With our spinnaker giving us a flat gentle ride on a warm sunny day, we finally had the opportunity to mark crossing the equator. King Neptune (dramatized by shellback Sean) and his sidekick "Davinia" (Elaine) made a showing, accusing each of the 7 Polliwogs of various crimes and demanded to see how each would make up for these crimes through a show of talent. Dress code for the event was backwards garb for the Polliwogs. Crimes against sleep (snoring), cows (letting milk spoil), fashion (Hawaiian shirt), teeth (serving olives with pits) and happiness, etc., were enumerated. Apparently, I am far too happy all of the time. We made up for our sins with displays of bad jokes, poetry and dance (the awkward pole dancer ended up in Neptune's lap and the wavy floor came up to meet the Can-Can dancer as she went for her splits). The Shellbacks, who've already crossed the equator by sailboat at least once, judged our performances. It was agreed that my groaner joke poorly told brought down the general mood of the crew suitably and I have been permitted to continue to sailing in Neptune's Kingdom. I am officially a Shellback.
Feb 1 2016 - They moved the goal post
Just when we were all getting excited about getting into DaNang early, they move the goal posts. Turns out we can't arrive before the 17th. So they have lengthened the race course. We will be looping south and then north through the South China Sea.
The last couple of days have seen us sailing on a fast easy beam reach. The sea state is unlike anything I have seen before. Huge rolling/ cresting waves sway the boat off course, requiring strength and concentration on the helm.
Crew are on deck and ready to help, but frankly there isn't much else to do once boat duties are completed (deck check, engine check, etc) but sit and chat or look in awe at the blanket of stars or dramatic cloud formations. We're seeing the sun again, but it's a constant battle against dampness due to waves crashing over the bow that drench us from time to time.
Prickly heat rash has raised its ugly head and the crew community ointment jar is being quickly depleted.
Fortunately, the weather is getting a little cooler, making it easier to get some sleep. When we can have the hatches open!
Still, we are tired and the news of the course change was hard to take for many of us. Myself, I signed up for a month-long at sea experience, so I'm not unhappy about the change. It would have been better if we had been told from the get go that they would alter the race course if needed such that no boat would be arriving in DaNang before the 17th.
So, for our team, energy conservation is the name of the game. With a few of the Worlders leaving after leg 4 - it happens - we are the smallest crew in the fleet with 14 plus skipper. We have been dealing with crew down at various times with minor injuries, fever, and general malaise (stomach upset and dehydration). The team pulls together and the back-up rotation of duties planned in advance is working well. But it means that we can't pull off some of the go fast techniques that other boats with more crew can do. We are sailing a more conservative northerly course to gain optimum velocity made good to the destination without putting up the spinnaker. That's because the wind angle would be quite tight for the spinnaker and we don't have the hands needed to manage a problem with the spinnaker should one occur.
We are content to be staying with the lead pack and are hoping that our angle of approach to the weigh point will set us up nicely for easier and fast downwind sailing with the spinnaker once we round it. That's at the Luzon Straight at the top of the Philippines. Can we gain points by being the fastest through the Ocean Sprint?
January 28 2016 - Helming stream of consciousness
My turn on the helm. What are skipper's instructions? Today, focus on wind angle. Keep it in the 85-90 degree zone. Where are my instrument panels. What are the settings? Should I use a wind angle dial view or a numbers feed? Let's go with a stream of numbers. Watching Alex on the helm first. Note the light touch on the wheel. The wheel comes up to my shoulders! Where is the centre of the wheel? Whoa - he swung the wheel in a big arch there. Glad I'm not the only one who goes that! I see you need to in response to a surge in the wind strength at times. Ok. I think I've got it. Time to take over. Clip on. Thanks Alex. Stand by and spot me for a few minutes. Here's the zone. Got it. (Wind strength changes and waves, requiring ongoing responses). Don't oversteer. Pay attention to the boat. Watch the angle of the mast to the horizon. Can you put a star in the shrouds and hold it there? Feel it. Go up. Hold. (Ignore conversation of others.) That's it. Hold. Down a bit. Hold. Hold. Go fast. Hold. Down more. Hold. Don't look at the numbers so much. Feel the boat. Hold it. That's your zone. Go fast. Up. Up more. Not too much. You've got it. Hold. Hold. Keep it there. Go fast. Go fast. They're adjusting sails. Ignore them and hold course. "That's the zone. Feel it? Go down. Down. Hold. Go fast. Go. Go, baby, go. Hold. Up. Hold. Up, hold. Go fast. Down. Hold. Go fast. That's our girl. Go fast. Don't try and get away from me. Here's your zone. Stay with me. That's it. Down. Hold. Go fast. Hold it there. Good. Go fast. Down. Hold. Up. .." Turns out, if I talk out loud to the boat, I can do this for 2 hours and keep the boat at its best boat speed, at least for the light to moderate wind and wave conditions we've seen so far. My watch leader declined taking his turn at the wheel at final watch hour last night. "I wasn't gonna give up that boat speed!" He calls me the boat whisperer.
Jan 27 2016 Crossing the equator - Not at all what I expected!
On my watch, at 7am, we crossed the equator. I was dressed head to toe in my "foulies" to protect myself from getting too chilled from the constant rain and strong winds. My first real chance to try out the costume. I was very pleased! Despite its bulkiness, I felt well protected from the elements and sufficiently agile. I did not overheat. So it seems we have had an easy go of the "doldrums". Not the long string of days of light air sailing and high heat we were expecting. Though living the last couple of days with a 30 degree heel, which makes everything take 10x as long, we have been able to have the hatches open most of the time to generate a bit of a breeze below and get our much needed sleep. I was surprised that 4 of the 7 people on my watch succumbed to mild dehydration. One Worlder thought he was seasick for the first time, reporting nausea, though the sea state was only slight. He realized he may be dehydrated, so took rehydration tablets dissolved in water and 3 hours later was back to his usual smiling self. Next day, same thing with another Worlder. Then I realized that's what was happening to a Legger - she thought she was experiencing extended sea sickness. I persuaded her to try the tablets and, sure enough, after a nap she was feeling well. Lastly, our "mother" was clearly dragging, and complained of headache. I told her about the others so she took the tablets in water before her nap, and afterward felt the world better. I've been drinking the "squash" available to all crew on the boat. I put the concentrate in my water bottle and add a lot of water. It masks the slightly skanky taste of the water coming from our water maker, and gives me the electrolytes I need. Seems to be doing the trick! We are through the ITCZ and about to enter the trade winds region. May this portion of the trip be "typical", so that we can enjoy a downwind sleigh ride for a few days. And... We've clawed our way up to 4th position. Despite having relatively low numbers compared to other boats, we are managing to optimize the opportunities the local wind conditions bring to us. Raising and lowering sails, and continually checking our sail trim. No real mistakes to cause us to loose distance. We literally have the 3rd place boat in our sights! Can we overtake them?! Slow and steady wins the race. All Pollywogs have been summoned to a ceremony dockside at 5:30pm today. I wonder if King Neptune will make an appearance?
Jan 22 2016 - Clouds
Matt gave a timely lesson on cloud formation and wind. We watched the principles in action today as we passed through a region of variable loud cover. Rainy tall clouds with a high flat bottom brought lots of wind. On the wrong side of a cloud and there was no wind. And everything in between.
We approached the ITCZ ("doldrums") through the night, for most of the ride we had about 12 knots of boat speed, pretty much always in the right direction, so good overall "velocity made good", or VMG. That's the speed the boat makes towards its intended destination despite variances in the track the boat may take to get there. The "schedule" report put us as the fastest boat with regard to VMG and we have made good gains on he boats ahead. I was pleased we were sailing under spinnaker and main sails since that meant the boat was relatively flat during my "mother watch". Spent the day making sure the sailors were well fed and watered. The homemade beef stew was well received. Watermelon for desert - my favourite. I wonder how long the fresh ingredients will last. We've eaten well on the boat so far without having to rely too much on canned beans etc. Hot!!!! I couldn't sleep at all last night, even though I was relieved of duty for the 6pm-10pm shift because of mother duties. I sat on deck in the evening for awhile soaking up the beautiful surroundings and listened to music through headphones. A deeply relaxing experience. Back on duty 2am. The nigh full moon shone like a spotlight on our port side, it's rippling beam riveted to our vessel's track through the water. On our starboard side, rain clouds - we liked that because it meant more wind in otherwise fairly light wind prevailing conditions. As it happened, mostly we skirted the edges, harnessing lovely wind to propel us through the fairly calm seas. Minor sail adjustments kept us attentive. The temperature was very comfortable. Then, the already unspeakably beautiful scene was joined by a "moonbow" - a rainbow caused by moonlight. It actually had bands of colour. And at times, it was a full arc. Apparently this is a rare thing to see. I'm so lucky!
January 20 2016 - Race day 2
A fun start to the race. Came out in the top 3.
Lost ground to the others as seasickness set in for many of the crew. Variable local conditions meant frequent sail changes and a lot of work.
It's important to balance response to local rapidly changing conditions vs. energy expended. In the long game, playing it conservative may be the winning strategy.
While flying the spinnaker may be faster, it costs time and energy to set up and take down, so unless we expect to fly it for more than a couple of hours, it may be better to bob along under white sails for an hour or 2 - very frustrating for a "round the buoys" racer like me, but I'm starting to see the rationale.
The HUGE spinnaker needs to be tied in a bundle with a series of wool ties that pop open once the spinnaker is hoisted and the wind fills it. This is done each time the spinnaker is taken down after use in preparation for the next time.
- taken from my bunk while off watch
Departure day
So we've lost a few of the Worlders. No fault of their own, but a year-long plan doesn't always work out like it's supposed to.
That means we're on the low side as number of people goes. With 2 watches of 7 people each, there will be plenty of work for everyone on the on watch, which will suit me just fine, and plenty of sleeping to do on the off watch. We will go 4 hours on and 4 hour off through the night each night for 3 watches, then 6 hours on and 6 hours off through the day.
Today we push off the dock. No more blog entries until we get into port in Vietnam and I get reconnected to Wifi. I'll have my sat tracker device uploading the boat's path to the map on my blog website, so check there periodically to share the journey with me. I'll try to add interesting tidbits in short messages added to the map from time to time. But time will be short, so don't worry if you don't hear from me.
Please follow the race on the race viewer and enjoy the sailing skipper log. From time to time there will be a crew log entry as well. There are links on this blog webpage.
Thanks for all your well wishes, and for the donations coming in. It means a lot. Until Da Nang! Lynn
Team meeting #1
Well, fruit is stored in the port nets and veggies in the starboard nets. Will the fruit last more than a few days in this heat?
Crew briefing was exciting. The buzz in the assembly room was palpable. It was good to learn that the weather forecast for the next while, as we steer through "cyclone alley" in the coming days, is clear of developing "lows" - weather patterns that can potentially develop into cyclones. Even still, these boats are built like tanks for oceans. They can take whatever weather we encounter.
Today Matt, our intrepid skipper, met with the Leg 5 team on the boat for the first time. We decided we would discuss team goals and overall strategy tomorrow. There will be plenty of time while we motor out to the starting line - 145 miles to get us safely out beyond the Great Barrier Reef. We will do a "Le Mans" start, lead by team Great Britain. Then on past the Philippines to Vietnam. ETA February 20.
Han, my watch leader, from Korea, met with the 7 of us on the "Orca" watc. We decided that the joiners could try all the roles on the boat, and we figured out a system for 2 of us at a time to be on call to support the opposite "Dolphin" watch.
Tonight we got together for dinner at a steakhouse. No more steak for me for a while!
This is getting real!
The Airlie Beach community had a fundraiser featuring the inspiring Clipper Race Aussie skipper Wendy Tuck as guest speaker. The Joiner gals from our boat went to see if we could glean any nuggets of wisdom to share with our team. I think "transformation" was the main message. A group of relative novices to ocean racing become transformed into a well functioning ocean racing team, Leg by Leg.
Really we just went for the "high tea".
It was fun to meet local residents and we were energized by their enthusiasm for having the Clipper event in their town. One at our table is considering joining the next Race! I say, go for it!!
This is all beginning to feel quite real.
"Vittalling"
Friday Jan 16 2016 Whew! What a day! The day on the boat started with figuring out how to rig the wind scoop to get some air flow down below decks. Because it was hot!!!
Then the Joiners got a refresher on safety equipment and procedures on the boat. Then a break for lunch.
I was on the victualling prep team this afternoon. I organized the day bags into which the food will go. All the basic ingredients for the day's meals go into one dry bag and then into the bilge (the area under the floorboards). We sorted through tins of food left over from previous legs. Apparently canned Vienna sausages was not a big hit. Quite a lot of beans left over, as well. Since we are on a long race to Vietnam next, we will be making use of these tins. The fresh food supplies will be depleted by the final days or weeks of the race.
I wonder what I will be making for the team to eat when it's my turn on mother watch?
Then it was time for family and friends. Can hardly believe my adventure crossed paths with my baby brother, Zach. So fun to share stories!
One more prep day, then we're off!
No turning back now!
Airlie Beach is beautiful. A well resources region from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef. After my arrival on Thursday, I met with some of the gals from the boat for a lovely dinner. Aussie prawns in garlic and Caprese salad. The tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes!
Yummy mango daiquiris, too!
It's hard to see the accumulated knowledge and experience of Leavers like Regina depart from the boat. Hopefully us Joiners can work hard to get up to speed. Literally! Apparently the Worlders are getting good at integrating the Leggers onto the team.
Worlders: people who signed on for the entire 11-month circumnavigation. Leggers: people like me who signed on for one or more legs of the 8 leg race. I've signed on for legs 5 and 7. Leavers: Leggers leaving at the end of their leg. Joiners: Leggers joining a leg.
After a walk along the boardwalk with an unspeakably beautiful view of the shoreline, I joined some of the Joiners (this language is getting ridiculous) to prep the boat for the race. The Leavers and Worlders are taking some well deserved days off, since the fleet arrived in port a couple of days ahead of schedule and they speeded through their deep clean of the boat!
After I organized all the day bags for storing food supplies, Linda, our rigger, showed me how to whip a chaffing cover onto the reefing lines, important maintenance work and a skill that will come in handy on my own boat. It was a sauna down below, but working conditions topside improved once we put the shade up.
I took a break and officially registered for the Race. Handed over the passport. There's no turning back now! Can you see my boat?
In the evening, a reception at the Abell Point Yacht Club with free drink for the Joiners, then prize giving for the last race of Leg 4. Munchies were served, along with fireworks! Lots of fun buzz happening along the waterfront, but after a full day, it was back to my hotel and early to bed for me.
