Subject: FW: Hour 166
Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:24:32 -0800
Ahoy Campechano Family and Friends!
We are at hour 166 of our journey and having a wonderful time. The weather has been fantastic and so far we have had only a few drops of rain.
We have passed the North/South midway point to St. Lucia, and we are about 130 NM from the East/West midway point. We think we are currently in first or second place for our division, although the information we receive is old by the time we receive it. For those of you tracking us online, Yacht No. 106 (Pelican) seems to be in first place, but we think this is a reporting error based on their previous position. We think the boats to watch are Yacht No. 96 (La Medianoche) and Yacht No. 105 (Mojomo).
Our gennaker has been both a joy and a source of friction, both literally and figuratively. As we mentioned before, it is a new sail for this boat and for this crew, so we are all still learning how to optimize its performance. Obviously this creates many opportunities for the twins to "discuss" its proper use. The lines go all over the boat, which creates a lot friction and a lot of noise, making it almost impossible to sleep. At midnight, Sean could not sleep due to the noise and came on deck. It was about that time that Ronnie had a stroke of engineering genius and re-rigged the gennaker so that it made virtually no noise. While Sean was sitting on deck talking with Robbie and enjoying the new-found quiet, something hit him in the back of the head. At first we thought a line Ronnie was working with had come loose. As we looked down to find the line, we saw a flying fish flopping about the deck. We all had a good laugh.
"Velocity made good" also continues to be a source of friction, which also results in a lot of noise. There is probably no need to say this in every e-mail, so for now you may assume that this is a daily hot spot.
Midday yesterday we decided it was time again to check the gennaker lines. Fortunately, we checked just in time. Part of the rigging (at the top of the mast) had broken, and it would have been only a matter of time until we lost the entire sail. Fortunately we discovered it in time, but it meant that Mano had to be hoisted to the top of the mast to rig a new line and make necessary repairs. He was up there for about an hour, which is a heroic feat in the middle of the Atlantic with five foot swells. The gennaker is flying again this morning, so we are back on track.
Yesterday was probably one of our best days, both in terms of speed.
The days on the Atlantic are beautiful, but the nights are truly magical. Perhaps the best time is after the waxing moon has set, when it seems that every star in the universe can be seen and the bioluminescent creatures below are dancing in our wake. Except for the occasional satellite, there is simply nothing between us and the universe above. Planes do not even fly in this region, presumably opting to stay closer to land on a more northern or southern route. A few shooting stars, Orion and Scorpio bid us "good morning" before setting in the horizon, signaling that breakfast is not far off.
We have had the fishing poles out for less than an hour during the whole trip. This morning, just as we all sat down for breakfast, one of the lines hit after being out for only 15 minutes. It was a small Bonito (about 7 pounds), so we sent it back to the sea. It seems like we will not fish on this trip unless the wind dies completely. Fortunately, the freezer is packed with food, and we have not opened it once so far.
Abrazos fuertes,
Campechano Crew
Addendum: Regarding Mano's injury, it occurred after he had been on watch all night and was already nearly two hours in overtime. The injury was caused by exhaustion, and not by any deficit in skill.