Archives by: JML Rotary Scout

Day 20 We all thoroughly enjoyed Kerryn’s chocolate cake that she treated us to for her birthday, and her wish came true - the wind did pick up a bit! We jury-rigged a bowsprit by lashing our spinnaker pole so that it extended over the bow of the boat, allowing us to fly 3 sails at once - the mains, genoa and the gennaker. Whilst relaxing at lunch time, a bride’s whale was spotted just off the stern - about 10-20 meters away, ... Read more

Day 18 The reading and chilling commence. We have rationed out certain foods like proNutro and jam, and continue to catch fish (that are too small to eat) which we release. The majority of the day was extremely calm and relaxed - the motor was stopped and we all swam around the boat, the water almost completely flat! The crew really enjoyed the peaceful break from the engine (after hearing it for almost 24 hours). The water was so clear we could see ... Read more

Day 19 I’m here to report to you all that Tyla can bake! Despite her own misgivings, she emerged from her shell-shock and PTSD having produced a wonderful loaf of bread for lunch. The meal was made even better by the presence of silence - the motor was off, the sail were full, and the crew was munching on the tasty bread. Joshua decided his bread wasn’t interesting enough, so he repeated an interesting concoction of: literally any sauce or spread he ... Read more

Day 17 With the wind still refusing to cooperate, everyone’s mildly lethargic routine of reading in the sun has remained intact. Some of the crew swam, and realized it was possible to do backflips off the bow, which was entertaining until the motor had to be turned on again and swimming was no longer an option. After swimming, there was the sound of ratchets- there was something on one of the fishing lines. The catch of the day turned out to be ... Read more

Day 16 The crew has settled into the routine of making bread each day for lunch, and doing their allotted chores. Kyle has initiated the FBBI - federal bureau of boat investigation - to ensure that the girls lean off the edge of the boat while grooming, so that none of their hair ends up cluttering our vessel. The wind was almost non-existent, and we spent the afternoon having great fun swimming behind the boat (we let out a 50m line and ... Read more

Day 15 It was decided by the crew over the last couple of days that a duty roster was necessary. This is so that the cooking and cleaning is evenly spread among the crew members, and so that the heads actually do get cleaned. Bread making has continued, and improvements are being made by our bakers. Over lunchtime, while we were scoffing down the days’ fresh bread smeared with butter (and other spreads according to taste) Tyla spotted something moving in the water. ... Read more

Day 14 The morning was cloudy again, and we finished our store-bought bread and were thus able to bake some. Joshua took charge of this, and for lunch we had two amazing loaves of beer-bread and butter. Various crew members also took swims, and rosters and meal plans were re-arranged. We are checking our grib files to ensure that we are maximizing the winds of the St Helena high pressure system, and we are travelling at a steady pace. The sunset and stars ... Read more

Day 13 The cloudy days at sea have filled our crew with a weird, bored energy. This has presented itself in many ways. The female crew members did their hair and Kyle decided that any hair found on the deck was 100% unacceptable and strict rules have been set as to where hair can be brushed. Hours were spent reading with tunnel vision. Peter even ended up stealing Ewan’s book for the day, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Joshua spent his bored hours ... Read more

Day 12 The morning was spent hoisting the purple spinnaker for the first time - it was done well and flew nicely - at speeds of up to 10 knots at one point - for the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and listening to the crew’s music, getting into our daily routine. At one point, while Kyle was lying on the deck getting some sun, a small flying fish jumped on to him! We trailed the lines again, but ... Read more

Day 11 Our second day out from Lüderitz was spent catching up on sleep or on watch. Sleeping was made even easier by our newly fixed auto helm. We also regained what was lacking from our sea legs as we wobbled about in the rocking cabin or balanced gyroscopically in the cockpit. The Rotary Scout has been sailing under her mainsail and her storm jib, which is tiny, and was hilarious when we put it up. It has preformed well despite its ... Read more