Current Position (as of ): Sorry no position came through tonight. - Mom
Rough night last night. The motion of the boat and slapping of the genoa made it hard to sleep. There are the most incredible stars out here. I have never seen anything like it. There are thousands of stars in a black, black sky. There is a hazy, cloud-like thing up there too. Not sure if it is the Milky Way? Awesome!
The wind increased early today to 20-25 knots. BTW a knot is a measure of speed. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is equal to 1.15 miles. Nautical miles are measured in relation to lines of latitude somehow. One knot is about equal to 1.15 miles per hour. The term came from the old sailors who measured how many knots on the line (rope) paid out in a certain time period. One of my favorite books to read was an old, mildewy book called the Origin of Sea Terms. Very interesting stuff.
With the wind increase came an increase in wave/swell size. When I was between 2 swells, the water was as high as my first spreaders (metal bars that hold the halyards from the mast). My first spreaders are 15' high. It was pretty scarey when they started to crumble at the top. Because of their angle, they are pushing my boat off course. Then the boat turns slightly and heals over so that the toe rails (rail around the top edge of the boat deck) are in the water. I have been fiddling with this a lot today. It has helped to head more south which was recommended by David, the forecaster who is helping me. Apparently, there is a high (calm) heading in my path so a little southing should keep me in the wind anyway.
Please pray tonight. I am getting pretty tired and still have to deal with this awkward motion.
Questions:
What do you do with your trash?
I really don't have that much trash. I am keeping it in a plastic garbage bag in the bilge until I get to the Marshall Islands.
How do you take a shower?
Actually, I have not had a shower but I have to just wash with a wash cloth etc. When I hit the lower trades and there is a rain shower, I will go up on deck with my shampoo and soap for a quick shower. The reason for this is water conservation. We are hoping to pick up a water maker at some point in the journey. This will allow for safer water in foreign ports and fewer limitations on how much water I use each day. I have 3 water tanks with 90 gallons and about 10 gallons of bottled water on board.
What kind of photos and video are you taking and when can we see it?
I have a still camera (Nikon D200) and 7 video cameras on board. I have one HD camcorder, 2 surveillance-type cameras that are mounted outside. One of these is mounted on the mast and one above the solar panels on my transom. They are low resolution but should hopefully capture what it looks like outside. I already have taken some amazing footage of life on deck with these swells (should be called awfuls), hopefully capturing the motion of the boat for you all. The other 4 cameras are a sponsorship from Panavision. They are mounted inside the boat so that I can turn them on at any time to record what I am doing. I am currently working with a production company on an idea for a Discovery or Travel Channel show. Hopefully, with the amount of footage being captured, we can make something amazing! Unfortunately, I am unable to transmit photos or film with technology available. The technology is there but the energy costs are too high. I may be able to get some equipment once I am out of the Pacific that uses less power and is able to transmit better.
Cheers,
Zac
Rough night last night. The motion of the boat and slapping of the genoa made it hard to sleep. There are the most incredible stars out here. I have never seen anything like it. There are thousands of stars in a black, black sky. There is a hazy, cloud-like thing up there too. Not sure if it is the Milky Way? Awesome!
The wind increased early today to 20-25 knots. BTW a knot is a measure of speed. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is equal to 1.15 miles. Nautical miles are measured in relation to lines of latitude somehow. One knot is about equal to 1.15 miles per hour. The term came from the old sailors who measured how many knots on the line (rope) paid out in a certain time period. One of my favorite books to read was an old, mildewy book called the Origin of Sea Terms. Very interesting stuff.
With the wind increase came an increase in wave/swell size. When I was between 2 swells, the water was as high as my first spreaders (metal bars that hold the halyards from the mast). My first spreaders are 15' high. It was pretty scarey when they started to crumble at the top. Because of their angle, they are pushing my boat off course. Then the boat turns slightly and heals over so that the toe rails (rail around the top edge of the boat deck) are in the water. I have been fiddling with this a lot today. It has helped to head more south which was recommended by David, the forecaster who is helping me. Apparently, there is a high (calm) heading in my path so a little southing should keep me in the wind anyway.
Please pray tonight. I am getting pretty tired and still have to deal with this awkward motion.
Questions:
What do you do with your trash?
I really don't have that much trash. I am keeping it in a plastic garbage bag in the bilge until I get to the Marshall Islands.
How do you take a shower?
Actually, I have not had a shower but I have to just wash with a wash cloth etc. When I hit the lower trades and there is a rain shower, I will go up on deck with my shampoo and soap for a quick shower. The reason for this is water conservation. We are hoping to pick up a water maker at some point in the journey. This will allow for safer water in foreign ports and fewer limitations on how much water I use each day. I have 3 water tanks with 90 gallons and about 10 gallons of bottled water on board.
What kind of photos and video are you taking and when can we see it?
I have a still camera (Nikon D200) and 7 video cameras on board. I have one HD camcorder, 2 surveillance-type cameras that are mounted outside. One of these is mounted on the mast and one above the solar panels on my transom. They are low resolution but should hopefully capture what it looks like outside. I already have taken some amazing footage of life on deck with these swells (should be called awfuls), hopefully capturing the motion of the boat for you all. The other 4 cameras are a sponsorship from Panavision. They are mounted inside the boat so that I can turn them on at any time to record what I am doing. I am currently working with a production company on an idea for a Discovery or Travel Channel show. Hopefully, with the amount of footage being captured, we can make something amazing! Unfortunately, I am unable to transmit photos or film with technology available. The technology is there but the energy costs are too high. I may be able to get some equipment once I am out of the Pacific that uses less power and is able to transmit better.
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at
1:26 PM
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