Day- 28.
24Hr.Run=125NM.
Position: Latitude-40*29’S. Longitude-116*18’W.
Weather-Wind=10-30 kts.SSW.
Seas=8-10ft. SW. Cabin Temp=56*-61*
Bar=1006mb.
Day- 29.
24hr.Run=125NM.
Position: Latitude- 40*46’S. Longitude=116*30′.
Weather-Wind 30kts gusting 45kts.SE
Seas confused sw 8ft-SE-10-15ft.
Cabin Temp=67*-72*
Bar=1010mb
Day- 30.
24hr.Run=78NM.
Position: Latitude-40*27’S. Longitude-115*46’W.
Weather-Wind=30-50 kts.
Seas=12-15ft. Very rough.
Cabin Temp=59*-65*
Bar=994mb
Total miles sailed so far=3968 NM.
Total miles sailed last 3-days=328 NM
Total miles left to go to the Horn=2,117 NM.
Top speed so far. 10.8 kts. New High.
Day- 28.
Welcome to the Roaring 40s,and yes they are Roaring at times, and right now I’m just trying to get the boat dialed in.
The hardest part about that is here the squalls are packing 35kts, and I’m trying to sail in 10-15kts. I have pulled the Mizzen down as it tends to make the boat corkscrew around too much in the squalls as they come in over our stern. I reefed the staysail giving me lots of options up there and last night at 3-am in an exceptionally bad squall I double reefed the main. We are definitely starting to have fun now. We half filled the cockpit twice today.
Day-29
Today was the hardest day of the trip so far; the reason being there is a 964 millibar Low that has formed just several hundred miles NE of me and I’m getting hammered with SE winds and severe seas making going towards my destination nearly impossible.
After sailing 125NM we only made good about 25NM toward our destination to the Horn.
Along the way the rope drum on the steering wheel, was falling off as two of the three hose clamps that hold it on had broken, and there is no way to replace those clamps when the wheel is spinning back and forth.
What I did was put the boat on electric auto pilot and took the wheel off. Now that became rather painful as the last time I tried to pull the wheel off in Argentina it would not come off. So anticipating the problem I took the nut off, and set myself down behind the wheel and gave it my very most powerful “yank” I could come up with. I could not believe how easily it flew off the shaft and smacked this “Yank” right in the head, “holy shit” I seen stars for a minute, but luckily I have a hard head. Once I got the wheel below it was easy to replace the broken hose clamps.
Later in the afternoon I altered course to SW as it looks like the low is dropping down on me and I’m going to get out of its way and jump on the back side of it as it comes down and that will allow us to have favorable winds to head for the Horn.
Day-30
Worst day of the trip so far as the low has moved right down on top of us and we are seeing 30- 50 kts and “Rough Ass” seas
They are not so big that I fear being rolled but they have done some damage. We are currently hove to with broken steering cables, but I still have cabbage, onions, potatoes, squash and apples, and oh yea a extra couple pieces of steering cable. The steering wheel spins now much like the “wheel of fortune” and I have just won another non paid repair in confined spaces.
Oh and by the way the steering cables were replaced just 8- months ago and I have never ever broke one before in 22 years, and regularly change them every 5- years
I cannot use the wind vane now until repairs are made to steering cables so that puts it pretty high on the priority list.
I can steer with the electronic auto pilot and once this low gets off us and we are sailing towards our destination and not taking seas aboard in the cockpit i will make the repair.
Things are getting wet below as the waves that are breaking on the boat,are breaching the seal on the overhead butterfly hatch. If it gets much wetter I will have to wear my rain gear to set at the table on the not so dry cushions.
After one month starting to grow gills, El Jefe’
Found this on the streets of Uruguay 2010, so now El Jefe signs his name this way
Us in Uruguay 2010