In the Furious Fifties. News from the Captain

29 January We’ve dropped another couple of degrees south and are steadily approaching 53° south latitude. After weighing up the forecasts and probabilities, we decided to alter the plan slightly and follow a great-circle route. This will save us 150 miles compared with our original course, and the forecast seems favourable. But we’ll have to drop almost as far as 60°. It’ll be chilly. We finished mending the staysail yesterday, but haven’t set it yet. The wind overnight wasn’t right for it. We’re sailing almost dead downwind (with the wind directly astern). We’ve got a reefed mainsail (the main sail) and the jib (the small, triangular sail furthest forward) set. We’re giving ourselves a boost with the engine. And in the lee of the mainsail, the mainsail staysail is still “stored” flat as a board but out of action. It’s time to change the oil in the generator, but it’s raining, so we can’t start the spare one on deck. That means switching off the autopilot for half an hour. Gone to take the helm 🙃 30 January We’ve already dropped below 54° south latitude. The sea water is still surprisingly warm: +7. Well, why not? It is summer, after all! I found that out during the night when the wind eased and we began losing speed. For now, 8 knots is the critical minimum for us. We have to maintain it either under sail or with a combination of sails and engine. Since the propeller shaft wasn’t turning, the temperature in the stern tube (the gooey lubricant packed around the point where the propeller shaft enters the hull to prevent leaks) was the same as the sea-water temperature. You can see it on the gauge when starting the engine. The schooner has a folding propeller, meaning the blades fold away so they don’t create drag from the oncoming flow of water while sailing. In the middle of the night, I noticed a new tear in the staysail. I roused two sailors—both named Sanya—for an all-hands emergency. Despite the gusty wind and waves breaking over the foredeck, the lads deftly lowered and secured the staysail so it wouldn’t be blown away or washed overboard. In the morning, we’ll move it to the poop deck and start darning it again. In its place, we’ll temporarily hoist a smaller sail. I’d only just dismissed the lads and started up the diesel when the wind picked up. Until 3 a.m., we raced along at our 8.5–9 knots under sail. During the night, a wave also rolled across the poop deck (the aft section of the deck). And the poop deck is 4 m above the water! The wave gently lifted a 1 × 2 m wooden crate half a metre into the air and shifted it a metre sideways. In short, the watch was anything but dull :). Oh, and Semyonych cursed at the waves every 15–20 minutes and couldn’t cope with the steering. I had to calm him down and even lend a hand :). Follow the schooner Elsi’s track here: https://www.iridium360.ru/guest/journey/8db92642