And so it came to pass, that in the very early hours of Tuesday morning, 00.25 to be precise, the wind it did depart! And so we sit here on watch – watching very little. We’re cracking along at 2.2 – 2.4 knots (VMG, you remember), after a day where we averaged closer to 7.8 kts. We’re 520 Nm from Cape Town and if we were to keep this speed up, it would take us just under 10 days to get there. Thank heavens we have an engine. Oh no you don’t – you say, and you’d be right. But, we do have an engine, it just can’t drive our propeller, but by mid afternoon later today, it should. The ball of fishing line is still there, but it is allegedly hanging tantalizingly just to one side of the prop with a few winds on the shaft itself. Hopefully after 12 hours or so of these calming winds, coupled to the ever increasing atmospheric pressure weighing down on the ocean, we will be ready for the dive of the century. The theory we have developed, and trust me, we have developed a bunch, is that this tangle is only held on by a couple of winds and either a quick unwind or a quickish cut through and – Bob’s your uncle!

There are alternative theories including the rope being fused to the prop, but we’re not going with those bleaker outlooks. Even with the simple, most popular theory, it requires Dave to don that nasty dry suit and lower himself into the bottomless pit of an ocean, dive below the hull, make sure he isn’t smacked in the head when it bobs and then deal with the offending and offensive stoppage. If he were to do it now, there would be a lot of bobbing and that would be dangerous, but another 12 hours of light winds and increased atmospheric pressure and we’re hoping, him especially,  that things are much quieter.

Now, we did ask for volunteers from us children, to do this instead – based on experience and qualification, after all, it is quiet common for sailors to also be divers. My good friends Hugh and Claudia are both, but of course they’re not here. However, when we discussed volunteers, none of the crew offered up any relevant experience. But – slowly over the past several days we’ve unearthed that one of us used to dive when they were a little younger and another dived up until a couple of years ago – but, neither feel qualified to execute Operation Unwind. I don’t blame them – you couldn’t pay me enough to put on a diving suit and face mask, breath compressed air from a cylinder, wear weights on belts around my waist and ankle and then jump in cold water and swim under a bobbing boat with a knife in my teeth. For a kick off, I’ve spent a bloody life time trying to take weights off my waist and I don’t need man made weights added there, thank you very much. This just isn’t work I feel is suited to my skills and qualifications (multi talentless, as my friend Bryan would say). So the only way this is getting done, is if Dave does it. Of course, our lack of experience hasn’t stopped us opining on how he should tackle the job. Suggestions on how to avoid getting clunked on the head by the bobbing boat (best way – don’t go under the boat?), to what tools to take with him (try a couple of the crew?), to how to get wound up rope off a propeller (talk to it first until it calms down?). I suspect, at this very moment, Dave is in his cabin mentally rehearsing his technique (the tech) and under his breath cursing fishermen from Tristan and lily livered crew members who are full of proverbial shit. However, come the hour, we will all be gathered to hand things to him, pull on ropes, provide words of encouragement and even “turn him on” if that’s what gets him going, to make us feel we have contributed and to assuage our guilt.

I am confident that if he gets under the boat, he’ll achieve his mission and once done, we’ll be free to roam the high seas and more specifically, motor in to Cape Town and tie up on the Dock. If he isn’t successful, then we’ll await the winds, sail everyone of the last 500 Nm and then sit off Cape Town and stroke our collective shaggy beard and pontificate on what to do next.

For what it’s worth, my plan b is to call Alice and have her identify Acme Divers of Cape Town on Google and have one sent out to wherever we’re anchored in the bay and have them take care on the task – but there is just one tiny little problem there – wherever we are anchored. Dropping the anchor is a task usually done under motor and …… you’re way ahead of me. I have dropped an anchor under sail – and there is a technique for doing it and it’s something one is trained to do – but not in something like this – a 60 ton aluminum hulk of a sail boat. Not with sails that take an eon to firl away and with a boom that takes 5 men to shift a foot either way manually against the wind, both of which are pre-requisites of dropping an anchor under sail – and don’t get me going about sailing off an anchor!

So, let’s just hope and pray Dave Does It, does it tomorrow and equilibrium is once again restored and there is deliverance of the eternal hope of a sodding cold beer in Cape Town on Saturday (Friday – make it Friday, oh Lord)!

Pip pip

P.S. Here we are at 08.35 getting ready to take the watch, 6 hours after passing it over and we have moved exactly 15 NM towards our target! The winds will come back (ignore those sodding forecasters, winds come back in these latitudes) and we will be sailing along later tonight (yes, I am persuading myself, but that’s acceptable – right). We will have the use of our engine and we will be en route to a FRIDAY arrival. That’s my forecast – and it’s accurate!

P.P.S. If you were sat where I am sitting – you would hear the sound of beautiful diesel engine purring and pushing us through the water at 7 knots with only a 7 knot wind. So, as you see, the propeller is working again! God Bless the Skipper and 45 minutes of frenetic work to release (and I shit you not) a ball of rope about 4 feet in diameter. After cutting, tugging, cussing and shouting, it came free just before 12.00 hrs and at the same time a Whale surfaced just 50 meters from the boat. Maybe he was looking for his rope toy!