News from an old friend of the club Tom Mahier

From Toms Log
My log –update 3

5th August 2010

I’m writing this suspended over 4300 metres of Biscay at a point called the Biscay Abyssal Plain—here endeth the geography lesson! Coincidentally,when I crossed from Schull to A Coruna in the yacht “Libertad” I marked the chart at this same spot(give or take a mile or two( you know what my navigation’s like!) on the 3rd of August 2008. Given the size of the North Atlantic,that’s quite a feat!
It’s been a different crossing this time ,though. Nobody being sick,a good seaboat under me,and LOADS of wind—too much at times. I was forced to heave to (for neophytes ,that’s when you try to make the boat go one way with the front sail,another way with the mainsail,and throw the rudder into the equation to confuse the issue,so that the boat scratches its head,pulls into a layby and gives you a break: modern boats tend to panic at this point and rush off downwind sideways) at one point for two hours when gale force winds caught me unprepared. Still did 123miles, 84 the first day out of Milford,123 that day and another 123 the next! Weird! We,ve still got 203 miles to go,and the wind has dropped so speed is down to 4 knots,weather is overcast but mild and I’m quite content being wafted along gently on a flat sea. After the last two days this is quite welcome as in the shallower part of the Bay the seas were pretty horrible,breaking right over the boat two or three times ,and short steep waves,near gale force winds and a boat doing 6-7knots for hours on end gave me a new angle on the world——cooking with the cooker on its gimbals and me wearing a bum strap to keep me in position is quite physically demanding; which in turn makes you hungry;which in turn means you need to eat more; which in turn means you need to cook more; you get the picture!While heaving to ,things went a bit pear shaped with a jammed sheet,and while freeing it I managed to trap my hand between the fully loaded genoa and the wire shroud, resulting in the removal of about a square inch of skin from the back of my (left) hand. Not nice,but what the hell,worse things happen at sea—whoops!.
Later yesterday I had a close encounter with a Panamanian ship about which I will be making an official report ( although the captain did call on VHF and apologise). I saw him on radar six miles away,and it was obvious we were on a collision course .I maintained my course,and at 3 miles he had still not altered. The rules required him to alter ,and a very small alteration (1 degree would have been enough at that point) would have changed the picture. Conversely the rules require me to maintain course so as not to confuse the issue. At HALF A MILE, when a collision was more or less inevitable,the ship reversed her engines. At that point, he might as well have tried rowing! I called him on VHF and altered 40 degree to starboard to duck under his stern. I then called him,asking for the captain’s comments.! After a few minutes he told me that the helmsman didn’t know the rules and thought “might was right”,and the officer who should have been on the bridge was asleep in his cabin—the captain had only come up on a “sixth sense” that something was wrong,and had immediately reversed engines (must have given his engineer kittens!) . He said he would be taking action on both men and apologised,which although I accepted,I also made it clear that I would be making a report to the MAIB.( but not till I’d changed my underwear!)
So for those of you who sail—beware Panamanian registrations! They’re crewed by PANAMANIACS!!
From Milford Haven to the Scilly Isles,I was entertained royally by my private dolphinarium,and even woke up a basking shark(well– he WAS basking in the middle of the road—) in the early hours. Strangely,I have only seen one small pod (of dolphins) in Biscay(might the Panamaniacs have run them all over?) and very few birds,whereas seabirds proliferate in the Bristol Channel, and further north as well. No puffins this year though,Mr Chapman—-and no penguins either!
To be continued in a foreign land—but it will be in ENGLISH! And not quite yet! Lack of wind and a speed over the ground of 0 at 2a.m decided me to motor for 4hours,as since yesterday was overcast,no electrickery came from the solar panels and because of low boat speed,I lifted the Duogen to reduce drag(it needs 3 knots before it generates, and we were doing 2 !).This meant the batteries were getting lower than I like, so 4hours on alternator did no harm. This morning ,however, the sun is shining on the righteous,and the panels are doing their t’ing! Just checked ,and they are feeding the fridge,autopilot,instruments and radios(FM and VHF) with a surplus of around half an amp. I also had a visit from a pod of about 12 pilot whales—none of your comical antics with them,although the young ones make you laugh trying to keep up! No, they just sweep up from astern and take position under the bow—I almost expected them to shout “Follow me!” Strange beasts ! They’ll probably send me a bill for pilotage !
We’re ghosting along at 2knots on the merest scintilla of a breeze —-at this rate it’ll take 57 hrs to A Coruna . However it might pick up later; if not,I’ve got plenty of FB pies and coffee!
Well .it didn’t pick up—it died away to zero. After drifting aimlessly all day,achieving 64 miles including the 4 hours on engine, and succeeding in getting sunburn on my shins and tops of my feet(reading in the cockpit in the blazing sun) the engine was fired up again at 1815 and ran all night till 0615. Full sail has now been set in a light north easterly wind and we are going in the right direction . Still got 74 miles to go so it looks like a Sunday A.M. arrival unless I get more wind than is comfortable!
Looking around from the deck there is not a thing in sight. Just sea and sky, which is overcast. We’re doing 3.2 knots and I’d like to fly the cruising chute,but I’ve got a funny feeling that this wind might do a Topsy, just grow and grow!
Right,breakfast time! 2 Weetabix with milk and LOADS of sugar,MORE coffee,and a slice of toast—
Had a fantastic sail into A Coruna, genoa poled out and goosewinged most of the day. I was right about the wind,we ended up surfing into the Ria at 7+ knots.
Finally tied up at 0100 our time,add an hour for Spain. It’s now 0230 and I’m just finishing this and going to bed—I am a little tired,can’t think why!
Up with the lark this Sunday morning—-larks stay in bed till 1100 in Spain .Makes it very hard to fit in a siesta before bedtime. The sun is blazing down ,don’t know the temperature but around 30degrees I’d guess—-just like the Clyde (once a year! Will probably go to an anchorage tomorrow,so no internet,unless I’m lucky!