Part 7
4th December:
We got a bit faster than we thought and passed the sprint but not sure about our results. We may see that later. The weather forecast changed daily and currently it predicted that we could arrive at Fremantle on the 10th and that we don't have to sail through any wind hole, which I had learned is very common on the way to Australia, close to land. Unfortunately, the food was still not enough and I wouldn’t make this mistake ever again - shopping for power energy bars and some sweets will be on my top priority list. I really hope that we would arrive at Fremantle as forecasted, for now the time passes a bit slower. The wind was still around 20 knots but the sea state was too rough to fly the spinnaker. So we continued with Yankee 1 and a full main straight to Fremantle.
5th December:
Today was a gloomy day as we lost our code 2 spinnaker. I could not believe what happened. During the night and also in the morning, we made great progress under white sails. The morale on board was high and everyone was talking about what they would be doing when they arrive in Australia.
In the early afternoon the sea state calmed a bit so we decided to hoist the spinnaker and get some extra miles in our bank. It was just brilliant and we were flying with approximately 13 knots down the waves. I have to say that helming the boat with a code 2 at this sea state is a next level of helming which I have never experienced. The slightest error and you broach. The tricky part are the waves that kick the boat easily around, and you have a noisy flapping spinnaker that can get damage under the sheer load. After 30 minutes we continued rotating the helm to keep the best performance.
A bit later in the afternoon we saw a front passing by and as a precaution we put one reef into the main which later proved to be the right decision when the wind picked up. The wave patterns are shorter and not in a sequence like you see at the Atlantic. This makes it more tricky but at the same time a great learning experience for improving your helming skills. Where else can you practise it, Huh? Surely not in Dubai or even on the way to Muscat.
We are 60 minutes from finishing our shift and I took over the kite trimming and enjoyed the nice view of the flying monster sail with some sunshine in the face. Just fabulous! 30 minutes before shift change, a sudden cannon ball sound went through the boat and the spinnaker halyard snapped at the top 20 cm after the metal shackle. I could not believe what I just saw and instantly pulled the sheet in to get as much sail into the boat as I could. The big danger is that the kite can wrap around the rudder, meaning that some volunteer would need to jump into the water deep down and cut the sail loose. Now it was all hands on deck and getting the sail as quick as possible out of the water. The crew was calm and somehow everybody knew what to do. It took about 30 minutes and the kite was secured and we continued under white sails towards Australia but much slower. Currently we did approximate 10 knots only. The crew was shocked but we keep fighting and pushing.
6th December:
We made, under the circumstances, a good progress and the morale on board was still good. Unfortunately the wind forecast was not promising at all and it predicted a big wind hole waiting for us. Our only hope was to push as much as we could to reduce the time in the lower wind area. The boats in front of us could be lucky to avoid the high pressure system and could reach Fremantle much earlier than us. In the afternoon the sea state got in our favour and we could hoist our last spinnaker code 1 which was the largest for lighter winds till 15 knots of wind speed. Everybody was now extra vigilant not to damage it. Our skipper said in humour that if we lose this spinnaker too, he would switch on the engine. Lol!
7th December:
We carried code 1 the whole time and the forecast was getting worse than the day before. Now we were just helming for speed and tried to keep the spinnaker under as much power as possible. It was very pleasant to helm the boat in such nice weather condition and gave a peaceful feeling, almost a relaxing feeling, where you would glide down with only gin and tonic being missing.
8th December:
We were on the night shift and had the first real clear sky. It was very beautiful as we saw Venus on the stern and Jupiter at the bow. We were still flying code 1 but every passing hour, it was getting more difficult to keep the kite up. Of the whole trip this was the most beautiful sailing night we had - a lovely and delightful moment you won't forget. After two hours I went down for rest and to warm up a bit and two hours later I woke up lying on the galley bench completely passed out. I was so exhausted that I admitted it to myself and to the crew as well. Luckily they didn't paint any gimmicks on my face, lol.
After our watch, I slept for the whole next 5 hours till the next swatch change again. Now the worst happened and we were sailing 2 knots with the wind seeker towards Australia. The only good thing was to have a nice sun bath and use the time for a nice refreshing shave. It felt too good after at last an entire week. The boat could be sailed with two persons only and the rest of the crew could take it easy. Unfortunately, not everybody enjoyed it to their max as many of the crew members got stomach issues and didn't feel good at all - seemed that we had some hygienic problems in the kitchen. I think I only got spared due to my developed resistance during my time in Pakistan and the several food poisons I had there. So I was trimming the wind seeker for 4 hours the day while listening to my favourite music and enjoying the sunny moment.
That night we had yummy sausages in the menu and couldn’t wait to have some fatty proteins. At 6 pm wind died off completely and the sea was like a mirror. We used the time and fixed one hole in the main sail. Klaas and Jo are the expert in sail repair and I assisted them to hold the sail down. One small patch took one and half hour to be stitched on. Yet another day where I learned something new.
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