Originally Posted by
The Smokester
This is a report for s/v Owl after 5 days, 400 nm under sail at sea. The experience was overwhelmingly positive. And yes, we were tempted to write Owl’s name in the GPS track.
The biggest high was sitting on the bow offshore in a cobalt blue ocean, big sky and 10 knots wind. And then there was the serendipitous talk by VHF with s/v Libra, when we crossed 10 nm apart after 3 days at sea…We on the outbound and she in. Communications (with many of you) via sat pager were very big events. Thank you.
By far, the lows involved drifting aimlessly near Noonday Rock and the North Farallon, and later off Pt Reyes, just barely outside the shipping lanes. I thought life was over…But then more highs: My good friends reasoned me through it or gave me some tuff luv (usefully in the form of inferential logic).
Mostly, winds were about 8-10 knots NW with periods of undetectability, sometimes mixed with mist and drizzle. But mostly glorious. For the last 24 hours I saw 10-30 kt NW (probably gusting higher on the way down the SF channel) as the weather turned, except once again near Pt Reyes where we were totally becalmed (as in take the sails down and burn them, you are driving me crazy) for an hour or two around noon near Pt Reyes.
Lessons learned: When the wind dies, eat hearty, get clean, rest, fix stuff. If you get crazy, heave to or double reef, eat, rest. All better. When the wind blows put the sails back up and go.
Systems on Owl worked well with the following exceptions: 1) The Iridium Go, which had been apparently thoroughly debugged over the last month, quit due to the SIM being deregistered. This has been an ongoing problem, but uninstalling and wiping the contacts had previously cleared the problem. Not this time. So, no sat coms. Delorme Inreach, weather radio and SWL were backups. Work with supplier to resolve problem. Also, soon-to-be-installed SSB will provide redundancy. 2) The propane solenoid acted up for the first time ever and required persuasion. In addition, at 15 watts, it is the largest electrical power consumer on the boat. Find alternative. 3) The staysail sheets (new configuration as of February) found yet another place to snag. Hunt the snags down like the dogs they are and keep sailing. 4) The turning blocks for the Monitor wind vane have too much friction. Most distressingly, they squeal like pigs in heat. Who needs that? Definitely replace. 5) Clipping in multiple times in the cockpit is a real pain. Install min-jacklines. 6) Engine starting depends on the house battery banks (which in turn can depend on the engine for charging if solar is low) creating a downward spiral of uncertainty and despair leading to psychotic breakdown while drifting helpless in the night towards Noonday Rock. Install separate starting battery. 7) The deadbolt on the inside of the companionway hatch, not normally used at sea, engaged and locked me out topside. Fortunately, I had a spare key in the heel of one of my sea boots. Replace lock and get bigger seaboots.