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Showing posts with the label red dust

Red Dust

The finish line is getting closer! With less than 500 nautical miles to go, I can practically hear the steel drums playing a welcome song to Trinidad. We've already sent all our clearance documents over to "Junior," and hopefully, he'll have everything ready for a smooth arrival process. My mental image of "Junior" is a bit outlandish – a towering figure over 2 meters tall with a massive beard and a weight to match. It'll be interesting to see how close reality gets to this picture! Cruising through hurricane alley at a leisurely 6 knots isn't exactly the most relaxing way to travel, so there's been a lot of reading happening on board. Yesterday, we came across some interesting information about the red dust I've been complaining about. Turns out, it might actually be a blessing in disguise! These Saharan dust storms blowing across the Atlantic are a common occurrence at this time of year. And here's the good news: the dust disrupts hurri...

Not Halfway Yet!

Light winds today presented the perfect opportunity to test out our modified gennaker! Remember that sail that was a little too big for our needs? We also had some issues with the retrieval system when we first looked at it. Limited repair supplies on board meant getting creative – we jury-rigged a solution using cable ties. With a little dose of trepidation and some, shall we say, "enthusiastic" stress testing and finally a "she'll be right!",, we hoisted the modified sail with Craig at the sheet and yours truly as the designated "deck gorilla." We filled it with wind, and guess what? Success! Not just success, mind you, but outstanding success! Considering the less-than-ideal circumstances – the makeshift repairs done in a remote location (that "grey lump covered in orange dust"), the unorthodox measurement method (a rope pulled up the mast in 25 knots!), and the tight deadline (tomorrow!), even MacGyver himself would be impressed by our i...