Egret makes it to the southern hemisphere
Position: 00° 45.05S 30° 21.49W
Course: 226 degrees
Distance travelled: 2701.3 nm from Gibraltar
Average speed: 6.4 knots
Conditions: 4-8′ swells with chop SSE, apparent wind 12.2 knots SSE
Scott and Mary Flanders left Gibraltar on 16 September, and we’ll be following their journey every step of the way, thanks to this unique online “blog”. For the first instalment of their diary, click here
The seas have been the same the past two days with the wind and swells from the SSE varying a bit from time to time. The good news: full water. The bad news: no fish. Boat issues: none.
At almost exactly 0400 this morning Egret crossed the equator. This is a first for Egret and all three members of her new Shellback crew. We celebrated with proper seafarer’s grog: rum from the Canaries and Coke from Italy. (Mary wanted to save our only bottle of bubbly for Brazil). We also offered a rum libation to the big guy, King Neptune, for being so kind to Egret on this trip and buying a little insurance for the future. After pictures the off watch went to nap and this watch stander washed down his 0450 snack of a fresh baked cinnamon bun with the balance of rum and coke. A dry boat we are again? until Brazil.
The water maker. After struggling with the water maker high-pressure pump and taking it apart again and again to the same result we finally put down the manual with its words of wisdom and reassembled the high pressure valves by intuition. With the high-pressure hose wrapped in four towels and held in one hand we cranked that puppy up and let her rip. Well, we were making water! Twenty-five gallons of wonderful water an hour! We were actually thinking about flying to Ft Lauderdale to get a complete spare pump head and leaving this one for a rebuild. Now all is well for the Egret crew except for Egret’s dripping, seeping, weeping stabiliser gyro. Just think, only two more oil top offs and Egret will be in Brazil. Any of you ordering new boats do yourself a big favour and order electronic stabilisers, not Egret’s dinosaur. (In fact, order two and send one to Brazil c/o M/Y Egret).
