Newsletter July 2009 This Month's Meeting T.B.A. Annual General Meeting RCYC   19h00 Thursday 30th July 2009 "Fire Side Chat" When a Southern California 16-year-old named Zac Sunderland set out from Marina del Rey last June determined to single-hand around the world, many doubted he would make it. We're happy to report he recently transited the Panama Canal and is about to begin the final leg to the finish line. Now 17, Zac has had to deal with a long list of problems along his route but his refurbished Islander 36 Intrepid is still goin' strong and throughout the year-long journey Zac has shown remarkable maturity and stamina. Assuming he crosses his track this summer, he will become the youngest sailor to have circumnavigated the globe (with stopovers). His track loosely followed Robin Lee Graham's famous cruise in the mid-'60s. Unfortunately, the final leg will probably be a tough one as both wind and current will be against him if he elects to sail north near the coast. If he elects to follow the much longer offshore route - in order to pick up more favorable winds - he may have to dodge storm systems as the June-to-November Mexican hurricane season is about to begin. That said, most storms typically occur between August and October, by which time we hope Zac will be joyfully decompressing from his epic voyage. Stay tuned for additional updates here, and/or see Zac's blog for daily reports. We're keeping our fingers crossed for him, and we hope you will too. Cruiser of the Month - from some acquaintances of mine The Rio Dulce (Sweet River) is a river on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. It is entered at the town of Livingston, which is located on the Bahia de Amatique. A Garifuna settlement and the subject of J.B.'s, "Another Livingston Saturday Night", Livingston does have an edgy side. You must cross a bar to enter the river and its average depth of 5.5 to 6 feet at MLW requires many boats to plan a high tide entry and departure. After checking into the country at Livingston one begins their river journey by entering a gorge called La Cueva de la Vaca. This spectacular gorge with jungle covered cliffs rising perhaps three-hundred feet from the waters edge was a location for one of the first Tarzan movies. There are mountain ranges on each side of the gorge. After about six miles the gorge opens into El Golfete, a somewhat oval lake of about ten miles length. There are several islands, lagoons, tributary rivers, a Manatee Preserve, and a Maya Cultural Center. Having crossed El Golfete, you again enter a wider river channel which after two or three miles reaches the town of Rio Dulce. Traveling another mile upstream you pass El Castillo de San Felipe, a Spanish fortification against pirates which dates from 1652. Once through the narrows in front of the fort, across which the Spaniards submerged a chain, you enter the waters of Lago Izabal. Guatemala's largest lake at around fifteen miles wide by thirty miles long, Lago Izabal's shoreline boasts a couple of small towns, fincas, jungle, mangrove swamps, Maya ruins, and tributary rivers waiting to be explored. The town of Rio Dulce, also called Fronteras and located between El Golfete and Lago Izabal, is home to two ship yards and maybe eight marinas. All basic supplies and services are available. There are probably two or three hundred cruising boats in the area. Protected by the gorge, mountain ranges, and El Golfete; this area is considered by many to be the safest "hurricane hole" in the entire Caribbean. Plus, for insurance purposes, it is out of the "hurricane box". So, what are the cruising grounds? Well, besides the fresh waters of the Rio Dulce, El Golfete, and Lago Izabal there is that area thought of as "The Spanish Main", waters that the pirates of yesteryear sailed. The Zapotillos, small islands in the Bay, are close by. To the north some thirty miles away is Belize and the Great Maya Reef. Often considered the second longest reef in the world, it extends northward perhaps two-hundred miles, past Cancun and Isla Mujerers to the tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Belize has many, many islands and offers excellent diving. To the east, an overnight sail away, is the north coast of Honduras and the Bay Islands. Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja offer excellent diving opportunities as do the Cayos Cochinos. Farther south await the San Blas Islands of Panama and of course the canal. What? You say you want off the boat and want some dry land under your feet. Well, you are in luck. Leave your boat at Mario's Marina which is an Official Latitudes and Attitudes Harbor Hangout and enjoy some inland travel. A slip will cost you around US $200 per month. The exchange rate is around 7.5 quetzals to 1 US dollar and you will find Guatemala to be an economical country to visit. Guatemala has thirty some volcanoes and impressive mountain scenery. Steep hillsides and deep ravines are dotted with waterfalls and hot springs. There are swiftly flowing rivers with whitewater rapids. Small Maya villages with their residents resplendent in traditional colorful dress dot the countryside between larger colonial towns. There is the jungle area of the Peten where the spectacular Maya Ruins of Tikal are located. There are rain forests and cloud forests and one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lago Atitlan. At present Captain Freya Rauscher's "Cruising Guide to Belize and Mexico's Caribbean Coast including Guatemala's Rio Dulce" is the premier guide to the area. It is rumored that a new cruising guide of this area is soon to be released by Steve Pavlidis. If we can help you just let us know. Bob & Trish M/S BARNACLE Breaking News Charles Bradfield has had to abandon his boat - opening the seacocks - and saving his family. the first part of the story: Return trip from Tonga - a brief account of the circumstances that have led to our rescue at sea and the scuttling of our yacht CARENZA. (the dates and times were extracted from the ships log, from our blog site and from memory) The long range plan is to head from Tonga to Minerva Reef (North or South Depending on Circumstances), then to use the Trade Winds to go to Position: 30°00'S 172°30'W, then use the prevailing westerly to south westerlies to head for the New Zealand coast. Our intention to make landfall at Auckland as our primary target or to bail and make for Opua in bad weather. Wed 24/06/09 12:15hrs NZST - weighed anchor in Tonga. Wed 24/06/09 18:10 Position:21°20'S 175°41'W Heading 220°T 6.5kts Wind 25 SE Swell 4m SE sea confused Thurs 25/06/09 07:00 Position: 22°07'S 176°49'W Heading 220°T 8kts Wind 25 SE Thurs 25/06/09 19:00 Position: 22°58'S 178°03'W Heading 225°T 6.5kts Wind20-30kts ESE Friday 26/06/09 07:00 Position: 23°49'S 179°00'W Heading 220°T 6kts Wind 15 ESE Friday 26/06/09 09:30 Position: 23°56'S 179°06'W Anchored South Minerva, left S Minerva 12:00 Friday 26/06/09 19:00 Position: 24°23'S 179°45'W Heading 230°T 5kts Wind 10-15 ENE Swell mild sea Blog entry by Charles for Friday: We're nearly back in the Eastern Hemisphere. Made South Minerva at about 9.30 am winds were blowing a good 20 to 30kts with a lumpy sea. We dropped anchor and went for a swim and made the vessel shipshape. We changed the head sail from no 3 back to the number 2 and left by midday. It was great to show Josh this awesome spot albeit for only a short period. The weather however was not great and it was overcast but Josh enjoyed it. The wind has shifted to the North East and has slowed somewhat so the seas are not bad but we are presently under motor to try and keep our daily averages up. Mum took the opportunity to make dinner while in Minerva and we had a good breakfast of omelette sandwiches. We have been doing shift of 3 on 6 off but no one seems to be sleeping 6 hours so we will try 2 on 4 off tonight and see how it goes. The temperature has certainly dropped and the crew are wearing thermals under their wet weather gear. Boy, are they in for a surprise in a few days time. Could just make out Black Adder on the radio - they are very nearly home. We also hear from Robin and Rick on Endangered species they are happily in Musket cove - wish we were too. It was also good to keep an all important sked with Sunstone this morning to discuss weather with Tom.- we essentially will have a low approach as we arrive north of New Zealand and the winds will turn westerly then south westerly - hopefully we will reach the top of the North Island in time. It might also require us to make for Opua instead of Auckland but we will know closer to the time. Skipper Saturday 27/6/09 07:00 Position: 25°16'S 179°12'E Heading 230°T 6.5kts Wind 20 NE Saturday 27/6/09 19:00 Position: 26°05'S 178°15'E Heading 230°T 5.5kts Wind 10-15 NE Blog entry by Charles + Joshua for Saturday: Winds 10 to 15kts North Easterly, heading 230 true at a boat speed of 5 to 6 kts. We've had a reasonable day with a few showers - somehow this time the trip feels a lot slower and we are keen to be home. It's a long way. We are looking forward to a more northerly wind shift tomorrow and an increase in boat speed. This dead down wind sailing under head sail although easy has an unpleasant motion, and the kids have spent most of the day sleeping with the lethargy that comes with a bit of sea sickness. Skipper Its true time goes quite slowly, it seems there are only 3 things to do on board, sleep, stare aimlessly at the empty horizon or cough up your guts overboard. Not quite, but the days just seem to plod by. Dads been great, picking up our slack when we sleep, and is reading Ella Enchanted to keep us entertained. However it is frustrating to know we will only be home in a week. I'd better find something to do or I might loose my mind :P Missing home a lot, although it is good to be with my family. Josh (with Emma over my shoulder) Sunday 28/6/09 07:00 Position: 26°52'S 177°10'E Heading 230°T 7kts Wind 20 NNE Sunday 28/6/09 19:00 Position: 27°42'S 175°59'E Heading 230°T 6kts Wind 25 gusting 40 N Still running under headsail only Monday 29/6/09 07:00 Position: 28°25'S 174°56'E Heading 230°T 6kts Wind 20-25 WNW Triple reefed main and storm jib Monday 29/6/09 19:00 Position: 29°19'S 174°04'E Heading 200°T 6kts Wind 30 gusting 40 Swell 4-6m, sea rough Tuesday 30/6/09 07:00 Position: 30°16'S 173°49'E Heading 180°T 4kts Wind 20-30 SW Blog entry by Joshua for Tuesday: Tuesday 30th June 2009 Position 30deg 57min South, 173deg 53min East Boat speed 5-6kts, bearing 175deg true Beating windward for 3 days in winds of 20-30 knots gusting 40plus, swells of 4 to 6 meters, have seen the odd ten meter one, waves continually breaking over and flooding the cockpit. Currently 360 Nautical Miles from Auckland, with the weather unlikely to change, we are all feeling sick, but surviving. Josh Sometime midmorning while Joshua(18) and Thomas (13) were on watch we came over a large wave and landed with such force that: All the drawers came open two new fractures through the main bulkhead (forward in the Saloon) were clearly evident. These fractures where on the port and starboard lower sides of the doorway to the forward compartment. A damage inspection revealed no obvious rigging damage but a new hairline fracture in the forward area between the hull and keel stub was noted - there was no water leak and no other evidence of it opening during movement of the yacht to the waves. Tuesday 30/6/09 14:30 Position: 30°57'S 173°53'E Shortly after 1700 hours Approximate Position: 31°02'S 173°59'E Over 6 hours later when Joshua and Thomas were back on watch ( our watches on board were 3 on 6 off) were experienced another very severe fall off a wave and a large smash. I was alerted by the watch that the mast had collapsed. I immediately instructed all crew to put life jackets on and prepare to abandon ship should the situation deteriorate. We got out the bolt cutters and prepared to remove the rigging: Assessment: We were at this stage still running with the triple reefed main, storm jib on the inner forestay and a small amount of unfurled working jib - enough to keep the boat speed up to 5 to 6 kts in order to allow us to maintain control of the vessel in the heavy seas. We had both travelling back stays secured. The boom had fallen over the port side of the cockpit missing Thomas by a few inches only: Most of the stanchions on the port side had been broken as were the lifelines The mast had broken in 3 places Keel stepped mast broken just 18 inches above the deck. A 6 foot section still attached to the gooseneck of the boom The remaining portion of the mast (some 13 meters of mast section) was vertical in the water from just above deck level. All rigging appeared intact The halyards inside the mast section were all intact The mast section had fallen to the port of the vessel - we were on a starboard tack and the vessel had now been blow over the rigging which was now under the keel The rigging was however stable and we were effectively hoved too drifting at a rate of 0.5 kts to leeward. None of the crew were injured. A new crack in the main forward bulkhead had developed in the starboard upper section of the door way. (see photo) The hairline crack in the keel stub/ hull joint now extended a good 12 inches to port and starboard - however there was not water leak or visible movement The seating structure in the saloon against the forward bulkhead had now shifted nearly an inch aft. We had lost use of our HF radio (back stay antennae in the water) We had lost the use of the VHF (mast antennae in the water) Viable options: Remove the rigging and attempt to free the vessel and attempt to continue under motor. - we would still need to possibly obtain more diesel to complete the trip as the 200 to 300 nautical miles we would need to travel was on our limits of remaining diesel. We would however be still in a vessel that was not structurally sound with potential issues with the integrity of the hull. We would still have to travel to windward in a rough sea and continue damaging the already damaged vessel - see above. The mast was presently stable and any attempt to move it might result in us putting a hole through the side of the yacht. We could at this stage activate a May Day and remain safely with vessel until rescue. We have a crew that is in reality fatigued, and still children after all. We have no confidence in our vessel anymore due to structural damage. This call would however mean that we would have to abandon the vessel in international waters. The weather was calming but further gales forecast. After the above assessment I elected to choose the option of rescue and to abandon the vessel for the sake of my children. I believe had I taken the option to save the vessel and one of my children had come to serious harm or even death that I would have been found culpable in any New Zealand court for putting the vessel above the welfare of the crew. With sad heart I then instructed my son Matthew to activate the epirb and we initiated the sequence of events that resulted in our eventual rescue and the scuttling of our vessel. Mayday and Rescue: ... to be continued in the next issue of the newsletter "From the Crow's Nest" (Editors' Bit) My "away" travels took a turn for the worst and I got snagged by Family Issues - so the fun bit is still to come. I am currently in Cape Town until 16th July when I will be returning North again - probably for another 2 months. In my absence the AGM will take place - as listed above - so hopefully all's well that ends well. Due to my current absence's and the fact that next year I will be returning to USA just before hurricane season to search for another boat means that my usefulness to the TBA is minimised. I have offered to the committee to continue in my current roles as Treasurer/Purser and Editor until some-one better suited takes over the reins. I am still a keen member of the TBA and hope to see you all at the next meeting I get to. Kris Steyn (editor) Previous Newsletter