Current Position: 15 55.451’S 83 05.441’E; Local Timezone: UTC+6.5; SOG: 5.6 kt; COG: 272; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 130; Distance to Waypoint (Rodrigues, 264): 1145 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 12458 nm; Engine Hours: 256; Estimate Fuel: 56+11+50;
Comments: Sunset is at 17:58 at the Cocos (97e) so at my current location (85e) it should be about 48m later, 18:46. The sun disappeared behind a cloud bank on the horizon at 18:39. It is 6:15 and I just woke up. I slept 11h last night, in mostly 1.5-2h periods! The sailing was completely drama free, the entire time 5.5 kt at about 260. There was no commercial traffic. It is almost sunrise, the sky is partly cloudy, and there are no weather threats. I downloaded a new GRIB. It looks like the weather is not going to be as severe this week as was predicted previously. Gusts in the 30s will not begin until late tomorrow night and will last until Wednesday morning, in other words delayed by about 12h. Also, the gusts with be in the low 30s, not mid-30s. Big, 16’ swells are predicted to accompany the higher wind, but fortunately the interval will be much greater. Otherwise, more of the same, 18/25. The forecast is for the wind to diminish significantly by the weekend, but that is a long way away. No commercial traffic is expected today. Sunrise is at 17:47 at the Cocos (97e) so at my current location (84e) it should be about 53m later, 6:39. The sun came up behind a cloud bank. I heard a prop plane at 8:00, but did not spot it. I went forward to check the rigging and discovered a problem. The bolts that hold the gooseneck to the mast-end of the boom has completely cleaved off, leaving only a pin to hold the boom on. The hole that it normally screws into the end of the boom has been rounded and elongated … completely stripped out. This was the part of the major repair I made in Tonga. There is nothing I can do but hope the pin does not cleave during the next 1200 miles. When U get to Rodrigues, I will have to take the mainsail and sail pack down, disassemble the boom, and effect a repair. Since the stainless gooseneck fitting is cast and cannot accommodate a larger bolt, I will either need to find someone who can weld aluminum or fabricate some sort of spacer. Since it is more likely I can find someone to weld/machine stainless steel, I might need to go the route of a spacer. I found the photos I took of the end piece of the boom when I worked on it. The bolt that had been cleaved was a replacement because I had to replace the original 3/8” bolt with a 10mm bolt (after tapping the hole) because of a stripped thread. The 10mm bolt was purchased at the chandlery in Tonga, and was clearly of low quality. While I was forward examining this problem, the boat jibed. When I got back to the cockpit I discovered the bungee cord that holds the continuous line for the windvane had failed. Fortunately I had a replacement at the ready and the problem was quickly dealt with. This is my last bungee. I have some elastic material and can probably fabricate a replacement if necessary, or I will look for some in South Africa. Regardless of the strength of the wind, I am going to keep the main double-reefed until the gooseneck is repaired. The 35 kt winds expected tomorrow night are not arriving at a good time. I drilled to holes in the windvane foil and secured it with zip-ties. It is not going anywhere. I thought about the issue with the gooseneck. If I can find a very large fender washer or a piece of stainless steel plate, I could drill four could secure it with screws/bolts to the end piece of the boom and keep the hole in the aluminum end piece from wearing larger. I could then secure the gooseneck to the reinforced end piece. Today the ocean is deep blue … “the deep blue sea.” I have not seen this color since the Pacific. It requires very deep water and bright sunlight, a combination I have not seen in months. The distance sailed towards Rodrigues in the last 24h was 1265-1145=120 nm. The total distance sailed was 12458-12337=121 nm (121/24=5.04 kt avg.).
Comments: Sunset is at 17:58 at the Cocos (97e) so at my current location (85e) it should be about 48m later, 18:46. The sun disappeared behind a cloud bank on the horizon at 18:39. It is 6:15 and I just woke up. I slept 11h last night, in mostly 1.5-2h periods! The sailing was completely drama free, the entire time 5.5 kt at about 260. There was no commercial traffic. It is almost sunrise, the sky is partly cloudy, and there are no weather threats. I downloaded a new GRIB. It looks like the weather is not going to be as severe this week as was predicted previously. Gusts in the 30s will not begin until late tomorrow night and will last until Wednesday morning, in other words delayed by about 12h. Also, the gusts with be in the low 30s, not mid-30s. Big, 16’ swells are predicted to accompany the higher wind, but fortunately the interval will be much greater. Otherwise, more of the same, 18/25. The forecast is for the wind to diminish significantly by the weekend, but that is a long way away. No commercial traffic is expected today. Sunrise is at 17:47 at the Cocos (97e) so at my current location (84e) it should be about 53m later, 6:39. The sun came up behind a cloud bank. I heard a prop plane at 8:00, but did not spot it. I went forward to check the rigging and discovered a problem. The bolts that hold the gooseneck to the mast-end of the boom has completely cleaved off, leaving only a pin to hold the boom on. The hole that it normally screws into the end of the boom has been rounded and elongated … completely stripped out. This was the part of the major repair I made in Tonga. There is nothing I can do but hope the pin does not cleave during the next 1200 miles. When U get to Rodrigues, I will have to take the mainsail and sail pack down, disassemble the boom, and effect a repair. Since the stainless gooseneck fitting is cast and cannot accommodate a larger bolt, I will either need to find someone who can weld aluminum or fabricate some sort of spacer. Since it is more likely I can find someone to weld/machine stainless steel, I might need to go the route of a spacer. I found the photos I took of the end piece of the boom when I worked on it. The bolt that had been cleaved was a replacement because I had to replace the original 3/8” bolt with a 10mm bolt (after tapping the hole) because of a stripped thread. The 10mm bolt was purchased at the chandlery in Tonga, and was clearly of low quality. While I was forward examining this problem, the boat jibed. When I got back to the cockpit I discovered the bungee cord that holds the continuous line for the windvane had failed. Fortunately I had a replacement at the ready and the problem was quickly dealt with. This is my last bungee. I have some elastic material and can probably fabricate a replacement if necessary, or I will look for some in South Africa. Regardless of the strength of the wind, I am going to keep the main double-reefed until the gooseneck is repaired. The 35 kt winds expected tomorrow night are not arriving at a good time. I drilled to holes in the windvane foil and secured it with zip-ties. It is not going anywhere. I thought about the issue with the gooseneck. If I can find a very large fender washer or a piece of stainless steel plate, I could drill four could secure it with screws/bolts to the end piece of the boom and keep the hole in the aluminum end piece from wearing larger. I could then secure the gooseneck to the reinforced end piece. Today the ocean is deep blue … “the deep blue sea.” I have not seen this color since the Pacific. It requires very deep water and bright sunlight, a combination I have not seen in months. The distance sailed towards Rodrigues in the last 24h was 1265-1145=120 nm. The total distance sailed was 12458-12337=121 nm (121/24=5.04 kt avg.).