Ailsa - blog 17

Position: 13:42.630N 59:31.384W Captains log; Stardate 2012-12-17 – 23:00 UTC We have entered the star system known as Windies and during the night will begin to orbit the planet Lucia barring any last minute problems. Today has been plain sailing as they say. A real delight with almost perfect conditions and not a Klingon in site. For the technically minded we are current sailing on a heading of 311 degrees with 14 knots of ENE, a full genoa and main and making 8 knots in a calm sea. As we reach the end of our first ocean passage what have we learnt. The Earth is definitely flat at least every bit of it over the last 3000 nm has been. We have learnt to do a very good impression of a Duck Bill Platypus. We have learnt that sailing skills are no more important than being a. read more...

Ailsa - blog 16 - magical

Position: 13:18.256N 57:50.978W Captains log; Stardate 2012-12-16 – 24:00 UTC It is a truly magical experience at night, alone in the open ocean with a clear sky and stars shining from horizon to horizon with a sea so calm that their light is reflected in the surface. Add a bit of Coldplay or Phil Collins or Nina Simone or whoever your particular choice is and it is difficult to beat. The fact that there is no wind and therefore you can’t progress without the engine seems hardly to matter. It is also a magical experience watching the dough rise at it proves – at least when you have not made bread before and so it was that the day was put to good use. Now I wrestled with whether to include this photo. Is this really the image I want to portray? Would Kirk really make his own. read more...

Ailsa - Blog 15 Wind hole

Position: 13:09.098N 53:04.322W Captains log; Stardate 2012-12-14 – 19:30 UTC When is sailor not a sailor? We could get into a discussion about “every port” or perhaps spinach. I am really referring to the use of mechanical propulsion. In Kirk’s language vapourdrive or warp drive in our language a 75hp diesel. Specifically its use instead of wind power and sails. Last night we fell into a wind hole with the gribs showing the same for at least 48 hours. Our will finally cracked in the early hours doing 1.5 knots with a true wind speed of 5 knots albeit in the right direction. The interminable clunk – clank with the rolling caused by the persistent swell and the flogging of the sails does eat away at your resolve to obey the covenant according to Ainsleus. So on went the engine. read more...

Ailsa Blog 14 - Faraday cage

Position: 13:00.591N 51:03.182W Captains log; Stardate 2012-12-13 – 19:30 UTC Those of you who did physics at school may remember the Faraday Cage. For the rest of you like me that played truant or did a different type of physical science the principle is that a Faraday cage is a metal box that shields everything inside it from an electric charge. I am sure Captain Kirk calls it a force field round the ship or perhaps they don’t get lightening in space. Where is this leading to?? Well the one serious electric charge that can affect a yacht is a lightning strike – tropical squall, boat with a tall piece of metal pointing up to the sky, no other metal objects for miles around.... The consequences for the yacht struck by lightning are that it can take out all your electronic. read more...

Ailsa - Blog 13 Night Watch

Position: 12:31.416N 46:09.207W Captains log; Stardate 2012-12-11 – 13:30 UTC 3 am, alone in the cockpit. Four feet either side a murky grey interspersed with areas of white surf and 4000m to the bottom. We are over one Abysmmal Plain or another. Above the sky is inky, speckled with a thousand or more white dots. We are about 900 miles from land and although I scan the just visible horizon for the lights of another vessel there are none – in fact we have only seen one vessel’s lights since the second night. Where is everyone? Does it matter? In one way it is a relief because there is less chance of collision but in another it enhances the isolation. The attention turns to the dial indicating wind speed, it has risen to 15knots apparent – that’s good the boat speed will. read more...