tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53745578213168615082024-02-07T08:14:08.814-05:00Papy JovialKind of a logbook or Papy Jovial and kind of the diary of her owner.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.comBlogger462125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-54474283135446421402015-02-05T12:37:00.001-05:002015-02-05T18:20:11.555-05:00off the screenAfter my last post, we entered a stormy area, with very heavy rainfall. JP took advantage of that by going on deck close to the mast to take a shower. This when we started seeing lightning and hearing thunder. At first they were 5 seconds apart then 4 then 3 then 2 at which point JP came back down in the boat. While he was kooking up through the hatch he saw the ball of lightning hit the top of the mast. All lioghts went out and smoke started to come out of the voltage regulator of the wind vane. The computer went out and we realized that we had lost everything electronic (instruments, computer, satphone, tracker, etc...) Fotunately, the hand held Garmin 76 was still alive as well as the notebook. We were able to set up a chart plotter on the note book and to continue navigating towards Le Marin in Martinique wherre we arrived on december 9th, some 25 days of a very slow crossing (I took 18 days in 1996 with my First 38 Beneteau). All the time. we were very much aware of the fact that we probably had disappeared from the screen and that family and friends were probably worrying about us. We were lucky enough to establishVHF contact with a passing sailboat, participating in the ARC Rallye and ask them to inform our organizing committee that we had been hit by lightning and had lost all electronics including means of communicatio. Once in Martinique time was shared between getting the boat able to sail again and various evening parties with the Atlantic Odyssey participants. We left Le Marin on the 14th after filling up the fuel tank at french prices (ouch !) with no instruments and limited navigation aids. For the trip, Marianne had joined us, so we were going to San Juan directly. Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-48473788180661298932014-12-06T11:29:00.000-05:002014-12-06T11:30:55.326-05:00wet sailingWe had a clear goal: By noon be at less than 400 n.m. from the line. And it
<br>was looking good until 11:30. That's when the showers started steeling all
<br>the wind. And it kept coming heavy rain after heavy rain. At some point we
<br>even thought that there was enough time for Tifille to go to the bathroom.
<br>So she went up, gave it a first try and had to run for cover before
<br>anything could be achieved. Then eventually she went up again and without
<br>wasting time to look for the proper aligment with the earth magnetic field
<br>she did it and came back down in a hurry. The afternoon looks much better.
<br>We are doing 6.5 knots on a direct course towards the finish line with 384
<br>n.m. to go, so it looks good for coming in on the 9th early morning
<br>like maybe 9 in the morning. that would be great !Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-42722725452017602792014-12-06T11:19:00.000-05:002014-12-06T11:21:22.210-05:00wet sailingWe had a clear goal: By noon be at less than 400 n.m. from the line. And it
<br>was looking good until 11:30. That's when the showers started steeling all
<br>the wind. And it kept coming heavy rain after heavy rain. At some point we
<br>even thought that there was enough time for Tifille to go to the bathroom.
<br>So she went up, gave it a first try and had to run for cover before
<br>anything could be achieved. Then eventually she went up again and without
<br>wasting time to look for the proper aligment with the earth magnetic field
<br>she did it and came back down in a hurry. The afternoon looks much better.
<br>We are doing 6.5 knots on a direct course towards the finish line with 384
<br>n.m. to go, so it looks good for coming in on the 9th early morning
<br>like maybe 9 in the morning. that would be great !Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-60738423763963382722014-12-04T07:08:00.001-05:002014-12-04T07:08:52.964-05:00coming inThe spinnaker (actually a gennaker) was successfully set up yesterday at
<br>5:20 p.m. TU. Since then jp , arthur and myself relayed each other at the
<br>helm. Arthur needs constant adjusment with the wind changing constantly in
<br>direction and force This morning we 669 n.m. from the finish line our speed
<br>being anything between a and 6 knots. The weather is nice with few clouds,
<br>hot sun but still enough swell to make us roll heavily. We can still, if
<br>the wind picks up arrive on the 8th, more probably on the 9th. Yesterday JP
<br>redid the gaz connections and made the stove work properly. he cooked a rib
<br>of 2,2 pounds whch was delicious.As for drinks before meals, we ran out of
<br>Ricard, Cassis (for the kir) rum went long time ago except for one shot
<br>that we kept for the first one to see land. but westill have enough wine,
<br>red and white, to take us to the finishPapy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-84711233846265192472014-12-03T08:28:00.000-05:002014-12-03T08:29:57.517-05:00sail in sightThis morning at 08:00 local time (TU-2) JP saw a sail on the horizon. It
<br>got nearer quickly because we were on opposite tacks and at 08:40 TUMI boat
<br>number 41 sailed across our bow around 50 meters away. It the gained on us
<br>but slowly so JP decided to set the gennaker. Unfortunately the sock kept
<br>wrapping itself around the sail and after one hour of hard work on the part
<br>of JP, the attempt was aborted to be resumed after lunch. The weather is
<br>postcard standard, blue sea, few clouds and a soft following wind around 15
<br>knots. Today JP is cooking the last piece of meat while it is still safe to
<br>eat with a fridge out of order. All in all the loss of perishable has been
<br>limited and we will now switch to non perishable. We have enough to last
<br>until we arrive in Martinique. Then we will take care of the bacteria with
<br>good rum punch and spicy food.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-63301928847980081862014-12-02T13:05:00.000-05:002014-12-02T13:07:05.730-05:00la calmouillecette fois ci on est bien dedans avec encore 877 n.m. a couvrir. Le vent
<br>apparent ne depasse plus dix noeuds et la vitesse du bateau est plus proche
<br>de 4 que de 5 noeuds. A moins que Eole ne fasse un petit miracle, nous
<br>risquons de n'arriver que le 10, jour de l'arrivee de laurence et Marianne.
<br>Cela va etre juste et nous risquons egalement de ne pas etre prets a
<br>repartir le 12 pour Puerto Rico comme prevu. Les voiles battent bruyamment
<br>et le bateau roule car la mer ne s'est pas encore aplatie. c'est dans ces
<br>conditions que la patience devient plus que jamais une vertu cardinale. Il
<br>commence aussi a faire chaud et on est rapidement en transpiration.
<br>Vivement Mardi prochain. Nous avons encore environ 50 heures demoteur dans
<br>le reservoir et nous comptons bien en profiter au maximum.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-61059899502675879472014-12-01T06:02:00.001-05:002014-12-01T06:02:59.438-05:00New disasterThis morning the return of the rolling got me to up on deck.There I found
<br>out that we wereagain without mainsail. It opeened up in the upper part
<br>between the back line and the front.Jean-Paul made it clear to me that in
<br>his mind I was responsible for that new incident for havingset the main
<br>sheet to tight when we got beccalmed during the night and I set the main in
<br>the mddle while restarting the engine and that pulled to hard on the back
<br>of the sail and caused the backline to rupture and then the sail to open
<br>up. JP has every right to be mad at me after the hard work he put in for
<br>the first repair. He is now attempting to repair again. I should not allow
<br>myself to be depressed, but I am. Impossible now to know when we will
<br>finish and to think that it probably is my doing is not a` joyful thought !
<br>To make matters` worse, the wind has dropped considerably and we are moving
<br>at 3.5 knots ! And there are still 1030 n.m. to go. You can do the maths.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-74690252128405237292014-11-30T10:38:00.000-05:002014-11-30T10:41:05.111-05:00Firmin callinf sick againThis morning at 7h30 Iwas woken up by Arthur (the electric pilot) working
<br>his hydraulic pump furiously. I came on deck and it turned out that one of
<br>the steering lines of Firmin (the windvane) had broken again. It took
<br>Jean-Paul just a few minutes to det up what was left of the line and soon
<br>Firmin was at work again steering us towards Martinique which is still 1130
<br>n.m. away. We still expect to arrive on the 8th early afternoon.
<br>Fortunately wee have a replacement linesent by the manufacturer of the
<br>device which we will install in Martinique. At this point 8 days feel to me
<br>like eternity. But I know that eventually we are going to go thru it.
<br>We are told that we are now in 10th place and we like it considering that
<br>we've had to sail without the main for several days. And in 8 days things
<br>can happen. Right now we are in a soft patch of less tan 20 knots of wind
<br>when we need a minimum of 20. It might still come and the soft patch affect
<br>others. So, it's not over until it is over.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-70258042227795590342014-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:002014-11-29T08:03:29.823-05:00stumbling alongWe are still having to make do without a mainsail losing up to 2 knots in
<br>the process. But not for long. Jean-Paul just completed a daring,
<br>meticulous and tedious repair on the sail with the material that was given
<br>to me by my broyher Ajut, National Captain of the French Brotherhood of the
<br>coast before my circumnavigation 2009 to 2011. It had never been used
<br>before but it is now showing its great value. Thank you my Brother. within
<br>a short peeriod of time, waiting for the`skies to clear up, the main is
<br>going to go back up and we will be able to resume sailing the Odyssey and
<br>limit the number of boats overtaking us. We still have 1250 n.m. to go
<br>which might take another 10 days. So be it. We are prepared. . . .almost
<br>because we are running out of rhum and possibly Ricard and possibly Kir but
<br>we still have enough wine , so we will survive. Jean-Paul must be exhausted
<br>and he needs to get plenty of sleep to recover from this wonderful deed.
<br>Tomorrow hopefully we shall know where we stand now with the rest of the
<br>fleet and what the ETA is going to be with the mainsail and the soft
<br>forecast.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-18761790861305803922014-11-28T08:22:00.000-05:002014-11-28T08:24:05.514-05:00same old, same oldto write the blog, while sitting at the chart table, I have to press my
<br>right leg against the underneath of the table by pushing as hard as I can
<br>on the floor, to try and minimize sliding sideways. Then I have to grab the
<br>keyboard with my left hand to stop it from flying away towards the galley.
<br>There is not much that I can do about the mouse butpick it up from time to
<br>time on the floor.
<br>Last night Jean-Paul was ejected from his bunk and landed against a
<br>bulkhead with his left knee and hurt himself. I crashed again in the aft
<br>cabin hitting the starboard bulkhead with my back hurting myself again in
<br>an area already sensirized by theprevious crashes. We are both fed up with
<br>this constant heavy rolling. The wind has calmed down but not the seas.
<br>Today I was unable to raisse anybody on the SSB radio net and we have to
<br>rely on our outside contacts to find out whether we are holding up. Other
<br>than that, it is warm and sunny, the water is of a magnificent blue and we
<br>entertain ourselves by timing the flights of the flying fishes. With the
<br>forecast calling for calmer winds we might only arrive on the 8th.
<br>Stay tuned.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-39567301461798170012014-11-27T08:16:00.000-05:002014-11-27T08:17:14.056-05:00ROROThe rolling is becoming moresevere with a swell between 3 and 4 meters high
<br>and the wind straight from the back ENE at 30 knots sustained.During the
<br>morning shift. the steering lines of Firmin broke . actually. therigger in
<br>granville had installed a sleeve on the line which started slipping under
<br>tension and then slipped out of the hole where it is attached to the water
<br>paddle. A few hours later, it was the turn of the other line. Jean-Paul
<br>redid the knots hanging upside down from above Firmin and now that the`
<br>sleeves are out of play, we feel more secure. We have now covered more
<br>miles (1529) than what we have left (1615) and we think that unless the
<br>wind drops which is not in the forecast, We have` 10 days of sailing.
<br>Arrival now estimatedas being december 7th at 4 p.m. Jean-Paul myself and
<br>Tifille will be delighted when we tie up at number 5 dock. We all need to
<br>rest and catch up on sleep and rhum.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-12691071711560861432014-11-26T12:23:00.000-05:002014-11-26T12:24:40.591-05:00paying the tollThis morning overcastsky and squalls all around us but we were still moving
<br>along well with full main and three turns in the genoa. Then, while Jean-
<br>Paul was assisting Firmin at the wheel we got hit by a vicious 40 4to 45
<br>knots gust of wind and the boat came up to the wind. I took the helm,
<br>trying to go back to hving the wind in our back while Jean-Paul rushed to
<br>the mast to take one reef down. That is when we realized that there was
<br>hole in its upper part. Since then Jean-Paul is intent on repairing the
<br>sail at sea. By now the wind has settled down into 30 knots from ESE.
<br>During a very short respite Jean-Paul has managed to take the main down.
<br>His intentions are to set up shop on the boom, with a harness but lying
<br>down on the sail. I know Jen-Paul well enough to know thhat nothing will
<br>stop him until he can succeedand we can resume racing forward.Basically we
<br>are going to wait for better weather conditions whiich noormally occur`late
<br>afternoon or early morning. I keep my fingers crossed, hoping that nothing
<br>will go wrong during that daring attempt and making sure that we take all
<br>safety precautions possible. We will know within the next 24 hours. Right
<br>now we are sailing under genoa alone and doing close to 6 knots.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-58069813355732754402014-11-25T08:29:00.000-05:002014-11-25T08:31:00.435-05:00nuit de crisewe got the wind smack in our rear and Firmin is having a hard time steering
<br>straight. At the change of watch, at midnight, we were hit by a squall with
<br>heavy rain in it. Jean-Paul was not wearing his foul weather gear and got
<br>drenched. We jibed as quick as we could since the wind had shifted to
<br>South. At the end of my shift at`3 in the morning. same thing. Heavy rain
<br>and jibing. The wind was back to East hence again wind at the back which
<br>implies that we are moving slowly and it is rather uncomfortable. We tried
<br>the spinnaker, but another squall showed up and we took it down to avoid
<br>taking undue risks. For the day , We only covered 129 miles and closed on
<br>the finish by 119miles. We are possibly losing ground on the others.
<br>However, they probably have to face the same conditions. We will have to
<br>wait for infos from Eric to know where we stand. Maybe sometime this
<br>afternoonPapy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-64468771397567920392014-11-24T12:41:00.000-05:002014-11-24T12:42:29.818-05:00move onthere was more to the story of the whale than what I told you. When Jean-
<br>Paul spotted it shortly before 9 a.m. it was on our starboard side on a
<br>collision course with us. Jean-Paul stayed ready to take the helm to avoid
<br>hitting it . Then it disappeared below our bow and reappeared on the port
<br>side swimming alongside us. Jean-Paul felt that they were staring at each
<br>other. Then it rolled over to show us one of the fins that thy have on each
<br>side as to say "hello !" and then swam away south. For Jean-Paul it was a
<br>very emotional moment and he was quite excited about it . The same day
<br>around 5 p.m. we had a group oh hundreds of dolphins coming to us to play
<br>with the boat. Quite a sight ! Today the winf got very soft all day and
<br>around 3 p.m. we set up the spinnaker to jump from 5 to 7 knots. Firmin
<br>can't cope with that windand on top of that we see a squall approaching
<br>from behind.Thi is an emergency situation and I have to leave the keyboard
<br>to take the spi down. Thi was done in about 20 minutes and we are noe safe.
<br>This morning we got good news from marianne and marie. Marianne saw us in
<br>fourth place, Marie in 5th and eric, my son in6th. Altogether, it gives us
<br>a big boost, as we did not think when we left Lanzarote that there probably
<br>only a couple of boats that would slower than us. So to be in the leading
<br>group is a great feeling. All that haapened only thanks to Jean-Paul who
<br>has been doing 99 % of the work since we left Granville to the point of
<br>shaming me to feel like a useless quantity on the boat . It's actually
<br>quite humiliating considering 58 years of experience at sea and more than
<br>200,000 milesby sailboat, one circumnavigation and seven transats.
<br>Hopefully I will have recovered enough once we get to the Bahamas to be
<br>able to run the boat again on my own.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-56355812166970593192014-11-23T09:38:00.000-05:002014-11-23T09:40:20.397-05:00Poop and ScoopI have read somewhere that the reason why dogs keep turning round and round
<br>is that they want somehow to align themselves with the local magnetic
<br>field. So to do their business, they have to find the proper alignment.
<br>squat, keep their balance and do it while staying relaxed. It was quite
<br>mission impossible foe Tifille at the beginning, especially on a boat
<br>bouncing all over the place. But she finally mastered it doing it in the
<br>cockpit under the supervision of Jean-Paul who proves to be very patient
<br>and understanding. However to perform that exercise, she first has to eat
<br>and that is not going very well. She keep sliding out of reach of the food
<br>bowl. Same problem for the water. However she has now settled down in a
<br>routine where she communicates with us her needs quite clearly. She will be
<br>so happy to reach land !
<br>This morning shortly before nine 0'clock Jean-Paul spotted a whale crossing
<br>our course. We saw it very very close. But it did not seem to bother her.
<br>We have ran into a problem with the refrigeration on the boat. Both the
<br>freezer and the fridge have stopped working and we have identified the main
<br>cause as being the batteries not keeping a charge at all. We probably will
<br>have to install new batteries on arrival.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-18285948130568783212014-11-22T06:20:00.000-05:002014-11-22T06:23:40.614-05:00PurgatoryWe are no longer in hell but it is by no means heaven.The seas always take
<br>much longer than the wind to calm down. We are now in a softer patch of
<br>weather wit northerly winds at 8 to 12 knots with a long oceanic swell from
<br>the north and Papy jovial is still rolling quite a bit but it is
<br>manageable. I am convinced that the sery of crashes has come to an end.
<br>Jean-Paul is planning to shave`my head aroun the wound and do a new
<br>dressing. I might not look as handsome as I would like to but if it allows
<br>the situation to evolve better, so be it. The good news is that we can
<br>sail a direct course to Martiniquewhich is still 2167 miles away. I now
<br>anticipate to get there in the night 7 to 8 December. So we will only spend
<br>in that case 4 days in Martinique. But there is still hope to benefit from
<br>the real tradewinds at 15 to 20 in which case we might gain almost 2 days.
<br>As usual, time will tell. Apart from that, we still have some problems with
<br>the refrigerator, the group displaying a red flashing light. It could be
<br>low battery, or the group being too hot. We have to wait for martinique to
<br>do something about it.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-18592840166938403022014-11-21T14:09:00.000-05:002014-11-21T14:11:19.470-05:00The Coconut milk runIt was ` supposed to be a family affair,with kids dogs and barbecue, T-
<br>shirts and shorts in the beaming sunlight of the trade winds, First we
<br>were supposed tro do a leisurely sail around the Canarias. Instead we
<br>founf ourselves battling calm weather, Followed by rough seas and strong
<br>winds up to 35 knots . Its beginning to look more like sailing in the Irish
<br>Seas. Papy Jovial is throwing us up into all kindsof directions. With heavy
<br>rolling an slamming into the`seas. I crashed several times,once hurting ny
<br>back side big time and then I hit with the Back of my head one of the
<br>stairs of the companionway, This time it drew blood, and Jean-Paul dressed
<br>me up with a bandagearound my head that makes me look like a rugbyman, I
<br>will be OK. I took some Dafalgan then slept two hours and I was fine.
<br>Aeverthat to say that crossing the Allantic East to west can never be
<br>assumed to be just a wal in the park. This my seventh crossing and
<br>everytime we've had to pay the toll. "Homme libre, toujours tu cheriras la
<br>mer" (Ch.Baudelaire)Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-55015867268606143392014-11-19T20:04:00.000-05:002014-11-19T20:07:31.033-05:00D.O.B.last night, midnight UTC, Iwas om watch in the cockpitbusy doing the
<br>transmission of our position with the tradking device, A jerky movement of
<br>the boat threw me against the coaming of the cockpit, causing the device to
<br>fly off my hands , fall on deck and roll over board.Device Over
<br>Board.Another hole in my credit card !
<br>I am posting this so that nobody worries when Papy Jovial disappears from
<br>the reports on <a href="http://cornellsailing.com">cornellsailing.com</a>. I will transmit by email to the
<br>organisation every eight hours our position course and speed hoping thay
<br>somehoe they can krrp us in the reportsPapy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-943828748636654442014-11-18T05:48:00.000-05:002014-11-18T05:49:17.517-05:00rayon d'action au moteurAu depart, l'intention etait d'organiser un evenement non competitif mais
<br>plutot une croisiere familiale. En realite, c'est maintenant devenu un
<br>concours a celui qui aura lu plus grand rayon d'action au moteur. D'autant
<br>que les "regles" etablies par l'organisation nous paraissent plutot
<br>optionnelles entre les departs voles par pres d'une minute et un bateau
<br>choisissant de passer au nord de grand canaria. Les conditions meteo, a
<br>savoir une grosse zone de calme ou de tout petit temps au sud de
<br>l'archipel, etaient parfaitement connues avant le depart. Si nous avions
<br>ete en croisiere nous aurions pris l'option evidente de passer entre
<br>lanzarote et fuentaventura puis de faire de l'ouest. Au meeting des
<br>skippers, il a ete dit qu'il n'y avait pas une grosse difference entre la
<br>route directe et le contournement de l'archipel. En fait il y a 25 milles
<br>de difference et peut etre deux ou trois jours a batailler dans les calmes.
<br>Apres l'arrivee, l'organisation devrait publier les heures moteur de
<br>chacun. Nous voyons bien sur les grib qu'il y a plus de vent de SW dans
<br>notre nord qui nous permettrait de mettre de l'ouest dans notre cap. Nous
<br>sommes de nouveau au moteur apres avoir fait deux heures de voile. Depuis
<br>le depart nous avons fait plus de 24 heures de moteur. Peut etre que
<br>Atlantic Odyssey a des rapports privilegies avec la compagnie petroliere
<br>locale. Nous marchons a 1800 tours ce q ui reduit notre consommation a 3
<br>litres de l'heure. Nous sommes partis avec un total de 330 litres (le
<br>reservoir du bateau plu un jerrycan) et il nous reste encore a peu pres 90
<br>heures de moteur. Cela devrait nous permettre de trouver du ventPapy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-52408656464318850072014-11-17T06:22:00.000-05:002014-11-17T06:24:09.403-05:00the wind is on strikeSame Old same old. We lost the wind during the night and have been motoring
<br>since. The surface of the sea is smooth all over. not even a ripple. We
<br>expect to keep motoring until tomorrow afternoon. Everybody around us is
<br>doing the same, some faster (maybe the have enough fuel to afford a high
<br>rate of consumption. We are keeping the engine at less than 1800 rpm hoping
<br>to limit the consumption at 3 litres per hour. I will attempt to measure
<br>this afternoon.
<br>This morning, Miss Tifille went to the bow to pee. This better than other
<br>choices of bathroom like the mainsail sheet or the halyards at the bottom
<br>of the mast. The next few days are likely to be boring. Jean-Paul is trying
<br>to put to good use the fishing equipment purchased in Lanzarote. Some Mahi
<br>Mahi would be welcome for lunch. Of course there is no guarantee that we
<br>will catch something. This morning we received the visit of a group of
<br>small dolphins. We took a course WSW looking for some better wind. We know
<br>we can't go as far as the Cape Verde islands which are still some 700 miles
<br>away. We would need 300 miles of wind to get there.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-6589963883415220402014-11-16T12:21:00.000-05:002014-11-16T12:22:07.439-05:00Weare off !Departure was given at 12:00 UTC today. It is only a rallye but the start
<br>was given in the same manner as in a regatta. 10 minutes, 5 minutes, start.
<br>But that did not prevent two of the big cats to steel the start by almost a
<br>full minute ! and apparently without consequences not even a recall. We had
<br>a goos and fair start with a little bit of delay in setting the gennaker
<br>due to a lack of synchronization between Jean-Paul and myself. But as soon
<br>as we had all sails set, we caught up with the guys` ahead of us. Not for
<br>long as the wind disappeared and almost everybody was forced into motoring,
<br>hopefully not for too long. We need to clear the islands which might take
<br>the best part of two days. We received the water paddle for the windvane in
<br>time to have it installed before departure. We now have 2763 n.m. to cover
<br>to get to Le Marin in Martinique. We need to average 6 knots over the
<br>ground to arrive on the 5th of December around 5:00 p.m. It is doable as
<br>long as we find the tradewinds in their place. The weather today is nice
<br>even if we would prefer a little more wind. For the first time since
<br>Granville, I am wearing shorts. If the windvane and the electric pilot work
<br>well, I shoulbe able to keep updating the blog everyday. You can also
<br>follow the whole fleet by going to "Cornellsailing.com" then go to the
<br>Atlantic Odyssey, then click on "track the boats. Positions are updated
<br>every day at 0:00, 08:00 and 16:00 in UTC time.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-73416428765869675492014-11-11T05:48:00.000-05:002014-11-11T05:49:07.238-05:00<div>Toujours en attente a Lanzarote. Entre quelques reunions (apéritif, repas en commun,quelques conférences organisées par l'organisation de Jimmy Cornell) on s'ennuie ferme. Nos bouteilles de gaz ont fait poche restante au bureau de la marina et nous esperons que la piece du regulateur d'allure ne sera pas bloquée par la douane espagnole a Madrid. La wifi ne fonctionne toijours pas et j'en suis reduit à utiliser mon téléphone pour cet article. Hier, nous avons trouvé de la wifi en ville dans un restaurant et nous serons sans doute au régime des vaches maigres pour ce qui est du vent. Pour le reste, nous sommes prets a partir. En principe nous partons a midi et nous ferons sans doute une route aussi sud que raisonnable.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div style="font-size:75%;color:#575757">Envoyé depuis un mobile Samsung</div></div>Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-42250213731759365322014-11-07T11:42:00.000-05:002014-11-07T11:43:12.621-05:00LanzaroteFinally, we arrived at Puerto Arrecife in Lanzarote Marina shortly before
<br>midnight. We kept rolling almost until the very last wave aned entered
<br>a`rather tortuous channel wit the help of a full moon. We did not waste
<br>time to go to sleep after we finished tying up , taking Tifille ashore.
<br>Next morming we checked up with the marina unfortunately their WiFi is out
<br>waiting for a part to be shipped from the U.S. so it may take two to three
<br>days before it gets fixed. Meanwhile, I have to keep using the satphone at
<br>close to one euro per minute. But I can receive email on my cell phone. Not
<br>too bad.On thursday Jean-Paul had to spend a long long time on the phone
<br>with Jean-Michel Verdier to address` the issue of Skyfile. It turns out
<br>that the problem was caused`by a message too heavy and containing
<br>attachments. Skyfile had to be uninstalled and reinstalled after the
<br>mailbox (inbox) was emptied and cleared by the server. It now works.
<br>WARNING = DO NOT SEND TO US MESSAGES WITH ATTACHMENTS, ONLY TEXT PLEASE AND
<br>KEEP IT SHORT - THANK YOU.
<br>Meanwhile I took care of the part for the windvane. Hopefully we will get
<br>it before the start. If not we` hope that the Atlantic Odyssey
<br>organizationwill be able to assist us. Sunday noon, we are invited for
<br>lunch by the Kiwi boat along with the crews of most of the boats on the J
<br>pontoon. I still have to take care of laundry and sort out the mess in my
<br>cabin left by the heavy rolling. I am impatient to get to the other side
<br>where I know that my personal life will take a drastic turn for the better.
<br>In fact it will have to wait until we get to Grand Bahamas where Ezio and
<br>Stephanie are waiting for us. I have revised the itinerary to try and get
<br>there on or before December 24th. More details to follow when I will have
<br>time to report on that wthout pressure.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-85839757042908993052014-11-04T05:24:00.001-05:002014-11-04T05:24:20.366-05:00back in the washerDuring the night, weather conditions worsened with apparent wind blowing up
<br>to 30 knots and the seas to go with it with jerky movements of the boat
<br>making it very difficult to keep your balance. Jean-Paul who is doing
<br>exceptionally well, fell in the galley and hurt his leg and arm, but
<br>recovered quickly. I fell twice, once on my way to the aft cabin, anf
<br>Jean-Paul had to pick me up. Then I fell again while trying to go to the
<br>bathroom, and it took me a long time and lots of efforts to get back up.
<br>It is 11 o'clock,mornimg of the 4th of November and we still have 217 miles
<br>to go. E.T.A. is now on the 5th probably early afternoon unless the wind
<br>drops down which would be welcome. Tifille is terrified by the conditions
<br>unable to find a spot where she would be a little comfortable. I took her
<br>to the cockpit and she wasted no time to relieve herself. She will be very
<br>happy whenever we get to calmer conditions. Probably tomorrow.Papy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374557821316861508.post-84447336293040026652014-11-03T14:48:00.000-05:002014-11-03T14:50:48.800-05:00one more dayThe sun is still going away before the traditional "happy hour" on Papy
<br>Jovial at 6:30 p.m. So we compromised and we had our 'rhum Punch" with
<br>agricultural rhum from Martinique at 5:30 p.m. Jimmy Buffett woul say that
<br>it is aleays 5 o'clock somewhere. The wind is kind to us at 20 knots on the
<br>starboard beam and we are racing towards Lanzarote at more than 7 knots.
<br>This way we might arrive on the 5th evening before dark. But we can never
<br>have evewrything perfect. The issue of the day is the refrigerator which
<br>apprently has lost its gharge of gaz. Consequentlt it is running non stop
<br>and depleting the battteries joining forces with Arthur, So we will hsve to
<br>run the engine for about one hour to make surewe don't run out of
<br>electricity. We`are not too concerned as this is something that we can
<br>manage. I hope that i will have a little more to say to-morrowPapy Jovialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09120324098111123562noreply@blogger.com1