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American Spirit II - Day 262; A Slow Day in Cocos Keeling; Wednesday, September 24, 2014



Up at 5:30 AM. Sunrise over Direction Island was cloud impaired. No surprise there. The wind turbine kept us charged up overnight. About time.



I spent 20 minutes looking for the key for the dingy motor this morning. I had taken it off the dingy the night before because I was afraid it might get blown off the boat or float off if the dingy flipped over. I finally found it under a pile of sandals in the aft cockpit. This key is magnetic and is needed to start our electronic motor.



Breakfast at 7:30 AM. Scrambled eggs; cut up potatoes; mandarin oranges; and raisin bread.



Joel had an 'Joel truism' to share over breakfast: 'Fixing your boat in exotic locations - a definition of cruising.'



A number of work projects today: fixing the battery generator terminal; fixing the washing machine; laundry; and fixing the floor at the base of the galley sink.



I started laundry at 9:17 AM. Since the 'washing machine' was broken and being repaired I used the 5 gallon bucket and washing plunger. The washing plunger forces water thru the clothes during its downward push and upward pull. An ingenious device; and bought to be a backup. In order to conserve on water, we first washed the clothes in detergent and bleach (if whites); then rinse 2 or 3 times in fresh water. We'll see if that works. Its amazing to watch the water in the bucket turn dark with each plunging. How can clothes be that dirty on a boat? Rhetorical question, of course. After doing my laundry Joel did his and Jeremy was last. Hanging the laundry on the life lines in 25 to 30 knots of wind is a challenge. And we had to take the laundry down 3 times as rain squalls kept attacking us all day. Coming up at 30 knots, and being blocked by the island so we can't see them coming until they're 10 minutes or so out, means you have to be quick once you start taking them down. Of course, when rain comes we have to close all the open hatches, also.



We tried to light the grill at 12:15 PM for lunch, and as I alluded in the previous day's log, it didn't start because of the poop we took tow nights before. Something in the starting apparatus got inundated with water, even though the grill has a 'watertight' canvas cover over it. So instead of cooking lunch on the grill, I started cooking the hamburgers in the skillet in the galley instead. After 10 minutes or so Joel got the grill working again, so we transferred the hamburgers from the skillet back to the grill.



After lunch at about 1:00 PM Joel was picked up by Jonathan from Merlyn of Poole. Merlyn's generator wasn't working, and Joel, AKA 'The Fixer,' was off on another assignment.



Around 2:45 PM I got a call from Folie a Deux. Tracey had a pan of newly made bread to give to me. Before you can say 'what?' I was over at their boat picking up the bread. After getting back to American Spirit II and after the bread 'rose,' I turned the oven on, got it to 400 degrees; then put the bread in for 20 minutes at that temperature and then 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Before the bread was done at around 4:00 PM Joel had returned. Once I took it out of the oven we had to sample it; so each of us had two delicious pieces. Nothing better than hot bread right out of an oven. Thank you Tracey from Folie a Deux!



I sent some logs and emails out on the SSB at 5:47 PM, to Brunei, Philippines 1,458 miles away at a heading of 47 degrees True. Really fast. Took only 6 minutes to s end and receive. It seems that turning off the refrigerator, freezer, AIS and all fans and lights down below gets rid of 'noise' that interferes with the SSB radio operattion.



Dinner at 6:30 PM was blackened chicken legs cooked on the grill by chef Joel; baked potatoes cooked in the boat's micro wave over; and chilled pear halves.



Jonathan from Merlyn of Poole stopped by to pick up Joel again at 7:30 PM. Not only did their generator not work, now their alternator for the engine didn't work. So they had no way to charge their batteries on the boat. Unless the generator or alternator are fixed, they won't be able to go to Mauritius with the fleet. Joel returned about 1 1/2 hours later and was happy to announce that they had gotten the alternator working. However, Joel was not confident that it would work all the way to Mauritius. Once salt water gets into a piece of machinery like that, its usually fatal.



Once Joel got back we watched the movie 'The Men Who Stare at Goats.' A lousy movie, unfortunately.



Lights out at 11:30 PM. Joel took a shower before going to bed. Nighttime is a good time for this because then you get to go to sleep clean. Something its the little things that count.



Brian Fox


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