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American Spirit II - Day 33; A Lazy Day in Isla Contadora; Wednesday, February 5, 2014



Up at 5:30 AM today. No reason, just woke up. Made a cup of coffee, read a book, and watched the stars disappear and the sun rise. When sailing around the world, you see a lot of sun rises.

A work project today was to change the 3 filters on our Spectra Water Maker. The reason for changing the filters is because our water production was being reduced to making 2.2 gallons per hour instead of the plus 6 we had been making. Since it takes a lot of energy (battery power) to make water, we need to make as much as possible in as little time as possible. The 3 filters we changed out were the carbon filter; 5 micron; and 20 micron. When we took out the 5 and 20 micron filters, they were both covered in algae. We only put those 2 filters in 3 weeks ago, so I was surprised that they had gotten so dirty so soon. The reason we think is because the water we're in right now is full of algae particles. Once we get under way to the Galapagos, the water will get a lot cleaner. After putting the carbon filter back on, it started leaking when we turned the water pressure on. Is that why you put the O Ring back on? We thought we lost the O Ring in the bilge when we took that filter off; however, I found it on the galley counter after looking for it for 5 minutes. Whew! I'm going to order a few spare O Rings as losing one or having one go bad would be a problem. Once we got the new filters on, water production went up to 6.9 gallons per hour. That is still below the advertised level of 8.6, but may be because the water has a lot of particles in it.

The next work project was to put fuel from our jerry jugs into the main diesel tank, to determine how much fuel we've burned since last Saturday. We were able to load 16 gallons of diesel into the main tank. That was the result of running the engine for 15.2 hours and the generator for maybe 18 - 20 hours. Our fuel consumption when using the engine is no more than 579 gallons per hour at 1,600 RPM; and using the generator costs us approximately .36 gallons per hour. Not bad. When running the engine at 1,600 RPM's, our speed is about 5.5 knots. At 2,200 RPM's, our normal cruising speed is 7.5 knots(80% of maximum RPM), but we consume 1.2 gallons per hour, twice as much as we do at 5.5 knots. Put differently, by reducing our speed 26% we decrease our fuel consumption by more than half. We need to do that to get to the Galapagos Islands, as of all the legs we have around the world, the 850 nautical miles from the Las Perlas Islands to the Galapagos Islands on the equator will be the one with the least amount of wind. This is because we will be going thru the ITCZ, or Inter Tropical Convergent Zone. Commonly referred to as the Doldrums. Here the trade winds from the southern and northern hemispheres collide, and the result is little or no wind.

We weighed anchor at 9:30 AM and after skirting a large underwater rock insufficiently marked on our charts, we grabbed on to a mooring buoy south of Isla Contadora where 17 other Rally boats were already anchored, at 10:25 AM.

We took 3 empty jerry jugs and headed into shore to try to find a fuel station to fill them up with diesel. After finding out the name of a mini mart that sells diesel out of 55 gallon drums, we had the Romantica Hotel drive us in a golf cart to the store (for $5.00). However, when we got there, they didn't have any more diesel. Back at Rally headquarters at the Romantica Hotel, we were advised by Rally personnel that a fuel boat would be available at 9:00 AM tomorrow. We put our name on the list and hope that the fuel boat will show up, and show up when scheduled.

A boat tied up to a mooring buoy right in front of us, and I noticed that the Captain had a cast and sling on his left arm. When I inquired as to why, I was told that he was adjusting his wind turbine when the blade hit him, severing part of his left index finger and breaking his wrist. The wind turbine is used to generate electricity to charge batteries when at anchor or even while under sail. Its actually a propeller blade 6 feet in diameter.

Smaller injuries that occur on boats are called 'boat bites.' I had one exactly 8 days ago, and still have a black and blue and now a yellowing mark on my left, upper hamstring that is 6 inches in diameter. According to boating statistics, perhaps the most dangerous piece of equipment on a boat is an electric winch, of which we have one on the cabin top which is used to roll the main sail in and out; and to hoist a person up the mast on a halyard. If when using the electric winch one gets their hair, fingers, arms or clothing in the winch, the result can be the severing of a finger or limb, and can even be fatal. That is why only Joel and I are the only persons on the boat who are allowed to use the electric winch. The anchor windless, used to raise and lower the anchor, can also cause severe injury if one's appendage gets in the way.

At 6:30 PM the World Cruising Club hosted a party for all Rally participants at the Romantica Hotel. Drinks and small food items were served, and the crews had a chance to socialize with each other. Every time an event like this is held, we end up meeting and making new friends from other boats, of which there are 40.

During the party, the tide rose 17 or so feet, and it was necessary for the crews to either reposition their dinghies higher on the beach so they didn't float away, or to risk their dingy floating away into the black of night.

We headed back to our boat at 9:00 PM, and had a little difficulty finding it as there were 40 other sail boats in the anchorage. While underway in the dingy, the phosphorescence in the water was lit up by our dingy bow wake. Luminous lines in the water emanated from our dingy bow wave as we made our way across the anchorage. That's another first for me. Never seen the dingy bow wake make a color display like that.

Lastly, I've been asked why I write what I do in the boat logs; and why I spend so much time writing them. The reason is that I'm trying to make reading these logs interesting and not boring; humorous on occasion; and informative for the non-sailor and sailor alike. I want the reader to know what it's like at 3:00 AM to have a ship call you on the radio and tell you they're on a collision course with you. Or what it's like when a crab pot line wraps around the propeller, and has to be extricated in shark infested waters at 11:40 PM - at night. Or what it's like to stand watch at 3 in the morning while zooming across the ocean at a high rate of speed.

And finally, my hope is that others can experience what we're experiencing without having to do what we're doing. Most people don't have the time or the inclination to do what circumnavigators do. If I can paint a picture of what Joel and I and others who join us for a leg go thru and are experiencing, then I've succeeded. If you the reader can live vicariously thru our experiences, we're glad to have you along for the ride!

Brian Fox




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