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American Spirit II - Day 300; Departure for Richard's Bay, South Africa 1,400 Nautical Miles Away; Saturday, November 1, 2014



Our 300th day away from home. We'll be going home for Christmas in 46 days (December 17) and home for good in 183 days (May 2, 2015).

Up at 6:30 AM. Breakfast at 7:45 AM: bacon, eggs, chilled fruit cocktail and bread. Joel from Rally control passes out a French baguette to each boat. Nice touch, Joel.

I depart the wharf at 8:30 AM to return our rental car; and return at 9:20 AM, driven back to the wharf by the rental car manager.

Joel and Jeremy have the boat ready to go, and we cast off from the wharf at 9:46 AM. The start of this 1,400 nautical mile leg is between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. We cross the starting line at 10:01 AM, and a mile later at 10:12 AM the clock for our leg starts. Along the way we pass a 'rope nest,' an assortment of 1 to 2 inch rope all wound and lumped together, floating on the surface. Maybe 10 feet in diameter. If a boat were to run over this with their engine on, they could easily foul their propeller. I notify the fleet behind us what I've seen.

At 11:05 AM the wind is 9 knots, our speed thru the water is 5.4 knots and over the land is 6.6 knots. The wind is from the northeast and light. Once we pass the end of the island the wind switches to the southeast and at 2:00 PM its blowing 18 knots and we're moving at 6.8 knots thru the water and 7.1 knots over the land; with 5 foot waves. Its sunny and warm out.

I tried to take a nap from 12:24 PM to 1:40 PM in my aft cabin, but a loud moaning noise that we think is being made by the auto pilot is so loud that it inhibits me from sleeping. When I sleep tonight I'll have to move to the main cabin until we can figure out and fix the noise. This loud noise concerns me because I associate noise with friction. Not a good thing on a sailboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Besides my concern about this noise, I'm anxious about the new forestay and piece of plastic that is fitted to the top of the forestay to keep the jib halyard from wrapping around the forestay and breaking it again. This halyard wrap cap stop device was not the exact part we needed, but the rigger, Ben, retrofitted it so it should work. I'll order a new one and have it delivered to my house and bring it back with me when I go home for Christmas.

Joel and Jeremy nap from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Whenever only one person is in the cockpit, even if there's no wind and its flat calm out, a harness is worn and you're hooked to the boat. No exceptions.

We have one reef in the jib and 1 1/2 reefs in the mainsail. With a new forestay and the boat hopefully properly tuned, we don't want to start out stressing the rig too much at first.

At 3:00 PM the wind is 16/18 and our speed thru the waster is 6.1 knots and 6.4 knots over the land. We're on a broad reach, port tack.

At 3:25 PM I take half the reef out of the jib and mainsail. One reef now in main and 1/2 in jib. At 4:00 PM I take all reefs out. The wind is 18 knots and we're moving at 7.1 knots thru the water and 7.6 over the land.

Dinner at 5:45 PM is freeze dried Chicken a la King; creamed corn (a Joel favorite); chilled apricot halves; and fresh French bread.

At 6:00 PM the wind is 14/16 knots and we're moving at 6.0 thru the water and 7.0 over the land.

The sunset at 6:30 PM is so cloudy that we can't see exactly when it sets. No green flash tonight.

During the afternoon VHF radio chatter a number of boats revealed they had caught fish: Alpheratz; Ghost; Merlyn of Poole; and Chicka-lu, to name some of them. We didn't catch any fish because we didn't have a line in the water. Go figure.

At 7:00 PM a slapper wave caught me unprepared in the cockpit and doused my Kindle in seawater. I was sitting under the dodger but still got hit. Hopefully its not ruined. It worked initially.

Jeremy goes to bed at 7:00 PM. He'll be up again at 3:00 AM for the 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM watch, relieving Joel, who does the 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM watch.

I nap from 7:10 PM to 8:50 PM in the main cabin. Before going down to nap the wind is 13/14 knots and our speed thru the water is 5.2 knots and 6.9 knots over the land. The reason we're going so slow is that the wind is behind us too much, off the port aft quarter. A lousy point of sail.

During my 9:00 PM to midnight watch it is pleasant out, with half a moon showing. But its cool out, and I'm wearing my foul weather pants, long sleeved shirt, a pullover and my light foul weather jacket.

At 11:00 PM the wind is 12/13 and our speed is now a dismal 4.3 knots thru the water and 5.0 knots over the land. If this keeps up we'll be motor sailing soon.

At 11:58 PM I see a shooting star drop from 70 degrees high to 25 degrees just forward of the port beam. Its a good one, large and lasting 3 seconds.

Joel relieves me at midnight and we decide to put a low side pole up on the starboard side. Once we do this, it becomes obvious that its a wasted effort. The wind keeps dropping and is dead astern. At 12:35 AM we turn the engine on, take the jib and pole down, and motor sail.

After going below I shower and am in bed by 1:00 AM. I ask Joel to have Jeremy wake me at 7:00 AM instead of 6:00 AM.

Brian Fox

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