotten sick since Day 1 & 2.
We run the generator everyday – very cloudy in the mornings and late afternoons. Otherwise, solar panels are keeping up in the afternoon. A few squalls – no lightening or thunder – just rain and lots of wind. We are trolling a fishing line when the seas subside, but so far have caught nothing.
I discovered how much I enjoy listening to audiobooks on my night watches. Jim has for years, but I never had the desire. This trip I collected as many audiobooks as I could and kick myself now for not doing it sooner. I just finished INFIDEL by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (my dear friend Jennifer recommended it). What an inspiration! What an incredible story! Jim also listened to it (narrated by the author) and we both felt that Carolyne should add it to her homeschool program so we can have a family discussion about it.
Jim and I both feel tired – not exhausted – just tired. With this wind, though, we'll arrive in Hiva Oa sooner than later. And that's okay by me!
This is our progress the last few days:
Wed 4/9... 14* 01N 112* 05W
Th 4/10... 13* 24N 113* 29W
Fr 4/11... 11* 57N 114* 50W
Sa 4/12... 11* 11N 116* 58W
Su 4/13... 10* 48N 119* 23W
Fortunately, the trades are now with us. 18-22 knots from the NE. We have gone 1070 miles.
Are we having fun? Not exactly. This is not my idea of fun. But most pilgrimages aren't. Most rites of passage require some discomfort. This is simply a means to an end. Going through "it" to get to the other side - it is all part of the process. Last night was rough. The main had 2 reefs in her and Jim partially furled the jib. We were still raging on (or so it felt) at 6.5 knots. It reminded me of sledding as a kid... lying on my belly and holding on for dear life as the vehicle beneath me surged and lunged and skidded off the sides – flying faster as she rounded corners and maneuvered over lumps... but the snow doesn't race behind you. It stays sedentary. The frothy rush of flexing waves, on the other hand, makes it feel like a giant roller coaster – inside a washing machine. Luckily, everyone has their sea legs and no one else has gotten sick since Day 1 & 2.
We run the generator everyday – very cloudy in the mornings and late afternoons. Otherwise, solar panels are keeping up in the afternoon. A few squalls – no lightening or thunder – just rain and lots of wind. We are trolling a fishing line when the seas subside, but so far have caught nothing.
I discovered how much I enjoy listening to audiobooks on my night watches. Jim has for years, but I never had the desire. This trip I collected as many audiobooks as I could and kick myself now for not doing it sooner. I just finished INFIDEL by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (my dear friend Jennifer recommended it). What an inspiration! What an incredible story! Jim also listened to it (narrated by the author) and we both felt that Carolyne should add it to her homeschool program so we can have a family discussion about it.
Jim and I both feel tired – not exhausted – just tired. With this wind, though, we'll arrive in Hiva Oa sooner than later. And that's okay by me!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Day 8
Day 8
We area about 1/3 of the way there. Pretty good news considering the trade winds have forsaken us. Last few days have been 8-10 knots. Finally today - we are headed downwind with some good wind on our tail. It's nice for a change.
Some things that we have discovered that we wish we could change that we want to share:
1. We put new non-skid on the decks last year and thought we were so smart using sand. We regret that choice. It is too abrasive. Jim's and my soles are raw, it hurts to crawl or crab walk when conditions are a little gnarly – and we don't care for the look of it even after we painted over it. Only upside is that you could dump a load of motor oil on deck and it is guaranteed that you won't slip.
2. Reefing system for the main was just not to our liking. Jim re-rigged it underway and now we are much happier. Before, we would just lower the main altogether. Now we can put 2 reefs in the main easily and without turning upwind. This is great prep for when the squalls sneak up on you! We had very little experience with that... until now.
3. If your mainsail has slides that run inside a track, I recommend seizing a stainless or brass slide on the luff of the main on the first slide at the headboard where the halyard raises the sail. In just 5 days, my brand new Delrin (sp?) plastic slide broke. There is so much torque there. Since the webbing is still in excellent condition, I located the ONLY stainless slide we have on board. They are pricey, but the upside is that I don't have to re-seize it to the sail... I can slide the pin through the webbing that is already there and slip the metal ringlet through the hole to hold it. Easy peasy! I wish I had several more of those.
4. Auto pilot controller – we really wish we had a new controller because ours reacts too slowly and doesn't seem to be efficient. But the cost was a huge deterrent. Still – now we wish we had spent the money as our auto pilot is giving us a hard time. She's working, but she yaws too much. And she is a tremendous power pig... guzzling our charged batteries as quick as she can.
5. If we decide to get a new mainsail, we will buy (or make) one with 2 full battens at the top and 2 partial battens below. A full battened main is a booger to work with... even with Tony Morrelli's lazy bag system.
We area about 1/3 of the way there. Pretty good news considering the trade winds have forsaken us. Last few days have been 8-10 knots. Finally today - we are headed downwind with some good wind on our tail. It's nice for a change.
Some things that we have discovered that we wish we could change that we want to share:
1. We put new non-skid on the decks last year and thought we were so smart using sand. We regret that choice. It is too abrasive. Jim's and my soles are raw, it hurts to crawl or crab walk when conditions are a little gnarly – and we don't care for the look of it even after we painted over it. Only upside is that you could dump a load of motor oil on deck and it is guaranteed that you won't slip.
2. Reefing system for the main was just not to our liking. Jim re-rigged it underway and now we are much happier. Before, we would just lower the main altogether. Now we can put 2 reefs in the main easily and without turning upwind. This is great prep for when the squalls sneak up on you! We had very little experience with that... until now.
3. If your mainsail has slides that run inside a track, I recommend seizing a stainless or brass slide on the luff of the main on the first slide at the headboard where the halyard raises the sail. In just 5 days, my brand new Delrin (sp?) plastic slide broke. There is so much torque there. Since the webbing is still in excellent condition, I located the ONLY stainless slide we have on board. They are pricey, but the upside is that I don't have to re-seize it to the sail... I can slide the pin through the webbing that is already there and slip the metal ringlet through the hole to hold it. Easy peasy! I wish I had several more of those.
4. Auto pilot controller – we really wish we had a new controller because ours reacts too slowly and doesn't seem to be efficient. But the cost was a huge deterrent. Still – now we wish we had spent the money as our auto pilot is giving us a hard time. She's working, but she yaws too much. And she is a tremendous power pig... guzzling our charged batteries as quick as she can.
5. If we decide to get a new mainsail, we will buy (or make) one with 2 full battens at the top and 2 partial battens below. A full battened main is a booger to work with... even with Tony Morrelli's lazy bag system.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Day 6 and 7
Day 6 (Jim says Day 5)
Another cloudy day with winds all over the board as light and as variable as bunny farts. (Thank you Garth <sv Irish Diplomacy>, for the furry simile!) After battling the fickle flows all morning and afternoon, we opted to change course and head south where at least we won't be tacking and jibing all through the night every 15 minutes while the wind decides whether it wants to burp left, right or center. We decided not to fly the spinnaker at night and instead wing-and-wing it down on a S-SW course. Generator cranked right up today so we could flush the watermaker and charge our Androids and Kindles where we have oodles of reading material stored. I did manage to toss out a fishing line, but didn't catch even the dumbest one due to our speed being way too slow.
Day 7 (Jim says Day 6)
Spinnaker is up and the sun is shining!
Our night watches are in synch now. Carolyne takes the 8pm – 12:30pm, Jim does 12:30 – 3am (but he lays in the cockpit while Carolyne is doing her watch) and I take 3am until whenever Jim gets up... usually around 8 or 8:30am.
Jim tossed the fishing line in while I took a cool shower – with the light breezes and southwest route it is getting invariably warmer and sweatier. Just as I was drying off I heard Jim jump on the deck and head aft – which means he caught a fish! Except there was no fish – there was a darn Boobie bird's feathered fanny caught in the line. Carolyne reeled the fouled fowl in while Jim grabbed leather gloves and pliers. I held the bird's body and Jim held the beak while Carolyne cut the line which had wrapped around one wing tip, then around the body and under and over the opposite wing – and became caught up in little feather tufts here and there in between. The little devil did manage to bite my wrist before Jim could get a hold of his sharp beak – there was a hole in the edge of my glove and he found it. I poured rubbing alcohol over my cut (despite that rubbing alcohol burns!) because I don't want to have some disgusting infection in the middle of nowhere.
Note about emails:
We cannot check our regular email accounts because we have no internet aboard. I am able to blog post using our Sailmail or Winlink accounts through our Pactor Modem – but I am unable to read any comments if they have been posted. We also received weather grib files via the Pactor in addition our friend Evan in Australia sending us daily updates on weather routing. (Thank you, Evan!)
Another cloudy day with winds all over the board as light and as variable as bunny farts. (Thank you Garth <sv Irish Diplomacy>, for the furry simile!) After battling the fickle flows all morning and afternoon, we opted to change course and head south where at least we won't be tacking and jibing all through the night every 15 minutes while the wind decides whether it wants to burp left, right or center. We decided not to fly the spinnaker at night and instead wing-and-wing it down on a S-SW course. Generator cranked right up today so we could flush the watermaker and charge our Androids and Kindles where we have oodles of reading material stored. I did manage to toss out a fishing line, but didn't catch even the dumbest one due to our speed being way too slow.
Day 7 (Jim says Day 6)
Spinnaker is up and the sun is shining!
Our night watches are in synch now. Carolyne takes the 8pm – 12:30pm, Jim does 12:30 – 3am (but he lays in the cockpit while Carolyne is doing her watch) and I take 3am until whenever Jim gets up... usually around 8 or 8:30am.
Jim tossed the fishing line in while I took a cool shower – with the light breezes and southwest route it is getting invariably warmer and sweatier. Just as I was drying off I heard Jim jump on the deck and head aft – which means he caught a fish! Except there was no fish – there was a darn Boobie bird's feathered fanny caught in the line. Carolyne reeled the fouled fowl in while Jim grabbed leather gloves and pliers. I held the bird's body and Jim held the beak while Carolyne cut the line which had wrapped around one wing tip, then around the body and under and over the opposite wing – and became caught up in little feather tufts here and there in between. The little devil did manage to bite my wrist before Jim could get a hold of his sharp beak – there was a hole in the edge of my glove and he found it. I poured rubbing alcohol over my cut (despite that rubbing alcohol burns!) because I don't want to have some disgusting infection in the middle of nowhere.
Note about emails:
We cannot check our regular email accounts because we have no internet aboard. I am able to blog post using our Sailmail or Winlink accounts through our Pactor Modem – but I am unable to read any comments if they have been posted. We also received weather grib files via the Pactor in addition our friend Evan in Australia sending us daily updates on weather routing. (Thank you, Evan!)
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Day 4 & 5
Our passage has become much more enjoyable weather-wise. It is still a little rolly, but totally manageable. I was able to cook Sunday- finally. Homemade tomato basil soup for lunch and for supper we had curry pork and cabbage... pressure cooker, of course. Everyone appreciated a nice, hot meal.
Our binoculars decided to bite the dust – as if this is a good time. We absolutely could not see the halyard that was jammed at the top of the mast on Saturday– why and how and what was going on with it – and that happens to be the only halyard that runs to the top of the mast. With our binoculars not focusing, we decided to put the 250mm zoom lens on Jim's Cannon 70D - and take photos – and blow them up on the computer. Bingo! Saw the problem, fixed the problem – halyard is free now.
Monday mellowed out more as the rollers became less "knock you down hard every 3 seconds" and more "Nudge every 10 seconds or so". We needed to free the roller furling jib that freed itself in 20+ knot winds on Friday when we neglected to furl it tightly enough. Carolyne and I hoisted Jim up the forestay and we all three worked together – took several hours and we lost precious passage time while solving our problem. Once we freed her I had to cut off one complete panel of torn Sunbrella UV and sew sail tape up the leech to protect the leechtape and puckerstring that separated. The sail itself had no other damage – Hallelujah! We flew her the rest of the day and picked up another knot or two. Carolyne made us some fantastic homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.
It has been overcast and cloudy for days. Our 1000 watts of solar needed back-up. Jim went to start the generator and it coughed and sputtered... and died. And repeat. He took it apart and cleaned the carburetor (it's one of those California carbs that has a small piece that always gets clogged no matter how hard you try to maintain the unit... my skinniest needle won't penetrate the tiny tube.) Again Jim tried to start it and as if we needed this to happen - the pulley yanker broke! The cord had chafed inside. I laughed. Jim yelled up to the cloudy sky. We rummaged around and found a like-size cord and replaced it – still no luck. Again, Jim took the unit apart – replaced the fuel, cleaned the carburetor once more. I ran around and got tools and rags and cans and whatever else he needed. Finally - it roared to life, but he had to rig the choke open with string to keep it running. By 5pm we were both beat. Had we not been messing around with the generator we would have flown the spinnaker – light 4-5 knot winds most of the day. We would have fished, too. But why tempt fate with yet another problem when it took us all day to solve just two?
On a sad note, we learned through friends and family that our friends on Rebel Heart have had enough and may have had to abandon their boat. We hope that our friends are okay, especially Baby Lyra who we understand became very ill during the passage. Rebel Heart was their home and I am eager to learn if everyone is okay and what has become of their boat. Carolyne is very worried for them – she babysat for Cora numerous times in La Paz and for both girls right before the Kaufmans left La Cruz so that Eric and Charlotte could have an adult night out on the town. We have them in our thoughts and hope all is well.
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Our binoculars decided to bite the dust – as if this is a good time. We absolutely could not see the halyard that was jammed at the top of the mast on Saturday– why and how and what was going on with it – and that happens to be the only halyard that runs to the top of the mast. With our binoculars not focusing, we decided to put the 250mm zoom lens on Jim's Cannon 70D - and take photos – and blow them up on the computer. Bingo! Saw the problem, fixed the problem – halyard is free now.
Monday mellowed out more as the rollers became less "knock you down hard every 3 seconds" and more "Nudge every 10 seconds or so". We needed to free the roller furling jib that freed itself in 20+ knot winds on Friday when we neglected to furl it tightly enough. Carolyne and I hoisted Jim up the forestay and we all three worked together – took several hours and we lost precious passage time while solving our problem. Once we freed her I had to cut off one complete panel of torn Sunbrella UV and sew sail tape up the leech to protect the leechtape and puckerstring that separated. The sail itself had no other damage – Hallelujah! We flew her the rest of the day and picked up another knot or two. Carolyne made us some fantastic homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.
It has been overcast and cloudy for days. Our 1000 watts of solar needed back-up. Jim went to start the generator and it coughed and sputtered... and died. And repeat. He took it apart and cleaned the carburetor (it's one of those California carbs that has a small piece that always gets clogged no matter how hard you try to maintain the unit... my skinniest needle won't penetrate the tiny tube.) Again Jim tried to start it and as if we needed this to happen - the pulley yanker broke! The cord had chafed inside. I laughed. Jim yelled up to the cloudy sky. We rummaged around and found a like-size cord and replaced it – still no luck. Again, Jim took the unit apart – replaced the fuel, cleaned the carburetor once more. I ran around and got tools and rags and cans and whatever else he needed. Finally - it roared to life, but he had to rig the choke open with string to keep it running. By 5pm we were both beat. Had we not been messing around with the generator we would have flown the spinnaker – light 4-5 knot winds most of the day. We would have fished, too. But why tempt fate with yet another problem when it took us all day to solve just two?
On a sad note, we learned through friends and family that our friends on Rebel Heart have had enough and may have had to abandon their boat. We hope that our friends are okay, especially Baby Lyra who we understand became very ill during the passage. Rebel Heart was their home and I am eager to learn if everyone is okay and what has become of their boat. Carolyne is very worried for them – she babysat for Cora numerous times in La Paz and for both girls right before the Kaufmans left La Cruz so that Eric and Charlotte could have an adult night out on the town. We have them in our thoughts and hope all is well.
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