This is the doldrums
Hooch sending a message home
it might rain in a bit
Email from the boat to shore:
From: OmanTri
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:52:02 -0000
To: update
Subject: welcome to the doldrums
The doldrums are somewhere you have to go to get to where you are going,
you’d only go there once just to see what it was like, but each round the
world attempt has two doldrum crossings – for those chasing an existing
record they can be the make or break of it. For us setting up a new record
time, we’ll always be able to say ah but we had the doldrums bad on the way
back. That’s what it feels like now – that we have the doldrums bad. in
reality this is what the doldrums is – to have it bad we’d have to be here
for a week, and we have only had it for 14hours or so. Such is the quick
changing of the place that yesterdays fair to good predictions have become a
tough crossing. Right now, an hour after dawn has broken there is a
landscape of rain coulds around us for 270 degrees. These mainly are sucking
up wind, and leave very little behind making for huge light patches and
rain. The good news if there is any is that the ramaining 90 degrees of
clearer sky is broadly ahead of us. So heading North will eventually take
us into new breeze from the NW and we’ll be away. Just an hour into the
calms yesterday we did have a light NW wind, and although we knew that it
would not be the wind we were waiting for, it was at least something to hope
for! Sure enough it changed a few mins later and normal service was resumed.
Day 61 of food bags is back to warm weather food, as the food is based on
the 80 day pace boat ( she is still coming out of the south) we are well
ahead of schedule, but have decided to stick to the days as they come, but
it does mean that today we get slightly smaller meals ( less kcal) and
some light weather breakfast things – Krisproll dried bread rolls are back
on the menu, and tomorrow everyone’s favorite snack makes a reappearance,
Biltong, dried meat, great to chew on, great to add to now familiar tasting
freeze dried food. and a new bag of Alpen cereal. Hooch has a new recipe for
making that his number one breakfast, alpen, hot water and powdered milk.
After the previous night’s flying fish, Mohsin used the light airs to drop
the fishing lure into the sea. nothing we believe our lure only works on
Kiwi fish. There have been a few sea birds passing us by, but apart from
that no other sea life for a while. Loik and I were rememebering the
doldrums near to Singapore, and agreed they were much the same, however here
there are no fishing boats, where as in Asia there was more than you could
count. I guess as we close on muscat we’ll see more life at sea, we have
seen a couple of container ships, but that has been it.
Ok back on deck, move the tiller from side to side, and pull on the sheets,
and ease them again in the vain hope of catching some breeze to move us
forward N, to Muscat!!!!!
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:52:02 -0000
To: update
Subject: welcome to the doldrums
The doldrums are somewhere you have to go to get to where you are going,
you’d only go there once just to see what it was like, but each round the
world attempt has two doldrum crossings – for those chasing an existing
record they can be the make or break of it. For us setting up a new record
time, we’ll always be able to say ah but we had the doldrums bad on the way
back. That’s what it feels like now – that we have the doldrums bad. in
reality this is what the doldrums is – to have it bad we’d have to be here
for a week, and we have only had it for 14hours or so. Such is the quick
changing of the place that yesterdays fair to good predictions have become a
tough crossing. Right now, an hour after dawn has broken there is a
landscape of rain coulds around us for 270 degrees. These mainly are sucking
up wind, and leave very little behind making for huge light patches and
rain. The good news if there is any is that the ramaining 90 degrees of
clearer sky is broadly ahead of us. So heading North will eventually take
us into new breeze from the NW and we’ll be away. Just an hour into the
calms yesterday we did have a light NW wind, and although we knew that it
would not be the wind we were waiting for, it was at least something to hope
for! Sure enough it changed a few mins later and normal service was resumed.
Day 61 of food bags is back to warm weather food, as the food is based on
the 80 day pace boat ( she is still coming out of the south) we are well
ahead of schedule, but have decided to stick to the days as they come, but
it does mean that today we get slightly smaller meals ( less kcal) and
some light weather breakfast things – Krisproll dried bread rolls are back
on the menu, and tomorrow everyone’s favorite snack makes a reappearance,
Biltong, dried meat, great to chew on, great to add to now familiar tasting
freeze dried food. and a new bag of Alpen cereal. Hooch has a new recipe for
making that his number one breakfast, alpen, hot water and powdered milk.
After the previous night’s flying fish, Mohsin used the light airs to drop
the fishing lure into the sea. nothing we believe our lure only works on
Kiwi fish. There have been a few sea birds passing us by, but apart from
that no other sea life for a while. Loik and I were rememebering the
doldrums near to Singapore, and agreed they were much the same, however here
there are no fishing boats, where as in Asia there was more than you could
count. I guess as we close on muscat we’ll see more life at sea, we have
seen a couple of container ships, but that has been it.
Ok back on deck, move the tiller from side to side, and pull on the sheets,
and ease them again in the vain hope of catching some breeze to move us
forward N, to Muscat!!!!!
Second email from the boat:
one from Hooch:
From: hooch
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:27:26 +0400
To:
Subject: Uodate from Hooch
Hello again, this time from a much warmer, drier climate. After a few days
making excellent progress north in the indian ocean south easterly trade
winds, we have now come to an abrupt halt at the doldrums where we currently
have little wind to continue progressing north.
It seems like only yesterday that I was writing an update on our way south
through the doldrums and commenting on the intense heat. Well its just as
hot this time and so much has happened since! Patience is the name of the
game again as we wait for the
wind to settle and increase. Its all to easy to get frustrated when you
aren’t moving quickly, unfortunatley that is what sailing is all about,
making the best of the conditions you have. Without this postive element to
our attitudes we would surely go mad, especially as we are set for the same
conditions for at least another 24 hours, maybe more.
So then as we make our way back to Oman north of the equator we will again
encounter light winds. So, it feels like we are so close yet we still have
perhaps another two weeks at sea and it looks like we will miss the England
v France six Nations rugby game. Alough I’m sure Martin Johnson and the boys
will do the job!
Also thanks again for the messages that we receive from the website. Its
overwhelming how many people have been following us.
So, I leave you with the thought of us in shorts and tshirts doing what we
can to do deal with life in the sun and the heat, whilst also staying
focused on reaching
our ultimate goal.
Hooch
From: hooch
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:27:26 +0400
To:
Subject: Uodate from Hooch
Hello again, this time from a much warmer, drier climate. After a few days
making excellent progress north in the indian ocean south easterly trade
winds, we have now come to an abrupt halt at the doldrums where we currently
have little wind to continue progressing north.
It seems like only yesterday that I was writing an update on our way south
through the doldrums and commenting on the intense heat. Well its just as
hot this time and so much has happened since! Patience is the name of the
game again as we wait for the
wind to settle and increase. Its all to easy to get frustrated when you
aren’t moving quickly, unfortunatley that is what sailing is all about,
making the best of the conditions you have. Without this postive element to
our attitudes we would surely go mad, especially as we are set for the same
conditions for at least another 24 hours, maybe more.
So then as we make our way back to Oman north of the equator we will again
encounter light winds. So, it feels like we are so close yet we still have
perhaps another two weeks at sea and it looks like we will miss the England
v France six Nations rugby game. Alough I’m sure Martin Johnson and the boys
will do the job!
Also thanks again for the messages that we receive from the website. Its
overwhelming how many people have been following us.
So, I leave you with the thought of us in shorts and tshirts doing what we
can to do deal with life in the sun and the heat, whilst also staying
focused on reaching
our ultimate goal.
Hooch
Weather Router’s advice:
From: Commanders’ Weather
To: Charles Darbyshire , Musandam ,updateoman
Subject: weather
Date: 10/03/2009 12:42:25
To: Charles Darbyshire and the crew of
ìMusandamî
From: Commanders Weather Corp
Event: sail around the world
Last Position: 12 09s/62 12e at 1200utc Tues, Mar 10
Prepared: 1230utc Tuesday, March 10, 2009
SummaryÖ
It continues to look painfully light for the next few days
1) Sat pics show some clouds/showers/squalls around and to the S of where
you are and then not much in the way of clouds from about 12s-9s
a) another area of clouds along with showers/squalls is between 7-9s
2) Light ENE and NE flow likely to become more N and then NW as you get past
this 1st cloud area and may get a little more consistent for a time ñ at
least hopefully
3) However, the breeze still looks very light and may get some large
oscillations along with some light and variable conditions at times
a) this especially so after 08utc Wed
4) Basically, it is hard to get a handle on any reliable wind direction and
any consistent wind speed
a) looks like flow will become NW for a time then will oscillate from the
NW to NE
5) Will also have to deal with the next batch of clouds and embedded showers
around 9s which will also cause wind to be rather fickle/shifty
6) Wind looks to become more NE to ENE to the north of 5S and may be a
little more consistent
Routing
Figure to try and come more NE when wind NW and more NNW to N at other times
– Do the best you can to get north with the wind you have ñ some estimated
positions below
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, and time is UTC
Tue, Mar 10
18: 340-310/ 5-10 – breeze may be a little more consistent for a time
WeatherÖA couple early showers then partly cloudy.
Seas variable at 2-4 feet
Wed, Mar 11
00: 310-330/ 5-10
06: 310-340/ 5-10
12: 320-350/ 4-7, near 10S/62 35E
18: 040-060/ 5-9
WeatherÖPartly cloudy. NW-N seas 3-5 feet
Thu, Mar 12
00: 340-010/ 4-8
06: var <5
12: 320-340/ 7-12, near 7 50S/62 25E
18: 300-330/ 5-10
WeatherÖVariable clouds with scattered showers/few squalls.
N to NE seas of 3-5 feet
Fri, Mar 13
00: 270-310/ 5-10
06: 320-340/ 5-10
12: 330-360/ 6-11, near 5S/62 55E
18: 030-050/ 5-10
WeatherÖVariable clouds, few scattered showers or a squall.
Seas of 3-5 feet or less
Sat, Mar 14
00: 060-080/ 5-10
06: 040-060/ 6-11
12: 050-070/ 6-11, near 2S/62E
18: 060-080/ 8-14
WeatherÖPartly cloudy with a shower
Sun, Mar 15
00: 060-080/ 8-14
12: 050-070/10-15, near 1N/61E
WeatherÖPartly cloudy
Best regards, George Caras
—
PLEASE NOTE: AS OF JANUARY 1, 2008, OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS IS :
info@commandersweather.com
Commanders Weather Corp.
Tel: 603-882-6789
To: Charles Darbyshire , Musandam ,updateoman
Subject: weather
Date: 10/03/2009 12:42:25
To: Charles Darbyshire and the crew of
ìMusandamî
From: Commanders Weather Corp
Event: sail around the world
Last Position: 12 09s/62 12e at 1200utc Tues, Mar 10
Prepared: 1230utc Tuesday, March 10, 2009
SummaryÖ
It continues to look painfully light for the next few days
1) Sat pics show some clouds/showers/squalls around and to the S of where
you are and then not much in the way of clouds from about 12s-9s
a) another area of clouds along with showers/squalls is between 7-9s
2) Light ENE and NE flow likely to become more N and then NW as you get past
this 1st cloud area and may get a little more consistent for a time ñ at
least hopefully
3) However, the breeze still looks very light and may get some large
oscillations along with some light and variable conditions at times
a) this especially so after 08utc Wed
4) Basically, it is hard to get a handle on any reliable wind direction and
any consistent wind speed
a) looks like flow will become NW for a time then will oscillate from the
NW to NE
5) Will also have to deal with the next batch of clouds and embedded showers
around 9s which will also cause wind to be rather fickle/shifty
6) Wind looks to become more NE to ENE to the north of 5S and may be a
little more consistent
Routing
Figure to try and come more NE when wind NW and more NNW to N at other times
– Do the best you can to get north with the wind you have ñ some estimated
positions below
Wind directions are TRUE, wind speed in kts, and time is UTC
Tue, Mar 10
18: 340-310/ 5-10 – breeze may be a little more consistent for a time
WeatherÖA couple early showers then partly cloudy.
Seas variable at 2-4 feet
Wed, Mar 11
00: 310-330/ 5-10
06: 310-340/ 5-10
12: 320-350/ 4-7, near 10S/62 35E
18: 040-060/ 5-9
WeatherÖPartly cloudy. NW-N seas 3-5 feet
Thu, Mar 12
00: 340-010/ 4-8
06: var <5
12: 320-340/ 7-12, near 7 50S/62 25E
18: 300-330/ 5-10
WeatherÖVariable clouds with scattered showers/few squalls.
N to NE seas of 3-5 feet
Fri, Mar 13
00: 270-310/ 5-10
06: 320-340/ 5-10
12: 330-360/ 6-11, near 5S/62 55E
18: 030-050/ 5-10
WeatherÖVariable clouds, few scattered showers or a squall.
Seas of 3-5 feet or less
Sat, Mar 14
00: 060-080/ 5-10
06: 040-060/ 6-11
12: 050-070/ 6-11, near 2S/62E
18: 060-080/ 8-14
WeatherÖPartly cloudy with a shower
Sun, Mar 15
00: 060-080/ 8-14
12: 050-070/10-15, near 1N/61E
WeatherÖPartly cloudy
Best regards, George Caras
—
PLEASE NOTE: AS OF JANUARY 1, 2008, OUR NEW EMAIL ADDRESS IS :
info@commandersweather.com
Commanders Weather Corp.
Tel: 603-882-6789
A selection of pictures from today: