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American Spirit II - Day 423; A Slow Start to Genada; Thursday, March 5, 2015



One year ago today:

"Day 61; We're Sailing, We're Sailing!; Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Mike was kind enough to let me sleep an extra hour, waking me at 7:00 AM instead of 6:00 AM. As I poked my head into the cockpit at Mike's urging, he pointed out a rainbow on our starboard bow. Nice. First rainbow of our trip. Still raining a little bit. 2,594 miles to go to Hiva Hoa in the Marquesas. Speed 7.4 knots over the ground, 6.0 knots thru the water. A helping current of 1.4 knots. Only one boat near us now, II Audeacious. Wind 9 knots just behind our port beam."

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I was first up at 6:20 AM, as Heidi wasn't running this morning with Vlado from Civetta II. Joel is up at 6:40 AM. I write up a list of 'To Do's' that we need to accomplish before leaving Fortaleza.

Joel and I head to the pool area to do internet at 7:10 AM. I'm sending out a log and getting the Rally weather forecast; while Joel is getting a separate GRIB weather report on his laptop. I'm back on the boat by 7:30 AM, with Joel behind me shortly.

Breakfast is at 8:00 AM: eggs, potato, and chilled sliced pineapple. We spend the next hour getting the boat ready for departure. We have to unplug and put on board our electric cords; put the transformer in storage under the V-Berth; deflate and put away the 4 boat fenders; organize the main cabin, laying out the proper charts in sequence on the table; put any provisions not put away yet into their proper storage locations; I had to organize my cabin as we'll be tilted a 'strange way,' being on starboard tack instead of port; Joel had to put up his lee cloth in the port main cabin quarter berth; Heidi had to move her sleeping stuff to the starboard quarter berth in the main cabin; we had to take down the US flag and Rally flag and store them under the V-Berth; and reassemble the hydro generator on the transom. We were done by 9:20 AM.

While Joel and I are sitting in the cockpit waiting until the 'go time' of 10:00 AM, he speaks another 'Joel Truism:'Better to be silent and have people think you're a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt.' Who knew?!

Civetta II leaves ahead of us at 9:40 AM, since they anchored after us, med-moor style. That way, if their anchor is over ours, it'll be easier for them to disentangle than if we went first. As it turns out, their anchor was dragging and they were being held off the dock only by our anchor and the spring lines tied between the two boats. We depart the most dangerous marina/dock we've stayed at since leaving Florida over a year ago, at 9:55 AM. At 10:04 AM we start the leg, crossing the start line at that time and receiving a horn from Rally control confirming our start. Its a 'rolling start,' meaning that as long as you start between 10:00 AM and 10:20 AM, your start time will be when you cross the line. The reason this start was done this way is that the start line is really small, and is bordered by two rock breakwaters. We cross the start line with our mainsail up, and then put the jib up. Civetta II and Festina Lente are ahead of us; Bongo Alive is behind us; and Chicka-lu is still anchored.

At 11:15 AM the wind is 12/13 knots and we're sailing at 6.0 knots thru the water and 6.5 knots over the land. Its sunny out and we're heading offshore so we can pick up the 2 knot current out there; and because we want to get away from the land induced rain showers that appear to be more violent the closer to share you are; and we want to get away from as many fishing boats as we can.

Our noon position is 3 degrees, 32 minutes South; and 38 degree, 36 minutes West; and we're 1,665 nautical miles from Grenada. This leg is leg number 16 in the Rally, and is the forth longest one at 1,700 miles. Cape Town to St. Helena was also 1,700 miles.

I nap from noon to 1:05 PM. Couldn't sleep. First day out.

At 1:15 PM we put up a 'low side pole' on the port side. The wind is 10 knots and we're sailing at 4.2 knots thru the water and 4.7 knots over the land. Two rain shower cells to starboard are interrupting our wind.

Joel and Heidi nap at 1:30 PM. At 2:30 PM I wake Joel because the jib is luffing and we need to drop the low side pole. He goes back to sleep when done. The little rain showers are continuing to pass us by and play havoc with our wind. Heidi gets up from her nap at 2:59 PM.

At 3:00 PM the wind is 5/6 knots and we're sailing at 2.4 knots thru the water and 3.1 knots over the land.

At 3:05 PM we turn the engine on and are then motor sailing at 6.3 knots SOG (Speed Over Ground).

At 3:15 PM Joel demonstrates to Heidi how to use her R 10, personal AIS locator device; and how to wear her harness.

We sail past two oil derricks at 4:50 PM, both of them burning off natural gas in a large flame. These derricks are in shallow water, at 160-180 feet.

At 5:00 PM Heidi spots a white fishing buoy near our starboard bow. I turn off the auto pilot and manually steer around it. Good eyes Heidi! We than pass one more buoy to starboard and don't see any more. Since the sun is setting soon, even with a full moon it'd be arduous to see these buoys at night.

Dinner at 5:30 PM is blackened chicken cooked on our transom propane grill by chef Joel; homemade French fries cooked in the skillet in the galley by myself; and corn-on-the-cob. This will be Heidi's first meal 'under way.' The corn is not really that good, but its better than canned corn, which we have a lot of on the boat.

At 6:00 PM the wind is 8 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.0 knots thru the water and 7.4 knots over the land. Clouds are everywhere.

Joel hosts the 6:00 PM net, with Boingo Alive, Civetta II and us communicating. Festina Lente, though within sight of us, doesn't join the net. Chicka-lu doesn't join either, but they may still be anchored in Fortaleza.

A full moon or almost full moon rises out of a cloud at 6:09 PM, 10-12 degrees or so above the horizon. A full moon makes it impossible to see a lot of stars, but it makes it easier to see around us and around the boat.

I nap from 6:45 PM to 8:45 PM while Joel stands watch. Heidi goes to bed sometime before I get up. My nap is a good one. I'm out like a light.

At 9:00 PM Bongo Alive is ahead of us off our starboard bow; and Festina Lente is directly behind us. The wind is 5/6 knots and we're motor sailing at 5.9 knots thru the water and 7.9 knots over the land. A 2 knot helping current. Wow! Its overcast, but warm. I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt and shorts.

I'm thinking about a conversation I had with Vlado from Civetta II yesterday. That Slovakia, part of the former Check Republic, is a country of 6 million people; and he will be the 2nd person in his country to sail around the world. Impressive.

I see a huge lighting flash at 9:50 PM. Not the lightning bolt itself, just a big flash which lights up a giant set of clouds. I hope we're not sailing into a lighting storm tonight.

At 10:00 PM the wind is 7 knots and we're motor sailing at 5.9 knots thru the water and 7.9 knots over the land. Bongo Alive is 1 mile ahead of us 45 degrees off our starboard bow. They're a 53 footer, so we're doing good to be so close to them. But once the wind comes up, they'll take off and we won't see them again until we're in Grenada. Festina Lente, also around 53 feet in length, and a two masted sail boat, is 4.3 miles behind us.

At 11:02 PM I can see the Big Dipper, but not Polaris as it is obstructed by a cloud. I can also see the constellation Orion. The wind is 9 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.0 knots thru the water and 8.0 knots over the land. A ship, name unknown, is 14 miles off our port side forward of our beam, heading southeast.

At 11:45 PM I turn the engine off, roll out the jib and we're sailing again. The wind is 9/10 knots and we're sailing at 5.5 knots thru the water and 7.3 knots over the land. I have a feeling that the wind will continue to build so sailing is a safe bet.

Joel relieves me at midnight. He's doing the 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM watch, followed by Heidi who is doing the 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM watch, when I will come back on.

Brian Fox

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