Repairs complete 24 Dec,06 - 10.07

They say three is a luck number. Repairs are complete, rudder cable re-enforced and a back up system has been put in place. Will be starting my third attempt shortly.
While we were busy with the repairs, the Coastguard has been alerted to past rescues and the risk. And the fact that an ocean rower was lost at sea in 2004. They have imposed new restrictions with immideate effect, including filing papers for new safety requirements, additional flares and a 300,000 Eur cover.
Anyway, cracking thru the paperwork. Will just have to KBO.
Hope to start the third attempt in the next few days.
Will keep you posted.
All the best to everyone for '07!
B

Day 2 - Broken Rudder 22 Dec, 06 - 3.05

Here is a bit more details since the last post. Do not seem to be having much luck.
8.20 am
Good conditions to start with. Breeze about 2 knots.
The first 2 hrs were a bet stressful, getting out of the harbour before one of the large ferrys showed up.
I rowed for 5 hrs non stop, trying to get away from La Gomera and to get enough milage in during the first day to put me a safe distance from El Hierro.
The boat felt like it weighed a ton.
Safely out of the harbour by around 1.00 pm the winds changed direction and started blowing from the south at about 10 knots. Sea got rough with waves about 2m.
The wind started to blow me back towards land. The boat was taking waves beam on and I was desperately trying to bring the boat around with the bow onto the waves.
I spent 3 hours struggling to maintain the reverse compass on a bearing of 180 degrees with the needle constantly swinging between 165 and 200. Every time I managed to bring it around, the wind would swing it around in a matter of seconds. In the end, due to my rowing in one direction and the wind pushing it in the other, the rudder cable snapped.
3.00 pm
Difficult to steer effectively. Got the tool box out and started to fix it. Considered throwing out the anchor till I had completed repairs, but I was still in the shipping lanes.
It seems impossible to fix at sea, and will have to return to port for repairs. About 20 miles off shore.
6.00 pm
Towed back to docks for repairs.
Cracking thru the repairs for now
Hope your Christmas is not too bad either,
my phone number here remains +34 626 404 815
thanks to all for the messages,
B

Day 1 - Good start, rudder cable snap 20 Dec, 06 - 3.05

Will be updated shortly. good start this morning, setting a course 180 setting course for due south. boat felt like it weighed a ton. weather changed around middday blowing from the south west. rudder cable snapped and problems steering the boat. will have to take a decision to fix it at sea if poss or pull into a port for repairs.
more soon, B

Attempt starts today 20 Dec, 06 - 7.31

This is my last email from land. The weather turned favourable and I start my second attempt at the Atlantic in 1 hour. The website will be updated from sea via satellite on a daily basis. The latest updates can be viewed http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/ The latest high resolution photos for can be viewed in the muiltimedia section http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/multimedia.htm I will not be reachable via email, but on my satellite phone at +8816 315 826 92 Once again, thanks for your support and hope you can follow the progress online, Bhavik

LaGmra Day 24 - Status Update 18 Dec, 06 - 11.37

We still have a headwind of 10 - 15 knots. It now looks likely to improve by Wed or Thu. More updates shortly.
B

LaGmra Day 23 - Storm, Work Space & Location Map 17 Dec, 06 - 20.22

Last night was rough, with around 30 knot southerly winds causing a 1 meter swell in the marina. The rudder took a beating and the there was far too much stress on the cleats. Had to wake up at 4.00 am to re-tie the ropes adding a few extra mooring ropes to take the pressure of the cleats on the bow and stern. Once the weather settles, I will have to
check if any of the fiberglass around the cleats has been damaged.
Not to much drama. Nothing a bit of epoxy and filler cant solve.
The low pressure is moving northwards (see the OPC weather report) and looks like the we should be clear for a departure on Tuesday (19th) or Wednesday (20th).
The first photo today shows the boat and work space as designed by Phill Morrison & Peter Rowsell.
The second photo is a re-iteration from my notes on the exact location of everything on board.
Taking into account performance issues on my last experience out at sea, the weight has been as evenly distributed as possible, along the center of gravity (where the ballast tanks are). As more food and fuel is consumed, the center of gravity will shift and I expect to make further corrections at sea as we progress.
The challenging bit is juggling the weight issue alongside organising items based on their utilization frequency and prioritizing their proximity from the cabin. Least used items (spares, cartridges etc) further away. Frequently used items closer.
Thanks to all for the messages. Fingers crossed and waiting for the North Easterlies to swing around by Tuesday.
Cheers,
B
Design & Work Space

My Onboard Inventory & Location Map

One of the many Giant Cactus plants found on the island

LaGmra Day 23 - Weather & Hermigua 16 Dec, 06 - 18.24

The weather is expected to get much worse tonight. Some of the larger yacht have been moved around to safer moorings. The German crew on the yacht next to me have moved into a hotel for the night.
A small good bye party is in the works for tonight arranged for me by some friends in the village.
Todays photo is of Hermigua village on the other side of San Sebastian. A bit further on is also Aguello, with Castello Del Mar
Cheers,
B

OPC Weather Forecast

Hermigua Village, next to San Sebastian

LaGmra Day 22 - On Standby & Crowhurst 15 Dec, 06 - 20.09

I got my first 12 hours of solid sleep in a long time last night. I guess the same also applies to the German crew on the catamaran moored next to me in the marina, that have been kept awake with all the banging, drilling and sanding noise over past few weeks.
The water has gone rotten old cold. Expecting warmer weather on the route towards 17N.
While I wait, I've been catching up on reading a book an old sailor at the marina gave me. The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst (1932–1969). A true "Sailor's Classic" its about Donald Crowhurst who set out to win the Golden Globe challenge as the first man to nonstop circumnavigate the world alone in a sailboat. Setting out on the latest possible day, Crowhurst found himself limping along at a ridiculously slow pace three weeks later. Plagued by equipment failures, the "Teignmouth Electron" was taking water due to design flaws, and had no real chance of completing the race. Having staked all on a successful outcome, the tension and isolation of his predicament attacked Crowhurst's mind. The log books include an attempt to construct a philosophical reinterpretation of the human condition that would provide an escape from his impossible situation. The number 243 shows up several times in these writings: he originally planned to finish the trip in 243 days, recorded a false distance of 243 nautical miles in one day's sailing (which if valid would have been a record day's run at the time), and appears to have ended his life on the 243rd day (July 1).
His last log entry was on June 29, 1969; it is assumed that he then jumped overboard and drowned himself.
Other books I can recommend are ones written by Robin Knox-Johnston, Nigel Tetley, Bernard Moitessier, Chay Blyth, John Ridgway, Bill King, Alex Carozzo, and Loïck Fougeron.
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Moving on with slightly more positive thoughts, all the loose ends have been wrapped up apart from a few media commitments. The boat in its sponsor livery is the center of attention in the marina. I have a sneaky feeling that as I write this someone somewhere is searching for an ICICI Bank (sponsor) on the island.
Thanks to all for the encouraging emails. Fingers crossed and on standby,
A good weekend to everyone,
B

OPC Weather Update

The Book - Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

Donald Crowhurst - Lost at sea

LaGmra Day 21 - Sea Anchor & Clearing up 14 Dec, 06 - 21.02

No luck with the weather, with the Low front (L1011) moving eastwards towards the Canaries. The southerly winds over the weekend are expected to swing around back to the regular Trade Winds schedule by Monday. Tuesday should bring with it a steady favourable Northerly 5 knot wind.
Pavel left today for London and most of the morning was taken up shipping back the excess equipment (trailers, paint, fittings etc) by Fred Olsen. Our work place in dry docks is now all clear. Boat in the water. Ready to depart after more than 20 days ashore on the island.
A major tick off the list has been the onboard electrics and desalinator. We had one last test this morning with Pavel. They functioned perfectly as expected. The water however, tasted a bit if sulphur, but this should right itself once the boat is out of the marina and its been run for a few hours.
Today's featured equipment - the Sea Anchor.
People keep asking what I would do at night to prevent the boat from drifting backwards while I sleep or in storms. As its hard for people to imagine a boat with 3 miles of anchor reaching down to the sea bed, I figure a quick explanation of how my sea anchor works is overdue.
A sea anchor, used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather, anchors not to the sea floor but to the sea itself, as a kind of brake. Usually shaped like a parachute or cone, it is fed out from the ship or boat so that it fills under water; floating sea anchors intended to drag on the surface of the water have also been used. A long line (typically between ten and fifteen boat lengths) is attached to the sea anchor and the bow of the boat or ship.
The boat, though blown by the wind, is slowed down by the sea anchor, and this allows the boat to ride out the storm by keeping the hull in line with the wind and perpendicular to waves. This forms the basic technique of heaving to.
The sea anchor, when fully deployed, holds about 4 tons of water (approx 4000 kg), keeping the bow of the boat at right angles to the waves.
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All is well otherwise. The past weeks have been hectic. Will be relaxing on shore and catching up with sleep while we spend the next few days waiting for the weather to improve. As they say, there are worst places to be stuck in than La Gomera.
More shortly,
Cheers,
B
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OPC Weather Update

Clearing up on docks

Sea Anchor

LaGmra Day 20 - Weather explanation 13 Dec, 06 - 20.38

Judging by the tons of emails I am getting, I will try and give an quick overview weather systems to explain our present situation and the reason for the wait.
The first photo, shows my daily weather map for 13 Dec, from the US Gov. OPC (Ocean Prediction Center).
La Gomera is at approximately 28N, 17W, just to the lower right of the DVLPG STORM (Developing Storm) Box.
The weather map displays the weather fronts and pressure systems occurring on our area. The steepness of the pressure gradient can be observed according to the density of isobars, or lines on the map at
which pressure is equal. The closer the isobars, the greater the variations in pressure which more air movement.
The black semi circles are the occlusion symbols for a warm front. A warm front is a boundary between two different air masses where warm air pushes cold air away to bring warmer weather. Warm fronts advance horizontally at speeds of about 15 mph or slower. Warm front weather extends over an area hundreds of miles in advance of the front line at ground level.
The black peaks are the symbols for a cold front. A cold front is a boundary between two different air masses where cold air pushes warm air away. It usually means colder weather. Cold fronts usually advance at speeds of about 20 mph- they are faster in the winter than in the summer, because in winter the air is colder and exerts greater pressure.
High-pressure systems are depicted with an 'H'.
High pressure systems are associated with clear, cool weather . Around high-pressure systems, winds flow anticyclonically— that is, clockwise in the northern hemisphere, counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
The low pressure system is depicted with a capital 'L'.
The components of storms are attracted to regions of low pressure. For this reason, heavy precipitation and overcast conditions are often associated with low-pressure systems. Due to the Coriolis effect, low-pressure systems often develop cyclonic properties: in the northern hemisphere (where La Gomera is situated), winds around the system move counterclockwise, and in the southern hemisphere they move clockwise. Low pressure systems, additionally, often become junctures of fronts.
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Long story short, the weather report indicates a low pressure system (at L1008) possibly approaching La Gomera. The counter clockwise winds thus generated would result in winds from the South-West.
I require stable winds from the North-East that will help me chart my course due South.
The currents are in our favour, however the winds play an important role as 80% of the boat is above water.
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Keep the messages coming. Thanks again,
B

Daily OPC report

The Captian's (my) clearence papers from the Port Authority, Tenerife. Inc a few typos.

Moonrise across the Atlantic, Tenerife as seen from La Cueba Playa