Last ocean crossing

It has been a very hard time for me since we left the heavy weather
behind us just after leaving San Francisco. New people on the boat with
different dynamics and with a very different attitude towards racing and
living on a boat really spoiled the fun for me. I was so much looking
forward to being back on the race track after our rescue efforts and our
dismasting that the changes on the boat were just a massive
disappointment. Anyway I decided to resign as a watchleader and be a
passenger for a while (from Jamaica up to Cape Breton Island) until the
attitude on board was back to something more resembling real team
spirit. The change came in Cape Breton and I am back in action. I am
still not back as watchleader but have taken on the role of tactician
which is a really nice change of scenery and a real challenge. Someone
else can worry about boat speed for a change! No complaints about boat
speed anyway. We seem to be fast it's just our tactics and some bad luck
with sail damage, windholes that have been affecting our finishing
positions: 4th into Panama, 4th into Jamaica (damage to mainsail), 7th
into New York (windhole) and 6th into Cape Breton (massive cock ups in
tactics). We are now in 4th position and halfway across the North
Atlantic Ocean. Yesterday I became a circumnavigator having crossed all
meridians on a sailing boat. I am celebrating today with salmiak coins;
Dutch liquorish that was given to me by the friends that visited me in
Cape Breton Island. Today is also the day that I have declared myself
healthy again after having been on cold and flu drugs and
paracetamol since arriving in Cape Breton Island (that's about 13 days
of drug use in a row). I am still exhausted both mentally from the less
happy times and physically from the cold and flu that has been pestering
me since New York but I am sure I will manage to stretch myself until we
get into Kinsale/Cork which is only a small week away.
 
Sailing wise this current ocean passage is slightly boring and more a
test of belief and patience than one of sailing skills. We decided to
stick to a more southerly route together with two other boats while the
rest of the fleet is following the great circle route which gives them
the shortest distance to sail. Our theory was that we would be sailing
in more constant winds a bit further away from the center of the low
pressure system that is currently driving us. The idea was that this
should give us some speed disadvantages but an overall speed and sailing
angle advantage. We had to hold our breath and stick to the plan
yesterday when winds left us and we dropped behind the northerly
contingent but now we are reaping the benefits of our
strategy...finally! The strategy however consisted of sailing one course
only and with no changes in wind strength or direction this has been a
rather dull process. We have not really had much lucky with whale
sightings either and the small pod of dolphins that did decide to visit
our boat did this when I was fighting the flu in my bunk :-(
 
Start day was probably the best sailing day so far. We had very close
quarter spinnaker  sailing and then had to speed through a field of
hundreds of lobster pots. The work on the bow was hard and after the
many monkey maneuvers going up and down the spinnaker pole and upto and
down the mast several times I caved in and spent my time below deck in
my bunk and in the nav station since I resurfaced the skies have been
overcast. The weather has been humid ever since we crossed the foggy
Grand Banks and Flemish Cap. Luckily the sea water temperature has been
acceptable at 16-17 degrees and the winds have been mainly southwesterly
so all in all it has not been as cold as we expected. The wind has
finally picked up and as I am writing this I can hear the bubbles of a
good surf under the boat. Ooohs and aaahs from deck indicate very good
speeds. Sailing is great! :-)
 

A finish line, finally!

Almost five months after we last finished a race we have just crossed
the finish line of the race from San Francisco to Panama. The last days
have been a true thriller  with us losing out to the third place by only
15 minutes. And that has been more luck than lack of hard work. We
started in San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge with very strong
breeze and finished 17 days later 120 miles off the coast of Costa Rica
in only a tiny puff of wind.
Since we finished in Australia in December 2009 this has been our first
proper race with a start and a finish. We all longed for a podium place
but unfortunately it looks like we just missed out. The celebrations
aren't any less because of it. We are now motoring down the finish line,
preparing for a swim in the ocean, which will be one of my highlights.
 
We have enjoyed the most gorgeous waves and surfs, the best breeze
ever, amazing sunsets, amazing sun downs, treacherous squalls and
thunderstorms with mind boggling wind shifts, wonderful and challenging
sailing and beautiful and bewildering wildlife. The dolphins kept
visiting us at night. We could hear them puffing for air and their
fluorescent tracks in the water looked like torpedo attacks. We saw
marlin and tuna jump out of the water. We saw many turtles trekking
north or south and we had a cormorant type bird living on our yankee one
as it was on deck, right underneath the spinnaker pole.
 
Had my swim earlier since I wrote the above. Sheer bliss! We took swings
on a halyard from the bow and then let go somewhere near the back of the
boat. We also tested at what speed my bikini bottoms dropped to my knees
as I was being dragged through the water behind the boat. 4.4 knots is the
maximum speed for o'neill bikini bottoms. The top was still in place.
After that we swam to one of the other boats that just crossed the finish
line. We had waited for them while enjoying a warm beer. It was good to
see them since we hadn't had time for that before.
Later today I spent sun down in the top of the mast acting a scarecrow and
also enjoying the flat calm sea and the absolutely beautiful sight of the
two cormorants that I had just chased off our mast circling around the
boat, just below me. A nice and relaxing visit to the top of the mast for
a change.
 
Now we have started to fix the heavy weight spinnaker. It will be quite a
job. Especially since they put the second panel on the wrong
side...sigh... At least it is cool at night and we have plenty of light on
the foredeck.

200 miles to go

We are getting closer and closer but slower and slower. Again the wind is
letting us down and the weather systems do all but what should be
expected. We are less than 200 miles from San Francisco and knowing that
we will most certainly be on time for the next race start is quite a
comforting thought. If all goes smoothly (which  it doesn't) we will be
in port tomorrow night. A shower finally!!!!!!!
 
Today was a eventful day. I started off with tinkering about for
about 5 hours with spare fuel pumps (they are the size of a packet of
biscuit) (we do not have a simple handpump on this boat; don't ask why)
a wire stripper some crampon connectors and tools. The aim was to get
the last fuel from our tanks because the fuel transfer pump could manage
it anymore. We (me and skipper) started by taking the engine and
generator apart to get enough fuel hose and connectors for our pumps
(one 12V booster pump and one 24V spare fuel transfer pump). As it is
the case in these emergencies there were no two similar sized connectors
anywhere in the systems on board (who designs this as such, I am sure
there is a lesson to be learned here again) so we just had to stuff
the hoses in the inlet and outlet of the pump. We then tried to find
a power source next to the fuel tanks. We tried the lighting systems and
the echomax bu eventually settled for the spare battery and the 12V pump.
We cleaned the tanks right out! I had not seen the bottom of our tanks
before but they are shiny now that we have emptied them up to the last
milliliter and including the grit and muck that was on the bottom.
In total we managed to get about 80 litres from the tanks: enough for
about 15 hours under engine at a low speed. That should be close to
enough. we have another 50 liters left in jerrycans to make it into or
close to port. When we are close enough a support boat will come and
bring us some more.
 
Since we do not have that much time in SF we are using the non-sailing
time to clean up the boat. I spent the afternoon cleaning bilges and my
bunk. Bilges was not too bad. But the storage space by my bunk was
horrible. It was wet from condensation and the walls and ceiling were
almost black with mold! Yuk! My clothes are all dry because I keep them
in drybags but the bags themselves were soaking wet on the outside and
covered in some places by a greenish fungus. Thank god we are going to
warmer seas and I am changing to a better ventilated bunk.
 
Anyway as I thought it would be a good idea to air my sleeping bag a bit
i took all the loose bits out brought in on deck and turned it
inside out over the railing. I thought that would be a good idea as not
to dump the fluff and human waste (hair skin flakes) on deck.
Unfortunately I did not remove my I-pod from the sleeping bag so as I
was turning the bag inside out this little white thing dropped out
into the Pacific ocean. BUMMER!!!!!!!! No more Dutch classics and other
favourite tunes :-( and not much time to sort something out in SF. Maybe
I will do a quick run to the apple store and pick one up if I have
time...
 
Off to a quiet bunk now...and tomorrow around this time a clean shower
hopefully.

Down Time

The weather systems in the Pacific are not playing their usual game.
Instead of being propelled eastwards by means of a series of fearsome
low pressure areas we are being slowed down by high pressure areas that
are way too far North to give us favourable winds. Instead they give us
headwinds if any wind at all. Luckily there is so much to do on the boat
that a little down time is not too bad. We spent 2 out of the last 3
days working on the boat with the mainsail down and the engine on to
keep us going towards San Francisco. We made progress on both fronts. As
chief sailmaker on board I had the fantastic task of mending a tear
caused by the professional repair job done on a tear sustained when we
broke our mast . Get it? The patch sown over a rip in our sail when we
were in QIngdao has put so many tiny holes ion our stretched sailcloth
that when we put a reef in and the material got tensioned it
immediatelky tore at the seam of the repair. Thus I devised an
alternative method of repair, already tested on a similar tear repaired
previously, amd went to work. 7 hours in total with two people working
on it and the problem and a future problem were solved. The main went up
and then you realise what a monstrous mainsail we have. (despite the
fact that I think it is a bit small for the the weight of this boat) Our
repair which took ages to put in looks like a tiny spec on our sail! I
hope we never get a proper rip in it having experienced these small
tears twice now...
 
Anyway the sail is back up and having a full main instead of a double
reefed one does make a massive difference in our speed. We are sailing
again and 10 knots are on the clocks at a regular rate. Just over 1000
miles to go.
 
The weather has been interesting. The highs do tend to be a bit dryer
than the fronts we have had to deal with the last few weeks.
Condensation has left the ceiling and I no longer sleep under a
"dripping tap". Everything including socks and foulies is getting dryer.
The temperatures have dropped considerably though. Water is down from 17
degrees to 13 degrees centigrade and this does have an effect on the 

overall temperatures outside. So despite the dryer conditions we are
still wrapped up in layers. This is cause of concern though. Being
fully kitted up does not make it easy to move around. With hat and
scarf and hood up, boots on and midlayers and full foulies I feel like I
am moving around like the men on the moon. Every step feels weird and
unsure and unsteady, my senses are numbed by lack of hearing and all
round view. driving is like playing a computer game. Only visual aids and
no senses of wind on the cheek, the sound of a gust. It's like being in
a cocoon and watching the world instead of being part of it. BUt
with temperatures that feel like the first cold autumn or winter,(the
kind that is chilly and makes your nose and hands freeze instantly but
does smell really fresh) morning I cannot bear to wear less. Bring on
shorts and t-shirt sailing!

over half way

Hmmm, here we are, a long way from any port let alone San Francisco. All
the boats are in and we are struggling along ducking and diving North
and South in a continuous strategy game to position ourselves for the
next favourable airflow. As mother Nature determines our course all we
can do is make the best of it. Yesterday that resulted in a choice of
action that is very contradictory to the racers that are within us. The
skip stuck his head out of the hatch and yelled (the wind was pretty
high by then): “we need to slow the boat down!” The idea is to let the
weather system overtake us so that we are sailing into favourable wind
flows. Great idea but the the concept of “slowing down” is hard to
fathom when all you have been doing since part C training is to make the
boat go faster. Anyway we are good at slowing down too, we have now
found out. We got our number 3 yankee down, the stormjib up and a third
reef in. The speed dropped from about 10 knots to just under 6 knots and
we changed course to dead East, straight into the big waves. We have
been bumping and banging now for some 20 hours and I think whomever was
still a bit apprehensive about taking the waves straight on the nose
(little mast overboard trauma) is now well and truly re accustomed to
it. The mast by the way still stands proud on Team Finland.
 
What keeps us going knowing that our friends on the fleet are enjoying
their drinks and each others company and the company of friends and
relatives and we still have  roughly 2300 miles to go? Lovely e-mail
from our team members on shore spurring us on and wishing us well, the
desire to have a nice shower, clean and dry socks. (We have no
watermaker so fresh water is under strict control and a fresh water
shower on board is out of the question). The endless list of jobs,
emptying our bilges and the continuity of our watch system and the
occasional joke and moan (no nutella left, no more wet wipes), good
chats about all sorts of things (the influence of eastern philosophy on
the current economic growth and social development in Asia) fresh bread,
good food and a nice hot drink.
 
I have been on a diet of two glasses of hot milk per day to remain
hydrated. The milk is actually made with milk powder and as long as it
is full fat milk powder this is a fin e alternative to the real thing
and it tastes better than long life milk (UHT). Unfortunately the
anijsblokjes (for the Dutch readers) got water damaged when we lost the
rig and the deck tore open above the locker where they were kept. So,
just milk.
 
Anyway... less than 2000 miles to go to hopefully sunny California!

Sores, aches, pains and sicknes

So being at sea for such a long time now, over 22 days for sure but I
have lost count and so has the counter on our whiteboard, does take its
toll. We have people who are feeling poorly or at least say they are
anb who decide to staying their bunks instead of going on watch. This
puts more strain on the people who are on watch who in turn get a bit
tired and careless so they injure themselves.
The most common wounds are nothing serious but small grazes and cuts on
the hands. The incredible humidity however does not allow these small
wounds to close quickly so they fester a bit and get bigger before they
disappear. The recent cold makes them bleed a lot too. So there is blood
on the sails, mast and ropes. I have had two big bleeders so far and I
have really painted everything I touched a deep red. When you wash off
the blood however it turns out to be a cut not bigger than half a
centimeter... peanuts! Anyway the antiseptic cream is the way forward. A
blob on the wound, covered by a plaster and then taped in place by
electrical tape. Leave it on for a watch and then let it dry. If the
healing does not kick in, repeat the treatment.
Humidity is probably our biggest pest at the moment. With the constant
rain we have had  the ceiling in our sleeping area is just soaking wet
and dripping with condensation. Lying in my sleeping bag the choice is
either to be cold but reasonably ventilated or to be sweating my pants
off inside a warm sleeping bag. There is no way in between. Once up the
clothes I thought were dry-ish turn out to be overwhelmingly damp
despite that they have been kept in a drybag. So much for the dry bag.
Foulies are damp inside and outside, socks are damp and putting
everything on and then sitting still makes you cold rather than warm. I
don't think my feet have been dry for ages, nor has my bum.
Just the delights of ocean sailing. My future boat however will have a
heater!!!

Delivery trip of a lifetime

Here I am at  171 degrees East and 35 degrees North in the North Pacific
Ocean 700 miles NorthWest of Midway Island. Underneath the waves is the
most spectacular landscape. Seamountains rise up from the seabed and
reach heights of nearly 6000 meters, if it was possible to see all this
from seabed level it has to be one of the amazing sights on earth.
However is lies underneath a beautiful seascape. We are surrounded by
enormous swells. They pick us up to magnificent heights and than gently
lower us into their valleys. Amazing! And the surfers in Hawaii must be
looking forward to their arrival on their beaches.
This part of the world is savage. Depressions and highs fight over their
place on the map and stir up the waves as they battle each other. We
have been spared the worst weather so far and because of the fact that
we are merely delivering the boat and not racing we will not go too far
North to encounter the wilder seas and gale force winds. Our strategy is
to keep the boat in one piece, save our sails from stretching too much,
be conservative with our new rig and use the time to teach and train as
much as possible. This strategy has so far resulted in a new rip in our
main, 30 knots apparent in our brand new staysail, drivers being far
from concentrated and manage to get the boat into the weirdest
situations. And now we are heading for a seamount that comes up to just
15 meters below the seasurface. I cannot begin to imagine the mayhem
that we could encounter there wave-wise...
 
Of all the delivery trips in the world this must be the one which is
most challenging. Too many people on board to keep it simple, adverse
weather systems, failing generator, watermaker and now also a rope
around the prop, breaking mainsail and another 3000 miles to go!!!
 
Next time I'll do another Hamble to Holland run. I'd rather be racing I
guess.
 
And now get your act together and serve some tea (yes I am boat Mutti
today).

Wet, damp, moist, soaking, soggy

All the above terms apply to several items of my kit. My long johns are
soggy when I put them on and wet when I take them off. My sleeping bag
is moist and warm but I wake up bathing in sweat. It has been raining
for days now and my foulies and drysuit are damp on both sides. It is
not really cold but being in damp clothes and having wet socks does make
me feel chilly on a regular basis. Keeping busy is the answer but that
just causes more moisture inside my foulies. I have 6 pairs of socks
hanging off my bunk to dry but the boat is so damp inside that the
condensation that drips off the ceiling just makes them more wet... This
afternoon was the lowlight in the damp affairs: when we gybed all the
condensation from the ceiling gathered above my head and came pouring
down onto my face. It was as if someone had opened a tap.
Other nuisance is the weather. It is dry now and we are soon to be
overtaken by a high pressure area so the boat will definitely dry out
but the movement of the systems means that we have to get more north in
order to avoid 25 knots headwinds. Again we have to put lots of effort
into moving vertically on our globe whilst we desperately need to get
towards San Francisco in order to be there on time for the start.
 
I am not believing at the moment we will be ready in time to start
the next race because our generator needs to be fixed. The wiring burnt
out two days ago and the skipper spent 6 hours trying to solve the issue
but without success. That's two of the vital pieces of kit out of
order...
 
But... the  moon is full, the sky is clear and the albatross are out!
Still loving the fact that I wake up sailing and go to bed sailing. I
love this "office".

Stretching, ducking and diving it

It has been several days now since we left Yokohama where we made
another stop to take in water and more fuel. Our watermaker does not
work and with 4500 miles of no land ahead of us it is important not to
get too thirsty. I was a bit nervous leaving port with a wobbly mast
limited water supplies and limited fuel supplies whilst knowing that the
fleet has been battered by storms. The toll was one medevac (skipper
with broken leg),one dismating after being rolled by a wave and a
companionway hatch ripped off the deck, steering wheel bent and two
people dangling over the side on the lifelines after a massive wave hit
the boat.
Our approach to the crossing is one of control, not pushing anything and
just getting across swiftly but safely and in time for the next start.
The winds we have had so far have been strong enough to stretch the

steel cables that hold up our mast and we have been tightening it on a
regular basis watching the movement of the mast in all conditions see if
it bends in the right place. The rigging was so stretched at some point
that the mast inverted when we were going downwind quite a spectacle
but not very reassuring: it did make the boat fly though. Hopefully it
is now stretched enough and we have it set correctly for the rest of
the journey.
The other attention lately has been going out to the weather and the
gruesome depressions that have been developing near us. We spent the
last few days monitoring and eventually ducking a massive low that
is creeping up from behind us. In order not to end up on the wrong side
we had to divert nearly 220 miles to the south east. The low now passes
behind us and we are experiencing strong winds from behind us instead
of a hammering 50 knots on the nose. Next challenge is a high pressure
area which follows this low and will be with us in a few days time.
Shall we try and jump this one or duck it or just let it take us over?
 
We have seen beautifull dolphins playing around the boat despite the
rough weather and we have been in the pooring rain most of the time
since we left Japan. Our generator  kicked the bucket last night (it
switched itself off and on restarting a smoke plume developed (hmmm...)
so a good place to dry my socks has vanished. Maybe on the engine block
instead if that's not too hot.
 
The repair I developed for our torn mainsail seems to be holding up
really well and I am now considering a career in sewing. It is actually
very satifying work. Not the needle pointing stuff but the sewing that
involves hammers and drills and plyers ;-)
 
To a soggy bunk now...

Eindelijk vertrokken

Zie ook www.sailreport.nl: 

Eindelijk zijn we vertrokken met onze nieuwe mast. Twee weken en 4 uur later dan de rest van de vloot en het wachten op de mast duurde een eeuwigheid. Het voelt onwerkelijk om na bijna drie weken weer op zee te zitten. Bovendien het is erg jammer dat we niet kunnen racen.

De mast arriveerde vrijdagochtend en werd maandagochtend geplaatst. Het is nu woensdagochtend heel vroeg en we varen zo'n 80 mijl ten zuiden van Qingdao. Het vertrek was strak geregisseerd met een afscheidsbanket Chinese stijl met veel sterke drank, "gambei" (in een keer je glas leeg drinken) en gespeech over vriendschap. We werden uitgezwaaid door een drumband en TV camera's op de steiger. Alle Clipper Race versieringen werden vandaag naar beneden gehaald en het TV scherm wat twee weken lang non-stop hetzelfde korte filmpje van de race heeft uitgezonden, was eindelijk afgezet. Wij waren Qingdao zat en ik denk dat Qingdao ook genoeg van Team Finland heeft gezien.

Lange kluslijstDe boot verkeert in uiterst schone en opgeruimde toestand, echter de tuigage en mast verdienen nog veel aandacht. Ons gedwongen vertrek was prima want we zijn eindelijk los van de kant en op weg naar San Francisco, maar de lijst met klussen aan de mast en tuigage is eigenlijk nog te lang om alles op zee te doen. Voorlopig varen we op de motor en met gereefd grootzeil om de vaart er in te houden. We kunnen witte zeilen voeren, maar spinakers zijn voorlopig niet mogelijk want de splitpennen moeten nog weggewerkt worden.

AfzienWe hebben nu 20 knopen wind op de neus en de temperaturen zijn aan de lage kant. Zonder verwarming aan boord en na drie weken in hotels te hebben geslapen valt de koude wel een beetje tegen en dan moeten we nog verder naar het noorden... Veel kopjes thee dan maar en hard denken aan onze volgende bestemming. Inmiddels hebben we bevestigd gekregen dat de start voor de volgende race uitgesteld wordt. Met een reisschema van 28 dagen, ofwel 1500 mijl per week, moeten we het kunnen halen. Hierin ligt ook meteen de uitdaging voor de komende maand.

Ps. Hans en Dirk hebben ons verlaten en Hans komt in New York weer aan boord. Hij heeft een bruiloft van zijn dochter en de overdracht van zijn huis te regelen. Door ons late vertrek kon hij helaas niet meer mee naar San Francisco. Op dit moment zijn er drie Nederlanders aan boord: Frank, ik en Caroline Slootweg.

Weather changes

At last we have managed to put enough tension on the rig to actually put
a sail up in stronger winds. The result has been more stretch in the steel wires that keep the mast uop so more tensioning has been
carried out. Also our mainsail has unfortunately ripped at the place
where it had been repaired after it tore when the mast came down. The
result is that we can only sail with 2 reefs or more. In order to keep
our target pace to make sure we cover 1500 miles per week we need lots
of wind. And that came and that went and it came back and went again
and nowe it is back BIG TIME. I don't think we have seen this much
breeze since we were heading towards the gate south of Taiwan and that
seems ages ago. The funny changes started last night as we were trying
to round the tip of the southern most big island of Japan. We had a
perfect breeze and were doing 8 knots (target speed) straight to the
cape then the wind died and we had to drop sail and start the engine.
After 40 minutes the wind came back: sails back uop, engine off and away
we were until after one hour when the same pattern occurred with exactly
the same times, wind speeds and wind directions and thius repeated
itself once more: eerie! When I went off watch they had funnily enough
only sailed under engine in no winds. I come back on watch and the same
wind changes happen again, twice! The weather between the spells has
been great though: I sailed in shorts and bra for 2 hours! The last time
the wind picked back up it finally aligned with what the grib files
calculated and we are now doing a nice conservative 10-11 knots of
speed in to  30-40 knots of wind on our tail. With the poled out
yankee three and doubled reefed main I managed to drive us down the
waves with 15 and sometimes 16 knots: sailing is great!!!! Now we
have the storm jib up and double reefed main and still manage to
achieve 11 knots. All very good for our progress towards
California. However lack of a working watermaker will slow us down
and send us into a japanese port for a few hours. Bummer but akso a good
opportunity to take on more fuel so we can catch up.
I am loving being back at seas and have celebrated with several trips
to the top of the mast and the end of the boom. Halleluja. Now time for
some food!

On the road again

We are now 48 hours at sea and I am finally beginning to realise that we
are actually sailing again since we broke our mast more than a month
ago. We are steaming along under yankee 3 and double reefed main just 80
miles South of Korea and 180 miles West of Japan. I realised we are
sailing again when I took the helm. 25 knots of wind just aft of the
beam, gusting to 30 occasionally. I hit a nice wave and off we went: 13
knots! That short moment made up for all the waiting and the hard work
put in in Qindao and for the cold and for all the engine action just
after our departure.
The new rig has caused us some headache and concern.As the weather was
not very helpfull when we set off the stretch in the stainless wires
that hold up the rig occurred much quicker than you'd normally expect.
we now have a small S in the top of the mast but after a couple of
rounds of tightening the rig the mast makes a much firmer impression.
Up to 25 knots apparent wind we are fine anything above that would
require us to minimise sail area (drop the yankee 3). Our brand new
staysail has been showing off on deck. It is too new to go up in 25
knots of breeze. We'll wait for that until later when things are
lighter. Spinakers are currently out of the question: all the splitpens
in the top of the mast need to be taped so they don't rip our kites.
unfortunately we have torn our main sail just above our first reef so
we are bound to sail with two reefs until weather conditions turn really
light and we can take the sail down on deck to evaluate and repair (?).
I just spend half the watch in the masty and on our boom hanging over
the water to sort out bits and pieces. Great fun except when I was
catapulted off the top of the mast as the boat got tipped by a wave.
Yihaaa! I felt like superman but without the cape. I was wearing red
bottoms and blue and red boots ;-) Anyway the new mast climbs like a
dream... Just wanted to say that I am so happy to be sailing again.

No mast no glory

There we are, surrounded by the fishing armada of the People's Republic
of China. We have Hangzou 145 miles on our left and are about 15 miles
east of some islands off the coast of mainland China. The engine is on
and we have a stump of mast left and are flying our stormssails on an
improvised rig. It is about 5 degrees outside, bright clear skies, a
calm sea and the wind in the back. 2 More days to Qindao with our
current speed. What a bizarre situation...
 
A week ago we were sailing in tropical conditions finding the best
route and sail plan to get to gate ahead of anybody else, swapping
spinnakers for Yankees plotting our next moves, keeping an eye on the
competition and all with success. We scored one gate point as we crossed
the gate in 3rd place. The wind by then had increased from non existent
to 28 knots and the seas were very steep and pointy as a result of wind
over current and underwater shallows. It was bumpy and nasty and the boat
was constantly slamming giving us sleepless off watch hours and an
occasional headache. As the gate was south of Taiwan we soon after
crossing it managed to get into the infamous Japan Current which runs
south to north at a rate of about 2-3 knots along the coast of Taiwan.
we picked up the current together with the two boats ahead of us and
made good but bumpy progress. As the weather was turning less
favourable inshore the entire fleet went off shore to pick up a more
easterly wind which would give a better angle to pass Taiwan, but we all
got parked up. We then decided to pick up on the breeze we found, hoist
our light weight spinaker and follow the breeze inshore, back to the
current. This proved a good move as we ended up in 1st position. Then
the wind changed (as predicted) first direction and then it picked up to
a blustery 25-28 knots. With the wind and current in opposite directions
the seas started building again. The sea state was a lot better than
south of Taiwan and we managed to keep good speed and angle. I went off
watch thinking if this stays and does not increase we are doing great.
Next thing I wake up in my bunk, mid air as our boat drops off the
biggest wave we have come acroiss so far. As the boat hit the trough and
 I was slammed down on my mattress I heard this massive bang and then
I was hit by silence. "The forestay (the most loose part of our rig) is
gone" was my first thought and I immediately corrected that because it
was too quiet on deck. Damn! The rig, it's the rig. Within a split
second I was in my drysuit (which happened to be in my bunk) and on
deck. The rig was bent over our starboard side and was compressing the
guardrail footplates into the deck. The on watch had already begun to
cut away the stays and stanchions. I did most of the running rigging. We
cut away the top third of the mast and salvaged our mainsail and boom.
The staysail unfortunately went with the mast and inner forestay.
There was no panic and a sound discipline on deck in getting everything
sorted to make sure we could start the engine. This really is a very
relaxed group of people when it comes to emergencies. :-) Glad to be
part of it.
We motored into Hua-Lien escorted by the coast guard and were met by a
bunch of media as we berthed at the coast guard centre. That evening the
commander of the local coast guard station invited us for a New Year's
drinking and eating session and after many rounds of gambei and a few
rounds of karaoke we headed off to All Stars (a bar with live music) for
a really great session in letting steam off. We had a great party
dancing on the chairs and tables  and the Chinese liquor consumed
earlier that evening definitely helped.
Never thought I would have to drink Chinese liquor ever again after
quitting my job. Anyway it tasted the same: HORRIBLE. 

Patience and long term thinking

We have been match racing Australia now for several days and yesterday
as they got stuck under a cloud and we lost our sights on them (and
they on us) we finally had our long awaited window of opportunity. We
managed to get our boat speed up and changed course slightly to the West
and away we were. The gap is now comfortably big but we have to stay
vigilant.
The winds have been a big pain in the butt. Where we would like to have
more breeze there is less and where we would like to see less there is
more! I find it a real challenge to plot strategies and I am very
pleased to take part in it. It is an absolute brain cracker however at
the moment as there seem to be no good options only "not the worst"
ones. We finally cracked a nut this night and decided to do something
radical. As we were executing the plan the wind changed and the whole
plan stranded. Having the kite up however is still the best option and
maybe the wind will now change to our favour so we can make the move we
intended in the first place. I did not expect to put a kite up this race
but, this is how messed up the wind situation is in the South China Sea.
Having a few sleeping problems as a result of all the hard thinking :-)
 
Three booby's (sea birds) kept us entertained today as they skirted our
bow and ducked in low to pick up some flying fish. Birds are a sign of
nearby land and shallows. Sitting in the nav station most of the watch
does have a benefit: I love maps and finding weird places on earth. Just
found a group of islands East of us: the Paracel Islands. Ever heard of
them? A few perfect atoll shaped reefs with some bits sticking out above
the water. We are slowly leaving them behind us.

Vietnam to the West

The last day of a long break in Singapore was spent partially in
Dutch surroundings. A big thank you to Onno and Esther for letting me
use their washing machine, feeding me Dutch bread and for a really nice
evening chatting and dining at their house. I felt recharged in every
aspect and ready to race again: Qindao, here I come!
Wrong!!! I really have to learn to manage my expectations! The start
was not bad and we managed to get across the line fairly OK but to then
drop in dirty wind because nobody had bothered to pull the traveller
(controls the mainsail position) up so we could not make the right
angle. It just disappoints me so much these small set backs and I know
it means nothing on a 2000 mile race but still: aargh! Maybe next time I
should go cruising on a big cruising catamaran instead of racing on a
carbon fibre racing machine.
 
Anyway we are now 125 miles East of Vietnam after a week of matchracing
against about 6-16 knots of wind. I like upwind sailing and tweaking the
boat is a good pasttime. The obsession everybody has with the other boat
is quite amusing: "we sail higher and faster that they are". So why are
we still behind them then??? It keeps us all on our toes and it is still
nice to know where the competition is and what they are doing. The fleet
was roughly split in three with us being the furthest West for several
days but now the boats are joining up again. Still many miles to go and
with the current wind direction progress towards the scoring gate is
slow.
 
We are still in the tropics. Despite the fact that everybody is talking
about the gale force winds that we expect East of Taiwan and the
subzero temperatures we are getting North of Taiwan it is still very
hot! The tropical moisture and temperatures lead to a smelly boat,
itchy scull, sweat sores, funny looking blisters on knees and bum and
small infections to tiny wounds. All very uncomfortable, so bring on the
cold. The great thing about our route is that is is set in very busy
shipping routes so there is plenty to look at. Lots of floating debris
of which the high light so far was a television monitor (tube type).
Most interesting animal out of the four types we have seen so far was a
sea snake. Yellow with brown stripes and a flattened tail. It swam with
its head above water and looked really quirky. Other animals are flying
fish, dolphins and just one bird. I guess the rest of the animal kingdom
think it is too hot too. One big advantage of sailing in the tropics is
sailing at night. When the temperature drops to cool and the stars light
up the sky there is really is no better place to be.

Uncharted waters

At some stage during the race to Singapore we literally entered
uncharted (badly charted) waters and the reason for this must have
reached you all by now and may have even been forgotten already. An hour
before I was supposed to get up on watch I was pulled from my bunk to
get on deck and assist in an attempt to help out Cork. They raised a
panpan stating they hit ground and had water entering their hull. All I
could do was curse really loudly in Dutch. Water ingress is not good
news! It was pitchblack outside and the winds were gusty and visibility
was poor. There was no way of spotting a reef or island in the
prevailing conditions and  I was furiously hoping we would not make an
attempt to get close to their boat. Luckily that didn't happen and we
waited until daylight to get a better idea of the situation. And it was
bad, really bad. The boat was pushed onto a reef and right next to it
was an island sticking maybe 3m out of the sea. To stress the
dangers associated with the island there was a fishing boat 'high and
dry' on the western tip of the island. A lot of radio telephone and
email communication went on and the mean time we could only sit on deck
and watch the Cork guys evacuating their boat and making a transfer to
the island and then in the life rafts towards us. It is incredible how
utterly useless (machteloos) I felt as I sat there watching them hauling
their life rafts onto the island and launching them again on the other
side of the island. All credit to them!
Once on board (we took 8 people) we could offer them more than just our
presence and hopefully we have managed to lend them an ear and
make them feel comfortable which is something you do not do on a daily
basis. They were a great bunch to have on board and we did have lots of
fun despite the drama.
The real test however was how to live on board with 25 people in
tropical heat in a badly ventilated boat on which the hatches could not
be opened because we were beating into 15 knots of breeze and
charging through very uncomfortable Java Sea Chop (short pointy waves).
It is a miracle: we did survive and we are all still friuends but the
smell on the boat was absolutely nauseatingly horrendous! 6 days with
barely any fresh air is killing for an environment with sea water
infested clothes, 25 sticky overheated human bodies, cooking vapour and
smells for 25 people, engine  (the generator failed, off course!) heat,
and no rainy squalls when you need them. Everybody was so glad we made
it into port and the swimming pool was an instant success. Unfortunately
I had to say goodbye to part of my front tooth but that has all been
sorted now. I was elated the big test was over. Alcohol cured the soul
and my again inflamed bottom lip was the only bad thing left after a few
days in Batam. Over to Singapore for a bit of retail therapy..

written on 12 January

It has been a very interesting journey so far from a historical
viewpoint. From Cape of good Hope via Western Australia to Indonesia is
exactly the same route as the  ships of the Dutch East India Company
(VOC) used to follow to the Dutch colony on Java. The route is littered
with shipwrecks and one of the highlights if the stopover in Geraldton
was to find out about the infamous Batavia shipwreck and to actually see
the wreck site from the air. Now almost 500 years later I can probably
say that I am experiencing the same as the people on board the VOC ships
who were on their own adventure, looking for trade opportunities or
settling in the colony. We (me now and they 500years ago) are all far
away from home in strange waters and in a different  climate, travelling
into the unknown or unfamiliar. They must have felt the same relief as
wind picks up and the vessel starts making decent progress  or when
heavy rain refreshes and replenishes water stocks (in our case an
opportunity for a natural shower). They must have enjoyed the  colourful
tropical fish that accompany the boat and may even have tasted them.
Then comes the encounter with new land with a different  mountainous
landscape and different smells and the then possibly steaming volcanoes
sticking up out of the sea. Very different from everything we see from
sea back at at home.  Even though it was dark when we passed through the
strait between Sumatra and Java the hillsides seemed lush green and so
different from the  Dutch dykes and dunes and sandy beaches and the
smells from shore were definitely very different from what I am used to
and the  charts mention volcanic activity instead of shifting sands.
 
It is very special to be travelling here by sea and by force of the wind
only and to realise that apart from navigational marks and oil rigs not
much has changed at sea in the last 500 years. The VOC ships turned to
starboard right after Sunda Strait to go into Batavia (now Jakarta), we
press on to Singapore! Another small difference between then and now: I
managed to pick up a mobile network signal and speak to my father who
was waiting to go through the Suez Canal.Technology can be great at
times! ;-)

From down under

There we go, a new year has started and a new leg has started with lots
of change. Though I still need to tell you about the finish of the
previous race. The break away from the boat was absolutely fantastic and
I really enjoyed it. Spent a day in Perth sightseeing and cycling along
the northern beach and a full week in Adelaide with my sister. Relaxing,
reading, going to the beach, ice creams,short hike, walking the dog,
canoeing, rowing (which was quite exiting since I had not been in a boat
for 14 years and never in a quadruple sculls but it did remind me of the
pain I used to have in my butt as I was feeling it almost immediately),
bbq's, wine tasting (how heavenly can wine and cheese be!!!) and a bit
of sightseeing along the way. I thouroughly enjoyed the freedom of
moving around without the threat of violence and the laid back attitude
of the Aussies! Then back onto the smelly boat.
 
Change...hmmmm...yes. Despite the comforting words of the new skipper
that nothing big would change things absolutely did change. Biggest
annoyance: stuff has moved place. Second biggest annoyance: sailing the
boat seems to be not so important anymore and everybody seems to be
lacking the drive to sail the boat fast, look after her etc. Very
strange! Other major annoyance: there is no strategy to sail this race.
The result of this all: damaged sails and deck gear and we are sailing
in the cruising division at this moment.
 
This needs to change! Don't know how to start turning this around and I
am very low on energy since I have wasted sleep and precious time on
deck with another change "the mother watch" (one full day of cooking and
cleaning).
 
Anyway with all the damage incurred it has been eventfull so far. We had
a lucky start trying to squeeze in between comittee boat and other
opponent and got away with it. We had the kite up first and overtook
a few boats in the early stages. Managed to get myself up the mast again
to check whether our spi block in the top of the mast was still on its
main shackle or on the safety strop. We dropped flowers over the wreck
site of the HMAS Sydney where 647 souls lost their lives in WW2. AFter
that we broke our jockey pole and we ended up wrecking our heavy weight
spinaker (the most important one!!!) just after overtaking Hull and Humber
on the downwind side (not smart!) when we were hit by a squally gust and a
crosswave that knocked us down. Then we tore the foot on our medium weight
spinaker, found out our sewing machine service kit with all the spare
machine needles is missing and some of us ended up hand stitching 6m of
tear in the kite. Next morning in another careless moment we broke a
sheave and bearings in the traveller and it appeared two of our jammers
were failing to jam which caused the jockey pole and traveller damage.
Most of the damage is now repaired and hopefully lessons learnt.
 
Two days have passed since I wrote the above. No more damage incurred just
added frustration that the usual team mechanics are not working anymore,
the winds are slow and from behind, we are still tagging along in the
cruising division.
 
Wildlife has been disappointing with only 4 birds so far, one manta ray
(which I did not see), one flock of dolphins, some flying fish and one
dying tropical reef fish at the surface. Temperatures are pleasantly hot
and cloud cover gives some relief from the burning sun during the day.
Nights are dark with a shrinking moon that comes up quite late and clouds
blocking the light from the stars. But when the clouds lift the view is
breathtaking and we are treated to magnificent shooting stars and a great
view of the milky way. So its not all bad!