Wet Ride Continues

Day 3

Noon Position
By GPS: 12.32.58S x 150.34.43W
By Sextant: 12.37.9S by 150.39.0W (morning, noon, afternoon sun shots, one each) Course: 15t
Speed: 5.0 knots
Wind: 16 ENE
Sky: Clear
Temp: 78 degrees
Bar 1012, falling

Miles since last noon: 120

Wind continued in the 17 to 20 knot range overnight and east with a touch north in it (75 degrees true or thereabouts). I left two reefs in both the jib and main and haven’t contemplated raising the mizzen. Water everywhere, still. Toe rail and bow fixtures leaking about two gallons a day. I know because Murre has a false bilge forward of the engine room with no pump that I must sponge dry morning and evening. Less and less water is coming in the companionway hatch. And none seems to be leaking into the engine room.

A boat is a wonder of strength, and this is the ride to prove it. Swell is running in the five foot range on average, but there are a few up to ten feet and there are occasions when Murre is positioned just right so that she free falls the full ten feet from the wave’s peak into its trough. Usually she lands with grace, but sometimes she’s on her side and the result is a crash to wake the dead.

On the plus side: course and speed are good. And the engine started right up today. Thanks again to my friends for assistance with that diagnosis and fix–especially to Mark on AEOLIS (Mariner 31) for proposing current solution, which seems to be working, even in lively seas.

Wind slacked in the afternoon, giving me the opportunity to take one tuck out of the main and fix the four inch rip. Last night some of the sail got bound up in the second reef clew as I was pulling it down, and I tore it getting it out. All patched up now.

Light wind for a few hours fooled me into going full sail, save a reef in the mizzen. This lasted an hour. Now we’re back to reefed jib and main and a soaked-to-the-bone Randall any time he pokes his head out.

Cloud ahead, but it’s not too dark.

end