Starting to Lose the Summer Weather

08/28/02

We were going pretty well through yesterday, maintaining a reach with the NW wind and staying on the rhumb line.  During my 2200 watch the wind veered (shifted to the South.  Veering is the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere than it is in the Northern Hemisphere), and I found us sailing close-hauled twenty degrees off course.  At least we were off course to the east, so we could live with that, as it is more important to make east progress than south progress at this point.

On my 0400 watch the wind went wacky, heading us up north before dying altogether and leaving us rocking in the swells with the sails flogging.  I furled the jib and Eric awoke and started the engine.  As of 1100, the boat is back on a reasonable, course, sailing, but not going very fast.

Eric pulled the watermaker apart this morning and found a broken spring.  Unfortunately when he reassembled and tested it again it was leaking around the shaft seal, so he has to take it apart again to find where the seal is not sealing.

Since we left the tropics, the weather has become progressively cooler.  I am starting to use my sleeping bag at night, and whenever we use the engine we turn the heater on, which basically blows hot air from the engine room into the cabin.  I forget that it is mid-winter now in the Southern Hemisphere, and the farther we get from the sun the more we feel it.  We won’t be going too much further south, so I hope it won’t be too bad.  I am still able to wear shorts, at least.

Eric’s third attempt at fixing the water maker appears to have been successful.  He will be running it for three hours a day, and it (should) produce over a gallon an hour.  Until we see a satisfactory accumulation of fresh water from this, we will continue our austerity measures.

I am getting used to being on starboard tack.  Although it is much better for me to sit and sleep in my bunk and to sit in the head, there are other things which are more difficult, such as washing dishes.  I am happy to be on this tack, and I hope it continues.  I already had a situation today where the wind veered and was heading us to 075 degrees, a situation where we would need to tack to get on a better course.  We  backed off a little though, and we have been headed around 110 degrees, which is still not so good, since the true course is heading a little north.  The wind is blowing at us directly from Cape Town.