A frustrating, beautiful and scary night "14:14.85N 56:41.62W"
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Mon 13 Dec 2010 09:32
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Frustrating for a while because the wind maddingly
dropped away just as we felt we were entering the final straight. For a few
hours as the night began we were making barely any progress at all and there was
no sign of an improvement. So we stuck on the last installment 'Pacific' and
watched that in the cockpit. Then most of the crew went to bed. Very soon
afterwards the wind picked up but was pushing us too far south, so at at 2100hrs
we woke the crew up again to gybe the boat in the dark. This involves turning
downwind and letting go the loaded sheet of the cruising chute so that the sail
flies free in front of the boat. Then one pulls in the other sheet as the stern
of the boat goes through the wind, resulting in the chute setting on the
opposite side Then sheet in and off we go on the other tack. Easy. Even in the
dark. Since then we have been running along nicely at about 5 knots nearly in
the right direction.
Then beautiful. I have just completed the 0300-0600
watch. Almost no clouds and the sky absolutely full of stars in a way
rarely seen in the UK nowadays because of the light pollution from our cities.
The Milky Way (the plane of our galaxy; we're out at the edge on a spiral arm)
really stands out but the most wonderful thing was the astonishing number of
shooting stars. These are micrometeorites which almost all burn up before
hitting the surface with the heat caused by friction against the earth's
atmosphere, but the light show as they do so is great. They only last for a
second or so, and you have to be looking in the right direction but I must
have seen a couple of dozen at least.
And scary. Because the earth is a rotating sphere
(actually it's an oblate spheroid - a bit like a tangerine, not a perfect
football) approaching objects appear to rise over the horizon. In the case of a
fast moving ship they can be invisible over the horizon one moment, and in
collision with a yacht only fifteen minutes later. A sharp lookout is essential.
So at about 0400hrs I saw a bright white light (as shown by a motor vessel)
appear over the horizon dead astern. Interesting. No trace on radar. Is the set
defective? Then the light quickly rose, as if the vessel was approaching us fast
from the rear. A big light, so a big vessel. Still no trace on radar. Stupid
thoughts - is it a stealth warship (showing lights???), or a submarine on the
surface so below radar? Then realization dawned - it was Jupiter rising as the
Earth rotated 'towards' it. A brilliant white not-at-all-scary Jupiter. You
idiot.
And now a lovely dawn and we're still moving along
nicely at over 5 knots. Perhaps we will eventually arrive after
all.
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