Lionheart 2

01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07 // 08 // 09 // 10 // 11

I've just had time to quickly write this week's entry. A low pressure system formed on top of me yesterday giving no warning with a force 9-10 gale. I went up on deck to deploy the drouge (a type of anchor) to slow down and head downwind when a wave knocked me down. The force managed to wipe the spray dodger (canopy) off its steel frame and into me. I held on for dear life. In the tangle of ropes, bucket, dodger frame in the cockpit and my harness, I got the drouge off as quick as possible. I was knocked down again. That's it I said, this wasn't fun at all. Water was pouring in the cabin and the wind was howling. I decided to try the sea anchor. Stupid me threw it out on the leeward side and the boat drifted on to it, catching around the keel. I had no choice but to cut it free. This was harder than it sounds. I had to get downstairs over the washboards to get a knife then out again up the front, with the bow ploughing up and down in the swell.

I had the same overwhelming feeling as though standing on a mountain staring out at other mountains. I felt so insignificant. Once the anchor was free I hand-steered for as long as I could but had to retire down below to a soaking mess of food, clothes and charts. I went to bed, but I was tense, always knowing when a wave was going to break over Lionheart. Luckily things started to die down. When I woke the barometer had risen a little and the wave were breaking less and less. The wind is now down to 20 knots but another low is coming. All I can do is wait.

12.01.99

THE weather has been great . . . if you are having a barbecue in the back yard. But for a sailor it has been a bit slow. It has, however, given me a chance to dry everything after last week's storm.

I have probably been doing 80 nautical miles a day compared with the 130 that I would like to average, but I'm thankful it's not rough. I took the sextant out the other day to get a sun sight for something to do and realised I have forgotten the almanac which lists the positions for the heavenly bodies for every second of the year. This is necessary to work out a reading. It leaves me totally reliant on the electronic GPS (global positioning system) to navigate. This is unfortunate because, in the marine environment, electronic equipment can easily fail. One of the things I am enjoying about the trip is that I am quite self-sufficient.

It's a real buzz when you turn on the CD player and you know that it is using power that has been generated without the burning of fossil fuels but supplied by the three solar panels and the wind generator at the back of the boat. It is a feeling of completeness which loses something when you know you are reliant on the "outside help" of satellites in the sky. A few people have been asking what happens to Lionheart when I sleep. Well, one of the most handy pieces of equipment on the boat is a wind vane bolted to the transom. This piece of equipment steers using the power of the passing water from the back of the boat to correct the tiller when she goes off course according to the wind angle. The best part is that it doesn't use any power and is quite sturdy and again, I like the fact that I am not putting my trust into temperamental electronic gear. Just old fashioned simplicity - but it can't go wrong.

19.01.99

IT has been a pretty good week full of lightish wind with fog and a few sunny days. But most of all because I know my friends will be going back to school for their final year of hard work while I'm trying to catch fish in the Pacific. Well it's not all like that. It does have some bad points. It was only this week that I had my first fresh-water shower since leaving. Actually you probably wouldn't even call it a shower. The sky started spitting so I stripped off and ventured out into the invigorating chill of the Southern Ocean winds where I sponged up, collected water caught at the back of the seats and squeezed it over me. To say I was blue all over would be an understatement. However, it was well worth it. I find I seem to go through phases.

For a week or two, I will do nothing in my spare time but write different things in my scrapbook while other times I will read a book in two days. It was last week, in one of my reading phases, that I stopped and thought to myself: "I really need some exercise" and so all of a sudden I was doing step-ups in the companion way. Then I introduced music and found I started to almost dance up and down the steps.

And so another routine was added to my list. I had one of my first real breakages this week as well.

The steering line coming from the windvane to the tiller broke one night. I sensed I was off course and soon found the problem.It was easily fixed with a knot but what I plan to do is pull the line along a couple of inches each month so that the same area isn't getting worn all the time.

26.01.99

THIS week I got caught by another unexpected low but it was only a weak one, luckily. Still, enough to be uncomfortable though. The waves were crashing and forcing their way under the companionway slide, mixing with the spilt cooking oil to produce a personal skating rink. There is also a leak above the navigation table which slowly oozes water on to my electronics. Today has been sunny for a change and I have been able to dry everything and try to seal the leaks. If it keeps up, though, the electronics could be at risk. I made an exciting discovery the other day. After my first shower a couple of weeks ago, I realised that I had forgotten to bring a comb or anything to keep my hair under control. I had been forced to use an opened-out paper clip to tediously get rid of the knots until this week. I found by simply taping a couple of forks together side by side I had a comb plus a handle. I have been receiving a few questions in the e-mails that people have been sending. Lloyd Franklin, of East Oakleigh, a chef, was interested in how I cook without using fossil fuels and what stores I have with me. I have an alcohol or methylated spirits stove with a grill that I using mainly to heat things. My weekly food bags, with everything set out in them, contain things such as pasta meals, freeze-dried gourmet food, cup-a-soups and packets that I can add to hot water to prepare a meal. I also have the luxury of UHT milk with cereal in the mornings - YUM.

02.02.99

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