Day 10- Hanging out at sea.
28 June 2008 | Middle of the Pacific, approaching 35 N Latitude
Brian Trautman
As the days wear on I find myself thinking of the places where we spend our time on the boat. Each place has a certain purpose and social aspect. The center of the social scene is the cockpit and salon while the opposite is the aft cabin or forward cabin.
The aft deck is where you go to sit comfortably in the camping chairs, securely strapped to the mast stays. The aft deck is somewhat private unless you have a buddy hanging out with you in the other chair. The deck is fully exposed to the sun and wind, so it is great for sunbathing, music, and drinking beer but less suited to reading. A fish on the line can quickly turn the deck into a floury of activity so you must be ready to move quickly at a moments notice.
The cockpit has multiple purposes and sits directly between the salon and aft deck so it is high traffic. If you want partial sun- legs and no upper body or the opposite the cockpit is the place for you. There is an orientation available for every preference. The shade that extends from the dodger covering both port and starboard benches leaves the aft bench fully exposed. As the sun gets lower in the horizon sun will start to come in under the sides of the cover in the afternoon. In addition to the sun one must account for the wind and heel angle of the boat when looking for the optimum place to hang out. If the wind is up and the boat is moving the leeward (low) bench is the most coveted spot. Not only are you protected from the sea spray and wind, but the back rest is a comfy support to brace against. Sitting on the high side you must balance between comfort and spilling off the bench crashing to the cockpit floor as a swell or wind pushes the boat over. This happened to me on our first day at sea and I hurt my shoulder after slipping. I tend to spend most of my time in the cockpit. I love the sun, fresh air, and sound of the water rushing by.
If you feel like getting out of the elements and remaining social the salon is the place to be. Here you are completely out of the weather yet can still see the world drift by through the large pilot house windows. Some reading and movie watching can be accomplished in the salon sitting around the large table. The salon is the center of navigation and meals that require plates.
Do you feel like some alone time? No problem- head to one of the quarter berths in the aft cabin. Here you can settle into a bunk for reading, movie watching, or napping. There are plenty of hatches to let in the breeze and sun. The bunks are full length and have lee clothes to keep you from falling out of the high side. Forward of the aft cabin is a passageway on the starboard side with another quarter berth. This connects the aft cabin to the salon. This area gets less use during the day and is used primarily for sleeping at night. Maybe it's too close to the salon for privacy?
Both heads are strictly functional and somewhat uncomfortable with the boat pitching around. The forward cabin is very rarely because of the up and down motion as the bow plows over and through waves. It's mainly useful when conditions are calm or to escape the noise of the engine if you are motoring. The deck forward of the cockpit is strictly for work. You're only up there to change a sail, and when conditions are rough you should be in your harness and clipped into the jack line. It moves around a lot at the front of the boat and is generally wet and uncomfortable when underway.
Yesterday was a full day of sailing with great wind. We sailed with the chute up for most of the day, hitting speeds of 10.6 knots a few times which is almost scary fast for this boat. The boat is handling well in these conditions and the autopilot is working great.
Eric (AKA The Fish Slayer) caught another mahi-mahi so we're once again stocked with fresh fish. Unfortunately we forgot to close the aft cabin hatches as the slaying occurred, and you guessed it- fish guts on one of the aft bunks. I went ahead and tackled the job of laundering sheets on a rolling pitching deck. It was on my mind anyway since they were all becoming very questionable after our 7th day at sea. Everything is just a little bit harder (ok a lot harder) to do on a boat underway. Laundry is a special challenge and took a lot of energy. Another interesting problem that occurred yesterday is some strangeness with the aft head. Trust me- you don't want any strangeness with the head at all! Yesterday I noticed a very awful smell in the aft cabin. I opened the head door to notice the toilet bowl full with let's call it not so fresh water. Apparently there is some sort of a clog in the drain tube that would back fill the bowl after a flush. I was able to switch the y-valve so the toilet drains into the tank instead of the ocean but this is a short term solution at best. Unfortunately due to the motion of the boat some sloshing occurred and I had to tackle the floor with bleach, Comet, and the shower sprayer. Definitely not one of my favorite moments!
Kurt cleaned out the fridge which was long overdue after a week. We still have a few fresh vegetables and lettuce remaining which is pretty impressive. I suspect that this upcoming week will be more spaghetti, frozen burritos, and Mac & Cheese than fresh foods though. Hopefully the fishing will stay good!
We took the chute down in the afternoon and put up the more easily managed Genoa for the night. The last thing we want to deal with is a collapsed or twisted chute in the darkness. We are still on course and making good speed running downwind at 8+ knots, and hitting 10.5 when surfing down waves. There is a low pressure system forming that we are trying to stay ahead of. If we don't and it passes over us we can expect low winds and more motoring :( I have the sunrise watch in the morning, by far the best watch. Not only is ita beautiful experience to watch your slice of the world awaken, but this also guarantees that you have the first watch on the following night so you get an uninterrupted night to try and get some sleep.