Berrimilla Down Under Mars Status Report 3 June 2008
TUESDAY, 3 JUNE 2008
5234.58 17422.10 Barnacles…..
Anniversary 2005 Falmouth, Barnacles, Fishing boat, hat & gloves
This is the anniversary of Berri’s arrival in Falmouth 3 years ago late in the evening – to be met Izz ang G and Dr Gordon. Would have been fitting to arrive in Dutch, but not to be. We’re on track to be there on Thursday arvo AGW, which, on this gig, tends to be the exception.
Berri slow and sluggish – all the underside of both quarters above the antifoul is covered in 3″ barnacles. There seems to be something affecting the prop as well. Pete, about the same as when we got to Falmouth – I wonder if they are the children of the ones that got a free 114 day ride from Falmouth to Hobart.
We were overtaken by a small trawler during the night – phosphorescence again, in iridescent cascades. And it’s so nice to have warm dry hands and my old Falklands fridge bonnet which I found as soon as I dug for the errant bag.
Grey gloop continues. We’re a few miles from one of what must be the most spectacular views in the world and all there is to see is the inside of a paper bag. Pity.
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 20:13
McQ: Advice re torches (flashlights)
Some advice re torches:
1. Make sure to locate and secure torch BEFORE it gets dark. McQ’s torch MIA. Its dark.
2. Don’t do what Big A is prone to do and forget that your headtorch has already been located and secured to head.
Gribbage for 24hrs blue/green. For 48hrs red and pink!! At moment reaching (not quite screeching reaching in 6kts breeze but reaching nonetheless!!) straight line for Dutch so until The Examiner restarts The Examination, which she inevitably will, its Kwik-E-Blogs with the benefit of my wisdom!!!
Love McQ xxx
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 20:13
5210.33 17600.05 Flopopery under Sitkin’s Teapot
Photo by Fred Zeillemaker, 1982 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, courtesy of Alaska Volcano Observatory).
Where on earth to begin? Adak – old US cold war naval air station, from what we could see of it, rather like Port Stanley, with a lot of ex government facilities now largely unused and falling apart. The jetties – 2 of them – once parking spots for big aircraft carriers, now have grass growing out of them. Difficult to get alongside huge fuelling wharf and even Whitters got knickers twisted first time. Met by Lacy Plummer – BAPTO please Speeds for help way beyond the call of duty of a Habourmaster. We were confined to the boat BY Order of the US Customs so Lacy organised 60 galloons of diesel and took our shopping list and bought us lots of goodies, even getting my glove size right. I now have waterproof lined rubber gloves and toasty hands. She had previously cleared our visit with USC, and also brought us the biggest bag of M&M’s I’ve ever seen – we now have ready use tub of M&M’s instead of boring peanuts in the cockpit. Got us the weather and generally fussed over us. Thanks Lacy.
Great Sitkin – whooo! Coming out of Adak, there were occasional breaks in the grey gloop and there, magnificent, gleaming, unbelievably close – near yet distant again! – the snow covered slopes of what seems to be a huge volcano. Only saw glimpses of it, unfortunately, and now it’s pinching our wind as we work out way around it, way too close for the two finger rule and the wind, if there is any, goes over the top of us and up the mountain, a cosy for Teapot Rock.
Must now start keeping these short. Still working Hawaii sailmail station, but only just, so mostly iridium. Voucher dwindling fast.
David E.W. G’day! MJC, found the wharves despite google earth.
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 08:13
McQ: Back on the road.
Adak was mad: wee Berri alongside a wharf built for aircraft carriers- wish I could have got a photo from the sea!! To start with it was almost like going alongside nothing as we were lower than the bottom of the pier sides!! crazy!!! but we got there and away and intact- And, yes thanks to Lacy the Harbourmaster, Its so nice coming all this way and the first person I speak to other that Alex in 53 days is super helpful and friendly!!!
We came out of Adak, have just cleared the corner of Great Sitkin Isloand and are now pointing in a straight line to Dutch, 350ish miles to our waypoint up there, 064- I guess we follow that line and munch away at the miles, pac-man styley. Sweet.
Not a lot of wind and guess where it’s coming from??? we have the engine on, nowt to stress about there at the moment- we’re almost overflowing with diesel!!!!!
I just put the headsail away cause it was just flogging about doing nothing and all the commotion must have woken Big A- I explained what I had done no wind etc, he looked confused and asked- this is quite funny- if we had gone round the corner and got to our bear away point? I said yes, we have borne away, and wind bore away with us!!! Typical eh??? I just read that- it doesn’t sound very funny at all. I guess you have to be here.
We have a big plastic curver box that is filled with our ready use foods, like plastic tubs of tea/coffee/sugar/pasta/ museli bars/chocolate etc and today the bundy has made its way in there too and Kimbra, you’ll be pleased to hear that we have a tub dedicated solely to beetroot which we replenish from tins regularly!!!
I still can’t quite grasp that we have just made land fall in America. Its barely comprehensible for me here, it must be really random for anyone following, but while wee Berri is just that, compared to the huge ocean, to me, when we are sailing, alongside she was definitely the Mighty Berri, having safely and happily got us a quarter of the way round the world nonstop!! Go Berri, I love you!!
Love to everyone else too,
McQ
xxx
POSTED BY BERRIMILLA DOWNUNDERMARS AT 08:12
