This has to be high on the list of things in the 'not having fun' category. Poor old barge being thrown wildly and violently all over the ocean - 3 reefs, not much headsail, 30 kts apparent massively short steep boatbreaking swell - mostly easterly wind waves piled up on top of the big SW swell from the southern ocean - bloody awful conditions and not in the tourist brochure
About 4 hours later - I started writing this with just wet feet from the leak over the end of my bunk. Then pearshapedness in spades too much crashing, no point in breaking the boat just to get to Cape Town before Christmas - into full party gear and out into the blasting spray to drop the main and lash it to the boom. Murphy's first law of statistics of course in full force and I got soaked, blasted, tossed and turned as I fixed all that and sorted some other snafus at the same time. In and out of the cabin several times but all eventually sorted but one very wet - and knackered - old fart. Ordinary wet weather gear in those circumstances is about as effective at keeping the water out as an umbrella. Time soon to break out the TPS drysuit and helmet...
So a sleep later, the wind has dropped from 30 to about 22 knots, Pete pulled the main back up to the third reef and we are pointing once again directly at Capetown and going sideways - the current is giving us a 60 - 80 degree knock and instead of East, our course over the ground is about 020T and our VMG is less than a knot. And we have 241 miles to go - but cant get east. ETA Capetown after the 2012 world cup? No options but wait for change in conditions - nothing useful in sight on the grib
I could give you detailed description of the simple things in life getting complicated - like having a crap facing forwards and downwards and only occasionally connected to the seat as the boat gyrates and crashes - but I don't want to spoil your breakfasts.
Malcom, thanks.
Sue - ok, he stays.
