Thursday 14 July
4 32.236S 138 23.655W 318 miles from Hiva Oa
Hello Friends and Family,
I am reading another book by the Pardey’s this one is the Self Sufficient Sailor. It is a “how to” book for those wanting to voyage. The Pardey’s are tremendous proponents of small and simple boats. They coined the phrase Go Small, Go Simple, Go Now! In much talk about the many advantages of small boats one small admission sneaks in, “that the motion of a small boat compared to say a 40’er is not as comfortable”. This is a topic I have been discussing with a knowledgeable friend for several months in thinking about my next boat. As I have gotten older that comfort is something that has become more important to me. Plus fatigue is an important factor on long voyages and mistakes that can occur as a result of that fatigue. On the other hand I am fairly certain that I could not handle a 40’ boat alone. I have no interest in professional crew or “drop in crew” or “pickup crew” so lacking a partner at the moment that size of boat is out of reach. I know that a different configuration of boat will be necessary if I am to continue to seriously voyage.
Ben, what is with your course, you are all over the place? Yes I know. Winds have been forecast at consistent 90 deg or from the East. I am getting winds in mostly much further South than that by 30-45 Deg. With those directions I can’t make my mark and may have to tack to get upwind enough to get around the island. I am currently 40 miles West of the rhumb line so I need to get that distance back. As I get closer the angle that I need to achieve becomes more difficult to attain.
Electronics I love ‘em’ those that have sailed with me know that I am fascinated with the display and all of the data. Perhaps it is my
training as an instrument pilot where you must be able to navigate without reference to anything outside the cockpit of the plane. Navigation systems for boats have become almost as sophisticated as those found on planes. My instruments are able to compute current and what correction to course I need to make to compensate for it. I am currently getting a nice boost from the current that has turned favorable for me in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately one fly in the ointment, after more than a month at sea my boat speed sensor is fouled with marine growth in this 85 deg F water. I am able to remove the sensor and clean it and return it to service however I am reluctant to essentially open up a hole in the boat while sailing hundreds of miles from land plus it makes a mess with water briefly flooding into the boat. So I think I will live with inaccurate data for a few more days before I pull the plug so to speak. An interesting product I have tried is from the folks at Propspeed a New Zealand company that has come out with a product for transducers. Their products are essentially a Teflon coating for propellers and transducers, they stop growth from attaching to these surfaces. I think it has been helpful but not perfect.
A bit more on electronics, the field has evolved so quickly that even 3 year old gear is out of date. I bought all new equipment for my boat as it was more expensive to try to upgrade and supplement preexisting equipment that was already on the boat. If you are looking at purchasing a boat consider that.
The next graph gets a little technical about Diesel engine electrical systems, if it’s not your thing skip it.
I tried to start my engine a couple of days ago and it would not turn over. Prior to departing on this trip I had a similar problem. I had to delay my departure for a few days because of it. The problem turned out to be a bad ground between the starter and the engine block that serves as the negative for everything connected to the engine. In attempting to fix this I went through a
check of all of the components and I checked a fuse in the ignition circuit. I promptly dropped the fuse and was unable to retrieve it. I have spares but of different amperage’s so I was afraid I may disable the system with an incorrect fuse. I ultimately checked the starter itself and discovered a loose bolt holding it to the engine, there are only 2. Sure enough once that bolt was snug the engine fired. If you had asked me what my chances of fixing this problem were while at sea on a rocking and rolling boat I would have admitted less than 5%.
I had been reading about handling a sailboat without an engine as the Pardey’s had. I was assuming that I would be unable to repair the engine and I went through numerous scenarios where and how I would anchor using only sail power. I even decided to change destination back to Nuku-Hiva because the harbor is easier to maneuver in than the small one at Hiva Oa. Of course the Pardey’s never did this single handed and I would have been attempting that. Fortunately it looks like I will be able to use my engine!
A couple of nights ago I had the toughest night of the voyage, squalls one after another all night long. I didn’t sleep at all, the next day I was so tired I fell asleep bracing myself with my legs across the walkway between the galley and my berth.
Today the weather has been great the winds are moderate the sea state has at times been excellent. So if the squalls don’t bother me it is a great voyage.
Ben Lindner, S/V DAWN
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