Journal Entry – May 20, 2005 Pacific Puddle Jump Day 16 – Crossing the ITCZ

Author: Scott

What’s special about today? Well, today completes a full week since we lost the use of our engine out here in the Pacific. So far, it is turning out to be a small inconvenience and is certainly giving the trip an altogether different flavor than it may have had. We still manage to keep plenty busy, and if I had a complaint it would only be that we have limited use of the computer, and we have quite a list of computer tasks, like updating the photos on the website. Each day continues to be a power management game, and for now we are winning with each day adding a little more juice to the battery banks. The wind is starting to ease up a little as we enter into the ITCZ and I wonder if this will be the real disappointment to losing our engine. Normally when boats hit the edge of the ITCZ they fire up the old iron sail and dash across the ITCZ with gust to meet the Southeast trade winds on the other side. We will not be able to do any dashing, so we will meander across as the wind sees fit.

We used a chunk of the day to brush up on and discuss our emergency procedures for a man overboard situation and unlikely but possible lightning strike. We even took out an extra piece of anchor chain to be used in an electrical storm. You can shackle the chain to a shroud and then wrap the chain around a few times, then drop the remainder into the drink. This allows the chain to ground the mast to the water directly and guides the electrical flow from a lightening strike safely into the water. Tournesol is also very well grounded to the keel through her standing rigging. In a potential storm we would also put small electronics into the oven for insulation and grounding. People are rarely hurt in electrical storms but usually the biggest casualty is the electronics aboard.

Fish Report - After emergency drills I returned to the scene of the crime and decided to get back out there and face the giant fish creature. With a little courage I threw my last lure over the side and waited for the chomp. No chomp came and then no fish came all day. Maybe the big guy was attracted to the pepperoni I had on the lure the other day. Fish 6 – Tournesol 0.

Dinner was a bit of an experiment today. We had made extra rice yesterday and so we made fried rice with onions, garlic, soy sauce, and canned chicken. We also heated up some canned green beans. The end result was pretty good and we will for sure repeat the fried rice. Green beans on the other had will only be eaten upon necessity, they are just so squishy and unappetizing. We can send people to the moon, but can we make a decent canned green bean?

As the sun set we were given a taste of the kind of weather we may see in the ITCZ. Large squally clouds passed overhead with tinges of grays and browns, all heavily laden with water. They were huge and majestic, but not necessarily ominous, substantial comes to mind. I have never seen clouds quite like these ones near the equator. I almost feel like we are slowly headed into a prehistoric land.