Sept 10
Hi All,
Thanks to everyone for sending us words of encouragement over the past few “occurrences”. Your kind words mean so much to us and do indeed help us keep i “together”.
I don’t know how “together” we were over the rudder incident…..here is what I wrote a dear friend: when it happened I sort of panicked….out in the middle of the ocean….AGAIN MYSTIC…..give me a frickin break….I really wanted to lie down and bang my head and go into the fetal position!!! Then this voice again….calm down John, think, use your logic, you can solve this….It could be God, but I think it is Greg Mallory (retired Hatton Marine tech) as that is what he always says when I call in a panic about the GEN:))))
We did indeed had a pleasant trawler like day. Winds stayed in the 5-10kt range most of the day mainly out of the SSW….30-60 points off the port bow. We did have a 1-2 hour spell in the am where the winds were 10-15kts SW and we thought the big winds were early….must have been from a squall as the winds soon calmed to 4-8 kts. Kathy even vacuumed the entire boat…..me I slept…..still pondering the rudder incident….can’t wait to get in and do some research and talk to the experts on how this could happen….how can the cylinder shaft rotate counter clockwise????
The winds continued 8-12kt SSW until about 2am when they built to 20kts SSE but that was from a squall and soon calmed to 8-12 kts. The big winds finally came around 4:00am…18-22G26 SSE, 70-90 points off port bow. Not a very comfortable ride for us until the winds back further to aft of beam.
We made the Argo Bank waypoint around 6:00am!!
Interesting fuel cost facts: Diesel was $2.84/gal duty free in New Zealand, $5.29 and then $4.04 duty free in Vanuatu and $3.17 duty free in New Caledonia. I have not checked prices in Australia but hope it will be the cheapest yet!!
Stats: 9 Sept 2000 UTC (7:00am Sept 10 local time):
Position: 23 36S 159 52E
Traveled: 180nm today; 373 nm total; ETA to Lady Elliot waypoint is Saturday 8:30am
Course: 250M COG
Wind: 18-22G26 kts SSE
Waves: 2.5m swell S
Speed: current speed is 7.5 kts SOG; has varied 6.5-8.0 kts today; avg is 7.7 kts for passage; 1700 rpm, had slowed to 1400 rpm w/headseas but now primarily a beam roll so sped back up so stabilizes more effective
Weather: 30% cloud cover; sea temp 72.5 deg F; air temp 71 deg F; barometric pressure=1017 steady
Boat sightings: 0 today; 0 total
Fishing: Nope, too cold, too choppy and we have too much food in the freezer; yep, just lazy
Sail: down
Fuel burn: 1.26 nmpg….actually quite good for 1700 rpm!!
Hope all is well!
John
Mystic Moon
GO MYSTIC GO!!!
