The high winds and big swells continued through the day and with the main and poled out jib, Hejira seemed to relish the conditions and continued to bowl along. The conditions cannot have been to the liking of our similarly handicapped fellow participants because we apparently gained ground on nearly all of them, albeit that some are already well beyond catching. When looking to ‘fine tune’ the auto steering, we failed to find any adjustment beyond 3 settings ‘Performance’, ‘Cruising’ and ‘Leisure’ with no explanation as to what exactly these settings mean. Experimentation selected ‘Leisure’ as the best suited to the conditions and to our current attitude.

Having been conscious about chafe, it took Barry to spot fraying of the jib sheet at the spinnaker pole end where the sail was being held into the wind. Gybing the jib into the shadow of the main and bringing the clew down with the barber hauler, we were able to re knot the sheet beyond the fray.

It was just as well that it was spotted in time as the sheet was already worn to half its original thickness.

Barry’s loaf was a tasty triumph, infused as it was with a cocktail of seeds. His evening offering of meat balls with spaghetti was also a success – he can come again !

I replaced Stephen and Bob at 4am in torrential rain with them both sheltering below. The wind had veered and with the poled out jib and prevented main rigged for a starboard run, there was no option but for them to track the wind around resulting in us heading north. I sent them to bed expecting the wind to back after the rain but it didn’t and our course was bad. With the wind expected to go further south there was no option but to reluctantly call Barry and gybe the main and pole out on the port side which we did with the deck light on in the dark – fully jacketed and harnessed of course. Unfortunately, the wind then died back to about 12 knots and we need more than that. Our reaching speeds are not good (without the Parasailor) so we will stick with our current sailplan and track the wind around hoping it will increase in strength although the forecast is for more rain and that will mean variable wind. When do we reach for the engine key……………..

I took the opportunity with Barry on deck to ‘deal’ with the Watt & Sea hydrogenerator. When we changed the propeller I received an electric shock when plugging it back in which suggests that water has found its way into the plug. It didn’t seem to be providing the charge that it had previously which is no doubt due to shorting. So, with plenty of diesel left, we can run the generator for charge top up (we still have the photo voltaic panels and the air breeze wind generator) and dispense with the drag of the hydrogenerator as we optimise our speed towards St.Lucia and those rum punches in Rodney Bay.

Stephen writes:-

An interesting day, all going swimmingly until eagle-eyed Barry uttered the fateful phrase “I think I can see chafe on that sheet”. Subsequent inspection with binoculars confirmed the issue so the Master demanded my presence on the foredeck and after a lot of “pull this” ,”Hold that” and generally prancing about doing the Foredeck Foxtrot (clipped on I hasten to add) the offending sheet was dealt with and we returned to the cockpit for parrot food. The remainder of the day was quiet with various members of the crew snatching sleep when possible. We were visited by a brace of White-tailed Tropic birds (Phaethon lepturus) and the Atlantic gained a 1-0 victory over Hejira in the fishing taking my new lure with ease. The night watch started and ended in squalls Barry retreating to his cabin like a drowned rat after manfully staying an extra half hour to bring us out of the tail end of one. From then on we were hunted down by squall after squall as if they had a purpose (the rest of the radar screen was clear of the purple menace except where Hejira was) and we handed over to the Master (whom I raised with a chorus of ‘Jerusalem’) just as we became the filling in a squall sandwich. I fell quickly asleep and awoke to the news that the Master and Barry had had to perform the Foredeck Foxtrot to prevent us ending up at the North Pole, what stars!

One swollen knee due to trauma, and one crew member delighted to have a normal blood pressure.

Bob writes:-

Little to add to the very accurate information above.

I have been granted special dispensation today…….I am on the shower schedule, so without further ado, I shall get in there and attempt to scrub up!

 

I sent Barry back to bed after his nocturnal manoeuvres.

Nick

Standing on the bathing platform yesterday, changing the hydrogenerator propeller, my feet were regularly swamped as the breaking swells swept through and I was struck by how warm the water was, 25.2 degrees. We all receive Emails from home and it is hard to imagine the cold weather and the shops full of Christmas tat.

The bilge water conundrum begins to crystallise after the early morning inspection showed a modest amount. We had not operated the generator so time to run it and check again. Perversely there were larger quantities of water despite having checked all the connections, sea cocks and pipes…….. While examining the area yet again, we discovered the culprit. I had installed a very high volume emergency bilge pump positioned next to the generator. I had run the pipework up to the highest level before exiting above the water line. Normally this is absolutely fine but when we plunge into the biggest troughs with the swell towering over us, healing with the sea up to the gunwales, the pressure forces water up and over the loop and therefore into the bilge through the pump.

Ironic that the kit designed to save us in the event of flooding, was causing the flooding. The solution was simple, just turn off the outlet sea cock, we just have to remember to open it in the event of an emergency!

Later in the afternoon, the seas built still further and the auto, although doing a sterling job, was struggling with the inevitable yawing as the swells picked up the stern and swept through, we were steering a series of ‘S’ bends. The advantage of the twin Yankee rig (we can’t use now because of the bent bow sprit bracket) is that both sails are pulling evenly from the bow. The main and poled out jib means that the main is pushing from the mast and trying to turn the yacht about its fulcrum. Feeling that we would have a slightly more even distribution of sail areas, port and starboard and to minimise the turning effect, we put a reef in the main and this eased the situation. We have tended to hand steer in the squalls, reacting more swiftly to the swells as they approach in the higher wind speeds but the better balance achieved with the reefed main reduced the threat of a backed sail and all the damage that could cause.

We have not seen any other vessels for over a week now, not even on AIS. We expect this to change as we approach St. Lucia and it would be good to know we are not alone in the World.

The last 24 hours have again broken the record with a mileage of 171, that’s an average speed of over 7 knots, pretty damn good for a fat old lady! I look back ruefully at the conservative first few days when we were rather cautious, reluctant to stress the yacht or crew with so far to go………….

 

Stephen writes:-

Hejira Enjoys Long Passages Under Sail. Sorry about the photograph but the Master was not to be denied, and as I was replying to an email from by brother-in-law, I was in no position to voice any objections. We have been making good time in these winds and that coupled with the solution to `The Great Bilge Water Mystery` seems to have put the Master in an unrecognisable mood, could it be contentment? The crew are now confused as we have never seen him like this so we have no strategies to cope. As yesterday was Saturday we were allowed a shower so all is fragrant. The seas were too lumpy for fishing so nothing to report on this front. We were visited by a Northern Gannett (Sulsa  bassana) in the late afternoon who seemed determined  to show off his/her flying skills and did a little wave dance across the surface of the sea, quite amazing. The Master rustled up a curry for supper and we celebrated with a beer. The night watch was spent under a bright waning moon and apart from the now obligatory raid on the Master`s chocolate stash, was uneventful. When the time arrived to raise the Master for his watch the electronic front door bell which he had brought up from his apartments proved inadequate, however a chorus of `Once a Jolly Swagman` gave him the necessary jolt and I retreated to my berth and was thrown around for a few hours but fortunately was saved a `face plant` on the deck below by the lee cloth.

Crew getting a bit of a battering from colliding with Hejira but no broken bones.

Bob writes:-

Other more or less notable issues that spring to my mind:

• The Doc decided not to challenge the Atlantic yesterday, so its stocks may breath a sigh of relief (is that a gill full?)
• The massive hunt for the bilge water source has possibly concluded. Only today’s obligatory bilge inspection will actually confirm this.
• The number of the skipper’s ‘happy moments’ is inversely proportional to the depth of water in the bilge.
• The skipper confirmed that he is indeed a ‘Grand Master Anorak’ when he presented the night watch crew with a remote control bell!!!! Clearly he does not enjoy the Doc’s entreaties to get out of his pit, and hoped that the bell would do the trick. Come the time for the skipper’s watch, the Doc’s dirty digit depressed the dinger. Absolutely no response! Back to the singing!
• The Doc and I have seen an opportunity regarding the bell. We have commissioned Bazzer to see if the unit can be modified with two electrical leads and crocodile clips to deliver a spectacularly high voltage to parts of the skipper’s body when the button is pressed. I have had to defer to the Doc’s advice on the exact location of application as he says that we don’t want excessive scarring (mental and physical).

 

Barry is wistfully gazing at the horizon.

With seemingly no squalls in the vicinity we maintained the balanced full main and poled out jib sailplan. The auto performed brilliantly, grateful no doubt, for the extra grip afforded by the additional third rudder. Although the wind gusted to 30+ knots at times, she stayed relatively straight despite the building seas and the dyneema preventer rigged to the end of the boom was a comfort.

Inspection of the hydrogenerator revealed plastic wrapped around and behind the propeller blades which will have prevented it charging. Plastic in the middle of the Atlantic! It also showed strange marks along the bottom of the unit and one of the blades.

I am no expert but, could these be from sharks teeth, we had seen a monster shark taking an interest when the Watt & Sea Hydrogenerator downhaul slipped its cleat and swung up to the surface with the prop splashing around maybe simulating a distressed fish… In that we had to remove the propeller to clear the plastic, we fitted an alternative, pitched for faster speeds just to understand the difference. We will have to change back to the original because we are clearly not fast enough for the alternative as the charging is sporadic, only when we surf down the swells at approaching 10 knots does it make a significant input.

Barry made some rolls which we had for lunch with some Spanish sausages and brown sauce and he also made a loaf which we will try today, good on ya Barry!

We discovered a surprising amount of water in the bilge and clearing this out and trying to find the cause consumed much of the afternoon. We had taken some water over and had the most torrential rainstorm with some windows open, notably the window over the cooker which flooded the burners so they had to be dried out before they would work again. This did not however, explain the quantity in the bilges. It was salt water so what had we done differently? We focussed on the generator as we had begun to run this to keep up with the charging requirement and it uses sea water for cooling. We could find no obvious leaks and tightened up the connections so, with dried bilges we will check again at dawn.

The bigger winds and stable sailplan produced our best 24 hour run so far of 167 miles. At this rate we will have time for a celebratory dirty beer, get over the hangover and smarten up before our wives arrive in Rodney Bay on Friday evening!

Stephen writes:_

An attempt at a voyage in a day:

Dawn rescues me from a recurring dream of riding a wild mustang on the Texas rodeo circuit. I head for the galley and tea. The rest of the crew gradually emerge and cautiously enter the saloon not sure which of us the Master will favour with the first slap of the day. Bob and I are summoned to the chart table with a curt “blog!” and set to work knowing that editorial power lies firmly elsewhere, and that the text will be scrutinised for any coded messages to the outside world. Hejira Enjoys Long Passages Under Sail. Once our contributions have been passed fit for consumption and Barry`s daily excuse is formalised we settle for Parrot food (muesli ) topped with nuts and berries and drizzled with long-life milk. Hejira Enjoys Long Passages Under Sail. We then consult the calendar to find out what day it is (easy to lose track out here) as the Master has issued another diktat that the crew can have a shower if the day contains a T, whilst he will limit himself to only having a shower if the day contains a Y (so there are some vestiges of humanity left in him after all). The Master then distributes the work schedule and today Barry is dispatched to the galley to make rolls and a loaf, I set to making a new lure and trace by cannibalising our remaining tackle and Bob is to `do what he is told`. The morning passes and soon the smell of baking bread and sizzling sausages permeates the cockpit. We enjoy a ‘Becky’ (shorthand for the refreshing orange flavoured vitamin drink (Emergen’C’)supplied to us by the Master’s daughter) made with slim-line tonic, delicious. This is soon followed by the sausages and brown sauce in the rolls that Barry has slaved over and we agree he should be a candidate for the `Great British Bake Off`.

Little did we know that that would be our last meal for the day as the shout went out “water in the bilges’. The Master paled and together with Barry gave Hejira the marine equivalent of a colonoscopy. All the floor panels were up and the food stores were disturbed from their decade’s long slumber, the Master was on a mission and would fall upon the offending leak as an avenging angel. Hejira Enjoys Long Passages Under Sail. However despite their best sweaty efforts, akin to nautical  Holmes and Watson in pursuit of Moriarty, ` The Great Bilge Water Mystery` remains unsolved, but the bilges have now been sponged out and for the moment are dry. The score in the Hejira versus the North Atlantic fishing contest was an honourable 0-0 draw so battle will be joined again tomorrow. On the wildlife front we were visited by both a Red Billed Tropicbird  (Phaethon aetherus) and a White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) both beautiful and hinting of our final destination. Evening fell and omitting our usual ration of TV/Film we turned in early to be ready for the night’s watch. The moon was full and the seas full with the wind topping out at 30+ knots, time passed swiftly helped by a further raid  on the Master`s supply of `fun sized` chocolate bars and soon it was time to raise the Master and on this occasion I selected the 69^th Psalm which did the job, and so to bed. Hejira Enjoys Long Passages Under Sail.

Ships Surgeon’s report: Crew mostly well – The Master has a grazed knee….bless.

Bob writes:-

A superb 24 hours under full sail! Some exciting moments when the gusts reached 30+ knots.

The skipper must have felt that he could trust the Doc and me as we had no interventions from him at all during our night watch.

Alternatively, had his previous night’s exertions and broken sleep pattern caught up?

The Doc has described ‘a day in the life of’ above, but he did not mention the skipper’s ritual evening ablutions.

As soon as supper has been cleared and the crew given their duties the skipper repairs to his 5* suite aft. After a considerable length of time, heaven knows what requires such attention, the Skipper appears in a very plush dressing gown, pronouncing that he is now ready to be entertained. We have noticed that the dressing gown is being deployed more frequently of late and we question if this is not a less than subliminal message to the crew, declaring his alpha male status and symbol of control.

We have heard rumours that he has asked Paula to bring out epaulettes and gold braiding , these to be sewn on to the dressing gown in the appropriate shoulder and cuff locations to symbolise his rank and re-assert his degree of control. Should the crew spy just one bit of gold braiding, rest assured, dear reader, that the skipper will then be referred to as ‘the brass on the arse’!

 

Barry is preening after rising to the bread making challenge so excused the blog -again.

After a rather downbeat missive yesterday, the new day brought a more positive outlook with sunshine, and no sign of squalls after some early scares. A full main (with preventer) and poled out Yankee proved to be an adequate sailplan and the auto steered to a steady wind angle with aplomb.

A notable milestone was reached passing the ‘1000 miles to go’ barrier at noon. We searched the stores for some champagne but could only find a cheap box of Don Simon white wine.

Ingenuity abounded as we used our ‘Soda Stream’ to transform it into a very much improved and acceptable sparkling wine.

The Soda Stream has been something of a revelation enabling us to make diet coke and slimline tonic in vast quantities so the storage and disposal of plastic bottles has been completely unnecessary.

Stephen spent an inordinate amount of time in the preparation of our evening meal, partly apparently because the Mindelo chicken needed surgery to extract any meat but the effort was well worth it with the risotto, by general consensus, taking the accolade of ‘best meal so far’! I suggested that the creator of the ‘best meal on passage ‘ should reprise it when our wives arrive in Rodney Bay so I expect the standards to plummet from now on.

The ‘Bimbo’ bread bought in Spain seemed to last very well and it was claimed in our ‘provisioning’ seminar in Las Palmas that it was usable after more than a month. We tried to find it in Mindelo (it toasts very well) but could only find a local sliced loaf. Unfortunately it clearly does not contain the same cocktail of chemicals and preservatives as Bimbo as we have had to throw it all away so Barry has volunteered to do some baking today.

As we approached the commencement of our watch cycle, the usual checks showed that the Watt & Sea hydrogenerator had stopped charging and, indeed the whirring noise in my cabin had disappeared. We decided to trouble shoot in the morning once it gets light, could it be that a shark has taken the propeller? We had run the generator during the day as the batteries had taken a bit of a caning using the radar continually to monitor squalls so maybe this has something to do with it – let’s hope it’s not terminal!

Our improved speed over the last 24 hours has logged 148nm.

Stephen writes:-

The squalls seem to have given us some respite for the moment and an harmonious day was enjoyed by all. It was noted that even the master`s mouth was seen to twitch into smile once in a while. In the daily fishing competition the North Atlantic had a 1-0 victory again and yet again took the lure trace and swivel. We are now out of swivels so will have to improvise (I have every faith that Barry will come up with a solution) .The 1000 mile celebration was enhanced by Chateau Hejira 2015 and I suggest that you put you orders in early to avoid disappointment (see above). I believe I saw a Black Browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) but I admit it was a partial sighting so must remain provisional. The night`s watch saw Hejira sprinting along and outpacing a squall on the portside. The moon illuminating our way graciously and was still high in the sky when I roused the Master with an impromptu Gregorian Chant which raised him from his plush and voluminous quarters in semi-clothed magnificence.

Crew in great shape.

Bob writes:-

It was an excellent night watch with the boat speeding along under the influence of up to 25 knots of breeze.

There were two other notable facets of the night.

The first was that the skipper was in his usual position at the chart table when the night watch turned out, early, at 23:30, with the redoubtable Silver Fox caring for the boat on deck. These nocturnal ramblings of the skipper continued throughout the night watch with a further 2 visits, completely un-announced and absolutely unprecedented!

The second was that the yacht had seemingly found a new turn of speed! We had been bemoaning the rather sluggish responses to wind and changes of sail plan and wondering what had happened, but yesterday, under full main and poled out jib, she positively flew along. We conjectured that we had lost a load of weed from the keel and rudders, but whatever had been the cause of our previous poor performance had radically changed for the better. Hejira now seems to have assumed a much more jaunty air, full of purpose.

And so, it seems, has the skipper!

The crew has devoted much thought to this change of demeanour. It could be that the skipper, like the yacht, has lost unwanted weight. It could be that the crew is at last showing some signs of understanding of his bellowed commands. It could be many things, but we believe that it is most probably because he has faced nature in the raw, he has stood toe to toe with the worst that can be thrown at him and has recognised that he can honestly call himself Master and Commander of a yacht with a slightly bent bowsprit and that he can do this with the greatest impediment known to man, a night with less than 8 complete hours of deep sleep!

 

Barry is indisposed, not indisbag

The discovery today of bent brackets on the bow sprit has put a real dampener on the passage and our ability to make speed downwind. The assembly was definitely straight when replaced after the earlier repair, it must just have been excessive loads since then, probably with the second yankee in some squalls. The pictures are of how it was and how it is now:-

 

 

 

The questions we have to consider are: is the bow sprit likely to break if we use it, could it cause any irreparable damage to the surrounding structure if it does break and, can we get the brackets straightened and strengthened in the Caribbean – if so where? The World Cruising rally handbook suggests that there are two welding / stainless fabrication shops in Rodney Bay so that at least is a positive. In the mean-time we are travelling at a sedate pace under just a reefed mainsail while we take stock and review our options. There is still squall activity (I wonder if the rest of the fleet further north are suffering as much) and, having experienced how rapidly the onslaught can descend, it is prudent to go through the night with a reef although we are compromising our speed. Our last 24 hour run was only 121 miles which is the worst yet. There is no reason why we can’t pole out the primary yankee and run downwind goose-winged – not great but ok. Remaining south of the rhumb line, it is likely, as we approach the Caribbean and the winds (as predicted) go light, that we will have the wind over the starboard quarter. I think that flying the Parasailor in that situation (assuming no squall activity) will be ok as the loads on the guy and therefore the bow sprit will be more vertical and any lateral loads will be trying to correct the bend and not exacerbate it.

Taking a more positive attitude, the watermaker is keeping up with the demand (including regular showers you will be pleased to hear), we have food on board to beyond Christmas, there is only just over 1000 miles to go and having only used the engine (we last filled in Las Palmas) for a short period, we could motor all the way if we had to.

Stephen writes:-

Yesterday’s fishing score was Hejira 0 North Atlantic 1, we only cast out once and almost immediately the rod bent to 75 degrees and the reel howled. However there were no vibrations on the line and it was impossible to reel in on maximum clutch .It seems likely that we snagged a raft of seaweed that has become increasingly visible. We tried double teaming with hand and reel but the line snapped. I have now opted for a much heavier weight on the line to try to keep below the seaweed, that and our more sedate pace (see above) may hopefully do the trick. Bob and Barry believe they spotted a Red-Billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) but other new species of wildlife were keeping well hidden. The Master is lamenting his bent bowsprit despite the crew`s best efforts to reassure him that he is still as much of a man as he was before. Hopefully when he poles out the Yankee later his spirits will lift. The daily rhythm means we are living lives of repetition and we can hardly recall our past tribulations. We will have just 1000nm to go of the 2100nm passage sometime today so a little celebration would be in order and I have vowed to stop asking the Master “are we nearly there yet?”

Thankfully only one case of conjunctivitis and the usual sprains and strains including tennis elbow.

Bob writes:-

The skipper is usually totally immune to mickey-taking and the odd barbed comment. And I mean armoured, bullet and fire proof! It seems, however, that the comment regarding his luxuriating for an 8 hour unbroken sleep in a huge double bed managed, in a small way, to breach his previously unassailable defences. After a slow start, we were treated to an absolute stream of reasons identifying why the aft master suite was not necessarily the place that we, as crew, saw it as the retreat, the nirvana. So far we have been advised of the following deflective reasons: the noise of the hydrogenerator, the noise of the wind generator, the slap of the sea on the transom, the ingress of waves through the open aft ventilator, the hum of the bilge pump, and many more. We, as fully paid up members of the crews union, hereby advise the skipper that none of these reasons cuts any ice at all with us. Please do not confuse us with the facts, our collective mind is made up!

Having said that, the skipper has his own little ways of retribution, such as advising a crew member the moment he wakes up that he is due on the foredeck this instant to pole out the jib. Not an unreasonable request one would think, but please give a chap a chance to get his under-rods on first!

 

Barry is hiding from the Doc as he doesn’t like the eye drop treatment, bless him !

 

Nick