Long term blog followers might recall a piece I wrote describing my research preceding our move from one, to two hulls. To recap, in an anchorage I'd dinghy over to the nearest catamaran with Anne going, “Oh, please. Not again”. Pulling alongside I'd knock on the hull and, when the occupier appeared at the guard rails I'd say, “Hi. Sorry to bother you but would you mind if I ask you two questions?”

They'd give me a guarded look and hesitatingly say, “OK”.

“Thanks,” I'd say. “Firstly, did you own a monohull before buying your catamaran?” And the answer was always, “Yes”.

“Second question, would you ever go back to a monohull?” At this point, the owner would look at Anne as if to ask, “Are you his nurse?” while answering with an emphatic, “No way”.

And so, having further strengthened my case we'd dinghy off shorewards, me dreaming of a life on two hulls. Anne dreading another two years living on a damn boat.

Two years has turned into four and nearly twenty five thousand miles on two hulls………and it was all going so well. “Look at us! It's blowing twenty five knots, we're doing ten to fifteen, the boat is flat as a pancake AND look at the tea, it’s like a spirit level; hardly moving and still in the mug”. We wish.

You see, the South Atlantic hasn't turned out to be the dreamy, ten to fifteen knot pleasure cruise we'd anticipated. “My toothpaste tube stood on end the whole way” said…. best remain nameless (but you know who you are). Altogether, ours has been a different experience and I might possibly be the first person to go back to a monohull - because of course, that grass is always greener. Or stop doing passages in winter.

On my newly developed scale denoting cruising comfort, since Cape Town, two thousand or so miles back down the track, we've spent an inordinate amount of time on Levels 7 and 8.

1. Ghosting
2. Gliding
3. Easing
4. Creaming
5. Powering
6. Barrelling
7. Hurtling
8. Crashing
9. Sinking
10. Claiming

There’s also a direct correlation to this scale which relates to the amount of sleep one can get and, having been “Hurtling” and “Crashing” rather than, say, “Easing” right now, about a hundred miles south of Ascension, we are, well, pretty knackered and looking forward to a few nights sitting gently at anchor before going ashore to frighten the locals.

Having written all this, my self appointed editor, reading over my shoulder and always worried what I'm putting online, has just pointed out that on my new scale, there's also a direct correlation to the number of reefs.

Hhhmmmmm. I wonder.


Stuart & Anne

Our Tracker (cut and paste)
https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/TimeBandit/

Follow the blog: www.TimeBandit.Co.Uk
YouTube: SV Time Bandit