JesseMartin.Net
19th Jan 1999
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.