Current position: 04 03.5S / 106 18.7W at 0200UTC, 2000hrs boat time. SOG 7.5kts. COG 264T. Wind SSE 12-15kts. Sea state moderate 2m. 24hr run 203nm
Well first up I must apologize for the spelling mistakes in the previous posting. Neither spell check and nor my proof reader picked up the errors. So sorry about that.
Well as always on a passage the dominant factor is the weather. Yes I agree it does get a bit repetitive to read about it but when you are out here it is THE ruling factor our lives. Mother nature dictates how well you sleep, if at all sometimes, how well you eat, your moods, which are directly related to the sleep factor and how many bruises you end up with at the end of the day as you bump around falling this way and that into everything and anything solid.
Well today the bruise factor has been down but Liam copped a wack to his left eye from the tail end of the preventer line. This line restrains our mainsail from taking a flying hike from one side of the boat to the other when we are hit by a big wave or have a massive wind shift which makes the boat gybe onto the other tack. An uncontrolled gybe is not good thing to have happen. His injury happened when I was off watch and by the time he told me about it his eye was looking red and nasty. I suspect it is a corneal scratch which can be very uncomfortable (I've had a few over the years) but should heal itself in a few days. We have chlorsig eye drops on board which liam is having a dose of every four hours just to be sure.
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| This guy ended up on our cockpit table |
With no fishing today as it was too rough we decided to watch a tv series called The Kennedys. As you can guess by the title its about JFK, his family life and the journey to becoming the youngest president in US history. So far we've watched three episodes and it's excellent. The cast of actors is top notch and the likeness to the characters they portray is quite amazing.
Grab it off Netflex or wherever for a good watch.
Over the last couple of days we have been monitoring the progress of a Norwegian flagged yacht named Restless. As we are loosely traveling with two other Norwegian boats we received an email that S/V Restless was in trouble and taking on water and could we standby to render help if need be. We were told that their bilge pumps were coping with the situation but who knows for how long. The cause of the egress of water was not immediately known and there are two persons on board, as is the case with the majority of cruising boats. Their boat speed was 4.5 knots and they had turned onto a course of 300 degrees back up towards our rhumbline and an interception point.
At that time Restless was located 750 nm SW of our position. Given the prevailing winds that made us the obvious choice for assistance. The two other boats were over 5 days ahead of us meaning they would have to battle the elements up wind to reach them, and with the conditions at present that's the way too hard basket, but if it came down to the wire it would happen.
SAR,(Search and Rescue) in Norway had been contacted and a Wilhelmsen Car Carrier has been diverted en route to Restless's position to standby and assist. It was expected to arrive in 22 hours.
Many emails have been flying through cyberspace during since we first learnt of the of the Restless's predicament and this afternoon we received another email saying that the situation was now under control. Motor vessel Oberon had arrived on scene, they must have been closer than the Wilhelmsen ship and off loaded repair materials and extra provisions.
We can only imagine the utter relief that engulfed Jorgen and Anna when they saw M/V Oberon come over the horizon. They are hoping to dive on their hull in the coming days if the seas lay down to assess the damage and effect a repair. We should meet up with them a little further down the track.
This is a prime example of the inherent dangers in this life we lead as cruisers. But rest assured there are no better immediate resources for help than those of the family of cruising boats around you when it hits the fan.
Follow us on our tracker at :
https://aus-share.inreach.garmin.com/GoneWithTheWind
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