DAY- 130 24 hr Run=123 nm.
Position: Lat.45*53’S.Long. 173* 25’E. Weather: Wind=WNW- 12-25kts.Seas=6-8ft.
Cabin Temp=55*-62*. Bar=1012mb
DAY-131 24hr. Run=125nm.
Position: Lat.46*10’S. Long.176*21’E. Weather: Wind=WNW-10-20kts.Seas=WNW. 8-10ft.
Cabin Temp=56*-62*. Bar=999mb
DAY-132 24hr.Run=110nm.
Position: Lat.45*11′ Long.177*37’E. Weather: Wind=SW-20-50kts. Seas=15-20+ft.
Cabin Temp=55*-59*. Bar=1020mb
Total miles sailed so far=17,518nm.
Miles sailed last three days=358nm.
Distance left to go to date line =70nm.
Top Speed so far= 14.1kts.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
DAY-130.
Great sailing day with lots of sunshine, as we try to get north hoping to avoid the worst of a low that is headed our way.
I spend the day pumping bilges and applying chafe protection where needed, and look for anything that might need attention before the winds hit, oh yes and of course sew on “Patches”.
The local VHF Radio has been putting out storm warnings every two hours all day long, with predictions of 60 knots on both ends of New Zealand, and I’m very happy to be off the south end at this time.
Darkness comes and I feel a certain sense of anxiety, possibly because we have had to deal with so much severe weather during this voyage, that I wonder if our luck can keep holding out.
This one looks to be bad because there is going to be a 4-meter swell from the NW and the main punch will be a SW swell of five-meters, and that spells amazing rough seas ahead.[washing machine seas].
Day-131.
Still waiting, yet still not much going on and I start to question the weather forecast.
More sewing on “Patches”
Now we are running up against shortages on Sailors Run and today a really significant one occurred, as I spliced the “main brace” for the final time, as the rum stores are now completely depleted.
Does anyone out there have a set of plans for a still?
Day-132.
It was just two hours into this day, and the storm force winds hit, and here it is night time.
We had been sailing along comfortably with mizzen and staysail when 50kts of wind pounced upon us.
I scrambled out of my berth and suited up as fast as possible. Once out on deck the fury of the screeching winds and driving ran quickly set the tone for things to come.
I pulled the wildly flapping mizzen sail down, and in the process somehow the mizzen boom popped free of its goose neck and flailed around precariously wanting to do damage to someone or something. Fortunately, I had a mast step folded out and the boom came to rest on that and by tightening the mizzen sheet it stayed secured there pinned to the step. The sail found its way down out of the mast and was thrashing about; at long last I was able to wrap the sail around the boom and lash it down there.
Now I crept forward to drop the stay sail before it self-destructed and it came down with little trouble and was soon lashed down on deck.
We sailed on “bare Poles” driven to the north for the next seven hours, it was then with rapidly growing waves I decided to put out the drogue. It was while deploying the drogue that a large breaking wave filled the cockpit and drenched me to the skin once again, not so much different than the driving rain when I took the sails down.
Now I have a bit of a problem as I have no dry warm clothing left except a scarf to wrap around my neck a jacket that I call my sleeping jacket that never goes top side and two dry stocking hats. I know because some of my gear is wool it will keep me warm even though damp, and by sleeping in this gear all wrapped up in blankets it will eventually get almost dry.
After 11 hours under bare poles the winds begin to drop down and I haul the drogue in that has been out for the past 4-hours.
Now once again the staysail and mizzen are back up in 25-30kts and we are headed for the date line.
Still out here, and still going, the Jefe’.