Sunshine & Blue Sky

Our plan to stay east in front of the next depression was a good one, and we mostly have done that , but have been caught by the front of the depression as it moves Southeast. Plus, given that there is a merging of highs forecast into one big High in the center of the Pacific, the only way past is to go Southeast ourselves to ultimately try to squeeze between the wall of the Antarctic Exclusion Zone and the High. The AEZ rears its ugly head again in closing off options. So the route to the Southeast has reduced our mileage east out of the way of the leading edge of the depression, thus we are caught.

01.05.17 Sunrise

One thing we had today which we have not had much of, was sunshine and blue sky. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to sail in sunshine, but it is beautiful. The big rolling swells had calmed a bit, that sensation was reduced. We had genoa and one reef in the mainsail, and were making 14-15 knots steadily. So those miles were welcomed.

We continue to make good mileage, only now it is much tougher. We are down to staysail and 2 reefs in the mainsail, the wind has shifted from North to Northeast, and we are close reaching into increasing seas as the wind is now 25 knots. We will have 12-18 hours of this, with only a bit of relief with the wind shifting about 10 degrees favorably over that time.

The crashing and pounding is back. An aspect not often mentioned is – how do you make dinner when the kitchen (galley) is leaping all over the place? As our dinners are freeze-dried, I must pour boiling water into a small bag. That is dangerous. I wear big seagoing gloves, that might be mistaken for big skis gloves, left hand to hold the bag, right hand to hold the kettle, then wait for what you think might be a calm spot in the seas, and pour. It’s easy to miss a little – the gloves are the key protection. Tonight it’s Turkey Tetrazzini and Vegetable Medley. Plus I make a midnight almost dinner which is a Ramen noodle brick, with tuna added in, plus I’ve come to add two packets of Heinz tomato soup, which then turns into a kind of spaghetti sauce. It’s a nice combination.

Before dinner, I went aft to the lazarette to check the hydraulic ram for the steering. I wore my helmet, because it is violent back there, and there are a lot of hard metal corners. There was one connection I wanted to check, and it was ok.

We have the hydrogenerator in the water and the wind turbine running, and so these two are carrying the necessary loads of the boat, and also adding into the battery bank.

Wish us luck tonight.

Position
47° 11’S x 148° 12’W
Course
120° True
Speed
13.5 knots
Log
17,575 nm
True Wind Speed
22°
True Wind Direction
039°
Sails (click for sail diagram)
Mainsail (2 reefs), Staysail