RG650 Mini Transt 816 Qualification Passage Log Day 7

Date Wednesday 08 May 2013 Position Cosica Coast

After a night of blast reaching through the islands of Italy, chatting with fishermen and avoiding rocks, Richard Hewson marks the half way point for his 1000nm qualification passage. It is a pitch black night, there is no moon, its blowing about 20kts, and the RG650 is sailing like a rocket ship!

0246 Position 42 29N 10 49E I manage a half hour lay down, setting my faithfull egg timer to wake me up just short of my REM cycle starting so I can remain vigilant when I return to the deck. As soon as I wake up I poke my head up on deck to check our proximity to any hazards, then go back down below to make a strong coffee and Im ready to go again! The wind is swinging North West later so I make hay while the sun shines (even though it is night time, pitch black and cold!) with light weight spinaker and full main – Charging along!
I am finding it hard to get accurate weather information. The Italian weather radio station gives continuous forecasts, but it is in broken English or Italian and very hard to understand. Basically it seems to make no difference to routing as the weather tends to swing 360 deg every few hours! The barometer is rising so no storms forecasted but it may result in light winds later today.
0300 I cut my foot on a split pin that had come untaped. There is blood all over the deck and looks like there has been a murder. The cut does not seem too serious so no need to get out the sutures.
0425 Position 42 34N 10 36E, Wind has backed now sailing TWA of 135 deg, so change to Code 5. I love this sail, it is so versitle and we can get such good speeds with it. I reach along making up some songs/poems about the sail to keep me amused

Code 5 Code 5 how you make me feel alive
flying out at the end of the pole
your funny shape plays a vital role
…
Code 5 love is the truth
come with me to Guadlaupe.

I actually sung about 10 versus of this song and it was pretty funny at the time. What a shame I cant remember them all!

0540 E Eba Lt brg 000 range 1nm. I rounded cape Eba
0630 Sunrise – a beautiful sunrise shining light over the majestic steep cliffs surrounding the Italian Island of Eba which is apparently a prison island! Wind has veered and modirated again so change to LWS
0856 Position 42 42N 10 03E Big wind shift, drop code 5, Solent up
1200 Position 42 51N 009 46E Very hot in midday sun, wind has now dropped off and I struggle to make it out of the Lee of Elba. Time for another coffee. I have the deck speakers out playing some funky house music, defiantly a one man party!
1600 Position 43 01N 009 27E Rounded cape Corsica and Giragilia Island, hoist LWS and alter course to the bay of St Tropez. There is a nice breeze blowing and we are making some good ground again.
Out of the blue my phone rigns, and Timmy informs me of a possible job opportunity and also gives me a run down of the weather situation for the next few days as we sail back to Palma. Light and variable conditions will plague us for the next few days, but then good winds from St Tropez and across the gulf of Leon.
Thursday: LIght westerlies
Friday: Mistral building from NW
Sat: Mistral from NW


Movie Rich and the RG650 approaching Cosica just before the wind dropps out.. note all the gear out to dry including my beloved Sea Rug from Sydney.

2000: We are 5nm clear of Cosica and the wind drops off compleatly. Making no headway and hard to steer. Im starting to shut down due to lack of sleep, no amount of coffee can keep me awake, so I check for any hazards in the area, switch on the lights and set my alarm for 1 hr intervals and go to sleep.
2100 Wake up all clear
2200 Wake up all clear, not a breath of wind so I drop the sails and go back to bed
…

RG650 Mini Transat 816 Qualification Passage Log Day 6

Date Tuesday 7 May 2013 Position Rome, Italian islands and Cosica

The morning starts with Richard Hewson and the RG650 becalmed off the coast of Italy. It is the first bit of sleep Rich has had for a long time, but it would not be for long!

0104 Position 41 29N 12 17E Wind has picked up again to 8kts from the north, bringing with it rain. What a better way to wake up from a deep slumber but have to go on deck in the rain and hoist the sails. My hands were struggling to even grip the halyards as I was still in my sleep coma. Add to the enjoyment of solo ocean sailing is the fact that it is bitterly cold as the wind blows off the snow capped Italian mountains. I am wearing as much thermal and wet weather gear as I wore in the southern ocean last year and Im still cold.. Amazing! What better way to start the day!
0400 Position 41 40N 12 16E Slowly slowly making way in light winds working our way to windward. Thankfully as we get closer to land the chop flattens off a bit and I can balance the RG650 to steer herself. Im feeling very tired and long to get another hour or two’s rest. Infact I think im trying to convince my body that I am still actually asleep, so when the opportunity arrises I can just lay down and continue with my dreams! During the next lull I do exactally this, and get about 40 minutes of Zzz time.
0900 Position 41 44N 12 02E We are sailing off the coast of Rome. With light variable winds it is no wonder that the Romans preferred to travel by road rather than the sea! Wind is veering from W to N 3-4kts.
0924 Position (By Sun) 41 46N 12 05E. I took a morning sun observation with the sextant and calculated and plotted it. My first calcluation and EP were a bit scewiff (fatigue) and it placed me somewhere inland near Rome. My second position was a lot better and only a few miles off the GPS position which is a great achievement in a small boat, while trying to helm with one hand to keep a straigh course and use sextant in the other hand to take the observation. I would not have believed it possible until I did it myself with an ok result.
1000 Position 41 46N 12 03E Becalmed. Saw a turtle, it did not look too healthy.
1511 Position 41 57N 11 54E Out of the duldrums. Wind increased and backed to the south west. The RG650 is in full flight with full main, Jib and Code 0, setting a course to Coursica!
1530 Position (By sun) 41 57N 11 47E. Took an afternoon sun observation. It all ties in nicely with my GPS and DR. If my old navigator could see me now he would be horified, as I scribe lines on the chart with a blunt pencil and a broken ruler as the chart rests on the cockpit floor next to the JetBoil stove, musli bars, sheets, halyards and other items.
1924 Position 42 07N 11 35E Wind continued to back, and now LWS. The wind veers to a True Wind Angle of 130T, so I peel to the Code 5. Making good boat speed of 5.6kts in very light almost glassy conditions.

2015 Passed Ilse De Giglo and the Italian mainland under light weight spinnaker now fully powered up. I sail past some fisherman, their flashing buoys resembling special marks and cardinal marks I rush below to check the chart. I am flashing my headtorch around when the radio skwaks to life
Fisherman – Eh.. boat with the torch, you sail or motor
Me – This is sailing vessel RG650
Fisherman – Thats crazy, you sail through islands in dark. How many you onboard?
Me – One person onboard
Fisherman – You crazy
I get off the radio and get my head back in the charts, not sure if the lights ahead of me are just fishing floats or uncharted nav marks or rocks as I belt along in complete darkness in full sail at 8kts.

RG650 Mini Transat 816 Qualification Passage Log Day 5

Date Monday 06 May 2013 Position Zannone Islands

The day starts with Richard Hewson and the RG650 blasting their way from Sardinia to Zannone Island http://youtu.be/65HcZb8XXa0 in awesome running conditions. It has been a welcome change after such light winds over the past two days, and now the average speed is getting back into double figures! Rich is singing to himself dispite the bitter cold and constant spray flying off the bow.. a song about the Code 5… It could be love!

0046 Position 39 58N 11 25E Great running conditions, Code 5, Full main, some dangerous looking storm clouds a few miles behind so sailing a bit conservatively for the moment
0800 Position Not recorded Its too windy, wet and furious to leave the helm to write in the log, the RG650 is loving the conditions, surfing up to 15kts down waves, making it a wet ride. Full credit to Zhik, as I could not be getting wetter if I were to go swimming there is so much water coming over the deck, but I am still warm and dry. I do not know how the small lip on my Zhik wet weather jacket hood managed to keep a wall full of water out of my face, it must have some insane water repel voodoo function on it! Whoop Whoop.. this is what the RG650 was made for, and Im loving it!
1217 Position 40 58N 013 13E We are fast approacing a waypoint that appears to be in the centre of a big island. I put on the auto pilot and duck below to check the chart only to find it swimming in the bildge. I have not been down below since breakfast time, and as it turns out some of that water covering the deck for the past 6 hours has found itself below. The chart is now just paper mash, as it has been mixing itself up with another of other objects in the bildge and is a fluro yellow color from the die that keeps re-appearing everywhere. I bail out the water, and keep a good distance from the island as its too rough to be running close to the steep cliffs and jaggered rocks.
1300 I find the real Zannone island hidden behind the other big island, so alter my course. I wish my chart was still legible as there are a lot of rocks around. Thank goodness I am approaching this waypoint in daylight, as it appears many of the rocks are unlit.
1400 Position 40 58N 013 03E Passed the waypoint but I can not find my waterproof camera. Down below is a disaster area, and it appears that nothing is where I left it. No time to look now as I need to reef the main before we get out of the lee of the island.
1430 Completed rounding Zannone Island, found camera and recorded the photo for Classe Mini. We are now pounding into the big waves we were having so much fun surfing down only minutes before. This is not fun, the boat is banging and crashing, its like trying to ride a rodeo bull. The jerky movement disturbs the auto pilot and it stops recognising the rudder angle sensor, I try to steady the boat up as best as possible and head below for a bit of problem solving. I find a loose connection and the pilot problem is fixed. I attempt to call Zannone lighthouse to report my position but get no response
2030 Position illegible – must be too rough to write. Rough upwind sailing
2330 Position 41 29N 12 17E Storm is over, now becalmed, going to bed as there is not much else I can do and I have now not slept since 1800 yesterday afternoon!

RG650 Mini Transat 816 Qualification Passage Day 4

Date Sunday 05 May 2013Location Sardinia East Coast

While we sailed some great miles over the first few days in the RG650 the last day has been light, variable and frustrating. It is forecasted that the wind will pick up today so we can sail to our next waypoint in the qualification passage Zanoni island.

0630 Position 39 08N 009 40E Sunrise Brg 074.
What a night! Once the sun set the batteries went from 12.7V to 12.2V I switched off all non -essential equipmentto save power. The wind is rotating 360 deg and ranging 0-10kts in strength. While Sardinia looks like a very beautiful coastline, so far I am not a big fan of the sailing conditions!
I spent last night resting in the cockpit through the lulls and changing sails with the changing winds to catch every gust and zephyr of wind. Most of the night was spent bobbing around of the islands of Sardinia. I fell asleep at the helm at one stage through the night only to wake up to find the boat drifting towards rocks!
At one stage I turned on the NKE and pilot so I could fix the spinnaker and it did not work – I really need to investigate the wiring thoroughly on completion of this passage, definatly before my next race and the Mini Transat.
0933 Position 39 18N 004 56E Took a sun sight, calculated and plotted it to find it only 5nm from my current position which is quite acceptable when using a basic sextant in a 21 foot boat thats moving around in the choppy conditions.
1005 Position 39 18N 009 59E Weather N 3-4 backing NW 3-4. Outlook Sardinia – Genova NW-W-SW 3-4
1332 Position 39 23.9N 010 16.7E Radio contact with CSL Perfect. REquest they relay my position to Class Mini but they were not allowed to use their satphone. I have had 2 hrs sleep this morning and feeling great! Auto pilot zapped power while I slept, and batteries now back to 12V
1355 Posiiton 39 24N 10 17E Hoisted code 0
1521 Position 39 26N 1023E Becalmed, furled code 0
1837 Position 39 35N 10 44E Sun has been obscured all afternoon so no good for an afternoon sun sight. Good reaching conditions with code 5 since late afternoon. 2 Manta rays jumped very close to my boat, pretty cool way to spend an afternoon!
2226 Position 39 47N 11 10E Battery voltage down to 11.9V even after very limited use through the day. Dolphins come and play with the boat, their phosphorescent trails making for some psycadelic patterns – I must be very tired!
No moon and thunderstorms later in the night, wind veered so dropped code 5, and now its dinner time and another strong coffee.. no sleep tonight! as gusty winds due to thunderstorms.

RG650 Mini Transat 816 Qualication Passage Day 3

Day 3 Qualification passageDate Saturday 04/5/2013
Position South of Sardinia

The qualification passage so far has not been without its problems. While the RG650 is performing well and living up to its bullet proof standard, I have been having a range of electrical problems with my EFOY charging system and instruments. Hopefully today as we make landfall and reach lighter wind conditions I can investigate and hopefully solve my electrical problems.

0621 Position 39 01N 008 04E Sunrise – sun is obscured. I have been reaching throught the morning in moderating conditions and now have up my full main and Code 0. As the sunrises I make out landfall – south Sardinia! It has been a long night on the helm and even without using the autopilot the batteries are down to 11.9V.
0900 Position 38 56N 008 24E Attempted to contact MV Lady Nuk to report my position. There is no reply. It is concerning how many merchant vessels dis-regard the requirement to maintain a listening watch on Channel 16. The wind backs and moderates so I hoist my MWS. Shortly later the wind dropps out compleately as we pass San Pietro Is.
The forecast is for light wind from the north force 4-5 becoming variable from the NNW later in the day – this could make for some frustrating sailing.
1336 Position 38 50N 008 38E Becalmed off the south of Sardinia. Dead calm so dropped the sails and decided to clean the boat to get all the die out and get the boat dry again after the last few days of rough conditions. Tried to make a phone call to report my position on my Italian phone but found it is out of credit.
1519 Position 38 50N 008 40E Light breeze from west so hoisted LWS and full main. Used the next lull to re-wire the EFOY – still no luck. It is very hot so im trying to stay out of the sun whenever I can to avoid dehydration and sunburn. Late lunch and searching for a snack.. just found more cheese – thanks A!
2300 Position 39 00N 009 21E Wind up and down and rotatin 360 deg. Very frustrating sailing conditions. Batteries are still flat even after a day of extreme sunlight. During the day I turned off all non essential electrical equipment including the instruments. Now I can not get the instruments to turn back on so I re-wire them using my headtorch as my only light source. Thankfully after a bit of re-wiring the NKE instruments turn back on.
I am very tired so brew more coffee and make a late dinner while the boat sails herself. Unfortunately I do not have the battery power to run the pilot so I must stay on deck as we are too close to land to let the boat run free and risk an un-noticed change of course, so I bring my sea-rug on deck and snuggle down in the cockpit for the rest of the night.

RG650 Mini Transat 816 Qualifier Log Day Two

Day 2 Friday 04/5/13
Location: Somewhere in the deep blue between Palma and Sardinia. Distance run 100nm

I commenced this qualification passage with some nervousness after some minis doing the course last week came into some very strong winds. Two of the mini’s took shelter in Manorca, while the third boat skippered by Jeff Macfarline was abandoned when his boat was rolled twice then pitchpolled causing damage to the keel and snapping the mast. Jeff was taken off the boat via helicopter 8 hours after setting off his EPIRB which makes us wonder why we actually carry them if the authorities do not act as soon as they are activated.

While the Mediterranean has the reputation of nice flowing breeze and calm seas for perfect sailing, it can actually be a very rough place to sail. Weather systems in the Med are small and move quickly and can turn the weather quickly from calm sailing conditions to rough and treacherous seas in a matter of hours. In a mini we have no internet or weather routing capability, so we must rely on weather reports broadcast via VHF radio, often which are hard to understand if you do not speak Italian or French.

I have now been hand steering in strong winds for most of the night, only being able to leave the helm briefly to make some coffee or bail out the water that sprays into the boat.

0628 Position 39 10N 004 48E Co 094 Sp 10 I have had no power throught the night. Solar panels have been set to catch the first rays of the morning sun so I can get some rest as soon as the battery voltage increases above 12.3V. I have just put in a reef and dropped the code 0 to reduce the load on the pilot while I sleep. Good miles have been made overnight, the wind is increasing and the sea state is now quite rough. Solar panels now charging the batteries so its time to get some sleep.. zzzz
1143 Position 39 05N 5 30E Sunrise – sun is obscured by the cloud, no good for my morning sun sight or for solar power for chargin batteries. I went below minutes before sunrise for some sleep only to wake up to find that the emergency container containing flares and die had leaked (water got in) and the emergency die had leaked out everywhere! The die has basicallyh exploded around the boat with orange colour everywhere, when washed with water it becomes bright yellow! As I clean the die I leave yellow footprints everywhere, and a trail of fluro yellow die behind the boat as I wash the deck (biodegradable of course!). There is a military operation near by and I woner if the Italian Marine Militare will notice the die and think it is an emergency. A helicopter flies over and no action is taken! 1502 Position 39 07N 005 55E Wind is all over the place, light and variable. I hoisted the code 0 for approximatly 20 minutes sailing very close to the wind. I managed to bent the outrigger so spent the next hour cutting the damaged section off, and shortening it so I can hoist the code 0 or a spinnaker again. Without it the bowsprit wlll fall off to leward and break as it will not be supported.
1602 Outrigger fixed and re-installed. I consider hoisting the code 5 wifh 2 reefs in the main but perhaps the wind angle is a bit tight. Still over 1000nm to palma so I must evaluate the risk, but at only 6.5 kts of wind speed I consier the conditions appropriate. I have now balanced the sails and rigged shock chord onto the helm so the RG can sail herself at tight reaching angles without a pilot, therefore preserving power. Even without the pilot I am making an ok course and have time to rest and continue cleaning the dreaded die out of the boat.
1900 EFOY just started working – how random as there is no power to the display. Battery voltage 12.8 volts, but I dont think the EFOY is charging, just doing its thing.
2015 Sunset
2300 Dinner time, cooked another freeze dried meal and discovered the chorizo and cheese Amanda pur in my provisions.. yum, thanks A. Dolpins dance around and give me a fantastic jumping display just after sunset as we surf downwind – the boat is now wet wet wet! Battery voltage is already at 12V, just not holding any charge. I will stay on the helm all night, with the odd break every few hours to brew another coffee. Thankfully my new Zhik wet weather gear and thermals keep me dry and troasty warm!

Qualifier Log Day One

Day 1 Thursday 03/5/13
Location Palma
Distance run 0

0800 Arrived at the boat yard and put the boat in the water
0900 All rigged, boat ready to go. Amanda is off doing some shopping for me for my provisions for the week. I always love it when Amanda does my shopping as she puts in fresh and tasty food that I would not normally take with me.. I expect to find some lovely goodies during the passage. A number of Aussies and well wishes passed by the boat and wished me good luck and a safe passage. It was good to see so many friendly faces that I have not seen for a long time.
1000 Food arrived, boat packed, photo’s taken and I cast off from the dock and pass the lines to Hugo and Javiers in the RHIB for a tow out to the breakwater. On the way out we pass many superyachts getting ready for the Palma Vella superyacht regatta.
1058 Position 39 32N 002 39E, hoisted main and jib and commenced quantification passage. There is little to no wind so its not exactly a roaring start. As the yachts for the Palma Vella motor out to their start line a few of them pass close by and wish me luck. My Mini 816 the RG650 looks like a dinghy in comparison to these monsters of the sea and the top of my mainsail is barely the height of their cabin tops.
1345 Position 39 21N 002 47E Co 120 Sp 5kts. Palma is now out of site. I have a few phone calls wishing me luck. I left the dock feeling a bit nervous which is unusual but my nerves have now settled and it is a perfect day for sailing. The boat is going well. The wind is still quite variable and I have already done a number of sail changes including changing from jib to code 0, to Light Weight Spinnaker (LWS) and back to the jib. I have to learn to slow down and take it easy or I will ware myself out. Soon I will be clear of the land and I can get sort the boat out and get some rest.
1500 Position 39 18N 002 55E Wind has backed, now close hauled.
1800 Position 39 17N 003 18E Wind continues to back to NE so I tack away from the coast. Finally I have time for some rest. I am hoping that the wind will be in the north soon so I can get more sail and increase my boat speed to make some good miles through the night.
1952 Position 39 14N 003 20E Co 093 Sp 8 Spent last hour fault finding for electrical problems with NKE, Pilot and EFOY… why do all these things stop working at once?? I think I have solved problems but then it all re-tripps. EFOY (Methanol fuel cell used for charging batteries) says false readings and then display freezes. It is meant to turn on when batteries reach 12.3V but it fails to do so. Looks like ill be relying on solar and hand steering for the rest of the passage as I do not have enough power to supply the automatic pilot for more than 4 hours a day. This will make my qualifier painfully long and hard, I continue to try to solve the EFOY problem, however I will have to wait until daylight tomorrow so the sun can charge the batteries above 12.3 V or there is no chance of the EFOY turning on. I think there may be some water in the electronics from my last rough passage.
No weather report heard.