2002

Ocean Planet Report
Saturday, December 21, 2002
1300gmt
Position: 43 24S, 50 51E
Heading 094T, Speed 11-20kts

It is blowing 30-40kts with aggressive seas and COLD water all over the place.

This is where Ocean Planet shines. With the unstayed rig, I have up the main alone, 3rd reefed with the mast rotated and the sheet way out…no shrouds in the way! I can sail a very low course at high speed and in great control. The occasional breaker will knock us around a bit, but I just push a few times on the autopilot buttons and fine tune the heading. Of course, putting in the 3rd reef was exciting, but not so bad knowing that afterwards I could take off my wet gear in the “vestibule” and shake it out before going down below to hang them up to dry!

Down below I’m practically in a tropical paradise….Right now I’m in a t-shirt since I have the new heater going. I keep it dry down here because I can; I wipe up any water that comes in with my boots and keep towels under my gear to catch drips before the heater dries them out.

This is what we have been waiting for, the big breeze, and we are on the move. It is actually easier to sail in 35-40 kts than 20, since now I don’t need a headsail! We could put up the staysail but it would just get backwinded behind the main on this low of a wind angle. I’m looking forward to the next schedule to get the positions….

We are further north than the others but this is where I want to be. Plenty of wind, a good jibe angle tomorrow, and the possibility of an upwind position if a coming low that the models predict might wind up north. It’s always a bit of dice roll, but we’ll see.

I did something today that I doubt any of the other skippers did. I washed my hair! Couldn’t stand an itchy scalp any longer, and I have plenty of fresh water. I just stand in the companionway with my head in the vestibule and pour the water on my head. Too easy, but I wish the Spectra watermaker would warm up the water too…it’s cold!

Just hit 21 knots! Some wild waves here! I do have to hold on as we rocket down them…

It takes some scrubbin’…

…to look this good!

Bruce and Ocean Planet