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June 8, 1999
Hawaii to Tarawa Voyage, Update #37
Day 36. Tuesday 8 June 1999 0310 GMT
Wind ENE 4-5. Heading 210M.
Latitude: 09deg 27.787N
Longitude: 173deg 45.432W
Conditions are the roughest since the start of the voyage, perhaps even of all three crossings so far. Most of the waves are between 15 and 20ft, but every now and then a monster 30+ footer with 5ft breaking peak will appear out of nowhere and wreak havoc. It just takes one of these freak ones to finish us off - 'the perfect wave' I believe it is referred to in a recently released book - capsize the boat and fill the inside with water in a heart beat.
Its great for progress, surfing down the front of these monsters while fighting the steering toggles to keep 'in line' with the wave to prevent a broach, but absolutely miserable living conditions. Everything has been soaking wet for three days now. It is impossible to dry any clothes out on deck as waves break regularly over the top. Subsequently the sores on my bum are beginning to come back, and there's really nothing I can do apart from rinse off with a sponge soaked in fresh water, as often as extra drinking water will permit. I woke this morning to find the bottom of the boat like an aquarium; three live flying fish swimming about underneath the pedal seat in 6" of water. I counted 26 dead ones stranded out on the deck and in the gunnels. Stevie - you ain't missing this part mate! It's bloody awful. And the rocking and rolling of the boat when not underway is as diabolical as ever. I have to type these words with one hand and hang on with the other to save from getting brained by the side of the compartment.
I spent three hours this morning rigging up a line of conduction from the wind generator to the ocean in the unlikely event of being hit by lightening in the ITCZ. We now have an old bike lock attached to the starboard guide wire and the stainless handle from the manual water-pump dangling into the ocean from the port side wire. The idea is that depending on which side the boat is heeling if and when lightening strikes, at least one of these hi-tech devices should be in the water and so divert the current away from blowing out the electrics.
The ocean is a wonderful place. Sometimes.
Jason Lewis,
The Moksha motor
Posted on June 8, 1999 4:23 AM