4.2.18 @ 1000 Local, 1700 Zulú Day #8 Latitude: 14°57 N Longitude: 117°11 W Covered Distance Last 24 Hours: 101 NM Distance to the Marquesas: 1962 Distance from Punta de Mita, Mexico: 854 NM Weather: Sunny with 30% Cloud Cover Winds: N 11 Knots Sea State: 1’ – 3’ Barometer: 1014 Crew’s Mood: Finer than frog hair! Ever seen hair on a frog? That’s fine!
This definitely was no record setting day by any stretch but as we keep saying, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Light winds plagued us throughout the day but we were able to finally get a steady 5 knots with the spinnaker out. I guess for most of our highly stressed, fast living, landlubber friends this would have been a problem but for us, it’s just part of the journey. We try to look at the positive side. We are making way in fairly calm seas. The sun is out; it’s warm, we’re together and it’s an enjoyable sail. We are not on a time schedule so who cares if it takes a few days longer?
As evening approaches we pull down the spinnaker and throw up the Jib and the main. We eat dinner, listen to the PPJ net and I go down for a bit of shut eye before it’s my turn for watch duty. A few hours pass and there it is again…that creaking of the companionway doors. Damn! It’s the gallows man again. He’s back to taunt me. He seems to show up every night at the same time. I feel like I’m living the same dream over and over again. Is this some cruel joke? Am I playing a part in the movie, “Groundhog Day?” No, as my eyes open I realize I’m still here in heaven with the man I love and this is just a short term situation required to keep us safe. So, up I go. Time to get dressed, make my soda, grab my granola bar and get on deck. The night is calling and I must answer.
Even though the moon is almost full and its silvery beams are dancing on the water, I’m not enjoying this watch. The winds are so light the Jib starts flogging and before long it starts to back itself into the rigging. I make all the adjustments to course and to the sail that I know how to do but nothing works. This is the time I dread. I’m going to have to wake Dan up to determine what we should do. He always tells me it’s fine but I still hate to wake him. He needs his sleep too!
I keep waiting for an uptick in the wind. I wait until the last possible moment to go down and get him. The winds are less than 5 knots and I can see the Jib must come in. Down I go into the cabin. I’m not sure what is worse, being the prisoner or the gallows man himself! “Honey, you need to get up. We’ve got zero wind and the Jib is flogging. We need to bring it in.” At first he grunts a bit but soon he’s up and we’re back on deck. We bring in the Jib, adjust the main and he goes back to bed.
With the little wind we do have we are barely making 2 knots. It’s painfully slow and the main starts to flog here and there. One of my first lessons on Dazzler was that a flogging main is bad, very bad. It can damage the sail and the rigging so you need to avoid it at all costs. Tonight will be a test of my abilities and understanding of this rule. Unlike most watches where I watch the stars, play games on my iPad or write in my journal, tonight I will spend almost every second adjusting course to keep the wind, however little there is, in the sail.
The wind seems to keep changing direction and speed. Just when I think I’ve got it under control and I sit down for a minute, it changes and that familiar sound of a flogging sail starts to ring out. It’s stressful. I want it to be over and soon. If I knew fuel was unlimited I would just fire up the engine but alas that is not the case so I must ride this out.
0400 finally arrives and I hear Dan starting to move about in the cabin. “Thank you Lord. I made it!” I say aloud. After four hours my body finally starts to relax, my breathing returns to normal and I want nothing more than to go back to bed. Dan decides we have to run the engine for a while so his watch is the easy one. Oh well, my bunk is calling. It’s no longer my monkey or my circus.
Fast forward several hours. “What is that smell? Oh wait. I think I recognize it. Could it be? Oh yes, it’s bacon!” Is there anyone on earth that doesn’t love to wake up to the smell of bacon…you know, the fifth major food group? Just as my nose is being tickled by that Ode to Bacon scent I feel Dan at the foot of the bunk telling me I should get up because he’s making breakfast. Well heck yeah I’m getting up. I almost tackle him on my way out of then berth to get to the galley for a piece of that tantalizing treat. Yummy!
Now mama always told us kids never to air our dirty laundry in public so the picture you see above is “clean” laundry. Yep, just like in real life we have chores aboard Dazzler and laundry is one of them. If you’re used to your Whirlpool, 28 speed, it washes, dries and folds before kissing you goodnight machine then you’d be very disappointed by our archaic way of a accomplishing this task. But, you know what? It works! Dan uses our trusty agitator on a stick then runs the clothes through our rail mounted ringer and I hang them on the line to dry. It’s a team sport and we laugh and joke throughout it all.
Breakfast done, clothes washed and hanging to dry and it’s time to chill in the cockpit and watch the world go by. We’re flying the spinnaker again this morning and while there isn’t much wind we are still managing to eek out 5 knots for now so we are happy sailors.
Until next time,
Jilly

4.1.18 @ 1000 Local, 1700 Zulu Day #7
Latitude: 15°18N Longitude: 115°41W Covered Distance Last 24 Hours: 99 Distance to the Marquesas: 2046 Distance from Punta de Mita, Mexico: 744 Weather: 20% clouds Winds: 9 knots from the north Sea State: 1’-3’ choppy swell Barometer: 1016 Crew’s Mood: Great! Thank god the head was an easy fix!
Hey there Dazzler’s Watch Followers,
First off, the queen has decreed that there shall only be her format for statistics on these posts. Whatever, to keep peace onboard, I’ll chose another battle to stand up for. She can have this one.
Second, we just experienced the Mexico time change hour forward. It’s a good thing we use Universal Time Coordinated, UTC. There are no land marks out here to know when we cross over into the next time zone. The only thing for certain is the sunrise was awesome, the full moon rise last night was awesome and we’re going someplace on the water.
Yesterday, we got the spinnaker up early and our winds built up to 10 knots and a speed over ground of 5+ knots. Wow! I don’t think our bottom paint is rated for that kind of speed. I better go check the fine print on the paint can. Salvador, what say you? Needles to say it is refreshing to have some way on.
Underway and making way are two different things. For you nautical people out there this is United States Coast Guard safety course 101. But for the rest of you out there, raise one eyebrow and say uuugh to yourself. Underway is when the vessel is in the water and not tied to a dock, mooring or anchored. Making way or way on is actually moving in a direction. Even if it’s not the direction you want your boat to go. You know, like prop walk, current, wind and where the hell is this boat going. Why isn’t it backing where I want it to go. All of which are in an entirely different section of the Boating for Dummy’s hand book. Next time you see me ask and I’ll give you a signed copy. Ha ha ha!
Lots of maintenance completed underway during the last few days. Including the throne of white gold located in Dazzler’s head. Okay, so head is a nautical term for bathroom for those cliff dwelling friends of ours. That’s what we mariners in Marina Del Rey call all the massive number of multilevel apartments that surrounded the marina slips. If you can’t be a cliff then be a cliff dweller. Ha ha ha. Anyway, back to the head repair. Two days ago, It started like this…Honey, you need to get a nap in before the Radio Net starts. You’ve been up since 0430 hours local. Okay, okay, okay. Wait just a minute, I’ll go use the head first before you go get a nap. Okay. Moments later, Honey! The handle doesn’t move or pump or anything. WHAT? You might want to look at that before you take a nap. I didn’t know the next battle was going to come so soon.
Great horny toads! Or those of you who know me…insert the correct expletive now. There went that nap. There are many marine heads, but this one is mine. Some use a salt water source and some use a fresh water source to flush away your business. Dazzler has a Groco model K salt water manually flushing head. The Groco’s are known for their reliability. However, the hoses that connect the head to the overboard discharge or black water holding tank have a nasty habit of building up a crystalline substance that clogs the hose like plaque in an artery. When it decides to go full block is usually at the most inconvenient time. Like right before a nap.
First thing I had to do was assess what was wrong. After a brief examination, I deduced that the head was fine, but the one hose that I didn’t replace a few months back was the culprit. So being Mr. Marine Chandlery, I carry a supply of many things including a piece of 1.5” sanitation hose. It just happened by accident that the piece of hose I had was exactly the length I needed to replace the plugged hose. An hour later the hose had been replaced, I was showering to de-stink, and try to get a short nap before the HF Radio Nat started.
Just another day in the life of sailing the ocean. You know it really doesn’t matter if the boat doesn’t leave the slip or not. No matter where it is, equipment has a shelf life. I prefer the last forever thing myself, but when I wake up from that dream there will be something else to fix, tweak, fiddle with or outright replace. The sooner you accept that philosophy, the sooner you can get on to the fun stuff.
Okay, after any job on Dazzler there is the reward of an ice cold frothy golden liquid that follows. Damn it! We don’t drink alcoholic beverages underway. Just in case something were to happen you want all your operating brain cells. I’m over 60 now and I’m not sure where they are all hiding. LOL! This trip is really just an excuse to go on the World Dazzler No Alcohol Diet Plan. After almost one week I can actually see a difference and this time I’ll keep it off! LOL
That’s it for now. Keep he wet side wet and the dry side dry.
Cheers!
Captain Dan