WATCH #34
Date: 08/25/2016 Time:1600 – 1900
Latitude: 10°39.384 N Longitude: 49°55.382
COG: 284° (Punta Baja) BTW: 286° SOG: 5.2 knots
Wind: 2, East TWS: 5.4 knots Trip: 2,737.88 nm
Sail Plan: No Sails, Motoring, Starboard Engine
NOTES
700 nautical miles to Grenada, as the crow flies, and we are at a slow and steady pace. Our speed of 5 knots is an improvement to the 4.3 knots average we’ve had for the last 12 hours, all of us noticed our dragging speed and gave our theory on the cause, but no action was taken to validate any of them. Finally El capitán del oso emerged from his cave to try to investigate the issue. We speed up, we slowed down, we turned the boat around, 15 minutes of the hokey pokey and he put us back on course. It worked, he concluded that we must have been dragging some vegetation, we were happy to have solved our mystery, but lamented that it took 12 hours of inefficiency for it to be addressed. First boat problems I guess.
Dinner was another version of beef stew and a couple slices of bread. I’ve had a cup of coffee and five crackers, called biscuits by foreigners, and three hard candies. It’s only 02:09, not a good start, but I’m sleepy and need things to do. I thought we might have a cool night after the rain, but nope, it’s hot. Every change in the wind make me check the wind speed to see if it is possible to hoist the head sail, but alas, not yet. Lightning is flashing in some distant clouds around but it’s too dark to see in which direction they are heading, maybe the lightning carries with it wind?
It’s 02:42 am, the sky is full of stars and one moon.
WATCH #35
Latitude: 10°37.666 N Longitude: 50°39.104 W
COG: 284°(Punta Baja) BTW: 286° SOG: 4.0 knots
Wind: 1, North West TWS: 1.9 knots Trip: 2,789.62 nm
NEW COG: )11:07/ 296° Grenada) Sail Plan: No Sails, Motoring Port Engine
NOTES
The sea and wind are still very calm and like most journeys things tend to get harder as you get closer to your destination. We have the captain that is trying to finish a job that has taken him months longer than he expected. The Scotsman is a guy who just loves to travel but is scared of water because of a near drowning incident from his childhood which is why he wears a life jacket all the time. The polish sailing girl who didn’t want to miss out on an Atlantic crossing so she is here with dreamy expectations, and rightly so, but has been disappointed in any ways. Add all three of these together and you start to get some edgy afternoons. There are moments when all the stress comes rushing to the surface like three volcanoes but there are also sometimes when we are one big happy family who lives together in harmony and denial. Speaking of a perfect life and I saw some flying fish while drinking my coffee this morning, after my muesli of course.
If you were staring at us from the sky or following us on a GPS system you would notice that a few circles in our route because occasionally we find it necessary to do some figure eights in the watery parking lot we call the atlantic ocean. Just like the first time we started feeling drag and loss of speed,there is seed weed that travels on the surface of the water and continually gets caught on the bottom of the boat, and so, loopty and then loops.
A white ball floated under the boat today so I shouted “Wilson!!!” laid down on the deck of the ship and cried as I watch him float off toward the horizon, and took some photos. Lunch was shredded cheese, ham, one piece of sliced bread, and some salami, this would have made a delicious sandwich but was unfortunate not make it its full potential.
A man was seen walking the decks this morning who was tall, appeared to have not showered in days and was pale from lack of sunlight. AH yes, the bear captain had risen from his cave to stretch, accuse people, growl at the sun, and smell bad, I had forgotten what he looked like. Once I did he stopped for a chat, we had a laugh and he got back on all fours sauntered back into his cave.
The polish girl desperately wants to read my journal but she read my handwriting….HA!
WATCH #36
Date: 08/26/2016 Time:1900 – 2200
Latitude: 10°42.468 N Longitude: 51°15.576 W
COG: 294°(Grenada) SOG: 14.4 knots BTW: 296°
Wind: 1, North TWS: 3.4 knots Trip: 2,833.88 nm
NOTES
The sea looks like dark oil breathing in and out to a rhythm that I could not duplicate if I wanted to, and not just because I’m white. Dinner was a rice and beef dish with an asian sauce and pineapple. For a second I thought that the bear captain had used some of my persona ,special occasion pineapple in a can. I sent the polish girl to investigate and she confirmed the pineapple was secure…my murderous attitude subsided back into its constant state of loathing.
If the winds stay like this we will be in Grenada in 6 days and this morning the Scotsman was angry and grumpy. I took a photo of him leaning over the trampoline like he was puking during a beautiful sunset, this is how I will always remember him.
It’s been two weeks since we left Las Palmas and my little scribbles in this book went from something laughed at to a point of respect, of course because I write three times a day they assume that I must be good at it. “Are you writing a bestseller?” The bear growls in jest…He better hope this doesn’t get published with is named plastered all over the pages you furry, stinky, enormous piece of…”Nah, I just like to write”.
Today the sky is full of The Simpsons clouds and I thought of my friend Jason and how we would watch the Simpson and laugh like idiots through the whole thing. I think of a lot of people when I sit out here at night, alone, and I hardly recall a single negative memory, it seems thinking bad about people takes more energy. It’s not good to think on negative things while sitting in isolation anyway so …win, win. It’s also not healthy to think on things that you can’t have, it just makes you long for some place else and distracts you from any good around you, that took some practice. It’s 21:03 but earlier…..when it was light….I saw som flying fish.
21:57 Several dolphins came alongside us eager for a chase in the dark of night, I grabbed a flashlight and spotlighted their activity. Dolphins are the #1 cause for heightened moral…it’s science
WATCH #37
Date: 08/27/2016 Time: 0400 – 0700
Latitude: 10°49.164 N Longitude: 52°07.909 W
COG: 296° (Grenada) BTW: 296° SOG: 6.5 knots
Wind: 4, North East TWS: 11.0 knots Trip: 2,891 nm
Sail plan: No mainsail, Full Gib, port engine 2,000 RPMs
NOTES
So finally after two days of no wind we have a bit of gust in our sails and now that we are under sail again the creaks and moans of the boat have returned to our ears If you were just step on board of a sailboat that is making all these noises you would think/SCREAM…”She’s coming apart, every man for himself!”, cursing the very hands that made such a lovely coffin for your watery grave. This is not the case, she is simply moving, flexing, and submitting to the force of the waves, if she didn’t she would have shattered long before I stepped foot on her.
There is a waning moon this morning and there are but a few clouds so the sky is clear to star gaze it’s a nice way to pass the time. What I really like to look at is my speed reading 7.0 knots, don’t get me wrong I love this sailing business and I’m in no hurry to get there for that reason, but I also like to move. I’ve had one cup of coffee, it’s 05:04. When I came to relieve the Scotsman from watch he was clearly in a better mood because we have wind. He mentioned before his last shift that he was nearing the end of his E-cigarette liquid and everyone knows if you take away the smoke from the smoker they become a angry at the world. Since I’m currently 25% of his world and he is 100% larger than I am….well you do the math. It’s 05:49 am and I’ve had my second cup of coffee and we are doing 7.1 knots.
WATCH #38
Date: 08/27/2016 Time: 0100 – 0400
Latitude: 11°00.808 N Longitude: 53°03.484
COG: 303° (Saint Vincent) SOG: 5.9 knots BTW: 295°
Wind: 4, East TWS: 13.8 knots Trip: 2,946.53 nm
Sail Plan: Full mainsail, Full Gib
NOTES
I’m in the strictest of orders from the Scotsman to document when we achieve 2,000 traveled nautical miles beginning from Las Palmas, I’ve had periodic reminders. The sea is no longer smooth and silky but a little roughed up by our new found wind. Lunch was cheese pizza made from scratch and some instant soup.
At 14:06 we achieved 2,000 nautical miles on the Atlantic ocean from Las Palmas heading for Grenada and I also saw a flying fish.
The wind is pushing north and I forgot when you are not motoring, like we have been over the last two days, straight lines are futile.
15:05 I just witnessed the bear captain sit down with a large glass of the forbidden milk that he accused us of drinking too much of….not cool the bear captain…not cool. I think that removed the last shred of respect I was desperately holding onto so that I might not be seduced by the dark side. One large glass of milk = The straw the broke the camel’s back. Two days he spent accusing us of this particular drinking problem and now seeing this, I’m going to have to gird my loins because my attitude it seriously compromised….OH CHILD!…Help Me Jesus!!!
I ended my watch with a headache, and yes mom, I’m drinking plenty of water….but I wish it was milk.
WATCH #39
Date: 08/27/2016 Time: 2200 – 0100
Latitude: 11°22.054 N Longitude: 53°47.217 W
COG: 304°(Saint Lucia) SOG: 6.4knots BTW: 293°
Wind: 4, East TWS: 13.6 knots Trip: 2,995.23 nm
Sail Plan: Full Mainsail Gib
NOTES
I had a couple good naps today so I don’t feel so tired, plus dinner was good, potatoes, fish and green beans. There are not too many clouds in the sky tonight so the stars are plentiful and there are a few storm systems flashing lightning but whether they are storms of consequence I can not say. We have a good wind and a good course but we are little off course. It’s 22:35 and I’ve had one cup of coffee. Since the Scotsman hurt his back I told the bear to wake me if we needed to hoist the mainsail, it’s not something you should do with a hurt back. He said “Cheers” and as I was dozing off I heard a knock on my hatch followed by a few words that told me I was on deck. The Scotsman still managed a reefing line while the polish girl took in the main sheet and a couple more lines. My job was to hoist the mainsail by bare handing the main sheet pulling down with strength and weight…weight being my dominant attribute. Every time I would hoist, the polish girl would take up the slack with the winch so I could do it again without losing ground, both jobs are hard work especially when you don’t do it often. The captain sat at the helm making sure that we were pointing directly into the wind, otherwise the wind would catch the sail from one side or the other and make it impossible to hoist. All hands on deck.
00:35 A white bird just flew out of the darkness into the light of the boat, it was creepy.
I only write when I travel 