0000 Position: 14* 26’ N 108* 21’ W
Speed: 5 knots. Winds from the East
Course 180* Seas 4 feet
As we head into our 5th day at sea all three of us are thanking our good fortune to date. The sailing has been excellent. Though the seas are quite rolly the winds have been favourable. Top speed to date is 8 knots. Average speed is around 4.5 - 5 knots. We are covering over 100 nm a day with our best day being 143 nam.
All systems on the boat are running well. The small amounts of water that was accumulating in the bilge has abated a little. This seems to be directly related to the sea conditions which makes us think that the stuffing box is leaking.
0600 Position: 13* 59’ N 108* 20’ W
Speed has dropped to 3.5 knots
Winds ENE at 8 knots
Seas are 3 feet
Barometric Pressure 1013 and rising.
Armon is down for the count as BA takes over the helm and Captain tries to make contact with win link and the SSB (single side band). Another email from my sister - seems that everything I wrote in my first attempt at win link did not transcribe. Maybe there is a limit on the number of characters you can send. So I guess I will make all emails in the future just a little bit shorter. Followers will just have to wait for this blog to get the detail.
How Winlink Works: We connect the SSB radio to our computer and type out our email just like you normally do. This message then gets coded into a digital radio signal. This signal is sent through the airwaves to a land base station where it is subsequently decoded back into normal internet language. Then voila! You get the email!
0800: David received a position report from several other boats. One boat had to return to Mexico due to engine problems.All other boats seem to be progressing with no real issues.
1200 Noon Position: 13* 33’ N 108* 23’W
Seas: 2 foot chop with Winds 8-10 knots ENE
Mostly sunny with cabin temperature of 30*C
Course 200 - 210 Speed 4.5 - 5 knots
Distance Travelled in 24 Hours: 135 nm
Total Distance Travelled to Date: 574 nm
Admiral is at the helm - it is a sunny day with the sun reflecting off the water like a crystal bowl. Every once in a while I get an image of prisms on the horizon where the sun is shining directly on the water - almost like a chandelier. I wish the camera could capture this optical illusion. You will have to settle for my inadequate description.
We are maintaining better speed and course direction from the wind vane Monitor rather than the Auto Pilot . Now that is a switch. David is very happy with his alterations to the system. Right now we are topping off at 6.9 knots.
And David figured out why he was not getting the position reports to update from the GPS. There are two different ports - one for win link and one for the GPS. Of course no manual tells you that! Way to go Captain Fantastic for figuring that out!
Seas have settled a little so I decided to get dinner underway after making ham, cheese, tomato and pickle sandwiches for lunch. It is time to pull out the pressure cooker. Indian Butter Chicken with rice is ready in 8 minutes when you use the pressure cooker. Remember this is where I put the raw rice right into the mixture so it can absorb all those flavours as it cooks. The cauliflower was showing its age so I trimmed it up and put it in with the other ingredients.
Our friend, Paul N. from Airdrie bought us the pressure cooker many years ago - when we were just starting to talk about going offshore. Nice - I said. Like when your husband buys you an appliance for an anniversary present. Thinking to myself - when am I ever going to use one of these? I always believed in the slow cooking method for soups, stews and sauces. And to tell you the truth, pressure cookers always kind of made me nervous. Well, lets just say I have changed my tune as this is now the #1 MUST have item for anyone going offshore. It is a deep pot that seals so there is less chance of spillage. You tend to use a lot more liquid as all meat must be covered completely but you can be creative by using wine, soup stock or juice instead of your precious water. Most things cook in about 8 minutes after the appropriate pressure is attained so you are also using a lot less (oxymoron?) propane. So Thank You Paul!
Dinner is served at 1930. Galley is cleaned up, David gets on the radio net, Armon goes to bed and the Admiral takes over the helm.
A Note on Watches:
Conditions and crew will determine how you choose to divide up your watches. Some people like to keep to a very strict schedule - with three people that might mean 4 on, 8 off. This will work as long as all the crew are sharing the same duties.
We have decided to be a bit more fluid a I have volunteered to take on the main task of cooking. So the boys cover the main watch and I act as a float, covering the helm as needed. Once in a while I will do a 4 hour watch but mostly 2 hours here or there.
David likes to ensure that each crew member gets at lease 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep a day. Not always possible but it is a goal. Armon has chosen the midnight to 0600 watch and that seems to be working for him. Armon usually hits the bunk around 1900-1930 - just after dinner. Going to bed on a full stomach helps him to sleep - I guess. David covers 2100 - 2400 and then 0600 till 1200. Though I have not seen a day yet where Armon makes it till noon. The enticement of a good cup of coffee from my friend Lawrence courtesy of El Cafe in Malaque is just too much for him - so he is often up by 1100.
David does the radio net at 0730 and 2000 hours everyday - unless there is lightening in the air - and tries to send and receive any emails. So this involves about 4 hours a day where I cover the helm. I also fill in the gap during the day so the boys can grab a couple of hours any time they feel inclined.
So far it is working out. If someone is not getting enough sleep it usually means that no one is getting enough sleep and is usually directly related to sea and storm conditions. When things get a little rough then we all drop down to two hour watches.
A Note on Sleeping Arrangements; Unfortunately we do not have a separate private quarter berth for Armon. The port settee has been pulled out and turned into Armon’s bed.
The V-berth is completely empty - Armon built extra shelves in our shower (as we mostly shower on deck) so we were able to find a home for everything. So the V-berth was intended to be our bed. During rolling seas it can be a little uncomfortable up there and we found that David was not getting enough sleep. I had made sleeping bag sheets out of flat double sheets so now David and Armon share the central port settee. That does not sound good! What I mean is David lays his sleeping bag on the settee when Armon wakes up and vice versa. I get the V-berth to myself (most of the time) using the comforter as a rolling preventer. It sometimes means that my sleep is the most interrupted but then I am not doing the major watches so you will not hear me complaining.
And so ends Day 5.
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