Dear Friends,
Once again the day's events have prompted me to write another blog. Big Mama has asked me to, and as it is her sixtieth birthday today, I feel obliged. In short, yesterday was the day from hell. Anyone who feels the need to sail the African coast should reconsider. Especially if they choose to sail on Crazy Horse with their parents.It all started at Midnight on the night of November nineteenth. As I came on watch, the Captain asked me to keep an extra vigilant eye, meaning no ipod or books. Attempting to learn the dance moves from "Thriller" in the cockpit with my ipod at full volume is also discouraged. So I'm sitting in the warmth and safety of the cockpit enclosure, checking the radar for boats and occasionally looking outside for anything the radar might miss. The Captain has told me the wind may pick up but the night should remain relatively mild. About an hour passes and all of a sudden the wind does pick up, first to twenty knots, not a big deal. Then to thirty, thirty-five. The boat is laboring to stay pointed into the wind, all eighty-eight horses moving us at barely four knots. But horses don't swim that well, so I will forgive them. I was hoping it was just a passing squall, but the wind wasn't letting up. First the autopilot alarms, unable to hold its course at 295 degrees. As soon as the boat turned even slightly off the wind, the gusts would blow Crazy Horse nearly ninety degrees, the rudder unable to compensate at such a slow speed. I powered the engine up to 2800 rpm, thinking the extra speed would help. Just then the engine slows, then quits. I wake the Captain, and he rushes to the engine room to check everything out. One ship is passing a mile to port, and another is six miles in the distance, but not threatening. The Captain switches to the second fuel filter, restarts the engine, and all seems well.
We slowed the engine to 2000rpm, thinking overheating was the issue. The engine ran until about four PM, when Big Mama came on watch, and the engine slows and quits again. By now we are having gusts to fifty knots, sustained winds of about thirty-eight, and short steep seas. The Captain again comes up, gets the engine restarted after a few attempts, and we decide to put out a very small amount of jib (headsail) to help speed us up, as now we are weary of running the engine at more than 1800rpm. We would have put out our tough staysail, the best for heavy weather, but we all decide it's too dangerous with the boat violently pitching in the waves and so much water washing over the decks. This greatly helps our speed, and even though Crazy Horse is pounding through the surf, I attempt some sleep. In about an hour later, Big Mama is yelling,and I awake to find that a wave has crashed over the boat and ripped out the bottom of the dodger, shorting out the wiring to the autopilot. I'm handsteering now, cold spray in face like some real life sailor (who would have thought) and the Captain is now re-wiring the autopilot. Then the engine quits. Suprisingly, we all remain calm, probably in some state of insanity at this point. Somehow, in all this, our beloved Captain fixes the autopilot, and we decide rounding the Cape of Good Hope is not a good idea. Even though it is only twenty miles away, it is no doubt going to be dangerous. And we were all exhausted so we plan to stop in False Bay, off to starboard about fifteen miles.
Now please think for a moment how long it takes to go fifteen miles in a car. Even in bad weather. It took us eight hours. And not eight hours of peaceful bliss. Eight hours of wet, cold, windy, rough slop. I will not reveal the heartache endured for that time, as some things are better kept between crew members. I'll just say it wasn't a day at Disneyland. All said, we anchored in Flase Bay, just off Simon Town, SA. No one was hurt, and the only bruises Crazy Horse endured are more or less cosmetic. As we know. We rejoiced our journey with a box of wine and a roast chicken compliments of our wonderful chef (yes thats me). We appologized for anything hurtful that was said, and order was again restored on Crazy Horse.
I truely believe everything happens for a reason. Today we went ashore, and we met the most wonderful couple, Mike and Lynn. Aside from great company, they phoned a sailmaker, gave us great advise on getting to Cape Town and even let me call the town's best Sushi place so Big Mama could have her favorite birthday dinner. It really was the best, and Big Mama had a great time, so Thanks Mike and Lynn.
Sometimes you need to step back from the day to day and look at the big picture. After such a hard time getting here, it was all worth it. That said, we can't wait to get on that plane and let Crazy Horse have a rest! We can't wait to see our family and friends, and we hope they know how much we miss and love them. Thanks again Basia for your concern and emails, and as always to Ocean Jasper, we love you all!
May all our fellow sailors from the WARC have a safe journey, we'll see you all for the big New Years Party in Cape Town. This is Matt, faithful crewmember, cook, and peacmaker for Crazy Horse, signing off.
Matt