Finally Tortola

It's been a relatively fast and troublefree passage.I learned to enjoy
the powercat.She has been kind to us and we treated her with care.She's
been our home for the past 42 days.Good memories were made and everyone
on board had learned,observed and grown as people.

Our run into the Caribbean first had us stop at St.Lucia abd stop for a
few hours to time our arrival for St.Maarten for yesterday morning.No
doubt that St.Lucia is exquisite.Left St.Lucia early afternoon and
arrived at St.Maarten yesterday morning early.We immediatly proceeded
starting to wash the boat with fresh water on tap before it got to
hot.Everyone else around was still sleeping and it was interesting to
see how the place slowly becomes alive.At about 11am we were done and
enjoyed a burger at the Dingy Dock restaurant at the marina.Went back to
the boat for a catnap and woke up a few hours later.

An hour or two later we started our final leg to Tortola.Leaving at
night and sailing the Caribbean at night is mostly very pleasant with
lights and islands always somewhere in sight.I always enter between
St.Vincent and St.Lucia ,then turn north and sail past
St.Lucia,Martinique,Dominica,Gaudeloupe,Montserrat - an active
volcano,St.Kits & Nevis,St.Maarten turning NW and then nearly W to
Tortola.We are about four hours away and will take extra care as we near
the end of our journey.

My next delivery on a Leopard 46 catamaran starts early in the new year
and will take us about three months and 11 500nm's to Tahiti.I will then
endeavour to post a daily journal.I wish you a most excellent Christmas
,a splendid 2012 and a safe festive season.

Until then it is over and out...for now.

Paul

Across the equator...at night

The first day or two out of Fortaleza was rather bumpy as we were
getting the swell on the beam or from the side in non-nauitical terms
,and fairly big swell it was.Every now and then a wave would smash
against the side and spray it's load over us.Now and then a wave would
"ankle tap" us causing an uneasy motion on the boat but from experience
I knew that this won't last long.As soon as we were back into the deeper
waters things would improve dramatically.But not before poor Bernhard
left his hatch open and had a wave crashing in.I did tell him when we
left to close his hatch and the next morning he opened it again.But our
beloved ocean is like this,all looks fine but just that one wave will
sit and wait for an opportunity like this to teach us.No damage was
incurred.On a previous trip to India my one crewmember was sitting in
his cabin working on his laptop and his hatch just slightly open when a
wave came over and wiped out his cellphone and laptop...ouch.It does get
hot out here at times and the temtation to open your hatch is great,but
even greater care is required to know when it is save to open
it.Yesterday the heat soared to 33*C and the humidity sitting at
87%.Fortunately the waves are fairly flat and we can open our hatches to
get some breeze ventilating through.

On Saturday night at 20h15 we crossed the equator.Whenever one crosses
the equator on a yacht for the first time you are initiated into the
small group of people that have done this.There are different ways of
being initiated and I normally give first timers a choice.You can go
through the whole dirty ritual of eggs,flour,syrup etc and even old
engine oil and grease in some cases,or you can swim across.I prefer the
latter for various reasons,mostly being more real to me.In a way this is
our way of saying thanks to Neptune for the protection so far and ask
for his favour in the Northern hemisphere as well.The crew also has to
make their choice a few days before the time,and one never knows exactly
at what time you will cross the equator.During the day it is not so
scary,at night it is a different kettle of fish altogether.The new
moon/dark moon makes it even more scary ,and one's imagination can play
all kinds of tricks on you ,if you let it.We also switch off all the
lights on the boat as we do not want to attract any unwanted attention
from the denizens of the deep.If you have any fear of darkness and/or
deep water this is the perfect opportunity to face those fears and
overcome them ,which is exactly what our crewmembers did.Very well done
to both of them.We tied two mooring lines to the back of the boat and at
the given moment they jumped into the water and swam across the equator
holding on to the mooring lines.both were understandably eleated
afterwards.

Currently we are right across the mouth of the Amazon river mouth,about
200nm offshore.Within the next two or three days the purpleblue water
will turn light brown as the river spews it's water into the ocean and
the current will eventually pick it up.For the last two days we have
hooked soliudly into the current and averaging 10nm per hour at the same
rpm's as previously.We expect to arrive in tthe Caribbean on Friday and
should reach our final destination Tortola by Tuesday next week,hand the
boat over on Wednesday and fly to out on Thursday morning.All aboard is
well and the delivery is hurrying to an end.

We wish you a splendid day or till we meet again.

Paul

Fortaleza onwards

We arrived at Fortaleza at noon on Wednesday.To our pleasant suprise one
of the cats that left a few days before us were there and planning to
depart a few hours later.They arrived on Monday and it was swell to
spend some time with the young captain and crew and sharing
experiences.Three hours later we had our fuel,our water tanks was full
and we could relax next to the pool with a few capairinhas.First work
hard,then we can relax.I've had to wait three days for fuel before and
was most thankfullthat we got it done in extra quick time.The marina has
no fueldock and they have to bringb the fuel on the back of a van in a
container.I ordered 800 ltrs and twenty minutes later the guy was there
in an old Ford F250 double cab with a 1000ltr container on the back.I
escorted him to the fuel station which is just five minutes away,paid
for the fuel and the petrol attended had both nozzles filling the
container.Once filled we drove back to the marina.There is about a ten
mtr water channel between the driveway and the dock.A length of string
with a bolt attached to one end is thrown over to the dock,the end of
the hosepipe is atttached to the string a pulled in and across the
channel.A small electrical fuel pump is then used to get the fuel from
the container to the boat.All in all the operation took about two
hours.At the sametime we were filling the water tanks.

We are on a bit of a tight schedule as my next delivery to Tahiti will
depart late December early January.Also never leaving on a Friday we had
to move quick to get and do all we wanted to.Thursday morning we had a
breakfast buffet at the 5 star hotel which is part of the marina and we
could enjoy fresh fruit and a long list of other culinary delights.It
was also good tohave some internet and we all could check our
emails,skype,catch up on facebook etc.Thursday after breakfast we spend
some time next to the pool,washed the boat down,checked the motors
throroughly,had a few games of table tennis and after skyping a bit it
was time to cast off and start our next leg again.So yes,in and out of
Fortaleza in good time considering that we got our fuel etc.I have
previously been in and out of Fortaleza in six hours,but that was just
for water and some provisions.

Leaving a port at night is much easier than entering a port at
night.When you leave you get away from the city lights,when you enter
you face millions of lights at times.GPS does assist a lot and if you
are familiar with the port it makes it even easier.I have entered
unknown places all over the world at night,with sometimes difficult
currents to contend with,tides running in or out,a whole lot of
information you have to processs.But this is what we do,this is what we
love.Other sailors and even very experienced sailors will rather slow
down and enter at first light,even at a place like St.Helena.Respect to
them,I prefer to get in when we get there and get an extra few hours to
rest afterwards.We are always on a schedule in the delivery business,no
time to tally around,and sometimes our schedules are very very tight.F1
style stops are then called for as our operations manager Nicky in Cape
Town calls them.And we don't only try to meet expectations,we aim to
exceed expectations.

We just had our first dolphin sighting for the trip,a huge single
dolphin,not sure exactly which species,but there are some very pertinent
markings which will assist in identifying it.Unfortunately I left my
book on mammals of the ocean at home so it will have to wait till then.

With this very special event I am signing off and running out to enjoy
the dolphin playing around our boat.

Take care

Paul

When a plan comes together

On one of my previous postings I mentioned that we are experimenting
with a new way of fishing as the powercat is going too fast to just
troll a lure behind.Our line keeps on snapping,even though it has a
breaking strain of 1500kg,and we keep on loosing lures and now down to
the last one.Our plan was to tie a 30ltr drum to the line which will act
as a float.No bungy,just a few strands of ski roap,three to be
exact,just enough to keep the lure attached to the boat.Theoretically
when the fish strikes the strands of skirope should snap and the drum
should fall of the boat and follow the fish.Which means that we have to
turn around,retrieve the drum and at the end of the line we should then
have the fish.

I was on watch between 2-6pm yesterday when exactly this happened.I was
just about to swop engines when the drum was unceremoniously whacked off
the boat.I immediatly dethrottled and started turning the boiat around
and at the same time starting the other motor to warm up.I shouted at
the crew who was sitting inside-"Fish,fish,everybody out!!!".In a flash
all three were out and we followed the drum.From the flybridge upstairs
I could see the drum was being pulled and also saw a big splash about
40mtrs from the drum.

Getting closer my concern was not to get the line in the props.I could
not see clearly where the line was going.Steven and Bernhard pointed the
line's direction while Liezel was relaying the messages to me.Within ten
minutes we were right at the drum and the line was straight
down.Bernhard jumped in and swam back to the boat while I kept the
motors in neutral.In a few minutes we saw the shape of the fish in the
water,a nice big sailfish.Now the danger was the bill and as Steven was
pulling it on the the back of the boat it gave a little jump
forward.Just before this I shouted at Steven to watch for the bill and
with catlike agility Steven got out of harms way.

The round circle hook was set in the bill and the sailfish was now on
board,Steven holding the tail and Bernhard removing the hook.We decided
to set the fish free and therefore had to cut the line that was tangled
around the bill and remove the hook.A minute or two later the hook was
out and the sailfish was back in the water.He was starting to loose
colour and had to first resuscitate the fish.Bernhard had a piece of
cloth around the bill dragging the fish through the water,Steven was
holding Bernhard on the boat and Liezel was once again relaying steering
directions to me.Just idling we were doing 5kts and after about ten
minutes the colour of the fish returned and started moving his tail a
bit.Five minutes later we deemed the fish fit enough to let go.

What a relief it was to see the sailfish gently moving his tale from
side to side and start swimming away.So great teamwork,beautiful fish
and very satisfying to see our plan come together.We are now about two
hours away from Fortaleza,land in sight and starting to get ready for
landfall.First priority is to arrange for 1000ltrs of diesel to be
delivered,fill our water tanks and take it from there.We will have
internet access and hope to skype a bit later on today are now about
four hours behind South Africa.We are hoping to leave for the Caribbean
tomorrow sometime,it all depends on when we can get the diesel.

We will stay in touch.

Endorphins and other things

Just had my first seashower for the trip and woooop woooop woooop,it
feels good to be alive again.The rush of cold water from the ocean
scooped with a bucket and emptied over my head.My body jerks from the
shock and I laugh out loud,and do it again.Shampoo ,rinse ,conditioner
,rinse ,soap ,rinse with fresh water and stand in the hot sun to dry a
bit with the breeze tingling my skin.Forgot how awesome this feeling
is.Apparently it is a chemical that your brain secretes during various
physical activities ,cold water and laughter.Soulfood if you ask
me.Which is why some of my mad friends that surf in the cold water of
Cape Town also love it so much.So when you have a nice hot shower in
the morning,just before you close the taps,open the cold tap full and
blast some laughter into your day.Re-learning all these things at
47.Late bloomer I guess.Perhaps I will have my mid-life crisis when I am
70 something,chasing the nurses around in my wheelchair should I one day
end up in an old age home.And before that at least a tattoo or three
,earring ,Harley Davidson ,we only live once.For now though ,sailing is
what I do ,crossing the oceans ,long distance sailing I should say.To be
even more precise ,on this trip ,running a 47ft motor boat across the
Atlantic for 6000 odd nautical miles.

The past few days have been fairly eventful.A whale blessed us with it's
appearance ,even more special since we haven't seen any dolphins or
whales at all on this trip so far ,and we have covered two thirds of our
journey.About 200nm from the coast of Brazil.At our average cruising
speed of close to 8kts it is difficult to catch a fish.We use 2mm flat
braided line with a breaking strength of 1500kg attached to the boat
with a bungy.The hooks we are using for the first time is round circle
hooks that just lodges in the side of the fish's jaw,not the double
hooks we used to use that slams into the fish's mouth,causing severe
damage.Now we can release the fish if and when we want.But at this speed
the fish strikes,huge fish out here ,and snaps the line like a thin
piece of gut.Gone is the lure,the line and the fish.According to
scientists it takes about three days for the hook to rust off through a
combination of salt water and chemicals in the fish's mouth.We have
landed a big tuna earlier on in the trip but have in the interem lost
three lures.We came up with a plan to attach a 30ltr empty sealed drum
to the fishing line,and if it snaps it will take the drum with
it.Theoretically we then hope to follow the drum,haul it in and land the
fish in this manner.Huge marlin etc roams these oceans and we will have
towait and see how our plan works.All we really want is a dorado but
difficult to target them specifically.

Before sunset yesterday the sky was turning pinknand the sun
hazy,normally the first sign of a phenomenon we encounter out here at
times.Sahara desert dust.More than 2000nm away or about 3600 km in terms
you may be more acquainted with.Unusual so far down south,but here it
is,drowning the sun just a little.

We just had some freshly baked scones with strawberry jam and cream for
breakfast,damn decadent and damn nice.Rooibos tea to swallow it down
with.Only problem is that one overeats a bit but difficult not
to.Worrying that I might bore you stiff with our rantings and ravings I
will rather stop writing,even though I have much more to say.

So until next time,take good care.

Paul

Friday on my mind

Yesterday morning a huge marlin was trying to stun one of our lures
setting off the alarm.It was just past six in the morning and Steven had
just handed over watch when he was alerted by the alarm and pulled the
lure in and then slacked it again ,repeating this two or three times.The
marlin was criss crossing behind us and then attacked the lure and
the moon was sitting right above us.We use one and a half ton breaking
strain 2mm flat braided line and the marlin snapped our line like a
piece of cotton.On closer inspection the line snapped more or less in
the middle,not as one might suspect on a weaker spot like a knot.The
marlin's fin could clearly be seen about half a meter above the water
and one could clearly trace his movements by the wake left behind.Some
fish are just to big ,this was one of those rare occasions and that is
how our day began.Soon Steven had another line out and told me it was
more exciting watching the chase than actually catching a fish.It
happens at times that one gets a feeling ,look behind at the lure and
watch a fish chasing and taking the lure.Nine out of ten times the fish
would be landed ,this time it was not to be.

The weather is warming up quick now and we had the ventilator fans
running for the first time today.We also serviced both motors and
replaced the anodes.An anode is a zinc screw that protects the props and
motors and props from corrosion caused by sea water.So instead of the
other metal parts the zinc corrodes away and needs to be replaced at set
intervals.We had a snag or two with the oil extraction pumps but it
wasn't long before we had fresh oil in the motors and new anodes
installed.

We are about six days away from Brazil and as can be expected we also
saw our first ship today,reminding us that we are not alone out here and
now have to sharpen our watches a bit.I have done some calculations and
our fuel consumption so far is about 2 250 ltrs used for the first
3000nm.We are maintaining a speed of between 7-8kts and the consistant
wind and current from astern has assisted much in keeping our figures
lower than expected.I can't remember ever having such consistant winds
for so long,and on a sailing vessel we would have only used a little
fuel to keep our batteries charged every day.The powercat is a beautiful
vessel although we are not so attuned to the elements as we would have
been on a sailing vessel.

Our position currently is 08*55'S and 022*13'W.The equator we will only
cross two days or so after reaching Brazil and the new crew will
probably swim across the equator as their initiation ceremony.Always a
lot of fun ,especially if we happen to cross over at night.One thing to
take a dip in the ocean during the day ,another thing to do it at
night.Well,Friday has arrived and I wish you a splendid weekend.

Paul

Positivity Negativity Reality

Crazy thing about traversing the oceans is that one never stands still
,keep on moving and never sleeps at the same place twice.In life it is
the same ,you keep on evolving ,adding years ,even thougfh we often feel
we are stagnating.Evolving can take a long time ,to get to the next
level.But finally it dawns on you that you see things differently.Out
here things might seem the same,the ocean,the skies,the sun and the
moon,but if you take note they are changing all the time.

I used to be a very positive person ,always thinking that negativity
only holds you back.I still think it does ,but I have gained new respect
for it.As day turns into night and night turns into day the two need
each other to make life possible.If you have only day things will soon
turn sour ,if you have only night ,nothing will grow.So it is with
pleasure and pain,loss and gain,they all go hand in hand.

When our emotions are allowed to run riot we loose the ability to see
clearly.Why must we always feel good ,why must we always be happy .We
try for sure ,thinking that life is about reaching a state of permanent
feeling good and happy.And when you are not happy or not feeling good
everything seems meaningless ,even life itself.But if you look around
you ,you realize that good times and bad times are equally
important.Wishful thinking leaves you dissilusioned .

If I love and am grateful for both good and bad ,happy and sad I find
myself in a heightened state of awareness , a state of reality.But I
guess you know all this ,I am only beginning to see it lately.Learning
to balance positivity and negativity with reality.I have much more to
learn about these things but I sense I am on the right track.

On another note we are halfway between St.Helena and Brazil.The last day
or so the sun has been more dominant during the day and suddenly we are
walking around in shorts and t-shirts.More correctly,sitting around.I am
also starting to realize that if you don't use your muscles you will
start loosing the proper function of them.And after many years on the
ocean and having sailed more than four times around the globe I now know
I need to exercise,that it is vitally important.And every day I say I
will start but have not done much in that department yet.I have always
been blessed with excellent health and felt naturally fit but little
squeeks and pains are trying to tell me that I should take more care.

On board all is well and one day is flowing into the next.We are getting
into the flow of things and have attained a certain state of harmony.I
can assure you we are all enjoying our time out here,all for our
individual reasons.Yes,we miss our loved ones all the time.

I wish you a splendid day.On our side we will try and keep it real.