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Albatross - YB Connect Message from Fernando Assens



Nov 26th - 7th Day at Sea

All is well. Today it's our seventh day at sea. And now I realize why it feels more like the 14th. With our shift patterns of "four hours on, eight hours off" I sail the boat from 4:00am-8:00am and then again from 4:00pm-8:00pm, and by sleeping in between I end up waking up twice each day. Adding up to the confusion is that we get 11 hours of daylight and 13 of darkness every day and that by moving west we are slowly moving into new time zones and the sun rises and sets a bit later each day.

The weather router has us rounding the low pressure from the south rather than the north. The consequence is that we will find very light winds for a day or two, which will be a nice break.

Currently winds are 24 knots, coming from aft at 79°. Our heading is 285°, and we are sailing at 7-8 knots. Waves are 10-15 feet.

Life on board remains the same. Today we sorted our food out. The lettuces did not make it and were tossed out, chicken looked suspect and followed the lettuce together with some rotted carrots and an eggplant. The rest is holding well, specially the tangerines, that provide vitamin C.

And on a darker subject, James and Kevin did not manage to fix the toilet yesterday and will give it another try today. Using the plastic bucket is not easy with 10-15 feet waves and 24 knots of wind. The boat bounces up and down like a wild bronco. And if you manage to use the bucket successfully you still need to put on your life vest, go out on deck and empty it on the sea without spilling it, while the rest of the crew tries to ignore you.

I am driving the boat and hear downstairs the "plumbers" grumbling. James and Kevin are giving it another go. They even have some of the plumber's language right! They are both inside the head (toilet) trying to remove the bowl to access the small macerating pump. The boat keeps bouncing up and down. Big wave! I yell. And I see the toilet bowl roll down from the head to the galley (kitchen) and hear a few more "plumber" words.

James and Kevin manage to secure the bowl on the floor using two fenders and proceed to disassemble it. After 20 minutes of prying on the bowls interiors a small nut, perhaps an olive bone, gets dislodged from the pump rotor. Was that it? They put the bowl back in place, press the #2 button and, Eureka! The toilet flushes away with a very satisfying sound!! James and Kevin are real heroes! I will write to President elect Trump and request a Medal of Congress for them (the British equivalent to being Knighted). They have earned a hot shower! We start the engine, get hot water, and both of them take a shower and wash their plumber cloths on deck.

We are now making dinner: cod with Brussels sprouts and tangerine for dessert. Life is good again.

Before retiring for the night we call Charisma, our German friends, on the VHF. All is well with them as well. They are one of the thee boats sailing a few miles from us. And they were our first radio contact in the high seas. Is good to have friends!

Transmitted by Fernando Assens using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com)

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