Northern Child Passage Log

Log # 11 ~ 14th October 2011

1800 UTC   29 25N  014 44W
85 NM to run to Las Palma

We have been sailing under fair winds since yesterday evening! Winds of 16-20 knots and a lively cobalt blue sea have given us a perfect sailing day.

During the morning watch the crew poled out the genoa and put the main sail on a broad reach to create a 'gull wing' in order to capture the winds coming mainly from behind the boat. Using Ric's signature succinct wisdom 'Guys, keep the wind on your left shoulder' we are thundering towards Las Palmas with 99 miles to go as we celebrate possibly our last happy hour aboard this evening. Camden - a true Texan- is busy in the galley preparing sausages and mash while Neil educates her in the baffling complexities of British onion gravy.

This afternoon perhaps with a view to the delights of Las Palmas ahead the guys were shown a good 'pulling knot' apparently a sailors knot with no nautical purpose whatsoever performed to best effect on a dance floor in order to impress the ladies!

After so many days without any wind at all we are all enjoying a lively sail to the sound of the Rolling Stones throughout the boat. 'Wild horses' playing inside and white horses on the wavecrests outside.

One of the measurements that we are using to gauge our progress under sail is the calculation of 'Velocity Made Good' or VMG. VMG is the calculation of actual progress towards your stated waypoint or destination and not simply your  boat's speed over ground. Understanding
VMG reinforces the importance on maintaining our course.

Cell-phones and i-phones have begun to litter the power sockets aboard and we will soon be in range of cellular service and its instant gratification of email and mobile internet coverage.
Perhaps we can use this voyage to reflect that speed and instant gratification aren't everything and that 'velocity made good' is as important a measurement for human progress as it is for measuring that of a boat......

Sarah

Log # 10 ~ 13th October 2011

1800 UTC  31 41N  013 06W
245 NM to run to Las Palmas

There is a saying 'passing like ships in the night'... On the Northern Child ships passing in the night involves thought and calculation and - in the case of an inexperienced crew- perhaps a little concern. The night watch debated the large tanker and examined angles before deciding we would safely miss it. I think if we had known Ric was listening with unconcerned amusement to our discussions from the cabin below we would have relaxed sooner....

The sun rose on a sea utterly still and reflecting the dawn sunrise like a sheet of aluminium foil.
We watched a migration path of turtles placidly swimming in an orderly line to an unknown destination. When Northern Child's synchronized swimming team took to the 3000m deep water around noon we were markedly less graceful.

Ric spent some time today to teach us knots - notably the deceptively simple 'french prussik' used for climbing or releasing tension on a line, and his favourite Alpine Butterfly. His grisly story of a
students' lost fingers in a winch serves as an important reminder of safety.

The main story today concerns our engine. Northern Child is immaculately maintained but, like the weather, she cannot completely control the cleanliness of fuel sources. Dirty fuel clogged our fuel lines and our engine stopped 300 miles from Gran Canaria.  A vast expanse of empty ocean and no wind, repairing the fuel lines took on a grim imperative. We watched as Ric opened up Northern Child's secret compartments and, with the skill of a pathologist, traced the problem while the crew examined maintenance and technical manuals for clues.

When the engines stilled later it was for a happier reason. Fish! Our first catch was a smaller Bonito which the guys 'allowed to escape' Shortly afterwards Ric landed a Tuna and as the wind gradually picks up tonight we add Camden's tuna ceviche to our supper plans....

So again today on Northern Child we learned - the importance of understanding a sailing boat's engines!  As we share our tuna together its' a suitable reward for our days endeavours.

Nearing Gran Canaria and signing off for the evening.....

Sarah

Log # 9 ~ 12th October 2011

Today was an uneventful day at sea,  motoring. The absence of wind is unusual but we hope for some winds as we get further south. During the night watch we put out the genoa and the mainsail for a disappointing 5 knots of boat speed in the wrong direction.

During the hot afternoon the off watch had a lesson on the sextant while 'baggy wrinkles' were constructed. 'Baggy wrinkles' are apparently a term for leather protectors on deck lines and fortunately not a reference to the ladies on board.

More dolphin sightings and a game of scrabble made up the days main activities. With extra points for nautical words we had a fight over 'no oprah' until it was pointed out that the board was upside down.

Astonishingly, despite our half-hearted efforts, fishing proved fruitless and we dined instead on bacon wrapped chicken with a cheese filling. Delicious!

Being at sea reminds us of the importance of conservation, from minimising water wastage to rubbish disposal. We learned that a glass bottle filled with salt water thrown into our presently 2000m deep ocean will be crushed before hitting the bottom. We also learned that we're
not scoring so well on water conservation and improving that will be important in the days ahead. The outgoing watch will continue to make tea and coffee for the oncoming watch and in such small joys wind or no wind we stay a happy ship. As the sun sets, farewell from Northern Child.

Sarah

Log # 8 ~ 12th October 2011

0700 UTC  - 34 49N  011 35W
447 miles to run to Las Palmas

Rarely have I seen such a steady-state weather system.  Since leaving Cascais, we have seen between 5 and 10 knots from 020 - directly behind us.  There are two things sailing boats can't do - one is sail directly into the wind, and the other is sail directly away from it.

When the wind is at 10 knots, we can sail goose-winged (where we pole out the headsail on the opposite side to the mainsail).  This gives us an average VMG (the speed at which the distance towards Las Palmas is reducing) of 3-4 knots.  This is extremely uncomfortable as the swell
continuously knocks the air out of the sails and the boat rolls from side to side - difficult to get any sleep too.  Our other option is to sail a higher angle on the wind - so instead of steering directly
towards our destination, we are heading about 30 degrees away from it. Much more comfortable, but again still a VMG of around 3-4 knots.

At these speeds, it could take us until next Wednesday to arrive in Las Palmas!  This is why sailing boats have engines, so that people can catch their flights, get back to real life and avoid going mad at sea. Besides, even with my very strict one-per-day rations, the wine won't last that long.

The forecast looks slightly more promising as we get further south, so I'm pushing on in the hope that we can start sailing, albeit slowly, by the end of today.  If the wind doesn't appear, a quick mental calculation says that we might have almost enough fuel to make Las Palmas, but whether we can all tolerate the drone of the engine any longer is unknown!

Otherwise, life on board is pretty good.  We're able to produce enough electricity and water to meet our crew's meagre (ha!) demands.  The showers are nice and hot too.  The galley is well stocked, and every fish we catch is a bonus.

Ric

Log # 7 ~ 11th October 2011

1800 UTC -  35 58N 010 58W
522 NM to run to Las Palmas
Wind: 5-10 knots, directly astern.

'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach a man to fish and you can get him out of the house for the whole weekend' (Anonymous Female)

Neil, Gael and Will spent the night watch happily debating Northern Child's fishing strategy including the necessary lures, bait and weights. During the morning watch we were all on deck to enjoy the sight of their fishing line paying out while Ric offered his customary wisdom:
'Guys, slow the boat down so the fish doesn't have to swim at 6 knots'

He landed the Dorado - a beautiful fish about 2 feet long with blue and gold scales- expertly gutted it and then Neil helped Camden in the galley. We happily feasted on Dorado steaks, artichoke and cilantro rice less than 2 hours after our catch breathed its last. Our spirits lifted, a pilot whale sighting and turtle sighting later completed the highlights of a day spent mainly motoring due to low wind speeds and direction. We are learning to better understand the effects of wind on
our boat's performance. The vagaries of nature, while frustrating, are an inescapable fact of sailing.

The ocean is vast and -today- mostly empty. At night the skies are clear and we enjoy seeing the stars and satellites in a dark sky. Now the crew are happily discussing Scrabble strategy and it is clear that our Anglo-French 'coalition of the fishing' will resume its normal friendly
rivalry tomorrow.

It is evening now on the Northern Child and we are settling down to the night watches ahead. We have enjoyed great companionship, teamwork and some superb food today, courtesy of Camden our terrific first mate and Neil. Ric continues to teach us much about life at sea, including how to
have fun. We wait to see what tomorrow holds.....

Sarah

Log # 6 ~ 10th October 2011

Cascais

After a happy arrival in Cascais we enjoyed a fine run ashore to Furnas de Guincho, a seafood restaurant on the beach that serves the local catches of the many fishing boats in the harbour. We don't seem to be very good at catching fish on the boat so it's just as well we got to eat some here.

Cascais's attractions are not however limited to delightful creatures with fins and when some of the crew set out to discover the other kind it made for a very late night....

On Sunday we watched Ric repair the mainsail which had developed a slight tear. This was a repair without the benefit of professional sail maker and was accomplished with butterfly stitches and a large adhesive patch. We will watch it carefully in the days ahead. The ladies of the crew went out to mark Beverly's last evening and enjoyed a simple supper of grilled sardines or calamari followed by coffee and Damar - a local liqueur. Judging by the sackfuls of Mexican food the guys brought back from their restaurant they also found a great place to eat...

On Monday we said farewell to Beverly who returns to Cambridge. The atmosphere on the boat seems a little subdued today and we miss her terrific sense of humour and infectious laugh. With her departure we are again a crew of 6 and we have changed the watches so we will get the chance to work with different crew members.

Our goal is Las Palmas, 702 miles away,  so at 1000 after refuelling we headed out to the ocean under perfect blue skies with an escort of dolphins. We are presently motoring through one of Europe's main commercial shipping channels but hope that stronger winds and the chance to carefully test the mainsail repair will lie ahead.

Our adventures continue....As John Masefield wrote 'I must go down to the seas and sail for the lure of the ocean tide, is a wild call and a strong call which cannot be denied......'

 Sarah

Log # 5 ~ 8th October 2011

Somewhere near Cascais...

Ric has summarised the conditions last night very well. From our perspective the seas were extremely challenging and for many of us it was a long tiring night where we tried to do our best to keep our boat on course. We all felt very safe in the Northern Child under Ric and Camden's guidance and if at time we felt like adding the subtitles 'don't try this at home' we all looking back on a great experience even as we look forward to Cascais.

 This crew take their sailing seriously but the humour remains unabated.

 In Baionia we were joined by a 7th member of crew - Emilio from Spain.

He is looking on as our good natured teasing continues. Good hearted Anglo-French rivalry set the tone last evening  when the Brits offered our French crewmate some chocolate before the start of the World Cup Rugby quarter finals 'Apparently dark chocolate contains lots of anti-oxidants which are very good for curing depression...'

During the night we had a close call with a very large tanker that was seemingly oblivious of our position as it moved ever closer and showed no signs of changing course. A crewmember was heard to say 'Damn I didn't download the 'How to get a f***ing big tanker to move out of your way' I-phone app before we left' and as Ric came on deck with his usual inscrutable expression ( don't play poker against the skipper) the same crew member asked helpfully ' shall I put some fenders out now?'

Ric deals with the multi-lingual crew by very simple instructions and thankfully no jargon. 'You see that piece of land over there? Don't hit it' 'If you can keep this course the bar's in this direction.....' 

History will show that the tanker moved but the Col regs allow less room for discretion than the rules of Rugby and England lost against the French.

 As we neared Cascais the wind finally lessened just in time to dim our tantalising glimpse of the port. We found a tear in the main sail so we were fully engaged dropping the main sail, bringing in the genoa pole and to our great happiness readying the deck for another of Camdens great lunches.

 People reading this with no experience of the ocean might not understand how exhilarating it is to sail through strong winds and high seas safely. So much in this day and age is achieved at the push of a button

-  but last night we all tested ourselves and came through smiling and laughing. It wasn't the perfect storm, but it was the perfect boat and an imperfect crew who are the better for the experience.

Log # 4 ~ 7th October 2011

2200 UTC - 40 24N  009 17W

 After a serious attempt to deplete Bayona's stocks of proper coffee, serrano ham and Rioja, we slipped at 10am (local time) with the bilges merrily clinking.  As Neil says: 'If we're only going to have one drink a day, it might as well be bloody good stuff!'.

The forecast breeze developed a mile or so offshore, and we've spent the day running under a reefed main and poled out reduced headsail.  Average wind has been 35 knots, with the highest gusts over 40.  That's the top end of gale force 8, gusting severe gale 9.  In non-nautical speak, it's a bit windy.  The waves are the size of houses too.

Max boat speed was about 15 knots,  the sea state has been getting the better of all but the most experienced helmsmen on board, we dropped the mainsail completely at 4pm.  Turning the boat into the wind was a slightly damp affair, but everyone got the job done quickly and efficiently.  Without the mainsail, we can cope with the waves knocking us wildly off course without fear of breaking anything.  We're still seeing boat speeds in excess of 10 knots, and averaging a steady 8 knots.  Expecting to be in Cascais before lunchtime tomorrow.

These are serious conditions to be sailing in, and staying on board the boat is a very good idea.  The crew seem to understand and are diligently clipping themselves on.  This evening's happy hour has been postponed until our safe arrival, but all remain extremely good humoured

- quotes drifting down the companionway at the moment include 'Wow', 'Blimey', 'That's big' and 'This is better than sex!!'. 

Ric

Log # 3 ~ 5th October 2011

1800 UTC - 43 03N  009 20W

 In the British Navy the 'Dog Watch' is that interval between 4pm and 8pm. Here on Northern Child any watch is 'Whale Watch' and today we were rewarded by a pair of pilot whales who visited us but remained too far distant for the action shots our budding National Geographic photographers hoped for. A quiet night on the 0200-0600 shift was punctuated only by that joy of raising sail just before you go off watch in the expectation of a quiet nap in the hours ahead.

 After starting the morning watch a crewmember naively asked 'Would anyone like a cup of coffee?'

Well it's a rare crew that turns down a hot drink and the offer was enthusiastically accepted. At sea we are taught 'there are no silly questions we are all here to learn'.... But the question which followed 'Er how do you actually make coffee?' might perhaps have qualified if indeed there ever were any silly questions at sea.....

The Bay of Biscay remained as calm and stoic as Ric and Camden remain under the onslaught of our 'sensible' questions and comments. It was therefore a quiet day at sea punctuated only by the spectacle of Ric being hauled aloft in a bosun's chair to affix the Spanish flag to our mast. This sorry excuse for a pennant, approximately the size of a cocktail napkin found in a Barcelona tapas bar, is unlikely to endear us to our Spanish hosts but the proprieties have been observed and no one on board will mention the 2010 World Cup.

But this does represent the second day in a row that Ric has engaged in extreme nautical sports to entertain us and as he is ensuring that we abide by the one drink happy hour we are all wondering what will happen when we manage to get some serious drinks into him ashore.

 We enjoyed a fine sunny day at sea. Mainly we motored but we had a chance to learn the rigging of a 'preventer stay' with the mainsail on a broad reach. We also saw the large Genoa but sadly she wasn't out for very long......

 Regrettably Anglo-French relations broke down at happy hour when Camden served a delightful appetizer of warmed brie, baguette and raspberry confiture (no Sarah, they are apparently not called preservatif in French....that's something else entirely...) Our French-Swiss crewmember mocked the Brie which we all agreed was delicious. We ignored him, raised a glass to the sight of land and to our first glimpse of Spain.

 Another maritime tradition in the British Navy are the toasts after dinner (Brits and Sailors and especially British sailors will generally use any excuse for a drink) On Wednesdays the toast is 'ourselves, as no one else is likely to concern themselves with our welfare'

 We couldn't in truth perform that toast here. On the Northern Child we have a skipper and first mate who are gracious, kind and consummate professionals. The crew enjoy great camaraderie and if we are looking forward to a little 'run ashore' in Bayona we will be anticipating our return to the Northern Child with just as much happiness.

Log # 2 ~ 4th October 2011

1200 UTC - 45 34N  006 45W

The fog cleared nicely as we crossed the continental shelf and we've kept sailing in the light south westerly breeze.  As the sun came up we changed to our largest headsail, as the forecast from here south is for even lighter winds, and eventually some downwind sailing.

We're now managing to keep moving at 6-7 knots (depending on helmsman) in only 6 knots of wind - not bad for a 25 ton boat!  The sun's out too :)

After a round of hot showers this morning the boat is smelling better.  Today's log, below, is written by Sarah and offers an insight of life on board, with only a mild hint of sarcasm!

--

Hello everyone!

Monday pm
We were lamenting the empty ocean when a pod of 20 dolphins came to play. As this happened only minutes after Sarah summoned them she is henceforth referred to as the 'Dolphin Whisperer' Gael and Beverly were able to get some super video.
We celebrated with grilled chicken sandwich lunch served on baguettes. We continued the international theme with lasagne for supper, muesli for breakfast.....

After a fairly cold, dry but  uneventful night the morning watch passed quickly with a jib change for entertainment. Pretty short after the spectacle of watching Ric's synchronised swim while playing 'hunt the pink float' the day before but hey - that's life at sea for you....If you wanted entertainment you should have joined the Air Force.

Crew profile: some suggestions about why we on this trip:

Camden - after a successful career as Ellen Degeneres stunt double she has decided to shun publicity for a while....
Ric - on early release from his Anger Management course he was offered the choice of jail or community service providing sailing experience. Says he'll accept the jail sentence next time.
Jackie - the stealth cuckoo in nest - NZ's ringer here to capture Northern Child's secrets for the next Americas Cup challenge. So far the biggest secret she has unearthed is the need for a different crew..
Beverly - an interior designer has found some spare white fabric in the forward cabin and is running up some valances that will look fabulous in the main cabin. She says the material is a bit tough but the project's going well....
Will - sent here by his family hoping that the sea  air would provide a cure for his sleeping sickness - but there's no sign of that so far....
Neil - preparing to deploy to Japan as Britain's Cultural Attaché and Minister of Disinformation- is hoping to practice sushi-making on the fish that Ric catches. Sadly the future of Britain's diplomacy is hanging, unlike any of the Bay of Biscay's fish, by a very slender thread.
Gael - our 'wildlife magnet' says laisse les bon temps rouler, n'est ce pas...? (Gallic shrug...)
Sarah (your author) - like any experienced cop she is trying to write down what was supposed to have happened....