It's been a while since I placed some words on paper :) We have been
working hard to get up north, as we expected some favourable current from
9*N upwards, called the North Equatorial Current, which runs in more or
less a westerly direction. First we had to sail quite far out west to work
an angle to get up north, as the predominant wind is right where we want
to go, northwest. And having land in our way to go up north, noped us to
carry on going west. Then we tack back north east for a while, and the
wind shifts again and we go back west. Excruciatingly slow progress,
having wind and current against us, relentlessly. The sea however is
fairly smooth, sometimes looking more than a placid lake than an ocean.
Which is probably why it is called the Pacific Ocean, very placid at
times. Tacking this way and that way, and making really slow progress,
sometimes feeling like we are not getting anywhere. Then you have to dig
deep, and stay motivated, and stay focused. And know , that as always,
things will change. And change they did, albeit slowly. Once we had enough
ocean to work with we could tack up northeast, and come close to land. We
would come within ten nautical miles of land and then tack back west
again. I am sure the gods of the winds were having a good chuckle at us,
and the gods of the currents too.
Our first plan of action was to go out wide, and then I decided it may be
better to stay right close to land and hug the coast as we do in South
Africa. Some counter currently we will apparently find there, as well as
plenty of fishing boats and fishing lines. We are open ocean long distance
sailors, and we feel safest when we have a lot of searoom to run into if
we have to. And just when I decide that is what we will do, things change
again and we start making good progress in a good direction. At last we
made it up far enough north and was elated as we saw the current letting
us go and start working in our favour. And the wind also shifted a bit
more northeast and made for an excellent sailing angle. And all the time,
day and night, we keep on working and adjusting sail and direction to
maximise whatever comes our way. From despair to elated, sailing can
sometimes be so emotional. Yes, we put heart, body and soul into what we
do. We give it our all, all the time. And then when we experience our
first blast of strong winds funnelling through the valleys, a little fear
also creeps in as the sea works up, from flat to four meters within an
hour. And once again, we set our sails according, and go with flow, and
breath a sigh of relieve as the wind stops getting stronger and stronger
and settles at just over thirty knots. A taste of things to come.
Further up the coast, between Mexico and Guatemala, there is a huge valley
called Tehuantepec, and the wind that funnels through there can get up to
hurricane strength. It can last for a few hours up to a few days. Close
inshore one would seek a safe anchorage. It works the sea up as well quite
quick, but fortunately blows towards the sea. The effect of this wind can
be felt a hundred or two miles offshore, and that is where we prefer to
be. At least two hundred miles offshore. The colder ocean and the hot
desert, and the huge continental valley, all comes together to create this
beast of a wind. In the Med the Mistrals are similar winds. Cold air
trapped and when it gets hot, it blows out at speed. And if you are not
careful and expect it, it will take you out. And we plan to arrive alive,
with everything intact. Arriving on time for the boat show is a dream that
is busy fading, but who knows, perhaps we can do a few demo sails for
prospective buyers. Hugely disappointing, but on the other side, a few demo
sails might be even better than a boat that gets trampled at a boat show.
So yes, we are hugely motivated for the challenges that lies ahead, and
challenged we will be. I just counted my seamiles, and I have now sailed
eight times around the world. And yet, I am in humble submission for what
the ocean can throw at me. Always ready to learn, and if necessary, to
fight, as we sometimes have to when the going gets rough. I am fortunate to
have two excellent fellow mariners with me on board, and couldn't wish for
better crew. We are having fun out here, even though it is super stressful
at times. Our team in Cape Town is also the best one can wish for. Always
urging us to do our best, to stay safe, to stay real, and to enjoy. And our
boat Infinity, what a lovely lass she is turning out to be.
Last night we had a booby bird perched on top of our spreaders. The night
before we had one right on top of the mast, which was not so cool. Our wind
instruments and VHF aerial is also up there. Trying to chase the bird away,
we shook the shrouds. That's the strong cables that holds the mast up. We
blew the foghorn trying to make a huge racket, but the bird would not
budge. Even thought of hurling oranges at the poor bird, but then we may
damage our instruments ourselves. We did try an egg each. I missed by a
mile, Stuart was a bit closer, and Thibault's egg landed right on deck.
Stuart's hatch was open, and I was standing right above his hatch when the
egg dropped straight down onto me. Thinking it may fall into Stuart's
cabin. I tried to catch the egg or at least divert it a bit. The result was
a nice yellow splash just next to Stuart's hatch, with a few drops of raw
egg falling into his cabin. Back to our bird passenger last night, when
Stuart came up for his watch, he climbed on deck to look at the spectacular
starry skies. I had all the lights off and the instruments covered to make
it as dark as possible. The bird blessed Stuart with a nice wet spray of
bird poo :) This morning I was not so impressed with the bird, as his poo
was also all over the mainsail and deck. Thibault and myself did our best
to point into the wind, and scrub the sail as we gradually lowered it. Got
most of it off, but we will have to try again once we are in San Francisco.
What was also awesome last night was a few dolphins that came around and
lit up the water with their antics. The bioluminiscence profiled their
bodies perfectly, and to see these torpedo shaped bodies playing in our bow
wake was unforgettable. The sea was flat once again, so flat that the stars
reflected brightly on the ocean surface. The light from above and the light
from below was, as I said, unforgettable.
So yes, just another day at the office for us. Another week or two. And we
will be in San Francisco. Interesting city, in very many ways. Never really
thought I wanted to visit for any particular reason, but once again my
sailing adventures are taking me to new destinations. And once again I am
so excited, and so happy to be alive. And so happy to share a little bit of
what we do out here with you.
Until next time, go you exceedingly well.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Pacific Blues
Our transit through Panama Canal went smooth, although we would have loved
to do it one day. We were however informed that we would do one lock on
day one, and the next set of locks on the second day. Nothing we could do
about that. The Panama Canal is celebrating 100 years of operation this
year. Hard to believe that ships already started to cross from the
Atlantic to the Pacific here a hundred years ago. The second locks we also
went through and arrived at Balboa Yacht Club on the Pacific side just
before sunset. After a long day I decided it is safer to anchor for the
night before we set sail for San Francisco.
On Tuesday morning we started our final leg. And as expected, a very slow
start. Against the currents and against the wind. Not strong currents and
winds, but strong enough to slow us down quite a bit. Our first day out
was quite interesting, with the wind doing a complete 360 on us. And as
the wind slowly shifted, we threw whatever sail angle and sail we had at
it to maximise our efforts. We made fair progress running a motor all the
time as well. Yesterday was a bit slower, with the wind and current
staying against us, and no matter which way we tack, slow is how we go.
Today is basically the same. The sea is flat as a lake, just a breeze
against us. Most of the wind we are creating with a motor running. Lots of
ships the first few days as expected, but as we are heading further away
from land, the ships are getting less and less.
We expected the first five days to be slow. Two more days to go and then
we hopefully will get more workable current and wind. And the meantime,
the clock is ticking. We are hoping to reach San Francisco on 6 April, and
we are still hopeful that conditions will improve vastly. Not impossible,
yet.
Stuart has had some good fortune catching a bonny and yesterday a yellow
fin tuna. It is hot out here, 31*C. And frustrating going so slow, but it
is all part of sailing. We also had the good fortune of meeting Doug and
Michelle in Panama. They have a power vessel named Grey Goose, and they
followed us out of Panama. We left a few hours before they left, and they
caught up with us in the afternoon. Came in a bit closer and took some
photos of us on Infinity. www.greygooseadventures.blogspot.com is their
blog address. We hope to stay in touch with them via email. Their next
stop is a few days further in Mexico.
Hanging in and hoping for the best, we appreciate the good wishes and
encouragement. Hopefully will post a bit more upbeat post next time. Until
then, take good care.
to do it one day. We were however informed that we would do one lock on
day one, and the next set of locks on the second day. Nothing we could do
about that. The Panama Canal is celebrating 100 years of operation this
year. Hard to believe that ships already started to cross from the
Atlantic to the Pacific here a hundred years ago. The second locks we also
went through and arrived at Balboa Yacht Club on the Pacific side just
before sunset. After a long day I decided it is safer to anchor for the
night before we set sail for San Francisco.
On Tuesday morning we started our final leg. And as expected, a very slow
start. Against the currents and against the wind. Not strong currents and
winds, but strong enough to slow us down quite a bit. Our first day out
was quite interesting, with the wind doing a complete 360 on us. And as
the wind slowly shifted, we threw whatever sail angle and sail we had at
it to maximise our efforts. We made fair progress running a motor all the
time as well. Yesterday was a bit slower, with the wind and current
staying against us, and no matter which way we tack, slow is how we go.
Today is basically the same. The sea is flat as a lake, just a breeze
against us. Most of the wind we are creating with a motor running. Lots of
ships the first few days as expected, but as we are heading further away
from land, the ships are getting less and less.
We expected the first five days to be slow. Two more days to go and then
we hopefully will get more workable current and wind. And the meantime,
the clock is ticking. We are hoping to reach San Francisco on 6 April, and
we are still hopeful that conditions will improve vastly. Not impossible,
yet.
Stuart has had some good fortune catching a bonny and yesterday a yellow
fin tuna. It is hot out here, 31*C. And frustrating going so slow, but it
is all part of sailing. We also had the good fortune of meeting Doug and
Michelle in Panama. They have a power vessel named Grey Goose, and they
followed us out of Panama. We left a few hours before they left, and they
caught up with us in the afternoon. Came in a bit closer and took some
photos of us on Infinity. www.greygooseadventures.blogspot.com is their
blog address. We hope to stay in touch with them via email. Their next
stop is a few days further in Mexico.
Hanging in and hoping for the best, we appreciate the good wishes and
encouragement. Hopefully will post a bit more upbeat post next time. Until
then, take good care.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
St.Lucia to Panama and on
Our little gamble paid of well. From St.Lucia to Panama we could go
further up north and follow the currents making a big circle to Panama.
The weather however looked good enough for us, and we decided to head
straight for Panama. On this route you will encounter counter and cross
currents, but with wind and motoring when we have to we were hoping to
make Panama in a week. The longer route would take two weeks, time we just
don't have. It was a mixed bag of light winds, strong winds, currents with
us and currents against us. And then there also all the ships that comes
through Panama, so we had to keep and eye out all the time as ships were
passing left and right of us. Port and starboard in nautical terms,
colours being red and green.
We kept on pushing, making the most of whatever wind we got and whatever
sail set-up we muster. No trouble to drop sails, raise sails, anytime. At
first we hoped we would arrive on Wednesday, an impossibility really,
except if we had exceptional winds. Thursday looked possible, riday was a
definite. As we got within 200nm of Panama I had to look at what time we
would arrive in Panama, and normally I would try and time going into a
port or marina at first light. We didn't slow down at all, as it is much
easier to slow down once you are much closer. One never knows what weather
may jump on you and throw your plans way out. Because we have radar, I
decided to keep on going as fast as possible and enter Panama at whatever
time we get there and take it from there. At exactly 23h43 on Thursday
night we entered into the port. Not just like that though. I had the 9-12
night watch and had to navigate through literally hundreds of ships
anchored just outside the harbour entrance. 8nm from the port entrance I
radioed Christobal Control and informed them of my ETA at the port
entrance. The requested that I call them again when I am 1nm from the
entrance, which I did, and they gave me permission to enter the port.
There is a little spot where one can anchor safely for the night just
about 2nm inside the entrance and out of the way of the big ships. At
00h30 we were safely anchored, and had a good night's rest, safe and
sound. Our anchor alarms etc were set, so we were all good. We left
St.Lucia on Thursday and entered Panama the next Thursday, mission
accomplished.
We got up at about 7am the next morning, had some coffee and motored the
last 2nm to Shelter Bay Marina, who were expecting us. I radioed them when
we arrived and they allocated us a berth, and a few minutes later we were
safely tied up inside the marina. All the yachts passing through Panama
east to west, or Atlantic to Pacific, waits here at the marina until they
are granted a passage. The admeasurer, a person hat comes and measures the
boat's dimensions arrived at 9am and our agent arrived shorty afterwards.
Before that I visited the marina office and got all the paperwork behind
me. THEY HAVE NO WIFI !!! There was a fire a few days ago, and the
substation was damaged. They are trying there utmost to set up a
temporarily network and hopefully this afternoon we may just get some
signal through. I was hoping to check the weather and a few other
important things as well re our last leg to San Francisco. And of course
we were all looking forward to skyping a bit with our loved ones at home.
Anyways, what can we do. I was fortunate to meet some fellow South African
yachties, and could get a lot of important info on the leg to San
Francisco, and San Francisco itself. It just so happens that one of the
guys runs a 70ft catamaran for a private owner and goes to San Francisco
on a regular basis. So the Universe conspires in our favour. I was reading
through a book called the Baja Bash last night. This is the coastal route
to San Francisco, and as expected :), not the best time at all for us to
do the leg, but that is common when you deliver boats. We simply have to
make the most of what we get. My plan not to take the coastal route seems
a sound one. We will be going out wide a bit, following the equatorial
current running west and curving up nort a bit. That way we avoid the
California current which runs from north to south, and also hoping to stay
out of the north westerly winds which blow consistently down the coast,
often amplified by hot and cold conditions. The cold north pacific
combined with the hot Mexican desert can create quite a bit of action, and
then there are also huge valleys which funnels through and will dismast
any unwary sailor. But staying further offshore we should be fine.
Our agent in Panama informed us that we could look at transitting the
Panama channel next week Friday earliest, and probably next weekend most
likely. This is the peak season for them, and they have a bottleneck
effect this time of the year. To expedite our passage, we will have to pay
an additional $US 2774 to get through on Sunday. Our office in Cape Town
is on this and we will transit tomorrow. Which gives us an extra day or
two to get to San Francisco. We will now have to average 5.9 kts to make
it in time for the boatshow, and looks very possible. We have maintained
an average of 6.9 since Cape Town, we are taking as much fuel as we can
for the last leg, and from there on, we can only do and hope for the best.
We are fuelling up in an hour or so, our agent should also be arriving
soon with extra lines and fenders that we will need for our transit
tomorrow. And such is life sometimes, full of surprises, and our plans
often have to stay flexible. A good friend of mine that was the project
manager for Eden Island has a good saying regarding this. We were doing
some photo shoots, tv interviews etc when we delivered his boat. It was a
high pressure project to get everything in place for the grande opening,
and the Eden Island/Seychelles Air regatta was also taking place at the
same time. He had two abbreviations, POA - plan of action, and an hour
later he would phone me with a COP, change of plans. So yes, we get dealt
the cards we get dealt with, and we have to take it from there. Keeps us
on our toes. And this ties in icely with one of my favourite saying, that
the only constant factor is change.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend and week ahead, and we will catch you
again on the other side, on the Pacific Ocean. The biggest ocean by far,
covering about 70% of Planet Earth's surface. From space our planet is
also called the blue planet, due to the vast oceans. Until then, take good
care.
Paul
further up north and follow the currents making a big circle to Panama.
The weather however looked good enough for us, and we decided to head
straight for Panama. On this route you will encounter counter and cross
currents, but with wind and motoring when we have to we were hoping to
make Panama in a week. The longer route would take two weeks, time we just
don't have. It was a mixed bag of light winds, strong winds, currents with
us and currents against us. And then there also all the ships that comes
through Panama, so we had to keep and eye out all the time as ships were
passing left and right of us. Port and starboard in nautical terms,
colours being red and green.
We kept on pushing, making the most of whatever wind we got and whatever
sail set-up we muster. No trouble to drop sails, raise sails, anytime. At
first we hoped we would arrive on Wednesday, an impossibility really,
except if we had exceptional winds. Thursday looked possible, riday was a
definite. As we got within 200nm of Panama I had to look at what time we
would arrive in Panama, and normally I would try and time going into a
port or marina at first light. We didn't slow down at all, as it is much
easier to slow down once you are much closer. One never knows what weather
may jump on you and throw your plans way out. Because we have radar, I
decided to keep on going as fast as possible and enter Panama at whatever
time we get there and take it from there. At exactly 23h43 on Thursday
night we entered into the port. Not just like that though. I had the 9-12
night watch and had to navigate through literally hundreds of ships
anchored just outside the harbour entrance. 8nm from the port entrance I
radioed Christobal Control and informed them of my ETA at the port
entrance. The requested that I call them again when I am 1nm from the
entrance, which I did, and they gave me permission to enter the port.
There is a little spot where one can anchor safely for the night just
about 2nm inside the entrance and out of the way of the big ships. At
00h30 we were safely anchored, and had a good night's rest, safe and
sound. Our anchor alarms etc were set, so we were all good. We left
St.Lucia on Thursday and entered Panama the next Thursday, mission
accomplished.
We got up at about 7am the next morning, had some coffee and motored the
last 2nm to Shelter Bay Marina, who were expecting us. I radioed them when
we arrived and they allocated us a berth, and a few minutes later we were
safely tied up inside the marina. All the yachts passing through Panama
east to west, or Atlantic to Pacific, waits here at the marina until they
are granted a passage. The admeasurer, a person hat comes and measures the
boat's dimensions arrived at 9am and our agent arrived shorty afterwards.
Before that I visited the marina office and got all the paperwork behind
me. THEY HAVE NO WIFI !!! There was a fire a few days ago, and the
substation was damaged. They are trying there utmost to set up a
temporarily network and hopefully this afternoon we may just get some
signal through. I was hoping to check the weather and a few other
important things as well re our last leg to San Francisco. And of course
we were all looking forward to skyping a bit with our loved ones at home.
Anyways, what can we do. I was fortunate to meet some fellow South African
yachties, and could get a lot of important info on the leg to San
Francisco, and San Francisco itself. It just so happens that one of the
guys runs a 70ft catamaran for a private owner and goes to San Francisco
on a regular basis. So the Universe conspires in our favour. I was reading
through a book called the Baja Bash last night. This is the coastal route
to San Francisco, and as expected :), not the best time at all for us to
do the leg, but that is common when you deliver boats. We simply have to
make the most of what we get. My plan not to take the coastal route seems
a sound one. We will be going out wide a bit, following the equatorial
current running west and curving up nort a bit. That way we avoid the
California current which runs from north to south, and also hoping to stay
out of the north westerly winds which blow consistently down the coast,
often amplified by hot and cold conditions. The cold north pacific
combined with the hot Mexican desert can create quite a bit of action, and
then there are also huge valleys which funnels through and will dismast
any unwary sailor. But staying further offshore we should be fine.
Our agent in Panama informed us that we could look at transitting the
Panama channel next week Friday earliest, and probably next weekend most
likely. This is the peak season for them, and they have a bottleneck
effect this time of the year. To expedite our passage, we will have to pay
an additional $US 2774 to get through on Sunday. Our office in Cape Town
is on this and we will transit tomorrow. Which gives us an extra day or
two to get to San Francisco. We will now have to average 5.9 kts to make
it in time for the boatshow, and looks very possible. We have maintained
an average of 6.9 since Cape Town, we are taking as much fuel as we can
for the last leg, and from there on, we can only do and hope for the best.
We are fuelling up in an hour or so, our agent should also be arriving
soon with extra lines and fenders that we will need for our transit
tomorrow. And such is life sometimes, full of surprises, and our plans
often have to stay flexible. A good friend of mine that was the project
manager for Eden Island has a good saying regarding this. We were doing
some photo shoots, tv interviews etc when we delivered his boat. It was a
high pressure project to get everything in place for the grande opening,
and the Eden Island/Seychelles Air regatta was also taking place at the
same time. He had two abbreviations, POA - plan of action, and an hour
later he would phone me with a COP, change of plans. So yes, we get dealt
the cards we get dealt with, and we have to take it from there. Keeps us
on our toes. And this ties in icely with one of my favourite saying, that
the only constant factor is change.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend and week ahead, and we will catch you
again on the other side, on the Pacific Ocean. The biggest ocean by far,
covering about 70% of Planet Earth's surface. From space our planet is
also called the blue planet, due to the vast oceans. Until then, take good
care.
Paul
Sunday, March 9, 2014
True Blue
The few days up to St.Lucia was interesting as always. On a previous trip,
less than a year ago, Hurricane Ana was on our tail. Canged the winds and
currents, so much so that we had to divert to Jamaica, and two days after
leaving Jamaica Hurricane Ana just clipped the eastern tip of Jamaica. So
one never knows. The weather report then showed only good winds for us, and
a tropical revolving storm on the Gulf of Mexico and one close to Tortola
made some sense of the upturned weather. We are now out of the hurricane
season, so we hope the predominantly eaterlies prevails. The wind stayed
true pumping a stiff 25 - 30 knots mostly from the north-east, and we had
2nd reef in the main and sometimes less in the genoa. Making good speed we
started loosing the current a bit, which was all over the place at times.
It was one of the best last stretches to St.Lucia. On other occasions we
would watch our ETA stay at four days to go for a few days, and then two
days to go for a few days, and eventually we would arrive at this most
beautiful of Caribbean islands. This time though our ETA stayed accurate,
the exact time however remained unclear as our speed varied a lot. In the
small hours of Thursday morning I took over watch and watched the break of
day through the two pitons, a World Heritage site. Two huge cone-shaped
pinnacles, the one slightly smaller than the other, always brings back
memories of previous arrivals at St.Lucia. I could clearly see the
silhouettes of the two shapes against the early morning sky. Often they
are obscured by low clouds. By that time the wind was getting very excited
blowing 35 - 40kts which noped us to drop the main and sail with a bit of
genoa and motoring into a stiff headwind that has now turned north coming
around the headland. We made a quick stop at Marigot Bay and then headed
up north for Rodney Bay, where the new Moorings and Sunsail charters base
is situated. I haven't been there before and wanted to make sure the sun
is a little higher as I prefer when entering a new place. Just gives us a
better view of the shallows one sometimes find around the islands when
donning our polarized sunglasses.
Rodney Bay was a quite a bit bigger than I expected, really the hub of
yachting in St.Lucia I guess. Literally hundreds of yachts at anchor,old
and new, old classical sloops graciously gliding over the waters, and even
an authentic pirate ship. A narrow entry into the marina and with great
delight we saw the fleet of Moorings and Sunsail boats. Spacious docks to
come into and as we came in astern there were two Moorings staff ready to
assist us with our lines. Not really necessary but very welcome at the
some time. It has nearly been five weeks since we've set foot on land. Our
spare part we had to collect in Rodney Bay arrived at 4pm, and at 4:30pm
we were on our way again. After the previous few weeks of sailing on a
beam reach it would have been nice to sleep on a boat that is not moving
for a night, but even nicer sleeping on a boat that is sailing downwind :)
All these boats and people and activities so sudden after such a long time
at sea had us quickly seeking the peace and solitude of sailing away.
Thibault and myself enjoyed a pizza and some internet, and Stuart went
missioning into town a bit.
As we safely navigated out of Rodney Bay, the quarter moon was right above
us, the setting sun was right ahead of us, and a fair amount of wind right
from behind. The very best, the cream of sailing. Into the Caribbean Sea.
The heat of the island can sometimes cause bigger clouds to form, and for
the first night out I decided to fly our twin headsail set-up, just in
case we get a nasty squall. The wind did speed up above 20kts at times,
but in retrospect we would have been ok with the gennekar. Better safe
than sorry though. First thing Friday morning as the sun rose, the
gennekar went up and has been up ever since. Distance to Panama was 1200nm
and we hoped we could cover it in five or six days. The weather forecast
however predicted a more mid 10-15kts of wind, and getting that from
behind gives us some speed, but not nearly enough to make Panama in such
good time. The current also lost us for a while, sometimes running across
us and slowing us down some. To make sure we get to Panama by the latest
Friday we have also been motoring for the last two days.
A few visitations from dolphins also blessed us tremendously. After a few
encounters and getting a tiny bit of underwater footage on his Gopro,
Thibault was now inspired to go a bit closer to the water. Yesterday
Stuart alerted us to a pack of dolphins racing towards us and what a sight
to see huge numbers of dolphins diving through the air and coming to catch
a waveride on our bow. Soon Thibault was clipped in his safety harness, a
mooring line attached across our beam up front, and he was lowered into
the water, dragging between the two hulls just under the trampoline.
Excellent vantage point from where he could keep his camera and get some
underwater footage of the dolphins. The dolphins stayed only a few minutes
and off they were again on their merry way to who knows where. I haven't
seen the latest footage yet, but sure it will great.
Of course the motion of the boat is now much smoother sailing downwind,
and we could start doing poi again. And the little absence turned out to
be good. Subconsciously I must have gone over the moves as well, and when
I tried, I have progressed a few steps, gaining more and more control over
these moving objects. Nearly 40 years ago as kids we were always
mesmerized by the big screen movie stars. No tv in those days yet. You can
imagine when Zorro filled the big screen, on the small farms school where
I was at school at the time, how we would all be involved in sword fights
the next day, whipping an imaginary Z everywhere and on everything. Saving
the damsel in distress, saving the town, saving anything that came our
way. Heroes all of us, just for a day. My favourite star from those days
is Bruce Lee. I have always been hugely attracted by things from the east.
The writing, the watercolour paintings, the philosophies, everything. I
studied Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts form that was established by Bruce
Lee. I also played a lot with nu-chaka sticks, two +-30cm of stick tied
together by a +-10cm piece of chain or rope. It was an ancient Chinese
weapon that you would swing around your shoulders and hips etc. Always
some enemy to defeat. Those early roots now comes in handy with the poi,
there is certainly some connection, I am not altogether unfamiliar with
swinging things around. All these things though are not to defend myself I
realized long ago, simply some form of mastery over my bodily functions.
Same when I learned to play guitar. Went for classical lessons, progressed
from there through all different types of guitar playing. Electric,
rhythm, bass, 12 string, slide guitar, lead guitar, and I have come now to
a point again that after all the noise it is the nylon stringed classical
guitar I find myself playing most. In a way it is a bit like life I guess.
A person travels far and wide searching for the ultimate truth, only to
find that the truth was within all along. The journey is really an inner
journey. Travelling is the best educator, and travel we must, I don't know
if one will find that the truth was within all the time if you did not go
out and travelled first. I think so. It also makes me think of some boat
people in China, that is born on the boat, lives on the boat and dies 80
years later never having left the boat. Surely that person must also know
his or her truth. But then what is truth. Same answer as to how many shades
of for example blue there are. How many shades of blue can you name ? I
think there are an infinite number of shades of blue. It changes all the
time, and depending on the observer, the "same" colour can look vastly
different. We try and name different shades of blue, and the more we try
the more we realise how difficult, no , impossible it is. Light blue. What
does that mean ? And dark blue, same question. So I think there are as many
shades of blue as there are people looking at shades of blue multiplied by
the number of blues that each person tries and describe. Primary
colours,secondary colours. We think we are so clever. We think we've got it
all worked out. The person who thinks he or she knows most is the person
who misses out on most. I prefer to stay aware, to stay open, to learn
something new every day. On my next blog I will try and associate sailing
with life, and take you, hopefully, out on the big blue. Even if it is only
for a little while. Until then, take care.
less than a year ago, Hurricane Ana was on our tail. Canged the winds and
currents, so much so that we had to divert to Jamaica, and two days after
leaving Jamaica Hurricane Ana just clipped the eastern tip of Jamaica. So
one never knows. The weather report then showed only good winds for us, and
a tropical revolving storm on the Gulf of Mexico and one close to Tortola
made some sense of the upturned weather. We are now out of the hurricane
season, so we hope the predominantly eaterlies prevails. The wind stayed
true pumping a stiff 25 - 30 knots mostly from the north-east, and we had
2nd reef in the main and sometimes less in the genoa. Making good speed we
started loosing the current a bit, which was all over the place at times.
It was one of the best last stretches to St.Lucia. On other occasions we
would watch our ETA stay at four days to go for a few days, and then two
days to go for a few days, and eventually we would arrive at this most
beautiful of Caribbean islands. This time though our ETA stayed accurate,
the exact time however remained unclear as our speed varied a lot. In the
small hours of Thursday morning I took over watch and watched the break of
day through the two pitons, a World Heritage site. Two huge cone-shaped
pinnacles, the one slightly smaller than the other, always brings back
memories of previous arrivals at St.Lucia. I could clearly see the
silhouettes of the two shapes against the early morning sky. Often they
are obscured by low clouds. By that time the wind was getting very excited
blowing 35 - 40kts which noped us to drop the main and sail with a bit of
genoa and motoring into a stiff headwind that has now turned north coming
around the headland. We made a quick stop at Marigot Bay and then headed
up north for Rodney Bay, where the new Moorings and Sunsail charters base
is situated. I haven't been there before and wanted to make sure the sun
is a little higher as I prefer when entering a new place. Just gives us a
better view of the shallows one sometimes find around the islands when
donning our polarized sunglasses.
Rodney Bay was a quite a bit bigger than I expected, really the hub of
yachting in St.Lucia I guess. Literally hundreds of yachts at anchor,old
and new, old classical sloops graciously gliding over the waters, and even
an authentic pirate ship. A narrow entry into the marina and with great
delight we saw the fleet of Moorings and Sunsail boats. Spacious docks to
come into and as we came in astern there were two Moorings staff ready to
assist us with our lines. Not really necessary but very welcome at the
some time. It has nearly been five weeks since we've set foot on land. Our
spare part we had to collect in Rodney Bay arrived at 4pm, and at 4:30pm
we were on our way again. After the previous few weeks of sailing on a
beam reach it would have been nice to sleep on a boat that is not moving
for a night, but even nicer sleeping on a boat that is sailing downwind :)
All these boats and people and activities so sudden after such a long time
at sea had us quickly seeking the peace and solitude of sailing away.
Thibault and myself enjoyed a pizza and some internet, and Stuart went
missioning into town a bit.
As we safely navigated out of Rodney Bay, the quarter moon was right above
us, the setting sun was right ahead of us, and a fair amount of wind right
from behind. The very best, the cream of sailing. Into the Caribbean Sea.
The heat of the island can sometimes cause bigger clouds to form, and for
the first night out I decided to fly our twin headsail set-up, just in
case we get a nasty squall. The wind did speed up above 20kts at times,
but in retrospect we would have been ok with the gennekar. Better safe
than sorry though. First thing Friday morning as the sun rose, the
gennekar went up and has been up ever since. Distance to Panama was 1200nm
and we hoped we could cover it in five or six days. The weather forecast
however predicted a more mid 10-15kts of wind, and getting that from
behind gives us some speed, but not nearly enough to make Panama in such
good time. The current also lost us for a while, sometimes running across
us and slowing us down some. To make sure we get to Panama by the latest
Friday we have also been motoring for the last two days.
A few visitations from dolphins also blessed us tremendously. After a few
encounters and getting a tiny bit of underwater footage on his Gopro,
Thibault was now inspired to go a bit closer to the water. Yesterday
Stuart alerted us to a pack of dolphins racing towards us and what a sight
to see huge numbers of dolphins diving through the air and coming to catch
a waveride on our bow. Soon Thibault was clipped in his safety harness, a
mooring line attached across our beam up front, and he was lowered into
the water, dragging between the two hulls just under the trampoline.
Excellent vantage point from where he could keep his camera and get some
underwater footage of the dolphins. The dolphins stayed only a few minutes
and off they were again on their merry way to who knows where. I haven't
seen the latest footage yet, but sure it will great.
Of course the motion of the boat is now much smoother sailing downwind,
and we could start doing poi again. And the little absence turned out to
be good. Subconsciously I must have gone over the moves as well, and when
I tried, I have progressed a few steps, gaining more and more control over
these moving objects. Nearly 40 years ago as kids we were always
mesmerized by the big screen movie stars. No tv in those days yet. You can
imagine when Zorro filled the big screen, on the small farms school where
I was at school at the time, how we would all be involved in sword fights
the next day, whipping an imaginary Z everywhere and on everything. Saving
the damsel in distress, saving the town, saving anything that came our
way. Heroes all of us, just for a day. My favourite star from those days
is Bruce Lee. I have always been hugely attracted by things from the east.
The writing, the watercolour paintings, the philosophies, everything. I
studied Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts form that was established by Bruce
Lee. I also played a lot with nu-chaka sticks, two +-30cm of stick tied
together by a +-10cm piece of chain or rope. It was an ancient Chinese
weapon that you would swing around your shoulders and hips etc. Always
some enemy to defeat. Those early roots now comes in handy with the poi,
there is certainly some connection, I am not altogether unfamiliar with
swinging things around. All these things though are not to defend myself I
realized long ago, simply some form of mastery over my bodily functions.
Same when I learned to play guitar. Went for classical lessons, progressed
from there through all different types of guitar playing. Electric,
rhythm, bass, 12 string, slide guitar, lead guitar, and I have come now to
a point again that after all the noise it is the nylon stringed classical
guitar I find myself playing most. In a way it is a bit like life I guess.
A person travels far and wide searching for the ultimate truth, only to
find that the truth was within all along. The journey is really an inner
journey. Travelling is the best educator, and travel we must, I don't know
if one will find that the truth was within all the time if you did not go
out and travelled first. I think so. It also makes me think of some boat
people in China, that is born on the boat, lives on the boat and dies 80
years later never having left the boat. Surely that person must also know
his or her truth. But then what is truth. Same answer as to how many shades
of for example blue there are. How many shades of blue can you name ? I
think there are an infinite number of shades of blue. It changes all the
time, and depending on the observer, the "same" colour can look vastly
different. We try and name different shades of blue, and the more we try
the more we realise how difficult, no , impossible it is. Light blue. What
does that mean ? And dark blue, same question. So I think there are as many
shades of blue as there are people looking at shades of blue multiplied by
the number of blues that each person tries and describe. Primary
colours,secondary colours. We think we are so clever. We think we've got it
all worked out. The person who thinks he or she knows most is the person
who misses out on most. I prefer to stay aware, to stay open, to learn
something new every day. On my next blog I will try and associate sailing
with life, and take you, hopefully, out on the big blue. Even if it is only
for a little while. Until then, take care.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
In Memories of Bucky
Thibault requested to read us something he wrote just before supper. Our
waterbucket was lost overboard. Over then to T :-
To our Friend! Buck!! Aka "Buck the Bucket", also as known as "Buck the
Bloody Bucket", or "Bucky" for close friends...
He was an Infinity's crew member (at least,I had someone hierarchy
underneath me, but anyway ;).He was always here when you needed him,
always helpful during your shower, very useful for the dishes, and
necessary for the washing! He was even always ready for any heatstroke!
He loved to be dragged at the stern of the boat.But never "in drag" and
never stern (severe) with you..
His hobby was to surf and to ride the waves on our wake. He also liked to
dive and swim just a little bit, sometimes...
WATER was is Element, and he disappeared on his element. I think it was
the best for him (maybe not for the Ocean,but anyway;).
He was not only part of the Infinity's Crew but he was also infinitely
lovely and he was part of the Family.
To Our Brother who passed away too young, to our Tchomi, to Mister B.!
Buck, we will miss you! Especially your blond/yellow hair you had (I'm
talking about the very nice and very strong rope!!;) Rest In Peace !
Yesterday, "The Old Man" gave us a beautiful Dorado, part of the Ocean's
family.
Today, we had to give him back someone from our family.
So now, Let's enjoy this gorgeous fish, and have together a Thought to
Buck.
Bless him! And Bon Appetit !!!!
waterbucket was lost overboard. Over then to T :-
To our Friend! Buck!! Aka "Buck the Bucket", also as known as "Buck the
Bloody Bucket", or "Bucky" for close friends...
He was an Infinity's crew member (at least,I had someone hierarchy
underneath me, but anyway ;).He was always here when you needed him,
always helpful during your shower, very useful for the dishes, and
necessary for the washing! He was even always ready for any heatstroke!
He loved to be dragged at the stern of the boat.But never "in drag" and
never stern (severe) with you..
His hobby was to surf and to ride the waves on our wake. He also liked to
dive and swim just a little bit, sometimes...
WATER was is Element, and he disappeared on his element. I think it was
the best for him (maybe not for the Ocean,but anyway;).
He was not only part of the Infinity's Crew but he was also infinitely
lovely and he was part of the Family.
To Our Brother who passed away too young, to our Tchomi, to Mister B.!
Buck, we will miss you! Especially your blond/yellow hair you had (I'm
talking about the very nice and very strong rope!!;) Rest In Peace !
Yesterday, "The Old Man" gave us a beautiful Dorado, part of the Ocean's
family.
Today, we had to give him back someone from our family.
So now, Let's enjoy this gorgeous fish, and have together a Thought to
Buck.
Bless him! And Bon Appetit !!!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Saving fish and catching fish
We are fortunate to have had good strong weather for quite a while now. It
keeps us on our toes, sailing close to the edge of what we consider safe.
A constant 30kts of wind coming from the side and sailing on a beam reach,
we at times had to fight hard to aim for our next waypoint which was at
the shallows close to French Guyana. The wind and swell kept on trying to
push us closer, and we kept on fighting back. Fortunately we never really
had to beat into the wind, that is sailing against the wind. Not right
against the wind, but at a sailable angle of close to 45 degrees is about
as close to wind as we can sail.
To prepare for potential stronger squalls I have also taught my crew what
it takes and what to expect when you turn straight into an oncoming spell
of strong wind. We mostly just bear off a bit and run with it when a dark
cloud comes over, but there may be times that it may not be the best plan
of action as we are sailing with our mainsail up. I have had 65kts of
squalls and you don't want to run with those if you have mainsail up. It
really is about anticipating and having everything at the ready should you
quickly have to turn the boat into the wind. The headsail or genoa, the
sail on front, you have to furl in as you turn into the wind. And you
don't want it flogging, ever. When you turn into a squall, it soon blows
over. You can then back on your course and wait for the wind to settle
again. When you run with the squall, it takes much longer to blow over.
Generally it gives us a good turn of speed and we normally prefer that. We
haven't had any serious squalls, they are normally formed by cumulus
nimbus, huge clouds that tower up high and flatten off at the top, shaped
like an anvil. Normally they also bring with them thunder and lighting,
and yes, it is sometimes very frightening. And just as an extra bonus,
they can sometimes also throw some hail at you :) In the clouds we read a
lot of what to expect from the weather.
Close to French Guyana a seismic research vessel radioed us and requested
that we alter course to 270*T sailing due west. They were dragging 5nm
cables behind them and on our course we would sail straight across their
cables which would damage our props and our rudders, and probably their
cables as well. I have encountered these vessels on previous occasions,
and we are always thankful that we were warned in time. We probably kept
our course of 270*T for an hour when they radioed again and informed us
that we are now safe to change back to our original course. A cargo ship
also approached us from astern a day or two ago and had a nice chat with
the captain, who were simply enquiring how we are, where are from and
where we are heading. They were from Argentina and Venezuela was their
destination. We shared some maritime experiences and it was interesting to
find out that the navigational systems on our yachts are for more modern
than the system on most of the older ships.
With the more demanding weather we don't have much time to practise poi,
but we are keeping up our French classes. Small but interesting little
things we learn. How to greet in French, count, the different colours, and
we are certainly making nice progress in that regard. During the rougher
patches we still have flying fish taking off and being blown back onto our
yacht, and whenever we see them or hear them we frantically search for
them and help them back in the water. One night we must have saved at
least two dozen of these amazing little creatures between the three of us.
Poor creatures with their big eyes and gulping mouths, really a blessing
to return them back to the ocean alive. We cannot save all of them, and
every morning we walk around the deck and return the dead stiff bodies
also to the ocean. They sometimes land in places where we don't see or
hear them.
The last day or two the current turned north east and we were slowed down
quite a bit. But as always, I know it will change, just have to sit it out
and keeping doing the best we can. Same with the wind. We are currently
aiming for St.Lucia and the wind was blowing from the north east for a
while and once again we had to aim a bit lower than where we wanted to go.
But knowing that the wind will back to ENE, ExN, and eventually East, we
just follow the wind and trust that it will change, which it has done.
Should it not have changed we would have a tough beat up to St.Lucia, but
yes, finding a good balance between speed, safety and comfort is always a
challenge under these conditions. And the currents and wind always keep
you waiting in anticipation.
With the bit of slower speed we had yesterday due to a cross current, and
nice weather, I decided to put a pink lure out and wished for a dorado.
Stuart reckoned a longfin tuna or dorado, I insisted on a dorado. Probably
the tastiest fish and even better when fresh. The lure went out at about
10am. I suddenly noticed the bungee cord pulling tight. We were sitting
enjoying our evening meal and chatting and Stuart and Thibault was
wondering what was going on as I suddenly jumped up doing a tribal dance
shouting whoop whoop whoop whoop as I moved to the back of the boat. I
pulled the bungee cord, got hold of the line and felt the fish pumping
trying to get loose. After gaining a few metres I gave the line to
Thibault so he could also feel the fish fighting while Stuart was putting
on leather gloves. Soon the fish was close to the boat and was lifted on
deck. A beautiful dorado, not to small, not to big, just perfect. We
quickly subdues the fish and watched with a tinge of sadness as the
colours on the body changed while the fish was dying. Also a huge tinge of
thankfulness for the gift bestowed upon us.
I gave Stuart the honour of filleting the body, and showed him exactly how
and where to cut. His first fillet was a bit zigzag, but his next fillet
was perfect. I also showed the guys how to remove the skin with least
waste or damaging the tender flesh. Thibault also had his turn at de
skinning one of the fillets. The meal size portions were cut, placed in
hand towel paper, slipped into Jiffy bags, an vacuum sealed by sucking the
air out with a straw. Two meals were placed in the freezer, one meal in
the fridge that we will have for supper tonight, and a few smaller
portions that we will have as sushimi in the next hour or so. Wasabi,
pickled ginger, soya sauce and fresh lemon juice all waiting and ready to
be enjoyed.
We are 280nm from St.Lucia and expect to arrive there on Thursday morning
for a quick in and out. Our current position at PM 03:00 UTC is
10*17'N/057*34'W. Our time on the boat is now AM 11:30. Take good care and
we promise to do the same.
Paul
keeps us on our toes, sailing close to the edge of what we consider safe.
A constant 30kts of wind coming from the side and sailing on a beam reach,
we at times had to fight hard to aim for our next waypoint which was at
the shallows close to French Guyana. The wind and swell kept on trying to
push us closer, and we kept on fighting back. Fortunately we never really
had to beat into the wind, that is sailing against the wind. Not right
against the wind, but at a sailable angle of close to 45 degrees is about
as close to wind as we can sail.
To prepare for potential stronger squalls I have also taught my crew what
it takes and what to expect when you turn straight into an oncoming spell
of strong wind. We mostly just bear off a bit and run with it when a dark
cloud comes over, but there may be times that it may not be the best plan
of action as we are sailing with our mainsail up. I have had 65kts of
squalls and you don't want to run with those if you have mainsail up. It
really is about anticipating and having everything at the ready should you
quickly have to turn the boat into the wind. The headsail or genoa, the
sail on front, you have to furl in as you turn into the wind. And you
don't want it flogging, ever. When you turn into a squall, it soon blows
over. You can then back on your course and wait for the wind to settle
again. When you run with the squall, it takes much longer to blow over.
Generally it gives us a good turn of speed and we normally prefer that. We
haven't had any serious squalls, they are normally formed by cumulus
nimbus, huge clouds that tower up high and flatten off at the top, shaped
like an anvil. Normally they also bring with them thunder and lighting,
and yes, it is sometimes very frightening. And just as an extra bonus,
they can sometimes also throw some hail at you :) In the clouds we read a
lot of what to expect from the weather.
Close to French Guyana a seismic research vessel radioed us and requested
that we alter course to 270*T sailing due west. They were dragging 5nm
cables behind them and on our course we would sail straight across their
cables which would damage our props and our rudders, and probably their
cables as well. I have encountered these vessels on previous occasions,
and we are always thankful that we were warned in time. We probably kept
our course of 270*T for an hour when they radioed again and informed us
that we are now safe to change back to our original course. A cargo ship
also approached us from astern a day or two ago and had a nice chat with
the captain, who were simply enquiring how we are, where are from and
where we are heading. They were from Argentina and Venezuela was their
destination. We shared some maritime experiences and it was interesting to
find out that the navigational systems on our yachts are for more modern
than the system on most of the older ships.
With the more demanding weather we don't have much time to practise poi,
but we are keeping up our French classes. Small but interesting little
things we learn. How to greet in French, count, the different colours, and
we are certainly making nice progress in that regard. During the rougher
patches we still have flying fish taking off and being blown back onto our
yacht, and whenever we see them or hear them we frantically search for
them and help them back in the water. One night we must have saved at
least two dozen of these amazing little creatures between the three of us.
Poor creatures with their big eyes and gulping mouths, really a blessing
to return them back to the ocean alive. We cannot save all of them, and
every morning we walk around the deck and return the dead stiff bodies
also to the ocean. They sometimes land in places where we don't see or
hear them.
The last day or two the current turned north east and we were slowed down
quite a bit. But as always, I know it will change, just have to sit it out
and keeping doing the best we can. Same with the wind. We are currently
aiming for St.Lucia and the wind was blowing from the north east for a
while and once again we had to aim a bit lower than where we wanted to go.
But knowing that the wind will back to ENE, ExN, and eventually East, we
just follow the wind and trust that it will change, which it has done.
Should it not have changed we would have a tough beat up to St.Lucia, but
yes, finding a good balance between speed, safety and comfort is always a
challenge under these conditions. And the currents and wind always keep
you waiting in anticipation.
With the bit of slower speed we had yesterday due to a cross current, and
nice weather, I decided to put a pink lure out and wished for a dorado.
Stuart reckoned a longfin tuna or dorado, I insisted on a dorado. Probably
the tastiest fish and even better when fresh. The lure went out at about
10am. I suddenly noticed the bungee cord pulling tight. We were sitting
enjoying our evening meal and chatting and Stuart and Thibault was
wondering what was going on as I suddenly jumped up doing a tribal dance
shouting whoop whoop whoop whoop as I moved to the back of the boat. I
pulled the bungee cord, got hold of the line and felt the fish pumping
trying to get loose. After gaining a few metres I gave the line to
Thibault so he could also feel the fish fighting while Stuart was putting
on leather gloves. Soon the fish was close to the boat and was lifted on
deck. A beautiful dorado, not to small, not to big, just perfect. We
quickly subdues the fish and watched with a tinge of sadness as the
colours on the body changed while the fish was dying. Also a huge tinge of
thankfulness for the gift bestowed upon us.
I gave Stuart the honour of filleting the body, and showed him exactly how
and where to cut. His first fillet was a bit zigzag, but his next fillet
was perfect. I also showed the guys how to remove the skin with least
waste or damaging the tender flesh. Thibault also had his turn at de
skinning one of the fillets. The meal size portions were cut, placed in
hand towel paper, slipped into Jiffy bags, an vacuum sealed by sucking the
air out with a straw. Two meals were placed in the freezer, one meal in
the fridge that we will have for supper tonight, and a few smaller
portions that we will have as sushimi in the next hour or so. Wasabi,
pickled ginger, soya sauce and fresh lemon juice all waiting and ready to
be enjoyed.
We are 280nm from St.Lucia and expect to arrive there on Thursday morning
for a quick in and out. Our current position at PM 03:00 UTC is
10*17'N/057*34'W. Our time on the boat is now AM 11:30. Take good care and
we promise to do the same.
Paul
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