Atlantic Diary: Day 65 – Slow prog. Leak fix (again...)

4 May, 07 – 21.30
15.2296N,47.4947W
24 hr progress: 26.2 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 810 Nautical Miles ( 1498 km)
Distance completed: 2296 NM (4247 km)
Wave height: 10 ft, Winds: 15-20 knots ENE, Bearing: 270 degrees.

Another day for unusual photos. A clear blue sky over half the sea. Rain clouds over the other half.
Frustrating as hell to row in however.
As I have limited food (energy) supplies on board, given the present sea-state, I decided to save my energy and water and wait till the waves make up their mind which way the want to go. Sitting at the oars today felt like rowing inside a valley surrounded by gray mountains of water on three sides. The wind as been as blowing steadily from the E, but the waves have been hitting the boat from the North East and the South East, destroying any chances of making any progress north towards Antigua, or South towards Martinique and slow progress forwards.
We are currently crossing the mid-Atlantic ridge. The amount of water being displaced by the ridge may be one of the contributing factors to the confused wave patters I am experiencing on the surface.
(The Mid-Atlantic ridge is a submarine mountain range running from Iceland to the North to the 58 Degrees South latitude, dividing the Atlantic into two parts. Looking at our position on the charts, the depth of water above the ridge is 2,700 m (8,900 ft) while the average depth of the surrounding waters is 3,700 and 5,500 meters (12,000 and 18,000 ft).)
So instead of rowing, I took some time off the oars and focused on getting some of the jobs done.
I gave fixing the leak priority today over the water maker as the flow of water had increased again and I was a bit concerned that all that water swishing about underneath would make the boat unstable. This time, I re-sealed it with the last bit of sealant left and made a “rain coat” using plastic garbage bags to seal off the area from any water contact with the sealant. Quite a ridiculous looking solution :) but it seems capable of holding fort till we reach Antigua.
The fix, which should have taken me an hour to get done on land took me about 4 hrs to complete, working in-between waves crashing onto the rear and waiting for them to pass. That included the routine drying out all the soaked contents of the cabin on deck, including the mattress, survival suit, electronics etc. Hopefully this is the last time time I have to do it, as it has lost its novelty value long ago.
Tomorrow, I get to work on the rudder and the water maker.
B
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