As I mentioned in my last blog I went on a deep dive to find the Gray and White tip sharks. The dive was short but to a new depth for me, 150 feet. I found out from this dive a lot about my limits and how to handle the effects of nitrogen narcosis and to make the dive more complex secondary regulator air leak. As you will watch in the film above you can see the white chum/food floating all around me and the other divers. Then from the dark blue sharks emerge all around us and circle chumping at the food. Some coming right at you like a rocket and then wave off. I was at 163 feet when the sharks appeared and I tried my best to keep them in the shot. After about 2 minutes my secondary regulator began exhausting mass amounts of air and when I looked at my air gauge it was bouncing. Towards the end of the clip you can hear screaming which I found out later was my dive master freaking out over the sharks and taking pictures. You can hear my breathing over his screams. So lets just say all hell was breaking lose for me. So I stopped, closed my eye and the world was spinning behind my eye lids, ok don’t close your eyes. I then focused on my dive watch “depth 154, 156, 157, 160, 163 feet” shit I am going down not up. At that depth I could feel the effects of nitrogen narcosis and new I had to go up slowly to stop the crushing feeling of the weight of water around me. My chest felt like it had a car on it. I knew I had lots of air and I just had to go up slowly and breath. I got a few odd looks from others as I began to rise up to 100 feet but it felt like a release of adrenaline into my blood stream. Everything stopped except my exhausting regulator which was just dumping my remaining air. O well looking at about 1000 psi left after 10 minutes of diving, wow new record on emptying my tank. Up I go and do my decompression stop and surface with a new respect for everything. But after this event I had a great time and big thanks to the dive team and Master!

Thank You,

Jacques

Today Cary and I went scuba diving in New Caledonia. Cary began his scuba open water certification and I am getting my advanced open water certification. Cary learned the basic as I plunged to the deepest depth I have every been 163 feet deep. I am not a big fan of diving so deep and you can defintly notice the pressure down there. We descended very quickly to do a short dive were the gray sharks would see us and encircle us. The dive masters had a few bits of chum and broke that up so we were in the middle of it all. Very quickly the gray sharks came out of the dark blue and circled close to us eating chum. They would get very close and when I have good wifi I will post the video.

After my adventure way down deep I dived on an old French war ship that was sunk in the Lagoon at about 70 feet. I enjoyed swimming my way through the wreck and taking lots of photos. I even sat in the mess hall and relaxed in the ship as I waited to pass down the dark blue hall way out of the ship. The top of the ship had two old gun shields and a mores code light. It was a wonderful dive with many exciting areas to investigate.
After a full day of meeting some very cool French people and hearing about their local life we made our way back to Dragonsbane. The day was one to remember as always. Tomorrow once again will be a day filled with diving, and trying to learn the French language.

Cheers,

Jacques

After a fun night of sailing with the spinnaker we made 8 to 9 knots. Cary hand steered for his 4 hour shift. I took over and used the wind vane as the wind died off. We made enough ground to arrive in New Caledonia by lunch.

Thanks,

Jacques

Like most passages the wind is always blowing out of the direction of which you choose to go. This morning as we were clipping along a series of small and uneventful squalls twisted up the winds and the seas. Now we are sailing slowly at 3 knots again and pointing 49 degrees in the wrong direction hoping the sea and winds reorganize. Anyway the squall did give Cary enough time to take a shower un the squall rain and a little rinse as well. We are also fishing again but that to has been very slow to produce anything too note today. We have about 120 nautical miles to go and hopefully we will make into New Caledonia tomorrow afternoon but who knows.

Current Position: 23deg 52.3min South, 167deg 12.5min East UTC 05:03, COG 319deg, WS 9.5 knots, WD 245deg SW, SH -1meter, Cloudy Skies and mixed up seas with a few squalls off in the distance

Thanks,
Jacques Henry

Another great day on the ocean and looking to be a good night too. The wind is staying out of the east and we are making anywhere from 7 to 8 knots of speed. We have about 220 nautical miles left to go and hopefully we can make it to port before sunset. I always hate heaving too off the port entrance waiting for the sun to come up when I can see land.
We caught another Mahi Mahi, but after 4 days of fish everything we decided to let this go. I am hoping for a blue or yellow fin tuna to make some sushi. Nothing better than 1 hour old raw tuna made into sushi. Other than baking some bread and making some hokey pokey cookies everything is the same.

Current Position: 25deg 23.9min south, 167deg 56.9min East, COG 319deg, Time UTC: 06:34, Wind Speed 20knots, Wind Direction: 45deg NE, Temp: 78, Wave height 1 to 2 meters, No storms as the barometer indicated yesterday but increased wind speed and sea conditions. Cloudy overcast skies

Thanks,
Jacques Henry

Today was a beautiful day full of wind, that’s right 15 knots of wind to be on point. It blew at 96 degrees to or beam and has zipped use along at 7 knots boat speed to our far and away destination. We should be making landfall in about 3 days’ time as long as the wind and direction hold fast. On other exciting daily activities that occurred is two headsail changes,3- braided pull strings for the new snatch blocks and tied a 3-way helm knot on the helm. I added some bungee cord to the snatch blocks to keep them from slapping the rail at night in lite breeze, sure helps folks get some sleep around here. I also took a lovely sea bath and was happy to find the ocean water warm and refreshing, just a tad too much salt though. Its so exciting to be sailing at 7 knots tied to the back of the boat half naked dumping bucks of salt water over your head well trying not to fall off, stuff just gets me going. After quick fresh water rinse and I am back on top baby, huba huba. The rest of the day was spent reading and watching the ocean, clouds, and listening to music. Life is good today, be better with a beer but its good to have goals.

Current position: 28deg 13.9min South, 169deg 38.0min East, UTC 06:23, Wind Speed: 12 knots, Wind Direction: 30deg NE, boat speed: 6.4 knots, Air temp: 77deg F, Cloudy with patches of sun. Barometer fell 6 point in the last 8 hours indicating possible rough weather ahead, guess we will find out.

Thanks,

Jacques Henry

I am sailing across an ocean lost in time. The vessel for witch I time travel is Dragonsbane where I am currently at 29deg 44.8min south, 170deg 31.0min east or there about. Nothing around me changes; the ocean is blue, dark, cold, and full of silent monsters. I describe it as being on the dark side of the moon. You know the dark side of moon exist but you never have seen it with your own eyes. Here now, gliding along an infinite blue watery dessert that expanse into more oceans I lose sense of time. Sailing, believing that land exists on the other side of time. Time that I have calculated and summarize to the last minute should unveil land. Until the time clock on wall tics by seconds, minutes, hours, and days I will be surrounded by blue horizons, above, and below. No depth prospection to convince me otherwise that time has not stopped or begun I just keep the faith to go on. Just locked away in time Dragonsbane.

Thank you,
Jacques Henry
Current Position: 29deg 37.5min South, 170deg 27.8min East, UTC 07:43, Wind Speed: 10knotes, Wind Direction: 88deg NE, Wave Height: -1 meter, Air Temp 75deg F, Water Temp 81 deg, Skies cloudy but sunny

As we sailed into the early morning hours of the day the wind changed direction and is right on our aft tail. At midnight Cary and I put up the spinnaker in attempt to maintain our very slow progress of 4 knots. We were able to keep this up till about mid-morning. We have spent the rest of today slow gliding along at a brisk pass of 2 to 3 knots. The good news is that the further we go north the wind is showing to gain strength 10 to 15 knots.

The fish Cary caught yesterday has been enjoyed for yesterday’s lunch, dinner, and again lunch today. Maybe tonight we can have something other than fish but we still have a lot to eat. Anyway all is good and looking forward to stronger winds, at least we all are getting allot of reading done. The stars once again last night were amazing. Cary and I at midnight saw the whole skyline flash green as something burned up in the atmosphere, just plan awesome to watch. The temperature is still cold for us as we move slowly north and we are all ready for the warm tropic air.

Current Position: 31deg 35.9min South, 171deg 43.3min East, Wind Speed: 4 knots, Wind Direction: south, Swell Height: -1meter, Skies clear and sunny with cool evening clear skies

Thanks,

Jacques

It was a wonderful start to our passage and a bit chilly out here on the ocean. The stars are just as bright as I remember them to be. You could see the Milky Way and cluster of stars far off on the horizon. This morning as I laid in my bunk I was awoke by the sounds of the fishing reel peeling out line. Cary was quick to get the reel and start playing the fish. After about 20 minutes of Cary cranking in the line he landed a 47inch, 18.6lbs Mahi Mahi his biggest ever. Not too bad for Cary’s first fish onboard Dragonsbane and hopefully not the last.

We are running with the wind at our port quarter with our kite up averaging 6 knots. So far in the last few hours the swells have started to build up and have been hitting us on our beam causing us to flop a bit but not to uncomfortable, I will take the speed.

Current Position: 33deg 07.2min South, 172deg 43.3min East. time: UTC03:41, Wind Speed 11 kts, Wind Direction: South West South, Swell Height 1 to 2 meter, Clear skies and sunny

Thank you,

Jacques