The mariner’s mariner dreams about faraway horizons.
(Centkieviez)
My Yacht Log 12-04 to
"In the beginning they could not
understand my insistence on getting away from the compass, that god of the
West. But in exchange, they began to hear the why and sea talking with the
boat. And when blue-tinted land appeared on the horizon, looking as it did to
the mariners of old, all nimbed with mystery, a few of them felt that our
rigorous techniques should leave a door open to those gods which the modern
world tries so hard to exclude." -Bernard Moitessier, 'The Long Way' CLOSE
WINDOW
--------------------------------------------------------------
This
morning I was on the radio again and that means the propagation is good. This
fact, after sailing, is the 2nd most important thing. I talked with
Gyuri, Tibi and Karesz. They heard me well and the same goes for me. There was an other sailing boat in Italian waters, and I heard some
interesting transmissions from that boat. It is too bad,
but I could not copy Zoli (HA7WFC/MM), however talked to a few other amateurs:
HA6VB, Jenő,
5-6,
HA1DFN, Atilla, 4-6,
HA6QE, 5-7,
HA6ZJ, János, 5-6,
HA6EV, 5-7,
HA6EV, Jenő, Egerszalok,
Today I did a lot of things around the boat:
Sail
mending, (the normal jib has weakened a little at certain spots.
Checked out the engine
Checked out the
different compartments.
The good news is that the very first
compartment up ahead is totally dry.
Took
on water. (I have
running water for 4 weeks and after that I’ll use bottled water).
Mast
adjustment.
Took
care of some caulking problems. (The cable insulation, next to the front light, needed attention).
Cockpit
cleaning.
Dishwashing.
Tidying up
Two
support posts of my railing got loose so I strengthened their holding screws
using some fiberglass compound.
Unfortunately they could not find my
box. The police today gave me a piece of
paper, which contained the official facts. (They gathered the data in the
evening and by the morning had the report ready).
I reported
it to the harbor police and also to the office in the
Tomorrow
through the
Unfortunately,
because of this my departure will be postponed to tomorrow evening, and because of this I
will bypass
Balázs sent me an interesting link: www.sailmike.com. This site describes a
14-year-old kid who starts out alone to cross the
There is a weather forecasting
method, which I might use. The name is Saildocs and I like it a lot. The
problem is that one has to send an 8 KB file over HF radio (with GRB spread ??) it is a little too much in PSK mode.
In the morning at 8 UTC I turned on the radio
and talked Karesz, Gyuri and Tibi, HA6QI. Unfortunately I did not hear the
other Hungarian sailor from
Today I pick up my money.
VIAJES NOCHE Y DIA, C.
General Mas de Garminde 47 Bajo
(Luckily it is not far from the harbour, but
opens at
At around 10 UTC I switched on
the radio again (talked to Karesz), but the propagation was not good,
In the morning I am doing navigation
problems.
The target:
The problem is that between Santo Antao and
Ilha De Sao Vicente the wind usually gets stronger and sometimes ads 15 to 20
knots to the already present ocean wind.
(The planned anchoring spot, the harbour is situated in the middle of
the channel.)
I’m buying things again.
9 litres of water and added
to this I have 100 litres of bottled water.
2 kg. Breakfast cereal
10 chocolate tablets
3 kg. Bread,
which can be stored.
2 sticks of sausage (Pista makes
better ones!)
Dehydrated stock (soup)
Different types of noodles.
Lunch: Fruits! (papaya, mango, chirimoya)
In the afternoon I am packing. Out on the Ocean everything is tied down,
otherwise things get mixed up. A big mix-up just would not do.
I finished charging the batteries and I hope when I get to
Towards the evening I checked out. Four nights cost me 15 euros. I left a
few forwarding addresses at the marina-office for the off chance that they find
my box, then till
Departure time
The skipper of Fantasy I – a retired physicist, who in a few days will
sail to the
All evening the wind is bf4. I
sail near the shore but I struggle with the
waves
quite a bit. Further out the waves are not so short any more and the sailing
becomes much more pleasant.
Heading: 221, but can’t hold to it because
if I try the jib flaps. (This is what happens when the wind blows from
astern.) My compass heading is changed
to 200 or 240. But because of the great wave action steering a heading is not
too accurate.
I am
planning to supplement my daily log with nautical information. That would
include: visibility, temperature, barometric pressure, wind direction and
strength, current, speed, direction, log standing, position. These kind of informations will be included daily, this way maybe
I will be in a better position to judge what is it I’m doing.
My telephone does not work again. This
time it’s the charger.
12-06-2006 (Day 74)
Today is St Nicholas day.
There was only a chocolate Nick in my
rubber boots. I could not find any birch-rod, which means that this year I was
good!!!
Today for some reason I could not turn on the
radio. . I measured 12 volts at the connector so that is OK.
Breakfast
is Spanish salami, bread and onion from
Lunch
and dinner: scrambled eggs with sautéed onion and tomato. The banana ration is
one or two pieces a day this way they may last for ten days. The night was
quiet. Sometimes a ship or two came close but did not pose any danger.
Early
this morning I had to sew the sail. The jib got torn in 3 places.
While I sewed I raised the storm jib and with that raised,
the speed dropped 2.5 knots. (The normal jib is the ideal sail when the bf is 4
or 5.)
I successfully turned on the radio this
morning. (Time was: 9:10UTC). I could talk with Gyuri and Tibi gave me the
probable weather for the next 9 days. He said that by Sunday the wind would be
a bf7 and the rest of the days the wind will be bf. 3-6 and
north easterly.
HA7JZ, Jásztelek, Zoltán,
5-8
HA6QI, 5-8
HA3UX, Tamás, Pista, 5-8
And of course our whistling
friend was heard also.
Breakfast is the usual
bread with salami and onion.
Lunch: scrambled egg with
onion and tomato on the side.
In the
Afternoon I raised the normal jib and my average speed increased to 3.5 knots.
The night was quiet,
although the ship traffic was still there; therefore I steer a little towards
the west to avoid the 3 important ship-routes.
The sky is overcast for
days now. Waves occasionally splash into the cabin, and much more to the
cockpit.
Today I turned on the
radio. Talked to Tibi, Karesz, Gyuri and Alex .
Furthermore:
HA7WFC/MM Zoli (sailboat in
HA6QI, Bandi, 5-6
HA0LG,
5-7
HA8JA,
Imre, Csepel, 5-7
HA6JZ,
5-7
HA5MG,
Gyuri, Bp.
YO6FCW,
Vili, Csikszereda, 5-5
The wind is getting
stronger and today: Bf. 5-6, direction: NE.
Visibility: 6 (good)
Barometric pressure: 1032
Temperature: between 22-25
deg C
Sea-state: 5
In the afternoon I raised
the storm-jib.
The evening was calm.
While I was in
My logbook is full and from
now on I will use my own invention as a logbook.
Today I did not use the
radio. The whole day the storm-jib was up in NE wind. Bf 6-7.
Sea-state: 7
Sail: storm jib
The 8-meter high waves are
common.
The sailboat is stable at
this time.
Meal: Bread and salami with
cheese and onion.
The mountainous waves come
from behind and I keep surfing from the top of these waves. We spend a very short time up top, and after
that short time we are galloping down or it could be described as plunging
down!
Again the night was calm.
Finally
some hot food: scrambled egg and roasted hotdog.
Today I had contacts on the
radio.
I talked with Gyuri, Karess
and Tibi and with a few others. But I had only short QSOs because I have to
save battery power. There is a long way to go yet.
HA8RD, 5-7
HA1DEU, Tamás, Mosonmagyarovár,
5-6
HA5TV, Pista, 5-6
YO6BGT, 5-5
HA6QI, 5-5
YU7FF, 5-6
I completed 48 nm, and in
the right direction.
This is a great
accomplishment with 1 storm-jib and secured rudder.
The autopilot is
intermittent again. This is the reason that from now on I will sail with
secured rudder. When the waves are as big as they are now it is not a good idea
to use the autopilot. It is raining some so the visibility is deteriorating.
Now it’s only 5.
Wind: Bf. 5-6 NE
Sea state: 7
I’m already in the Passat zone and this can be seen from the cloud cover.
The
night was calm, although the wind got a little stronger. I hoisted the storm
jib during the night. When I started out there was a big full moon, and this
makes the night passage easier.
Today
I did not switch on the radio.
Barometric pressure: 1034.
It did not change for two days. (Does not drop).
Temperature: 24 C (around
Wind: Bf 5-6 NE
Sea state: 7 (6 to 9 meter
high waves).
Sail: Storm jib, but by the
afternoon just the jib.
Breakfast: 1 kg. Banana (it
started to rot), and bread with salami.
During the morning hours it
seemed as if a shark swam by me. (I have seen its fin twice.)
Lunch: Lecso with salami.
(Three tomatoes started to rot!) While I was preparing my lunch started to sew
the sail.
Behind me mountainous waves started to
build and those constantly push me in a southwesterly direction. When they
reach me they slam into the rear cockpit, but it’s not too bad yet. It is
raining in the afternoon, but this is warm rain! In the evening I disassemble
the autopilot. It is shorting out. There is water inside. I guess it is not
waterproof. The motor is shorted so tomorrow I will try to repair it.
12-12-2006
(Day
80)
I have not got any letters from the Samsung
users and the exSamsung users! At least the not so busy managers could write
about what is happening over there.
In the morning there was propagation. At
HA3RG
OE4BAB, Alex, 5-6
According to the weather
report: Thursday the wind weakens, but stays NE.
(In this area the N and the
NE wind with strength of 4-5 is the most prevailing in December)
In the past days
I travelled 44 nm, in the right direction.
Barometric
pressure: 1030
Temperature:
24-26 deg.C.
Wind: Bf. 4-5
easterly.
Sail: Jib
Average speed: 3
knots.
In the morning
the sun was shining, the afternoon became cloudy and started to rain. Up till now I have always seen a rainbow, but
now the clouds are really thick and I could not see any. Near the
I started fishing
again in the afternoon, but before I got there I tried to untangle the
monofilament string and the rope. This time I did not use a so-called spoon
lure, but I tried some fly lure. During the weekend, because of the big waves,
the tackle and the bucket dropped into the water.
I took them out the next day, but by then the
whole thing became an unrecognisable mess. I successfully tuned up Carina so
she can sail by herself. This gives me time to cook something. I am on sea for
8 days but so far could not eat a normal warm meal. Finally a
good warm supper. Chilli with rice and onion and carrot and hotdog and
salami… I better stop. I put in what I
could find and so far this was the most successful supper. Unfortunately I ran
out of the gulyas paste. In a small sailboat like this, one cannot carry everything.
Night.
It rains off and
on. The strength of the wind constantly changes. Bf: 1-5!
The rain is warm.
(This is already the trade winds region).
Sleeping.
On the
Ocean where the ship-traffic is not so dense I go to sleep in the cabin. If the
waves are large then I put in the Plexiglas door. This way the cabin remains
dry and I can see out. During these times I get up in 1 or 2 hour intervals to
check the ship traffic and Carina. (Rudder tied down and the sail set). The
waves make sleeping difficult. The up and down movement is +/-3 meter and of
course there is some lateral movement also and that is about +/-2 meters.
Inside the cabin everything rattles and moves, follows the ship’s movement. If
one’s tired then sleep comes quickly!
The book, Around the World
with Susie written by József Varsányi and sent to me by József Poór, is a very
useful reading for me. At first because it gave useful tips on choosing routes,
but now I like the way József looks at things and that is valuable example.
This morning talked to
Gyuri and Karesz on the radio.
The other QSOs:
HA1TO, Ernõ,
Gyõr, 5-8
HA6QI, Bandi,
Gyõngyõspatak, 5-6
HA2RI, 5-6
HA8KW, Feco,
DH7KU (HA7XQ) Csaba, Köln,
5-9
HA4ZD, 5-8
HA3UX, Pista, Tamási, 5-7
HA8AR, Pali, Békéscsaba,
5-7
Several Spanish radio
amateurs also tried to get in touch, but I did not hear them.
Position
at
Distance travelled in the
last 24 hours: 54nm.
Average speed: 2-3 knots
Temperature: 24-26 deg.C
Barometric pressure: 1030
Wind: Bf. 4-5
Sail complement:
Sea state: 4-5 (max. 4
meter high waves).
I have a protecting net but
I did not put it up since the railing is enough for the time being.
For breakfast I ate some leftovers
(yesterday’s supper). I hope I have enough to last until the evening. This is
very good and quickly disappears!
St Christopher’s emblem is around my neck. The
EPIRB takes a moment to activate. The lifeboat is tied out with a separate
rope. This way I hope I will not loose it. (A few days ago I lost a 15-litre
bottle, yet it was tied down pretty good).
At
As the evening neared I
caught an other fish, this time it weight 2 Kg. It
became a roasted fish for supper.
(The left over was good for
breakfast.)
I am trying to sail south.
According to the weather reports I should reach 19N pretty soon. But it is not
so fast with us!
The waves constantly slam
into the cockpit, yet the wind quieted down and so did the waves.
At
When I put in
I am about 100 -200-300
miles from the shores of
This morning I was on the radio. Gyuri gave
me the possible weather forcast for the next week.
Max. Bf.
4. (Easterly)
I talked with Karesz who
passed me the massages from home.
Further QSOs:
OE4BAB. Alex, 5-7
HA8RD, Laci, 5-9
HA2RI, Laci, 5-7
HA3RC, Zoli, Zuglo, 5-7
Unfortunately
I could not hear: HA5PTN and HA7JZ.
The
propagation was quite good from
Info:
14.303 MHz an amateur station watches German shipping.
Position: (22-16N; 21-01W)
In the last 24 hours the distance travelled was 40 NM. In the
good direction.
While I was sleeping the
boat turned.
Barometric pressure: 1025
Temperature: 26 deg. C
Sea state: 4 (waves: 1.25
to 2.5 meters high)
Wind: Easterly, Bf. 3-4
Sail used:
Current: southerly, 0.5
knot.
I am under way for 10 days
and during that time I used 20 litres of water and 3 litres of fuel.
Fuel remaining: 57 litres
Water remaining: 280 litres
During the morning hours I turned on the
radio and listened to a few Italian and Spanish stations, mostly music. Radio
Kossuth came in very weak.
Last night a fish took my flasher. Unfortunately I don’t have many of those.
This morning I put up a new flasher. I spent about one and a half hour sewing
the jib. Unfortunately it was torn in two places along the seam. Sooner or
later I have to make a new jib. Then it was dishwashing time. Every pot (2
pcs.) was dirty and after dish washing I tidied up a bit.
At
Lunch: a light lunch, salami, bread,
paprika and a few drops of ketch-up.
In the afternoon I charged
the GPS battery from the primary battery.
For quite a few days I noticed that the sailboat goes by itself, which
is good news. Unfortunately this travel is slow and there is a +/- 1.5-degree
wobbling.
In the afternoon if there is time I take a
nap. That is the time to do it. Who knows when I can have a good sleep again?
Late afternoon (the sun still strong) and in
the evening (the sky full of stars) I am at the rudder. Of course the sailboat
wants to go by herself. The weather is pleasant and
I’m feeling fine.
The day before I started
out from Koper, Rob commented that the stars viewed from the ocean could be a
wonderful sight. He was right! (Every night I look up a star on the sky.)
This
morning I was on the air. Gyuri reported the weather, and so in the next few
days the wind will blow from S, SE. Strength: 1-2
QSOs
with:OE4BAB, Alex, 5-7.
HA3RC,
5-7
Position:
9:00UTC (21-31N; 021-12W)
Barometric
Pressure: 1024
Temperature:
27-28 deg. C.
Wind:
E, Bf: 1-2
Sea-state: 2 (0.5 to 1 metre waves)
Sail:
Average speed: 1-2 knots.
Heading: 220
In the past 24 hour I
travelled 42 nm.
Around
The ropes got hard from the salty water.
The fish that follows me
slowly becomes my pet as if it was my domesticated animal. But maybe I should call it a sailboat animal.
When I pull my artificial fish a little closer to the boat, this one too comes
closer. Thinks it belongs and comes up close. They are swimming together. My lonesome little fish, alone for 11 days.
Supper is meatloaf. (I
could not catch a fish, but the flasher was lost again, maybe a big fish took
it). Towards the evening the wind stopped altogether
This morning radio time again.
I talked to Gyuri (G0IJG), Karesz (HA5CAR), Alex
(OE4BAB), and Laci (HA8RD)
From
Position: 9UTC (21-21N; 21-17W)
Barometric pressure: 1023
Temperature: 26-27 deg. C
Wind: easterly, Bf. 0-1
(sometimes total calm, at other times very slight.
Sea state: 1
Sail:
Average speed: 0-1 knot
Direction: 200
In the last 24 hours
I travelled 11 NM in good direction. (At the shores of
From tomorrow on the wind
might increase to a Bf 3. The situation might improve.
In this area and in
December the possibility of no wind is 1%, and 47% NE, and 40% E. The rest is
12%.
Here, at the moment it is
1%, (calm).
The fish kept jumping
around me since dawn but they do not like my lures. I unpacked my Harpoon gun
in case any big fish comes around
This morning I downloaded
my pictures to the computer. Unfortunately because a faulty connection I lost
about 80 pictures. These were taken in the first week and a few of them were
quite interesting.
My lure was bit into two by
a big fish. Again! I keep loosing my flashers and lures. I thrown in the last
flasher, maybe it will work this time. In the next harbour I have to buy quite
a few flashers and lures since these things can be put in the ‘disappearing
items’ category. I found that the flasher is better then the lure. (I put more
effort into fishing than sailing :)
Right now it’s total calm.
I will use this time to repair a few things. Mostly I insulate a few places
where the water seeped in.
Since I left
On the Ocean the visibility is 20 to
25 metres. I thought it is going to be better. There are MEDUZAS around so one
has to watch not to jump on one of those.
This afternoon I made
myself an apple cocktail. Now I feel even better. The water is smooth, there is
no wind. I’m slowly drifting this way and that way. The speed is 0.3 knot.
UTC 19:00
Position: (21-21N, 21-21W) An interesting position!
I have a late supper, which
is pastrami carbonara. To tell you the truth I ate 2 portions and I am still
hungry.
At dawn I could see
lightning from south of me. It started raining a little too.
12-17-2006(Day 85)
This
morning I did not use the radio. I overslept.
Position: (21-24N;021-25W)
Distance travelled: 10 nm. in the right direction.
Minus 4 nm. from
yesterday. (This of course does not put me in a good mood. This is my negative
record).
Barometric Pressure: 1026
Temperature: 27 deg.C
Wind: Bf. About 0.11 to 1 ., NE, E
Cloudy and sometimes it is
raining. Next to me there is a bigger downpour passes me by.
See state: 1
Sail:
Direction: 200
Average speed: 1-2 knots.
I am trying to fish,
because the fish keep jumping in front of me, behind me – everywhere. A few of
the big ones keep following the boat. (They are too deep to harpoon them.)
Fishing was no go today so
I ended it.
At
Supper: Hot wheatmeal (tönkölybúza in Hungarian) with
onion, carrot and tuna, and lots of garlic. (The garlic starts to rot.)
Today was a rainy day. It
starts to rain then stops. Then starts again and stops. I counted about 15
separate short rains. As the evening nears the wind weakens, but the waves
stay. That sailboat’s rocking motion will pleasantly rock me to sleep this
evening.
Sleep:
It is hard to visualize my bed. Next to my feet are the map-table and the
toolbox. The harpoon gun is next to my head. My nightstand is one of the food
drums and the spare battery. (I can stretch out but only 90%.)
This
morning I could talk to Karesz who informed me of the coming possible weather. (Bf. 4-5 and from the East). Then I also talked to Gyuri and
Tibi.
Further
contacts:
HA5BIK,
5-8
HA5RW,
Laci, Budakalász, 5-8
HA6QI,
5-8
HA2RI,
Laci, 4-6
Position:
In the
last 24 hours I sailed 38 nm.
Barometric Pressure: 1028
Temperature:
25-26 deg.C
Wind:
Bf. 3-4, easterly
Sea state: 2
Sail:
Average
speed: 3 knots
Direction:210
Weather:
cloudy and intermittent rain.
I put
the empty containers and the trash in the rear cabin because I could hardly
move. After that I took out the weekly bio food portion. These are packed in
weekly packages, and are well waterproofed. At
In the afternoon I made a list of my food items. Paprika and tomato is enough
for a few days, but I have only 1 banana and just a few apples. The bread also
slowly disappears. Hurrah for the biscuit!! A dozen eggs, and
3 whole salamis and cheese - all gone. (But I have canned foods and bio
food.)
Today Carina was going in
the right direction. In the evening I read the Bible.
This morning I was on the
radio where Tibi gave a report of the coming weather: Bf.
Further contacts: Gyuri
HA7JUD, Dénes, 5-7
HA1DEU, Tomi,
Mosónmagyaróvár, 5-7
Position: 12:00UTC (19-59N,
21-44W)
In the last 24 hours I
travelled 68 nm.
Barometric pressure: 1026
Temperature:26-27 deg. C
Wind: Easterly, Bf. 3-4
Sea state: 2
Sail:
Average speed: 2.7 knots
Direction: 180-210
Weather: Sunny, no clouds
on the sky.
This morning my coffee
tasted really salty. A big wave splashed into it. What a wakeup call! I was at
the rudder the whole morning and the whole afternoon. This is the only way to
keep the boat in the right direction. In the late afternoon, after 10 days, I
have seen a container ship.
In the evening I ate my last banana. Supper: Rice and salami with onion, carrot,
and, must not forget, garlic. The chilli is gone.
When I am cooking I steer
the boat to a position that she gets only half the wind. The result is a10 to
15 degree list, then I wedge the stove to compensate
for the listt. It works. Many such solutions exist on this boat and most of it
comes from my father.
This morning I radioed. Karesz and Gyuri reported on the possible
weather. (E, NE, Bf.
Position: 12:00UTC (19-09N;
22-02W)
In the past 24 hours I
travelled 72 nm.
Barometric Pressure: 1026
Temperature: 27-28 deg. C
Wind: NE. Bf. 3-4
Sea state: 2
Sail:
Average speed: 3 knots
Direction: 210-230
Weather: Sunny and no
clouds.
The whole morning I was steering to go in the right direction. If I let Carina
to go without intervention then the direction is not perfect: about 170-180.
In the afternoon came the
dolphins. Only 3 came. They are much faster than I,
however they did play for a short time around the boat. This is the first time
that I see dolphins around me. (So far I did not see turtles and flying fish
and I hope people did not hunted them to extinction.)
This evening a large ship
came pretty close so I stayed at the wheel till
This morning I was on the
air, and Karesz gave me the probable weather report. (E, NE Bf. 4-5). I talked
also to Gyuri, Tibi, Alex and Laic (HA8RD), and then I talked it over with my
father that I should go to San Vincent after all. People already waiting for me
there and will help me to repair the autopilot.
Position at
In the last 24 hours I
travelled 62 nm.
Barometric Pressure: 1025
Temperature: 28 deg. C
Wind: NE, Bf.3
Sea state: 2
Sail: Genos +
Average speed: 2.5-3 knots
Direction: 240
Weather: Sunny and no
clouds.
I steer the boat the whole
morning to go in the right direction. If I let the boat to steer by herself
than the direction is not perfect and the speed is slow. Around
Lunch: scrambled eggs with
salami and onion.
If the wind is good the
genoa is enough, but if the wind is weak then I add the main sail too.
If the wind gets to be a
Bf. 5 then the waves slowly get bigger consequently to hold the right course is
difficult.
When I swoop off or gallop
off a wave the boat speeds up and even a small wave can turn me. Constant
concentration is necessary!
Supper: Spanish instant
asparagus soup and bread with salami.
I talked to Karesz, Gyuri
and Tibi on the radio. And: HA8JA, 5-8
Weather: NE 4-5
Breakfast: scrambled eggs
as usual. Unfortunately I ran out of the “hot golden” (csípős arany)!!
Position:
I the last 24 hours I
travelled 64nm.
Barometric pressure: 1025
Temperature: 26-28 deg. C
Wind: NE, bf. 4-5
Sea state: 4
Sail:
Average speed: 3 knots
Direction: 240
Weather: Sunshine, no
cloud.
Good news that the wind
generator and the sun panel work very well and by
I think a lot about how to
adjust the sails for best night sailing. If I just let the boat drift without
sails the speed is very slow (0.5 knot is the average speed). If I set it to
¾ size, it is still not enough. Yesterday at
night I was making 1-2 knots per hour, which is considered very good. The method: I use only the genoa and constantly catch
the wind. This way the wind keeps pushing.
I have seen a bunch of flying fish.
Sometimes they glide around me in groups.
The night was calm and
slowly I see the moon again. It’s not too big yet.
I
turned on the radio this morning and talked to Gyuri, Tibi and Laci.
More QSOs with:
HA0KA, István,
HA2RI
For breakfast: scrambled
eggs and bread with salami.
The flying fish are jumping
all around me all day long.
Position:
In the last 24 hours I
travelled 76 nm.
Barometric pressure: 1024
Temperature: 26 deg. C
Wind: NE, Bf.5
Sea state: 4
Sail:
Average speed: 3 knots
Direction: 240
Weather: Sunny and the sky
is overcast.
I am constantly at the
helm. I would like to put into port at Christmas Eve.
At 19:00 UTC: special,
festive radio time. Maybe I can talk to Bogi and my family. And the other
reason is that I would like to eat my Holyday supper on land.
Lunch: chocolate, apple and
coffee.
The sailing becomes a little monotone in such occasions: Sailing, eating,
sailing, eating, sailing, sleeping, sailing.
Supper: Tuna soup.
this morning at
Position: 12 UTC (17-11N; 24-51W)
In the last 24 hours I
travelled 60 nm.
Barometric pressure: 1024
Temperature: 26 deg. C
Wind: NE, Bf. 4-5
Sea state: 3-4
Sail:
Average speed: 3.5-4 knots
Direction: 240
Weather: Sunny and cloudy
sky
I leave Santo Antao at
I am in luck because the
wind gets stronger between Santo Antao and Sao Vincente and my speed becomes a
galloping 5-6 knots. And then after Passaros at a small island I get an extra
2.5 knots out of the local current. I am flying. Before I get to the harbour
(2.5 nm) I reef in the main sail and at 1 nm. the
genoa comes off too.
The engine plays with me, but finally it starts up. In the bay I have to go
around a shoal, then I turn into the harbour. (Of
course the wind starts to buffet here). There is no marina here so I go where
the big ships are. The rest of the sailboats are anchored out on the sea. There
is only one Portuguese sailboat in the harbour. Unfortunately I do not have a
dinghy; this is the reason I did not want to use the anchor.
One more thing about my
adventurous landing; right before the landing spot the engine stopped. Luckily
from an oil tanker they threw a rope and this way the current did not
take me out. First I stopped next to the tanker then stopped in front of her.
After landing (
The festive super on the Carina:
(20 days spent on water and
travelled 1072nm.)
For small boats the travel
books recommend 3 islands as harbours or anchorage places.
In this area the weather
information can be had:
Radio BBC 4. (198Khz):
Radio
Weather
Fax: Offenbach: 3.855 Mhz, 7.880 Mhz, 13.8825 Mhz
(04:30,
And
sends forecasts too for 24, 48, 72, 96 hours.
I woke up at
I took a look at the
autopilot, but unfortunately I am not prepared to do serious repairs here. I
tidied up the place. As usual this lasts the longest time. (In small boats this
is a serious problem!)
This is not a
I turned on the radio at
I got friendly with ITCH
LOPEZ since here every boat should have a watchman. There are many pirates in
San Vincent; every book and sailor make mention of it:)
Itch is the watchman for the Portuguese sailboat so while I’ll be in town he
will watch my boat too.
In the harbour I quickly
take care of my entry requirements; a quick passport and boat registration
inspection and I’m done, but since it is Christmas, and nobody is working it is
very difficult to take care of business. In town I exchange money in a hotel, then I call GILSON and ILDO. They might repair my autopilot.
The town is very quiet and everything is closed. So I go back to the harbour
and do a few things around Carina.
Carina:
Sewing
the mainsail and the genoa.
(Smaller tears and the sails need strengthening).
The anchor holder’s screw bent,
(It happened in Tarifa and Salfi where I hit the shore and a ship that is the
result.)
Checking the holds – no
water!!
More
caulking needed on the front windows – never enough.
Securing the wind
generator.
Securing one of the
railings, (Right
side, second from the rear.)
Some
caulking here and there.
Securing
the life-belt ring. During
heavy seas it makes a racket.
Checking
the engine propeller. (The
engine is not the cause.)
ILDO was here by
He took the user manual and
will do the service tomorrow. (Today is holyday!)
These are the problems:
The auto pilot is OK. The
motor inside is shorted
It takes a few days to
repair.
The motor is not the cause.
I checked everything. Something wrong with the “stif”.
Tomorrow, under water, I
will change it. Underwater research!
The bottom of the cockpit
does not seal perfectly. I will tighten it up tomorrow.
Electronic problem: my
5-volt power supply is not good. I already checked it out. I will repair it in
the marina. (I need 220 volts for soldering.)
Around
In the afternoon we dipped
in the brandy a little and then the vine. Then an other
sailor joined us. I dished up my Christmas cuscus. The mood was at the highest
:) Franco brings over some chicken with rice and that, of course is much better
tasting then my cuscus. It’s made with chilli.
Next to me there are 4-5
smaller battleships. A soldier comes over to shoot the breeze with us. He is
not drinking; this place is also
“Is it not dangerous to go to
ITCH until now seen only three islands: Sao
Vincent, Santo Antao, and Sal. It would cost him too much to travel to other
places, but he craves for it.
Later I go back to my boat to work.
At
I see two clowns; they entertain the crowd and
further on, a children choir sing Christmas carols. It is strange to see those
artificial Christmas trees out in the street. This is the place where the
temperature never goes below 20 degrees C. Even in December the temperature is
28 deg. C. One can sun oneself all day long. This is their Christmas. Out on
the street we eat some sweets and fish; this is what everybody eats here. Then
I get quite sleepy and go back to bed.
I am popular in the harbour
because I have an interesting small boat. They think that I am brave; the vine
the brandy and the cuscus add to this legend. Everybody waves when they see me:)
I finished writing my log
in the morning and after that (
Unfortunately in the left
front compartment I found a lot of water, but since everything was well packed,
no damage occurred.
In the morning Ildo brought
with him a service guy; when he saw my boat and heard my plan he started to
laugh and, of course did not take on the work.
In the morning I talked to a number of
watchmen and fishermen. A few of them even invited me to go over to their
place. I don’t know; maybe I’ll go. Later a Belgian world traveller came by; he
took pictures so I had to pose :)) Maybe I will drink beer with this guy. It’s
a small city; who knows?
At
In the afternoon I was on the Internet and
used the telephone. I get so much e-mail that it takes a while to answer them.
So please be patient, eventually I’ll answer them all.
Sightseeing: (church visit), shopping: (food
items, fishing gear). I see many poor people here; many of them are beggars,
and there are a lot of thieves and pirates too. Until now I was lucky. In the
late afternoon and after 3 days I visited the police headquarters to register.
The guy gave me hell because, he said, the first thing should have been to come
to the police station. Well, I listened to the sermon. When I finished the
necessary paperwork and he saw that my boat was made in
In the evening I was talking with ITCH
(30 years old) and his friends. Well, they don’t speak too much English, so we
talked in French. My French is not too good, but it was enough here. One of his
friends, Nilson is a painter. I have seen his pictures in the gallery and we
talked about Picasso:) Nilson’s pictures are
understandable, and posses something from him. He could be a successful painter
in
A few words about the women: everything
is a little loose here. When talking it is normal to hold my hand, touch my
shoulder or stomach – I lost my belly:). (Here the
women are very candid. They tell you exactly what they think:-)
they are beautiful, but of course I am not interested. My bushy beard, my hair are
not too clean and my clothing is dirty and patched; so I’m not too presentable
in front of women.
I visited Itch’s place (he lives in a Baptist settlement),
and met his mother and brother. Unfortunately the guy is separated from his
wife and his children. They know about divorce too. We drank a little and ate a little and later
his friend who drives a taxi gave me a ride to the marina.
In the evening we talked about politics. Corruption is everywhere. Just like in
In the marina they look at my
sailboat with awe. They say that I am brave and my reply is that I am an idiot.
My boat is standing between a German and a
French ship. The interesting things are that both older couple is getting ready
to go to
My work for today:
I insulate the entrance
door and tightened the screws. I fixed the cockpit door. (I don’t want any
problem If I capsize)
I tried out the electric anchor.
Unfortunately the gas
injection pump is no good, the switch is shorted; I measured it.
My assignment for tomorrow
is to find a solution for this. To do this by hand is difficult. Maybe it will
be simple – just touch two wires together at every time :-)
I charged the camera’s
battery from 220 V. The 5-volt output does not work. (Tomorrow’s
assignment).
My drill is starting to rust. I took it apart
and greased it. Meanwhile I used the hand drill.
I greased parts of the engine, also the
compartments and my scissor. Many things start to rust.
I set up the sail and fixed
the side braces (achterstag). Sometimes in a stiff wind the spanner loosens so
I secured it with wire.
I had my standby battery
charged.
I packed things
differently. (According to my observations these are new methods).
I changed some money in the
bank. The local money is escudo.
I went on the Internet. (I
try to answer my e-mails)’
I bought a fishing outfit and
did some shopping too.
Somebody from the autopilot
repair shop took my autopilot in and will advise me tomorrow about my
possibilities.
At
This afternoon I went in the city and ate a
little roasted fish with rice (it cost 1.5 euro).
I stopped at Itch and he showed me his exhibition. (It is on the main street in
a big house.)
Since he is a sculptor I
gave him a small present from
In the evening I met a guy from
The view from there was
fantastic. Then he invited me for a baked potato dinner. Nal lives on a two
masted ship. The ship owner allowed it. We analysed the Gambian situation. We
talked a little about politics. Many people are unemployed but they trying to stop the increases in birth rate. In a family
they are allowed to have a maximum of three kids. I told him that in
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting ready for the crossing:
So far I spent 95 days and about 4500 miles on
sea with the sailboat Carina. This was our joint preparation for the crossing.
Carina is under trial for 95 days (and before that for 20 days in
Crossing the
The Hymn of Love (1, Letter to the Corinthians 13), a fragment.
If I have the gift of
prophesy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so
as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I
surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not
arrogant,
love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does
not take into account a wrong suffered, love does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if
there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done
away.
(Translated by:
Károlyi L)