Final Passsage Break Down
Our total distance traveled from Cape Town South Africa was 6012 nautical miles. We used 15 gallons of fuel which works out to be 400 miles/gallon. We sailed for a total of 921 hours sleeping for 4 hours and then awake for 4 hours. That’s a average boat speed of 6.5 knots per hour. We saw 6 ships during our Atlantic crossing other then that it was all ocean. We broke one halyard, chafed through 9 sheets, blew out five panels in our spinnaker, ripped the drifted head sail, bent two snap shackles, lost two foil screws, fridge thermometer shorted out, spinnaker pole cats paw ripped out, leaked entire bottle of propane, throttle cable control broke, and beat the hell out of our bodies. All items above were repaired under sail and are functioning still. Cary and I both lost 20 pounds each and feel get. We ate almost everything aboard and landed in the BVI with just pasta and nasty can food. Our average wind speed was 22.3 knots, wave height 2 meters, and the biggest wave we saw was the two that broke over the top of the dodger. Our dodger is 10 feet from the water. Had dozens of waves wash over the entire for deck. All in all it was a great time.
Thanks,
Jacques
Day 39 Passage to BVI “Back to the Beginning”
Its so unreal to be sailing back were I began two and half years ago. Its been a long haul and I am excited to have this 40 day passage under my belt. Cary and I are about 70 miles from Virgin Gorda BVI. We should make a landfall sometime tomorrow morning and hopefully clearance formalities will be painless. We are looking forward to enjoy a beer, burger, and then sleep for 8 hours straight for the first time in over a month. The wind is a bit on the lite side so I hope we can keep up our speed but we will see.
Current Position: 22:06UTC, 17deg 51.2min N, 63deg 29.7min W, SOG 6kts, COG 314deg-M, WS 10 -20kts, Swell <1m, DR 67.9, 1017mb
Thanks,
Jacques & Cary
Day 37 Passage to BVI “Almost to Land”
Well its looking good for a landfall arrival on Thursday after noon. We are pushing up the windward side of the leeward Islands. We will enter into the Caribbean Sea north of Antigua and it should be a straight line to Virgin Gorada Island. We are making good time but dealing with a spattering of Squalls and micro gust that are making life hard. On a good note we caught a Mahe Mahe fish and had a great dinner.
Current Position: 22:11utc, 16deg 55.3min N, 61deg 0.2min W, SOG 7.5kts, COG 315deg, WS 18 to 26kts NE, Swell 2 to 3 meters, DR220nm, 1018MB
Thanks,
Jacques
Day 35 Voyage To BVI “35 Days At Sea”
It is hard to believe that we have been at sea for 35 days. Today has been much like the last week but the wind has increased and we have been getting gust up to 28 knots making things more uncomfortable then normal. Cary and I are looking so much to landfall in 5 days “fingers crossed” of course. Our food, water, and propane is looking to be in good shape although our food is very basic now, mostly pasta/rice. All the frozen meat is gone but one peace of ostrich filet. For a fun snack I have tea with some sugar and cinnamon spread out on rice. We have started fishing again but the ocean is covered in a tan/green seaweed that gets snagged on the lure every two seconds so I will try again once that changes. Other then the above we read more books, dream of our first meal on land, and try to work out. ALl is well on board.
Current Position: 22:12UTC, 14deg 13.2min N, 55deg 37.7min W, SOG 8.4kts, COG 305deg-M, WS 22-28kts, Swell 2 to 4 meters,
Thank you,
Jacques & Cary
Day 32 “Hammering Forward”
Once again the waves and wind have decided to increase to unfavorable heights. The waves pound into the side of Dragonsbane like the blacksmith hammer into hot steel with a sudden stop from a iron anvil fighting back against the hammer. The noise is like a thundering clap and as I sleep with my body along the hull of Dragonsbane I can feel the fiberglass flex inward as Dragonsbane rushes down waves. Sheer momentum of Dragonsbane against the ocean makes it seem like a fright train stressing to its limits only slowing up when it meets a new wave. On the top side the water sprays out from port and starboard making even more noise. For the person in the cockpit will observe the spectacle of the night as the moon shines bright and lights the bioluminescent that spark blues and greens. It is as if we sail through black liquid only to turn it up into a rainbow of colors as it continues to spray every witch way. I sit looking at the next few days of weather and see even stronger winds and higher waves. I crack my neck, roll my knuckles and try to relax my stressed muscles from sleeping 4 hours on 4 hours off for the last 32 days copulating the things to come. I close my eyes and realize that this is the dream, the adventure a young boy once dreamt, a real reality that is now happening. I am so close to the end that I hope it will not be the finally end but the humbling of the lion that has been in me for years. It may be only the start of something more because once you have flown so close to the sun you only want to go fast and higher. Were shall I go and who should I meet next who knows but I go!
Current Position: 23:21utc. 10deg 11.0min N, 47deg 51.4min W
All time best distance traveled in 24 hour run to date, in the last 24 hours we have sailed 191 nautical miles.
Thank you,
Jacques
dragonsbanevoyage 