Day 23 - Contact and Approach

It was a quiet night with the usual rolling to be expected when lying ahull. I woke up in daylight and rolled over because I knew that there was no wind. I had pulled out a third blanket and had slept on top of a folded blanket and underneath two.

At 8.30 AM I got up and noted with pleasure that instead of losing several miles during our overnight drift we had actually gained a mile and were now 87 miles from TdC. It looked like it was to be another sunny day and I was looking forward to starting the process of drying out the cabin and doing a few leak-related chores. The house battery bank was still at a robust 12.5V but I would take advantage of the lull and motor toward the island for a couple of hours. I set the timer so as not to miss the 10 AM radio session with Andy.

I established contact with Andy at 10.15 AM and we had a very good session. I had learned from Brenda that Andy had been tracking me via the blog for weeks and sure enough he had read my "wants" list of last night and we discussed some of the services that the island has to offer. They can deal with both Visa cards and US currency (and no doubt a variety of other instruments), they have a store with some fresh fruit, bread, wine, beer, spirits and no doubt many other items. I raised the issue of sewing for the canvas spray dodger and Andy assured me that there were plenty of people who could sew in the community. I told Andy that Tristan was beginning to sound like paradise.

We then tried VHF 78 and I was able to hear part of his transmission, but it was very scratchy, which is no surprise at this distance. Back on SSB 6230 he gave me the wind and wave predictions for the next two days: NW 10-15 kts today, NW 15 kts and WNW 15-20 kts tomorrow, and W 10 kts on the 24th, with a swell of 2 meters. I replied that it sounded like fairly good conditions and he opined that it was very good and expressed confidence that I'd be able to anchor safely. He mentioned two areas no doubt on the eastern side of the island where I could get protection from W and NW winds if I recall correctly. What I do recall is that each of these places had the word "sand" or "sandy" in their names, and I told him that I liked that. He told me that arriving on Sunday would not be a problem but it is only the services of the harbor master that I will need, so I told him that I would be happy to spend stay on the boat overnight (In fact I prefer it, to get the feel of the anchorage.) and deal with the immigration and other formalities on Monday. I told Andy that I liked everything that he had told me and I thanked him for his information.

I expect to be near the anchorage tomorrow morning and I will hail Andy on VHF 78. He monitors VHF 78, 14, and 16 24 hours a day but we've got to be reasonable here, so I won't try to contact him before 9 AM. For the rest of this day I would be standing by on SSB 6230.

I then went to the cockpit to get us underway with the engine. I noticed in the lazarette that the small gas cylinder had jumped over its shock cord restraints and was lying on its side against a small boat fender. This had never happened before and I'll have to do something about it. Then I got a scare from the engine because it wouldn't start. As usual I went to "worst case" scenario and envisioned myself sailing on to Cape Town with just sail, but it does not take much for the engine to scare me, particularly since it has spoiled me with its reliable starting. On about the 5th prolonged attempt it started sluggishly then began to run normally. With the engine running at 1500 rpm I checked the fuel vacuum gauge in case material had been stirred up in the fuel tanks during the recent rough weather, but its needle was still on the peg. We were now making 4.4 kts directly for the island under autopilot control in a reasonably calm sea. I put the Red Dot heater on and began drying damp clothes.

At noon our position was 36S13, 13W40, giving a n-n distance of 37 miles in the direction 071T. The barometer had risen another 5 points to 1020 hPa. We were now 82 miles form TdC on a bearing 127T.

While the engine powered us along I attended to the leaky dorade vents and windows. Fortunately I had taken the trouble to find and purchase two tubes of silicone sealant at Angra and material turned out to be fresh and easy to use: spread almost like honey and began to harden immediately. I took care to clean every surface that was to come in contact with the sealant with good old Comex thinner form La Paz. Fortunately I found two caps that screw into the vent openings so I removed the rubber scoops, cleaned and put coats of silicone on the vents and threads of the caps, then screwed the caps down tight. The windows got similar treatment: cleaned the perimeter off well then laid down a bead of sealant all around, using my finger to spread it and work it in. Afterwards I did a bit of cleaning with a paint scraper but wasn't to concerned about it because this was only a temporary measure and besides, the sealant is clear.

By the time I finished the work it was time to shut down the engine and happily I found that a gentle north wind had set in. At 1.30 PM the boat was being pulled by the headsail on a satisfactory course of 144T (SE) at 3 kts under the control of Jeff. The wind was due to strengthen during the day so I could see no problem on making the vicinity of the anchorage by morning, particularly since now we had only 75 miles to go.

While doing the silicone work I checked the engine instruments and was startled to see the temperature reading at 60F instead of the usual 180-200F. That certainly would not indicate overheating, nevertheless I peered over the side to make sure that there was cooling water flowing. Two possibilities were that a wire had been disconnected below, and I would check that later because it first required clearing out of the port quarter berth area. Another possibility was that the instrument had taken a dose of water during the recent rough weather. The instruments are recessed high on the coaming and protected by a plexiglass cover, but there was a lot of heel and much water pouring into the cockpit during the worst of it. My concern was that the thermostat was working correctly and the engine was operating at the proper temperature. Another concern, as long as I was in worrying mode, was that the high temperature alarm system would not be working. I knew that Mark in Port Townsend keeps up with the blog and would probably hear from him about the matter.

After a late lunch (piece of cheese, the last of the capsicum) and a nap I decided to check out the Swarbrick anchor and make it more accessible. The Swarbrick is an Admiralty or Fisherman style anchor that breaks down into three pieces: The crown, shaft, and cross piece. It is an improvement on the conventional Admiralty anchor and has a reputation for phenomenal holding power. The anchor was at the bottom of the clothes locker underneath the 45 lb plow anchor and I wanted to put it on top for fast retrieval. And just as well I did. I discovered that the it was the 35 lb Swarbrick and not the 50 lb one in the closet. For Tristan it wasn't negotiable - it had to be the 50 lb anchor because that might make the difference between safety and disaster. That required the laborious task of clearing out the quarter berth to get at the anchor underneath. I started to clear out the starboard quarter berth but got smart and checked my own spreadsheet. According to the spreadsheet the anchor was on the port side, so I had saved myself wasted time and effort. A bonus was that clearing out the port side would give me access to the back of the engine instrumentation to see if there were any loose or broken wires affecting the temperature gauge. The first thing I did when the area was clear was top visit the instrumentation and I found all of the wiring to be in order - firm connections with no corrosion. I then removed the soggy mattress (water must be leaking through the small porthole into the cockpit) and gained access to the storage area below. The anchor was there in three parts and I took it out and place in on the cabin sole. After some deliberation I decided to leave the 35 lb Swarbrick out rather than storing it in place of the 50 lb Swarbrick. The upshot is that I finished up with three anchors at the base of the closet: the 45 lb plow at the bottom, the 35 lb Swarbrick in the middle, and the 50 lb Swarbrick on top. When the time comes I will put the three pieces of the Swarbrick 50 on deck, assemble it, connect it to the rode of 15 meters of 3/8" chain and 80 meters of rope, and be ready to drop it over the side.

Over a well earned beer I visualized a scenario at the anchorage. I get notice of adverse on-shore winds and I move the normal rode of 38 meters of 3/8" chain from the forecastle into the chain locker. The wind starts to get nasty so I assemble the Swarbrick 35 on deck and connect it to the all-chain rode. Against all expectations the 50 lb anchor begins to drag toward shore and I put the 35 lb anchor over the side hoping that sooner or later it will bite and support the 50 lb anchor. With the second anchor and dragging into shallower waters the anchors eventually hold, the boat survives, and I wind up a gibbering idiot from worry.


At 5.30 PM we were 60 miles from TdC, making 4.5 kts to 150T. So far it had been my kind of day: lazily running downwind with a bit of headsail while messing around in the boat. I turned off the SSB radio.

I gybed the boat at last light and at 9.30 PM we were sailing toward the island 47 miles away doing 4.2 kts before a gentle NW wind. At this rate I expected to make the anchorage at about before 10 AM in the morning.

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