I spent the early hours of Sunday morning on watch – we were keeping the boat tuned in order to maintain our progress towards Cape Town – known as our VMG for those in need of the technical stuff. There were squalls all around us, basically coming up from behind and dumping on us, but just rain and fresher breezes, nothing too bad. We’d spent Saturday watching the miles click off – through 900 – 850 – 800, but the highlight was just before dinner when we all crowded into the pilot house to watch the Chart Plotter show our Longitude as we crossed the Greenwich Meridian – 000 degs 00 minutes! I’ve done this numerous times before on a boat, but not down here I haven’t! And, it isn’t a big deal in the English Channel or out in the North Sea (check it out, it goes from London directly North and therefore out into the North Sea). It was a little strange to think I was at the same Longitude  as a whole bunch of you – just a long way south! Thomas cleared the Chart Plotter of all other data and made the numbers fill the screen. If we’d had a glass ball we could have emulated New Year in Time Square. I suggested dinner and dancing to follow, but there were no takers on the dancing!

After finishing watch at 06.00 this morning, I turned in for a few hours kip. I was just coming around and making a move towards the head to do my morning ablutions, when the boat started to lurch viciously from side to side, rounding up significantly to the port side and sounding like we were doing 100 knots. There were raised voices up on deck and then a bunch of alarms went off in the Pilot house, one of which was Otto, the auto pilot, kicking out of auto leaving us without anyone on the helm (if everyone was up on the deck- I hoped not, but thought this to be likely). I had one leg over the Leeboard on the floor and the other still in my bunk. The brute force from being rounded up pushed me hard back into the bunk and pinned me up against the side of the boat. So what happened to the consistent 25 knot winds gusting to 30 we read about? What had happened was that the guys on watch were up on deck dropping another reef in, in anticipation of stronger winds when a series of out of the blue 50 – 54 knot gusts turned up. Luckily, Dave, our skip made it on deck from his bunk in time to take the wheel and direct operations. Also luckily, no-one was hurt (other than my bloody shoulder which took a pounding) and the only damage to the boat was a blown sheet on the yankee.

With everything dying down, I made it up on deck to help repair the sheet, which we completed shortly after lunch when James and I were back on watch. My role was only to work with Juan whipping a length of chafe protector onto the new sheet (the old one reversed). It took a while to get the thing done properly. The hard work went to Thomas who had to be winched up the forestay in the bosun’s chair and had to cut the old sheet off the clue and then fit the new one – all the while the boat was bouncing on messy seas and he was working slightly above himself. Top man.

We’d been watching a system building behind us through the night watch last night and it was still there this morning. Well ,shortly after we took over this afternoon, the leading edge blew through (identified in the forecast chart as a cold front with blustery winds, reducing in speed, and backing to the South West with showers most likely). Well that’s not what we got is it – you know my view of these lying forecasters!

Out of nowhere, the seas built and boiled, we started to violently corkscrew, the skies got pitch black and then the winds starting gusting 60 knots plus. What is the matter with this ocean? We all get your ability to play havoc and drive weather events, but when is enough, enough. We say now! As if that wasn’t enough – 20 minutes later it did the self same thing again, but slightly stronger winds and once again we were lost in the boiling ocean with waves drowning us and it drew the boat head up into weather, but not before we rolled a good 50 degrees over into the sea, posing the question, would we roll over?

Well –  apparently not,  the skip assured us it would take something infinitely more than this – but let’s not tell the weather Gods that!. We had seen significant lightening astern of us last night, but it hadn’t caught up overnight. Well, it did this afternoon and that got thrown in for good measure – before the skies cleared! Another 15 minutes and all had calmed down again and within 30 the skies cleared to reveal some blue – enough to encourage us that we were back on target for better weather – and we believe that – we’re idiots, there is no better weather down here. This ocean hates us. So now we’re trying to figure out the real weather pattern and see what actions we need to take before to gets dark – so we don’t get caught out tonight. It is pretty clear that this ocean isn’t finished with us yet!

Now, not 15 minutes after trouncing us, the weather had given up enough to allow Edgar to perform a little medical procedure out in deck – whereby he  syringed Juan’s ear to relieve him of pain caused by a build up of wax. He’d already prescribed drops for the last few days and now he went in with a big syringe of warm water. Quite a contrast in less then an hour – the decks awash with sea water to the decks being a wash with Juan’s ear detritus. Seriously, ear wax seems very enticing now compared to being submerged by sea water. We had to hold Juan’s hand as the surgical procedure was executed but, he claims while painful, he can hear better know. That could be good or bad for him – more weather to listen  to and he can hear the bitching and crying as we all struggle to keep upright! 

But – as I write – the skies are darkening and I guess here comes the next system – please- 40 knots only – it’s Sunday and you can take a day off can’t you?

Pip pip

PS Now back in watch and there is no way this weather lark is taking any time off. I guess we’re getting what one get’s when sailing down here (although the last crossing had light winds and they used the engine most of the way – at least we have hardly used the engine – and recently, not at all!)

UPDATE: 

The last job we did last night (Sunday) while on watch and before handing over at 00.00 was to jibe the boat to get us set for the night’s sailing and move us closer to our Rhum line. The seas have calmed some and by the time I came back up on watch (at 05.00, an hour early – idiot) we were bounding along at almost 9.0 Kts VMG (Velocity Made Good – distance achieved per hour towards our target). Awesome. The radar screen shows not a sign of a squall (but they can bubble up quickly), and so hopefully we are set for a decent day’s sailing without further incident! And the sun is just lifting its face and there are glints of light sneaking through the darkened outlines of the clouds on the horizon in front of us. That’s Africa over there under the sun. Tonight, late, we will start entering some very light air and our speed will drop to may be as low as 2.0 knots. We should have this air for about 12 hours or so. Our hope is that the seas also calm and that we eventually can get Dave in his diving suit back under the boat to clear the tangle on the prop and therefore be in a position to motor on a little until the wind returns. Of course, we can then set our final course for Cape Town and steam into the dock and complete our journey.

Finger crossed for a clean prop and no further incidents!