Oceanhippie.net - Blog

Any one want to buy some diesel?

WTF? Day one, good northerly, day 2 good northerly. Ran 380 Nautical Miles in 48 hours which is bloody excellent. Now the guide says expect a "light and variable winds and contrary current" the reason we ran 190 miles a day on white sail and windvane is we had 2 knots of current with us.

Where about 36 hours from the Galapagos, or the middle of tomorrow night. 200Nm to go.

What the hell happened to the doldrums? See I've been round here before. last time it was post after depressing post of 10 days and about to run out of fuel. We did. Such titles as:

• Doldrums
• More Doldrums
• Yet More Doldrums
• Still in the Doldrums 
• We're not going to make it....
• Nail-biting Stuff
• heartbreak

In the end we made it after running out of fuel. This time we've motored for about 4 hours. We're currently doing 6 knots in a southerly (I.E. almost certainly a southern hemisphere wind) a degree or so north of the equator. I mean read this account of this passage on Ornen. In summery it too 23 day to make the 900 odd miles. Or longer than any of my Atlantic crossing of three times that.

I am shocked and stunned. in 4 days we've moved from steady wind from  the north (end of the north east trades) into a steady southerly flow (driven by the the south east trades). With only one hour of engine in the middle. Damn!

Bali Blue

First booby on board last night, a pink footed one. Slightly more attractive than a brown booby but still never had a blue footed booby on board. I'm banging on a about attractive brown boobies, what will Google search engine think.

We've Bali Blue to leeward, Fia Tira now somewhere off our s'tbd quarter, Aspen ahead and Angel behind. We're mostly going to arrive close together, even though the fleet left over a spread of three days. Given most of the boats around us left a day before us, at least. We're cool with it.

Optimists, Pessimists and Sailors

Optimists and pessimists are usually defined as those who see the glass as half full and those who see it a as half empty. There is of course a third category. Sailors. Most sailors don't give a damn as long as the half full or empty glass is still in the glass, not in their lap, on the chart making new islands (its tricky to pick up a coffee stain on radar) etc. etc.

 
An optimists airport

I suppose that if the glass was full and now half of it is in your lap it would be unfair to call them a pessimist if they said "damn now its half empty" since they've lost half a precious beer and have dampened their precious bits and they're shorts which they may not have enough water to wash.

Still, and this has happened I'd be happy to have my half beer. Point? You were expecting me to get to the point in only three paragraphs?

Ok we have a half working water maker. Grrr despite the new membranes one of the 2 tubes is brackish. We've hooked up only the other one and there is a tinny crack in the end cap of that one, which leaks. So hopefully the new end cap in Galapagos will fix it. Since more water appears to come from the broken tube we hope its leaking in and the membranes fine.

After a motor from Contradora, and the water maker, which runs of 240 volts and therefore the generator out batteries were full. However the alternator wasn't charging this morning. Now sorted loose connection.

 Yes the alternator was touched by the hand of the Caribbean yacht industry, that's why during the dismasting the engine went - it shares its belt, which it shredded, with the water cooling pump. It may have been us when we tightened the belt, but since we were rectifying their F up in the first place I'm not taking the blame. In there its hot (try sitting on a turbo charger) cramped (you couldn't even cram a hobbit in there.

Errm yes the crack in the watermaker is in the bit levered out by a man from the Caribbean island of Martinique, funny that, looks like its been leaking a while.

 The main trouble last time I was in the Pacific was Jackal's autopilot, the only bit of the boat known to have been repaired in the Caribbean. Draw your own conclusions. Then do it your self. The wind generator, not fixed in the Caribbean, but they did move the wiring around...

 "Golf is a method of ruining a good walk."

Runway Altitude Calibration

 That's a miss quote, the exact wording and originator I forget. Possibly Wilde? Well golf (and by inference golfists) can ruin a good island too. The bank of the, we thought, deserted island yesterday grew a car an a plane landed on it. Rather an optimistic runway. I believe it is "the law" that you have the runway's altitude clearly marked, you see it on control towers sometimes. For calibrating the aircraft's altimeter.

This strip didn't have a tower, it did have potholes, you can see one in the picture right, click it to embigen and you might just make out the elevation.... The runway had a sign saying "Golf Club ->", this is an optimistic golf club, these islands have a very low rain fall during the dry season, more brown than green. Not good for a golf lawn. The sign itself was far from las Vegas standard. More farm shop than golf club. Next to it almost illegible, in faded white on faded board about 6 inches long was a sign saying max speed 20kmh. On that track? You've seen the air strip, imagine how bad the road was. Any one stupid enough to drive fast down that sort of track isn't the sort to take notice of speed signs. Even if they have got reading glasses.

Extensive diggings parallel to the runway I suspect are the foundations of a post WWII runway. Shame another island falls to the golfists, not an extreme sport golf, not sure golfists would like the landing too exciting for them. Hmm hope my Aunt and Uncle aren't reading this - they're golfers.

Good luck to the golfers, I've heard the current sets north up the east coast of the golf of Panama, its been pushing us south on the other side all day. Gone are the rubbish and logs of the last few days. They are I assume still all floating in the gulf of Panama's own version of the Great Pacific Garbage Vortex. If you don't know what that is look it up, its interesting. AKA Viveros Golfist Island Resort.

Dolphins this morning, taking the piss out of me and Steve clambering in and out of the hobbit hole. A hot sweaty hole, filled with noise a Hobbit hole means discomfort.

My watch soon, gotta load the IPod with Drop the Dead Donkey. Its one of the ones with an auto rotating screen, It will not work soon as I have the Northern Hemisphere version and soon It will flip upside down all the time as I cross the Equator. I was looking forward to Jonathan Creek but I've inexplicably left it behind..... NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Trouble Shooting Guide to Glass Bottomed Boats

• Glass is disgusting shade of grey-brown. - you are aground on mud.
• Stars or Sun visible through glass - boat has capsized, get out and swim.
• Feet are wet and glass has crazed pattern - you are sinking.
• Fish all leaving very quickly. - Shark(s) approaching do not go swimming.
• Glass is yellow and granular, guy behind you has just splashed you with beer.- You have hit the beach.
• Upside down fish, and old boots crisp wrappers are moving slowly passed the glass, but side to side or back to front. - Engine is broken use captains crutch and wooden leg to paddle.
• Bad smell, glass appears cloudy brown and odd white bits flit into view. - you are passing the sewage outfall, wait before opening sandwiches.
• Huge black shape slides into view - Nuclear submarine, ring CIA or KGB depending on inclination.

You may fly from here

We are cruising at last - not that we didn't do a lot of work today, but yesterday we sailed to the picturesque Las Pelas islands. Today we tidied up and fitted the new iPod compatible stereo (the old one had a cassette). Listening to the news quiz on podcast. Having checked out the local bar and had a swim.

Arrrrhhhh, anchored off Contadora - posh. Looking it up on Wikipedia may result in a history of South American politics. Since its so nice and away from prying journalists that its been frequently used for summits.