What Larks!
Day 4, Passage Southbound
Another day on the ocean! Matt spent all this day staring at the engines. Good job he has a strong stomach; I'm not up for pitching and tossing in a confined space! We were joined by a new bird (see how exciting things can be?). It looks like Matt got 9.1 knots on his watch, whereas I slowed the boat to 1 knot on mine. Two new snacks were introduced at night! Someone did an amazing job with provisioning. They should get a gold star.
8:30AM. LW I’m up for the day. I ask Matt how his watch was. “Fine”. Anything to report? “No”. Matt then relegated himself to the engine room. Why? Because Starboard Stan ejected his oil drain plug for no reason and relinquished all his oil. Obviously, this makes the engine inoperable; I would count this as “not fine” and “something to report”. Different communication styles and excitability levels.
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| Another day at sea? Great, just great! |
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| Staring at Starboard Stan |
8:40AM. LW Oh, the ICW is up and running! This time "it’s actually nice to see someone who can do a slow pass for a change. From a sailboat’s standpoint.”
9:00AM. LW "Did you see that boat?" Matt asks as it motors by off our port side. I had just been lamenting the lack of cohorts out here.
9:15AM. LW Breakfast (coffee and cereal) 4 knots is getting old. 7.5 was much better.
9:34AM LW Flying fish! We had been commenting on their lack. Here they are, they say. Happy? Yes. Thanks.
12:45PM LW Portside Pete On - tired on the sails clanking at 2 knots.
1:05pm MC Justin Beiberbird has entered the salon. (This is the first time Justin Beiberbird has entered the log. He arrived sometime earlier and was named for his disdainful attitude and signature head bobbing skills.)
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| Justin Beiberbird getting bold! |
1:24pm MC The 500’+ Vehicle Assembly Building and launch pads at the Kennedy Space Center are in sight! First sight of land since Cape Fear.
3:30PM LW Portside Pete off, Starboard Stan on.
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| Staring at the water intrusion in the portside engine, mere weeks after we replaced the seal. Good times! |
4PM LW Starboard Stan off, Portside Pete on! Stan thinks ejecting his oil is fun and wants to do it all day long.
5:15PM LW - Engines off, sails up, 5 knots speed. Hopefully the wind will pick up one of these days.
While Matt is barking orders from the engine room, Hastings discovers Justin and lunges for him. I lunge for Hastings. As part of the truce, Justin relocates to the dinghy. Meanwhile, a sport fisher appears on my port and Independence lunges to avoid it. Matt wants to know why I’m not cranking the starboard engine. (Matt has now spent most of the day in the engine room, but this third fix seems to be holding)
5:45PM LW Dinner - Shephard's pie
6:00PM LW - I’m on the first night watch with no less than 7 large ships and cruise liners to keep me company. They all seem to be on AIS.
9:00PM LW- Moonrise. Struggling with sea sickness for the first time. The sea state is uncomfortable, the moon hasn’t risen so it is pitch black and I’m doing my watch from the inside nav table. Every time I turn my head to check the radar, I feel really ill. I don’t want to be outside (even though I feel less sick outside) since it’s really windy and I think I’m doing Matt a favor by staying in (less worry!)
10:00pm MC Matt called to duty. Beam reaching between 5.5 and 7.5 knots. At least no engines are blowing up!
12:10am MC Sweet Spicy Doritos
12:53am MC 9.10 knots surfing down a wave in a gust. Is that a record?
1:15am MC Opened the M&Ms
1:50am MC Majesty of the Seas passing on the horizon. Wind calming down, speed now 3-5.5 knots. Still lumpy! Hate the lumpy with no wind.
2:53am MC Nothing is going on. Just felt like making an update to have something to do.
3:00AM. LW Lucy on watch. Matt gave me 5 hours! I feel a little better, but still struggling. Hey, look! M&Ms!
4:45AM. LW Portside Pete on. There is a limit to how much 1.5-2.5 knots I can take. The not getting anywhere is no beuno, but it’s the flailing sails that hurts my kidneys. Navy ship passed 1/2 mile behind me. I was all prepared to get fired on or boarded or something, but nothing.
5:45AM. LW Wind has picked up so I turn Portside Pete off. Making 5 knots now.
7:00AM- LW Passing St Lucie Inlet. Quite a few fishing boats out. Listening to Miss Marple. I have no idea who these people are, who killed who, or why.
7:43AM. LW VHF traffic indicates the ICW is up and running. Sailing at 6.5 knots! Oh how fickle our speed has been!
7 comments
You can tell you're on a catamaran with all of that stuff precariously balanced on the galley counter without any danger of tumbling down. Yes, I might be a wee bit jealous. :-)
ReplyDeleteAh, but you only have one engine to stare at- one hull to wax- all marinas and boatyards are open to you! We do love our boat- but it is double trouble!
DeleteSo, the question is peanut or plain? David being British (and old) doesn't understand some American delicacies like peanuts (or peanut butter) with chocolate and refuses to eat M&Ms with peanuts (or almonds). It's shocking, I know. But on the bright side, all the peanut M&Ms are mine, all mine (that last bit is followed by a maniacal laugh).
ReplyDeleteStephanie @ SV CAMBRIA
For this occasion, peanut. It feels
Deletelike we are getting nutritional value as well as chocolate. I do like the plain, but if we're going for plain, let's skip the M&Ms and go for Smarties!
It's all about the protein! ;-)
DeleteAnother good thing about catamarans: you always have a "spare" engine, or an "example" engine. I am not a fan of peanut butter (not a Belgian thing), but... when you dip good dark chocolate into chunky peanut butter made of 100% peanuts... Yum! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's true- the "spare" is great! I didn't realize how American peanut butter is- Matt and Hastings do love it!
Delete