Total miles sailed so far=9979 NM.
Miles sailed last 3-days=422 NM.
Miles left to go to Cape of Good Hope=92 NM
Top Speed so far=12.3kts
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Day 73
24hr Run: 126 NM.
Position: Latitude 46*02’S. Longitude 09*35’E
Weather: Wind 10-30 kts WNW.
Seas: 8-15ft.
Cabin Temp: 46-53*
Bar: 1005 mb
Sailed along nicely with just the staysail all day in 30 knots of breeze. I’m waiting for the winds to die down some before re-rigging how I free fly the main.
I awaken about 11pm and see it is just beginning to get light, and I also see our speed has dropped below 5-kts, and it’ time to get the main back up.
Once up on deck I remove the block that I use for my sea anchor and shackle it to the clew of the sail. I fit a new bolt into my double mainsheet block repairing it, then run the mainsheet line through the mainsheet block up to the block on the clew of the sail and back down to the becket on the main sheet block, giving me a two to one purchase and distributing the load over the mainsheet block.
I put the main back up and it looks great,and I feel that this set up will get us home.
Just a Little Clarification on all the Sail Issues:
A. The Main is brand new, but Lee sails chinced on the slides that go in the mast and they are pulling out in strong winds, and I have had to replace four of them that have failed, and now feel pretty confident that there will be no more issues with the main.
B. The Mizzen Sail is brand new and no problems with it
C. The Staysail is in brand new condition and no problems.
D. The “Genoa from hell”, is 5-years old and I totally overestimated its condition to be able to make this voyage. It obviously is suffering from UV-damage and can’t be flown partially rolled out, and I believe it sometimes is damaged when being furled in when winds began to increase. It is now sporting over 20-patches.
Day-74
24hr Run: 160 NM.
Position: Latitude 45*31′ Longitude 13*15’E.
Weather: Wind 18-25 knots WNW.
Seas: 8-12ft.
Cabin Temp: 46-55*
Bar: 1004 mb
Today is truly a great sailing day and the sun is out
I have had no luck catching rain water as it seems it only rains when it is blowing 25+knots and catching water is made impossible by salt water flying everywhere. I’m conserving water everywhere I can.
I have decided to build a water distiller, and I actually have the time to do it.
Day-75
24hr.Run 136NM
Position: Latitude 45*18’S. Longitude 16*15’E
Weather: Wind 20-40kts.WNW &SW.
Seas: 8-15ft.
Cabin Temp=48*-55*.
Bar: 1003mb
Today if I had been having the circumnavigation of my dreams, I would be halfway there
That is not the case, and it will be interesting to see when I reach that point mileage wise. Who knows maybe the second half will go faster.
Today I took two hours and built a water distiller and tomorrow I will bring it on line and see if it works.
I used two 5-gallon gas jugs that I only use for water.
One to hold the salt water and it will be wrapped in a black plastic bag, hoping to create heat. The other one will be the condenser unit that will feed water into a half gallon container, and this will all be lashed out in the cockpit. I’m hoping it works.
It was late afternoon when a cold front hit us coming in from the south west and I dropped the main out, as the winds were gusting to 40kts
The seas became very confused with the sudden wind shift, and the storm force seas coming up from the south were steep, and occasionally it felt like we were hit by a freight train. I saw lots of water come on deck, and it was very uncomfortable below decks as we “rolled “along.
It was frustrating to me, as the winds were perfect to sail the course line, but I had to sail NE to keep Sailors Run’s stern into the punishing waves.
“How dry I am, How dry I am ,nobody knows How dry I am”. The Jefe’