Day 26: Water is life

/in /by

Besides the obvious reasons, I am glad I am not allergic to penicillin. Otherwise, I would have to toss all this biltong away.

I also found a packet of biscuits. What a bonus. I have terrible difficulty rationing myself to one biscuit a day. My problem is once I open a packet, I have to finish it. It is an all-or-nothing kind of thing for me. On top of that, not doing the Keto diet, all this sugar has flicked a switch in my brain.

Standing up
Hi, my name is Richard, and I am an addict. I am addicted to sugar! 🍭🍬
I guess that’s step 1- admitting it🥴

I don’t have chocolate on board because I knew it would melt in this heat. I did, however, bring Fizzers sweets; they have suffered from the heat and become one sticky mess. Practically impossible to eat.

Today started with trade winds increasing to 15kn, gusting 20kn. With each paddling shift, it got increasingly lumpy and wetter. Those pesky side chops that slop across the cockpit. They are sneaky buggers. You never really can tell if it’s going to jump on your lap or not.

In the late afternoon, my left forearm started to get a “forearm pump”. I guess it’s from holding the paddle too tight in the lumpy conditions. I focused on opening the fingers of the top hand after each stroke. It seemed to ease the forearm.

Another daily routine is making fresh water. I produce between 6 and 12 litres daily, depending on how much I have drunk or washed. The watermaker is in the first locker under the bunk. It sucks water from a pipe at the bottom of the keel, 1.2m deep. This is to ensure no air bubbles can be sucked into the system. It then goes through a pre-filter of 5 microns to remove any large particles or sea life. It then forces the salt water over a membrane that has holes so small only pure water can get through. The salt and everything else are pumped back into the ocean. It makes fresh water at a 10:1 ratio; at best, I am getting 5L an hour.

 

Co-ordinates: -20.928430° latitude -4.719450° longitude

Breakfast: yoghurt and nuts

Food: curry chicken and rice

Junk: biltong, jungle Oates bars

Sea life: nothing new

Day 25: Daily stuff

/in /by
The Atlantic high-pressure system has started to move slowly South, allowing the trade winds to come back to Osiyeza and me.
 
A following wind does make a big impact on our lives. 🌬 Besides the miles it gives us, it also creates wind chop, which eventually joins together and becomes small swells which surge us forward. On top of this, the wind constantly drags the surface water, which ultimately creates the currents that give us some more miles. To top it all off, the wind cools everything down just that little bit.🌡
As any Surfski paddler knows, downwind paddling is the holy grail.
How do I keep my mind occupied and myself entertained alone in the middle of nowhere?
 
While paddling, I only occasionally play music. I used to have deck speakers and a fancy car stereo system, but I took it all out to save weight. Instead, I have a little cheap waterproof Bluetooth mp3 player from Clicks, a local chain store🎧
 
I use a cell phone with a big micro SD card full of random music. A few days before leaving, I purchased Spotify and downloaded a bunch of ’70, ’80, and ’90 music and podcasts.🎶 For spares, I have Bluetooth earphones and two cable earphones.
 
I maybe listen to music for about 3 hours a day. I prefer to listen to the ocean sounds when paddling. It lets me clear my mind and get into a trance-like state. I zone out completely. Before I know it, it’s time for a little break or something to eat. Other times I let my mind wander. It goes into full process mode, and I am solving all the world’s problems and plans for the next adventure. This is also the time I work on the daily blog.
 
Non-paddling entertainment?
 
I have a Kindle and like to set aside time to read daily. It’s an old Kindle that needs external lighting to read, so I have to use a book light at night. Three books 📚 done.
 
I have a Tablet that is great for watching videos. I have so many movies and series on one of the two external 2TB hard drives that I probably could watch continually for the entire 70 days 🤣. I have only watched three movies to date.
 
I also download a bunch of Netflix stuff and allow myself to watch one episode a day to try and make them last. Yesterday I wanted to watch something, and Netflix said sorry, they have expired and I can’t watch them anymore.
I was a bit bleak about that, but I thought, what if I changed the date to a few days ago? Will it work?
Bonus, it did. 👍
 
I check in with the world three times a day. Morning session to send the latest blog and images to @Carmen, the weather check with @Robin, and then the power system and AIS with @Albert (my shore team.)
 
I catch up with my lovely wife on her plans for the day and to find out how my veggie garden and cats are coping without me. Also to see if I can glean what stuff she has tossed out. The problem being I keep stuff because you never know when you may need it. She found my stash of old cell phones the other day. I no longer have a Blackberry. 🤣
 
Midday is a quick check on social media to 👍 and reply to any comments or questions. Evening check-in is similar to the morning schedule.
I have a limited amount of data (165mg a day), so all images and videos are compressed before sending them home.
 
The only other entertainment would be cooking and washing.
 
It must sound like a luxury cruise, but I can assure you it’s not quite as simple as it is portrayed. Keeping everything positive is key to success.
Say it enough times, and eventually, you will believe it. 😉
 
At sunset last night, I got a call from the yacht Always Saturday. A 40 foot catamaran from Hong Kong. They were 2.5nm away and could not see me. They left Cape town six days ago, and I told them I left 26 days ago. They were quite shocked. Anyway, it was nice to speak to someone.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.111830° latitude and -3.565550° longitude
Breakfast: bacon 🥓 🍳
Food: curry chicken and rice
Junk: biltong, jungle Oates bars, toffie eclairs
Sea life: flying fish and the occasional Storm Petrel

Day 24: Things that actually go bump in the night

/in /by
Today’s sunrise was a treat. It showed signs of some weather coming my way.
Sure enough, a light SE developed, and my paddling load started getting a little lighter, which my back is very grateful for.
 
It was a pretty standard day. No distractions. No headwinds. Just a good day on the water. I mixed up the routine and did 1 hr blocks with a 15min break. It worked quite well, but I often got back to paddling after 20min. The nice thing about that is it does not really matter whether you start 5 min later or not.
 
I have become addicted to these Jungle Oates bars. Unfortunately, they are full of sugar but are a firm favourite
 
Just after sunset the other night, while I was eating chicken and couscous, I heard a loud noise like a whale 🐳 breathing out right next to me. I turn around to see a couple of pilot whales going in the opposite direction. I ducked into the cabin, grabbed my phone, and tried to video them. Poor light and distance meant I could only record a dark shape for a brief second.🎥
 
It reminds me of a night sailing back from Rio after the ’93 race on the yacht Argonaut (currently doing this Rio race) when we had an encounter with a pilot whale.
 
On board was my brother, Anton, and his friend, I think his name was Dave. My mate Ken was meant to be with us but had to fly back to SA after we got stuck in a place called Paraty. A stunning village south of Rio in the “Bay of a Thousand Island”. 🏝
 
The most notable thing about this village is its cobblestone streets that the sea would flood at high tide. It was built this way so the rubbish would be swept away when the tide receded. As the name indicates, this used to be a pirate village.☠
 
Anyway, I digress again. Dave was not much of a sailor. I am not sure he had ever sailed before. He was seasick for the 27 days it took to get to Cape Town baring three days; he wore a little anti seas sick plaster behind his ear. Basically, the poor chap was useless to us, and I can vouch for those patches that are no longer available in SA for some reason.
 
One night with the spinnaker up, we were cruising along when we hit something. The boat juddered. We looked at each other with wide eyes. My first instinct was to check the bilges for water and possibly damage.
 
Faak the bilge was full of water. WTF! Spinnaker down. Anton and I had a royal battle dousing the kite and getting it back on deck. I think it was while we were on deck that we either saw Pilot whales or concluded it was a pilot whale. Whatever we hit was not a hard object like a log or a container. Softer and not big like a real whale.
 
Rushed back below and removed more floorboards. More water. Bilge pumps on. Buckets at the ready.
Finally, we were winning the fight against the water, and soon the bilge was empty. Checked the keel bolts. No water is coming in. We could not find any breach in the aluminium hull. So, where did the water come from?
 
It took quite a bit of investigation, and finally, we traced the water ingress to an electric conduit from the anchor locker. When I opened the locker on the deck, the fenders jumped up and out as if something had frightened them.
 
The anchor locker was full to the brim with water. The water coming over the bow went straight down the chain pipe. There was no drainage hole in the locker, so it filled up and overflowed through the electric conduit into the main hull. We managed to empty the locker and seal the hause(?) pipe.
 
I wonder what happened to the poor pilot whale. I do hope he survived our encounter.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.154020° latitude -2.587030° longitude
Breakfast: yoghurt & nuts
Food: homemade spicy pumpkin soup & couscous
Junk: popcorn, biltong, Jungle Oates bars

Day 23: A day stuck in the middle of the high-pressure system

/in /by
Today was a hot slow day with headwinds. Why are there headwinds? I guess that’s what variable conditions mean. Router Rob indicates later in the week; conditions will improve.
 
Unlike yesterday I don’t think I will crack 50km well, shy of the 100km goal. I obviously can’t have too many days like this. 😐
 
This morning I found a squid that had come aboard last night and was hiding under the EPIRB. He did not survive the encounter.
I much prefer to find these than flying fish. I rinsed out all of the black ink. Cut the tentacles off. Cut the head off and gave that back to the ocean. I split the tube down in the middle and cleaned the inside.
Popped a pot on the stove with some oil. Cut the fillet into bite-size pieces and deep-fried everything for only a few minutes so it would not turn into leather. Oh boy, what a lekker little treat to start the day.
 
Later in the day, I saw something brightly coloured floating in the water a little way off to the port side. A brief “maybe it’s the bucket I lost last year” foolish thought, but nevertheless, I turned to find out what this thing may be.
 
Definitely not my red bucket, but it was an orange Tupperware lid. On top of the lid, I could see a crab 🦀 and swimming underneath was a little fish 🐠 who promptly swam under Osiyeza for better cover. Lifting the lid out of the water, I spotted another little crab.
 
It’s quite extraordinary how crab eggs/babies float about the ocean and eventually find something to latch onto, much like the barnacles that are setting up shop under Osiyeza. By the look of it, the lid had not been at sea all that long. I set it adrift again. I am sure you can forgive me for leaving the rubbish in the ocean.
 
Not sure what happened to the little fish because he was not under Osiyeza when I took a goof later on. I also managed to scrap off the attached barnacles.
 
Maybe the little fish was eaten by a big fish. Today I had my first visitors. Two Dorado fish 🎏 have come to follow along. They mainly stayed near the rudder and, now and then, would do a circuit around Osi, which would repeat for most of the day.
I jumped in again to try and get some footage, but I think it’s too soon in the relationship, and they may be a bit shy.
They also gave me great entertainment by jumping 5 feet in the air and slamming into the water on their sides. I guess this is to get rid of parasites rather than to show off to me, or perhaps indigestion from the chewed biltong I fed them. 😬
 
They may also be why the squid 🦑 jumped onto the deck last night.
 
As the sun set, I came upon a 20l plastic detergent drum. It had a few big barnacles, a couple of crabs hanging on, and the compulsory little fish swimming underneath.
 
That pretty much sums up my slowest day at sea.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.206200° lat -1.613700° long
Breakfast: deep-fried calamari
Food: curry chicken and couscous
Junk: popcorn and biltong
Sea life: 🦀 x4, little 🐠 x 2, Dorado 🐟 x2

Day 22: Scatter cushions

/in /by
Woke up this morning without the usual pain in my back. Last night’s smarties seem to have done the trick and eased the back muscles, and I feel much better. Thanks for asking.👍.
 

Smarties

 

Today’s ocean was flat. Sometimes even glass-like. I took the opportunity to do a lot of admin. I washed my paddling kit. Went for a swim. Tried new camera tricks and angles.

Another sunset. I am now two hours behind South African time

 
I also managed to calibrate both the GPS antenna and the autopilot. To do this, you need to turn the boat in a circle a couple of times at a specific pace while the device calibrates itself. Both calibrated the first time, which was a great relief. I have not used the autopilot since day 14, but it should hold its course more accurately now when the bigger conditions return.
 
My sleeping arrangements at home and on Osiyeza are worlds apart. More accurately, galaxy’s apart.
 
At home, I sleep on a king-size, extra-length, super fancy mattress. I say super fancy based purely on the price. I could have bought a small second hand car instead.
 
It has lovely sheets, plenty of pillows for each of us and is topped off with a duvet. The usual.
 
On Osiyeza, I have a Camp Master mattress that I got on special at Makro for R399. I have a pillow and a sheet. There was a fleece blanket, but that’s long stuffed away in one of the lockers, never to be used again. Actually, I never used it.
 
When I get out of bed on Osiyeza, I inch worm 🐛 on my back to the foot of the bunk. I do this with the help of two ropes that run along the ceiling all the way from the front locker to the main hatch. Remnants of the lift skeg in the bow are now closed off and no longer used. Once here, I sit up and, more often than not, klap my head on the fan or the cleats the ropes still run through. Nothing happens to the bedding until I inch my way back in.
 
At home, it’s a very different story. I am usually the last one out of bed because my Judith likes to go running or to the gym and leaves the house at a ridiculously early hour. So by default, it’s my duty to make the bed.

Mattress, pillow and sheet

Osiyeza en suite

 
Oh, I almost forgot. Someone sent me Nurse Honeydews Tinder profile picture. I guess it’s already in the public domain, so I could share it. Let me know if this is something you would like to see?
 
Co-ordinates: -21.266180° lat -1.209050° long
Breakfast: toasted granola with fruit & nuts.
Food: Tangine chicken & noodles & lentils
Junk: popcorn, Fritos
Raised for Operation Smile: R176,801
No of new smiles: 32

Day 21: Things that go bump

/in /by
In the comments to my query regarding “underpants,” a few suggested going commando would be best.
If it’s good enough for Alex Doba (1st person to kayak across the North Atlantic), it should be for me.
 
Alex was a great inspiration, by the way. When I first started researching and came across him, I thought, ” if an old man like him can do it, then surely I can”. Lo and behold, I was looking in the mirror this morning and staring back at me was an old man just like Alex. I guess it’s what’s in the heart that actually matters. 😂
 
(He kayaked across the North Atlantic ocean three times)

Alexander Doba the first to paddle across an ocean.

 
Anyway, I have digressed again. Sorry back to going commando. On board Osiyeza, there are two dicks.
 
One hates being in the sun, and the other never sees the sun so I don’t think going commando will work so well for either.
 
This reminds me, back in 1989, after finishing my two years of national service in the Navy, I took part in a yacht race to Lisbon, Portugal. It had a stop at St Helena Island and another in the Azores.
 
This was my first time going overseas. I was very excited. The plan was once there to tour around a bit and see the world. Something about my “wild oats”, Dad would say.
 
As with all young lads, it was imperative to at least try to impress the opposite sex for obvious reasons. A lady friend had remarked that girls don’t like tan lines. I pondered on this and decided this race was the ideal opportunity to get rid of any tan lines.
It must have been about the 5th day at sea. After everything had settled into a routine and the weather had warmed up nicely, I decided to get some all-over sun 🌞
It was a picture-perfect day. I was lying on the weather deck on top of some sail bags. The spinnaker was pulling steadily, and the sun was high in the sky. It was, in fact, so perfect that I drifted off to sleep, lying face down on my stomach.
 
Let’s cut a long, painful story short. I could not sit comfortably for several days. My skin peeled off in sheets, but the worst was the back of my 🥜. Now, this was way before “manscaping” was even a thing, so thankfully, a little shade on this occasion was better than none. I still shiver, thinking back at the agony I endured down there.
 
And now you suggest I go and do it again by going commando. Are you NUTS? 🥜
 
I didn’t start this blog with “things that go bump in the night” because they happen during the day.
Osiyeza and I crossed over into the Western hemisphere. The bump was so subtle it may not even have happened.
A great milestone on my 21st day at sea. Maybe I can wet my lips with a little soetwyn tonight in celebration 🥳. What say you?

Day 21 sunset in the Western hemisphere

 
Today has been the slowest day. Very little help from nature and my enthusiasm for paddling all day. More to the point, I think I will try some of the smarties tonight. My back is feeling a little uncomfortable. 💊
 
The cherry 🍒 on top for today was when Young Tighthead came and asked, “what are the chances we can stop off at St Helena Island 🏝”
 
“Only in an emergency”, I replied.
He dropped his head and walked off, muttering, ” it’s not far from an emergency”.
 
I had no idea what he was on about, but when I bumped into Grey Locks later in the day, I asked if he had any thoughts on the matter. I was surprised when he said he knew what it was all about.
 
Young Tighthead had given up waiting for Nurse Honeydew to match with him on Tinder. He just increased his range and suddenly has a bunch of hits from St Helena Island 🤣
Oh, to be young.
 
PS this morning, there was a big splash at the pool.

This is what the direct route from my position looks like on a flat chart.

 
Co-ordinates: -21.397900° latitude and -0.586750° longitude
Breakfast: 🥓🍳
Food: Butter Chicken & noodles
Junk:  Nik Naks

Day 20: First Fish

/in /by
🐟🎣
A few have been asking when I am going to fish.
Well, I got my first fish today.
A flying fish nogal. 🤣
Such a wee lad. I am unsure if he flew here or if a wave dumped him. I did pop him back into the water, and I am sure he swam off.
 
I got caught off guard when the kids skipped the pool today. Even after an enticing cup of coffee, they refused. Hope they are not up to any mischief.
 
Conditions today varied, from big rain squalls to light winds and a calm sea. The seawater was a lot warmer than the air, so those splashes over the side were not that unwelcome for a change.
 
As for Patriot Pete, what can I say? The poor fella looks like he is about to have a heart attack, and there is another day of cricket 🏏 to go.
 
Phillip, a South African teacher in Vietnam, reached out asking if we could have a live chat with his class. He told them what I was doing, and they want to know more. Can’t wait to chat with them.
 
If you are in a similar position and would like me to chat with your class or group, feel free to reach out and let’s see what we can put in place to inspire someone. 🎙
 
I want to say thank you for all the support thus far with your comments, ❤ and 👍. Please keep them coming and encourage your friends to join the tribe.
 
Yesterday I got a notice that another full smile had been donated. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was our next-door neighbour. How awesome of them. Thank you! 🙏
 
To those of you fortunate enough to have been able to donate towards the charity Operation Smiles SA, a standing ovation for you. 👏
Kind souls, each one of you.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.482400° latitude, 0.173870° longitude
Breakfast: skipped
Food: butter Chicken & noodles
Junk: mint toffee
Great-winged Gadfly Petrel swooped by and gave a great show of zigs and zags

Day 19: The world carries on without me

/in /by
Besides the usual blogs, pictures, video, weather, routing, shipping and power system checks with the shore crew, Albert has kept me in the loop regarding the Governor’s Cup, a yacht race from Cape Town to St Helena Island.
 
I have been hoping to catch a glimpse or, better yet, a wave from anyone in the fleet as they sail past little old me.
 
Last night one snuck in front of me, and one went behind, but none were close enough to see or call on the VHF radio. Only one possible chance remains, Suidoos II. Even though she has retired from the race, she is still en route to St Helena Island for a meal and ice-cold beer 🍺 at Anne’s place.

The whole field

Not too much traffic to worry about I think

 
Interesting story regarding Suidoos. My Router, Rob, was bringing a yacht back from Rio (1995?) when Suidoos (I) took on water and sank. The stricken crew were plucked from the ocean by non-other than our own, Router Rob.
 
The skies cleared this afternoon, and the wind went a little more East and calmed down to 15kn. After a while, the sea accepted this by reducing the number of white horses.
 
All in all, it was a classic day at the office. The miles keep on ticking over. Good current and a cheeky swell in our favour. The main swell is the SE-driven swell, and the SW swell from deep down south. Now and then, the three different swells would fall in sync, and the sea would jack up for a moment but long enough to toss a ton of water onto my lap. Quite amusing if you let it be.
 
My back still aches, but that’s nothing new. If it gets problematic, I have some good smarties I can take that should help.💊
 
I want to let you in on a secret. A personal challenge, but please remember it’s a secret between you and me, so 🤐.
 
I would like to see if it’s possible to improve on Zirk Botha’s 💪 time he posted for his row across this ocean from Cape Town to Rio. He averaged 100km/day. Osiyeza is narrower, longer, and maybe lighter, so she should be quicker, in theory.
Time will tell (but you mustn’t 🤫)
Kayak vs 🚣‍♂ who’s it gonna be?
 
Patriot Pete is now the one stuck to his mobile device. Thankfully not with a dating app, but getting updates on the cricket 🏏 test between South Africa and Australia.
 
He has a couple of cases of beer on the line with his mates back home, and he does not like to lose.
 
He tells me, “Australia are 475/4 and firmly in the pound seat. Proteas to bat next. Rain is predicted, which could screw things up. If there is no rain, we could see some good cricket.”
 
I don’t share his optimism and fear another week of gravel lips 👄 in the making for poor old Pete.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.653930° lat and 1.106270° long
Incidentally, also on the last day of week 3!
Breakfast: scrambled eggs & bacon 🍳🥓 & coffee
Food: butter Chicken & noodles
Junk: hard-boiled sweets by the ton
Black Browed Mollymawk did a few fly by’s

Day 18: Paddle, eat, sleep and repeat

/in /by
The days and conditions seem to be blending into each other. Paddle, eat, sleep and repeat. I am thankful for the recent cloud cover, which keeps things a bit cooler.
 
Young Tighthead has been wandering around all day glued to his device. I saw him and Patriot Pete looking at it together a few times earlier.
 
Wondering what the deal was, I asked Tighthead what it was on his phone that held all his attention today. He just mumbled, “it’s nothing”, and went off the other way.
 
While contemplating lunch, Patriot Pete squeezes into the galley to grab something for himself. I took the opportunity to ask him what was up with Tighthead and his phone.
 
Pete giggled at first, but when he saw I was still looking at him, he said, “Tighthead caught a glimpse of Nurse Honeydew using Tinder and ever since, he has been waiting to see if he would get a match with her. It’s driving him crazy.”
 
Just what we need. I am a little concerned about the group dynamics. Will Young Tighthead be a grumpy boy if he does not get a match with Nurse Honeydew, and if so, for how long? Worse yet, what if there is a match? Oh my! Let’s see how this one plays out.
 
Not much grabbed my attention for lunch, so I just ate some biltong and a Jungle oats bar while staring out at the white caps spread over the vast ocean.
 
The sea state is not all that impressive, but travelling across it instead of with it completely changes the game. Lots of white caps are breaking over the side and pushing Osiyeza about. It’s a pretty uncomfortable affair all around. Yet for all this, we are still managing to make good towards Brazil.
 
I stood on the blue clip that kept the water from flowing out of the water bladders. It’s the only flaw in my otherwise brilliant plan. It’s strange how the mind works, but it took me a few minutes to realise that my feet were in the water and something was wrong. Almost 3L of fresh water was wasted, but the cabin sole appreciated another good rinsing. Note to self: don’t leave the clips on the floor. ( Too many notes to keep track of now)
 
I try and have a good wash at least every second day. This I take outside, seated in my paddle chair. I am using between 2 & 3 litres of water to scrub and rinse off the shower gel. I hook one of the water ticks to the roll bar, and water comes trickling out as long as I am below it. Ah, lovely fresh water. As long as my watermaker keeps on doing its thing and the batteries are fully charged, there is no reason I should not smell of roses.
 
Unfortunately, Cyril, who kayaked from mainland USA to Hawaii earlier this year, had watermaker issues and had to hand pump most of the way. Not sure how many showers he was able to afford himself.
 
While eating dinner, I usually stand and watch the sea and the setting sun. Last night it was still pretty lumpy and had a lot of spray around, so I stayed inside and looked out through the washboards. A bit like watching a nature channel on TV, only better.
 
First charging cables to die. I have three spares of each type, as a single drop of seawater can corrode the little pins in no time. This cable did not suffer corrosion, but I bent it when a wave shoved me against the side wall.

1st USB-C cable broken. Yes I am an android user. 

 
Co-ordinates: -21.707130 2.282130
Breakfast: coffee
Food: Lamb Tangine with rice
Junk: Nik Naks, Fritos
Storm Petrels and flying fish
Raised for Operation Smile: R173,479
New smiles: 31

Day 17: Passed a milestone

/in /by
Officially I have been at sea now for longer than attempt #1 to Walvis Bay.
An excellent psychological milestone.
 
Even though the sea had increased in size and Osiyeza was rock n rolling again, I decided to celebrate with a breakfast fry-up of scrambled eggs, bacon and a coffee 🍳🥓☕.
 
A little tricky to pull off when the ocean is trying to toss you onto the cooker and the pot onto you. These are skills they don’t teach you at any culinary school.
 
To think the ingredients are more than a year old and are perfectly preserved through the freeze-dried process.
 
So what’s the difference between dehydrated and freeze-dried?
Simply put, heat removes the moisture from dehydrated food over time. Same concept we use to make our beloved biltong.
 
Freeze-dried uses an effect called sublimation. Freeze the product. Place it under a vacuum. As it warms up, the frozen liquid turns directly to vapour, skipping the usual step of turning to water before turning into “steam”, all due to being in a vacuum.
 
Vacuum bag with a moisture absorption pad, and it’s good to go for several years.
 
Nighttime in the cabin has been a lot quieter than the first two weeks. Since the BIG BLOW, I have not used the autopilot. Osiyeza has run true all on her own. One odd phenomenon is the battery draw remained the same.
 
On average, overnight, Osiyeza will consume 11% of the battery capacity and by early morning, they will be back to 100% from the solar panels. There is two 100Ah Victron LiPo battery on board.
 
I borrow my sister’s old kindle. Synced it with the good wife’s kindle, and now I have access to all her books. I have never been a big reader, but on this trip, I have enjoyed the reading time so far. After having issues with my audiobooks, I saw that the kindle has a text to voice options.
Cool, let’s give that a go.
Mmmmm, not great; it might take some getting used to.
 
With today’s AI, I would have thought that, by now, it would be indistinguishable between human and computer voices.
 
The wind and sea have continued to grow overnight. Osiyeza is now bucking as well as rock n rolling. Not a pleasant night. It is forecast to reduce to calm on Saturday slowly.
I look forward to some calm to relax the tension the rough seas cause.
 
Back to the underwater question.
Some suggested going commando, which might make sense but I would rather wash underwear than have to clean my mattress. The end of my bunk is where I sit to make food, navigate and just about everything.
 
As for how many days before washing or changing. They are on a five-day rotation.
 
Co-ordinates: -21.715530° lat 3.271800° long
Breakfast: bacon & scrambled eggs
Food: chilli con carne with noodles
Too many junk snacks.
Finally some big flying fish about.
Amount raised for Operation Smile: R167,979
No of new smiles: 30