Noon pos 3143.07 17028.41 DTD1679 dmg 133
This one may develop as the day goes by... the dragon's tail is a quivering - 25 kts, still from the SE, sea building, 3 reefs and the small heady. Berri, and Kevvo handling it fine. The dragon will fart sometime - there will be a front and about a 90 deg wind change to the SW and up to 35 kts. We'll assess the stench, probably drop the main till it all dissipates a bit and keep on hooning. Still got a bit of current under us and cracking 7's. Small wooohooo - exhilarating after all that headbanging but wont get us back much of the distance lost. And we still have to keep it all together for at least another 10 - 15 days.
Done some precautionary things around the boat - rigged a backstay tackle in case the ram goes - unlikely, but it's been doing odd things. Filled the tank with diesel, sponged the bilge, did stocktake on the Medicinal Compound remaining. Would not do to arrive in a foreign port without my three Consultant Physicians in attendance. There will be enough if we keep hooning and I maintain my self discipline. Made lots of water, but we have a full tank of Sydney water as well (with a bit of squeezed ocean added occasionally to keep it full).
More later.
An hour or so - smells a bit farty. Pulled in some heady, had a bit of a feel and decided to gybe - from about 040 to - as it turned out, about 355. Very careful gybe, put the checkstay back on, eased it all, sorted the heady. 28 kts, seas still building and the wind now definitely SW. Have just taken photos of farty looking blast roiling up astern - white, fluffy, tightly rolled series of cloud lines, catching us fast.
More later. Will be several hours before I can send this, according to propagation application. A coffee, I think.
And post caffeination - McQ came up for her watch just after we got our first cockpit full of water. Good practical lesson in why I'm so obsessed with keeping the drains clear of peanuts and other jetsam. We rolled the heady, dropped the main in 30 kts while Kevvo bare poled, unrolled the heady again and back to 6's and 7's but with big breaking waves and dragon pong all around. And now it seems to be abating. Nice dragon - go somewhere else please! I wonder whether dragon spray would deter 92% of these guys.
But - heading North instead of about 030 and we've got current against us again. My befuddled brain just cant sort that one. Water temp 27 deg. Still at least 2 hours before I can send this, so watch this space, smell this pong.
