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The World Cruise of Veleda IV |
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Bermuda to the Azores June 15,1999 We are becalmed again for the second day in a row. It is a very wide area of no wind and we would use up too much fuel trying to motor through it, so we are just relaxing and recuperating from FIVE DAYS OF GALE FORCE WINDS. Yesterday and the previous night were our first windless times since my last log on Day 6. We just took down our sails and drifted, including an opportunity for us to sleep together for the first time since Bermuda. It was a lazy day in which we just lazed around, got a sun shower on the fore deck (It was nice to get clean again!), did some repair work on the genoa, re-reeved our roller furler, did some reading and made a nice full supper (our first for five days) of jaeger schnitzel. In the navy we would call this slack time a "Make and Mend". We needed it! In my last log I was noting (not really complaining) the lack of wind, and that we had not had more than 10 knots of wind at any time for the first 6 days. Well, that situation sure changed as we approached that trough that Herb was talking about on the weather channel. Let me briefly summarize what we had for the next several days. DAY 7 - Started out with light westerly winds (following wind and following sea). By 1000 that morning I calculated our 24 hour run to be only 90 miles, an average of only 3.75 knots. However the wind started to pick up to 12 knots by then, and by mid afternoon it was 15 knots. We were wing on wing for several hours and had put a double reef in the main and a 25% reef in the Genny. We noted a tear in a seam in the main, lowered it and repaired it, putting in a triple reef as the wind was now a constant 25 to 35 knots with sustained gusts up to 45 knots. The auto-pilot was having a hard time dealing with the quartering seas, and so we hand steered for several hours. The wind kept up all night. DAY 8 - Wind was still blowing 25 plus knots all morning. The 24 hour day's run this time came out to 148 miles for an average of 6.1 knots! The whisker pole collapsed and my toy was bent. It cannot extend to its full length any more and will have to be repaired at a rigger's shop ashore. In the afternoon, the winds eased to 10 to 15 knots. Because the genoa was in the wind shadow of the main, we dropped the main so the genoa would be filled, especially now that the whisker pole was not functional. We noticed a tear in a seam of the Genny, and lowered it to repair it immediately or else it would open up the entire seam. The main and Genny we are using are the original sails that were on Veleda when she was built in 1978. The main is fully battened, and the Genny is a full 150% genoa with padded luff allowing it to keep better shape when reefed. Not bad for 21 year old sails. I hope they make it across. We have a new main and other foresails we can use if these blow out. In the afternoon the wind picked up to 25 knots again working up to a sustained 35 knots by midnight. DAY 9 - The 24 hour run at 1000 was a nice 143 miles but a heavy sail with much hand steering in the following seas. The wind eased a bit in the afternoon, and we dropped the Genny to hoist Big Blue (our spinnaker). The 15 knot wind was quite heavy for it and we lowered it an hour later. However, the spinnaker halyard was secured to a mast step instead of a cleat, and it tore out 2 lower mast steps. The wind was picking up again and clocking to the north east at 20 plus knots. The autopilot was having difficulty and was skipping more and more. When the water pressure on the rudder was too great, there would be a sound of grinding cogs and the motor of the autopilot would try to turn the wheel, but it would skip and not turn it unless manually helped by a gentle pressure on the wheel by one of us. This condition got worse and by 2030, the autopilot would not respond at all to the steering motor commands and now we HAD to hand steer in the increasing wind and waves. Judy was not feeling well and had not been well for the last day or so. The 10 to 15 foot swells and 25 knot winds did not help. We were exhausted, Judy from motion and me from the fact that I had to hand steer for much of the last 18 hours or so. We hove to for the night hoping to check and fix the autopilot the next day. We had a good night's sleep, during which the wind stayed at 25 to 35 knots but clocked around to the north. DAY 10 - We were not able to fix the autopilot and had to face the reality that WE WOULD HAVE TO HAND STEER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP TO THE AZORES, OVER 800 MILES! However, as the wind was north and we were heading 080, we were on a close haul course. On this point of sail I was able to balance the sails, double reefed main and 50% reefed genoa, with a bit of weather helm locked on the rudder so that Veleda steered herself between 060 and 080 for hours on end even though the wind was averaging 35 knots. This was a great help to me as Judy was right out of it, curled up in a fetal position on the low side settee in the main cabin, and I was basically single handing for three days in a row, 24 hours a day. The balanced sails allowed me to nap for periods before checking the horizon for ships or checking the sails and course. Several times if the winds slackened or veered, the balance would be lost and Veleda would go off down wind and a couple of times I was not able to catch it quickly enough, and we jibed off course and then had to jibe again onto course. Throughout the day the wind was averaging between 35 and 40 knots. At 0955 the genoa started flapping wildly. The furling line broke, and WE WERE SAILING IN 40 KNOTS OF WIND WITH A FULL 150% GENOA! The wind and waves were too high, and we were not going to risk getting out of the cockpit to lower it and change down to a smaller jib until we had to. Two hours later another slapping of the genny, and we noticed the upper 10 feet of the UV cloth along the leech was torn and flapping in the wind. However it was still drawing and we continued on with the torn genny out full. Around 1900 THE MAIN, WHICH WAS DOUBLE REEFED, BLEW OUT. Again a horrible flapping and flogging of the main sail. The entire panel immediately above the second reef point was in shreds. I called Judy up and we were able to lower the main to put in the third reef, furling the destroyed panel along the boom with reef lines. So with 10 feet of UV cloth flying from the full 150% genny and ragged shredded panels of the main reefed to the boom, Veleda pounded on through 40 knot winds and 15 foot swells, looking like some ancient sailing ship returning from a major sea battle with her sails in tatters, but proudly, confidently pounding through the seas. DAY 11 - Our 24 hour run on a full but shredded genny and a triple reefed main was still 120 miles. The winds were still blowing 25 to 30 knots. At noon hour I hove to for three hours to rest, get something to eat and to change the main sail. Judy was able to get up to help with the sail change. We still did not want to drop the genoa if we didn't have to. I resumed a course where the sails were balanced. However, I did not want to change the set of the genny for fear it would blow that sail. We pounded on all that night with Judy still curled up down below and myself on watch all day and night again. I am worried about Judy as she has not had anything substantial to eat for two days, and has had very little fluid. She is able to assist in crises, but not in the regular working of the ship. DAY 12 - The wind dropped down to 15 knots for a few hours between 0230 and 0700, but by 0800 it was back up to 30 and 35 knots. Thank heaven I was able to have the sails balanced so I could get some rest. We hove to again at 1800 for an hour to rest and get something to eat. Judy ate half a tin of corn, the most she has had in three days. That night the wind kept up at a constant 30 knots as we drove close hauled into it. The grinding of our wind generator plus the creaking and groaning of the rigging and the pounding into the heavy seas all added to the tension of the heavy upwind sail. DAY 13 - Finally about 0330 I was so keyed up by the constant driving close hauled into the drumming wind I decided to adjust the genny even if it meant risking its destruction because of the weakened leech and UV cloth. It held. This change permitted a broader reach which did not drive Veleda as hard into the wind, and things settled down more. However it was harder to balance the sails and I had to hand steer. One reason it was hard to balance the sails was because the topping lift was caught on the backstay and the main would not set properly. I freed it up only to lose it and have it flying off downwind with the flapping UV from the genny. By mid morning the winds started to ease off to 15 knots. Judy, feeling somewhat better, came up, and we were able to secure the flying topping lift. By 1545 the winds had dropped to 10 knots and we shook out the reef we had in the main and were able to balance the sails again so Veleda could steer herself. By 2200 the winds were down to 5 knots, so light that the sails once again could not be balanced and I had to hand steer. At 2300 the wind was so weak we dropped the genoa (the roller furling was still broken) and motor sailed with just the main up, as the wind and waves were less. DAY 14 - Judy was able to take a watch for the first time in three days at midnight. However by 0100 the wind had dropped to nothing. We did not want to risk using much fuel by motoring until the wind might pick up, so we took down the main, turned off the engine, drifted and collapsed on the port and starboard settees for a much needed six hours undisturbed sleep. We woke up at 0700 to a heavy wallowing of the boat as the swells from the gale force winds over the last six days had not yet subsided. We motored for a couple of hours to stabilize the boat as I made breakfast, the first proper meal Judy has had in four days. While having breakfast we were visited by a pod of about12 dolphins frisking around the boat. While stabilized by motoring I also put in the second of three gerry cans of diesel to be sure we did not run too low. Judy then examined the genny which was left on deck and cut off the ten feet of UV cloth that was torn, re-reeved the roller furling and hoisted the genny once again, turning off the engine and trying to sail. By noon hour it was obvious we could not sail as there was no wind, and we did not want to use up fuel motoring, so we furled the genny and hoisted the main strapped to port with a preventer to reduce the rolling of the boat and DRIFTED FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS with a couple of frustrating attempts to sail. It was like having a holiday, especially after the heavy sailing we had the previous few days. Next Log |
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