You could describe a yacht as a system of systems.
Big Technical Interlude
I have described Cleone's sails as her heart, lungs and muscles. The bones for these vital organs are her spars - the main and mizzen masts with their spreaders (cross-trees), their two booms and the spinnaker boom. Holding these spars in place upright on the deck are the stays - nine for the Main-mast and eight for the Mizzen (for the Main: fore and aft lowers x 2, capshrouds x 2, forestay, inner-forestay and backstay, for the Mizzen: forestays x 2, capshrouds x 2, aft lowers x 2 and running backstays x 2). You could describe these and the running rigging as Cleone's sinews. The running rigging are the 26 different pieces of cordage (rope) used to control the sails on the Main-mast, and the 14 needed for the Mizzen. I won't bore you with the names and functions of all of these, but they are divided into 3 categories: halyards for pulling the sails up the mast, sheets for pulling the clews (outer corners of triangular sails) towards or letting them away from the wind, and other lines, eg furling lines, up-hauls and down-hauls. Other ropes on the boat (only one piece of rope is actually called a rope) include the warps for tying her alongside, the anchor warps, the fender lines and all sorts of spares. And for the anchors themselves there is chain and warps, too. For this trip we have 4 anchors on board: the main anchor (a CQR) with 100 metres of chain; a spare (CQR lookalike) and 50 metres of chain; a smaller kedge (a Danforth) and 20 metres of chain; and the daddy of them all, a 90 lb Fisherman's anchor. Oh, and there is a drogue (sea anchor) and 120 metres of warp to go with that. To help handle all of these are the crew, an electric anchor windlass, four large winches in the cockpit for the sheets, two largish ones on the Main Mast for the halyards and a small one for the reefing pennants, and finally two small winches on the Mizzen Mast, one for the halyards and one for the reefing pennants. This all sounds quite complicated, and in a sense it is, but only because there are a lot of them. However, ropes and winches work very simply, and you can see as soon as anything is amiss with one (eg it's broken) and you can fix it easily (you tie a knot in it or replace it!).
Below decks it is the other way round. Everything is simple to use, but difficult to repair or install. Take the engine; it has three controls: a starter key, just like a car, a stop button and a single control for forward, neutral and reverse which also acts as the throttle. But it is a highly complex piece of machinery, which is why it is so economical, and is connected to a very sophisticated folding propeller and a very large (225 litre) fuel tank; we also carry a further 232 litres in plastic jerrycans; this gives us about 1000 sea-miles of range at 6 knots. There is a galley (kitchenette, I suppose) with a gas stove (3 rings and an oven, and there is no thermostat so it's guesswork as to what temperature it is and how long to cook things for) and twin sinks and a fridge. The gas itself (propane or butane - we ain't fussy) is stored in a special locker on deck, which vents directly into the sea. There is (yes) running hot and cold water - the hot water is heated by the engine at sea and by an immersion heater (just like home) when we are connected to mains power, eg in a marina (we don't have a generator, unlike most of the other boats on this Rally). The Heads (Bathroom) has a salt-water loo, hand-pumped, which either empties into the sea or into a holding tank (nasty - you've read about this thing before). It also has a hand-basin and a shower which, you've guessed it, has hot and cold water too! (And it has a perfectly good mirror, for those who like make-up or shaving). Behind and above the twin bunks in the main saloon are a dozen lockers, three of which are given over to storing spare parts (too many to list, but details happily supplied for those who want them) or personal kit, and the others of which are (or were) stuffed to bursting with various different sorts of food and drink. Below the cabin sole (floor) are further lockers, these filled with tool-kits, diving gear, fishing kit, chain, bottled water, more spares, and, best of all, one given over to nothing but Beer (but sadly it's empty now). Beneath the bunks (which also double as seats) are two large water-tanks; these, together with the third tank in the aft cabin and the bottled water, give a total of about 1000 litres (a tonne) of fresh water. After over a fortnight at sea, we still have well over half our water left. In the fore- and aft-cabins all the lockers are similarly stuffed - more diving gear, more food, ship's linen, and two hanging lockers full of waterproof gear. And in amongst all of this you will find 3 or 4 lockers full of the crew's own personal gear. But the Skipper has worn nothing but shorts (and underpants, in case Rosie was wondering) for the last 10 days so I suppose they don't need much of that!
I have already described the electronics and communications gear. But there is also a large locker and two cases full of charts, three cases full of technical books on a wide range of subjects: Pilots, which guide us on navigation and give descriptions of the facilities in the various countries and islands we are visiting; Almanacs, which give tidal and astronomical data for navigation; a Medical Guide; Star Atlases; books on anchoring, electrics and sail trim; and a whole box of technical pamphlets and operating instructions for most or all of the bits of gear on board.
Finally we have a plethora of other gear, large and small, stored above and below decks, of which I will only mention the Inflatable Dinghy (an Avon) and its 4 hp Mariner Outboard, the Liferaft (8 man ocean-going) and its grab-bags of food, water and documents, the huge first aid kit (4 large boxes) and other small but useful items such as binoculars, hand compasses and torches.
So with all this to look after and learn how to use, and equally importantly how to mend, we have plenty to do, and that's another reason why we don't get bored!
End of Big Technical Interlude
It has been another cracking day of down-wind sailing, one reef in the main on the Port Tack, a few rolls of poled-out Genoa, and a largish following sea. We made another 170 miles yesterday. So we've just over 600 miles to go - maybe 4 days worth if we are lucky. Apart from a couple of minor burns, and a shower (I won't say who took it), it was a busy but un-eventful day.
All well and happy, Bernard still not back!
Best wishes,
James, Chris & Elizabeth