Skippers log #20
46 30s 75 38e at 14:00 GMT
It was a ghastly night. The wind freshened and we were reaching and being rolled a bit by the swell, going fast. The night was black with a falling barometer. I lowered the staysail, sailing with a partial genoa and two reefs in the mainsail. I got on the foredeck and it was cold so I turned on my heater and started to dry out. The warmth lifted my spirits a bit. Then all of a sudden, we crash gybed and we were out of control. I leapt up from sleeping bag to gybe us back and go off surfing again, only afterwards to discover that the control line for the wind vane was broken. Earlier in the evening I had for some reason, turned the autopilot off at the switch panel. So trying to steer, I mananged to winch in the Profurl roler furler on the Anderson winches. These two pieces of gear turned what would have been a nightmare into just a bad dream. With the sail furled I dived below and turned on the autopilot and hoped it would steer. It did. Into the stern I crawled, soaking wet, to fix the control line. Only it would not exit where it was supposed to. So back below to get a screw driver, shivering and fixed the problem and got the boat back on windvane track with some headsail set again. I noticed the cabin temperature dropping so I turned the heater to maximum, only to find it was at maximum. Black smoke bellowed out of its exhaust, not usual. Then the heater died and I could not get it going. I crawed back to the unit, and smelt diesel leaking from the unit. Does anyone know Wabasto heaters and can offer sound advice? I crawled into my two sleeping bags and shivered all night, failing to warm up. At noon I logged a 24 hr run of 180 miles, and just when I thought all was going well, we crash gybed again. The gybe preventer was not on, and the boom swung across the cockpit, just missing me. I control gybed it back to discover my one compass smashed. I hope this is the last of my troubles now. Enough is enough.
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Skippers log #21
46 25s 80 02e at 15:45 GMT
Ho-ho-ho, Merry Xmas all. Thanks for the many greetings forwarded to me. Greg Flynn, did you play Santa again? Last night was the worst of the race so far. The winds gusted as high as 50 knots, but never below 35 knots. With no mainsail, just a fraction of the twin headsails poled out, we roared down the waves some the size of three story apartment blocks, in a black night, taking knockdowns. We hit a top speed of 19.8 knots. I did not want to go bare pole as I feared turning broadside to the seas, with catastrophic consequences. So I set as little sail to keep steerage way. The boat handled well, till the wind shifted from the WNW to SW and a cross sea grew, causing the knockdowns. This morning in 2 hours, I took 3 knockdowns, fortunately suffered no damage. I rode them out in my bunk, wedged in with cushions. As a result of the weather, I have not had Chrismas dinner. It only now is easing off enough to risk cooking. A few hours ago, I did open my four gifts. The first was a bar of chocolate and a Xmas cracker from Robin and Phil who are the shore crew to Cray Valley. Then I got a Xmas hat from Scanmar Marine, whose windvane steered me through out the gale, followed by a Xmas audio tape from the Sackah Family in Charleston. Finaly I opened the Xmas gift from Livingstone High School, my alma-marta. It was custard and a Xmas pudding. So I did manage a bit of a Xmas down in the Southern Ocean, and got it on the video. Gwen and I did not exchange Xmas gifts, saving it for when we are together again. This was the first Xmas in 6 years we did not have together, and that has saddened me. Nor could I call her or my family [out of range], but we have exchanged many e-mails today. Today has always been a family day, either with Gwen or my family. I did get my Wabasto heater working. Somehow water got into the exhaust causing a blockage and it was not fuel leaking in the cabin, but this soot filled water. After persevering turning it on, and the unit shutting off, the glow plug did heat up and finally started delivering hot air. So my Xmas has not been shivering. I have dried out my bunk and myself.
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Skippers log #22
46 27s 83 38e at 16:00 GMT
It is turning into a ghastly night. I can hear the sound of roaring waves breaking behind me, then picking up the boat as they engulf us in a deluge of angry foam. Just when I thought the day of knockdowns were over, I started getting knocked down again. I have as little sail up to be safe, and as much as I dare carry to make speed. Just after an earlier knock down this afternoon, I broke the guy, a rope that goes through the spinnaker pole and holds the sail out. With the sail flapping, I lost the snap shackle and do not have spares aboard. I will have to remove one from the staysail and tie on the staysail halyard. Again I have shortened up on the twin headsails, and run without a mainsail. It is not so much the strength of the wind, but the confused sea. It is like being in a washing machine, but with boiling water. I am scared that these fierce knockdowns can tear the mast out, or rip the rudder off. I try not going on deck as it is too dangerous a place. No place on board is really safe. The only safe place is not to be in this angry Southern Ocean in a small boat. The fact that I am surviving the knockdowns is thanks to the work we did this winter on the boat. As I type, we just went for the longest surf I have ever encountered. It lasted well over 30 seconds, at 15 knots. This scares me as a broach (turning sideways) during such a surf, could role the boat. I can't risk turning north as the seas are too steep to take side on. I have to keep running and hope for the best. The seas can't stay mountainous forever.
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Skippers log #23
46 57s 88 07e at 20:30 GMT 4040 miles to Aukland
It has been another rough day, but at sunset this evening I replaced the twin headsails with the staysail and pushing hard. Just prior to setting the staysail, I had a wave break over the boat, dumping several hundred gallons of water into the cabin, soaking me in the my bunk and wetting all my bedding. Thankfully, I have the heater going, so I am able to dry things out. It is too rough to cook a meal. So for three days now I have not eaten anything decent. I have been living on custard and chocolate. I should have gotten some dried sausage for this occasion. I am hunting for some biltong (dried meat). I am hungry. There has been no Christmas meal yet. Just typing I am having to hang on. Can't wait to get a high pressure and calmer weather. Yes, I would not mind some calmer weather, as long as I can stay moving, and have my windvane steer.
