Off to Ezhimala

It had been a hectic couple of days. As is the wont the Navy made available money for the voyage in such a manner that I had only two days to prepare. I did as best as I could which meant that I had to do the running around myself  because of a crew that had no experience in such matters. Things did fall in place by the end of the second day although there were minor glitches. The inmarsat terminal refused to work and along with it the   primary lapotop of the boat too knocked off. I think I will have then bith checked at cochin where I will be halting for a lli Ger duration.

We cast off by about half past four in the evening after a brief farewell over tea and snacks. We were seen off by Adm Hari Kumar, Commandant of the Naval College of Warfare and a host of families from Mandovi.

As we left harbour, we sailed into a dying sea breeze that had shifted north westwards and by the time I had the main sail up we were as close to Aguada as we could ever get. The dying breaze shifted to the right and we shaped a course seaward, so much so that  by midnight we were forty miles out and robbed of any wind.

We have either been motoring or motor sailing ever since and should make it to INA by evening today.

Meanwhile

In the meantime, two more sailors have reported to the boat.

Their names are Solanki and Balvant. While the former is and ND rating, the latter is an ordnance sailor.

I plan to take them out sailing as often as I can. Better they are trained at least in methods of rope handling and reefing.

Look!

Look! What have we done to our oceans. There is all sort of much in water these days. Here is the picture of flotsam that entangled in my rudder and prop blades. Luckily, I checked if the engine was clutching in OK just before I cast off the lines.

 

Imagine casting off and realising that the engines wont work, nor would the rudder.

 

The sea

"There is a witchery in the sea, its songs and stories, and in the mere sight
of a ship...which has done more to man navies and fill merchantmen
than all the pressgangs of Europe." -Richard Henry Dana

Capt Sharma Calls Me Jim

Capt Sharma Calls Me Jim. This despite my correcting him at each instance which is quite often.

It does not annoy me one bit though for Capt Sharma, now CLOGO SNC, is a person who has kept his promise.

He had made an appearance on board the boat during one of his visits to Mandovi on a tour of inspection. It impressed him much- the boat, her voyages and her stories of solo sailing- that he promised to do something.Within days of returning to Kochi, he parcelled a bag of meals developed by DFRL for me to test and use in the improbable circumnavigation.

May his numbers multiply even as they call me Jim or by any other name.

On the flip side a rat had taken up temporary residence in the boat unknown to me. By about two in the morning today it had started on it's nightly prowl and I had to act. In a Spartan boat as the Mhadei it was not an impossible task. But having located it, it was becoming quiet impossible to lead the rodent out. Half an hour later, and concerned by the possiblility of wrecking havoc on the electricals, I took the call to kill it.

Which is what I did.

I have been feeling pretty terrible all day long. One must never look into the eyes of something that has death written on it.

Just Another Drive

The PFR over, and most of my claims either resubmitted or in place, I headed out to Goa to base the Mhadei at Mandovi. Akshay, son of Cdr Kesari was with me for an experience sortie. It was a pleasant “drive” all the way back. I had expected to see, finally, some downwind sailing but there wasn’t any. The nil winds forced me to motor all the way back to Goa, not a very pleasant experience for a sailboat.

 

I am on leave for ten days and should be back with the boat by the 5th of Jan.

 

So long!

The arrival at the end

I have never sailed in the monsoons. The aura that was built up by colleagues did cause a bit of an apprehension but I have rounded the Cape of Good Hope and it could not have been any worse. The pilots say that the winds rarely exceed 25 knots, which is good sailing conditions for us. And it was indeed pleasant sailing, because the warm waters of the Arabian sea never stung you in the occasional spray, and a squall infested sky kept the sun away. Winds touched 40 knots once in a squall, but besides that the squalls were benign. I worked out a very conservative sail configuration which maintained speed in light winds and weathered the occasional gust well. Closing in on land brought in more traffic too- my AIS display at times showed upto 11 ships in vicinity. I cut across the 8 and then the 9 degree channels through the Lakshadweep Islands. The boat gobbled up the distance between Goa and herself in a rhumb line course on the steady westerly breeze. Though I did sight a couple of lighthouses on the Lakshadweep Islands, my first landfall was on the morning of 3rd June, when I sighted the hills of south Goa and north Karnataka. The voyage was coming to an end and it was not very good news. Land has its allures but once you have been at sea alone and for so long, it loses its lure. I was asked to go alongside a warship at the naval jetty on Zuari River, where Adm Awati, Cdr Donde and Ratnakar were present to receive us with chilled Coke and warm pizza.

 

I thought that was the end of a rather pleasant, fast and incident free voyage, but there was excitement lying in wait. By the time I finished the pizza and come out of the warship, the swell had caused the Mhadei to rip apart most of her mooring lines. Realising that it would be unwise for her to be left there overnight, Cdr Donde advised me to shift her to her old mooning at Mandovi. The entrance to the river is shallow at most places and the channel is narrow. It becomes even more difficult in the monsoons when the swell breaks into rollers close to the entrance. It was not easy entering in those conditions but we somehow managed and it appeared for a while that the worst was behind me. But the decision to make an approach on the jetty with the wind behind me proved to be a costly one. The boat refused to stop even with significant reverse thrust and I had to make another approach. In the bargain one of the springs became entangled in the propeller, rendering the engine unusable. A RIB was soon despatched to tow us back but the winds were in command, pushing us to a shallow patch and eventually grounding us. Another RIB was despatched to help us out of the situation. I passed the anchor to her with the intention of heaving ourselves out but the anchor cable promptly got entangled. Both the RIBs continued their efforts for at least a couple of hours before she could be freed. It had been a long and tiring day.

Early in the morning, divers managed to free the propeller and a cursory inspection did not reveal any damage. It was with much relief that I attended the formal welcome arranged for us later that day by Capt Prakash.

 

The Mhadei now lies peacefully in her usual mooring at the Mandovi. We have finalised a work package for to prepare her for the bigger voyage. The second part of the refit will begin in a week or so and I am looking for a much needed vacation.