Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Journal Entry – May 18, 2005 Pacific Puddle Jump Day 14 – Scott’s Nemesis

Author: Scott

Today we passed the halfway point to the Marquesas, and though that needs mentioning it is not what is truly important today. For the big news we need to jump right to the fish report.

Fish Report: Just when I was going to write a journal entry stating there were no fish in the Pacific Ocean, I become a believer. I now believe that there is at least one giant fish, shark, sea monster, Godzilla, or something… I set out fishing as I do almost every day. I toss my lure off the back and troll out about 50’ of high strength cord connected to at least 200 pound test monofilament line. Not that I want to catch a 200 pound fish, but since the fish and boat are both moving it is necessary to have a strong line. After deploying the trolling line I continue the routine of the day. Much later in the day we are starting to wind down in the cockpit, Pam is reading “The Long Way” by Bernard Moitessier. The book is about one of the first solo circumnavigators, and this part of the book is discussing a situation where he fears loosing his mast. Just then there is a loud smack sound in the cockpit, and Pam jumps, sure that we have just lost our mast. At first I could not figure out the noise either, but then I remembered the trolling line, could a fish make that much noise by striking the lure? I rush over to the line, tied on to the aft mooring cleat and start to pull it in. The line feels suspiciously light and when I get to the end there is a little line splice end where the lure is attached but no lure. The beast that made that loud smacking noise that sounded like a broken mast, ate my new lure! “I will show you” I think to myself and quickly grab one of my two remaining lures and prepare to send it off the boat. No sooner was the lure off the boat and trolling than there came another loud crack that resounded through the entire cockpit, I mean you could feel the force throughout the hull, even with the rubber snubber shock absorber at the end of the trolling line. Here is the really freaky part, and Pam is a witness (she was looking right over my shoulder), off the end of the boat where the end of the line would be, rose a big something that made a huge splash. This thing had to be at least ten feet long and wide (it was big and we could both clearly see the splash dispite our visual impairments), and as quickly as it appeared, it was gone back under the surface, and my trolling line was left dangling lifeless again. I pulled in the remaining line, and the end appeared to be cleanly severed off with just the tip bent, as if sawed through with razor sharp teeth. Pam and I looked at each other in shock. In a flash thoughts came streaming through my mind; “you want to go swimming in the water with that thing, it stole $50 worth of lures in seconds the damn thing, is it mad that it got a hook stuck in its mouth and will it come ram the boat?”. Nothing happened the creature did not reappear and the ocean returned to the beautiful blue fishless surface I was accustomed to. Only one lure left, and I thought fishing was going to be a great inexpensive way to get fresh food and protein! Fish 5 (plus two lures) – Tournesol 0.

Back to the rest of the day. just as the morning Net was starting, we were entering into a squall. One minute we were peacefully sailing along at 4 knots, and then all at once the boat is healed another ten degrees and we are making seven knots. Rain starts to pelt the inside of the cabin and I move into rain catching mode. First I close all ports and hatches and then slacken the sheets to reduce the heel. I grab the rain catching gear, bowls, funnel, and bug shower. I check the spot on the mast under the gooseneck where we anticipate catching the most water and no significant flow yet, then I notice a steady stream of water coming out the end of the sail where it is folded from the single reef. I spent the rest of the squall hanging over the edge of the boat with my bowl catching water as it flowed down the sail and ran down the folded edge. It must have been a sight, Scott looking like a drown rat with only a bathing suite, PFD, and tether on, reaching off the boat with his bowl catching the sacred liquid! By the end of the squall I had collected almost two gallons of crystal clear fresh water.

The rest of the day was spent (when not battling sea monsters) cleaning the boat and taking care of maintenance. We cleaned the refrigerator, now no longer a refrigerator and more of a storage box, since the loss of our engine and ample power source. The funny thing is that we still keep all of the things that belong in a refrigerator there; I think I’ll have a warm coke, let me just get it from the refrigerator.

I took my tour of the boat, and we rearranged the baking pans as they were rusting in their current location.

On the food front, we ate our last piece of fresh fruit today, an orange that was still green but perfectly fine. It was not the best orange I have ever eaten but it tasted better than all the others we had purchased. Apples! Now apples are the way to go on a boat, they stay hard and ripe for weeks! For dinner we made spaghetti with red sauce, doctored up with canned clams for protein and lots of parmesan cheese. Pam said it was her best non fresh food meal of the voyage.

As I finish this journal entry we are sailing under the brightest moon since our departure from San Francisco. The skies are clear, and all you can hear is the sea gently rushing by and the creaks of Tournesol as she glides along. We have now left latitude 10 a potentially unsettled weather region and are on our way to the ITCZ proper.

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