Saturday, 20 October 2007
Myths and Realities.
boat? Maybe you were working like a dog to get the cash together for the final escape, maybe you were just planning a year out of the old routine. What was it that you expected the cruising life to offer you? What were the expectations that you held for such a radical change in lifestyle?And has it lived up to those thoughts?
I can tell you what the experiences have been like for me!
I dreamed of sailing away on a boat from the age of , maybe 16, when I first read a book called 'Rosie Darling'. Rosie Swale the author led a wild childhood and ran away to sea with her love, Colin.On board a tiny catamaran she gave birth to her son, survived storms and wild adventures, traveled to exotic locations and had a lovely turn of phrase in to the bargain! She is currently running around the world, at the age of 61!! What a woman.
What was it that I dreamed of though? The sailing, the lifestyle, freedom, travel? Yes to all of those!
I spent the years between the dreams and the realities crewing on other peoples boats, reading, dreaming.........and working. It took a long time until I could translate those dreams into reality.
My imagination traveled across oceans, living in harmony with the sea, braving storms, swimming in turquoise reef water. Living on fresh fish. Meeting fascinating people . Living a stress free existence...........not a lot of expectation there then!
And what did I find?I found that the low points in my sailing life were lower than those I had experienced in the 'other world'. Fear in storms, desperation, moments when all the courage I thought I had disappeared leaving me a quivering sobbing wreck.....
Conversely the highs are so much higher!
The absolute joy of sighting land after 30 days at sea, bringing a lump to my throat and tears to
my eyes. The complete and utter peace of an isolated tropical anchorage, with the boat floating in crystal clear waters and a gentle breeze just cooling the air. The horror of serious injury at sea, the satisfaction of dealing with the emergencies. Often using skills I didn't even know I had!My imagination had seen myself becoming a younger fitter version of the reality, sadly the truth is I look more weatherbeaten and not a lot fitter!The tropical dream brings with it irritating health issues, skin diseases, dengue fever, respiratory infections etc. No, not all the time but they hadn't figured in my 'dreamtime'.
I hadn't figured in the huge challenge of living in so many different, and constantly changing cultures. Not so much the language issues but the understanding and acceptance of a different perspective.Sometimes the relentless stream of curious visitors in an isolated community can become excessively wearing!
One realization is that to a certain extent many cruisers are 'outsiders'. We live on the periphery of life. Many of us are loners, happy to chart our own course, many of us are more than a little 'strange'! That's all part of the rich pattern of the lifestyle I have chosen.
On the other hand, the things I have seen and experienced have made me into a completely different person. I opened that door and walked through. What I hadn't realized was that it is a one way ticket! The change is ongoing and endless. The learning is unforgiving. Cruising is much more than sailing away towards the blue horizon. At least it is for me.
I am still learning, changing, adapting. Its not always a comfortable state to be in but long may it continue!
How was it for you! I'd love to know , leave me a comment.
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Dealing with the heat!
It has been extremely hot and humid for the past week or so. We had just begun to acclimatize to the weather here when along came a lovely cool spell, which has of course been followed by a hot spell. So we feel as though we are back to square one !
In the marina a large number of the boats rely on Air conditioning units to maintain a cool temperature below. All well and good but it uses a lot of power and in consequence is mightily expensive. I have heard a number of the boats tell of $3-400 a month power bills!
We did buy a small domestic unit when spending a long time at the dock in Panama. It was certainly lovely to keep cool but we suffered from a large number of eye infections and quite a hole in our wallets!
So we are very interested in ways to lower the temperature on the boat and , equally important, ways to combat the very high humidity levels. For instance as I am writing this, at 6.30am local time, the temperature below decks is 84 degrees and 64% humidity- and thats cool!
I guess we are really lucky that our boat has an excellent air-flow design, with three good sized deck hatches that encourage the air to weave in and out the boat. We try and keep these open at all times(with mosquito nets in place). We could increase the airflow by removing the nets but in the Tropics the insect life is a bit overwhelming!
We have four low power electric fans placed at strategic points in the boat. One at the bow (at the foot of the bed), one over the galley. One over the nav station and one in the aft cabin. By
running these on the lower of the two settings a good draft constantly circles the boat. And of course is vital when the hatches have to be shut due to rain. That happens a lot!We finally settled on Carframo 12v fans, the bow tie type. With a maximum power draw of 0.6amps an hour we can afford to be profligate with their use.
When we bought this boat she came with a large canvas bag which was described to us as the 'marquee'. An accurate description! This large canvas sun shade covers the boat from the mast back to the pushpit and to the extreme outside of the side decks. Its heavy, complex ......and absolutely brilliant!
I remember the first time we tried to put it up, in Portugal, a divorce was on the cards and I tried to give it away. Boy am I glad we persevered. It lowers the below deck temperature by up to 10 degrees, keeps the rain off and provides a wonderful shady area in the cockpit. We have only used it three times in all the years we have been carrying it but those three times have involved long periods at the dock in hot climates.It has to come down when we sail or even if really high winds are forecast, its a pain in the proverbial to erect but boy does it make a difference to our comfort. I suspect we will continue to carry the huge unwieldy thing for
some time yet.
Dealing with the humidity is a little more challenging. We have lined all the lockers,under the berths, deck sides etc with closed cell foam that we bought in the form of camping mats. This is really good insulation and helps to even out the disparity between the external and internal air temperatures, thus lowering condensation.
Clothes lockers are regularly aired to minimize mould growth and in the 'wardrobe' (home to our 'smart' clothes) I hang large sachets of 'damprid'.These moisture eating envelopes last around 3 months, they are a bit expensive but really keep the air dry in that space.I have managed to buy replacements all over the Caribbean.
All our bedding is pure cotton, the sheets may be a bit creased after laundering but they have a nice cool feel to lie on. Pillows are washable.
One of the best tips I was given when we started was to have a good supply of those plant misting bottles that you can buy in most flower outlets! Fill with iced water and set at the finest spray available. Liberally spray yourself whenever the temperature becomes too overwhelming.
At night a light spray and then lying under the breeze of the fan is pure heavenly bliss............Strange the things that become so wonderful once you go cruising isn't it?!
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Stumbling on the web.
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It found this site for me and I had fun playing with the simple design elements, this is the result!
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Story from The Times!
Treasure seekers run the gauntlet over world’s biggest haul of gold
A Spanish warship threatened to open fire on American treasure hunters yesterday as they tried to flee Gibraltar in the battle for a haul of gold and silver coins estimated to be worth half a billion dollars.
Amid rough seas, The Times watched from aboard the Odyssey Explorer as Spanish Civil Guards made two unsuccessful attempts to board the ship minutes after it set sail. However, high waves and driving rain made the operation impossible, prompting them to force the ship to port instead.
“Under the threat of deadly force, we have had to turn the ship around and proceed to Algeciras,” Aladar Nesser, an official from Odyssey Marien Exploration, said as the ship was escorted to port. The company claimed the ship was in international waters outside Gibraltar when the Spanish cut her off with a Corvette warship, a police patrol boat and a high-powered dinghy. Spain claims those waters are within its territorial boundaries.
Spanish officers served notice that they were investigating Odyssey’s suspected plunder of underwater archaeological sites and confiscated millions of pounds worth of evidence, including computer hard drives and the company’s multimillion-dollar underwater robot. Sterling Vorus, the ship’s captain, was arrested for “grave disobedience” after refusing to let the police on board, and taken into custody.
The operation was the latest skirmish in an international fight over what could be the greatest underwater treasure yet discovered. The haul of 500,000 coins has pitted a pugnacious company owned by Bob Hope’s former public relations man against a Spanish Government enraged at what it views as modern-day piracy.
It has also set the archaeological community – which views Odyssey’s profit-driven scans of the ocean floor with suspicion – against commercial salvage firms, whose deep pockets and high-tech submersibles are making it possible to explore underwater wrecks like never before.
And it has reignited Spanish anger over ownership of the Rock of Gibraltar, the tiny British colony at the centre of a 300-year tug-of-war between two former maritime powers.
The fight over the mytery shipwreck began earlier this year when Odyssey secured the consent of the British and Spanish Governments to dig-up the HMS Sussex, an 80-gun warship lost off the coast of Gibraltar in 1694. Odyssey says the wreck may contain coins worth billions of dollars today. But instead of the Sussex, Odyssey announced in May that it had found a huge treasure in a different wreck at a site it codenamed Black Swan – and that it had already spirited it away to Tampa, Florida.
Odyssey says that it acted entirely legally and only after the Spanish Government refused to reach a deal over how to share any discoveries in area. It says that the wreck was in international waters, around 180 nautical miles west of Gibraltar, but it will not say exactly where, claiming that such information could lead to looting.
Spain suspects that the wreck at Black Swan is a Spanish galleon called Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, sunk by the British fleet off Portugal in 1804. Court papers show that at least some of the coins recovered are Spanish, leading officials to believe that Odyssey recovered a Spanish treasure from a Spanish ship – even if it was outside its territorial waters.
Madrid’s US lawyer James Goold accuses Odyssey of engaging in an illegal game of hide-and-seek and has filed suit against the company in Tampa seeking the return of the treasure, as well as making claims on two other wrecks found by Odyssey.
Spain also accuses Odyssey of acting in a deceptive manner by playing down the value of its find until it had been spirited to the US. In its original export licenses filed with the Government of Gibraltar, Odyssey described its cargo as “encrusted clumps of silver coins in a corroded condition”, valuing the coins at $2.5 million, or $5 apiece. By June, however, the company said the coins had been valued at up to $500 million, or $1,000 each, sending the company’s shares sharply higher.
Nick Bruyer, and expert who examined a sample of the coins, described the haul as “unprecedented”. “I don’t know of anything equal or comparable to it,” he said.
Odyssey, meanwhile, has sued Spain for financial losses caused by the detention of its other boat, the Ocean Alert, in an almost identical manoeuvre in July. It is also seeking compensation for losses caused by the “obstruction of its operations” while its ships were stuck in Gibraltar .
Under the principle of “finders keepers”, admiralty courts tend to award the bulk a treasure to those who raise it from the deep. But it is not always so. Spain has dug in its heels and any legal battle could be protracted.
Meanwhile, Odyssey officials say that an undisclosed portion of the treasure still lies in the deep, protected only by its silence.
Stocking up the boat.
It is over six months since we left Panama, the last place that we seriously reprovisioned the boat.
As the stores are now getting low I am starting to think about the very serious task of reorganizing and shopping .
It doesn't seem that Guatemala is a particularly good spot for this kind of shopping, unless we spent big sums of money and go to the City, over 6 hours on the bus. I am not too keen on that idea. So I have been looking carefully each week when we go in to town at what is available in the stores.
It shouldn't be too bad to fill up on basics such as flour,pasta,rice etc but the quality of packaging leaves quite a lot to be desired and I am keen to avoid the weevil infestation that we experienced after filling up in Colombia.As soon as we get back on board with a consignment of dry goods, all the extraneous packaging is thrown out and small units put in to individual plastic bags or containers. At least that way it is possible to contain any infestations.
Life on a boat is a lot of the time about making sure you prevent things from happening in the future.........that was all a bit of a shock to me when we first started cruising!
I have always been a bit of a self-sufficiency freak. As soon as I had my first home in went the vegetable patch, the chicken house. Out came the preserving pan. Its a trait that has remained with me and has proved to be very useful in my latest incarnation! When we are fully laden we can remain totally self-sufficient for up to nine months. that means we carry sufficient fuel(with judicious use), food, water and propane. On the face of it that may seem like overkill but on a number of occasions we have been able to stay in fabulous remote parts of the world for as long as we have wanted confident in the resources that we carry on board.
We do not have a freezer so fishing provides our fresh protein source when we are away from civilization. we have built up an extensive selection of lures and absolutely swear by the book-
'The Cruisers handbook of Fishing' by Scott and Wendy Bannerott.
When we first started to fish we had no luck whatsoever! Read this book and BAM! a fish on the line almost every time. It contains a blow by blow account of absolutely every detail that you need to follow in order to catch that fish, and it works!
I have learnt to cook more and more vegetarian meals using beans,pulses, nuts etc. These products store well and , with a little ingenuity, make surprisingly delicious meals( I say this as a confirmed carnivore!). We carry large quantities of Basmati rice, this can be impossible to find in many areas so whenever I see it, I buy it!
That's another thing I learned the hard way. If you see something in the store buy it there and then and lots of it! For sure it won't be there when you go back again.
The boat has a large, well ventilated, shady storage area for fruit and vegetables. Potatoes and onions keep extremely well. Along with garlic,squashes and tomatoes these form the long term fresh veggies that we carry.Other fruit and veg is stored in 'green bags'. these are a godsend to cruisers which treble the shelf life of more delicate products. You can buy them in the UK through Lakeland Limited and I believe they are available throughout the USA.
I have toyed with the idea of a vacuum packer but we really don't produce enough electricity on the boat to make this viable.
Most of our power is produced by the KISS 'windmill' that graces the aft of the boat.We are delighted with this piece of kit. The vast majority of the time it produces sufficient power to
supply all our needs on board. For the first time here in the NW Caribbean we have found the lack of wind an issue. If we were going to stay here longer I think we would probably invest in a solar panel or two to cope with any shortfall.We won't though as we will move on, eventually, and we are not keen on the extra windage that they provide on a boat of our size.We carry 125 gallons of fresh water in three tanks, three to avoid cross contamination . These can all be accessed by either a pressurized water system or by a foot pump in case of power problems!In addition we carry a further 20 gallons in cans on deck and have a small 12v watermaker that can produce 1.4 gallons an hour using the power from the wind generator. Thats enough to keep us comfortably off and allow regular showers and the odd bit of laundry.
We catch rainwater off the decks and in a true tropical downpour can fill the two main tanks in under 20 minutes!
We also have a saltwater foot pump at the galley for dish washing etc.
The diesel tank holds 320 litres and we carry another 80 litres in cans on deck. By using the engine 30 mins per day to cool the refrigerator( and create hot water as a by product) that allows us approx 200 days of independence. Of course its not so long if we have to motor anywhere but we try to sail most of the time! ITS CHEAPER TOO.
There is enough propane for 12 months regular use. We have a propane stove and propane BBQ and use one or other most days. I bake once or twice a week when out at anchor or at sea.
There's a massive first aid kit on board, with drugs for every event! My sister, a General Practitioner in the UK, started us off with a good selection and an 'idiots crib sheet' of symptoms and treatments. we keep it well stocked and up to date whenever we can. Most of it is untouched but its a warm feeling to know that we carry the right treatment for a variety of problems.
Books, DVD's,Charts, Pilot Guides, Instruction manuals all take up the shelf space that always seems to be in short supply. Clothes for hot weather and cold. A mountain of spare parts. It's no wonder we have had to raise the water line on the boat by 4" since we have been cruising!
Lynne Pardey's book 'The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew', which I believe has recently been updated, has some good hints and tips although I would give the 'party spam fritters' a miss!
So I keep busy making lists, preparing for our next voyage, whenever that may be!!
Monday, 15 October 2007
Why Speak Out?
Perhaps Pastor Martin Neimoller's view in one version of his quote will answer that question.
He supported the Nazis until he realized, too late, what they were really about and was sent to Dachau concentration camp.
He was one of the fortunate to be freed and live until 1984.
First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Social Democrats,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Social Democrat.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew,
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.