Albatross - YB Connect Message from Fernando Assens

Nov 27 - 8th Day at Sea

All is well. We are 1,745 miles from St Lucia and Las Palmas is 932 miles behind us (as the crow flies, which is not as Albatross sails)

Sailing last night was particularly hard. It was pitch dark. No moon. And completely cloudy. We could not see a single star. We were steering in 24 knots of aft wind, with 10-15 feet waves, moving at 7-8 knots. Our heading was 246°and our only point of reference was the B&G electronic compass, with numbers about 2 inches tall which on "night mode" are bright orange.

With the waves changing our course 20-30 degrees every few seconds, looking at the course heading was like staring hour after hour at a rotating Las Vegas slot machine: 241° 265° 223° 248° 234°.

Steering a boat is quite different from driving a car. On a boat if you are heading 223° and want to go to 246°, you turn the steering wheel to the right until you are at about 234° and then straighten the wheel. Inertia will do the rest (if waves don't interfere). If you only straighten the wheel when you reach 246° you end up at 260°. It's akin to stop turning a car in the middle of the curve. On a clear night, you pick a star and steer to it. Over time it becomes very intuitive and you get to feel the waves and the motion of the boat and are able to course correct before you are off course.

At mid day the wind died to 3-5 knots. We waited for a couple of hours and then, while charging the batteries, put the engine in gear for 2h15min, until the wind picked up. Now we have 7-8 knots of wind and are moving at about 3 knots with a VMG of about 2. Not fast but at least it feels like motion, and with flat seas it's quite comfortable.

We have been trailing a fishing line for seven days and still have not caught any fish! Ironically, this morning we found thee death flying fish on deck. They are small, about 10 cm, and seem to jump out of the water all the time. I wonder if this counts as a catch?

With the light winds we took it easy today. Did some laundry, cleaned up the boat, played some music, and I am now cooking venison steak, papas arrugadas con mojo (a typical dish from the Canary Islands), and Padrón peppers.

And on the equipment front, the toilet only worked for a couple of flushes. We are back to using "bronco the plastic bucket! After the first couple of uses the WC stopped flushing, it back flushed,and the water on the bowl took the color of the Okavango river during the rain season.

No Congressional Medal for James and Kevin after all. But wait, they just took their tools and are heading to the head. These guys don't give up! Screws are out, toilet bowl is on deck, and surgery starts. A few more screams and "plumber's choice" words, and it looks they are pulling out what was blocking the head. I choose not to look, thought. I trust these guys! Toilet is back on its place and working again. Will it last? I will update "you all" tomorrow!
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Transmitted by Fernando Assens using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com)