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Wednesday, 07 January 2009 |
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Perpetual Motion
As I stepped off the Schooner Anne, almost a year ago, there was a quality about land that amazed me. This quality was something everyone took as the norm, but for me it had been absent for so long that it was as if I had just come from another planet. Iʼm talking about standing still. On paved land, no force pushed me in any direction, there was no resistance to overcome as I propelled myself forward. I felt odd. In my room later on, I delightedly went into the tree pose, a yoga position standing on one leg. How incredible it was to stand on one leg again without holding on! Even better, for my own entertainment, I placed a pen down a table and watched how it did not move, not even a millimeter. In the kitchen, I put the pot cover half on the pot and half on the handle and was thrilled to see the cover stay exactly as I had put it. The laws I had grown up with were true again!
Now, a person reading this might think Iʼm silly, but when your sense of basic physics is different for an extended period of time, the simplest events take on new meaning. I bring this topic up not only because it took me at least a month to stop getting excited over it, but because I think many people donʼt realize that Reid continues to operate on a daily basis with that different sense of physics. The gale force winds of the Southern Ocean takes living in constant motion to another level. Imagine the athleticism, dexterity, and foresight it takes to complete every task, even something as simple as washing a few dishes. Imagine maneuvering a 17 foot-long piece of wood (the fore gaff) to get it below deck to make a repair and then back above to secure it back into place a few feet above head height. I wonder if Reid will be as excited as I was over standing still when he returns to land.
Soanya
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Day 622 Long Gale Repairs |
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Saturday, 03 January 2009 |
 Day 622 - January 3, 2009
Wind W 30 to 40 knots, Course SE, Speed 2 to 4 knots, Position 47*58s by 97*04 w
Long Gale Repairs
At dawn yesterday I saw that the staysail had fallen down and damaged itself flogging. I found that the mast top block had exploded, so I had to climb the mast to change the block and rove the halyard again. I always have a safety cord attached when I climb the mast. I said "Hello" to a big white albatross that swooped close by the mast top; And then much to my dismay I noticed that one of the arms of the gaffjaw was broken, so I had to lower the foresail. In these gale conditions the only sail that I could put up was the newly made double-thick storm staysail. It set well and got us going downwind again, but is not big enough to give us much speed. I also had a hard time keeping us on course until I sheeted the sail straight to the middle of the boat.
In the photo you can see the gaff jaws on the floor of the pilothouse. It is 17 feet long and it was quite a tricky job for me to slide inside in the big waves. I had to do it so it would be warm and dry for the epoxy repair. It is also convenient to work on between the two tool boxes. I have had the wood fire burning all day.
The sprouts have slowed down and I have put on more layers of clothes. It has suddenly gotten cold and I get wet every time I go out, and I have my damp clothes, gloves, rags and foul weather gear drying by the fire. Outside it is sunny with intermittent squalls and I hear the wind howling and the rumble of breaking waves. It is cozy inside and comfortable, but it's a bouncy ride. Now and then a big wave will rock or slam the boat, so I have to have everything secured and be ready to hang on in a split second. I will get things repaired in the next day or so, set more sail and pick up speed. |
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Day 620 New Years Day Gale |
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Friday, 02 January 2009 |
 Day 620 - January 1, 2009
Wind W 30 knots, Course SE, Speed 3 to 4 knots, Position 46*15s by 98*10w
New Years Day Gale
At sea our fortunes change dramatically at a moments notice. Yesterday I found the main preventer that I sewed the chafing gear on and showed in a recent photo had chafed completely through. As the visibility was low, and there was a gale preventing me from examining it more closely, I had to control my mind not to think the worst. The deep fog lifted and the wind shifted and began to pick up, and I knew I had to lower the mainsail right away. I got it down just in time and only a foot of it tore: it looks like I will be able to patch it up without bringing it inside. I kept the staysail sheeted to the center of the boat and let out the foresail and put the preventer on.
We balanced on a good course down wind, and before I could furl the main sail and coil the lines, we were catching the wave tops at seven knots. You must remember this is the schooner Anne, an old fashioned cargo hull design full of tons of water food and supplies. We are quite different than an expensive high tech carbon fiber racing machine that carries one-half a tooth brush and no toilet or spouting trays. I got comfortable inside with time to rest, pray and give thanks for this incredible interlude on the sea.
Through the night the storm increased and our course held well. Periodic checks on the sails assured me they were not tearing out. At first light of dawn we got hit by a rouge wave and knocked over. I was safely secured in bed and time stood still as it happened, but I did not worry. We came up fast and kept going on course. My half-cooked pot of oats partially secured on the stove top made a racket as it crashed on the opposite wall throwing oats on the ceiling and everywhere. My pillow flew off the bed into the oats, but I went back into a half sleep and planned to clean up and go over the schooner after breakfast. At lunch on New Year's, the sky cleared into a windy sparkling day. The wind lightened up and we are now coasting comfortably down wind. That was a forecasted 38-knot gale, in two days they say it will be at 48 knots. This will be a good time to test the new storm staysail that I made.
It is exciting to watch my course move across the chart to Cape Horn. |
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