Monday 23 July 2012

Why does everything happen when I'm looking the other way?

This is Cap't Billy returned from deep in the Gulf Islands Archipelago.  So deep in fact there was no Internet coverage of any kind.

So this is my first report since Saturday morning and a lot has happened over the last couple of days.

Firstly, and importantly, it has been brought to my attention that Grahuuum, the Dessert Fox, Wilder has not been as prominently mentioned in this Blog or on the Pac Cup Website as he should be based on his stature among the crew and sailors generally.  The Pac Cup Webmaster might have a more sophisticated response but here at Warrior World Headquarters the only excuse I can offer is embarrassment!

But I do think it is a good idea to feature members of the crew daily so here goes.  This is the Fox:


Ain't he cute?

I have in hand two as yet unpublished e-mails from the boat.

It seems that on Saturday night our crew got a crash course, crash being the operative word here, on high speed sailing from the inside of a cow, (as dark as /DWG).

Barkmulch's story begins describings their first real, all hands on deck, happy hour while sliding along easily at between 16 and 18 knots.  It was sometime around then that someone noticed the wind speed had increased to 20 knots with even higher gusts.

Driving Chuggy's new car.   .   .



.   .   . and sailing share a sense of commonality at this point.

When we walk along the sidewalk our vision is focused only so far as where next our foot will land.  Understandably when driving the Chugmobile the way Chuggy does (you go like hell Chuggy) you need to focus a little further into the future.  Sailing an overpowered light weight boat in high winds at high speed is a lot the same.  There is only a narrow slot where you can survive - too high and your reward is a Wide World of Sports spin out with sails flogging and happy hour spilling - too low and the potential for an even hairer round down wipeout where the boat may come to a sudden  stop but the rig and the sail plan might keep going - not to mention still spilling happy hour!

And for a part of Saturday night that is where our crew on warrior lived - all in the dark for added drama.

Following on from DCB's story .   .   .

"We switched up to a three man rotation on deck overnight and everyone worked really hard to make sure things worked out" <by worked out he means avoiding boat stopping and rig/sails carrying on CB>.

This morning (Sunday now) we are charging and recharging all systems.  We are low on battery, low on water, low on sleep and low on energy.  The engine is running and the CEV Lithium Ion Battery, quite literally our lifeline, is soaking up amps at a terrific rate.  In an hour or two we will make some breakfast and then we all need to get a little sleep.

The trip has not been without unanticipated incidents as we find that our Harken primary winches are chewing through our spinnaker sheets at an alarming rate.  We are through the cover on one and have shortened the other to provide a different point of chafe.  I hope we have enough rope left to get us to Hawaii!"

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