The beginning...

09.25.2010

So here we are, Sir Haven't Shaved Since... when did we leave? ... and ... Lady At Least I've Stopped Nyarrfing.

Steering by hand is exhausting, and to top it all off being hove-to was just as noisy, everything was either creaking or trying to beat itself to death. I woke up to Dad tired and frustratedly trying to coax tenths of a knot out of a fickle wind, and took over hand steering.

I then incredulously listened with bated breath as he radioed in to the US Coast Guard and requested assistance. I felt a little like a kid in the emergency room at the hospital with my head stuck in the back of a chair or something equally silly. We hadn't discussed it really at all, I'm not really a morning person per se, and so there I was hand-steering and trying to digest what was happening. I mean yeah, our engine is dead... and our batteries are dying... but uhh we've got 3 months of food and water on board, I'm sure the weather will have changed before that runs out!!! Not to mention the deep cycle batteries for the electric outboard, I mean if we really need the radio we could hook it up to that no? It's not like we're going to hit anything, well not at speed in any case right now... it would be more of a gentle nudge... and yeah we're tired, but we aren't exactly in any sort of 'distress'...

I was incredibly relieved when half an hour later Coast Guard dispatch came to the same conclusion, and set us up on a contact schedule to check in our coordinates and keep an eye on our progress. I think this more than anything calmed the Captains nerves, as I know he was a little concerned that he hadn't been able to check into any of the HAM nets due to our deplorable battery condition.

Gradually the wind picked up and we crawled our way towards Eureka California. I pulled a 7 hour hand steering shift, *frowns* for whatever reason I have no idea what Dad was up to... probably feeding me...