Archive for August 2014
White Noise
Return Day 8 8/07/20144 17:00 (1079 Miles to Golden Gate Bridge)
In about an hour and a half we will have completed 8 full days on the return, in approximately 7 hours we will pass through the half-way point. Ironically we are making better time than we did during the race and we are slogging uphill. We had a couple of windless days early in the race where we had no choice but to persevere via sails alone. Now, on the return, we can engage the iron spinnaker anytime we want! Prior to today we have only ran the engine approximately 36 hours and mostly while still sailing. The plan was to stay on a starboard tack until the wind ran out then power on the engine and turn right towards the Golden Gate. However, while on that starboard tack the winds would clock and veer causing us from time to time to turn on the engine to get a better purchase on the wind closer to the direction of San Francisco. The beauty of this is that we didn’t have to run the engine at high RPM’s with the sails up.
We left Kaneohe Bay with 167 Gal of Diesel with an estimated burn rate of of a gallon per hour making approximately 5 knots giving us a range of approximately 1100 miles while under power. This has turned out to be a very conservative estimate because with the 36 hours of motor sailing we have only had to offload 10 gallons from the diesel jugs into the tank to peg the gauge as full. We feel confident that from this point forward we can run the engine the entire trip and still have fuel leftover. Now that we are in the center of the high and see nothing but flat seas and very little wind we will be only motoring and will probably see higher consumption because we are no longer motor sailing.
We have now entered a completely different phase of the trip; one of less motion, easier handling and noise. The constant drone of the engine becomes what is known as white noise. Your mind mysteriously blocks it out so that you can function as if it isn’t there. With the help of earplugs sleeping becomes no different than in the peace and quiet of a home in the country. Avion is no longer listing at a 20 to 30 degree angle so doing simple chores like cooking dinner, cleaning up and writing are no longer frustrating challenges. The watches now are also a lot easier. With the engine running we can utilize the auto helm which becomes the third person on watch; in reality one person can handle the watch but with 5 on board we are still keeping with the 2 person watch teams at all times.
Lindi and I have changed our schedules so that we now have 2 hours out of 10 that we are on together. We had the fortune of being on watch together during the sunrise this morning, it was so romantic. We both agreed that this is the life we want to share together; this pioneer spirit where we are free to roam where ever the wind and water cares to carry us. The primary purpose of this adventure for me was to both confirm this wanderlust and help prepare for future voyages. Not just to hone my seamanship skills but to nurture this adventuresome spirit with Lindi. This morning proved that we are well on our way to watching countless sunrises and sunsets while exploring new territory gliding on the waves under Antigua, our sturdy vessel.
I have the fortune of spending the other 2 hours of my 4 hour watches with Nico. I just read his post on the beauty of the sea. We have talked about a lot of subjects and one was about his desire to attempt to capture that beauty in words and to convey how it affects him emotionally; I told him I’m sure he can do it justice and when I read it I was touched by its poetic beauty. I may have said this before but he is incredible, especially considering he has just turned 24. We spend hours talking mostly about sailing but also about the process of living a full life; there is no question in my mind that his will be amazing, it already has richness’s that people my age only dream. His stories based on his life experiences rivals Juan’s with only a third of the time for development. One of the topics I enjoy the most with him is talking about the necessary preparation for Antigua to make her cruiser ready. He has taken her out the Golden Gate down to Half Moon Bay, longer than any of my ventures with her, so he knows her well and has fabulous ideas about how to make her better. Between Lindi’s and Nico’s ideas we will make Antigua a first class cruiser.
Crossing the Pacific Ocean has its beauty as captured by Nico, but it also has its adventures. When one embarks on an adventure such as ours you want it to be full of experiences but not so many as to make it an ordeal. Thus far we have been fortunate. While writing this entry we just caught our 3rd fish, so again fresh Mahi Mahi later today. Early this afternoon we were honored with an escort by a huge Yellowtail Tuna that followed along our port side for well over an hour. Nico was so excited that he got out the fishing bag to string a cedar plug known for their attraction to Tuna. While he was tying up the line I spotted one of the glass balls used by Japanese fishermen to float nets Nico decided this was a much better prize than Yellowtail Sashimi (ironically both having Japanese roots) so he dropped the line, grabbed the tiller, cut the engine and reversed course in a matter of seconds. He proceeded to negotiate Avion alongside the ball and with his long arms gracefully scooped up the ball. The only problem now is that we need another four so we won’t have to figure out who gets this one. Juan believes it should go to the person that first spotted it, not the one that so gracefully retrieved it. His logic is that given enough time Juan eventually could have retrieved it, assuming others were willing to assist.
I have to say Nico did have a Juanism the other day, but unlike Juan he managed to rectify his. Juan’s friends concocted this term to describe the many embarrassing pitfalls bestowed upon Juan, by Juan simply being Juan. Nico is always ready when some rigging change needs to be made. Since he has only had to do one headsail change in 8 days, not even bothering to place a potential tattoo mark on his forearm, he is always looking for other ways to hone his nautical skills. The other day when the wind decided to take a vacation we had to drop the mainsail because it was no longer providing lift, it was being a drag. When the wind came back we had to reattach the main halyard (the line that raises the sail) to the main so we could hoist the sail. As he was attaching the shackle Avion pitched through a wave which caused Nico to lose his grip on the halyard, This miscue is often referred to by sailors’ as skying the Halyard; a dreaded condition that typically requires a trip up the mast. Juan ain’t going up there! Can you imagine what that would look like?? The picture that comes to mind is attempting to utilize the circus elephant as the acrobat on the flying trapeze that catches the beautiful maiden after she gracefully twirls from one bar to the next. Nico however looks like one of those muscular acrobats hanging by the back of their knees with the confidence of catching the maiden without a safety net. So you guess who volunteered to reclaim the skied halyard! Unfortunately the halyard managed to tie itself around the backstay, and there is only one other section of the boat harder to climb than the backstay, that would be the forestay. On Avion there are other lines that run parallel to the backstay providing some leverage; that is if you can call small 3/8 inch running back lines flimsily attached to a boat that is pitching and rolling in 4 to 6 foot seas with 12 knots of wind and Juan being one of your safety nets as leverage. The circus scenario sounds much safer. Now Nico wanted me to be clear in my explanation of this story so that his mother wouldn’t have a heart attack while reading the blog. Juan enjoyed meeting Nico’s mother and wanted to stay in good graces with her, especially when he discovered that she and his dad are great French cooks and have offered to entertain the Avion crew for a get together after the return. So I want to make it perfectly clear that both the skipper David and Nico would never attempt something that was both not within the skill set of the crew and wasn’t properly thought through with safety being the primary concern. They were able to rig a harness with 3 separate safety lines (two other halyards and his tether looped around the backstay) holding Nico in place while he climbed the backstay leveraging himself between the two running back lines. Juan scrambled to find a camera to capture the moment but Nico was down with the Main Halyard in hand being used as the 4th safety line, talk about redundancy upon redundancy, before the camera powered up.
This afternoon while Lindi attempted to get out of her bunk she lost her balance and crashed to the floor. We all heard the noise over the engine and David, being the responsible skipper, ran to her rescue and was greeted with a laughing Lindi. When he came on deck Juan asked what all the racket was and David told him that it was Lindi falling out of her bunk. Juan being concerned asked if she was alright and David said, “Not to worry she was laughing as she was pulling herself off the floor”. Juan countered with, “Yeah, she was laughing after she crashed her mountain bike also and has made three trips back to the Doctor concerning her shoulder!” This time the laughs were for real and was just a simple mishap. What do you think, a Juanism?
What to write about when things have become routine and nothing extraordinary seem to happen? I could update whenever we turn on or off the engine or when we catch a fish as they seem to be the most poignant things that happen on the day to day. Not much to report when everything is running smoothly and even the boat seems to be happy and not demanding much attention. It may sound a bit boring but that is the beauty of the open ocean; it is hardly boring. When I am not sleeping I am constantly marveling at the sights. You might call me a tourist sightseeing. Now you might be asking yourself, what sights? What can there possibly be to see but sea and sky? In truth nothing but it is so much more than that. The sea surface is ever changing; the shapes sizes and colors of the waves vary with each one that passes. The qualities of the colors reflected in the waves and in the water are fleeting, and can never be captured for more than the second they catch ones eye. But above the surface of the sea is where the real fascination lays, The Sky. Watching the sky change day to day hour to hour gives me a new found understanding of what draws men and woman to the sea. The most important and possibly fastest changing aspect of the sky is the clouds. In truth, the clouds bring beauty to all the other elements of what makes the sky so fascinating and a constant source of entertainment for me. The other pieces of the puzzle that bring the beauty to the sky are the sun the moon and the stars. Sunrise and Sunset is a sort of a religious experience that I am always sad to find I have slept through. Here is where we see the interplay of the clouds for without them the sunrise and sunset would be rather plain. It is the reflections in the clouds, the colors dancing from one cumulus to one cirrus cloud. It is the shadows and dark spots, where the clouds block out the coming light, and the rays of light shining through like a beacon beckoning one to a spot on the water. Dawn and dusk bring a special light to the sky where the last of the stars and the first of the sunlight, or vice versa, all shine through at once, playing peek a boo with the clouds which light up in billows of color. Once the sun has set and stars come out a whole new world opens up. When the moon is up it too plays its light through the clouds, lighting only those in the path of its silver rays. Meanwhile the other clouds seem dark ominous shapes looming overhead, never clear what they will bring for us. Sometimes they bring wind, sometimes they take it away, other times still they bring rain in great big buckets or in short sprinkles. Once the moon has set and the clouds leave enough clear sky to see the stars, we see a field of millions of stars bright and dim that leave no doubt as to why so many cultures have studied, written about, and told stories based on the stars. The vast expanse of night sky is punctuated about every 30 seconds with a streak of light moving across the field of tiny white dots. Sometimes these shooting stars are bright and leave a distinct streak in the sky other times they are fleeting and only last as long as it takes to turn ones head to get a better view. At the same time as the sky is lit by tiny white dots the sea around the boat fills with glowing specks in the wake of the boat. Every wave that passes brings a new pattern of bioluminescence washing away from the boat leaving room for the next. So when I say that I spend my days marveling at the sights, I do mean the just the sea and the sky but what more could I possibly take in?
Nico
Que est ce que on peut ecrir quad les chose devienent routine et il ce passrein de extraordinaire?Je pourais vous avetir a chaque fois que on met le motor ou que on attrape um poission comme il semblerais que ce sont les chose les plus important que il se passe ces jours ci. Pas grand chose a dire quand tout ce passe bien et meme le bateaux a l’aire content et ne demende pas beaucoup d’attention. Ils semblarais peuterte meme que on s’ennui mais c’est la beautet de l’ocean; elle est loin d’etre enuiant. Quand je ne dors pas je me perd dans les paysage. Vous vous demendais peuteter, quelles payisages? Que est ce qui l pourait possiblement avoir a voir saufe la mere et le ciele? En realite, rein mais c’est tellment pluse que juste ca. Le mere change tout le temps, les forms taille et colour des vages ne dure jamais pluse longtemps que l’instant qu on l’apercoi. Les reflects des colours dans l’eau et dans les vagues dure un instant et ne peut selment etre tenu dans l’instan que on le voit. Pour moi ce que il y a de plus beau est ce qui est au dessu de la mere , Le ciel. De voir les changement dans le ciel chaque jour me fait comprendre autrement ce qui attir l’homme a la mere. La parti du ciel qui est le plus formidable, et aussi celui qui change le plus rapidment sont les nuages. En realite les nuages partage, et meme ajoute au beaute de tout les autres element qui font le miracle du ciel. Les autres element qui joue sont le soleil la lune et les etoils. Les lever et coucher du soleil sont des evenment presque religiouse que je suis tojours desu quant je trouve qu j’ai manquer. C’est la ou on commence a voir le role que le nuages joue, car sans eu le lever et coucher du soleil serait un peut banal. C’est les reflect des colours et de la lumier qui joue dans le nuage qui et si spectaculair. Un foit que le soleil et coucher le ciel devient un paysage entierement different. La lune qui elle n’est pas si brilliant mais de un colour entierement different illumine quelques nuages avec ses rayons argentes tant que les autres nuages semble des forms noir et ominous qui nous amen un meteo mysterious. Quelque fois ells nous amen du vent quelquefois elle nous le vole, autrefois elles amen de la pluie soit en cords soit des petit goutes. Une fois que la lune se couche et les nuages s’ecatres un peut le ciel s’ouvre a des milliards d’etoils certains brilliant et d’autres peut visible. Ca ne laisse auquin doubt a pourquois autant de cultures ont etudier ecrit et raconteur des histoirs autour des etoils. Le champs de petit lumeir blancs et accenter par des trais de lumier qui fills a travers du ceil. Quelqefois ces etoils fillant laisse un trace imprimer dans le noirs et autrefois elles pass aussi vite qu on puisse tourner la tete pour mieux voir. En meme temps que le ciel et remplis de petit lumiers blancs la mere se decide a ce illumine aussi. Des petit points blanc se forme avec chaque vague que le bateaux passe et disparait aussi viet pour laiser la place a un nouvelle vague de bioluminescent. Et donc quand je dit que je me perd dans les paysages, oui je parle de juste la mere et le ciel mais que est ce que je pourrias vouloirs voir de plus?
Nico
Strange Night Sightings
Return Day 5 8/04/20144 12:00 Noon (1476 Miles to Golden Gate Bridge)
After 4 complete days of sailing we are making good progress. The first24 hours we made 136 miles, second 120, third 126 and fourth 131 for a total last night at Children’s Hour of 503 miles made good. Sometime last night we completed the first quarter of the way. We celebrated by eating a fresh Mahi Mahi with wasabi and soy sauce, nice treat. I was just getting off watch at 9 P.M., which was still light, and I saw flying fish. We now know why the fish are flying because Dorado’s can’t. No sooner did I tell Nico that I saw a flying fish he hollers out that we caught a fish. This Dorado was 2.1 kilos with enough meat to have some grilled fillets later. Two minutes before the catch Lindi had just emptied a can of chicken into the curry chicken she and Angie were preparing, it would have been nice to have had the fish in the curry but this made for a nice meal with the combination of raw fish and chicken curry; like I said we do eat well.
The routine is settling in but I still require a lot more sleep than normal. Keeping my bulk stable is still contributing greatly to my fatigue. The gals are having an even more difficult time because of their short wing span, they are finding it challenging to find hand holds without lunging from time to time. The 3 point rule is critical on a listing and pitching boat and one of those points should not be your broken nose against the bulkhead.
After nearly 8 degrees north of Hawaii the tropical heat is beginning to dissipate, a bit. Night watches are requiring light foulies to keep us dry while it is cool. The spray during the day is a welcomed. I did get slammed by a wave while I was driving at night the other evening while only wearing shorts and a light shirt, a mere half hour from the end of my watch. I went down and got a jacket, put it over my wet clothes and went back on watch. The mistake I made was not changing; I went to bed after taking off my shirt but not my shorts. Oh well, I have had to deal with the chafing of my butt for the last few days; lesson learned!
This morning’s watch was just crazy. The remainder if the crew is worried about the sanity of Angie and Juan. At 3 A.M. I came up on board to relieve David and saw a light on the horizon at about position 8 o’clock off our port quarter. I said, “Ohh, I just missed the moon”. Which Angie replied, while at the helm, that it wasn’t the moon but a stationary ship that has been there for the past 3 hours. We speculated that it was some military ship or some research vessel. After David went down, Angie and I started seeing thing in the night. The first sighting was a strobe moving off our port bow a mile or so away moving rather rapidly. We first thought it was an aircraft but the strobes were 10 seconds or so apart. The movement was in the general direction to the stationary ship but not in direct path because we could watch the strobe pass between us and the ship. We figured that the craft must be on the water because the strobe sequence was intermittent due to the wave interference. While the strobe was still in sight off our stern Angie, still on the helm, reports seeing a red solid light at about 11 o’clock off the port side. This was definitely a watercraft showing us its port running lights. It wasn’t appearing to be moving as fast as the strobe but definitely faster than a sailboat. It appeared to be much closer to Avion, approximately mile or so but we couldn’t hear any engine noise. While this red light was moving across our port side Angie reported another strobe at about 1 o’clock off our starboard bow and approaching rapidly. We decided to make sure our AIS system was on and the VHF radio was on. The AIS system is a tracking device that sends out a signal to other crafts showing boat name, type, position and movement which Avion is equipped. We also can see other crafts with AIS transponders but Juan wasn’t checked out on how to monitor that on our navigation system. Angie, being a prudent helmsman, kept Avion as high into the wind to starboard as possible since the strobe was moving from our starboard to port across our bow that appeared to be way less than a mile out. Take these estimated distances with a grain of salt; at 3:30 in the morning while being fatigued one’s judgment of distances, or anything for that matter, is suspect. This may account for the reason stated earlier about the remaining crew’s concern of our sanity.
Anyway, getting back to the story, Angie said that she could start breathing again once she could see the strobe off our port bow. Knowing that I can’t hold my breath that long I began to worry not only about a potential collision but also for my helmsman’s ability not to pass out. We kept a keen eye on the luff of the jib hoping to see a light. It finally flashed and Angie finally took a deep breath. This strobe was even closer than the other two lights and appeared to be moving faster than the red light but about the same speed as the previous strobe. Since it was significantly closer it moved off our stern much quicker than the previous two light. All of the lights were moving in the opposite direction as Avion but again not directly to the stationary ship. You can probably guess that Angie and Juan had a heightened sense of awareness for the remainder of their watch.
When Angie went down to wake Nico I could see an animated Angie trying to explain to Nico what we just experienced. Nico, having been checked out on the AIS system, went to the computer and was unable to verify any AIS signal in the region. By this time the stationary ship was over the horizon but we could see a faint glow. David had seen the stationary ship before he went off watch, otherwise the remaining crew would have been totally concerned about our sanity. So what do you think? Military exercise with stealth technology, some research vessel analyzing the debris field in this general area of the Pacific, some alien encounter of the third kind, or some hallucinations from a couple of fatigued sailors?
Beginning the Return!
Well after an amazing week in Hawaii we are back at it this time going the other way. Hawaii was beautiful, lots of fun, everything and more than I could have hoped for in a week vacation! The return trip has proven to be a completely different animal. The first thing to note is that we are no longer racing and thus things are a bit more relaxed. However, the return trip is upwind which means the boat leans a lot more and we cannot point straight home. The second thing and possibly most dramatic change is the crew. Of the 6 who raced over only David Jon and I are returning although sometimes Juan makes an appearance. We have also gained Lindi and Angie as crew. The presence of women on the boat certainly mixes things up a bit. Both Jon and David seem thrilled to have their girlfriends along and for both couples this is the first trip of this kind together! Being only 5 and having 2 couples has changed up the watch schedule quite a bit. We are also allowing for 2 people on deck as we are no longer racing which allows for longer off watches the current schedule is 4hrs on and 6 hrs off and seems a luxury when I wake up 4 hours into my off watch! The food is also quite different this direction as we had less time to prepare meals and more time to cook underway we are doing a lot more cooking. Right now the boat is a veritable sauna and I am still living in shorts on deck even at night ( I really need to move someplace warm) The boat is laden with about 160 gal of diesel and 115 gal of water with the assumption that we will sail to the center of the “pacific high,” the weather system that dominates our route, where there is typically little to no wind and we will motor until we hit the wind again! The weather so far looks to be favorable and has been until now. We put our #3 small jib up when we left Kaneohe Bay and have had it up since (no sharpie marks on my arm!) averaging about 5.5 knots. Some things about the trip however, remain the same the rhythm still remains Eat, Sleep, Sail. There is still a high side bed and a low side bed (though now we just go to whatever bed is open!) and our entire life has once again become about Avion, and her wants needs and whims!
Until next time
Nico
Le Debut du retour!
Apres un semaine super a Hawaii on et re parti c’ette fois ci dans l’autre sens. Un semaine sur Oahu eter une semaine de reve! L’ille est manifique les gens super sympas et les fetes de regatta etait super! Le voyage du retour est une voyage entierment different pour quelques raisons. La premier est parceque on est plus en course et donc on reviens rapidment en mode croisier et ddonc bien plus relaxe. Parcontre maintenet on remonte au vent: qui veut dire que le bateaux panche plus, bouge pluse et donc et plus difficile physiqument pour se deplacer ou fair quoi que il soit. Ca veut aussie dire que oon ne peut pas se deriger directement ou on veut on doit tirer des bords vers San Francisco. Le deuxiem changement et possiblement le pplus dramatique c’est l’equippage! Sur les 6 qui on fait la regatta seulement 3, david, jon et moi, rentre avec le bateauxles copines de david et jon nous on joins a Hawaii et viens pour le retour! D’avoirs des femmes et des couples abord change largement l’ambiance et la morale abord! Pour les deux couples c’est la premier fois que il font un voyage tell ensemble donc ils ajuste comme il faut mais tout se passe tres bien! D’etre 5 abord et d’avoir deux couples et le faite que on est plus en course change le systeme de quart. On est 2 sur le pont a la fois et on fait des quart de 4 heurs de garde et 6 heurs de repos pour moi ca semble le grand lux quand je me reveille apr 4 heurs de repos et j’ai encore deux heurs! La norriture est aussie largement different, comme a Hawaii on n’as pas eu beaucoup de temps pours prepares des repas et on a plus de temps pour cusinier abord on a achetter les ingredients qui l fallait et oon cusine avec ce que il y a! et c’est tojours delicieux! A ce moment la le bateaux et tres chaud et humide et on navigue en shorts meme la nuit ! Le bateaux et charger de 605l de diesel et 435l d’eau on a autant de diesel sous l’assumption que on va naviguer a la voile jusque au centre du “Pacific High,” le system de meteo qui domine notre passage, a l’endroit ou il y a plus de vent et on va metre le motor jusque a ce qu on retrouve le vent! Jusque a present le vent et les vagues on etait favorable et la meteo a l’aire de dire que ca va continuer! En partant on a mis le #3 “pettit” foc et il y est tojouurs! Plus de mark sur mon bras! On avance a une moyenne de 5.5 knoeu. Il y a quelques chose du voyage parcontre que ne change pas! Le rhythm Dormir, Manger, Naviguer ne change pas. Il y a tojouurs un lit du coter haut et un lit du coter bas; et on est tojours au soins de Avion et de touts ses besions desires et petite caprice!
A la prochaine!
Nico
Eat, Sleep, Sail
Return Day 2 21:00 Boat Time (1944 Miles to Golden Gate Bridge)
This is a completely different animal than the downwind race; this is much harder! I read a book about the Great Divide Ride from Canada to Mexico paralleling the Continental Divide call Eat, Sleep, Ride. I rode that route on my mountain bike and though we are a mere 24 Hours into this adventure I do believe it is going to test my will far greater than that ride. I can go into great detail as to why but you all will be spared my embellished verbosity because it is just too damn difficult to do anything other than Eat, Sleep, Sail.
Return Day 3 15:00 Boat Time (1859 Miles to Golden Gate Bridge)
We are calling PDT Boat time because we have two times, what the boat says and what we have been living the past 2 weeks; Hawaii time. We ran into a small squall this morning right at the end of my watch. Our schedule is 4 on and 6 off and our skipper David has Lindi replacing me on my on watch. Not sure why David picked that combination, so that we are not on watch together, but I think he was concerned about Lindi still wanting to marry me at the end of this adventure! So being the kind considerate future husband I suggested to her that she ware her rain jacket when she replaces me topside rather than deprive her of the opportunity to take a shower. I have to say that I am totally amazed how well she is handling this difficult bash. She calls herself Wrong Way Lindi because all of her deliveries have been bashes.
So let me explain why this is so difficult. A bash is a sailors term for slogging upwind. The first week or more of this delivery will be just that. If you are following us on Yellow Brick Road by following the link off of Pacific Cup Web site, you will see that we are heading North by Northwest; across the trade winds. The plan is to sail as high on starboard tack, as comfortable as we can, until the wind dies. At that point we will be on the Western edge of the Pacific High. If everything holds to form we will then motor east across the high, then cross the synoptic winds that parallel the California Coast and then into San Francisco Bay. We approximately have 14 days of fuel so every day we do not run the engine we are putting fuel in the bank since we are planning 21 days for the trip. Our rule is not to run the engine until we are unable to sail at 4 knots. So far we only had to run the engine this morning for about 15 minutes when the squall came through and temporarily killed the trade winds. The engine alarm promptly came on. By this time I was in bed with Lindi and Nico on watch. Liindi took the helm and Nico tore into the engine to determine why the heat sensor alarm was sounding. During this process the winds came up so Lindi had to deal with the changing weather conditions and helping Nico with starting and stopping the engine when necessary. Juan did put on his pants just in case he was needed and went back to sleep. Nico with David’s help managed to determine the issue with the engine so we hope it is resolved for the next time we drop below 4 knots.
The difficulty comes from the heat, the constant motion and the perpetual list of 30 degrees to port. It has taken me almost 2 days to get acclimated. First off I was nauseous because of the heat and the motion. This is very unusual for me; I have never been seasick with all of the sailing I have done, which is substantial considering I went cruising for 4 years. The motion is completely different going against the waves then with the waves; thus the reason they say fair winds and following seas. We are experiencing fair winds, 12 to 15 knots with fairly small waves 4 to 6 feet with the occasional 10 footer that throws us around like a cork in a stream. You never know when that is going to hit so you pray that it doesn’t happen while using the head. Bracing against the 30 degree list is starting to take its toll on my legs and arms. The mountain bike riding helps with the legs but I can see where my arms are going to have some difficult adjusting thus the reason why so much sleep. The fatigue is amazing and explains why the blog postings will be short and sweet and not as often. I will try and keep up but you will understand when they are spread out more than they were during the race.
I did have a sighting of a really big fish yesterday. It was bigger than a dolphin but smaller than a baby whale. II knew it wasn’t a mammal because when it surfaced there was no spout. I didn’t see a prominent dorsal fin so we are not sure what it was, Nico thinks Shark, David thought Blue Marlin, Juan was just glad there wasn’t a fishing line out!
I will leave with a positive note. The good news is that we are making better progress than we had expected. We were planning for an average of 100 miles made good each day and our first 24 hours was made 125 miles. We all are getting plenty of rest, plenty to eat, plenty to drink and are all in good spirits, especially Lindi. Like I said she is amazing.
avionbianca 