Windhorse Sailing

We left Cape Town one month ago today. We have been out to sea for 21 days straight now from Luderitz. No one has buckled yet and it doesn’t seem likely that anyone will. But I see how it could happen. We have averaged 2 miles an hour for the last 3 days.

There is a fine line here that I want to be sure not to cross. I don’t want any of our families to worry, indeed there is no need. We are in great shape. I have all the chocolate I need, Francis has all the mango he could want and Stevo… well he has plenty of what he needs. After all he provisioned us. We get along great and are having fun. Having said that I don’t want anyone thinking that we are at day camp. We have chosen a great adventure and with that, of course, expected are great challenges. Indeed what we have in the greatest abundance are challenges.

Weather is usually one such challenge. Analyzing weatherfax and trying to guess from the skies presented provides a less than adequate accuracy rating. Bottom line you never know what you’re going to get until your getting it. Lately it has been nothing much. We just barely keep moving. If we try to put out more sail they become too heavy and the wind isn’t able to fill them. They collapse and fill with the swell producing noise and wear, but no speed. So we wait.

Some nights this week we have had a few squalls. These small cells of weather can contain powerful winds. Always we do our best to avoid them, but sometimes they are on you and all you can do is reduce sail till they pass. At least they provide a little action. But it’s hard not to wish for heavy weather when you’re bobbing in the swell for days on end. I look back at our Shakedown around the cape. It was like being a submarine for 2 days. The rail buried. There was water up to my hips as I climbed to the bow to free a snagged sheet line. It was great fun. Careful what you wish for and take what you get I guess. To that end we use this calm to read “Storm Tactics", and “Heavy Weather sailing,” etc.

On Monday we put up the spinnaker. It had treated us so well the day before. The seam I had repaired held great. Unfortunately as we hoisted it the edge caught on he windlass (the winch crank that pulls up the anchor) and a 30-foot tear opened up as the wind filled it. It was like slow motion watching that. The light parachute silk sail would have helped us go 5 knots. Now back to our heavy Dacron Genoa and 2 knots.

On Tuesday we turned on the engine to charge the batteries. It has been 6 days since we last charged it and power has been fine. But once a week we need to boost the batteries when we charge the 2 computers and run the fridge freezer for a day. All went well as far as the batteries. All that has been straightened out, but now, a new problem. The engine would go into reverse gear but not forward. We have a transmission problem. No big deal. We can fix it – it’s just another challenge. We are in contact with Stevo’s engineer buddy Marty “the Chief.” He is walking us through the repair via email. I’ll keep you posted on that; we are still in the process of diagnosis.

Wherever you are everyday will present some challenges. It’s hard not to see them as setbacks, but out here I can embrace them as learning experiences. Part of my quest is to master the self-sufficiency of ocean sailing. I don’t want it to be easy. The harder it is the more I learn.

So realistically there is no hardship here, just some lessons to be learned. When it comes down to it we are surrounded by luxury. As the boat bobs in the swell, we swing out the boom and use it as a diving board. Looking into that brilliant blue you know that all is good. At night the stars go all the way to the horizon. The Milky Way is liquid in its density. Shooting stars leave a streak across the sky and there are so many you have to keep track of the wishes. The only wishes I have left are for the people who aren’t here with me.

The prospect of 30 more days at sea doesn’t daunt us. To the contrary every 10 degrees of longitude fires our imaginations for the challenges and adventures to ahead. Proud of the work it has taken this far and the work it will yet take to arrive at Buenos Aires we have earned these adventures.

With regard to sailing we are running dead down wind. Heading 275 degrees. 21′29.5 south, 19′32.0 west. At this position we can expect 10-15 knot regular easterly trade winds with a 4% chance of calms. What we are experiencing for the last 3 days is 5 to 10 knots. Just not enough wind to have the main and headsail, so we have just the headsail poled out to the port side. When the wind picks up to 10-15 we hoist the main out to the starboard side, which requires furling the headsail and turning into the wind so there is no pressure on the main as you hoist.

The swell has been moderate or calm. Never more than a 10-foot rolling swell. Squalls all around, but very few hit us. You can see so far that they look bigger than they are. When they get to you they are spread out and not nearly as ominous as you thought.

Oh, yeah, one more challenge - we haven’t caught a fish in a week.

Thanks to Chris Roe for his wishes of tight lines and flat sails.