Summary:
Now past 32° south and roughly 300 miles east of Argentina, Dee Caffari has felt the discomfort of upwind sailing, serving as a timely reminder of the challenge ahead as she leaves the tropics behind.
Weather Specialist Mike Broughton has forecast a turn in the weather on Christmas Eve, saying: "The winds look set to increase from the south, as a low-pressure system from the Southern Ocean influences Aviva for the first time. What Dee will really feel is a big temperature drop and she will experience the 'delights' of beating into strong winds and big waves."
So Christmas may well be spent getting accustomed to life at an angle, but this week has already given Dee a taste of what is to come. On Tuesday, black skies full of rain and strong, cold wind came from the south causing the conditions to rapidly deteriorate.
"I went from having 5 knots of breeze to having 35 knots of breeze," said Dee. "I was sailing hard on the wind and the rain was beating into my face and stinging as I was trying to see if this cloud was going to last for long. In the space of 35 minutes the indexsail went from being fully hoisted to being fully reefed."
At the start of her 5th week at sea, the rain made technical jobs difficult and unstable conditions meant she had an hour of sleep in two days. Then eating became a victim of constant distractions. "Before you know it, it is the next day and you start all over again," reported Dee on Monday, somewhat exasperated with life on board.
The wind died and hit the 1 knot mark, and stayed below 3 knots for five hours, prompting talk of a "week's break just to get away from it all" from the tired and frustrated sailor. Ongoing issues with the second auto-pilot system did not help her mood and continued efforts found no solution despite extensive communications with the shore based Technical Team in Plymouth, UK.
On Tuesday the importance of the regenerative qualities of sleep were clear, Dee saying that, "it felt as if I had entered a different world. It's amazing how much difference some sleep makes."
Later the same day she made another decision based on her own well-being when the difficult conditions had started to subside. "I have never seen a sea rise from nowhere like that before, the waves were large and Aviva was pitching into the wave and I was experiencing the top of the wave crashing down the foredeck over the hatches ... At the time I felt guilty about it but I also feel so much better now that I made the decision. For once I thought of myself before Aviva, don't worry, she didn't mind. I grabbed a hot shower and put some dry clothes on and some foul weather gear and then I shook the final reef out."
After a tough start, the pendulum continued to swing as the week progressed and Wednesday brought conditions to match Dee's improved state of mind: "The sun shone, the breeze was steady if light during the day and I managed a couple of decent hours sleep in the early morning."
She serviced the last winch and went to work on the auto-pilot once again. Only this time she did not come out deflated from another fruitless session elbow deep in wires, but ecstatic that the problem had finally been solved: "We had cracked it! The other autopilot was working with no alarms sounding. I could hardly believe it and couldn't wait to tell the technical team that all their patience and tenacity had paid off."
In light of her steady progress south towards the rough stuff, this was a timely victory. All being well, the back-up auto-pilot system will now be ready for use should the primary system develop any problems in the Southern Ocean. "I was overjoyed and relieved," said Dee. "After that astounding result nothing could really affect me. I pottered about cleaning and returning Aviva to a place of domestic bliss."
The pleasant conditions will continue today but Mike Broughton warned they may be the last for some time. "We will see glorious sailing conditions for Dee today as she benefits from strong northerly winds on the west side of a high-pressure system that has moved east from the River Plate to merge with the larger South Atlantic high-pressure that is in its normal position half way between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro.
"Blowing from the north, these winds will bring clear sunshine and possibly the last hot day prior to Aviva getting to the cooler conditions that look set for Christmas Eve."
Quick Links
"Merry Christmas from Aviva and I". View a special Christmas message from Dee as she faces the festive season 7000 miles from home.
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?PageID=31&VideoID=5&imagefilter=&startrow=1&keyword=&orderBy=publish
Listen to Dee's latest thoughts as Christmas approaches:
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=32
Read Weather Specialist Mike Broughton's latest report:
"Black skies full of rain and strong cold wind from the South." Read Dee's account of a difficult start to the week.
Read Project Director Andrew Roberts' log about the effort and focus required to sail a 72ft yacht single-handed and learn why he is still fascinated by Dee's challenge even though Aviva is the 52nd yacht he has sent off on a round-the-world voyage!
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