What we signed up for.

Day 7 of the Return trip.

So we have now had 2 days of recuperation. It's been downwind in comfortable wind-speeds and conditions. We have had EVERYTHING out to dry.

From clothes, to matresses, to food-packs, to books. But before we could get complacent, our jacked-up shore crew pointed out that there was another low pressure system headed our way and that we'd do well to avoid it - lest we desired more uphill sailing. So we put in a gybe, working around all the bags and clothes strewn around the deck, and started tracking North-East.

We got back up to 34 degrees South a lot faster than we had anticipated. we are now heading due-east under motor and sail, waiting for some wind to fill in from our port beam.

We have taken off our bear-suits and foulies (a bear suit is like a onesie, but for men), and got the shorts and vests out.

With the possibility of some kak weather coming, this may be the last jovial blog entry for a few days. So we hope you enjoy it.

We had a catch yesterday! Shortly after the gybe, Dave/Navidave/Davidaloca noticed a tug on the  line. When we hauled it in, it turned out that it was Raf's SA Rugby shirt which must have fallen off during the gybe! Our catch-of-the-day of Springbok was disappointing to everyone except Raf.

On the topic of Raf, his levels of honesty are through the roof. He was on his own, dividing biscuits for the night watches, when he found that there was one extra cookie. Raf piped up that he had a problem, where any one of the rest of us would have guzzled that thing quietly and not said a word!

We had a blockage of the heads (lavatory). This was a big problem, but after a lot of toil it was resolved (see what I did there?). There will be no discussion of how the problem was fixed, just be happy that it was. As a result of this scene, all male-type humanoids are sentenced to sole use of the sugarscoop cubicle AKA the men's room henceforth. We couldn't apply this ruling to Gina - we are gentlemen, of course.

We finally had a decent breakfast that wasn't leftover broth from days passd. The calmer conditions facilitated Gina making some delicious french toast with an exciting array of condiments - cinnamon sugar, honey, fresh lime, Black Cat peanut butter (thanks Goldy!), and a HUGE tub of Dulce de Leche from our lovely friend Florencia (gracias Florencia!).

That tub of dulce de leche is probably going to vanish faster than Mrs de Carvalho's biscuits (thanks Vitoria!).

The last thing that everyone should know about, is that last night, Ric got a PK from a flying-fish. His exact words: "Ah! Flying fish to the back!"

Thanks for reading!

Ciao

Licking our wounds

Day 6 of the Return trip.

We have blue sky and downwind for the first time on this trip. We changed from the storm jib and double-reefed main to Florence (Florence kite-in-gale the little Zebra spinnaker – ed) and a full main this morning.

Gybed onto starboard and heading WSW. The swell hasn't changed direction in our favour yet, so steering is tricky. Sea has been unexpectedly choppy the last few days.

And this morning - Ricardo did the dishes!! Vitoria will be so proud.

So lets report on some of the issues we've had:

- tear near the tack of #3 headsail, about 20cm long, and wearing cloth nearby (all in the region of previous repair). Raf and I have repaired it quite thoroughly with some sticky-back tape and needlework that would make Aunty Sha proud.

- all bilge water in the boat has been drained, initially with buckets, then bowls, then cups (as the level dropped). Next step is sponges.

- food wise, we have been eating very little due to the conditions. I managed to cook the last of our meat into a beef soup in the pressure cooker. It's been a hit.

- we still need to establish the extent to which the water affected our food rations. Will do that next.

- we have enough drinking water to last us another 30 days. So even if the desalinator packs up, we'll be good.

- the engine is making a funny humming noise from what seems to be the alternator. It is possible that it may be the impeller too, but frankly, I don't know where to check or replace the impeller.

I think that that sums up the change in circumstances that that came with the change in wind direction.

Gina has her say!

Day 5 of the Return trip.

Ricky was right. I may have never done a Cape to Rio (which is like walking through a forest) but a Rio to Cape (or Uruguay to Cape)  like running through a forest off the path while being chased by a wolf. Beating used to be enjoyable (I reckon it still could be), but when the swell comes from different directions, you are knee high in water in your dry place of the boat, there are times when you wonder: “why the heck do we do this for fun?”

Then you have moments like these:

-             Whale: Fin whale to be more specific. On day 2, swimming right next

to the boat for about 30 min and Bren like a school boy, clilmbing the mast like a jungle gym to get a better look.

-             Ric D: “Michael Jackson must have been a sailor” as he ducks back

to avoid a wave crashing over the boat

-             The beautiful blue at the crest of a 3m swell just before the break

of the white-horse

-             The swooping arc of an offshore bird’s flight and how it just

misses the water by mm.

-             Seeing a non-offshore bird land at arms-reach away from you – when

you’re 200 miles offshore

-             Raf: “It’s like pulling a giant caterpillar” as he tugs the packed

up J3 sail into the forepeak of the boat.

-             Four boys going through more clothes than a high-school girl

getting ready for a date.

-             The phosphorescence that make it look as though you’re sailing

amongst the stars. Picture a boat in the middle of the galaxy with stars above and below.

-             Tea-Time Dave: “There is always time for a sneaky tea”

-             Family and friend emails are sure to lift the moods on the dullest

day, and one can never skip a beat for missing this one out!

So no matter how bad it gets, or how much you may be wishing you were somewhere else, or during days like day 4 – there’s nothing quite like being on a boat with a group of friends.

If nothing else, you’ll learn something new, or realize how much you love the family, friends and the sport of sailing.

Gina

Day 4 of the return trip

No Blog today, with everyone exhausted - So we posted this instead

"Yesterday’s position report reflects some of the more trying aspects of crossing an ocean. They had been sailing into the wind since leaving South America, with the wind increasing in strength as the weather system that was sucking in the air (from in front of them) caught them up from behind."

Pos Rep reads as follows:

position at 1200utc on 8 04 2014

34deg 42.59'S

050deg 29.49'W

Wind still honking Easterly. Needing some respite to dry things and carry out repairs. Laptop nearly got f@#$ed by salt water.

Knackered. Blog entry will have to wait.

Starting the climb

Day 3 of the return trip.

Following the update yesterday,  the conditions turned into something beautiful. The wind was still upwind, but it increased and settled in a way which was comfortable and manageable. We are currently sitting quite well north of where we began, in an attempt to escape a big low pressure developing below Rio de la Plata.

The sun came out to play for a little while, not only facilitating the drying of some clothes, but a lunch-time braai as well. After lunch, we were shocked when Raf suddenly told us that he was going to start taking off his clothes (forgetting to mention that he was talking about the clothes on the line).

We have had our first conflict on the boat. During the night-watches, one of Ricardo’s sandwiches went missing. All kinds of fingers have been pointed and accusations have been made. We all seem to think that it’s justified, seeing as Ric NEVER does dishes. Not once this trip!

We had our first cup of 5 Roses tea in ages (thank you, Goldy). And shortly thereafter were joined by a whale. Raf and Dave think it was a Fin Whale.

People also got very excited about some seals frolicking about the boat.

The breeze has increased as predicted, and will hopefully swing to the north soon. We have had enough of upwind for now.”

On a different not,

If you have any messages for the crew, or news from home, please forward to me, and I will get the message off to them. They have very limited band width, so we find it most effective to consolidate all the messages. (Don’t be lazy about this, even a short light hearted message each day is great to hear!)

And of course feel free to call me if you are worried about anything. (For example, I believe that the smell of diesel is emanating from one of the breather screws on the tanks that has not been closed properly – and I will tell them that today. To get into the laserette (the boot at the back of the boat) in a sea that is “Very lumpy and roly” is not the nicest thing to do, but with diesel smell, a little diesel goes a long way.

Have a good day.

Michael

A slow start

Day 2 of the return trip.

If we were to sum up the first 24 hours in two words, those words would be “light” and “rainy”. We have yet to see the sun since leaving Montevideo, but at least the drizzle stops periodically. The phosphorescence is also keeping us company -  in the dark of the night, the still sea looks like a black curtain strewn with glitter, and a bright green wake flickers behind us.

It has also been upwind all of the way so far. Our track on the chart- plotter resembles an EGC, which will hopefully start flat-lining soon.

We are all still enjoying each others’ company. Ric and Bren were planning on sneaking in a bunch of Argentinean girls back, but there wasn’t enough space in the laserette. So we left them behind.

All of our preparations seem to be paying off. We have had no issues so far. The boat is dry inside, we are properly fed, everything on the boat is working and working well at that.

Act 3, Scene 1

Day 1 of the Return trip.

To say that we worked hard to get ready to leave ASAP is an understatement.

 With the bulk of the crew having just got back from Argentina, there was only Friday in which to do all of the remaining pre-departure work.

Raf (Chancho) and Bren (Capitao Lula) set off to satisfy the requirements of the customs, immigration and Prefectura people. Gina (Geniaaas) and Ric (Uncle Ric/Allan from the hangover) did all the victualing, which included purchasing the meat and having it frozen. Dave was left on boat duty, unpacking, cleaning, stowing, throwing, etc. We all grafted to get our respective jobs done. Somehow Dave managed to find the time to sneak an afternoon dos in.

When we were satisfied with our progress, we left the yacht club to bid farewell to our lovely hostesses, who treated us to a home-cooked dinner.

After saying our farewells, we made tracks back to the boat to depart.

Ciao Bella’s official time of departure from Montevideo was 02:17 on Saturday 04/05/2014. There was a gentle north-easterly to get us on our way, and some scattered thunderstorms around the Rio de la Plata just to keep us on our toes.

The first night’s night-watches are always the toughest, but our excitement is carrying us through.