Wednesday 21 May 2014
21st May 2014
Since arriving in Jamaica life has taken on a whole new pace, 'Jamaica time'! Our beautiful Villa set high above the harbour at St Antonio is pure paradise. Matt, Owen , Jim, Russ and I relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of Norse Hill.
Wayne and Lester cook and serve us with delicious food, Alma cleans and does our laundry, magic!!
Last evening Lesley and Richard joined us for a BBQ of Chicken and fish, fresh vegetables and salad all prepared by Lester and served by Wayne. Chocolate cake with strawberry sauce for pudding.
Today our day began with breakfast around 08.30, fresh coffee, fruit, eggs, bacon and toast.
We have all spent the morning catching up with our comms., me with my blog, Matt writing a poem, Owen on the phone, Russ learning more about his i phone and Jim relaxing.
Lunch was hamburger, salad, and tuna. Lester is baking a banana cake for tea.
We are planning a trip to the beach this afternoon for a swim before supper.
The change of life from on the boat to off the boat is difficult to describe; almost War and Peace!!
17th May 2014
I forgot to mention that some the lads wanted to change the watch pattern. Their reasoning is we will be less tired and more able to 'race' sail the boat. And, so, we are in a shift pattern which is killing. From 6pm til 6am we rotate every 3hrs. Then it's every 4 hours until 6 pm, which means we have a very broken night. We are all very tired today, the watch leaders didn't want to change as they believed it would be too tiring, how right they were.
Still no wildlife. Most of the fleet around us now, we are currently 8th. We went out on a limb and once again the weather predictions were wrong, exactly the same scenario as when we left Panama. The 'rounders' tell me it has been like this all along.
A course is decided by Gareth and we start, then out of the blue he races on deck, changes the sail plan and course. No-one, except Jonathan of course knows what's happening. I haven't mentioned Jonathan ( he who must never be called John) because I don't talk to him unless it is something to do with the boat. He is dirty, unattractive, incredibly rude and a bully.
We have been sitting on the 'high side' for 2 days now and the pain in the butt cheeks is unbearable at times.
I was invited to helm last night which surprised me as it was only supposed to be experienced crew helming to give us our best chance. I didn't let myself down I kept to course and maintained 8 to 10 knots, as good as the others.
It's 10.46am and we may make Jamaica this evening or tomorrow.....who knows, neither our 'glorious leader' nor Jonathan seem to!!
Funny thing this race sailing!!
16th May 2014
A Room with a view!
We slipped lines on the Atlantic side of Panama at 19.00hrs on the 14th; we motored through the night to rendezvous with GB and Mission who had been held up in the Lake system of the canal until 22.00hrs..
The race to Jamaica was a Le Mans start at 07.00hrs on the 15th. Le Mans is a very exciting start as all the boats jockey for position to the line. The actual lineup is predetermined by the lead boat, not sure how it is done. There is a 10 minute whistle, 2 mins whistle and then a countdown from 60seconds..
All crew have to be positioned behind the main grinder. All yachts have the same sails raised and they must remain with these sails on a predetermined setting for the first 10 minutes. We started well, 3rd or 4th over the line.
We were one of the first to change course, it"s quite dramatic to head off one way when everyone else is heading towards Jamaica!
We have been heeled over for 26hrs. It is exhausting. Moving around the boat below decks is like doing an obstacle course in a sauna, above decks is cooler but getting around and sitting on the rail for 3 to 4 hours in the hot sun is painful. Changing sails, something we do quite easily when the boat is level took an hour and a half. All involved getting thoroughly soaked by the waves over the bow and we all were exhausted.
I have just come 'off watch' and It looks as though we have at least 24hrs to go until we 'hit' Jamaica. I tried to plot our position on the chart but somehow I managed to show us as having passed Jamaica!
We have just changed the Yankee 2 to the Yankee 1, a reverse of what we did this morning even more exhausting.
Looks as though we have dropped from 3rd or 4th to 9th or 10th, inexplicable.
Since entering the Caribbean we have seen very little wildlife, just a few birds. What we have experienced is several squalls; it's great to rinse off all the salt from our bodies. The water maker isn't making water, I believe it's because we are so heeled over the water intake is out of the water, who really knows, everything on board is a guesstimate !
12 May 2014
09.52, we have started our journey through the Panama Canal, just passing under the Bridge of The Americas.
10.15. The 1st of the 3 locks is in sight and we are due to enter it at 11.00.
First impressions are of docks anywhere in the world, the huge cranes for lifting the cargo to the containers ships, tankers, training vessels, luxury yachts and 'cast offs' of all shapes and sizes left to rust on the sidelines.
We are bordered on both the Costa Rica and the Panama sides by jungle and industry in equal measure. Birds swoop around, seagulls fighting for any food tossed lazily from a boat; pelicans swooping in huge flocks, often in line creating the effect of a fly past; from the shore a mixture of birdsong, something exotic and novel to our ears.
The landscape suggests this is volcanic, extremely fertile and hilly, this is only speculation on my part as no one seems to know. Our taxi driver informed us that they grow and export many types of fruit and vegetables, beef and seafood. It certainly seems to be a place of bounty.
We are in procession with PSP and Switzerland. Yesterday each boat was measured and, apparently, even though they are identical every time they come through they have to be measured again.
It's very hot again and humid again today, maintenance was completed this morning. Jamie is up the mast taking photos. Lawrence in the galley preparing lunch, the boys at the stern smoking, Gareth eating rolos and the rest of us waiting for our turn to transit the canal.
10.37, The lock is in sight, a large vessel and PSP are in front of us.
11.00, we are rafted with PSP and Switzerland. We motor together towards the lock. From entering Lock 1 to entering Lock 2 is approximately 30mins.
12.42, we are in lock 2 and it is filling with water. These 2 locks are together, the 3rd is about 1 mile across the small Lake. We are an hour behind schedule which has placed doubt on us completing the journey today!
13.30, we are entering lock 3 and still no word as to whether we will make it today! What a strange feeling this, will we, won't we make it through today?
There is a pace here at which everything and everyone goes. It is more a meander than a walk. As if we are all snaking our way to our destination, but our destination is always beyond the next hurdle which we must navigate before we proceed.
You could never call today boring, it is full of new and exciting (at a meandering pace) events. The draft in the canal is approximately 12mtrs and it must be the same above. The lock gates are beautiful, huge, steel walls which allows the tons of water to flow back and forth; lifting or dropping us before once again we meander to the next lock.
The difference in the mean sea level between the Pacific and Atlantic/ Caribbean is a few inches, the locks are necessary to cope with the 20ft, tidal difference.
15.15, we are through the fist 3 locks and have separated from PSP and Switzerland. We are heading at 9.5 knots across the 21 miles of lakes to the first of the final 3 locks which will drop us down to the Caribbean/Atlantic.
We have left behind the machinery and man made environment of the docks and locks and ahead of us, as we motor, the landscape opens into a vista of snaking natural beauty.
16.50, we are approaching the 2nd set of locks. We have travelled through the most amazing area of natural beauty I have seen since the rain forests of Uganda, the rainbow, the variety of trees with a myriad of greens lining our route.
We the crew, have discussed at length how many insects, birds, reptiles and mammals inhabit the forests, virtually untouched since the flooding in 1913. We speculate endlessly about the possibility of there being species here now extinct elsewhere. When travelling, in these inspiring environments, there is time to to let ones imagination run freely, we can all be, for a short time, naturalists
Miguel our Panama Canal Pilot, and has joined in the spirit of Qingdao, he wears his Qingdao cap with pride and he has been a fantastic source of knowledge, answering our many questions. The lakes, as a matter of interest, are fresh water and the locks are sea water.
17.08, we are about to raft ourselves to PSP and Switzerland, ready for our transit through the Atlantic locks.
17.30, we are at the entrance to the 1st of the 3 Atlantic locks, great excitement as it is confirmed that we will be exiting the canal tonight. A big thank you to Miguel for getting us through in time.
17.46, we enter the lock and the final phase of our transit. There is a less hurried feel to this lock, maybe because it is the end of the working day? The locks have worked through the night, since the 1960's although only smaller boats transit during the night. Again, there is a sense of time moving at the pace of the canal; the canal seems to dictate the pace, not the human interlopers.
18.14, the 1st lock gate opens to the sound of a whistle. Whistles signal the start/finish of an activity here, quite different to the Pacific locks where there are no whistles! We are now travelling towards the 2nd lock, these 3 locks are positioned together.
18.56, we clear the 3rd lock and head off into the Caribbean/Atlantic as the sun sets and the moon is in the ascendency.
A truly memorable day on Qingdao!
10 may. 2014
We are in our 3rd day of motoring and the noise of the engine begins to rattle the nerves when below decks.
Yesterday was tremendously exciting, we stopped to refuel in Costa Rica, what a treat. The banana bar was at the end of the jetty. We had a good 2 hrs there. The lads decided to drink rum and coke and beer despite Gareth telling them to take it easy. I had an orange juice and ice cream, saving myself for Jamaica.
We have approx 90 miles to Panama and will arrive in the early hours of the morning. I am on watch anyway, so that's good. We have followed the coastline from Mexico to Panama. Since Costa Rica it has been volcanic rock covered in virgin jungle, quite beautiful.
It is strange and wonderful not being out at sea, to be able to see the ever changing landscape. The ocean is magnificent but to see land again was wonderful.
I am very tired, off to sleep soon, nearly finished 'The Long Walk",
8th May 2014
It's all a bit ' Alice in Wonderland' this ocean racing/sailing.we have witnessed a natural wonder every day. Today it was a whale and the most abstract sky I think I have ever seen. There were quite normal looking fluffy clouds, underplayed by these grey/ silhouette sharp clouds that were hardly in the sky. To set them all off a rainbow coming straight out of the sea and waterfalls of showers all around.
In contrast we live a totally routine life, quite harsh at times. Today was the 'big clean'. It's in the mid 30* below decks, high humidity and pungent. The work is incredibly hard, cleaning walls floors, beds, and cubby holes and there are many of them every corner must be wiped with disinfectant and every floor board lifted. Mattresses taken atop to air, they stink. Bases and hand holds cleaned.
And then after 4hours it's all done and we again surface on deck dripping, stinking, and tired. A good job done but Gareth will still find a bit we missed, it's in his nature to look for fault and ignore success.
I am clean and in my bunk back on watch in 2 hrs.....time for some rest.
7th May 2014
Another beautiful sunset, Shona says it is the pollution that causes the wonderful colours??!!
A full day motoring, and maintenance on the boat this afternoon. Lots of banter and good humour, probably because we have plenty of time to do things. I am removing rust stains from the fibreglass, sexy ehhh!
We were on watch at 3 this morning and then the maintenance. On watch again from 6 til 9, I will be very tired when I eventually get to bed. The watch pattern has changed for motoring. 4 watches of 3 hours, much more time off. Well, not quite, we still need to deep clean the boat, which will be between 12.00 and 18.00.
How do I feel today? Quite relaxed, missing you all at home loads, excited we are nearly in Jamaica, well another 7-10 days and we will be.
PSP came along side this morning and took all out jerry cans of fuel. They are not refuelling, reckon they can make it!! We will refuel in Costa Rica on Thursday and then be able to make full speed to Panama. I saw Matt, we waved and thumbs up, looking forward to getting together for a chat soon.
I am getting more used to the people on board. Wendy is a real chum, the others I will probably never see again, except maybe George. Donna wrote a blog 2 days ago, I hope it was published. It was quite hard work editing it with her as I wanted to keep her words where possible, which was a challenge.
Dinner time, check out the photo!!
6th May 2014
That's it, race over at 21.20Local SF time, 04.20UTC 9th Place
It was quite a night. We had the double watch, 18.00-22.00 and 02.00-0600
We had been briefed by our glorious leader, Gareth, earlier in the day that it was likely the race would be called at the next gate some 50+ miles ahead. We have been suffering under the weight of wind holes virtually the whole trip down. Gareth having made the decision to spit from the main fleet and take a coastal gamble had left us in the company of PSP, Mission and Invest Africa.
GB had stormed ahead with Henri Lloydd and One DLL from the start. There was a middle pack and us. In truth we were never 'in it' and we all knew it.
Anyway, our race became between, the three boats and us at the rear. There is no doubt we pulled off a good race. We hoisted and lowered sails to accommodate the fickle wind. Win seeker for light speeds, up to 8 knots and then varying combinations of Yankee and staysail. We trimmed to course and we helmed to trim. These being the 2 helming options. You either trim the sails and then get the best boat speed and course or you set the course and then helm to get the best speed. All this changing the sails has moved my knowledge of helming and trimming on in leaps and bounds.
We had hit a squall earlier in the day which seemed to have stirred up some 'odd' wind. We made use of that short lived lift. We were all sitting on the high side, watching the most amazing lightening display, for about 90 mins, when up went the shout "tack". Within minutes we were hitting speeds of 10, 11, 12 knots, unheard of. And we kept going. We knew we were in with a chance of 9th place and we grabbed the moment, the prize was ours. From 12th to 9th by sheer concentration and good seamanship.
I don't think Gareth is very pleased, difficult to tell!
For me, I now recognise it all went wrong at race start and again that day when we lost 4/5 hours with the 3 spinnakers broken. I quite understand that decisions are made based on knowledge and information. I believe due to Gareth's personality he makes the judgement call without canvassing wide enough to use other people's knowledge, therefore he is not taking advantage of all his assets. Foolish!
I fully intend to sail into New York. I will put up with all this 'crap' and it will be worth it. GO Qingdao
Ps. We are now motor sailing with PSP towards Costa Rica to refuel.
29 April 2014
Blog off the coast of Mexico
So much for my 2 day routine!! It is impossible to describe to you the heat and the sweat that has become the grind of daily life.
For some reason, yet to be understood, Gareth decided not to agree to the replacement of fans for below decks. The temp. Reaches he's 42* plus, consequently rest periods are anything but!!! Naturally he has a wall fan above his bunk!!
Today after pressure from me and doc John he put up a couple of small fans to move the stale, disgusting air around. Incredible how such a small thing can be so welcome.
On a bright note, I have been Helming in some very difficult, light wind conditions and learning loads. This is a hell of a way to learn to sail.
On a bright front we are about 8/9th, unfortunately, due to our position/ course we find ourselves heading in the wrong direction. Don't ask me, I have no idea!!
Really too hot and tired to add more, I will try again soon
It's 9ish pm and I am about to wake the next watch. It is a sauna down here, beautiful on deck.
Another disaster, doc John discovered the chix in the bottom of the freezer was rotten, high as a kite! Anyway Lawrence had the whole lot out and it's a lottery if we survive the food. I had boiled carrots and an apple for my dinner!
Off the coast at Acapolco at the moment, we have good winds, unfortunately we are still heading in the wrong direction, ha ha got to laugh
22 April 2014
Just off the coast at Bahia De Los Angeles, Golf of Mexico
Sorry no news for 3 day, sea sickness has taken a high toll!!!
Over the last 3 days....
No time for me to take to my bunk; heavy weight kite is up, sails are down; lighter weight kite is up, hurray we are racing through the night. Having taken a more westerly route out into the Great Pacific Ocean we are making great speed, at times 20knts.
Disaster strikes on 21 April, the kite is damaged, we change to our lightest kite and oh no it is caught on the forstay, the air is blue!! We are now sailing slowly under the main, staysail and yankee!
2 kites now fill the galley and sleeping area, time to get woolling.
To bed with a sea sickness patch behind my ear, this is my one long period of rest. The sleeping pattern is 4 hrs on 4hrs off 4hrs onthru the night = 12 hrs; then 6hrs on 6hrs off thru the day= 24hrs.
Back on watch again some food, fantastic! This will make you laugh Russ, sausage, mash, onions and cabbage!! There's no getting away from that meal!
We hoist the medium weight repaired kite and immediately Increasing our boat speed by 15-20 knots.
This damage may have cost us a podium, unless of course everybody else is having the same problems..
How do I feel!! If a boat had been passing yesterday I would have swam to it to get away from this nausea. I have never experienced anything like it, the headache, nausea and exhaustion causing disorientation is beyond description!
Still, almost back to 'normal' whatever the bloody hell that is!
Life on board ticks on by like a great grandfather clock. The only excitement being when the hour is struck and all hell lets loose for a few minutes and then back to sitting on the deck pulling the odd rope here and there, interspersed by the occasional shout, you call that sail trimmed, I could do better looking aft'.
That being our gently, spoken, Yorkshire, not keen on women, that bit is edited, brilliant Skipper.
Of course there are the half and quarter hour chimes to keep us on our toes.
Mealtimes are Brkfst 6am, Lunch 12, Dinner 6pm with as many cakes, biscuits and sweets you can eat in between! More about food in another blog.
Ta ta for now
5th May 2014
It's a new day! Gareth briefs us on our 'race' tactics, that's novel! Anyway, it seems the race will probably be called at the next ' line in the sea'. So The plan is we sail as close to the shortest route, as fast as possible, 'that's novel'!
On watch from 6am to 12, it has been extremely hot but rewarding sailing. We have past invest Africa, PSP and Mission. All we can do now is fingers crossed for some wind which, has sadly died on us, the race may be lost yet!
Port watch have taken over, they have a hot afternoon in store.
A very large pod of dolphins were hunting around us this morning, really interesting to watch their tactics. They had bull noses with a pink lower lip, quite different from the others we have seen. A turtle floated past about an hour ago, all getting very normal around here!
The wildlife on the boat remains a constant!
My Helming is coming on. I passed my spinnaker Helming the other evening and had my first go at Helming to the apparent wind, which was very interesting, John said I did very well. Helming with the white sails has become quite natural, so funny to think how alien it all was.
As I am writing this the water is running, as in rivers off my body, it is truly unbearable, there is nowhere cool to go.
I am trying to eat again but the food is getting worse as all the fresh has pretty well gone. What a thankless task Lawrence has.
I so look forward to getting to Jamaica and seeing Russ, missing Franny and Elliot so much, I hope they are all well.
Speak soon
4th May 2014
I didn't have time yesterday to write about the Ray doing flips and the dolphin standing on his tail, the turtles and the sheer beauty of natural world here. It must be awesome below the surface.
I was on mother watch, I didn't eat for 24 hrs, the heat and humidity were beyond description. Keith, Shona, Margaret, Rob all sick!
I am trying to be brave but this adventure is a nightmare. We hit a storm and trying to prepare food was excruciating.
I still can't eat, half a piece of bread and it's now 30hrs. Will I make it to NY? I really don't know. The sweat and heat is unbearable.
I miss Russ and his gentle ways.
I miss Franny and Elliot really badly.
I am full of admiration for those who sail the ocean. This has been made so much more difficult by the lack of buying essential fans. We have no water in the heads, no hot water at all. I try to wash daily and am found lacking because of it.
I would swim home if I could!!
Ps I forgot to say I had nowhere to sleep last night, ended up on a bench in the galley. It's so hot my sheet, me, everything drenched. I ache all over!
2nd May 2014
A Funny Thing This Ocean Racing!
It's all Ying and Yang! Moments of extreme pleasure and dispair! The beauty of nature, the ugliness of human detritus.
The pleasure is an almost continuous display of wildlife, going about their daily business. The turtles lazily floating past our becalmed vessel, barely noticing our existence. The dolphins playing endlessly around us, seeming to crave our approval and adulation.
The dispair of hearing a 'thud' and the realisation we have just hit a turtle. The pain of not knowing if it is mortally wounded and left suffering a slow, untimely death.
The beauty of this vast, natural environment, with no human intervention. The seascape giving us an ever changing vista of beauty. The sea colours changing with the depth of the water, the height of the sun, the cloud base and time of day
The ugliness of human detritus, hidden unseen below the surface, waiting to capture or harm one of the innocents below. We, of the human kind, protest our environmental credentials, our commitment to protect our environment from our filth and waste. 14 days have passed and we daily 'tip' into the sea 4 bags of paper covered in human excrement, paper, card, tins and anything else deemed bio degradable!
A Funny Thing This Ocean Racing!!
1st May 2014
10.18hrs and we have been on watch since 06.00hrs and nothing has moved except a few turtles and even they seem to be sleeping!
We have been in this weather system for several days; it is impossible to keep dry, a constant sweat on your body, with no respite. The deck is impossibly hot. Standing on the deck to trim is painful, heat from below and above from the burning sun.
Port watch have come on deck unable to rest below where the temperature has again climbed to 40+*. We are due off watch at 12.00hrs, but there is nowhere to go!
I am Mother's helper today. This entitles me to clean the heads, sweep and wash the floors, and be a general dogsbody. The temperature below will probably be in excess of 40* and it is going to be tough!
I am trying to sponge wash every day, unfortunately this has to be carried out in the heads. These are little sweat boxes and I wonder if I am just wiping away sweat and replacing it with more sweat. I hate to think what colour my shower water will be in Jamaica.
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