Pacific Crossing - Week 6

Day 36. (Sunday April 23)

10-12 knots, sunny, not flapping, 1-2m swell.

Well it’s nice to start week 6 the right way: 5 knots gliding along under sail, the water sparkling from the sun in the cloudless blue sky.

Chez has gone all Lieutenant Dan / Bambi today… her legs don’t work. We’ve instigated an exercise regime to hopefully rectify the situation: 3 times round the table every time you come up to the cockpit.

Took the rods in shortly after sunset. I was surprised to find a shiny silver scabbard fish hanging on to Ballyhoo John’s lure. Not sure how long it had been there - it wasn’t large enough to make the reel squeal, less than a meter or possibly just too streamlined. Not being sure if it’s edible, I happily returned it to the deep, still very much alive. Lots of nasty teeth to avoid as I got the hook out. This is the same type of fish as the one I’d ‘caught’ in Trinidad. I say ‘caught’ as that one actually jumped into the tender overnight whilst we were anchored there in Chaguaramas Bay.

Awful end to the day - cockroaches -plural- found in the forward cabin.. the one where we sleep. Hell no! That’ll need some major attention tomorrow. For tonight - we’ll use Martin’s cabin.

Ewwww..

Day 37 (Monday April 24)

Sunny, 1m swell, 8-10knots of wind.

Ahh… the glamorous life: sailing your own yacht across the pacific.

This morning would inject some reality into that idyllic image:

Sweating profusely, hunting and cleaning up cockroaches and their mess in your underpants. Let’s draw a line under that episode and (fingers crossed) never have to mention it again!

The sails have remained just barely filled all day - just barely equates to no flapping, so regardless of our somewhat sedate pace (3.5knots) I’m very happy with our progress. Made 88 nms yesterday - Chez has just started reading Kontiki - they only managed 42 a day - wow… we’ve finally found a boat we can beat in a race!

Bean burritos for lunch - this has become a bit of a staple for this journey: refried beans, crispy onions, slice of cheese and some Sirarchi mayo sauce - quick, easy, tasty and not too heavy on the gas usage. Gas which must surely run out anytime now.

Lost another lure.. big bastard.. The fish, not the lure.

Night watch - 1:20am here, 10:20am in the UK. RIP mum. X

Day 38 (Tuesday April 25)

Anzac Day

Sunny, Less than 5% cloud, bit choppy (shorter sets than usual) 1.5 - 2m swell.

10-12 knots of wind.

I think I finally caught up on some sleep overnight, still woke a few times, but when I did rise (close to 10am apparently) I felt well rested. Mum’s funeral was last night. I raised a glass of red to her before heading off to bed. Sounded like she had a good sendoff from what Lou tells me. Hopefully the wobbly moments as I call them will lessen now. Making decent speed this morning - back into the 4/5s knots compared with the 2/3s of the last couple of days.

Thought I’d try and capture some of the day to day things out here, that may fade from memory if I don’t get them down:

-The smell of a flying fish flapping around in the cockpit - and on night shift, smelling them before you see them.

-Not seeing them, but the sound of a gasping breath a dolphin or a whale some way off.

-Shooting stars, and the constant companions of the Plough to the right, Southern Cross left. ..and the little smirk of joy when doing your 20min checks and seeing the Milky Way laid before you.

-Football sized phosphorescent jellyfish flashing in the jetstream behind the boat

-The constant - at times fierce - roll of the boat that you barely notice

-The soul destroying, joy sapping whip crack of the sails.

-The excitement of seeing… anything other than sea.

-Aching all the time - mainly shoulders and back.

-Your mind playing tricks: Phantom noises/singing and ships/lights on the horizon

In the afternoon the swell got up, and the wind faded - we tried an hour of engine, but still found ourselves back in the flap cracks which we’d hoped were now behind us.

Reduced sail to close to nothing and bobbed along for the remainder of the afternoon at 2 knots.

I spent most of the day finishing up the story I’ve been working on - I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing it, but it’s not great - I’ll play around with it a bit more and see how it comes out. Two day old resurrected pasta puttanesca for dinner.

Rounded the day, well the night actually, off with The Count of Monte Cristo - that’s a cracking yarn 8/10.

Day 39! (Wednesday April 26)

Light breeze 5-8 knots, 1m calmed swell, cloudy …and only 60 nms in the last 24hrs

Day 39 eh? I’ve now, of course, got Jeff Probst saying “39 DAYS!” In my head.

…hoping there may be more than one sole survivor at the end of this though!

Sorry to start another entry sounding like Martin, but I had another poor nights sleep, more just a series of fitful disturbed naps.

Whilst the wind is in the flap the genoa range, we think it may possibly be time for another try at raising the death trap… wow - just out of interest there’s an emoji that comes up for that… and it’s not a picture of a spinnaker.

Well raise it we did - this time having a few minor line management issues with the snuffer, but at time of writing (10am) it’s flying wellish and we’re heading due Westish.

Took that back down a few hours later - it was collapsing in the nothing wind, and we were going along at less than 2 knots. Reverted to whisker of main and genoa out and resigned ourselves to a slow - but peaceful day.

Dolphins! Not the usual 5 minute frolic, oh no! This was a dolphin spectacular like never before. They came initially in lines of 3, 4 upto 8 all breathing at the same time, hundreds of them.. possibly thousands - for two hours they kept coming, different sizes, some playfully jumping, some slapping their tails, wave surfing, turning upside down to look at us, and the most amazing somersaulting back flipping jumps - absolutely incredible. The noises too: from the high pitched squeaks to the click click click (“What’s that Flipper? Someone trapped down a well?”). I know I always say how honoured we were to be visited, but this one goes beyond once in a lifetime stuff, I doubt many people would have experienced anything close to what we’ve seen today.

Spent a peaceful evening close to becalmed, but with little swell, and enough sail to keep us heading West… at an average of just 1.6knots today.

Managed to last out….

Day 40 (Thursday April 27)

Lightest of breeze (maybe 3knots), barley moving, ~1m swell. Sunny.

Turns out I didn’t quite manage to last out! What I was going to say was ‘until dawn’, as I’d hoped to give Chez a decent lay in - made it to 3:20, then drooping eyes had me off to bed.

Came up on deck at 7ish, naked, for a wee off the stern (as one does) to see a large Catamaran bearing down on us.

Turns out to be a French vessel, 51 footer, called Yuomo. Not sure if their radio was on the fritz (…hadn’t considered it before, but I suppose that’s probably not a term we’re supposed to be using anymore..) or whether it was the captain’s Gallic charm, but the radio chat was disjointed and brisk. They whizzed by with spinnaker and main out, as we flogged around with our overnight non-flapping genoa just barely showing.

Chez has been at the pumpkin this morning: chilli, curry, veggie burgers and soup resulted - thanks Pumpkin, you did not die in vain.

Wind has started to grow from less than nothing to barely blowing - we’re now moving along at 2knots… we made 33 nms yesterday - a shameful figure if we still cared, thankfully we don’t really.. we’re heading in the right direction and the boat is comfortable and the brain sapping noises at a minimum.

Cue song:

‘Nightboat to Cairo’ by Madness:

“Doesn’t seem to care, no more wind in his hair as reaches his last half mile!”

We had company for dinner up in the cockpit. Chez mid-mouthful begins frantically mmmming.. a stinking flying fish has landed on the seat next to her. It’s the size of a long plump chicken, spinach and pine nut sausage from Leonard’s. (That’s a standard measurement in my head - bigger than a breakfast sausage from Broad Oak, but smaller than two chicken kievs stuck together ). Thankfully mr. fishy was easily returned to the water with a grab and a flick of the wrist.

Wind has grown to breeze status through the day, and we are moving along at 3 knots! …which died to nothing overnight.

Tired and over it.

Day 41 (Friday April 28)

Grey sky - light cloud cover throughout, 5-8knots wind, 1.5m swell.

Nothing happening. Barely moving.

Made 50 nms yesterday, still got 500 + miles to go. There’s that saying about a pessimist moans about the wind, and the optimist adjusts the sails - well they can both fuck off. Not having a good day today.

Late afternoon, a boobie came and shat all over the stern and solar panels - hard to stay angry with him though, lovely looking bird.

As Chez heads down for her good long nap of the day just after sunset, the wind really does seem to have increased enough to have the sails filled without flogging. This, and the latest weather forecast signal a hopefully better day tomorrow.

Day 42 (Saturday April 29)

10-12 knots, sunny, 1.5m swell.

Well we’re sailing again.. seems like an age since we had some half decent wind - and while this isn’t exactly whizzing us along, the genoa is full and at the moment, 4knots and growing seems like a win.

Finished up the muesli / porridge / Frosties (‘Zukaritos’…as they’re called in Panama) this morning. Breakfasts from now on will be interesting, we have no bread, and just 3 suspected rotten eggs (they float).. I’m thinking pumpkin and sardine surprise!

Had to reef at lunchtime - possibly being over cautious, but 7knots feels a bit hairy after days and days of doing around 2. Glad to be in some decent wind regardless.

We’re a bit glum/meh through the afternoon and evening: both dog tired, aching, Chez with added headache and sore ass..

Gas desperately low.

Water ..about 80lts left

Fresh food: 1/2 a pumpkin and 4 onions

Fishing lures all but exhausted..

…and so endeth week 6