At Sea 12-27 January 2008
27/01/08 20:23 Filed in: On Passage Mindelo
to Fortaleza
Day 1 - Saturday 12th January
2008
I went ashore first thing to do a bit of last minute shopping and have a coffee.
Town Centre - Mindelo
Back on board we completed final preparations for sea and sailed at 12:00. The wind was gusting NE 28 knots as we cleared Mindelo harbour and proceeded under the main with 2 reefs and 2/3 yankee.
When we reached mid channel between Sao Vicente and Sao Antao a course of 226º m was set for Fortaleza. This bought the wind more or less dead astern and we started to roll. At 15:20 it became obvious that it was a waste of time having both sails up. I opted to drop the main and pole the full yankee out to starboard.
While this was going on we saw a whale surface about half a mile away.
Later in the afternoon we cleared the islands and the wind dropped to F4. We were still making 3.5 - 4 knots.
The night was clear with a crescent moon and we continued to roll heavily in a moderate swell.
Day 2 - Sunday 13th January 2008
No change in the rig and we were making our target speed of 4 knots. This was confirmed by a noon run of 107 miles. We seemed to be rolling a little less. Off watch we spent some time tracking down the various objects rolling about in lockers. We found quite a few which made for a quieter cabin.
At 18:30 a large tanker bound west passed astern. We had some light rain showers during the night.
Day 3 - Monday 14th January 2008
A problem developed with the Aries blade. It didn't seem to be seating home properly and popped out 3 times. The design is such that it can't come off, it just flips up and trails astern. In the early hours the wind was gusting 27 knots and it was necessary to heave to before re-seating the Aries blade. The Yankee was reefed 2/3 for the night and we passed two northbound ships.
Noon Run 122 miles.
Day 4 - Tuesday 15th January 2008
Strong winds gusting to 29 knots during a very dark night. We reefed down to 1/4 yankee but were still doing 4 knots. The Aries flipped up again but apart from this it is doing an excellent job steering the boat.
Attempted to pole out the staysail using the boom. Not a great success.
Noon Run 107.3 miles.
Day 5 - Wednesday 16th January 2008
Not a pleasant day. Strong winds continued but we made good progress under a reefed yankee. The swell increased and we rolled heavily.
Windspeed averaged 21 knots and the Aries blade flipped up again. We passed over the Gambia Abyssal depth 5600m.
The day closed with a big red sunset. Noon Run 110 miles.
Day 6 - Thursday 17th January 2008
The wind moderated during the day and by late afternoon be were back under full yankee. The weather was noticeably warmer, cabin temp 28º and water temp 26ºc. Was this the beginning of the doldrums? Boat motion has become much more comfortable.
Noon Run 105 miles.
Day 7 - Friday 18th January 2008
From a peak of 20 knots overnight the wind fell away to 11 knots at sunset.
This morning there were 14 small flying fish on deck.
The Yankee.
At 17:00 we passed this Japanese fishing boat. It had slowed to go alongside a marker buoy. At this point we were very much in mid atlantic.
Poling out arrangements for the yankee.
Our bananas were now getting very ripe and 3 oranges that had gone mouldy were thrown overboard..
Noon Run 93 miles.
Day 9 - Saturday 19th January 2008
A lovely moonlit night. The wind faded during the day and by evening with a slight sea and moderate swell we were doing only three knots. Attempted to pole out the main but due to shroud positioning it can get nowhere near 90º. The risk of chafe damage to the main did not justify a small increase in speed so took the main down.
At noon we passed a small marker buoy. Odd this far from land in such deep water.
We had almost run out of fresh vegetables but there was plenty of fruit left.
At 16:15 we passed the half way mark. 739 miles to go.
Noon Run 78.7 miles.
Day 9 - Sunday 20th January 2008
Very light winds overnight with boat speed often below 2 knots. We were still getting flying fish on deck each morning but only very small ones. We noticed that the gas pipe braiding had become very degraded due to repeated gimballing. The gimbal lock had also fallen apart.
It was getting hotter and more humid.
Noon Run 77.9 miles.
Day 10 - Monday 21st January 2008
Overnight the wind backed a bit and increased. The yankee was first sheeted then poled out to port.
The gas pipe had deteriorated further with the outer core splitting leaving only the inner core intact. That was that. The gas system was shut down. It will be cold food from now on.
The weather is overcast with a slight following sea and moderate swell. We were making good time.
Noon Run 94 miles.
Day 11 - Tuesday 22nd January 2008
A mixed day. Cloudy and raining in squalls at times followed by sunny humid conditions. The wind veered NE again so it was back to normal with the yankee poled out to starboard.
We had a visit from a very large school of dolphins.
Noon run 105 miles.
Day 12 - Wednesday 23rd January 2008
We had a series of squalls with heavy rain and winds gusting to 25 knots. The boat and crew had a good fresh water rinse.
The rivets holding the uphaul/downhaul bracket to our spinnaker pole failed. This pole was purchased only 18 months ago and has not been heavily used.
We were now able to receive Brazilian radio on MW.
Noon Run 94 miles.
Day 13 - Thursday 24th January 2008
Another mixed day with frequent squalls bringing heavy rain and high winds. The wind also veered to the east allowing us to run with full rig for most of the day.
The water leak in our new tank has not been cured, only slowed. However, water discipline has been good and we still have plenty left.
After a series of squalls around 20:00 we ended up becalmed for about an hour before the wind resumed.
We were almost at the equator.
Before crossing we were treated to a spectacular equatorial sunset.
Eventually we eased into the southern hemisphere at 21:09 sailing under the poled out yankee.
Noon Run 86 Miles.
Day 14 - Friday 25th January 2008
During the morning the wind veered to ESE. We took the pole in and proceeded under full main, yankee and staysail.
We were more or less on a broad reach with regular disturbances from passing squalls. Our anemometer had been behaving oddly as had our Raymarine C70 plotter.
After being stable for almost a week our Aries blade flipped up again.
Noon run 92 miles.
Day 15 - Saturday 26th January 2008
During the early hours the electrics continued to perform erratically. It was discovered that with our frequent spells of low wind the Superwind had not kept up with consumption and the house batteries had run quite low.
We ran the engine for three hours. The batteries were charged and all electrical equipment operated normally. We ran the engine for another hour later in the day when the wind dropped. Thereafter the wind returned and we made good progress under full main and yankee.
A bulk carrier passed ahead bound NW.
Noon Run 92 miles.
Day 16 - Sunday 27th January 2008
An excellent sail during the night. Land was sighted at 08:20.
At 10:00 we were off the commercial harbour sailing past the beaches to our marina.
Marina Park hotel from seaward.
Cathedral in the Centre of Fortaleza
Entering the marina.
Berthing at the Marina Park hotel was probably the most difficult berthing manoeuvre I have ever undertaken. One is required to enter the marina, choose an empty berth, drop anchor off the berth then reverse in to the pontoons and put two stern lines ashore.
Matters were complicated by 15-16 knots of wind blowing down the marina and two large mooring ropes extending well over halfway across the approach. I simply could not do it. The anchor was dropped and set quickly but when reversing into the berth the boat was quickly blown downwind.
Fortunately there were several other yachties present. One came out in his tender and took a line ashore. We had to bend three long warps together to reach the pontoon. That should have been it but the very long moorings referred to above fouled the keel and prevented us from winching the boat onto the pontoon. Back came the tender to act as a little tug and push us clear of the problematic moorings.
We were then able to winch Kiriwina onto the pontoons and make her fast. These were unlike any pontoons seen in Europe and prudence dictated that the boat be positioned 4-5 metres clear of the pontoons in 3m of water. We had 35 metres of anchor cable in the water.
Looking astern to the pontoons.
And ahead showing the opposite side of the marina and the anchor cable deployed.
We were all fast at 11:30 (UTC-1) and gained 2 hours as the clocks were adjusted to Brazilian time (UTC-3).
The crew after two weeks at sea.
All hands freshened up and went ashore for a hot Sunday lunch in agreeable surroundings.
Voyage time 14 days 23.5 hours. Distance 1478 miles. Average speed 4.11 knots.
I went ashore first thing to do a bit of last minute shopping and have a coffee.
Town Centre - Mindelo
Back on board we completed final preparations for sea and sailed at 12:00. The wind was gusting NE 28 knots as we cleared Mindelo harbour and proceeded under the main with 2 reefs and 2/3 yankee.
When we reached mid channel between Sao Vicente and Sao Antao a course of 226º m was set for Fortaleza. This bought the wind more or less dead astern and we started to roll. At 15:20 it became obvious that it was a waste of time having both sails up. I opted to drop the main and pole the full yankee out to starboard.
While this was going on we saw a whale surface about half a mile away.
Later in the afternoon we cleared the islands and the wind dropped to F4. We were still making 3.5 - 4 knots.
The night was clear with a crescent moon and we continued to roll heavily in a moderate swell.
Day 2 - Sunday 13th January 2008
No change in the rig and we were making our target speed of 4 knots. This was confirmed by a noon run of 107 miles. We seemed to be rolling a little less. Off watch we spent some time tracking down the various objects rolling about in lockers. We found quite a few which made for a quieter cabin.
At 18:30 a large tanker bound west passed astern. We had some light rain showers during the night.
Day 3 - Monday 14th January 2008
A problem developed with the Aries blade. It didn't seem to be seating home properly and popped out 3 times. The design is such that it can't come off, it just flips up and trails astern. In the early hours the wind was gusting 27 knots and it was necessary to heave to before re-seating the Aries blade. The Yankee was reefed 2/3 for the night and we passed two northbound ships.
Noon Run 122 miles.
Day 4 - Tuesday 15th January 2008
Strong winds gusting to 29 knots during a very dark night. We reefed down to 1/4 yankee but were still doing 4 knots. The Aries flipped up again but apart from this it is doing an excellent job steering the boat.
Attempted to pole out the staysail using the boom. Not a great success.
Noon Run 107.3 miles.
Day 5 - Wednesday 16th January 2008
Not a pleasant day. Strong winds continued but we made good progress under a reefed yankee. The swell increased and we rolled heavily.
Windspeed averaged 21 knots and the Aries blade flipped up again. We passed over the Gambia Abyssal depth 5600m.
The day closed with a big red sunset. Noon Run 110 miles.
Day 6 - Thursday 17th January 2008
The wind moderated during the day and by late afternoon be were back under full yankee. The weather was noticeably warmer, cabin temp 28º and water temp 26ºc. Was this the beginning of the doldrums? Boat motion has become much more comfortable.
Noon Run 105 miles.
Day 7 - Friday 18th January 2008
From a peak of 20 knots overnight the wind fell away to 11 knots at sunset.
This morning there were 14 small flying fish on deck.
The Yankee.
At 17:00 we passed this Japanese fishing boat. It had slowed to go alongside a marker buoy. At this point we were very much in mid atlantic.
Poling out arrangements for the yankee.
Our bananas were now getting very ripe and 3 oranges that had gone mouldy were thrown overboard..
Noon Run 93 miles.
Day 9 - Saturday 19th January 2008
A lovely moonlit night. The wind faded during the day and by evening with a slight sea and moderate swell we were doing only three knots. Attempted to pole out the main but due to shroud positioning it can get nowhere near 90º. The risk of chafe damage to the main did not justify a small increase in speed so took the main down.
At noon we passed a small marker buoy. Odd this far from land in such deep water.
We had almost run out of fresh vegetables but there was plenty of fruit left.
At 16:15 we passed the half way mark. 739 miles to go.
Noon Run 78.7 miles.
Day 9 - Sunday 20th January 2008
Very light winds overnight with boat speed often below 2 knots. We were still getting flying fish on deck each morning but only very small ones. We noticed that the gas pipe braiding had become very degraded due to repeated gimballing. The gimbal lock had also fallen apart.
It was getting hotter and more humid.
Noon Run 77.9 miles.
Day 10 - Monday 21st January 2008
Overnight the wind backed a bit and increased. The yankee was first sheeted then poled out to port.
The gas pipe had deteriorated further with the outer core splitting leaving only the inner core intact. That was that. The gas system was shut down. It will be cold food from now on.
The weather is overcast with a slight following sea and moderate swell. We were making good time.
Noon Run 94 miles.
Day 11 - Tuesday 22nd January 2008
A mixed day. Cloudy and raining in squalls at times followed by sunny humid conditions. The wind veered NE again so it was back to normal with the yankee poled out to starboard.
We had a visit from a very large school of dolphins.
Noon run 105 miles.
Day 12 - Wednesday 23rd January 2008
We had a series of squalls with heavy rain and winds gusting to 25 knots. The boat and crew had a good fresh water rinse.
The rivets holding the uphaul/downhaul bracket to our spinnaker pole failed. This pole was purchased only 18 months ago and has not been heavily used.
We were now able to receive Brazilian radio on MW.
Noon Run 94 miles.
Day 13 - Thursday 24th January 2008
Another mixed day with frequent squalls bringing heavy rain and high winds. The wind also veered to the east allowing us to run with full rig for most of the day.
The water leak in our new tank has not been cured, only slowed. However, water discipline has been good and we still have plenty left.
After a series of squalls around 20:00 we ended up becalmed for about an hour before the wind resumed.
We were almost at the equator.
Before crossing we were treated to a spectacular equatorial sunset.
Eventually we eased into the southern hemisphere at 21:09 sailing under the poled out yankee.
Noon Run 86 Miles.
Day 14 - Friday 25th January 2008
During the morning the wind veered to ESE. We took the pole in and proceeded under full main, yankee and staysail.
We were more or less on a broad reach with regular disturbances from passing squalls. Our anemometer had been behaving oddly as had our Raymarine C70 plotter.
After being stable for almost a week our Aries blade flipped up again.
Noon run 92 miles.
Day 15 - Saturday 26th January 2008
During the early hours the electrics continued to perform erratically. It was discovered that with our frequent spells of low wind the Superwind had not kept up with consumption and the house batteries had run quite low.
We ran the engine for three hours. The batteries were charged and all electrical equipment operated normally. We ran the engine for another hour later in the day when the wind dropped. Thereafter the wind returned and we made good progress under full main and yankee.
A bulk carrier passed ahead bound NW.
Noon Run 92 miles.
Day 16 - Sunday 27th January 2008
An excellent sail during the night. Land was sighted at 08:20.
At 10:00 we were off the commercial harbour sailing past the beaches to our marina.
Marina Park hotel from seaward.
Cathedral in the Centre of Fortaleza
Entering the marina.
Berthing at the Marina Park hotel was probably the most difficult berthing manoeuvre I have ever undertaken. One is required to enter the marina, choose an empty berth, drop anchor off the berth then reverse in to the pontoons and put two stern lines ashore.
Matters were complicated by 15-16 knots of wind blowing down the marina and two large mooring ropes extending well over halfway across the approach. I simply could not do it. The anchor was dropped and set quickly but when reversing into the berth the boat was quickly blown downwind.
Fortunately there were several other yachties present. One came out in his tender and took a line ashore. We had to bend three long warps together to reach the pontoon. That should have been it but the very long moorings referred to above fouled the keel and prevented us from winching the boat onto the pontoon. Back came the tender to act as a little tug and push us clear of the problematic moorings.
We were then able to winch Kiriwina onto the pontoons and make her fast. These were unlike any pontoons seen in Europe and prudence dictated that the boat be positioned 4-5 metres clear of the pontoons in 3m of water. We had 35 metres of anchor cable in the water.
Looking astern to the pontoons.
And ahead showing the opposite side of the marina and the anchor cable deployed.
We were all fast at 11:30 (UTC-1) and gained 2 hours as the clocks were adjusted to Brazilian time (UTC-3).
The crew after two weeks at sea.
All hands freshened up and went ashore for a hot Sunday lunch in agreeable surroundings.
Voyage time 14 days 23.5 hours. Distance 1478 miles. Average speed 4.11 knots.