Not that you will realise of course but I was about to write this blog when I was flung from the chart table during a broach. Just enough time to grab the hand rail with left hand and monkey swing across the boat using left toe to hold laptop onto chart table; interesting!!
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, last night. Well after a good day with the spinnaker up we went to poled out headsail and one reef.
A little description of the weather would probably help, words like biblical rain, momentus squalls, titanic waves etc etc would not be (too) much of an exaggeration. We've had almost continuous really heavy tropical rain for the last 48 hours, and lets face it the whole trip over has been one long line squall! we've all got trench foot and the inside of the boat resembles the Everglades (thats a swamp for the geographically challenged)
So back to last night. If you've been following the blogs you'll know we have had some epic moments and last night was a cracker too. So around 02:30 with Dover on the wheel we got hit by a 40 kn squall and went into a rather special chinese gybe (thats broach then crash gybe) So pinned down on our side, preventer groaning and main hovering above our heads jib aback etc the crew once again leapt into weary action and put the boat right, no easy feat in 30 to 40 kts and total darkness with just the bobbing of red head torches to show the way.
Jib recovered, main recovered and one tack one gybe later we are back on track this time with the storm jib up and 2 reefs in the main.
Sadly however the jib is buggered. Its pretty obvious now that our race is effectively over and the ARC for Ntanda is, in the words of Rocky Balboa, about 'going the distance' To labour the point some its "not about how hard you can hit, its about hard you can get hit". Yep I never understoood that last one either but it sounds good.
However it has made for some interesting boat calls and conversations; for example its not that often you get to say stuff like: "OK guys, lets get the storm jib up, then bang up the asymetric spinnaker once its re packed and then think about taking out the second reef"
Its all wrong really and did look rather odd but was quite effective.
So what else is new? well we had Kindle-gate yesterday when we suddenly found ourselves heading upwind (having dropped the kite to achive this) as the instruments insisted that was the direction required. Only an hour later did we realise that someone (no names required but it was Rhona) had left their kindle on the flux gate compass.
Apart from that we are all rather smelly and damp and looking forward to a hotel bed (except me who has to stay on the boat, wet)
Its looking rather like Mr. Ben Dover will be wearing the dress on arrival for his 2 cock ups (spiking the kite and forgetting the safety strop and then the chinese gybe) as opposed to 5 Kites Mike with 1 cock up (spiked the wrong bit of the kite during as broach) and best not forget Handsome (Sion) who was (and in fact still is) in the running for wetting the bed.
Closing remark for today is: WE'VE GOT AN AMBULANCE!
We're over the 12K so its mission accomplished, 206 miles to go!
TTFN
Tackleberry.
PS I've just had it pointed out that I am in the running for the dress for leaving the clutch opn on the spi halyard on the hoidt and burning poor old Flowers fingers. Im the judge so no way will I be wearing it!