Repairs at Sea whilst Becalmed |
Irrespective of what other things we were doing, the boat’s progress always came first, day or night time. This involved furling/reefing and unfurling sails depending on wind direction and speed, tacking, jibing (and other nautical manoeuvres) and sometimes using the spinnaker pole to ‘pole out’ the genoa. Plus keeping the boat pointed in the right direction which meant fiddling with Burt according to any changes in the breeze’s direction. We wanted to get to the Azores as quickly as possible. (Too damned right! Ed)
Are you sure you're watching out for sharks, My Sweet? |
After sending off an early position report to WJ3’s tracker using our satellite communication system, our thoughts turned to lunch. Not dry biscuits and cheese again! Actually lettuce and tomato lasted quite well into the voyage. Our last week was a bit spare of fresh rations but we’ve lost a few tyres, so it can’t be all that bad.
Around 3pm, the Cap’n would prep for the daily Herb Hour. Herb Hilgenberg is a famed weather router for North Atlantic & Bahama bound sailors. It sure was nice to be able to speak to somebody (else), get a personal weather report and be routed around weather systems too nasty to contemplate. We liked Herb Hour because Cocktail Hour followed immediately. Once we discovered how to make a meagre portion of ice, we sipped cold drinks and nibbled on chips and nuts, talking about weather and various sightings for the day (pilot whales, sea birds, ships etc). Then it was dinner before dark.
Dinner depended upon the conditions. It could be as simple as steak, mash & (tinned) vegies or salad in settled weather or a packet of mash mixed in with a tin of soup in bad - that’s the Captain’s recipe by the way! Two minute noodles were another favourite. For those wondering about the steak, our WAECO car fridge/freezer is the best thing since sliced bread! After clean up, GS usually sent off her second position report, then it was bed for the off-watch.
Each watch usually lasted 3 to 4 hours depending upon how tired we were and continued through the night. We dressed in our wet weather gear, attractive bib & brace pants and keep-me-dry-and-warm jacket. Sometimes we wore boots, others just deck shoes. During the day we usually wore quickdries, largely because the Gulf Stream carries with it plenty of that Caribbean sunshine. We constantly wore harnesses (GS’s has a life preserver built in) and tethers – clipped to WJ3 by bright yellow ties.
Only 19 days to go..... |
So there you have it – WJ3’s routine.
And no, we didn’t fish much. After trailing a lure (Will it be big pinkie or slimy limey today?) for 3 days without success, we gave up. Not even a fish to preserve with all this salt! Maybe Admiral Nelson was right – we should have been adding a good slug of brandy to our evening cocktails instead.
And no, we didn’t fish much. After trailing a lure (Will it be big pinkie or slimy limey today?) for 3 days without success, we gave up. Not even a fish to preserve with all this salt! Maybe Admiral Nelson was right – we should have been adding a good slug of brandy to our evening cocktails instead.
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