Classroom of the sea

Cocos Keeling, 1/10/2017

The World ARC rally boats have just left, freeing up some of the user-pays WiFi here on Direction Island.  I only found out about this from Customs when they came to clear me in this morning.

So here's a brief update on the good ship Shanti.

After leaving Kupang, on 17th of September, I was expecting the leg to Cocos Keeling to be uneventful, with light winds, at times not enough to sail. But that's far from what I got.

The batteries were still giving grief; connecting the old and new banks together was definitely not the way to go, exciting as it was to think I had 420 Ah for the first time. So in the middle of the night, I changed over old banks for new, and if you think that was easy, well, perhaps for Superman, or any larger bicep than I. 

The next exciting trick was a lock-tight, immovable overwrap on the main halyard. Nothing would budge it. My only thought was to cut it to get the sail down, as would one day be necessary.  But I'm learning stuff in this classroom of the sea.  (Some would say I should know it all before setting out, but most of it can only be learnt on the job). So I removed the winch.  And if you think that was easy ......

I've been experimenting a lot with sheet to tiller steering, which I first read of in Webb Chiles' blog, and have been fascinated by the concept.

I shot a short video of it, which will be uploaded when internet connection is adequate.  At the end of the video, I  said to "Min", the Fleming windvane, "you may just have been made redundant."  Now was that tempting fate or what?

A couple of days later, an Indonesian fishing boat smashed into the back of me.  Fortunately Min acted heroically, like something of a roll bar, saving the stern from being holed for sure. Unfortunately she died in the process.  As did the outboard motor, its bracket and the pushpit. Only later I noticed the danbuoy, light and life ring were gone.

So it's back to increasing efforts in perfecting sheet to tiller steering.  I want to say a big thanks to Chrissie, from Darwin, who sold me some heavy duty snap blocks, which are perfect for the job.

Also big thanks to Mike, off "Wateva", for the parting gift of the sharp cockpit knife, which literally became that, in cutting me free from the fishing boat.

There was a good possibility that rope was caught round my prop and the only way to find out was to hove to and go over the side for a look.  Not at all safe practice, but necessary.  And if you  think that was easy ....

Speaking of not easy, the wind was up around 32 knots for the next week, and the seas were massive, knocking poor little Shanti off her perch, dousing her in cascades of water and covering me in bruises.

But, words of wisdom from Keith, in Darwin, who has sailed hundreds of thousands of miles with his beautiful wife, Marion, "You get used to it."

Early yesterday morning, as the sun rose, I beheld before me, Green!

And I dropped anchor in the turquoise protected waters of the magical Cocos Keeling islands.

Sent from my iPad