Position Reports

Position: 5º 56.778’ N 49º 27.732’ W Yesterday was the pits. We had swell from three directions, and Vick took some seasick pills that had side effects worse than the malaise. Today is a lot more comfortable, despite the continued squalls. We are still trying to figure out if running the engine with raw water in the fresh water side, is going to kill it quickly or slowly. I’m hoping slowly, because it’s currently the only way to charge the batteries, until the sun comes out again. ...

Position: 1º 22.572’ N 42º 13.272’ W Today has been back to back squalls. At one point we were getting 40Ah in from the wind generator, that was pretty exciting. The seas have picked up somewhat, so our Halcyon days may be over for a while. We also have wind more on the beam than I would like. That said, we are still eating (the last of our) fresh veg. So it’s not all gray. ...

Position: 2º 17.898’ N 43º 13.188’ W Darn has this ever been a gray and miserable day. We’ve been alternating between 3 and 7 knots as we pass from one squall to the next, and it’s been so dark that we need lights or headlamps for everything. This is the first passage I can remember that felt like time was dragging on. Oh well. We are still eating well, home made crackers and cookies so far today. When the motor is on, we listen to Hamilton at top volume and belt out all the lyrics we know. ...

Position: 0º 14.262’ N 41º 2.4’ W Convivia and her crew crossed the equator for the fourth time today. This time, in lockstep with Eva. We are almost exactly 500 nm due West from the mouth of the Amazon, and if the wind picks up as promised, we have 10 days of passage ahead. Tonight we celebrated with cake and pizza (in that order). Every day out here is ideal, in its own way. ...

Position: 1º 20.34’ S 39º 6.18’ W Today was a little bit of amazing. The wind was 10-15 knots from off our quarter, and the current was about 1knot from behind. Without the least bit of effort we managed a 144 mile day. To make a good day better, our friends on Eva crept up to within a few boat lengths for the day, and the kids experimented with sound and signs. At one point they swooped in and launched chocolate at us, FOR THE WIN! ...

Position: 2º 53.142’ S 36º 44.07’ W Our last 24 hours have done its level best to tip our fun to suck ratio, and failed. We have discovered a hole in our heat exchanger, which has rendered our fresh water cooled engine into a raw water cooled version. We thought we had run out of water, a problem which was potentially exacerbated by low power and an inability to charge from the engine (18Ah from our 100Ah alternator). We found that the engine wouldn’t stop (morse cable first, then at all) and had to suffocate it. The secondary problem is solved, but I think the morse cable is corroded from the overflowing fresh water reservoir. Add to all of that a mysterious electrical failure when the boat lists heavily to starboard, and you may have reason to panic. ...

Position: 3º 49.92’ S 32º 24.498’ W About to weigh anchor for Martinique. Despite our lack of actual tourism, Fernando de Naronha will be one of our favorite places we have ever been. Looking forward to 16 easy passagemaking days. All is well.

Position: 3º 49.908’ S 32º 24.492’ W With a tremendous amount of help from Claude and Jules on Eva, we managed to get our new rig up, and the outboard (which was submerged in a squall the other night) cleaned out. We are as provisioned up as we can be here, and ready to depart in the morning. All is well.

Position: 3º 50.058’ S 32º 24.018’ W Almost done at Fernando. We just checked out, but still need to finish repairing the rig. Probably leave tomorrow. Next stop, Martinique. All is well.

Position: 3º 49.92’ S 32º 24.498’ W We are shipbound at Fernando de Naronha (waiting for parts in paradise). Because we are American, we are not allowed to get a Visa without visiting the Consulate in the USA. So we have spent our days playing with our friends on Eva, swimming, and watching the huge dolphin pods swim around and under Convivia. The geomorphology, water color, and weather are like a dream. Every morning I wake up and look out the port lights with gratitude. ...

Position: 3º 58.308’ S 31º 39.552’ W Lovely wake up call this morning, “Dad, I just noticed the engine is overheating…” Thank god Ruby is sharp. We turned it off and found that without sails or engine, we were still drifting in the right direction at 3+ knots. It seems like our luck tends to balance itself out pretty immediately. I let the engine cool off a bit, had coffee and then tucked into the problem. The coolant water was murky (brown, black). Initially I thought maybe the oil cooler had leaked oil into it, then I remembered that that is hooked up to the raw water side, and now I’m just confused. I drained a bit out, and topped it off (running low on antifreeze now), and the engine has been running for hours, trouble free. Maybe we just sucked up a jellyfish into the raw water system. I’ll have to add that to the growing work list for Naronha. ...

Position: 4º 18.408’ S 30º 5.088’ W We lost our lower shrouds today. This time it was due to the bolt that holds the tangs to the mast, breaking. The port shroud dropped immediately to the deck, and the starboard hung on by a few threads. Vick and I sprang into action, dropping sails and collecting the rigging. Next she sent me up the mast to recover the starboard shroud before we lost the end of that bolt (and any chance of getting a decent measurement). As I was going up, the shroud decided to come down. I was lucky enough to catch it, mid fall. We recovered all the pieces and my dad has new ones on order. ...

Position: 5º 11.85’ S 26º 53.88’ W We are 10 days out from St. Helena and have 16 days left to Martinique. We have tossed out quite a bit of our fresh veg due to rot, and the fridge is looking a little sparse. That said, we are still eating well and finding joy in our daily routine. The kids suffer minor bouts of craziness (expected), mostly when it’s time to do dishes ;P whoda thunk? ...

Position: 5º 50.58’ S 24º 27.06’ W Today has been back to back squalls. We are reefed down and just riding them out. Sadly, the wind in the cell comes at 90° to the trades, so we are not making very good distance today. Yesterday we made 155 miles (our plan speed is 144). Still, we are happy enough, if a bit warm in this closed up cabin. All is well.

Position: 6º 26.1’ S 22º 9.198’ W We are having some really fantastic sailing today. Last night’s pizza was fantastic, and we are ripping along towards the site of the former ITCZ. it looks like there is a chance that we might be able to pass North while the ITCZ is absent. Fingers crossed. All is well.