6º 02.133n 122º 19.841w
Sat Apr 27 2019
All
kinds of thrills and chills today, but thankfully, no spills. In case anyone
thought we were just lying around eating bon bons, here’s how the sailing part
of the day went:
-dodge
squalls
-drop
the main
-rig
twin head sails for deep downwind sailing in stormy conditions
-put
that away, prepare and launch the Parasailor because the wind got too light
-put
the parasailor away because now the wind has come forward and we can sail on a
good reach
-hoist
the main with 1 reef and unfurl the jib
-take
the reef out of the main because the wind is now light and no more squalls on
the horizon
-install
and hoist the screecher because the wind is slacking off and we’re not making
enough speed with the jib
-bag
that idea because now the wind has picked up
It
hasn’t been a boring kind of day. But wait, there’s more!
Holy
guacamole, there’s suddenly an AIS target on the chart plotter! We haven’t seen
physical evidence of mankind for about a week now. It’s a Japanese fishing
vessel, the Matsuei Maru number 8. 197’ long by 26’ wide, doing 10 knots at 260
magnetic, headed for “fishing grounds”. We got a few hits on radar, but never
laid eyes on the vessel.
Is
it possible that we and they are the only survivors of the zombie apocolypse?
Thad,
why is the true wind only 13 knots but the apparent wind 44 knots? I dunno. . .
well gosh darn it (not what I really said), the trusty mast head wind
instrument has stopped talking. Did a bird land on it and break it off? Did it
somehow come unplugged? Maybe we’ll pretend this is a prototype LongBow Apache
in the early days. Turn off all the electronics and hand steer. Turn them on.
Any better? No? Turn it all off and wait longer, then on again. Anything,
anything? Maybe one more time. . . hey! IT’S WORKING!!!
And
to think some of my best friends are software engineers.
Hey,
what’s that wierd noise? Uh oh, it sounds like the autopilot actuator is
unhappy. OK, well disengage that one and engage the backup, it worked when we
tested it the other day. Uh oh, it is making some sort of grinding sound and
stops working after a few seconds.
Nuts.
OK,
into the port engine compartment to diagnose and hopefully make that scary
sound go away. Maybe it’s the ball joint where the actuator attaches to the
steering linkage. Let’s disconnect and lubricate that. Hey! Thad! You steer,
and hold everything still for a moment so I can disconnect this bugger without
getting my fingers crushed. OK, it’s back together and that didn’t fix it.
Turned
out to be a tie rod end connecting the primary steering gear to the port rudder
pitch horn. Lubricated that puppy with good ole Singer sewing machine oil, just
like mom always had around. Keeps Mr. Squeaky at bay!
Holy
cow! The Iridium Go is ringing! Someone is actually calling us! I didn’t think
anyone would ever bother! How do we answer that darn thing???
Turns
out it was our pal Jack Gray - we called him back. Lousy connection, not like
the one Isabel had with her dad when she called him for her birthday.
We’re
1467 miles into this passage. That’s more than half way!
Gimme
some more of that fruit cake. A righteous use for almost an entire bottle of
rum. Thank you Behan!
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