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American Spirit II - Day 240; Half Way Home, a Ceremony for Richard Volz, Departing for Bali and a Tacking Duel with Boingo Alive Leaving Darwin; Tuesday, September 2, 2014



Today marks the half way point of our trip. Joel and I have been away for 8 months and will be home in 8 months, May 2, 2015 at the BCYC Yacht Club at 12 noon. Set your calendar.

Up at 5:45 AM as we're the fist ones out of the Tipperary Waters Marina lock. The lock can only hold one boat at a time, and we were picked first because our draft is the least in the fleet at 5 feet one inch.

Coffee, then we shoved off from the slip at 6:35 AM after stowing the electrical cables and transformer.

In the lock at 6:45 AM, we did a starboard tie, with Suzana and Rob tending our lines (I think it was Rob and not Hugh). I gave Keith, the marina manager our shower key and got $20 back. Once we were out of the lock at 6:50 AM we motored to an area near the starting line for the next leg and grabbed a mooring buoy at 7:10 AM.

Then breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, chilled pear sections and raisin bread.

We departed our mooring at 9:40 AM and proceeded to the site of the USS Perry sunken wreckage. There we had a short ceremony for my and David's cousin, Richard Volz, who was to join the Rally on the MacKay to Darwin leg but died 2 weeks before he was due to arrive. The ceremony is as follows. The words said were spoken by me as Captain of American Spirit II and (substantially) written by brother David:

"We are holding this ceremony at what would have been Richard's final destination in Australia on American Spirit II; in the waters of Darwin harbor. Lord God, by the power of your Word you stilled the chaos of the primeval seas, you made the raging waters of the flood subside, and you calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee...We ask you to grant Richard peace and tranquillity until that day when he and all who believe in you will be raised to the glory of new life promised in the waters of baptism. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The location of this ceremony took place at 12 degrees, 28 minutes, 30 seconds South; 130 degrees, 49 minutes, 45 seconds East. This is the exact location where on February 19, 1942 aircraft from the Imperial Japanese navy bombed and sank the destroyer USS Perry, leading to the deaths of 88 of her crew. We figured that Richard would be in good company with a ceremony held in this same location. A yellow buoy lies adjacent to this spot, with the wreck clearly identified on our British Admiralty Chart and electronic charts.

The leg to Bali, 990 nautical miles away, started at 11:00 AM with a 10 minute countdown. Even though you can use your engine during the 'race' to Bali, all boats started the leg under sail in light winds. We had a very good start, and a little while later we were engaged in a tacking duel with the much larger boat Boingo Alive. This tacking duel lasted a couple of hours until we both cleared the bay and were able to point our boats to Bali. During this duel, the currents and tide played a big part in our strategy, with the right side of the bay on a port tack giving us a better lift than the other side and starboard tack. Who won the tacking duel? You'll have to ask Boingo Alive. We're not talking.

At 2:18 PM we had to turn the engine on. Though we were still sailing at 3.3 knots, we were headed in the wrong direction - southwest instead of west. We motored sailed at 7.5 knots, with a wind of 5.8 knots. Our speed thru the water was 5,8 knots, meaning we had a helping current of .7 of a knot.

Jeanine napped from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM; and Joel from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. David started a nap at 4:00 PM.

During my afternoon watch I had to start using a different downloaded Navionics App on my IPad as the one for Australia and New Zealand had to be replaced by my Indian Ocean and Africa App. I have three apps that cover the circumnavigation. The final one I'll access before we reach South America.

I turned the engine off at 3:59 PM. That lowered our speed to 4.3 knots.

At 4:27 PM we had a warship starboard abeam going the opposite way as we were, east instead of west. Not an Australian warship because they didn't have an AIS.

By 4:30 PM we had entered the Timor Sea, the 4th sea we've been in since our start. The previous three were the Caribbean Sea, the Coral Sea and the Arafura Sea. At this time there were 7 other Rally boats around us: Alpheratz, Chika-lu, Merlyn of Poole, NDS Darwin, Boingo Alive, Sirocco of Oz and Celebrate. Cool.

I had to turn the engine back on at 4:52 PM as the wind had dropped to 4.5 knots and our speed was 3.5 knots. But it was the direction that caused me to start the engine. We were headed 50 degrees left of our course line.

Dinner at 6:15 PM consisted of two freeze dried dinners: Thai Curry Chicken for David and me; and Noodles and Chicken for Jeanine and Joel. Plus baked potato and chilled pear sections.

I napped from 7;00 PM to 9:00 PM before my watch.

At 9:00 PM we were still motor sailing with the mainsail out. The wind was 6 knots and our speed 5.2 knots and 5.8 thru the water. There were still 5 Rally boats around us, including Nexus abeam and aft.

At 11:37 PM the wind was 5.6 knots and our speed was 6.1 knots. It was a little cool out. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and pants plus a pull over. There was half a moon visible off the port bow, illuminating the sea brightly beneath it and less so for all the waters around us.

When talking about weather with brother David during the 9:00 PM to midnight watch, he made the following comment about the weather: 'Someone once said there is no such thing as inclement weather...only inappropriate clothing.' I wonder if an Englishman made that comment? Such lovely weather in the UK.

Australian slang of the day: 'Christmas on a stick' means 'something special,' such as 'What do you think you are, Christmas on a stick?' 'Come a clanger' means 'make an embarrassing mistake.' And finally, 'He/she couldn't lie straight in bed' means a person is a compulsive liar or cheat. Who knew?

One final comment. In order to increase the posting of logs to the WCC web site a drawing will be held with the names of all log senders on this leg, with a prize of $100 randomly drawn out of a hat.

Brian Fox




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