Nice foggy morning at the Lightship!
We will be at Richmond YC at 8:30 this morning.
Bligh
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Last 88 Miles
Tiki Blue is currently 88 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge! With the
bridge rapidly approaching, life on board has taken on a distinctly
different character. Although the crew is enjoying the last hours of
relative isolation from land based demands, everyone seems keenly
interested in getting to the barn. In fact, not more than a half hour
that goes by without some protracted discussion of arrival estimates
replete with mental calculations and challenges. Torben has prepared a
super secret spreadsheet detailing various arrival scenarios. And
wagers have been laid.
Estimating arrival time has become somewhat of an art form due to the
unexpected and changing conditions Tiki has faced in the last twenty
four hours. About 18 hours ago we picked up very favorable wind and
have been sailing fast throughout the night. However, despite Tiki
dashing along the tops of a moderate sea at 8 plus knots, some
mysterious force has keep our over the ground speed in the 5s. This
slowed us down more than expected, but whatever current or sea state
that caused that discrepancy has now gone as quickly as it came, pushing
our speeds higher again. But the estimating continues to be challenging.
So here is what we know: we still expect to arrive in Richmond between
7 AM and 10 AM tomorrow morning. To better pin point our arrival time,
we will update the blog with a more accurate estimate at 6 AM tomorrow
morning. So stayed tuned, and we look forward to seeing anyone who
ventures out to see us arrive.
The Honorable (and vastly chilled) Stubblebeard, Quite Able Seaman.
bridge rapidly approaching, life on board has taken on a distinctly
different character. Although the crew is enjoying the last hours of
relative isolation from land based demands, everyone seems keenly
interested in getting to the barn. In fact, not more than a half hour
that goes by without some protracted discussion of arrival estimates
replete with mental calculations and challenges. Torben has prepared a
super secret spreadsheet detailing various arrival scenarios. And
wagers have been laid.
Estimating arrival time has become somewhat of an art form due to the
unexpected and changing conditions Tiki has faced in the last twenty
four hours. About 18 hours ago we picked up very favorable wind and
have been sailing fast throughout the night. However, despite Tiki
dashing along the tops of a moderate sea at 8 plus knots, some
mysterious force has keep our over the ground speed in the 5s. This
slowed us down more than expected, but whatever current or sea state
that caused that discrepancy has now gone as quickly as it came, pushing
our speeds higher again. But the estimating continues to be challenging.
So here is what we know: we still expect to arrive in Richmond between
7 AM and 10 AM tomorrow morning. To better pin point our arrival time,
we will update the blog with a more accurate estimate at 6 AM tomorrow
morning. So stayed tuned, and we look forward to seeing anyone who
ventures out to see us arrive.
The Honorable (and vastly chilled) Stubblebeard, Quite Able Seaman.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Final Lap
With less than 48hrs to go, the high pressure system seems to remain
omnipresent. Our trusted donkey of Swedish descent has been hard at
work for over 54 hrs now with just a 5min break to check internal fluid
levels. The other interesting thing we discovered is the fuel does
actually work moving off the 4/4 mark proving that big beefy 4 leggers
from Scandinavia can also be fuel efficient or maybe its the fuel gauge
that's non linear. As we get closer to the coast we see more life, this
morning there were a "pod" of dolphins swimming around the bow for a
while caught on video by Stubblebeard and according to our resident
ornithologist, Dodds the last of the tropical birds have left us. We
still see albatross and shearwater gliding over the waves. In addition
there are an increasing number of commercial vessels in our neighborhood
sometimes multiples. Last night we had the Yasa Pioneer a cargo ship
doing 12 knots that was on a collision course with us until the range
was around 5 miles when they changed course to pass us astern by 3
miles. Sometimes the VHF comes in real handy. At night you can see a
stream of planes equidistant flying west at the same altitude, one after
another. Last night mostly Abled Seaman Gilbert reported observing a
shooting star leaving a trail of pixie dust as it streaked across the
sky before flaming out in a spectacularly bright white pulse. The Seaman
as well as Dodds and Stubblebeard remain under close scrutiny from
Captain Bly.
Most books on board to do with major sailing disasters or discoveries of
wrecks long forgotten or wars in the pacific are now on their 2nd or 3rd
read as we continue to search for wind. Shore based support groups are
encouraging us to keep moving with the knowledge we will find some wind
in another 12 -18hrs...... Hope springs eternal.
N 37 33 W 128 11
omnipresent. Our trusted donkey of Swedish descent has been hard at
work for over 54 hrs now with just a 5min break to check internal fluid
levels. The other interesting thing we discovered is the fuel does
actually work moving off the 4/4 mark proving that big beefy 4 leggers
from Scandinavia can also be fuel efficient or maybe its the fuel gauge
that's non linear. As we get closer to the coast we see more life, this
morning there were a "pod" of dolphins swimming around the bow for a
while caught on video by Stubblebeard and according to our resident
ornithologist, Dodds the last of the tropical birds have left us. We
still see albatross and shearwater gliding over the waves. In addition
there are an increasing number of commercial vessels in our neighborhood
sometimes multiples. Last night we had the Yasa Pioneer a cargo ship
doing 12 knots that was on a collision course with us until the range
was around 5 miles when they changed course to pass us astern by 3
miles. Sometimes the VHF comes in real handy. At night you can see a
stream of planes equidistant flying west at the same altitude, one after
another. Last night mostly Abled Seaman Gilbert reported observing a
shooting star leaving a trail of pixie dust as it streaked across the
sky before flaming out in a spectacularly bright white pulse. The Seaman
as well as Dodds and Stubblebeard remain under close scrutiny from
Captain Bly.
Most books on board to do with major sailing disasters or discoveries of
wrecks long forgotten or wars in the pacific are now on their 2nd or 3rd
read as we continue to search for wind. Shore based support groups are
encouraging us to keep moving with the knowledge we will find some wind
in another 12 -18hrs...... Hope springs eternal.
N 37 33 W 128 11
Saturday, August 18, 2012
14 days @ sea
after 2 weeks
no murders,
no raised voices
and nary a complaint about the food
still motoring along
those little grib wind feathers are showing under 10 mostly from behind
still we managed some easy sailing with poled out jib and main.
Seaman Auto does most of the driving -and doing it well I might add.
funny part is swells roll the boat and sometimes it's hard to get any
sleep cause you keep rolling athwartships with the boat.
Are starting to see ships slightly more regularly -particularly at night.
Thanks to the magic of A.I.S. we can identify them.
'spose that's to be expected as we near a major port.
One ship even said they saw us on RADAR
all took showers yesterday in the forward shower stall
felt good to get clean & put on clean clothes... FYI half the crew shaved
lunch was pizza
dinner was pasta last night with a left overs added into the marinara
and for those worried we're not getting our veggies -lunch today was 3
bean salad.
We are looking forward to Chief Commissary-man Stubblebeard preparing a
slumgullion sort of soup made with whatever not quite dead yet odds and
ends from storage locker to fridge.
and we are unfortunately running low on rum.
maybe half a bottle of Sailor Jerry's left in the Captain's private stash
suspect we'll survive this incipient crisis
TTFN
Dodds,
Underassistant Yeoman-Bos'n (Striker)
no murders,
no raised voices
and nary a complaint about the food
still motoring along
those little grib wind feathers are showing under 10 mostly from behind
still we managed some easy sailing with poled out jib and main.
Seaman Auto does most of the driving -and doing it well I might add.
funny part is swells roll the boat and sometimes it's hard to get any
sleep cause you keep rolling athwartships with the boat.
Are starting to see ships slightly more regularly -particularly at night.
Thanks to the magic of A.I.S. we can identify them.
'spose that's to be expected as we near a major port.
One ship even said they saw us on RADAR
all took showers yesterday in the forward shower stall
felt good to get clean & put on clean clothes... FYI half the crew shaved
lunch was pizza
dinner was pasta last night with a left overs added into the marinara
and for those worried we're not getting our veggies -lunch today was 3
bean salad.
We are looking forward to Chief Commissary-man Stubblebeard preparing a
slumgullion sort of soup made with whatever not quite dead yet odds and
ends from storage locker to fridge.
and we are unfortunately running low on rum.
maybe half a bottle of Sailor Jerry's left in the Captain's private stash
suspect we'll survive this incipient crisis
TTFN
Dodds,
Underassistant Yeoman-Bos'n (Striker)
Friday, August 17, 2012
Day 13: Shower Day!
What a difference a day makes: In the last 24 hours, Tiki Blue has seen
light to moderate winds, calmer seas, and a couple ships. Compare that
to two days ago, when we were bashing through rough and confused seas
with the winds in the high 20s! These more comfortable conditions have
allowed life to return to whatever is considered normal on the high
seas. Last night, we resumed cocktail hour, followed by a great dinner
of roast beef with mashed potatoes in a ginger reduction sauce, one of
Seymour's specialties. This morning Bligh made us a delightful fritatta
that consisted of meat and potatoes of course! Other than eating,
everyone seemed to get caught up on sleeping and reading.
After dinner last night we were able to shake out the reefs and sail on
the full main and jib for the first time in several days, sailing in a
very pleasant 10-12 knot breeze. By 9 pm however, the wind had picked
up to 16 to 18 knots out of the North, so we put one reef back in the
main and a couple more turns on the jib. The increase was somewhat
welcome as the boat speed picked up from 5s to high 7s and an occasional
8. Because this stronger wind had backed a bit, we decided to sail a
little higher to gain back some of the Northing we lost when the wind
was blowing harder. This morning the wind has really lighted up and
gone DDW, so we are currently motoring straight toward the Gate. We
expect better wind strength and direction in the next 24 hours so we can
resume sailing.
Now on to the highlight of the day: we all took showers for the first
time in five days or so. This was a welcome event for all on board as
the entire boat smells much better as a result. Now laundry is getting
sorted and the fresh clothes have come out. It is impossible to
quantify the increase in moral.
One last event worth mention occurred last night. We were visited by
two container ships. One, the Cosco New York, passed just 1 1/2 miles
astern. But not to worry, Bligh had already contacted the bridge to
verify that they saw us and exchanged the usual captain-to-bridge secret
handshake. The other ship was further away and was summarily ignored.
Speaking of ships passing in the night, we learned on the radio net that
a returning Pac Cup boat that is about four hours behind us almost ran
into a overturned fishing boat. I was delivered that news shortly
before my 1:30 AM watch, and subsequently spent the next ninety minutes
standing at the dodger looking around hopelessly in the darkness for
objects in the water. Truth is, you can't really see anything in the
water in the dark, and Bligh later told me not to bother because that
stuff goes away at night. Anyway, we continue to see lots of stuff in
the water, yesterday's most interesting sighting being part of an oil
containment boom. We have been fortunate to only get lines caught on
the prop twice, and haven't hit anything solid yet.
Tiki Blue is currently 565 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, making
6 knots over the ground. At our current speed and distance, I have 16
more watches to stand before we arrive, but who's counting. That's all
for now.
The Honorable (and vastly skilled) Stubblebeard.
N 37º 03.438; W 134º 18.425.
light to moderate winds, calmer seas, and a couple ships. Compare that
to two days ago, when we were bashing through rough and confused seas
with the winds in the high 20s! These more comfortable conditions have
allowed life to return to whatever is considered normal on the high
seas. Last night, we resumed cocktail hour, followed by a great dinner
of roast beef with mashed potatoes in a ginger reduction sauce, one of
Seymour's specialties. This morning Bligh made us a delightful fritatta
that consisted of meat and potatoes of course! Other than eating,
everyone seemed to get caught up on sleeping and reading.
After dinner last night we were able to shake out the reefs and sail on
the full main and jib for the first time in several days, sailing in a
very pleasant 10-12 knot breeze. By 9 pm however, the wind had picked
up to 16 to 18 knots out of the North, so we put one reef back in the
main and a couple more turns on the jib. The increase was somewhat
welcome as the boat speed picked up from 5s to high 7s and an occasional
8. Because this stronger wind had backed a bit, we decided to sail a
little higher to gain back some of the Northing we lost when the wind
was blowing harder. This morning the wind has really lighted up and
gone DDW, so we are currently motoring straight toward the Gate. We
expect better wind strength and direction in the next 24 hours so we can
resume sailing.
Now on to the highlight of the day: we all took showers for the first
time in five days or so. This was a welcome event for all on board as
the entire boat smells much better as a result. Now laundry is getting
sorted and the fresh clothes have come out. It is impossible to
quantify the increase in moral.
One last event worth mention occurred last night. We were visited by
two container ships. One, the Cosco New York, passed just 1 1/2 miles
astern. But not to worry, Bligh had already contacted the bridge to
verify that they saw us and exchanged the usual captain-to-bridge secret
handshake. The other ship was further away and was summarily ignored.
Speaking of ships passing in the night, we learned on the radio net that
a returning Pac Cup boat that is about four hours behind us almost ran
into a overturned fishing boat. I was delivered that news shortly
before my 1:30 AM watch, and subsequently spent the next ninety minutes
standing at the dodger looking around hopelessly in the darkness for
objects in the water. Truth is, you can't really see anything in the
water in the dark, and Bligh later told me not to bother because that
stuff goes away at night. Anyway, we continue to see lots of stuff in
the water, yesterday's most interesting sighting being part of an oil
containment boom. We have been fortunate to only get lines caught on
the prop twice, and haven't hit anything solid yet.
Tiki Blue is currently 565 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, making
6 knots over the ground. At our current speed and distance, I have 16
more watches to stand before we arrive, but who's counting. That's all
for now.
The Honorable (and vastly skilled) Stubblebeard.
N 37º 03.438; W 134º 18.425.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Update Day 19?
Yesterday we lost 3 hours on our arrival time when we re set the ship’s clock from Hawaii time to PDT. The watch schedule got another bunch of notes scribbled all over it, totally confusing a few crew members to the point where they have no idea why they get breakfast for lunch and stand watches totally out of order.
The last 24 hour saw the wind build into the high 20’s for most of the late afternoon and evening. Bashing along for a while at 8+ knots into a rapidly building sea way, we kept reducing sails until we only had a scrap of jib out with the double reefed main and also bore away for a more comfortable ride. Most of the night we sailed at a fairly comfortable 6 knots with only the occasional wave breaking over the boat every ½ hour or so. Did I mention the showers that kept things wet as well? Nobody has been sea sick or fallen down moving around the boat, which has been challenging recently with all the bashing and rolling.
Anyway, everything is holding together well, except the mirror door in the bathroom that broke open and scattered glass all over the head when we fell sideways of a roller a couple of hours before midnight. Good think we have a professional ‘Furniture Medic’ on the vessel! The leech line for the main parted sometime overnight, so we have a little extra flutter adding to the noise of crashing waves.
Suffice to say that the gourmet galley shut down operations for a little while. Fortunately everyone seems happy with the meals consisting of the last ‘frozen’ Lasagna served in a dog bowl, cups of soup, oatmeal and our endless supply of power bars.
Winds have now moderated to the high teens and we expect them to further reduce this evening. When they do there will be mandatory showers ( we have a good supply of fresh water left ) and change of clothes for everyone. Some of the dirty laundry may have to go in the garbage locker aft, joining a pair of particular oppressive smelling sneakers that got relocated from the interior of the boat yesterday with all hazmat precautions in place.
We are currently 690 NM from the Gate and can’t seem to get Tiki to do much more than 140 NM per 24 hours made good, so we are probably now looking at a Tuesday arrival.
Bligh
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Falling to starboard, by Almost Able Seaman Gilbert
Wednesday finds Tiki Blue in some decent breeze for a change, speeds
over 8 knots are common for periods of time with water flying all over
and sometimes through the dodger. Daybreak this morning we had low cloud
cover with some patches of light at the horizon, Tiki Blue on a beam
reach charging through steely blue water. The miles are ticking by, with
the prospect of 150 mile days close to being confirmed. The thought of
moving further out into this enormous ocean has been replaced with a
count down of each hundred mile marker towards the GG waypoint. With all
this speed comes a new environment down below. Moving around needs
deliberate timing, reaching uphill for a grab rail to haul on or worse
identifying a target downwind and aiming at it mid-flight. Sleeping in
the aft bunk has been described as sleeping standing up. The galley is
losing its tidy domesticated appearance now looking more like freshman
dorm room with stuff scattered at random. Still the favorite spot for
conversation is under the dodger where as you can imagine from earlier
blog entries, the crew gather after breakfast where heady discussions
take place to do with all things nautical.
AB Seaman G
GGB 835NM
over 8 knots are common for periods of time with water flying all over
and sometimes through the dodger. Daybreak this morning we had low cloud
cover with some patches of light at the horizon, Tiki Blue on a beam
reach charging through steely blue water. The miles are ticking by, with
the prospect of 150 mile days close to being confirmed. The thought of
moving further out into this enormous ocean has been replaced with a
count down of each hundred mile marker towards the GG waypoint. With all
this speed comes a new environment down below. Moving around needs
deliberate timing, reaching uphill for a grab rail to haul on or worse
identifying a target downwind and aiming at it mid-flight. Sleeping in
the aft bunk has been described as sleeping standing up. The galley is
losing its tidy domesticated appearance now looking more like freshman
dorm room with stuff scattered at random. Still the favorite spot for
conversation is under the dodger where as you can imagine from earlier
blog entries, the crew gather after breakfast where heady discussions
take place to do with all things nautical.
AB Seaman G
GGB 835NM
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Out of the High
Dinner time Tuesday finds us with a reef in the main and the jib rolled
in to 90% in good breeze taking us pretty close to the direct course to
the GGB. - doing 6.5 with a Turkey Roast in the oven and the foul
weather gear and boots out of the bags for the first time on the trip.
Bligh
in to 90% in good breeze taking us pretty close to the direct course to
the GGB. - doing 6.5 with a Turkey Roast in the oven and the foul
weather gear and boots out of the bags for the first time on the trip.
Bligh
1/2 way
y'day celebrated getting over the hump
The Barack Obama Bobblehead doll was mounted at the Nav Station with
some ceremony and since today was a Danish themed celebration, a Danish
flag pin was hung using dental floss over the image's shoulders.
The hump can be geographic or temporal and is -at best- an estimation.
Them little grib arrows show breeze and are amazingly accurate, but as
weatherman Lee Chesneau points out they are based on a model. Also those
little arrows when placed down on our own little bit of ocean are
sometimes half a day's sail away. Of course patience is in order but is
another of those staples -like fresh water- that we husband carefully.
ANd speaking of conserving Torbin passed up eating his tinned Glyngore
Kippers in Oil (official kipper supplier to the Danish Throne)
preferring that we all should eat the more perishable food and save the
canned goods for last.
The long fingers of the Pacific High wherever it may be keep reaching
out: teasing a little bit on every night watch between a decent sailing
breeze of 7-10 or the lighter stuff (jib in, engine on & power at 075
straight for the RYC race deck.) After so long on Starboard we keep
awaiting the port which means we are truly over the top of the high.
Still the day started with some deal excitement at Oh-Dark-Fifty while
motoring something went ka-clank in the night. The usual backing and
shifting was to no avail. At first light we sent down a diver, the
heroic sailing master Stubblebeard, who braved brisk, bracing blue and
found the prop and shaft clear -much to The Captain's amazement . A few
more dives determined Tiki Blue's "clank" celebre was the sacrificial
anode mounted on the shaft. The zinc had slipped down to the prop. New
goggles helped Master Beard see better. An English hex wrench got
fiddled into the bolt & then sort of jammed. Our valiant diver like a
good sea mammal needed air but since the lanyard on the wrench was
attached to him, he had a few anxious, anaerobic moments. Meanwhile the
crew unaware of the incipient danger scanned for "men in the gray
flannel suits." There weren't any. The lanyard was attached to the boat
and in short order the anode was removed. Let's hope the boat don't
dissolve now.
Breakfast that morning was a Julia Child inspired large-ish chocolate
croissant- based on dough yeasted out & kneaded the day before by the
good sailing master. Additionally Stubble-bread was served with lingon
berry jam. Lunch was leftover steak sandwiched up.
After 8 days at sea odd things are happening. Books are getting
finished. Torbin has particularly taken to quoting Michener's "The
Bridges at Toko-Ri" which got passed over from Seymour's floating
library. In a totally unexpected move The Capt'n promoted Chris who had
just finished his Grisham novel. Chris celebrated by sounding the
f'rw'rd water tank. In his idle hours Seymour still maniacally hunts for
images or references to rabbits and bananas. Gone is the picture of
Sarah Deeds' Ditch Run winning Wabbit from the pages of Latitude 38.
Yet was disappointed. His reading -that woodsy over wrought Cooper tome-
"The Last of the Mohicans" has ne'er a rabbit so far mentioned. Until
this very morning wherein on page 367 the word rabbits appeared. It was
summarily excised and committed to the deep by the Cap'n. This last,
expiatory act will further the sparkling port tack breeze which propels
Tiki Blue on a cracked off reach to the Gate. Still in the critter
dep't a surface effect-flying Laysan Albatross made a near pass
yesterday. These are the gooney birds found on Midway.
Dinner last night was Swedish Meatballs in ginger sauce with mashed
potatoes. Not terribly, traditionally Scandinavian in its conception.
And Tiki Blue's day ended with toasts of Aalborg Aquavite in a dark
cockpit drunk from a Hawaiian turtle themed shot glass with the GGBridge
a mere 1035 miles distant. And a dark night it was, no friendly stars
poked through the overcast and no moon arose during the midwatch.
S. Dodds,
Yeoman-Bos'n
The Barack Obama Bobblehead doll was mounted at the Nav Station with
some ceremony and since today was a Danish themed celebration, a Danish
flag pin was hung using dental floss over the image's shoulders.
The hump can be geographic or temporal and is -at best- an estimation.
Them little grib arrows show breeze and are amazingly accurate, but as
weatherman Lee Chesneau points out they are based on a model. Also those
little arrows when placed down on our own little bit of ocean are
sometimes half a day's sail away. Of course patience is in order but is
another of those staples -like fresh water- that we husband carefully.
ANd speaking of conserving Torbin passed up eating his tinned Glyngore
Kippers in Oil (official kipper supplier to the Danish Throne)
preferring that we all should eat the more perishable food and save the
canned goods for last.
The long fingers of the Pacific High wherever it may be keep reaching
out: teasing a little bit on every night watch between a decent sailing
breeze of 7-10 or the lighter stuff (jib in, engine on & power at 075
straight for the RYC race deck.) After so long on Starboard we keep
awaiting the port which means we are truly over the top of the high.
Still the day started with some deal excitement at Oh-Dark-Fifty while
motoring something went ka-clank in the night. The usual backing and
shifting was to no avail. At first light we sent down a diver, the
heroic sailing master Stubblebeard, who braved brisk, bracing blue and
found the prop and shaft clear -much to The Captain's amazement . A few
more dives determined Tiki Blue's "clank" celebre was the sacrificial
anode mounted on the shaft. The zinc had slipped down to the prop. New
goggles helped Master Beard see better. An English hex wrench got
fiddled into the bolt & then sort of jammed. Our valiant diver like a
good sea mammal needed air but since the lanyard on the wrench was
attached to him, he had a few anxious, anaerobic moments. Meanwhile the
crew unaware of the incipient danger scanned for "men in the gray
flannel suits." There weren't any. The lanyard was attached to the boat
and in short order the anode was removed. Let's hope the boat don't
dissolve now.
Breakfast that morning was a Julia Child inspired large-ish chocolate
croissant- based on dough yeasted out & kneaded the day before by the
good sailing master. Additionally Stubble-bread was served with lingon
berry jam. Lunch was leftover steak sandwiched up.
After 8 days at sea odd things are happening. Books are getting
finished. Torbin has particularly taken to quoting Michener's "The
Bridges at Toko-Ri" which got passed over from Seymour's floating
library. In a totally unexpected move The Capt'n promoted Chris who had
just finished his Grisham novel. Chris celebrated by sounding the
f'rw'rd water tank. In his idle hours Seymour still maniacally hunts for
images or references to rabbits and bananas. Gone is the picture of
Sarah Deeds' Ditch Run winning Wabbit from the pages of Latitude 38.
Yet was disappointed. His reading -that woodsy over wrought Cooper tome-
"The Last of the Mohicans" has ne'er a rabbit so far mentioned. Until
this very morning wherein on page 367 the word rabbits appeared. It was
summarily excised and committed to the deep by the Cap'n. This last,
expiatory act will further the sparkling port tack breeze which propels
Tiki Blue on a cracked off reach to the Gate. Still in the critter
dep't a surface effect-flying Laysan Albatross made a near pass
yesterday. These are the gooney birds found on Midway.
Dinner last night was Swedish Meatballs in ginger sauce with mashed
potatoes. Not terribly, traditionally Scandinavian in its conception.
And Tiki Blue's day ended with toasts of Aalborg Aquavite in a dark
cockpit drunk from a Hawaiian turtle themed shot glass with the GGBridge
a mere 1035 miles distant. And a dark night it was, no friendly stars
poked through the overcast and no moon arose during the midwatch.
S. Dodds,
Yeoman-Bos'n
Monday, August 13, 2012
Day 9 (I think): Where the f@#k is the wind?
Greetings from the great float. Our current position is wherever we
were yesterday. Time has now stopped.
Okay, it's not really that bad. We have had some fun sailing, good
food, interesting music and delightful (and possibly demented)
conversation. And last night, the Captain did a marathon watch so some
of us could get some much needed rest. The man is unstoppable when he
sets his mind to something. A couple days ago Captain Bligh ordered
(that's all he does these days) that we were to do whatever we could to
sail to conserve diesel for fun activities down the road as we get
closer to civilization, like dodging container ships during the night.
So although the winds are light, we were able to set "the spinnakers"
and make some good miles down the road. However, both days the wind
seems to fall below five knots in mid-to-late afternoon and we have to
get back on what the New Zealander calls "the donkey" for the night.
Hey, at least he doesn't call it "the sheep"; just don't even go there.
To illustrate the mechanics of our spinnaker opps, let me take you
through some of the details from yesterday. As soon as dawn breaks, I
don my harness and start rigging the spinnaker gear. After I finish the
set up, I go downstairs and search through the forward head for an
appropriate spinnaker. What, isn't that where everyone keeps them? I
manage to pull out a bag that says something like "1983" on it, and give
it the once over. It appears to be an AP of some sort, with a disco
purple stripe through the center. At this point, Seymour Dodds is
stirring, and comes over to see what I am doing. We look at the bag and
then at each other wondering whether we need those stripped shirts and
"man-staches" made popular on the early IOR circuit to fly this thing.
My growth is pretty good, but Dodds is clean shaven, which could be an
issue. We proceed to launch the disco chute anyway and it provides us
with the beautiful silhouette of an hour-glass against the dawn sky.
Proud of our efforts, we adjourn to the cockpit to sip warm beverages
and slap each other across our stripped-shirt backs.
Just as everything is going "groovy," Bligh pops his head out of the
companion way, sees the distorted spinnaker and bitches about wraps and
twists and uses all kinds of other unsavory terms. He barks that we
should fix it immediately or face the captain's mast. Dodds and I wait
until Bligh disappears downstairs to continue his week-long nap, and
figure we do nothing and just pass the whole mess on to Seaman Gilbert's
watch. But then Dodds remembers that this particular breed of disco
chute generally likes to be flown with a friend, called a blooper. I've
never heard of one because I am too young, but Dodds swears such a thing
exists. Dodds races back to the forward head and returns with some
technicolor beast of a chute that he swears is the required blooper. He
opens the bag and out beams all kinds of disgusting hues, like purple
and yellow, and some sort of light blue I've never seen on a spinnaker
before. I take a quick look around to make sure no one can see us when
this thing is up, and find no one on the horizon. Just for good measure
I also check the AIS.
When we are ready to launch disco's buddy on the free wing halyard,
Bligh shows up again. This time his head is all red, and he has shaved
himself to look like Walter White from Breaking Bad (or possibly Colonel
l Kurtz). He clearly means business. He is upset that we did not clear
the blooper with him. As punishment, he orders us to take down the
disco chute and fly the technicolor beast in full view of passing
boats. And if we can't do the maneuver in under a minute, he will
assess an appropriate punishment. Being too afraid to beg for his
mercy, we set up for the maneuver, which Dobbs calls a "Travolta." With
Dobbs in the hatch, and me on the foredeck, Bligh handles all the
cockpit duties by himself, his hands flying from helm to halyard, guy to
sheet, revealing his inner Tasmanian Devil. (note to my crew: it took
around 50 seconds; Bligh timed it). With that, Dodds and I narrowly
escape the captain's wrath, but are forced to fly this beast until the
wind dies around 3 PM.
The spinnaker fiasco behind us, we turn toward dinner. Seaman Gilbert
grills up the steaks he has been marinating for days, and the result is
amazing. In addition, he has prepared roasted potatoes and a medley of
warmed, canned vegetables. With the exception of the vegetables, it is
clear that the captain is warming to Seaman Gilbert's efforts and a
promotion in rank may not be too far off. As the dining winds down, we
listen to a selection of Danish and Swedish songs as the remain light
fades (along with our taste for good music).
Which brings us to this morning. But before that, a note about Tiki
Blue time. As Seaman Gilbert mentioned in a previous post, telling time
is kind of complicated on boat, and the Day 9 blog entry for whatever
reason extends into the morning of Day 10. What Seaman Gilbert doesn't
know is that figuring out the time for the watch schedule really isn't
that complicated. It's a six hour rotation, where each of us stands
watch for 1 1/2 hours, then is off for 4 1/2 hours. At night, when you
finish your watch, you wake up your replacement, occasionally write in
the ship's log, then pass out in a free bunk. But Dodds and I figured
out some time ago that we can just wake up Seaman Gilbert whenever we
want and he will stand watch for us. At first we had to come up with
some confusing explanation about Hawaii and California time, and how to
convert from the 24 hour format. But now he just assumes we are correct
and drags himself out of bed for the watch. As for the blog entries, we
started our passage at noon on August 4, so we consider days from noon
to noon.
Early this morning, we ran over a rope fish (possibly a "Poly-Pro" or a
"Hawser") which we think became entangled on the prop. These are not
good eating, so we tried to back off it, but a noticeable vibration
remained. So last night we sailed through whatever wind was available
until we could dive on the bottom in the light. After a strong cup of
coffee, I went to investigate the prop and shaft. There I found that the
shaft zinc was rotating freely around the prop shaft and was able to
move back and forth between the bearing and the prop. After many dives,
the problem was fixed, but there is nothing like holding your breath and
using an Allen wrench under a boat to provide a candid assessment your
cardio-vascular fitness. Mine needs some work.
Seymour Dodds continues to cut any references to rabbits out of the
various reading material to throw over board. He is convinced the lack
of wind is attributable to a French superstition that rabbits are bad
luck on sailing vessels. He has also found some references to bananas,
which he hands a similar fate. He's now looking for the Hawaiian word
for "rabbit" to search for any such instances of that word. There may
actually be some truth to the superstition, as after he started this
effort we saw decent speeds for at least part of yesterday, and today we
are currently sailing at 5.8 knots. But we could use all the help we
can get. So anyone who knows any wind dances or chants, send them our way.
Stubblebeard.
N 37º 05.777'; W 145º 18.641'. Distance to GGB: 1089 nm. Time 10:30
Hawaii Time.
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Captain Bentsen's Boat Brokerage: With each boat purchase, Captain
Bentsen will provide introductory instruction on grueling ocean
passages. The instruction can take place on your new boat or somebody
else's boat selected at random. Instruction topics include "how to
find the Pacific high", "getting lost in GRIBs," "Why the 96 hour
surface forecast is wrong," "Use of seawater for cleaning," "gauging
distance using diesel," "Draggin' lead all over the sea to catch fish,"
and "Recycling urine for drinking water and other uses." Don't miss
this extraordinary opportunity to learn from the master. Call now to
reserve your spot on the next instructional voyage. Book by August 31
and receive at no additional charge, Captain Bentsen's Advanced
Spinnaker Handling Package, which will teach you proper bricking of
spinnakers, re-packing at sea, and proper line coiling techniques.
were yesterday. Time has now stopped.
Okay, it's not really that bad. We have had some fun sailing, good
food, interesting music and delightful (and possibly demented)
conversation. And last night, the Captain did a marathon watch so some
of us could get some much needed rest. The man is unstoppable when he
sets his mind to something. A couple days ago Captain Bligh ordered
(that's all he does these days) that we were to do whatever we could to
sail to conserve diesel for fun activities down the road as we get
closer to civilization, like dodging container ships during the night.
So although the winds are light, we were able to set "the spinnakers"
and make some good miles down the road. However, both days the wind
seems to fall below five knots in mid-to-late afternoon and we have to
get back on what the New Zealander calls "the donkey" for the night.
Hey, at least he doesn't call it "the sheep"; just don't even go there.
To illustrate the mechanics of our spinnaker opps, let me take you
through some of the details from yesterday. As soon as dawn breaks, I
don my harness and start rigging the spinnaker gear. After I finish the
set up, I go downstairs and search through the forward head for an
appropriate spinnaker. What, isn't that where everyone keeps them? I
manage to pull out a bag that says something like "1983" on it, and give
it the once over. It appears to be an AP of some sort, with a disco
purple stripe through the center. At this point, Seymour Dodds is
stirring, and comes over to see what I am doing. We look at the bag and
then at each other wondering whether we need those stripped shirts and
"man-staches" made popular on the early IOR circuit to fly this thing.
My growth is pretty good, but Dodds is clean shaven, which could be an
issue. We proceed to launch the disco chute anyway and it provides us
with the beautiful silhouette of an hour-glass against the dawn sky.
Proud of our efforts, we adjourn to the cockpit to sip warm beverages
and slap each other across our stripped-shirt backs.
Just as everything is going "groovy," Bligh pops his head out of the
companion way, sees the distorted spinnaker and bitches about wraps and
twists and uses all kinds of other unsavory terms. He barks that we
should fix it immediately or face the captain's mast. Dodds and I wait
until Bligh disappears downstairs to continue his week-long nap, and
figure we do nothing and just pass the whole mess on to Seaman Gilbert's
watch. But then Dodds remembers that this particular breed of disco
chute generally likes to be flown with a friend, called a blooper. I've
never heard of one because I am too young, but Dodds swears such a thing
exists. Dodds races back to the forward head and returns with some
technicolor beast of a chute that he swears is the required blooper. He
opens the bag and out beams all kinds of disgusting hues, like purple
and yellow, and some sort of light blue I've never seen on a spinnaker
before. I take a quick look around to make sure no one can see us when
this thing is up, and find no one on the horizon. Just for good measure
I also check the AIS.
When we are ready to launch disco's buddy on the free wing halyard,
Bligh shows up again. This time his head is all red, and he has shaved
himself to look like Walter White from Breaking Bad (or possibly Colonel
l Kurtz). He clearly means business. He is upset that we did not clear
the blooper with him. As punishment, he orders us to take down the
disco chute and fly the technicolor beast in full view of passing
boats. And if we can't do the maneuver in under a minute, he will
assess an appropriate punishment. Being too afraid to beg for his
mercy, we set up for the maneuver, which Dobbs calls a "Travolta." With
Dobbs in the hatch, and me on the foredeck, Bligh handles all the
cockpit duties by himself, his hands flying from helm to halyard, guy to
sheet, revealing his inner Tasmanian Devil. (note to my crew: it took
around 50 seconds; Bligh timed it). With that, Dodds and I narrowly
escape the captain's wrath, but are forced to fly this beast until the
wind dies around 3 PM.
The spinnaker fiasco behind us, we turn toward dinner. Seaman Gilbert
grills up the steaks he has been marinating for days, and the result is
amazing. In addition, he has prepared roasted potatoes and a medley of
warmed, canned vegetables. With the exception of the vegetables, it is
clear that the captain is warming to Seaman Gilbert's efforts and a
promotion in rank may not be too far off. As the dining winds down, we
listen to a selection of Danish and Swedish songs as the remain light
fades (along with our taste for good music).
Which brings us to this morning. But before that, a note about Tiki
Blue time. As Seaman Gilbert mentioned in a previous post, telling time
is kind of complicated on boat, and the Day 9 blog entry for whatever
reason extends into the morning of Day 10. What Seaman Gilbert doesn't
know is that figuring out the time for the watch schedule really isn't
that complicated. It's a six hour rotation, where each of us stands
watch for 1 1/2 hours, then is off for 4 1/2 hours. At night, when you
finish your watch, you wake up your replacement, occasionally write in
the ship's log, then pass out in a free bunk. But Dodds and I figured
out some time ago that we can just wake up Seaman Gilbert whenever we
want and he will stand watch for us. At first we had to come up with
some confusing explanation about Hawaii and California time, and how to
convert from the 24 hour format. But now he just assumes we are correct
and drags himself out of bed for the watch. As for the blog entries, we
started our passage at noon on August 4, so we consider days from noon
to noon.
Early this morning, we ran over a rope fish (possibly a "Poly-Pro" or a
"Hawser") which we think became entangled on the prop. These are not
good eating, so we tried to back off it, but a noticeable vibration
remained. So last night we sailed through whatever wind was available
until we could dive on the bottom in the light. After a strong cup of
coffee, I went to investigate the prop and shaft. There I found that the
shaft zinc was rotating freely around the prop shaft and was able to
move back and forth between the bearing and the prop. After many dives,
the problem was fixed, but there is nothing like holding your breath and
using an Allen wrench under a boat to provide a candid assessment your
cardio-vascular fitness. Mine needs some work.
Seymour Dodds continues to cut any references to rabbits out of the
various reading material to throw over board. He is convinced the lack
of wind is attributable to a French superstition that rabbits are bad
luck on sailing vessels. He has also found some references to bananas,
which he hands a similar fate. He's now looking for the Hawaiian word
for "rabbit" to search for any such instances of that word. There may
actually be some truth to the superstition, as after he started this
effort we saw decent speeds for at least part of yesterday, and today we
are currently sailing at 5.8 knots. But we could use all the help we
can get. So anyone who knows any wind dances or chants, send them our way.
Stubblebeard.
N 37º 05.777'; W 145º 18.641'. Distance to GGB: 1089 nm. Time 10:30
Hawaii Time.
Ads by the Google
Captain Bentsen's Boat Brokerage: With each boat purchase, Captain
Bentsen will provide introductory instruction on grueling ocean
passages. The instruction can take place on your new boat or somebody
else's boat selected at random. Instruction topics include "how to
find the Pacific high", "getting lost in GRIBs," "Why the 96 hour
surface forecast is wrong," "Use of seawater for cleaning," "gauging
distance using diesel," "Draggin' lead all over the sea to catch fish,"
and "Recycling urine for drinking water and other uses." Don't miss
this extraordinary opportunity to learn from the master. Call now to
reserve your spot on the next instructional voyage. Book by August 31
and receive at no additional charge, Captain Bentsen's Advanced
Spinnaker Handling Package, which will teach you proper bricking of
spinnakers, re-packing at sea, and proper line coiling techniques.
Capt'n Gary wants to know...
Team Tiki, I’ve noticed from the tracking website that Tiki Blue has the most skewed boat track of all the boats. It appears that around sundown and new heading is taken and then in the wee hours of the morning an new course emerges…I’m not sure what is causing these frequent navigation aberrations but whatever it is it is much more severe than any other boat returning! Hmmm…. What could it be? Maybe instead of watching the stars you need to focus on the compass! :)
Capt’n G
Capt’n G
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Captains Sunday Ramblings
After several days of the crew’s endless blog nonsenses, today is the time to set the facts straight from the Captain!
(We have run he engine so far 43 hours and used approx. 32 our of our 80 Gal. diesel fuel supply)
Just to give an example, the lunch prepared by Seamour Dodds yesterday of curried shrimp in ginger and white wine reduction sauce with freshly baked bread might have been good enough for a baby shower, but when the Cap’t found out that the shameless bastard had broken into his private Chardonnay stash to spice up the meal, he naturally was pouting for quite some time.
Hopefully this will improve tonight – Seaman Gilbert has spend the last 2 days marinating monster steaks in some secret liquid presumably passed down from generations of his convict bloodline. As the Cap’t has made it clear that nothing less than perfect Surf and Turf will be acceptable, a line has been trailing from the boat since the crack of dawn…..if the Seaman will retain any hope of a status improvement to ‘near able’ soon, there better be a catch.
Stubblebeard will probably be the next crew member that will have a meeting under the foremast to defend his status unless he improves greatly in the next 24 hours. It appears that he is determined to destroy the vessel which would be really bad as it is the only one we have. Every time he moves around on the boat, (which is actually not a lot since he seems to be sleeping in his bunk the bulk of the time) bumps are heard. He appears to be using his head to knock into everything, weather tied down or permanently installed. Just in the last five minutes easing from his bunk to the deck, he tried to destroy the forward bulkhead, bathroom door and the ss handhold on the dodger!
carry on..............
Saturday, August 11, 2012
On the 7th Day
On board Tiki Blue, concepts of time have become somewhat vague. Day 7
starts at 1200hrs Hawaii time and ends at 1500hrs Pacific time, also
Tiki Blue time. So each night before going on watch one has to do some
mental gymnastics either adding or subtracting 300hrs to GPS time or
the posted watch times before going up on deck. Captain B has issued
notice that at the half way party, which hopefully will be this
weekend, this nonsense will come to an end when all systems will be
sync'd to PDT GMT -8hrs.
Several events happened yesterday. A unilateral decision was made that
all crew and officers would benefit physically if not mentally to jump
overboard. This was considered necessary to allow an effective full body
wash on the aft deck. Seaman Gilbert due to his diminished rank was last
to wash and apparently no one noticed or heard cries of help from the
seaman until Dodds and Stubblebeard happened on deck. Eventually after
consulting with the capt'n, a line was thrown over to retrieve the
hapless seaman. Apparently the thought of leaving anyone behind in 5770
meter deep water was to much to have on ones conscience.
Shortly after this decision the wind changed and for the first time in 6
days we are on starboard tack. This signaled the beginning of a more
westerly breeze that when it fills in will allow Tiki to finally be
heading at the GG. The evening meal consisted of ginger infused
hamburgers at least 2lbs each care of Stubblebeard and fresh bread that
was to die for care of Seaman Dodds.
The night watches were all uneventful, wind from the south at 3-5 knots,
otto in charge leaving time for some music and a lounge chair on the
stern for heavenly gazing. Meteors with their tails ablaze and shooting
stars above and glassy water that you could ski on,disturbed only by the
phosphorescent wake from the bow below.
Saturday saw our second attempt to hold the 1oz chute and as of this
writing we are making 6.5 knots yippee!
This mornings chores included clearing a sticking fuel gauge by freeing
the diesel tank float, topping off the fuel tank and laying out a lure
to hopefully augment the already marinating steak with seafood.
All is good aboard as we eagerly await winds over 8 knots.
starts at 1200hrs Hawaii time and ends at 1500hrs Pacific time, also
Tiki Blue time. So each night before going on watch one has to do some
mental gymnastics either adding or subtracting 300hrs to GPS time or
the posted watch times before going up on deck. Captain B has issued
notice that at the half way party, which hopefully will be this
weekend, this nonsense will come to an end when all systems will be
sync'd to PDT GMT -8hrs.
Several events happened yesterday. A unilateral decision was made that
all crew and officers would benefit physically if not mentally to jump
overboard. This was considered necessary to allow an effective full body
wash on the aft deck. Seaman Gilbert due to his diminished rank was last
to wash and apparently no one noticed or heard cries of help from the
seaman until Dodds and Stubblebeard happened on deck. Eventually after
consulting with the capt'n, a line was thrown over to retrieve the
hapless seaman. Apparently the thought of leaving anyone behind in 5770
meter deep water was to much to have on ones conscience.
Shortly after this decision the wind changed and for the first time in 6
days we are on starboard tack. This signaled the beginning of a more
westerly breeze that when it fills in will allow Tiki to finally be
heading at the GG. The evening meal consisted of ginger infused
hamburgers at least 2lbs each care of Stubblebeard and fresh bread that
was to die for care of Seaman Dodds.
The night watches were all uneventful, wind from the south at 3-5 knots,
otto in charge leaving time for some music and a lounge chair on the
stern for heavenly gazing. Meteors with their tails ablaze and shooting
stars above and glassy water that you could ski on,disturbed only by the
phosphorescent wake from the bow below.
Saturday saw our second attempt to hold the 1oz chute and as of this
writing we are making 6.5 knots yippee!
This mornings chores included clearing a sticking fuel gauge by freeing
the diesel tank float, topping off the fuel tank and laying out a lure
to hopefully augment the already marinating steak with seafood.
All is good aboard as we eagerly await winds over 8 knots.
Friday, August 10, 2012
blog frid
another perfect day in paradise
Tiki Blue just boogies along at a fairly steady 5-6 even in a breeze of
only 7 knots.
Torbin shifted the watches around slightly so David now follows Chris.
After his trial and in spite of the concerted efforts by the vile
prosecutor a sentence was rendered, yet it was the very Captain of the
T.B. (not Chris) who then assumed the captaincy of the head. He
proceeded to field strip and then clean two rubbery valves with a
combination of rum (yet another Captain -this one good ole vanilla-y
Morgan) , rice vinegar and paper towels. After lubing with petroleum
jelly, Torbin reinstalled the gadgets and the head no longer leaked.
After which out came the handy wipes which left the water closet with a
visible sparkling clean sheen and pleasant aroma.
We've been doing a combination of motoring and sailing trying to keep
the boat northing at around 5 knots. Whilst letting the 5th crewman,
young Auto who is believed of silicon-German ancestry, failed in his
negotiation of a patch of plastic here floating in the Pacific Gyre. The
gyre is home to much eternal plastic. This is actually to be expected
as hardly a minute goes by with seeing something extruded float by. Auto
drove because it was time for our evening cocktails. In accordance with
the New Yacht Club Manual of Excruciatingly Correct Yachting Attire (9th
edition) the Captain posted that the uniform of the day be tropical
undress (open collar short sleeved shirts, bermuda shorts with knee sox
and shoes -all white and freshly pressed of course. You should have seen
David ironing in the forepeak -but that 's another story.) Unlike the
gauche Pacific Intra Club Yacht Association style manual shoulder boards
were not worn. The cocktail unfortunately was not in accordance with
the NYYCMECYA. Good Ole Capt Morgan spiced rum with plastic bottled OJ
was fine. Still shaken with ice in a tumbler was how it should properly
have been served. The orange slice garnish was a nice touch but hardly
up to the NYYC standard.
Still the boat was shaken. The prop was encumbered by something. No
amount of hoo-chee koo-chee with the throttle could ease the out of
kilter whomp-whomp vibration. Seymour Dodds after consulting NYYCMECYA
(overboard diving section) jumped in with appropriate Brooks Brothers
monogrammed swim briefs located line wrapped around the prop and shaft
and after a second dive removed it. Oddly & luckily it was half inch
manila line. Removing ocean aged, prickly polypropylene is much harder
and probably would have involved some cutting out. And fortunately he
didn't see any large predatory eyes looking back at him from under the
hull.
Later on near sunset he crew dined on Penne Pasta (whole wheat) with
meatballs in marinara sauce with chopped Parmesan. The cabin boys are
now washing little red dots of sauce out of the tropical undress whites.
Night watches are still the favorites. You are not alone on the ocean
with all those little twinkly stars and planets slowly rotating around
Polaris. Shooting stars are also having their brief streaky moments
across the sky.
Not sure when we're getting in. Just set a kite. The gribs say we've got
a nice tailwind coming in a couple days and we are still gaining degrees
of latitude.
Tiki Blue just boogies along at a fairly steady 5-6 even in a breeze of
only 7 knots.
Torbin shifted the watches around slightly so David now follows Chris.
After his trial and in spite of the concerted efforts by the vile
prosecutor a sentence was rendered, yet it was the very Captain of the
T.B. (not Chris) who then assumed the captaincy of the head. He
proceeded to field strip and then clean two rubbery valves with a
combination of rum (yet another Captain -this one good ole vanilla-y
Morgan) , rice vinegar and paper towels. After lubing with petroleum
jelly, Torbin reinstalled the gadgets and the head no longer leaked.
After which out came the handy wipes which left the water closet with a
visible sparkling clean sheen and pleasant aroma.
We've been doing a combination of motoring and sailing trying to keep
the boat northing at around 5 knots. Whilst letting the 5th crewman,
young Auto who is believed of silicon-German ancestry, failed in his
negotiation of a patch of plastic here floating in the Pacific Gyre. The
gyre is home to much eternal plastic. This is actually to be expected
as hardly a minute goes by with seeing something extruded float by. Auto
drove because it was time for our evening cocktails. In accordance with
the New Yacht Club Manual of Excruciatingly Correct Yachting Attire (9th
edition) the Captain posted that the uniform of the day be tropical
undress (open collar short sleeved shirts, bermuda shorts with knee sox
and shoes -all white and freshly pressed of course. You should have seen
David ironing in the forepeak -but that 's another story.) Unlike the
gauche Pacific Intra Club Yacht Association style manual shoulder boards
were not worn. The cocktail unfortunately was not in accordance with
the NYYCMECYA. Good Ole Capt Morgan spiced rum with plastic bottled OJ
was fine. Still shaken with ice in a tumbler was how it should properly
have been served. The orange slice garnish was a nice touch but hardly
up to the NYYC standard.
Still the boat was shaken. The prop was encumbered by something. No
amount of hoo-chee koo-chee with the throttle could ease the out of
kilter whomp-whomp vibration. Seymour Dodds after consulting NYYCMECYA
(overboard diving section) jumped in with appropriate Brooks Brothers
monogrammed swim briefs located line wrapped around the prop and shaft
and after a second dive removed it. Oddly & luckily it was half inch
manila line. Removing ocean aged, prickly polypropylene is much harder
and probably would have involved some cutting out. And fortunately he
didn't see any large predatory eyes looking back at him from under the
hull.
Later on near sunset he crew dined on Penne Pasta (whole wheat) with
meatballs in marinara sauce with chopped Parmesan. The cabin boys are
now washing little red dots of sauce out of the tropical undress whites.
Night watches are still the favorites. You are not alone on the ocean
with all those little twinkly stars and planets slowly rotating around
Polaris. Shooting stars are also having their brief streaky moments
across the sky.
Not sure when we're getting in. Just set a kite. The gribs say we've got
a nice tailwind coming in a couple days and we are still gaining degrees
of latitude.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Day 5: BREAKING NEWS - SEAMAN Gilbert Sentenced
This is BREAKING NEWS from the High Seas. 31º 41.846' N, 152º 25.845'
W, 10:44 AM Hawaii Time.
In a story that has rocked the returning Pac Cup Fleet, a seaman on the
sailing vessel Tiki Blue has been sentenced to hard labor and a
reduction in rank for treasonous acts committed on 7 August 2012. As we
previously reported, on the morning of 8 August, upon fixing the daily
run Captain 'Bligh' Bentsen discovered the previous day's noon log entry
missing from the ship's log. This morning we received word that Captain
Bentsen has concluded his investigation of the alleged treasonous acts
by one, formerly "able" seaman Christopher Gilbert. According to our
sources, seaman Gilbert was responsible for making the aforementioned
noon-day log entry following his rotation on the watch schedule that
day. Captain Bentsen concluded that he failed to do so, in direct
defiance of a duly issued Captain's order.
For uninitiated, the noon-day log entries are used to determine the
daily distance traveled, general passage progress, and other essential
information such as whether the ship is "closer to home or there."
Without accurate position reports, Tiki Blue's navigator could lose
track of the precise number of days left on the voyage, leading the crew
to believe the ship was not making progress at all, but rather was
drifting aimlessly around god forsaken windless stretches of ocean,
where the only form of sustenance is disgusting floating plastic fish
(such as the "evian" and "jim buoy" varieties).
"This action not only put the entire crew of the vessel in danger, but
highly irritated the Captain, who had to use some of his valuable red
wine drinking time, dead reckoning to establish said noon time
position," explained Prosecuting Officer John, who for inexplicable
reasons shall hereinafter be referred to as "Seymour Dodds."
A hearing was held at Captain's Mast this morning at 8:43AM Hawaii
Time. (Ed. Note: The hearing was scheduled for 8 AM. Despite Tiki
Blue having only one mast, Gilbert blamed his tardy appearance at the
proceedings as a result of going to the wrong one first). Captain
Bentsen commenced the hearing with a reading of the charges, also noting
that seaman Gilbert hails from the island province of New Zealand,
widely regarded by seafaring peoples everywhere as producing many a
scoundrel and derelict sailor in the past and present. Then PO Dodds
entered the log book into evidence. The Honorable (and vastly skilled)
American hailing from the Eastern Provinces, David "Stubblebeard"
Schumann, provided a vigorous defense. Due to some sort of fee dispute
involving the quantity of remaining beer on the boat, Schumann withdrew
and declined to provide a closing argument. After considering all the
evidence and testimony for at least as long as it takes to set the
autopilot in compass mode, Captain Bentsen sentenced seaman Gilbert a
two-rank reduction and hard labor. Formerly an "able" seaman, Gilbert
was reduced to "not-so-able" seaman. The prescribed hard labor included
cleaning of the galley, head, and cockpit.
Sources indicate that execution of the sentence began immediately.
Attempts to contact not-so-able seaman Gilbert or the Honorable (and
vastly skilled) Schumann for comment were not returned. Stay tuned for
additional updates.
IN OTHER NEWS
Tiki Blue continues to experience very light winds and mild seas. Most
of yesterday was spent coaxing a few knots of boat speed out of whatever
breeze the crew could find. Last night was similar, with four to seven
knots of breeze out of the SE. Tiki Blue is just skirting the south
side of a high pressure region, with another weaker one to the East.
The plan is to attempt to squeeze between these two highs on a
north-easterly course, hoping that the gap between them remains long
enough for Tiki to pass through to the stronger breezes to the NE.
We know from the 9 PM radio net that there are several other returning
Pac Cup boats in our vicinity; the closest, Medusa, was about 20 miles
south east as of 9 pm last night. However, we cannot see them during
the day or at night. In fact, we have not seen another boat or ship
since leaving Hawaii. One of the returning boats reported seeing an
unlit navy vessel a couple nights ago, but we have not had any such
encounters.
Despite the slow-going, the Pacific continues to amaze. Last night
there were large gaps in the clouds affording a wide view of the stars.
We spent some time identifying stars and planets with various iPad
apps. Even the milky way is quite impressive way out here where there
are no other lights. The night watches have become quite memorable:
grab a hot cup of something to drink, don a pull-over, and stare at the
stars for an hour and half per watch.
At 12:08 Hawaii Time, the GPS is showing us 1517 miles west of the
Golden Gate Bridge. Expedition is predicting an arrival at around 6 AM
Pacific Time on Monday, August 20. Expedition doesn't know we have a
motor though, and we have begun using it in the really light air to keep
our boat speed reasonable. We also don't know exactly what is going to
happen with the areas of high pressure we are moving through. We'll have
a more accurate assessment when we get further into and past these two
high regions.
Respectfully submitted,
The Honorable (and vastly skilled) Stubblebeard.
Some info sourced from PO Dodds' and Captain Bligh's charging document.
W, 10:44 AM Hawaii Time.
In a story that has rocked the returning Pac Cup Fleet, a seaman on the
sailing vessel Tiki Blue has been sentenced to hard labor and a
reduction in rank for treasonous acts committed on 7 August 2012. As we
previously reported, on the morning of 8 August, upon fixing the daily
run Captain 'Bligh' Bentsen discovered the previous day's noon log entry
missing from the ship's log. This morning we received word that Captain
Bentsen has concluded his investigation of the alleged treasonous acts
by one, formerly "able" seaman Christopher Gilbert. According to our
sources, seaman Gilbert was responsible for making the aforementioned
noon-day log entry following his rotation on the watch schedule that
day. Captain Bentsen concluded that he failed to do so, in direct
defiance of a duly issued Captain's order.
For uninitiated, the noon-day log entries are used to determine the
daily distance traveled, general passage progress, and other essential
information such as whether the ship is "closer to home or there."
Without accurate position reports, Tiki Blue's navigator could lose
track of the precise number of days left on the voyage, leading the crew
to believe the ship was not making progress at all, but rather was
drifting aimlessly around god forsaken windless stretches of ocean,
where the only form of sustenance is disgusting floating plastic fish
(such as the "evian" and "jim buoy" varieties).
"This action not only put the entire crew of the vessel in danger, but
highly irritated the Captain, who had to use some of his valuable red
wine drinking time, dead reckoning to establish said noon time
position," explained Prosecuting Officer John, who for inexplicable
reasons shall hereinafter be referred to as "Seymour Dodds."
A hearing was held at Captain's Mast this morning at 8:43AM Hawaii
Time. (Ed. Note: The hearing was scheduled for 8 AM. Despite Tiki
Blue having only one mast, Gilbert blamed his tardy appearance at the
proceedings as a result of going to the wrong one first). Captain
Bentsen commenced the hearing with a reading of the charges, also noting
that seaman Gilbert hails from the island province of New Zealand,
widely regarded by seafaring peoples everywhere as producing many a
scoundrel and derelict sailor in the past and present. Then PO Dodds
entered the log book into evidence. The Honorable (and vastly skilled)
American hailing from the Eastern Provinces, David "Stubblebeard"
Schumann, provided a vigorous defense. Due to some sort of fee dispute
involving the quantity of remaining beer on the boat, Schumann withdrew
and declined to provide a closing argument. After considering all the
evidence and testimony for at least as long as it takes to set the
autopilot in compass mode, Captain Bentsen sentenced seaman Gilbert a
two-rank reduction and hard labor. Formerly an "able" seaman, Gilbert
was reduced to "not-so-able" seaman. The prescribed hard labor included
cleaning of the galley, head, and cockpit.
Sources indicate that execution of the sentence began immediately.
Attempts to contact not-so-able seaman Gilbert or the Honorable (and
vastly skilled) Schumann for comment were not returned. Stay tuned for
additional updates.
IN OTHER NEWS
Tiki Blue continues to experience very light winds and mild seas. Most
of yesterday was spent coaxing a few knots of boat speed out of whatever
breeze the crew could find. Last night was similar, with four to seven
knots of breeze out of the SE. Tiki Blue is just skirting the south
side of a high pressure region, with another weaker one to the East.
The plan is to attempt to squeeze between these two highs on a
north-easterly course, hoping that the gap between them remains long
enough for Tiki to pass through to the stronger breezes to the NE.
We know from the 9 PM radio net that there are several other returning
Pac Cup boats in our vicinity; the closest, Medusa, was about 20 miles
south east as of 9 pm last night. However, we cannot see them during
the day or at night. In fact, we have not seen another boat or ship
since leaving Hawaii. One of the returning boats reported seeing an
unlit navy vessel a couple nights ago, but we have not had any such
encounters.
Despite the slow-going, the Pacific continues to amaze. Last night
there were large gaps in the clouds affording a wide view of the stars.
We spent some time identifying stars and planets with various iPad
apps. Even the milky way is quite impressive way out here where there
are no other lights. The night watches have become quite memorable:
grab a hot cup of something to drink, don a pull-over, and stare at the
stars for an hour and half per watch.
At 12:08 Hawaii Time, the GPS is showing us 1517 miles west of the
Golden Gate Bridge. Expedition is predicting an arrival at around 6 AM
Pacific Time on Monday, August 20. Expedition doesn't know we have a
motor though, and we have begun using it in the really light air to keep
our boat speed reasonable. We also don't know exactly what is going to
happen with the areas of high pressure we are moving through. We'll have
a more accurate assessment when we get further into and past these two
high regions.
Respectfully submitted,
The Honorable (and vastly skilled) Stubblebeard.
Some info sourced from PO Dodds' and Captain Bligh's charging document.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Quick blog answers
Just a few answers to incoming mail.
Steve, yes, I do get your mail, but faster if you send via the blog -
keep advise coming as you see fit.
Judy, re tickets for A45, go ahead with what you think is best, but bear
in mind that we may not be there on the 21st.
Rune, yes, suggestions are welcome, I don't need the tracker data, we
have pretty decent SSB reception and can pick up and plot the other
boats position, speed, wind and heading - but if you want to send me the
NOAA 48 and 96 surface analysis (if it is not to big ) that could be
helpful.
Torben
Steve, yes, I do get your mail, but faster if you send via the blog -
keep advise coming as you see fit.
Judy, re tickets for A45, go ahead with what you think is best, but bear
in mind that we may not be there on the 21st.
Rune, yes, suggestions are welcome, I don't need the tracker data, we
have pretty decent SSB reception and can pick up and plot the other
boats position, speed, wind and heading - but if you want to send me the
NOAA 48 and 96 surface analysis (if it is not to big ) that could be
helpful.
Torben
Day 4 update from Tiki
This report is a little long, but I know Cap't G wants to know how TIKI
is doing........
At 10:30 on this Wednesday morning we just turned on the engine to motor
through the windless backside of a morning squall, charging the
batteries at the same time. So far we have run the engine 7.5 hours to
charge. We are 1640 NM from the Golden Gate and 560 NM NNE of Hawaii.
The last couple of days has seen some pretty incredible sailing
conditions with very flat seas, nice sunshine and winds ranging from 9 -
15 knots most of the time - the wind has been coming out of the ESE
allowing us to sail closer to the direct course to San Francisco than we
had hoped for.
Last night was spectacular with no cloud cover and a multitude of stars
that we tried to identify with Davids Ipad stargazer app.
We hand steer the boat to save on battery condition, you get 1 1/2 hours
at the wheel, then you can rest, read, chat, cook, clean or brush your
teeth the rest of the time - one unnamed crew finally found his
toothbrush for the first time yesterday!
We have had squalls every night into the morning hours. They add 5 - 10
knots to the general wind strength, the most we have seen yet is 24
knots of breeze, right when it was pitch black with no moon. A couple of
days ago we blew out the reefing block for the # 1 reef as the webbing
let go in a little gust. After getting the sail down it took an hour to
figure out how to use the 'speedy stitcher' , then 2 hours to sew new
webbing loops onto the sail to re-attach the reef block - looks a little
funky, but works fine.
The crew has definitely mellowed out from some pre departure anxiety.
There is a lot of reading and happy snoozing going on.
Everyone are getting along great swabbing stories and learning about
each other lives. Boat is clean and picked up, and as opposed to the
trip over the head smells like roses, as everyone is sitting down to do
all their business. The crew is very safety conscious, wearing life
jackets and harnesses on watch and whenever they need to be on deck to
work on reefing etc. So far everyone has been well behaved and we have
kept the noon floggings at the mast to a minimum.
Eating has been nice, I think. In general, we are eating like men! That
means plenty of meat, and hardly anything green. As a matter of fact, we
think the reef block let go because John made a girls meal for lunch
(salad w/ salami) and that instigated the following sewing session, so
no more girl food! Breakfasts have generally been sausage and eggs,
lunch yesterday was half raw hamburgers with 2 cans of chili, and dinner
was sliders with canned, buttered corn........get the drift? Later
today we are going to empty the cooler with the dry iced goods into the
main fridge and do a little re-arranging - we hope the ice cream is
still frozen as it is on the menu tonight!
As for strategy, we are close reaching N, trying to put in as much
easting as we can - from the gribs we downloaded yesterday it looks like
we should get lifted in the next day with slightly lighter winds - our
routing software tells us we will be sailing under the Golden Gate
Bridge on 8/20 at 4AM, but it does not know that we have a motor! It is
still way to early to come up with any good predictions before we are
through the High anyway.
Cheers Cap't T
is doing........
At 10:30 on this Wednesday morning we just turned on the engine to motor
through the windless backside of a morning squall, charging the
batteries at the same time. So far we have run the engine 7.5 hours to
charge. We are 1640 NM from the Golden Gate and 560 NM NNE of Hawaii.
The last couple of days has seen some pretty incredible sailing
conditions with very flat seas, nice sunshine and winds ranging from 9 -
15 knots most of the time - the wind has been coming out of the ESE
allowing us to sail closer to the direct course to San Francisco than we
had hoped for.
Last night was spectacular with no cloud cover and a multitude of stars
that we tried to identify with Davids Ipad stargazer app.
We hand steer the boat to save on battery condition, you get 1 1/2 hours
at the wheel, then you can rest, read, chat, cook, clean or brush your
teeth the rest of the time - one unnamed crew finally found his
toothbrush for the first time yesterday!
We have had squalls every night into the morning hours. They add 5 - 10
knots to the general wind strength, the most we have seen yet is 24
knots of breeze, right when it was pitch black with no moon. A couple of
days ago we blew out the reefing block for the # 1 reef as the webbing
let go in a little gust. After getting the sail down it took an hour to
figure out how to use the 'speedy stitcher' , then 2 hours to sew new
webbing loops onto the sail to re-attach the reef block - looks a little
funky, but works fine.
The crew has definitely mellowed out from some pre departure anxiety.
There is a lot of reading and happy snoozing going on.
Everyone are getting along great swabbing stories and learning about
each other lives. Boat is clean and picked up, and as opposed to the
trip over the head smells like roses, as everyone is sitting down to do
all their business. The crew is very safety conscious, wearing life
jackets and harnesses on watch and whenever they need to be on deck to
work on reefing etc. So far everyone has been well behaved and we have
kept the noon floggings at the mast to a minimum.
Eating has been nice, I think. In general, we are eating like men! That
means plenty of meat, and hardly anything green. As a matter of fact, we
think the reef block let go because John made a girls meal for lunch
(salad w/ salami) and that instigated the following sewing session, so
no more girl food! Breakfasts have generally been sausage and eggs,
lunch yesterday was half raw hamburgers with 2 cans of chili, and dinner
was sliders with canned, buttered corn........get the drift? Later
today we are going to empty the cooler with the dry iced goods into the
main fridge and do a little re-arranging - we hope the ice cream is
still frozen as it is on the menu tonight!
As for strategy, we are close reaching N, trying to put in as much
easting as we can - from the gribs we downloaded yesterday it looks like
we should get lifted in the next day with slightly lighter winds - our
routing software tells us we will be sailing under the Golden Gate
Bridge on 8/20 at 4AM, but it does not know that we have a motor! It is
still way to early to come up with any good predictions before we are
through the High anyway.
Cheers Cap't T
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Tiki Blue update by Chris
Your next guest writer is Chris, still waiting for an opportunity to
repair some furniture on TIKI so he does not forget what it is like to
be a Furniture Medic! N 27.50 W 154.53 and 1740 NM to the Golden Gate :
Day four of our voyage starts with a beautiful moon lighting our way and
Tiki Blue charging along at 7.5 knots on dark sapphire blue water like a
racehorse performing a pre dawn workout. Life on board is beginning to
settle into routine although there seems always something to do.
Yesterday after a couple of "pops" Torben and Chris held an impromptu
sewing session that after some trial and error analysis, turned out
successful. Repairs on the sail completed ,Tiki is back on track. Things
to remind you of location include incredible rainbows after passing
squalls, flying fish! who would have thought and steering by the stars,
last night I believe it was Polaris.
repair some furniture on TIKI so he does not forget what it is like to
be a Furniture Medic! N 27.50 W 154.53 and 1740 NM to the Golden Gate :
Day four of our voyage starts with a beautiful moon lighting our way and
Tiki Blue charging along at 7.5 knots on dark sapphire blue water like a
racehorse performing a pre dawn workout. Life on board is beginning to
settle into routine although there seems always something to do.
Yesterday after a couple of "pops" Torben and Chris held an impromptu
sewing session that after some trial and error analysis, turned out
successful. Repairs on the sail completed ,Tiki is back on track. Things
to remind you of location include incredible rainbows after passing
squalls, flying fish! who would have thought and steering by the stars,
last night I believe it was Polaris.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Day 2 as experienced by John
Our second guest writer is not know as a man of few words, as often
evidenced by his Storm Jib articles.
1870 Miles from the Golden Gate, take it away Mr. Dukat :
rain squalls last night
wind up 6 knots quickly
then into the low 20's
all dark of course
no stars, moon not up
a few sprinkles then the soaking
lasted about 20 minutes
several less severe followed
into the oh--dark 30 hours
they abated
neat full moon now
stars as a guide
normal 13-14s
driving easy
settling into routine
vast sea
yet with electronic gadgets
hardly endless
and remote?
not with iridium
evidenced by his Storm Jib articles.
1870 Miles from the Golden Gate, take it away Mr. Dukat :
rain squalls last night
wind up 6 knots quickly
then into the low 20's
all dark of course
no stars, moon not up
a few sprinkles then the soaking
lasted about 20 minutes
several less severe followed
into the oh--dark 30 hours
they abated
neat full moon now
stars as a guide
normal 13-14s
driving easy
settling into routine
vast sea
yet with electronic gadgets
hardly endless
and remote?
not with iridium
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Day One blog from David
Our first guest speaker for the blog is David S, a man of few, but expensive words - he normally writes legal briefs for a living at $ 100 per word, but is doing today's Tiki blog at a discount.......As of 8 in the morning we are about 125 NM North of Hawaii
Current Position: N 23º 23.115', W 157º 16.263'
Yesterday, Tiki Blue slipped its lines at the Kaneohe Yacht Club and began the passage home. First and final stop before SF was the fuel dock, where Tiki was met by Gary and family for send off before heading out the channel and due north. Tiki passed the "R2" channel marker at 12:30 PM, set the sails and took off into a 12-18 knot north easterly wind and small seas. Several birds followed Tiki out.
After a few hours great sailing, the crew settled into the watch schedule. Aside from some minor queasiness, everyone has been acclimating well. There were not very many squalls last night and the sailing has been nearly perfect. Throughout the day yesterday we had 12-20 knot winds and fair enough weather to sail in shorts and tee shirts. Around 6PM, Torben threw the lasagna in the oven, and we all ate well and continued sailing into the night. Winds lightened to around 9-14 in the early morning hours. After a great sunrise, the wind picked up again, and great sailing continued.
Our current plan has us sailing north for several more days before turning east. We are currently 1997 nm to SF.
Current Position: N 23º 23.115', W 157º 16.263'
Yesterday, Tiki Blue slipped its lines at the Kaneohe Yacht Club and began the passage home. First and final stop before SF was the fuel dock, where Tiki was met by Gary and family for send off before heading out the channel and due north. Tiki passed the "R2" channel marker at 12:30 PM, set the sails and took off into a 12-18 knot north easterly wind and small seas. Several birds followed Tiki out.
After a few hours great sailing, the crew settled into the watch schedule. Aside from some minor queasiness, everyone has been acclimating well. There were not very many squalls last night and the sailing has been nearly perfect. Throughout the day yesterday we had 12-20 knot winds and fair enough weather to sail in shorts and tee shirts. Around 6PM, Torben threw the lasagna in the oven, and we all ate well and continued sailing into the night. Winds lightened to around 9-14 in the early morning hours. After a great sunrise, the wind picked up again, and great sailing continued.
Our current plan has us sailing north for several more days before turning east. We are currently 1997 nm to SF.
Tiki Blue fueled up and 100 plus miles off Kaneohe shores
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Day 0 of the return
Provisions are loaded, some minor fixes like a broken halyard and
stanchion fixed, and we are ready to depart Saturday morning after the
weather briefing and a stop at the fuel dock to top off the tank.
While our menu does not seem as sophisticated as the one for the team
going over, we win hands down in the power bar division - by accident we
got power bars on both the first and second shopping trip, and that was
before we found the stash left over! So yes, at last count we were in
the 500 + category.
Weather for today and tomorrow is predicted at a balmy 12 - 17 knots
with relatively small seas, so everyone will hopefully gain sea legs in
short order.
T
stanchion fixed, and we are ready to depart Saturday morning after the
weather briefing and a stop at the fuel dock to top off the tank.
While our menu does not seem as sophisticated as the one for the team
going over, we win hands down in the power bar division - by accident we
got power bars on both the first and second shopping trip, and that was
before we found the stash left over! So yes, at last count we were in
the 500 + category.
Weather for today and tomorrow is predicted at a balmy 12 - 17 knots
with relatively small seas, so everyone will hopefully gain sea legs in
short order.
T
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tiki Blue Return Crew- almost ready and excited about the crossing
May the Tiki gods be with you and safe return to RYC home port.
David, Torben, John, Chris
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