Blog #6 - Aug 9th

Riding the waves

Clear skies, tropical weather, turquoise blue water, dolphins and Mahi Mahis are all behind us now. We now have 550 NM to go. With that we entered a more northerly latitude and ride in front of a low pressure system towards to coast of Canada. Instead of stars at night, dark clouds are our companions. Strong winds push String Theory relentlessly forward. The stronger winds kicked up the sea to an average wave higth of six to eight feet sometimes approaching 10 feet.

During our best watch we averaged 10 kts of speed with master driver Ronald pushing the boat down a wave at 15.5 kts - currently the record on this voyage. Surfing down the waves is exhilarating. The stern lifts slightly in the approaching sea while the bow dips lower and lower and all of a sudden the helm becomes very light and the boat drives down the front of the wave accelerating more and more until the wave overtakes the boat and we drop into the trough behind the passing wave.

Inside the boat the ride feels much less comfortable. Like an untamed horse, String Theory bucks with every wave, rolling from one side only to jerk back to the other side the next second. Simple tasks like pouring a mug of hot chocolate become a delicate balancing act. The crew has to avoid being thrown from on end of the boat to the other with a pot of boiling hot water to follow them. Coming off watch we drop in our bunks immediately despite the constant rocking of the boat. Driving a boat at night in a following sea is tiring at the best of times.

By now we all have grown our sea legs and settled into our simple routine of: Sailing, eating and sleeping. It's quite remarkable to note how the novice crew developed their sailing skills over the last 10 days. The first few nights the boat was often ahead the person at the helm. Now everybody is fully in command and steers the boat like they have been doing this for years.

It looks like one more day of formidable sailing, before the high will push up from the south, squeezing out the southerly winds we currently enjoy. Until then, we keep riding the waves.

Aloha from String Theory.

Blog #5 - Aug 6th

Dolphins visiting us

Just I as I was reading about Family Affair sighting three whales I heard shouts from above deck: "Dolphins, dolphins". Up I run, donning a life vest on the way, camera ready and there they were: Darting through the waters like arrows chasing String Theory were dozens of Dolphins. They launched themselves into the air with ease then dove under the boat and headed for the bow wave jockeying for the best position. At times over twenty dolphins swam right in front of our bow, dancing a ballet, three, four five dolphins jumping in perfect unison, arching graciously through the air before splashing back into the indigo blue water.

Looking over the to the port side, John spotted dozens more dolphins, heading straight for us,some jumping three, four feet into the air. For a moment they seemed to be suspended above the glassy water, their silver bodies glittering in the dim sun light, before slicing back back into the water.

The spectacle lasted for maybe 15 to 20 minutes before we left them in our wake. Brad noticed that they swam in big circles, behind us, wondering whether we sailed through their feeding grounds where they chased their prey.

It was our off watch time, but I was too excited to go back to sleep. Never have I been surrounded by what may have been a hundred dolphins, jumping all around us, following alongside the boat and diving through our bow wave.

Instead of crawling back into to my bunk I baked some fresh bread, then read a few more pages in the latest Dan Brown novel before finally catching maybe half an our of sleep before getting up on deck again.

Aloha from String Theory.

Blog #4 - Aug 5th

Half Way - 1,162 miles from Maui

Yesterday marked an interesting point in our journey: We were 1,100 nautical miles, or more than 2,000 kilometers from any point of land. In fact the closest point of land was straight down, some 5,000 meters to the seabed. There are not many points on earth where one can be farther away from land. Point Nemo in the South Pacific, the point farthest from land on earth, is only a little bit more isolated than that.

The day started well with a comfortable temperatures and a moderate breeze. After a morning coffee and a hearty breakfast we hoisted the spinnaker and made good progress on our course to Vancouver. However, Neptun had different plans and after three hours we had to replac the colorful sail with the iron spinnaker and continued our journey under engine.

Later in the morning a big squall chasef down String Theory and we raised the sails in anticipation of some stronger wind. Slowly the black cloud mass moved over our boat and then it was like heaven opened its gates: A deluge of water, so heavy we could barely see a hundred meters drenched us all. Heavy rain drops splashed into the sea, turning its color from royal blue to grey. The water running off our mainsail would have filled all our tanks in minutes. Not wanting to waste it completely I took a shower, shampooed and washed my hair under the torrent of water running off of a fold in the sail. The water was lukewarm and it felt good standing in the cockpit, being hosed down by fresh water.

Later in the day the sky cleared up, the sun poked through and we dried our soaked cloths and shoes.

John and Marie prepared a gourmet dinner to celebrate half way point: Lamb roast, potatoes, vegetables, red wine and fresh baked brownies for desert. A heavenly meal. We all congregated in the cockpit, listened to the Eagles, watched the sun disappearing behind a curtain of clouds before splitting again into our respective watches.

As we settle in for the night, the engine is humming happily. Looking at the weather charts we start to think about our fuel reserve though. The next Esso station is about a thousand miles away and we simply wont get there without some help by mother nature. It appears that we are perhaps too far east and possibly a more northerly route early on would have kept us in stronger winds. The distance to be sailed would have been considerable more though, so who knows. For know we hope for the low pressure system northwest of us to squeeze the high south and east and giving us a much hoped push to fill String Theories sails once again.

Aloha from String Theory.

The elusive wind

Today was another light wind day. The sun was scorching the deck of String Theory. Early in the morning we fashioned a small boom tent, creating much sought after shade in the cockpit. The Pacific Ocean truly lived up to its name. A gentle swell lifted the boat up and down in a constant rhythm. Ever so optimistic we left the main sail up. If nothing else it produced some shade especially late in the afternoon when the sun was lower on the horizon.

John's tenacity at the fishing rod was rewarded with two Mahi Mahis, one being over 20 lbs. Having defrosted chicken for dinner already, the fish was nicely fileted by our doctor Riaan (who takes such joy in this new task, he is considering a career change). The filets are now in the freezer, while the crew is debating how to best prepare them for tomorrow's dinner.

Sitting on deck during happy hour, gin tonic in hand, we were privileged to be in the front row to watch a spectacular sunset. As the sun disappeared behind three towers of cumulus clouds, the sea underneath glowed like lava, setting the ocean on fire. Words can hardly describe it, a picture does not do it justice. We will carry the glow of the ocean in our memories. It's these moments that wants us to come back to the ocean again and again.

Fish on - Sashimi on the high seas.
The first two days we sailed in moderate to strong winds, the boat crashing through waves drenching everybody aboard with salt water. It took most of us a few days to grow our sea legs but on day three we all started to get into the rhythm of life at sea.

On day three we also had our first happy hour. Between the afternoon and first night watch we all gathered in the cockpit for appies and a drink. The sun descended on the horizon, at times disappearing between towering cumulus clouds producing red and golden rays of light. It was gorgeous. Saturn and Mars are our trusted companions at night and Venus shows as the way early in the morning. Stargazing is perfect as we are near new moon and no other source of light obstructed the clear few of the sky.

On July 30th we celebrated Riaan's birthday with champagne and Marie's home made brownies. Riaan can't imagine a better way to spend his birthday, although he expressed he wished his family would be there to enjoy it with him.

July 31st was truly amazing. John greeted us with his now famous pan cakes only available at the 5 star restaurant String Theory. Here we are, more than 500 nautical miles north of Maui, enjoying fresh pan cakes with fruit all topped with whipped cream.

Black watch (John, Marie, Nik, Riaan and Dave) decided to try fishing again. The previous day the lost two lures, claiming that they had at least a 40 pound fish on the hook breaking the line. Today however, Riaan pulled a beautiful Mahi Mahi (Dorada) on board which Nik skillfully prepared into delicious sashimi. What a treat.

Red watch (Christof, Lyle, Ronald and Brad) enjoyed a leisurely afternoon sail when John suggested we put up the cruising spinnaker. The wind was ideal and up comes that big, colorful sail and String Theory jumped with joy, plowing through the turquoise water. Smiles all around. All hands on deck for happy hour, the sheets cleated-off, beer in hand, we enjoyed yet another sunset at sea. String Theory was perfectly happy , running due north with her crew lazing on deck for a social get together before splitting yet again into their respective watches (shifts).

Today truly was a day to remember: Champagne sailing, fresh seafood, happy hour followed by a salmon dinner with fresh dill sauce (another Mortimer classic) and colorful sunset.

Aloha from team String Theory.