Blogs
Christmas Eve
Day 14, Christmas Eve
Thank you all for your wonderful messages, keep them coming, I really appreciate reading them.
Susana has done a great job making ID "Christmasty" with decorations we stowed aboard in the UK back in September but I've not really got into the festive mood this year. Maybe its the 30 degrees heat, the cloudless skies and the endless horizons you get on an ocean, maybe it's the preoccupation of undertaking (and still needing to complete) such a momentous challenge or perhaps it's much more straightforward than that, Christmas just isn't the same without being with your family. I spoke with Elaine yesterday, she was at the beach in Tortola with my son Timothy being given a tour of the island. Specifically, she was at Trellis Bay where in 1984 I worked for several months at the Last Resort and they are staying at a villa in Cane Garden Bay where, in 1984, I had my accident. It wasn't until I put the phone down that for the first time on this trip, I was aware of the emotional aspect of what I'm doing, particularly so because my wife and son are now at the very place my life changed forever 25 years ago - it must be tough for them too knowing that. I really miss them very much indeed and knowing that I'll be spending Christmas away from them for the first time and I won't be there to share their joy of opening their prezzies Christmas morning, I'm preparing myself for a tough day - of course I'll have Susana and Digby for company and no doubt they'll be missing their families just as much so we can at least console each other.
There are already a few presents under the Christmas tree and we even have a chicken (we think it's a chicken) that we bought in the Cape Verde islands which we are going to roast with some potatoes and carrots followed by Christmas pudding (no custard for me, it makes me gag; read my book to discover why and evidence that nuns are not as angelic as you may think).
The sea state is back on the beam which means we are back to pitching and yawing which, for me at least being in the wheelchair, means clinging on for dear life trying to stop myself sliding about and makes typing a near impossibility. On which note, I will wish you all a very Happy Christmas and will try to write another blog tomorrow, Christmas Day, that is assuming I get time between the various media interviews we have lined up. Listen to You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, today at about 12.20pm.
On our way
On our way
Wednesday 23rd December 2009, 0700 GMT
We eventually slipped our lines from Mindelo Marina, Cape Verde, at 1500 GMT yesterday Tuesday 22nd. We had a busy morning. Ceasar had stayed until 9.00pm on Monday to ensure both engines were completely overhauled and the infected diesel removed from every pipe but he ran out of time to put everything back together again that night. So yesterday morning, by the time we had fuelled up with 800 litres of diesel, filled the fresh water tanks and given the generator a quick service, we had lost another half day. Just before we left, we had a visit from Ademiro Neves who is a manager at the Shell depot in Sao Vicente who had also kindly offered to help fix our problems with our engines before our arrival - thanks to Susana's uncle Andy for his help in arranging that. Unfortunately by the time we heard of Shell's offer, we had learned of the new marina facilities and made our arrangements with them. But I am extremely grateful to Shell for showing such willing to help and Ademiro kindly took the trouble to come by the boat yesterday to make sure we were OK and to wish us well - he even bought us some gifts - thank you Ademiro.
Added to the last minute stress getting the boat ready yesterday, I took a call from Elaine who was on her way to Gatwick airport with Timothy to catch the British Airways flight to Antigua. This was at 0800 GMT, she was on the M25, still some 20 miles from the airport and less than 2 hours until the flight. Apparently the UK has been suffering blizzard-like conditions. She told me the road and motorways were littered with broken down cars and lorries and Gatwick airport at one stage had been closed because of the snow. Added to the worry was that my cameramans wife and daughter, Paula and Frances, who were on the same flight, were not answering their phone and were not at the airport. So it was with some relief that I took a call at 1000 to say they had all just arrived in time and were sat on the plane getting ready for take off. I've not heard from them but they must be in Tortola by now.
It was a stunningly spectacular departure from the CVI's. The volcanic islands are more akin to moonscapes; steep jagged cliffs thousands of feet high, completely barren, just black and brown scorched earth with the occassional settlement of white houses clustered to a shoreline. We sailed out with a stiff breeze behind us between two islands and were making 7 knots with just the genoa and staysail, it was a wonderful sail. Unfortunately the wind died just before sunset. But the highlight of the day occured about 20 minutes before sundown. Having only had success catching Dorado, just before we left Mindelo, I asked Kai Brossman, owner of the marina for his advice on which of my fishing lures I was most likely to catch a tuna - the one fish I have alsways wanted to catch. Of the various ones available, he advised the red squid-like one. Boy, was he right. We had the fishing rod rigged and the line out and we were thinking about bringing it in when suddenly the reel started to quite literally "scream". The clutch was set quite tight so whatever was taking the line so quickly was a big fish. It took a good 10 minutes of hard winding for Susana to eventually land the most beautiful tuna - I would guess that it weighed about 25 lbs / 10 kg - certainly the biggest fish I have seen caught. Once humanely sent to fishy-heaven, Susana had it gutted and fillited and we were snacking on tuna sushi with soy sauce and lime marinated tuna carpaccio within 20 minutes. And the main course of pan fried truna in chilli oil with soy noodles was to die-for. And that has only used up a 1/3rd of the fish - 3 guesses what we have got for tea?
OK, sun is up now, it's going to be a scorcher - if any of you know of any methods for increasing wind speed, please forward them on a postcard.
Deisel Bugs
Day 12, Monday 21st December 2009
Well, there's good news and bad news; the good news is that we have found the fault with the engines - it's DIESEL BUG (a micro-organism which grows in diesel when there is water in the fuel). Local engineer Ceasar, www.boatcv.com, has spent nearly 5 hours in the starboard engine room completely stripping the fuel system and emptying the tanks which are full of a black sludgy slime which has effected the entire fuel system - it must be 40 degrees plus down there. Thank you to my wonderful friend Verena in the UK who, at a moment's notice this morning, acted as translator on the mobile phone between me and Ceasar - thanks Verena (who also happens to be one of Southampton's top sports masseuses' if you are ever in the area and in need) - is there no end to her talents? According to Ceasar, apparently it's a miracle that we managed to nurse the engines this far - anyhow, problem identified and just about rectified..., in the starboard engine at least! You are probably already one step ahead of me at this point. Yep, if there are two engines and one is only just nearing completion today (local CV time here 1600 hrs), there's no way we can rectify the port engine as well and leave tonight. So we must resign ourself and accept that we will be here another night and (hopefully) on our way tomorrow. Yet another delay - welcome to the mad mad world of yachting! At least we get to enjoy the delights of this great new marina for another day. The marina is run by a chap called Kai Brossman who, it just so happens, is the local Raymarine dealer and, as I type, he is fixing the problem with the wind vane - what's that old saying about not what you know but who? Thanks Raymarine for calling ahead and giving Kai the "heads-up".
It's tempting to feel fed up with progress and I'd be lying if I said I was 100% happy, of course I'm not. But I've been her before and I know that when events are of of your control, like the weather, there is nothing you can do so it is pointless getting too worked up
No sooner had we arrived yesterday than a lady arrived at the boat and introduced herself as Sandy - she used to work with a good friend of mine back in the UK, Peter Sonksen and, unknown to me, Peter had contacted Sandy who lives here on the island to pre-notify her of our arrival. She's also been extremely useful in translating the Portuguese and Creole and giving us an insight into CV life. Before dinner last night we met Sandy and some of her friends at the Club Nautico, aka, the "Yacht Club". I was undecided whether to root out the old blazer and RSnYC club tie but thankfully opted for the jeans and T-shirt ensemble as the Club Nautico, it turns out, is basically the old coal bunker used to store large volumes of coal from the UK during those trading days of the 19th century - it is, how can I say without sounding rude, somewhat "rustic" - but the beer was cold, the meat kebabs perfect and the company entertaining.
We do get some news back from home - it appears the UK has been sufferring from early winter weather; sleet, snow, freezing temperatures - it's no consolation if you are one of those people but I am sat here inside ID to hide from the fierce afternoon sun, wearing shorts and tee-shirt with a fan blowing cool air on me to stop me overheating. However, with the prospect of seeing me in shorts, you might prefer to suffer the cold of Blighty. My wife Elaine and son Tim, plus Digby's wife and daughter, Paula, Frances, fly out to the Caribbean tomorrow, a flight which will take them about eight hours plus the flight up from Antigua to Tortola where we are due to arrive. For our part, we still have some 2,000 miles to go, so I'll be happy to bet they get there before us - they will no doubt have plenty of time to see the sights of the Virgin Islands several times over before we arrive. The forecast for our crossing remains for light winds for the first week at least. Both Kai & Sandy told us that this is the first year anyone can remember such light winds - normally Christmas time in the CVI's sees guaranteed wind speeds of 25 knots plus (the Trade Winds) - it's ironic isn't it? My trip around the UK in 2007 was blighted by officially the worst weather since records began (too much wind), and now there are no Trade Winds when I need them to sail the Atlantic - as I say in my talks, "challenges are all part of the journey; without them, there would be no challenge".
My crew appreciated a good night's sleep last night, plus the ability to use real showers and loos - so they've not mutinied yet. Digby just got back from a walk into town - I'd asked him to check out the fish market for me to get a feel of what is out there lurking in the depths - he came back with photos of dozens of 4ft long tuna which has really got my fishing juices flowing - can you imagine catching one of the beauties? Wow. He also returned with a frozen chicken so that is Christmas lunch sorted. Right, the sun is now over the yard arm - some of you will know what means, and for those who don't, then there's aways Google. Hic.
Nearing CVI's
Saturday 19th December 2009
Day 10.
Can I start with a quick plea, if you are emailing, can you please not attach any files unless absolutely necessary, mentioning no names SCOTT McD...!! The 4 Mb HVRC Bugle.pdf was most entertaining but at $20 USD / Mb download (you do the maths), I'll have to stop Master T's pocket money (again) for the next 2 years to cover the airtime. Please ladies/gents, short brief emails only, and my apologies in advance if I don't get to reply to you all individually.
Well, we are now about 60 miles from Sao Vicente on the Cape Verde Islands, our ETA there is daylight tomorrow morning. We could go a bit faster but we'd arrive at night which I'd prefer to avoid. Unfortunately, of the 7 days in a week, the CVI's, like most places, effectively "shut down" on a Sunday - 7 guesses which day we arrive? Our contact there, Kai Brossman, has been really helpful on the phone and, if not tomorrow, then Monday, with his help, we hope to get the fuel / engine problems addressed and be on our way again.
As I write this, we are currently sailing dead down wind in a light breeze, not a cloud in the sky, beautiful warm sunshine (we are on the same latitude as the Caribbean) - it's noticeably more humid. Fingers crossed for a bit more wind when we restart on Monday. Whilst it is frustrating that the timescale is expanding with alarming speed (sorry to all of my BVI followers, especially Colin who must be having a nervous breakdown by now due to all of the arrangements he has made for our arrival on 27th), there is nothing we can do about it, other than to enjoy the whole magnificent experience - it's not often you get the chance to sail a beautiful yacht on such a magnificent voyage, I'm very lucky indeed and not a day goes by without feeling grateful to Mike, Martine and Bob, Trustees of the SADT, for the loan of ID. For more info about the charity which owns the boat, vist www.impossibledream.org.uk .
Well, the sea state has lessened as the wind has come astern making for a much more pleasant and more stable ride so, for the time being at least, I can clear some of the backlog of messages on my computer without clinging on for dear life as the boat rock n rolls.. Yesterday I had an afternoon nap only to awake and find the boat "Christmasized"; tinsel, star stickers on windows, even a small Christmas tree with a somewhat camp looking fairy perched on top all giving the place an odd feel; us Brits don't have our Xmas decs out in such warm weather in the UK, but I guess it's normal for these antipodean types. I wonder who was responsible for the mini makeover? No doubt you'll find some clues at www.sailingsuze.blogspot.com
Thanks for all of your messages of support on the website, do keep them coming. If you haven't yet noticed, there is a new IMAGES tab under the GALLERY menu bar (at the top of the this screen) - here, and below, you will find a number of photos which Digby has taken and uploaded - keep checking back for updates every few days. I hope you are liking the video blogs too, Big-Up for Digby.
My fishing friends will be pleased to hear that our tally is now up to 4 fish (only 3 landed) of which 2 were good sized Dorado and were excellent eating - we've got the line out right now trying to catch a lovely fresh tuna for supper, that's the Holy Grail.
Right, back to the sailing.
More bad weather but everyone fine
Here we go again, back on the rollercoaster ride and have been for the past 24 hours, making for an uncomfortable night last night and the prospect of the same today. We are still making for the Cape Verde islands on a course of 220 degrees, exactly the same direction the wind is blowing at 25 knots (force 5) so we are quite literally pounding into the oncoming waves. One of the engines is as good as dead as the fuel in that tank is now so concentrated with crap in the fuel we can not run it any more. The other engine can not rev about 1100 revs for the same reason and is pushing us along at a paultry 2 knots. At this rate, our ETA in Cape Verde isles is early next week. Considering we left Lanzarote a week ago today, our progress has been dire.
On the positive side we are all well and Susana and our cameraman Digby are in remarkably good spirits considering they must have asked themselves on more than one occassion, "Why am I doing this?" as they crawl into the aft-engine bay to blow the bad disel out of the fuel pipes; the heat of the engines, the smell of diesel, the confinement of the engine bay and motion of the boat only adding to their discomfort - I certainly picked the easy-straw by focussing on the sailing, these guys deserve medals.
Despite great support from Raymarine to fix our wind-vane problem, it is simply too rough for Susana to start undertaking an electrical diagnostic assesment in the electrical locker at the moment so we will have to wait for the sea state to calm down a bit first. To be honest, we don't need electronics to tell us the wind is on the nose at the moment, flappy sails give the same information, but thank you everyone at Raymarine for your support and patience - I'm sure it is something I've done by mistake, not the kit.
A massive 3 cheers for British Airways. Knowing our families' outbound flights would be affected by the strike next week, Elaine took a call yesterday to say that they had brought all of our flights forward by 24 hours so our family and friends would get there on time. Thank you Mary and your team at BA, that was so kind and considerate of you.
Just finally, Im finding it very hard indeed to type on my laptop, quite simply because of the eratic motion of the boat. As such, I can only reply to the most urgent emails, I'm sorry. I will continue to write blogs when possible but please bear with me. Surely this weather has to change soon. Elaine said there is cm of snow forecast in Hampshire tonight.
Hey, just caught another fish, a big Dorado - fish curry for tea - now, cooking, there's another challenge which Digby and Susana could write an entire book and claim another medal.
Making for Cape Verde islands.
Day 6, Tuesday 16th December
More mixed weather. The roller coaster ride of Sunday was followed by a day of glass-like conditions yesterday. Barely a puff of wind all day and seas so flat we could see turtles swimming several hundred yards away. But then, bang on cue, another lumpy and uncomfortable night last night. If you have been following the tracker, then you have seen our eratic course which has been due to unseasonal SW winds, bang on our nose. We have tried tacking into them (not easy in a catamaran) and motoring straight into them but we have barely made 500 miles in six days, using up valuable supplies and fuel; we had antipated being well over 1,000 miles by now. The situation has not been helped by engine failure, first the port engine, then starboard and now port again. The problem is contaminated diesel blocking the fuel supply. Despite the heat and confined space, Susana has been doing an amazing job in both engine rooms, undoing the fuel supply hoses, blowing all the "gunk" out of the pipes and changing the filters - not a pleasant job at the best of times which can not have been made any easier by the rocking of the boat, she deserves a medal. In the circumstances, I've decided the best course of action is to head straight for the Cape Verde islands. They are 420 nm away but it is the right thing to do. We could possibly manage with no engines (we are a sailboat), but we absolutely must have clean fuel for the generator which runs many of the boats' systems. At this rate, and factoring in the forecast, our ETA there is Friday.
Yesterday's fine conditions provided a great opportunity for a freshen-up, quite literally. Susana poured several buckets of "refreshing" Atlantic sea water over me which blew away any cobwebs still lurking from Lanzarote. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it did make me feel much cleaner and brighter.
The great news for today, other than Susana's "marvelous mechanical miracles", is that we've got fresh fish for tea - our very own fresh Dorado, caught only a couple of hours ago. Digby, our secret chef, has already got it marinading in a mix of oil, herbs and lime juice - I'll let you know how it tastes but there is going to be plenty of it.
I spoke to Elaine earlier who tells me there is a strike threatened by British Airways next Tuesday, the very day that my friends and family are due to fly out to meet us in the Caribbean - I hope they get it resolved, it would be terrible not to see everyone there as planned, especially having been awarded the flights for winning the BA Great Britons competition.
A final note to thank you for your many emails of support and encouragement for Susana & I (and Digby too). I obviously can't reply to you all individually and the 5 minutes on-line time I get a day costs more than $80 USD so I only have time for urgent messages, but please do keep sending, they all get read.
Getting Tough
Day 4 Sunday 13th December
Everything is getting much more challenging now. Yesterday the motion was so bad, I could barely keep myself upright in my wheelchair, let alone type a blog, even now, every tap of the keypad is a chore. The honeymoon period of calm seas after leaving Lanzarote is now a distant memory. It's not that we are enduring any horendous weather, in fact the wind barely reaches 20 knots and, right now it is only blowing less than 10 knots. The real debilitating factor is the sea state. Again, it is nothing too bad, at worst waves are only 2 metres and the Atlantic swells barely 3 metres. The problem is that it is a very confused sea; waves and swells coming from all directions and the wind is blowing directly on the starboard beam, not good for a lightweight catamaran. Impossibe Dream is bobbing like a cork, pitching and yawing, snatching and jerking, her 60ft length belying her skinny 17 tonnes as she gets picked up and slapped broadside by the seas. I found yesterday and last night very tough indeed. It is difficult enough existing in a wheelchair in a house that does not move but negotiating my chair around ID is like riding a unicycle on a rollercoaster. One of the factors of quadriplegia is having no tricep muscles in my arms. Those who know me may think I have full movement of my arms, I don't, it's a false impression, I only have 30% use of my biceps and that is it, no triceps at all, nor wrist, hand or finger movement, what you see is like a kind of "trick movement". Controlling my arms so I may use my finger to type or to use my knuckles to push a button on the radar is made all the more difficult by the constant motion of ID, it's as though my arm has no spacial control. For every correct keystroke you read, I have deleted more than double because of mistakes and my knuckles are red raw from continually pushing wrong buttons on the instrument panels.
Living in such a confined space is highlighting and magnifying every aspect of my disability; getting dressed, eating, drinking, getting washed - it is all 10 times more challenging than on land, not only for me, but Susana too - how many PA's have to wait for the waves to abate before transferring their clients from chair to bunk with the floor moving beneath them, whilst all the time feeling seasick? I could not even drink my cuppa-soup safely at lunch for fear of spilling hot fluid all over me. I anticipated that it would get tough, and it may well get tougher yet, but no matter how much you anticipate and plan, it is not the same as going through it for real and I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm finding this very tough indeed right now.
I had planned on having several cat-naps a day in my wheechair whilst in the reclined position to supplement my two-hour sleeps lying on my bunk, but even that has proved almost impossible. No sooner have I reclined my chair and closed my eyes, the boat lurches and I am jarred awake. Tiredness was beginning to become a real problem but Digby and Susana kindly kept extra watch and I got some much needed extra sleep. Sitting up in my chair for such long periods has presented a new, unexpected challenge, swollen feet. I think the correct term is oedema? This fluid around the ankle causes the foot to spasm which is a bloody nuisance. The remedy would be to lie down with the foot elevated until it subsides but that's a luxury I don't have.
Another problem we have is that our wind instruments packed up shortly after leaving Lanzarote. With no moon and thick cloud cover, the skies are ink black, so too the sea, you can not see a horizon nor the oncoming waves so have no indication which way the boat will throw you next. With no instruments giving apparent wind angle and unable to see the wind on the water, it makes setting the sails during darkness very tricky, only experience enabling me to use "sound and feel" to know when they are set right. Squalls are a regular occurrence here at night bringing with them strong gusts of wind which often change wind direction within seconds. I am using the ship's radar to track these squalls and I reduce sail area accordingly before getting hit by one. With no apparent wind data, the radar is effectively acting as my early warning system to avoid any potential damage to the sails from gusts, it is not an ideal situation and only adds to the stress.
Thankfully the seas have eased today, the sun is out and I'm feeling more optimistic. The Atlantic is every bit as magnificent as I rembered her but it may be a while before I can put aside my physical challenges and start to enjoy this voyage. The first signs of that began at 11.00am this morning with the screaming of my fishing reel, "fish on" I shouted. Susana eventually wound in a beautiful 25lb specimen Mahi Mahi, only for it to escape as she was landing it. I know what you are thinking, but we have it all on film care of Digby. I'm surprised none of you heard me swearing when it got away.
Our average speed is not good, barely 5 knots, we need to make 7.5 knots if we are to make Tortola by the 27th. Hopefully the tradewinds will help us make up for lost time but the forecast of the next 3 days is not good. And now the port engine has stopped working, Digby and Susana up to their elbows in oil trying to resolve the problem. Happy Days.
Latest Video: Day 3
You can view all of Geoff's Video Blogs at www.youtube.com/personalatlantic
