Date Monday 06 May 2013 Position Zannone Islands
The day starts with Richard Hewson and the RG650 blasting their way from Sardinia to Zannone Island http://youtu.be/65HcZb8XXa0 in awesome running conditions. It has been a welcome change after such light winds over the past two days, and now the average speed is getting back into double figures! Rich is singing to himself dispite the bitter cold and constant spray flying off the bow.. a song about the Code 5… It could be love!
0046 Position 39 58N 11 25E Great running conditions, Code 5, Full main, some dangerous looking storm clouds a few miles behind so sailing a bit conservatively for the moment
0800 Position Not recorded Its too windy, wet and furious to leave the helm to write in the log, the RG650 is loving the conditions, surfing up to 15kts down waves, making it a wet ride. Full credit to Zhik, as I could not be getting wetter if I were to go swimming there is so much water coming over the deck, but I am still warm and dry. I do not know how the small lip on my Zhik wet weather jacket hood managed to keep a wall full of water out of my face, it must have some insane water repel voodoo function on it! Whoop Whoop.. this is what the RG650 was made for, and Im loving it!
1217 Position 40 58N 013 13E We are fast approacing a waypoint that appears to be in the centre of a big island. I put on the auto pilot and duck below to check the chart only to find it swimming in the bildge. I have not been down below since breakfast time, and as it turns out some of that water covering the deck for the past 6 hours has found itself below. The chart is now just paper mash, as it has been mixing itself up with another of other objects in the bildge and is a fluro yellow color from the die that keeps re-appearing everywhere. I bail out the water, and keep a good distance from the island as its too rough to be running close to the steep cliffs and jaggered rocks.
1300 I find the real Zannone island hidden behind the other big island, so alter my course. I wish my chart was still legible as there are a lot of rocks around. Thank goodness I am approaching this waypoint in daylight, as it appears many of the rocks are unlit.
1400 Position 40 58N 013 03E Passed the waypoint but I can not find my waterproof camera. Down below is a disaster area, and it appears that nothing is where I left it. No time to look now as I need to reef the main before we get out of the lee of the island.
1430 Completed rounding Zannone Island, found camera and recorded the photo for Classe Mini. We are now pounding into the big waves we were having so much fun surfing down only minutes before. This is not fun, the boat is banging and crashing, its like trying to ride a rodeo bull. The jerky movement disturbs the auto pilot and it stops recognising the rudder angle sensor, I try to steady the boat up as best as possible and head below for a bit of problem solving. I find a loose connection and the pilot problem is fixed. I attempt to call Zannone lighthouse to report my position but get no response
2030 Position illegible – must be too rough to write. Rough upwind sailing
2330 Position 41 29N 12 17E Storm is over, now becalmed, going to bed as there is not much else I can do and I have now not slept since 1800 yesterday afternoon!
