So today on Sea Rover we had a few exciting moments. Most importantly we crossed the equator. There is a ritual for sailors where by they transform from Polywogs to Shellbacks. It usually involves standing up in a court made up of Shellbacks, confessing your crimes against Neptune and facing the punishment doled out by the court. Luckily for all on Sea Rover there were no Shellbacks in the court so sentences were surprisingly light. We all faced our punishment, swam in Neptune's bounty to wash away our sins and then drank 100 year old Madera smuggled on board by Denis and Rosario despite my edict of a dry boat.
We also received an email from our Agent who suggested that if we could make port by 2pm tomorrow we would be able to check in despite originally being told that arriving on the 1st (a holiday) would make things difficult. Spirits soared and new energy came out of the crew and captain who are currently doing everything possible to keep the boat moving at best possible speed.
2017 will close out as a very memorable one with a guarantee of many more exciting moments in the coming months.
Happy New Year Everyone!
I wish you could all be here with me, but trust me... You dont want that. After 21 days we and the boat smell.
45 NM to go till the fun takes a break.
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
Saturday, December 30, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 18, 19 and 20
For those who are wondering why I can't sit down and write some witty description of what we are doing every day. Here is something you can try at home.
Step 1: Take your worst smelling hockey, cycling, skiing... any sport really... and get them good and wet. Then seal them up in a large plastic bag for later. Wait at least a week. 2 or 3 is better.
Step 2: Find a large 80-100 Gallon oil drum. Clean it out (only sort of, good old oil adds to the realistic effect) and then hump it to the top of a large hill along with the bag of fermented sports gear and a laptop. Crew added the additional requirement that the hill must be full of potholes and bumps.
Step 3: Pour the sports gear into the drum, turn the drum on its side and then climb in crouched with the laptop ready to write the latest post.
Step 4: Have someone push the drum down the hill.
Step 5: Try to write a blog post while staying inside the drum and not throwing up due to the putrid mess spraying all over you while keeping the laptop dry.
Step 6: Please report back your results in the comments section below.
The past 3 days have seen spirits soar and then crash a number of times. All emotional changes revolve around our predicted time of arrival. AKA the time when we can all get off this freaken boat and kiss land. For 4 days now we have been hard on the wind trying to make our arrival waypoint. The winds have been reasonably steady and for almost 3 of those days we didn't have to touch the sails.
We were in communication with our agent who will check us in to the islands and hopes were high that if we could arrive sometime on the 31st there was a chance we wouldn't be stuck on the boat until the 2nd. On a friends suggestion, I created a spreadsheet that calculated our arrival time based on distance left, boat speed and a few other factors. Big mistake and hence the emotional roller coaster.
The computer was turned on way more than our usual morning and evening weather downloads. It was now running constantly as we plugged in the appropriate data, sometimes fudging the numbers just a bit to make the end result look better. 4pm on the 31st was our target arrival and up until last night that was looking possible, if not probable. Then distaster struck and everything went to hell.
Last night as we were flying along at our usual breakneck pace when gradually over the span of about an hour our speed dropped significantly and our sailing direction veered off course. We tacked hoping the other side would be better. It wasnt. Since then we have tried sailing, motoring and motor sailing all with the same result. Our spreadsheet did not account for a 2.5 knot current against us now that we are less than 150 NM from our destination. Over the course of today our catch phrase has been "Can't get there from here..." At many times today despite best efforts we have actually gone backwards. Such is the life of an offshore sailor.
We have emailed our agent and postponed our arrival. Crew spirits were briefly raised by excellent "last eggs" lime and sugar crepes. Some heated discussion about stove balancing protocol and optimum sailing angles for Sea Rover also passed a few hours.
The drum beats on.
151.7 NM to go.
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Step 1: Take your worst smelling hockey, cycling, skiing... any sport really... and get them good and wet. Then seal them up in a large plastic bag for later. Wait at least a week. 2 or 3 is better.
Step 2: Find a large 80-100 Gallon oil drum. Clean it out (only sort of, good old oil adds to the realistic effect) and then hump it to the top of a large hill along with the bag of fermented sports gear and a laptop. Crew added the additional requirement that the hill must be full of potholes and bumps.
Step 3: Pour the sports gear into the drum, turn the drum on its side and then climb in crouched with the laptop ready to write the latest post.
Step 4: Have someone push the drum down the hill.
Step 5: Try to write a blog post while staying inside the drum and not throwing up due to the putrid mess spraying all over you while keeping the laptop dry.
Step 6: Please report back your results in the comments section below.
The past 3 days have seen spirits soar and then crash a number of times. All emotional changes revolve around our predicted time of arrival. AKA the time when we can all get off this freaken boat and kiss land. For 4 days now we have been hard on the wind trying to make our arrival waypoint. The winds have been reasonably steady and for almost 3 of those days we didn't have to touch the sails.
We were in communication with our agent who will check us in to the islands and hopes were high that if we could arrive sometime on the 31st there was a chance we wouldn't be stuck on the boat until the 2nd. On a friends suggestion, I created a spreadsheet that calculated our arrival time based on distance left, boat speed and a few other factors. Big mistake and hence the emotional roller coaster.
The computer was turned on way more than our usual morning and evening weather downloads. It was now running constantly as we plugged in the appropriate data, sometimes fudging the numbers just a bit to make the end result look better. 4pm on the 31st was our target arrival and up until last night that was looking possible, if not probable. Then distaster struck and everything went to hell.
Last night as we were flying along at our usual breakneck pace when gradually over the span of about an hour our speed dropped significantly and our sailing direction veered off course. We tacked hoping the other side would be better. It wasnt. Since then we have tried sailing, motoring and motor sailing all with the same result. Our spreadsheet did not account for a 2.5 knot current against us now that we are less than 150 NM from our destination. Over the course of today our catch phrase has been "Can't get there from here..." At many times today despite best efforts we have actually gone backwards. Such is the life of an offshore sailor.
We have emailed our agent and postponed our arrival. Crew spirits were briefly raised by excellent "last eggs" lime and sugar crepes. Some heated discussion about stove balancing protocol and optimum sailing angles for Sea Rover also passed a few hours.
The drum beats on.
151.7 NM to go.
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 16 and 17
Another two days have gone under the keel of Sea Rover. We currently have 435 NM to go to our destination in the Galapagos. It can't happen too soon.
About 36 hours ago we finally sailed out of the monsoon trough and through to the southerly trades. Since then we've seen very consistent wind from the South. Unfortunately this has meant sailing pretty hard on the wind but at least we have wind and we haven't had to tack.
It's also been fortunately on the Starboard tack which seems to leak much less and as an added bonus we have the right of way of most boats now. Hurray for small miracles.
Last night we spotted our first boat that didn't have AIS and was not a strong target on Radar. I expect as we get closer to the islands we will encounter more of these small fishing vessels and will have to keep a close eye out for them despite the crashing seas.
This morning we set a record with 6 boobies managing to land on our pulpit. Bird life is certainly increasing so we must be getting close to land.
433 NM to go
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About 36 hours ago we finally sailed out of the monsoon trough and through to the southerly trades. Since then we've seen very consistent wind from the South. Unfortunately this has meant sailing pretty hard on the wind but at least we have wind and we haven't had to tack.
It's also been fortunately on the Starboard tack which seems to leak much less and as an added bonus we have the right of way of most boats now. Hurray for small miracles.
Last night we spotted our first boat that didn't have AIS and was not a strong target on Radar. I expect as we get closer to the islands we will encounter more of these small fishing vessels and will have to keep a close eye out for them despite the crashing seas.
This morning we set a record with 6 boobies managing to land on our pulpit. Bird life is certainly increasing so we must be getting close to land.
433 NM to go
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Monday, December 25, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 15
Breaking news from the battlefield
It's a Christmas miracle!
Sea Rover and Captain, realizing how close they came to defeat in the last battle have tentatively signed an agreement of peace with Neptune. Intense negotiations over the past 24 hours produced a document, called the Galapagos Accord. It was partially brokered by Diesel who agreed to also agreed to a small consignment of their resources to help Sea Rover rebuild. The agreement which, among other concessions, gives Neptune full access to anything Sea Rover or Captain posses will act as a framework for peace and initial reports show both sides on board with the accord. It will be made official in the coming days with a small ceremony at 0 deg N, 90 deg W. Sea Rover, Captain, Crew and hopefully Diesel will all be in attendance.
This will be the last correspondence from this battlefield reporter.
The war is over! Merry Christmas everyone!
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It's a Christmas miracle!
Sea Rover and Captain, realizing how close they came to defeat in the last battle have tentatively signed an agreement of peace with Neptune. Intense negotiations over the past 24 hours produced a document, called the Galapagos Accord. It was partially brokered by Diesel who agreed to also agreed to a small consignment of their resources to help Sea Rover rebuild. The agreement which, among other concessions, gives Neptune full access to anything Sea Rover or Captain posses will act as a framework for peace and initial reports show both sides on board with the accord. It will be made official in the coming days with a small ceremony at 0 deg N, 90 deg W. Sea Rover, Captain, Crew and hopefully Diesel will all be in attendance.
This will be the last correspondence from this battlefield reporter.
The war is over! Merry Christmas everyone!
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La Paz to Galapagos: Day 13 and 14
Delayed update from the front lines:
As expected over the past 48 hours an epic battle ensued between Sea Rover and Neptune. Sea Rover along with allies Captain and Crew fought valiantly and managed to keep Neptune at bay. Luckily advance notice from Captain's many spies allowed for optimum positioning and Neptune was unable to flank the front lines which would have ensured destruction. Sea Rover and Captain's recent friendship paid huge dividends and the alliance held fast despite a massive Jib wrapping and loss of mainsheet. Crew worked diligently to keep Sea Rover afloat by pumping continuously and carefully carried out their duties despite the rapid deterioration of the Captain throughout the battle. By the end when all seemed lost and the Captain was maniacally taunting Neptune by yelling "Bring it on!!" and "Is that all you got!!!", Neptune simply ran out of interest in the tiny nation and turned his attention to some distant unknown foe.
Bloodied and beaten, the allies retreated to safer waters and slowly started the process of rebuilding their great nation. Quietly hoping for a long reprieve in the fighting, knowing that Neptune came very close to forcing total capitulation.
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As expected over the past 48 hours an epic battle ensued between Sea Rover and Neptune. Sea Rover along with allies Captain and Crew fought valiantly and managed to keep Neptune at bay. Luckily advance notice from Captain's many spies allowed for optimum positioning and Neptune was unable to flank the front lines which would have ensured destruction. Sea Rover and Captain's recent friendship paid huge dividends and the alliance held fast despite a massive Jib wrapping and loss of mainsheet. Crew worked diligently to keep Sea Rover afloat by pumping continuously and carefully carried out their duties despite the rapid deterioration of the Captain throughout the battle. By the end when all seemed lost and the Captain was maniacally taunting Neptune by yelling "Bring it on!!" and "Is that all you got!!!", Neptune simply ran out of interest in the tiny nation and turned his attention to some distant unknown foe.
Bloodied and beaten, the allies retreated to safer waters and slowly started the process of rebuilding their great nation. Quietly hoping for a long reprieve in the fighting, knowing that Neptune came very close to forcing total capitulation.
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Thursday, December 21, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos Day 11 and 12
Breaking news from the front lines.
In the current theater of war there are three super powers. Sea Rover, Captain and Neptune. Yesterday Sea Rover and Captain officially declared themselves as not just allies but in fact friends in the latest battle. The documents were signed with great fanfare in the presence of Crew. The inverter... A symbol of great wealth and power and a collaboration of both Sea Rover and Captain was brought online much to the enjoyment of crew who were finally able to power their multitude of electronic devices. Captain knows how easy it is to pacify the masses and this simple gesture has made them forget about the fact that its been 2 weeks with out showers, all the fresh fruits and vegetables are gone and the last meat was rationed off tonight. Little do they know that power is also about to be in scarce supply and the inverter wont help them then.
Diesel, a small upstart nation, used to be allied with Sea Rover but a secret back-room deal has turned him to Neptune and now things are looking bleak for the good guys. Neptune has done extremely well in the fight, quietly bidding his time and building massive resources while Sea Rover and Captain depleted theirs fighting each other. Neptune has in fact done nothing up till now but spies with the Captain have discovered a massive assault coming in the next couple of days. It is now a race against time for Sea Rover and the Captain to position themselves and take a stand as best they can. Losing Diesel to the other side will certainly hurt their chances. Even if they do survive to fight another day the required energy just to position themselves in the fight will be a huge handicap for a long time to come. They can only hope that by working together good will prevail over evil.
Crew has been blissfully unaware of the coming battle. Going about their business, making plans for tomorrow, enjoying watching amazing stars, dolphins playing in the bow with 1 foot dome explosions of light all around them. Fun things like that. The Captain has been quietly drilling them, making them into lean mean super solders for the coming battle. They will do well. They are ready, even if they don't know whats coming.
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In the current theater of war there are three super powers. Sea Rover, Captain and Neptune. Yesterday Sea Rover and Captain officially declared themselves as not just allies but in fact friends in the latest battle. The documents were signed with great fanfare in the presence of Crew. The inverter... A symbol of great wealth and power and a collaboration of both Sea Rover and Captain was brought online much to the enjoyment of crew who were finally able to power their multitude of electronic devices. Captain knows how easy it is to pacify the masses and this simple gesture has made them forget about the fact that its been 2 weeks with out showers, all the fresh fruits and vegetables are gone and the last meat was rationed off tonight. Little do they know that power is also about to be in scarce supply and the inverter wont help them then.
Diesel, a small upstart nation, used to be allied with Sea Rover but a secret back-room deal has turned him to Neptune and now things are looking bleak for the good guys. Neptune has done extremely well in the fight, quietly bidding his time and building massive resources while Sea Rover and Captain depleted theirs fighting each other. Neptune has in fact done nothing up till now but spies with the Captain have discovered a massive assault coming in the next couple of days. It is now a race against time for Sea Rover and the Captain to position themselves and take a stand as best they can. Losing Diesel to the other side will certainly hurt their chances. Even if they do survive to fight another day the required energy just to position themselves in the fight will be a huge handicap for a long time to come. They can only hope that by working together good will prevail over evil.
Crew has been blissfully unaware of the coming battle. Going about their business, making plans for tomorrow, enjoying watching amazing stars, dolphins playing in the bow with 1 foot dome explosions of light all around them. Fun things like that. The Captain has been quietly drilling them, making them into lean mean super solders for the coming battle. They will do well. They are ready, even if they don't know whats coming.
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Tuesday, December 19, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 10
Today was a day of extremes. Sea Rover has seen everything from flat calm to driving rain and 20 knots of wind. In fact when Sea Rover saw the driving rain and 20 knots of wind it had been sunny and calm two minutes before. All the drills that the captain has forced on the crew paid dividends during this particularly exciting squall as everyone sprung into action. The boat was turned down wind, genoa furled in, main reefed, hatches battened down, bodies and boat cleaned... It should be noted that some of the crew expressed interest in reefing early. As usual, the captain declined all such advice instead preferring the exhilarating action that leaving things till the last second affords. The captain has quietly noted that the crew only respects or follows his commands during moments of terror and as such, likes to take advantage of these occasions as often as possible. It seems surprising to the captain that these kinds of squalls have been faced so far north of the ITCZ (where they are expected). Perhaps this is strictly Neptune slowly training Sea Rover, Captain and crew for the main events further south.
The latest forecast is not looking good for the "run the engine until we can't anymore" approach... Maybe Sea Rover will see wind for a period of longer than 4 hours sometime in 3 days or so.
Everyone reading this blog should pray to their god for wind!
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The latest forecast is not looking good for the "run the engine until we can't anymore" approach... Maybe Sea Rover will see wind for a period of longer than 4 hours sometime in 3 days or so.
Everyone reading this blog should pray to their god for wind!
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Monday, December 18, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 8 and 9
Time is starting to lose all significance for those on Sea Rover. The days are filled with comfortable sailing if any, card games and small maintenance chores. Excitement still occurs when dolphins swim by or boobies try to land, surely that will soon start to get old though. Today the crew gave up trying to make forward progress and all abandoned the boat. Swimming in the giant blue nothingness is certainly an experience that everyone should try in their lifetime. Refreshed by the 31 degree water, laundry was tackled and then they waited. And Waited... And Waited... Wind did not appear. The captain did a quick calculation and it was decided that going forward Sea Rover would motor when required until she ran out of fuel. And then she wouldn't motor any more. Hopefully the boat will arrive in the Galapagos before the fuel supplies are gone.
Night time seems to be another story. Long moments of waiting in terror combined with constant watching of the instruments trying to decide if it's time to reef despite there only being 5 knots of wind. For the past three nights, Sea Rover has passed by some of the most incredible lightning storms seen by any of the crew. Never before has the captain been able to read by lightning. Its been that continuous. The radar has proved useful for avoiding most of the convection cells but last night they were forced to pass through one just before daylight. Luckily Sea Rover wasn't hit, but nobody on board is looking forward to the "real" and forecast convection in a few days as they pass through the ITCZ.
The captain is certainly hoping for a quiet evening (of not motoring) but that remains to be seen.
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Night time seems to be another story. Long moments of waiting in terror combined with constant watching of the instruments trying to decide if it's time to reef despite there only being 5 knots of wind. For the past three nights, Sea Rover has passed by some of the most incredible lightning storms seen by any of the crew. Never before has the captain been able to read by lightning. Its been that continuous. The radar has proved useful for avoiding most of the convection cells but last night they were forced to pass through one just before daylight. Luckily Sea Rover wasn't hit, but nobody on board is looking forward to the "real" and forecast convection in a few days as they pass through the ITCZ.
The captain is certainly hoping for a quiet evening (of not motoring) but that remains to be seen.
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Sunday, December 17, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 7
Its now been a week for Sea Rover's journey. The crew have settled nicely into the routine. The past 24 hours have seen pleasant sailing conditions although last night Sea Rover was surrounded by a spectacular light show of stars, dark clouds and continuous lightening. Luckily, thunder was only heard in the early dawn and by then the energy from the squalls had mostly dissipated. The captain should be able to get some sleep now that the danger of lightening has passed.
Sea Rover is currently sailing with wind forward of the beam as close as is comfortable, cracking on at 6 knots. Hopefully the wind backs a bit throughout the day which would allow her to keep her optimum course. Yesterday she clocked her first 100NM day. All on board hopes this is only the start of a fast passage.
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Sea Rover is currently sailing with wind forward of the beam as close as is comfortable, cracking on at 6 knots. Hopefully the wind backs a bit throughout the day which would allow her to keep her optimum course. Yesterday she clocked her first 100NM day. All on board hopes this is only the start of a fast passage.
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Friday, December 15, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 6
The sun is just setting somewhere behind the clouds and Sea Rover is finally sailing along at a nice pace. The crew did well to endure a very wet and squally night with lots of sail changes and side thumping waves. Luckily only a few rain squalls have occurred since morning so there has been some good chances to dry gear out. Sea Rover threw a warning shot over the bow of the captain and broke the lazyjacks during an especially exciting squall but has otherwise observed the truce and behaved nicely. Batteries are suffering due to the lack of sun but the Hydrovane has been performing well so the extra power use by the autopilot has helped stretch out the periods between required charging.
The crew has had the line dragging behind the boat since we left the sea but alas no surprise dinners have been caught. On one slow period yesterday two gorgeous dorrado swam past the boat thumbing their blunt noses at the lure. The captain knows the chance of catching anything is almost zero while he is on board. The crew are still optimistic having not experienced how strong the captains curse really is.
Tonight's exciting meal is left over Chickpea Chorizo with fresh cornbread. Crew and Captain alike are certainly not suffering in the provision department. All will need to be fed well to keep their strength up as yet another squally night is expected.
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The crew has had the line dragging behind the boat since we left the sea but alas no surprise dinners have been caught. On one slow period yesterday two gorgeous dorrado swam past the boat thumbing their blunt noses at the lure. The captain knows the chance of catching anything is almost zero while he is on board. The crew are still optimistic having not experienced how strong the captains curse really is.
Tonight's exciting meal is left over Chickpea Chorizo with fresh cornbread. Crew and Captain alike are certainly not suffering in the provision department. All will need to be fed well to keep their strength up as yet another squally night is expected.
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Thursday, December 14, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 5
This morning the crew were wondering if they were ever going to get "there". At this point, it didn't matter where "there" was, as long as it was somewhere other than "here". Sea Rover, realizing that she was surrounded by enemies on too many fronts decided to join forces with the crew in the battle to keep the boat moving and accepted a temporary cease fire against the captain. This allowed the captain to effect necessary repairs to the backstay and the crew to finally patch all the holes in the dinghy. Sea Rover even threw in a gift of fixing the radar herself. It remains to be seen as to how long the peace will last.
By noon, Sea Rover was overtaken by a significant rain system which she latched on to and rode for 6 hours, gleefully making much needed miles to our destination. The slight deck wash was an added bonus. The fun lasted until tonight when the expected light airs returned and it seems yet another battle will ensue for the remainder of the night.
The captain and crew are hopeful for a better tomorrow as forecasts show wind in the future. Only time will tell if the 2 day loosing streak of under 60NM per day will finally be broken.
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By noon, Sea Rover was overtaken by a significant rain system which she latched on to and rode for 6 hours, gleefully making much needed miles to our destination. The slight deck wash was an added bonus. The fun lasted until tonight when the expected light airs returned and it seems yet another battle will ensue for the remainder of the night.
The captain and crew are hopeful for a better tomorrow as forecasts show wind in the future. Only time will tell if the 2 day loosing streak of under 60NM per day will finally be broken.
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 4
The crew were not misled when the captain warned of light airs and big seas for this passage. Today the captain was unfortunately proven correct much sooner than expected. Team Sea Rover has battled heavily today trying to keep the boat moving in varying breeze and swell. The last 12 hours have seen her move a painful 12 NM closer to the Galapagos. Frequent checks of the weather show no change and given there is no where to motor to, she wallows. Sometimes it would be nice to have no information on board and be blissfully ignorant about the passage of time and space.
In the separate battle between the captain and Sea Rover, Sea Rover has proven to be a master of warfare throwing a blown backstay jack, fried watermaker panel and a continuously leaking dinghy. The crew seem very motivated to keep the dinghy inflated. Its unclear if their confidence in the captain has waned and they see a need for a better option than the liferaft should the war be lost. The captain managed to bypass the watermaker control panel which should at least mean they wont die of thirst. Tomorrow's job will be to jury rig the backstay tensioner so the boat can sail again if the wind ever returns.
On a high note everyone sat at the cockpit dining table for a wonderful dinner of enchiladas with a super pod of dolphins frolicking all around the unmoving boat. It was noticed that a few of them tried to urge the hull forward with no success.
Tomorrow will hopefully bring fair wind and no giant following seas.
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In the separate battle between the captain and Sea Rover, Sea Rover has proven to be a master of warfare throwing a blown backstay jack, fried watermaker panel and a continuously leaking dinghy. The crew seem very motivated to keep the dinghy inflated. Its unclear if their confidence in the captain has waned and they see a need for a better option than the liferaft should the war be lost. The captain managed to bypass the watermaker control panel which should at least mean they wont die of thirst. Tomorrow's job will be to jury rig the backstay tensioner so the boat can sail again if the wind ever returns.
On a high note everyone sat at the cockpit dining table for a wonderful dinner of enchiladas with a super pod of dolphins frolicking all around the unmoving boat. It was noticed that a few of them tried to urge the hull forward with no success.
Tomorrow will hopefully bring fair wind and no giant following seas.
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 3
Today will probably be our last sight of land for a number of week. A big day for Sea Rover... We are leaving Mexico. She tried hard to stay and maybe things will change but as of right now our next landfall will be Isla San Cristabal in the Galapagos.
The captain was up early running a few last wires while the crew worked on sewing a lee cloth, preparing food for passage and putting the finishing touches on Sea Rover for the big departure. We hoped for anchor up at 10am. By noon we were ready to go and started to pull the anchor up. Sea Rover made one last attempt to keep us in Mexico by killing half the instrument network. 2 hours our troubleshooting and we were ready to go. For the past 6 hours we've been making good time sailing downwind in reasonably boisterous seas. We will see how long our speed keeps up.
Tonight we have Chickpea Chorizo, a favorite of mine. All the crew are in good spirits to finally be underway.
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The captain was up early running a few last wires while the crew worked on sewing a lee cloth, preparing food for passage and putting the finishing touches on Sea Rover for the big departure. We hoped for anchor up at 10am. By noon we were ready to go and started to pull the anchor up. Sea Rover made one last attempt to keep us in Mexico by killing half the instrument network. 2 hours our troubleshooting and we were ready to go. For the past 6 hours we've been making good time sailing downwind in reasonably boisterous seas. We will see how long our speed keeps up.
Tonight we have Chickpea Chorizo, a favorite of mine. All the crew are in good spirits to finally be underway.
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Monday, December 11, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 2
Today was a work day for the crew on Sea Rover. After a quick breakfast we tore the Hydrovane off the back and stripped it down into many pieces to get it working. An easy but time consuming fix. While the captain was working on that, crew patched the dinghy, ran some wires and prepared for start of the passage. The captain also dove the boat and then went up the rig to do a rig check and repair the lazy jacks. There was talk of using the bosuns chair to pull him out of the water and go right up the rig. We had hoped to also attach the swim ladder but no, the north winds had other ideas about doing work on the swim step. The day ended on a high note with a large cruiser get together on Distant Drummer. It was fun to see so many new faces arriving in to sea from far away places.
Tomorrow is the start of the real offshore work. We hope to arrive in Socorro in about 3 days.
For those keeping score... Gary won the day. Im sure Sea Rover will throw better curve balls at us tomorrow.
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Tomorrow is the start of the real offshore work. We hope to arrive in Socorro in about 3 days.
For those keeping score... Gary won the day. Im sure Sea Rover will throw better curve balls at us tomorrow.
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Sunday, December 10, 2017
La Paz to Galapagos: Day 1
Sea Rover is finally getting to really stretch her legs. She doesn't seem too happy about it though. Day 1 started with a required stop in Bahia Falsa to fix a blown hose in the watermaker system. This fix was certainly required as we were fully out of water. After that quick fix we left La Paz in the dark and started our slow bash north to get around the point and turn south. Big seas and wind on the nose made progress slow and when we finally were able to get the sails up disaster struck as the lazy jacks got tangled in the reefing lines preventing us from shortening sail. At the same time the bilge alarm was constantly going off so we had carnage down below and on deck making the captain wonder if he shouldn't call uncle and give up on the dream to go to South America. A quick use of the barf bucket cleared his head and the boat settled down with only occasional blips from the bilge alarm due to gravity having enough power to actually move the float high without any water. By 4 am Sea Rover was happily making progress south and the off watch came on deck bleary eyed and apprehensive not knowing what else would be thrown at them. Their fears were unfounded as the remainder of that watch was uneventful if not sort of pleasant.
Daylight brought on calm enough conditions in light breezes to contemplate finishing the Hydrovane setup in order to get off dependence off the autopilot. Alas this was not to be as the top of the head unit is completely frozen due to it's lack of use by the previous owner. Yet another job to tackle in the wonderfull anchorage of Frailes, hopefully our last stop before heading offshore from Cabo.
Stay tuned till tomorrow for another episode of Sea Rover vs Gary where the hero battles unprecedented odds to leave Mexico.
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Daylight brought on calm enough conditions in light breezes to contemplate finishing the Hydrovane setup in order to get off dependence off the autopilot. Alas this was not to be as the top of the head unit is completely frozen due to it's lack of use by the previous owner. Yet another job to tackle in the wonderfull anchorage of Frailes, hopefully our last stop before heading offshore from Cabo.
Stay tuned till tomorrow for another episode of Sea Rover vs Gary where the hero battles unprecedented odds to leave Mexico.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Friday, December 8, 2017
We wait....
Its currently blowing 30 knots in La Paz harbour, which for those who know the area is bad. Really Bad. Luckily this norther event didn't happen at the beginning of the week when we had the extreme tides otherwise Sea Rover would probably be uninhabitable.
Anyway, we hope to leave tomorrow morning on our big adventure. Having said that, we hoped we could leave today too. Keep an eye on the tracker, we'll be sure to activate it when we actually get out of here.
You can find where we are here:
Sea Rover InReach Tracker Page
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