passage:
DAY 1 REPORT 7/14
LAT 21DEG 19.7 N LONG 158DEG 07.2 W.
GREETINGS LANDLUBBERS
IF YOU CHECK THE CHARTS, YOU'LL NOTICE WE'RE STILL AT THE DOCK. WHAT A WAY TO
START, BUT THAT'S SAILING...WELL NOT REALLY...IT'S SITTING AT THE DOCK.
RIGGING PROBLEMS INCLUDING A BARBER POLED INTERMEDIATE SHROUD AND A TOTALLY WORN
OUT TOPPING LIFT PLUS MAINSAIL PROBLEMS AND A MINOR TEAR IN MY BRAND NEW JIB
HAVE PLAGUED THE DEPARTURE DATE. ALL PROBLEMS ARE NOW FIXED AND PROVISIONING AND
STOWAGE TOOK UP MOST OF TODAY. WE STILL HAVE A LIST FOR TOMORROW [THURSDAY] BUT
HOPE TO LEAVE BY LATE AFTERNOON.
YOU MAY ASK WHY ALL OF THIS WAS LEFT TO THE LAST MINUTE, BUT BEING THE CAPTAIN I
CHOOSE TO IGNORE SUCH QUESTIONS...EXCEPT TO THE ADMIRAL OF COURSE. SO IF YOU
REALLY WANT TO KNOW...CALL PAULA!
GOODNIGHT,
CAPTAIN NOGOYET
DAY 2 7/15
21DEG 25N, 158DEG 14S
SPEED: SOMETIMES
COURSE: WISH I WOULD'VE TAKEN A REFRESHER COURSE
STATUS: DEPARTED 15JUL10 AT 21:30 [9:30PM...YOU'D BETTER LEARN THE 24HOUR
WAY...I'M NOT GONNA KEEP PROVIDING REDUNDANT INFORMATION LIKE THIS]. SPEAKING OF
REDUNDANCY, WHY OH WHY DID I TAKE HOME ALL THOSE SPARE PARTS AND TOOLS WITH ME?
WHAT A DAY. STEVE AND LANCE DID SOME NECESSARY SHOPPING AND DUMPED THE RENTAL
CAR WHILE I CHANGED OIL AND FUEL FILTERS, STOWED THE DINGHY ON THE DAVITS AND
TOOK CARE NOT TO PUT TOO MUCH IN IT. WE WILL ONLY USE IT TO PUT THE GARBAGE
IN...MOSTLY PLASTICS, STYROFOAM AND THE LIKE, WHILE ALL OTHER TRASH GOES
OVERBOARD. NONE OF US HAD LUNCH. WE DID HAVE A SWIM IN THE LAGOON FOLLOWED BY A
LONG HOT SHOWER, SOMETHING WE WON'T HAVE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. WE LEFT THE
SLIP LATE AFTERNOON AND WENT TO THE FUEL DOCK WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING.
WHILE TOPPING UP THE TANKS WITH DIESEL FUEL, STEVE WAS ON THE NOZZLE AND I WAS
DOING MY CAPTAINY THING OF GIVING ORDERS...'10 GALLONS AND STOP...OK 10 MORE,
ETC. TO MY DISMAY I NOTICED STEVE SITTING IN A PUDDLE OF RED DIESEL FUEL AS HE
HAD PARKED HIS ARSE RIGHT WHERE THE FUEL TANK VENTS WERE. I MADE HIM STAND THERE
ON AN ABSORBENT MAT WHILE I FETCHED A CHANGE OF CLOTHES THEN PROMPTLY DISPATCHED
HIM OFF TO THE SHOWERS WITH A BUCKET FOR HIS SHORTS WHICH HE THINKS HE CAN SAVE.
HE HAS BEEN RENAMED "DIESEL DAN".
THIS EPISODE WAS FORTUNATE AS YOU WILL SEE. BECAUSE THE FUEL OVERFLOWED, I HAD
TO RUN THE ENGINE AND BURN OFF ENOUGH FUEL SO THAT THE PITCHING AND ROLLING WE
WOULD SOON SEE WOULD NOT SPILL FUEL ON DECK. SO IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN ENGINE I
FIRED UP THE GENSET WHICH ENDED UP CONKING OUT...AT THE FUEL DOCK. FOUND A BAD
IMPELLER FOR THE RAW WATER COOLING, REPLACED THAT AND DECIDED WE SHOULD ALL GO
TO DINNER DOWN AT THE BEACH RESTAURANT. IF DIESEL DAN HADN'T SAT IN THE FUEL, WE
WOULD NOT HAVE DISCOVERED THIS TILL WE GOT OUT TO SEA.
ANYWAY, BEAUTIFUL STARS, HEADING DIRECTLY FOR BIG DIPPER NOW, MY WATCH HAS ENDED
AND I HAVE TO GET SOME SHUTEYE
GOODNIGHT,
ADRIEN
DAY 3
POSITION: 25DEG23MIN N, 158DEG34MIN W
CSE & SPEED: 005 DEG TRUE, 6.5 KNOTS
FIRST 24 HOUR RUN=150NM
A LOT TO REPORT, BUT A SQUALL IS BEARING DOWN ON US SO I'LL KEEP IT SHORT.
FIRST, I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT WE HAD A FRESH WATER PROBLEM THE VERY FIRST
NIGHT. TURNS OUT THE PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE ON HOT WATER TANK WAS CORRODED, AND
WHEN THE MAIN ENGINE IS ON IT HEATS THROUGH HEAT EXCHANGER TO A HIGHER THAN
USUAL TEMP...SHE BLEW... AND DUMPED SOME HOT WATER INTO THE BILGE. THE CREW IS
NOW FAMILIAR WITH THE LOCATION OF THE FRESH WATER SWITCH. ANYWAY, JUST HAPPENED
TO HAVE A SPARE VALVE, SO WE HAVE PRESSURIZED WATER AGAIN. I AM DISCOVERING IN
MY OLD AGE THAT MY TOLERANCE FOR WORKING UPSIDE DOWN IN A ROLLING PITCHING BOAT
IN A SWELTERING HOT ENGINE ROOM CAUSES A SENSE OF QUEZZIENESS. WHICH BRINGS US
TO FOOD. DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF A PASSAGE, APPETITES ARE VIRTUALLY
NON-EXISTENT...BAG A CHIPS...ENERGY BAR...WATER, THAT'S ABOUT IT. I MADE A FEW
SANDWICHES LATE YESTERDAY AND THEN COOKED EGGS, KILBASA, ONION, ROLLS AND
ORANGES FOR BREAKFAST. WE'LL SEE WHO STEPS UP TO THE PLATE NEXT...HMMM! I HAVE
JUST COME OFF WATCH AND THE SQUALL IS UPON US. I AM DOWNSTAIRS TYPING
THIS...OOOPS...A BOOK I HAVEN'T READ YET JUST WENT FLYING BY. BETTER GO HELP
OUT. I'LL BE BACK BEFORE THIS GOES OUT.....
10MINUTES LATER...STEVE HAS IT WELL IN HAND. GUSTS ARE ONLY ABOUT 28KNOTS, WE'VE
HEADED UP A LITTLE AND EASED THE TRAVELLER...NO MORE FLYING BOOKS. OUR WATCHES
ARE GOING FINE, 3 HOURS ON, 6 HOURS OFF. STEVE WAS LATE FOR HIS WATCH AT 4AM, SO
I TRIED TO WAKE HIM...CALLED OUT...NOTHING. SHOOK HIM NOTHING. I HEARD HIM
SNORING SO KNEW HE WAS BREATHING. TOOK HIS TEMPERATURE...NOTHING...WHICH WAS
REMARKLABLE BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE THE ONE THERMOMETER ON BOARD...THE UNDESIRABLE
KIND. LET'S BE CLEAR HERE, I TAKE NO JOY IN PERFORMING SOME OF MY DUTIES.
ANYWAY, HE APPEARED AN HOUR LATER LOOKING WELL RESTED AND SLIGHTLY DAZED, AND
NONE THE WISER. HE ASKED WHY I DIDN'T WAKE HIM.
OK I'M DONE HERE, SLEEP THEN RADIO CHECK IN. NIGHT NIGHT...IT'S 2PM HAWAII TIME.
ADRIEN
DAY 4
POSITION:28DEG32M N, 158DEG48M W
AM VERY TIRED, BEEN BUSY. BEEN BLOWING 30 PLUS KNOTS FOR MORE THAN A DAY NOW AND
THAT CAN BE STRESSFUL. CHECK-IN ON THE PACIFIC SEAFARERS NET WAS LONG THIS
EVENING. THEN I MADE DINNER...WITH SOME INGREDIENTS IN CANS, WITH NO !@#$% CAN
OPENER. WE USED TO HAVE 3 ON BOARD. I NOW HAVE A CAN OPENING STATION IN THE
ENGINE ROOM....ARGGGHHH! WAS GOING TO MAKE SPAGHETTI BUT THE FRIGGIN HAMBURGER
IS A SOLID HUNK OF COSTCO MEAT IN THE BACK OF THE FREEZER. SUBSTITUTE KILBASA
SAUSAGE FOR HAMBURGER. ANOTHER PROVISIONING NIGHTMARE UNDERWAY. DON'T WORRY, WE
HAVE LOTS OF FOOD...IT'S JUST IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES. ANYWAY, THE SPAGHETTI
DINNER SUCKED BUT THERE WAS APPARENTLY SOME NUTRITION GOING ON...MORE ADVENTURES
TOMORROW. I'M ON WATCH IN LESS THAN 3 HOURS AND WE'RE SURROUNDED BY SQUALLS.
BETTER MOOD MANYANA HOPEFULLY. ADMIRAL...WHERE DID YOU HIDE THE CAN OPENERS???
ADRIEN
DAY 5: MONDAY 0719 REPORT AT 10:30PST.
EST. MILEAGE RUN FOR TODAY 155NM.
OK, A BIT ABOUT WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE. IF YOU ARE CHECKING OUT THE YOTREPS WEB
SIGHT THAT PAULA HAS REFERRED YOU TO, YOU WILL NOTE THAT WE ARE HEADED NORTH AND
A BIT TO THE WEST. WAIT A DOGGONE COTTON PIKIN' MINUTE. LOOKS LIKE WE'RE HEADED
TO RUSSIA. [AND YOU THOUGHT I WAS FROM QUEBEC] NO WE'RE NOT RUSSIAN SLEEPER
SPIES GOING BACK HOME. FIRST OF ALL WE ARE SAILING AND TRYING NOT TO USE THE
ENGINE. SEEING AS WE ONLY HAVE FUEL FOR ABOUT 800NM AND HAVE TO TRAVEL ABOUT
2300NM, SAILNG IS A GOOD THING. OF COURSE WE NEED WIND FOR SAILING SO HERE WE
ARE CHASING THAT WIND. IF WE WENT STRAIGHT NORTH, WE WOULD BE POUNDING AGAINST
THE SEAS GOING SLOW, SO WE FALL OFF THE WIND A BIT, AND GO FASTER, BUT SLIGHTLY
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. RIGHT NOW WE ARE ABOUT 50NM WEST OF WHERE WE WOULD LIKE
TO BE. IF WE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR SAN FRANCISCO WE'ED BE GOING STRAIGHT INTO THE
WIND...DOESN'T WORK. WE ARE SAILING AROUND A BIG "FAT" [CHILDREN ARE READING]
HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM. IN SUMMARY...GO NORTH TO 40 DEGREES LATITUDE, MOTOR NORTH
EAST FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS TILL WE FIND WIND THEN POINT HOME. SO, WE KEEP TRACK
OF ALL THIS STUFF ON A DAILY BASIS AS DOES SOME SHORE BASED SUPPORT AND WE
ADJUST TO THE FORECASTS.
WE'VE DONE ABOUT 600NM SO FAR, HAVE ABOUT 500 MORE GOING IN A NORTHERLY
DIRECTION THEN ABOUT 1200 TO THE GOLDEN GATE. ETA: WHEN WE GET THERE!
OH! DID I TELL YOU MY 'BAD WORD' TOILET IS CLOGGED. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
DREADED BOATING JOBS THERE IS. I KNOW THERE ARE SOME GOOD PRAYERS OUT
THERE...PLEASE PRAY THAT I AM NOT SLIDING AROUND IN GOOEY STUFF WHEN I ATTACK
THIS PROBLEM TOMORROW.
CLARIFICATION ON A PREVIOUS POSTING. THE THERMOMETER I WAS REFERRING TO THE
OTHER DAY IS THE KIND YOU STICK IN YOUR EAR. APPARENTLY THERE ARE SOME WHO
THOUGHT IT WAS OF YET A DIFFERENT KIND...GEEEZ!!! THERE ARE RULES ON THIS
BOAT!!!
FOR MORE FUN FACTS, LIES AND TRIVIA, TUNE IN TOMORROW TO THE ADVENTURES OF L'EAU
LIFE.
ADRIEN
Paula Fondiller-Fournier
6106 Montgomery Ct., San Jose, CA 95135
home phone: 408-223-7160
cell phone: 408-250-9588
website: www.adrien.com
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