Vulnerabilities

June 10^th 2017 Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island

Cape Upstart found me laid up with some kind of tummy bug.  At first I thought the nausea was due to having lost my sea legs after the Bowen interlude, but when it developed throughout the night into some serious evacuation of my insides to the outside, I knew it was different. So another lay day was necessary, feeling quite wretched, with thoughts of the perils of life at sea.

I have been giving some consideration to contingency planning in relation to possible vulnerabilities from breakdown, loss or damage.

Last year, it was the inverter, which converts 12V battery power to 240V. Its failure would mean there would be no way of charging the laptop, on which I run my main electronic navigation system, using Open CPN with C-maps charts.

I thought about buying a spare inverter but chose instead to get a 12V DC charger, the kind that plugs into a cigarette lighter. This uses a lot less power than the inverter.  I also bought a second, larger iPad that runs Navionics.  And in case all that fails, a sextant and paper charts.  I think all bases are covered there.

Vulnerability # 2: “Tilly” autopilot. (We have an all-girl crew on Shanti – the tiller pilot is nicknamed “Tilly”, the Fleming windvane “Min”). Min is the main hand for long distance passages, but doesn’t work so well up the coast with wind directly behind. So Tilly gets to have most of the fun, whenever I let her have it.  We have a kind of co-dependency and I rely heavily on her unerring support when I am otherwise occupied.

Solution: buy and wire in a back-up tiller pilot, an oversized Simrad TP32.

Tilly was overheating so needed a damp cloth and microtowel shade, courtesy of Rosy Patole, France

Vulnerability # 3: reading glasses. It suddenly occurred to me that if lost, I would literally be lost without them.  Easy fix to that one.

Vulnerability # 4: Me.  Hmmm.   Stay safe, stay well, stay on board.

A new motto occurred to me recently: “Everything is fine until it isn’t.”

So I am learning to stay more in the present moment, not letting my mind run so freely down those “what-if” tracks, trusting that I will deal with things as they arise.

The passage from Upstart to Magnetic Island, near Townsville, is a long one, around 70 nautical miles.  It requires an early morning start, and even though I didn’t really feel up to getting up at 0330, it needed to be done. The full moon was very welcome in helping me avoid the few other boats anchored nearby.

On my “lay day” I had set up the whisker pole, ready to pole out the headsail on the opposite side to the main if need be. 

 This goosewing effect allows both sails to remain effective, instead of the main blanketing the headie.

Not the first time I have poled out, but the first time with the new dinghy taking up much of the foredeck.

Have had to remove the baby stay because of the dinghy on the foredeck.  Found this double-sided Velcro is fantastic for so many uses round the boat.

It was interesting to note that I made this same passage last year on my youngest daughter, Shoni’s birthday, 14^th July. This time, it was on Misha’s birthday, 9^th June, a very different experience to the black night, pouring rain and howling gale of last year.

I am more than a month ahead, which gives me a better chance of getting to Darwin by the end of July.

Was wonderful to be welcomed to "Paradise" at dusk by Cam on "First Contact", who baked a tasty veg lasagne for our dinner. Thanks Cam!

I have been reflecting on how different things are this year.  Shanti is far sounder, with her rudder post leak and other things fixed. The engine (who used to be known as “Mary, Mary, quite contrary”) is less of an unknown quantity. It was very disconcerting, never knowing which inopportune moment she would choose to stop.

After a year’s “shake-down” I have much more confidence in both boat and self and can relax a bit. Last year I was constantly vigilant, feeling that if I wasn’t standing in the cockpit watching everything, every second, things could go horribly wrong. Every wave that rolled us beyond the point of gybe, every slat of the sail that thwanged so violently it seemed as if the mast might come down; it all required me to be at the ready. 

There never seemed to be a point at which I could leave Shanti to her own devices for a moment and trust that she would be OK. I couldn’t even force myself to lie down and rest for 10 minutes.  Of course, such vigilance is sometimes required, as for example in a storm, but cannot be sustained constantly, without burnout.

So I am learning to pace myself and not suffer unnecessarily. There will be time enough for that.

“A voyage is a problem to be solved with your mind and body.” (Webb Chiles, on his 6^th circumnavigation).