NOVAS MENSAGENS

Mensagem de Vera Sanada

Tudo indica que está correndo tudo bem a bordo. Os ventos estão favoráveis e a pesca também. Eles tem pego muito peixe, o que é muito bom, assim tem alimento fresco todo dia.

Chegou outra mensagem do Phoenicia, agora escrito pelo capitão Philip.

Bons ventos para esses navegadores que, quem sabe, estarão reescrevendo a história.


e do Captain Philip Beale

10th November 2009
05 08.3N 6007.4 E
Blog 10 from Captain Philip Beale

The weather seems to know just how to frustrate us. Just as we were reaching the edge of the high risk zone to the east of the Somali basin, the wind changes to the north west and pushes us further east! Still we should not complain, the silver lining is we are heading south east at over 5 knots and enjoying some magnificent sailing with a good force 6 wind.

The sail is hoisted high into the sky with brailing lines pulled aft as depicted in one of the 6th century BC Greek vases at the British Museum that we used to inform some aspects of the sail and rigging. Phoenicia makes a tremendous sight as she surfs over the rolling waves that are hitting our starboard quarter. The wind strength has just increased further and the waves are now some 5 meters high with crisp white horses heads forming on their crests.We have just reduced the main sail area by hauling in on the brailing lines, a primitive but effective form of reefing the sails that the Phoenicians invented. So far it seems to be doing the job pretty well and keeping our sppeed to a manageable 5 knots rather than the encroaching 6-7 we were experiencing prior to reefing the sail.

The other piece of very good news here is that overnight Sulhan caught a very large two foot long tuna, following a lull in our fishing fortunes. So you know what we are eating today- fish and rice for the lunch today followed by fish cakes for dinner. The only issue is how many bonus points towards the competition we should award Sulhan for his spectacular catch!

NOVAS MENSAGENS

Date:
9th November 2009
Location:
06 31.4N, 59.21.9 E
Message:
Blog 9 (Day 16 on the Indian Ocean) from Niklas Andersson

I'm now sitting in the galley watching Dirman and Philip playing chess. The last days the wind has slightly changed to the north which is giving us wind directly from the stern with good speed as a result. In the last 24 hours we have sailed 120miles. We now have approximately four days to the equator and maybe a few more days before we can turn west towards Africa. Today Philip showed me a wind and current chart. There might be some tricky winds and maybe rainstorms to expect when we're crossing the equator. Exiting! I’m tired of good weather.

No, I don't really mean that. But still, it's exiting.In the last couple of days we discovered that some of the bracer lines to the sail have snapped, and a few other lines being torn down and are about to break. Naturally for hemp ropes in tough conditions I guess. Just a reminder that there is a lot of weight hanging over our heads and we really don't want the wrong ropes to snap. I can imagine this was one risk that the Phoenicians must have been very careful about. For security we changed the broken parell, that brings the mast and yard together, to a modern thick fibre rope. The fishing competition is now Philip 6, Dirman 4 and Julhan 2.I want to thank Yuri for a lovely birthday supper the other day. He made us pizza with fruit cocktail for desert. And last, not to forget, an Arabic birthday song.

Thank you!

Niklas