can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Starblazer - 10/04/2014 – Promise kept?



Currently it is 0605 on Thursday morning, the sun rose about 20 minutes ago
and I am sitting in the cockpit with the laptop on a non-slip mat on the
table. In the UK I think it is 1905, so ‘The Archers’ is on Radio 4. I am
hopeful that this might reach you before midnight but I can’t remember how
to send the blog by Sat phone so that will have to wait until John gets up
in a few hours. Once sent, it is moderated by World Cruising Club to make
sure it isn’t offensive in any way before it is posted. So I might have
failed in my promise to write this the same day that you read it, unless you
read it on www.yachtstarblazer.co.uk where it gets posted almost
immediately.

Yesterday was frustrating on several fronts.

The wind went light and kept changing direction. We put the engine on at
about 1400 and have been motoring ever since. Initially we left the genoas
poled out but the wind kept getting behind one of them so we rolled them
away, stowed the poles, re-routed the sheets then pulled them out onto the
same side. During the night the wind got behind the inside sail and tried
to gybe it so, first of all, John tried to tack both sails. That failed.
We rolled them both away and will reconsider what to do when John gets up.

On the fishing front yesterday’s score has to read Fish 2 – John -1. The
line had only been out 5 minutes when it started pulling out. John slowly
tensioned the drag and the rod tip bent alarmingly. He slowly played the
fish but possibly should have given it a bit more line, after a brief
struggle the fish got away. It had managed to bend all three hooks on the
triple hook. The second strike came just before dusk when the line reeled
out rapidly. The struggle was somewhat shorter but the result similar.
This time the fish got away with the lure plus the two muppets with hooks
ahead of the lure to act as a teaser. I suspect the knot must have pulled
undone because the line John is using is braided rather than a nylon
filament and, as such, is somewhat stronger than the fish considering the
brief tussle that ensued. (John: unless it bit through the lot)

The food, on the other hand, caused no problems. I made a frittata to go
with a little salad and the Polenta bread for lunch, then for dinner we had
had a Thai Red Chicken Curry with rice followed by apple and orange segments
with a vanilla cream dessert. Yummy.

We are still on target to arrive Friday morning. We currently have 124
miles to go to our waypoint so an average speed of just over 5 knots will
see us arrive at sunrise. The Tuamotu Archipelago comprises 76 islands
which are low lying coral atolls. Many of them do not have a navigable pass
and they are strewn with coral heads to catch the unwary. We shall arrive
in daylight! (Even if it means turning around and sailing back the way we
have come for a while!)

Joyce


Previous | Next