The Dragonflies are Dead

The dragonflies are dead and the sparrow and grasshopper are missing. I guess I have to do this circumnavigation all by myself now.

It appeared I was all alone when another bird flapped its wings and sat on the starboard runner. Wednesday evening passed in the company of this creature which shifted its perch as I moved about the boat. For a change, its fear was not infectious because I had a breeze and the breeze wanted to stay up and I wanted to eke out every bit of speed I could.

Thursday morning saw another windless spate. Friends have been sending in their wishes. Though they don’t seem to be doing any good, they do keep me in good humour. Swapnali sent the picture of a turbine and Badresh has promised to eat more beans. A passing ship rigged up a fan at its bow and positioned itself two hundred metres from my stern. Savitha sent a poem a poem from Sweden.

Wind On The Hill
No one can tell me,
Nobody knows,
Where the wind comes from,
Where the wind goes.
It’s flying from somewhere,
As fast as it can,
I couldn’t keep up with it,
Not if I ran.
But if I stopped holding
The string of my kite,
It would blow with the wind
For a day and a night.
And then when I found it,
Wherever it blew,
I should know that the wind
Had been going there too.
So then I could tell them,
Where the wind goes…
But where the wind comes from
Nobody knows.
(A.A. Milne)

It has been battle stations ever since the wind died. At first I took it casually hoping wind would catch up. By the second day I was worried and ever since it has been battle stations. A permanent lookout was posted whose only job was to lookout for tell tale ripples announcing the arrival of fresh breeze. Sails would be hoisted at the slightest hint and dropped before the swell could do any damage. With the A3 up, sleep became even less. A 3 knot breeze would be attended to with the same respect as a 30 knot gale.

I can now tell why early mariners were so superstitious. They needed to live with what was thrust upon them and there was nothing much in their hands once they were at sea. All they could do was wait and hope.

Friday was a different day. It saw the sea stir up a breeze that allowed me to chug along at 3-4 knots all day. I made some distance good and turned landward so that I could take advantage of better breeze in the Palk Bay, whenever I get there.

Urmimala meanwhile busied herself to give an illustration of what my position appears to her. She ended up producing another fantastic (she says it is still incomplete) illustration. She sees me passing the Malabar coast following the paths of traders who often visited for spices. It reminded me of an interesting message from a Colonel from Brazil who had visited the boat in Goa. He compared our voyage from Goa to Brazil as reversing the route of Cabral who accidentally discovered Brazil and South America while retracing the voyage of Vasco da Gama to India.

The law of averages will catch up for sure. There is plenty of winds in store up ahead but till then I wont mind the tail end of a cyclone.

Meanwhile here is a video on how to rig up the A3 in light winds all by yourself.

Rigging the A3

Becalmed, but where is the chopping board?

The first three days out of Mumbai was a dream run. There was wind on the quarter (for a change because I am known for my jinx with headwinds) and the course and speed were just perfect. We were quickly putting distance between us and the coast and in a couple of days time we were 300 miles away from Mumbai and the noise of shore and landmines of fishing nets.

Things began to change by the third day when it became apparent that Nilam was dying. The breeze slowly went down scale as I dug myself deeper into a windless hole. We did only 120 miles that day. I tried to keep up boat speed changing sails as often as I could. But even hoisting the 2000 square feet A3 did not improve things much. We have been becalmed the last couple of days.

Light winds offer a peculiar condition. Even with a mild swell, the sails thrash about and it becomes imperative that I take them off lest they tear before crossing the Equator.

Raising and lowering the main sail is never easy. You could ask anyone who has come for a day sail with us. Hoisting 100 kilograms over  a seven storey building on a hot day with your bare hands can leave one terribly exhausted. And I have been doing that something like three times a day on average. The genekar is something I have rigged only with a crew of three assisting me, but the last few days I have been doing that alone. With all this, I am managing a meagre 40- 50 miles a day. Hopefully things should change soon. As they say, wind can blow only in one direction in the North Pole. For me, its just a matter of time.

How badly are we becalmed? Here is an example. I woke up this morning to find a sea and sky that were merging at a horizon that was indistinguishable from one another. It was like living inside of a cotton ball. Yesterday the sea was so calm in the evening that there were stars in the ocean and you couldn’t tell which was was up and which way was down. Not a whiff of wind, not a ripple in the sea.

On the other hand, I have managed to catch up on sleep.  I also had my first bath in four days (in sea water of course!). The water maker, which is a bit iffy at the best of times, was tested and satisfactorily made “fresh” water after a bit of cajoling. I was subsisting on fresh fruits and vegetables till now but yesterday I took out some potatoes and boiled them. With the dried fish pickles that came from grandfather, the potatoes tasted well! Today morning was brown bread sandwich of peanut butter and banana.

Bad news though. It was only when I was trying to cut the potatoes that I realised that we have no chopping board on the boat. I will have to manufacture one now. On the flip side, I have an excess of one grasshopper, one sparrow and two dragonflies. Its just my bad luck that they don’t make for good chopping boards.

Meanwhile, Neha from Nat Geo sent in a link to the story she did on the Mhadei. Great pictures there and a great article… read on!

http://www.natgeotraveller.in/magazine/get-going/cape-crusader
Maybe you should just buy a copy. Its well worth it.

Sunday?

One good thing about a solo circumnavigation is that you don't have to worry waking up early morning and going to office. I hear today is a Sunday.

The run up to the departure had left me fairly exhausted. We had about nine days in Mumbai but it was so hectic that any memory of Goa and the sailing to Mumbai was completely obliterated. On a good day, I would get about five hours of sleep. I was so well exhausted that I hardly realised how events flew by.

Departure finally happened on the 01st of November as per plan with a cyclone brewing in the eastern coast. There was an overwhelming crowd that came to see the cast off, and those who could not be there saw me off from afar with their wishes. National Geographic Traveller India came with the first 100 copies of their November issue. Many who received these copies came to me for an autograph on the page in which the Mhadei was featured. Taj sent a couple of pizzas that I relished for two full days after the cast off. There were many who came with cards and gifts of books but among them was a person I did not meet and whose face I might never know. Realising that he would not get access into the visitors area and a chance to meet me, he handed over a talisman to an officer in uniform. I have it safely with me and I will be taking it around the world. Whoever that person was, I would want to meet him when I come back.

It was a welcome surprise to see Lord Varuna who came down in person to see me off with a wish of fair winds and following seas and a gift of conch.  Perhaps these terms have little significance to the modern day mariner but for a sailboat there is no better wish.

The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief finally accorded permission to my request to circumnavigate the globe. But before the lines were undone, he gave me a pair of binocculars and a sea cap, and wished that I would do the navy proud. Warships had lined up in column and men had formed up on their sides who raised their caps with slogans of “Victory to the Navy and Victory to Mhadei”. The CinC’s barge with the CinC and Adm Awati, two RIBs with Cdrs Donde and Patankar and Ratnakar, one boat full of press and two sailboats, one of them with Capt (Retd) Homi Motivala followed me all the way out of the harbour.

By the fairway buoy, the main was set and when the last of the spectators had peeled off, a breeze trickled in and the engine was shut. The boat soon settled in sync with the familiar rhythm of the wind and waves. For the mild breeze her speed was not disappointing and I shaped a course away from the coast, away from land and away from the noise of daily life. By the night of the second day we had crossed Angria Bank and on the noon of the second day we were crossing our home port and the mouth of the Mhadei River.

It was only after engaging the autopilot after the fairway buoy that I realised how exhausted I had been. The last two days I have done nothing but sleep. Thankfully, there has not been much traffic and the wind was a mild and steady breeze from the north west. Cyclone Nilam, which I had hoped would give me fresh breeze, disappointed with a disappearing act. But then there are no complaints, for what could be good for me, might have wrecked havoc elsewhere.

From Here I Must Walk Alone

It has been a fantastic run up to the departure. People have come out in numbers with support. Almost every day I have had friends and strangers drop in with books and icons for the voyage. The more pragmatic ones kept us supplied with cool water, cakes, drinks and what not. My grandfather did his bit from his remote village in sending pickled dry fish. Admira Awati’s wife, and my adopted mother, sent bottles of ghee. Clea almost loaded me up with dehydrated veggies and other stuff to last the entire voyage. DFRL Mysore singularly contributed more than half the food that will be needed for the voyage.

Wishes have come pouring in from everywhere corner of the planet. The overwhelming number of phone calls and messages became too much for me to handle and I had to put up a notice apologising. Gaurav Shinde, who aims to be the first Indian to race around the world in a Clipper boat, had paid visit at Goa. A month later, he sent in his wishes from San Francisco from a sail boat. A young German boy who came aboard at Goa sent his wishes in a hand made postcard asking me to take it around the world and post it back to him when I get back to India. He signed off with a “Jai Hind”. Yet another naval friend, who is on the verge of retirement, called up to tell that it seems like a chapter out of the story books she has read in her childhood. A senior colleague in my  office has decided to grow a beard to show solidarity with the project.

Urmimala, a cartographer in her own right, gave expression to her emotions on paper and came up with some fantastic illustrations. She had almost made up her mind to fly down from Delhi and visit the Chatrapati Shivaji Museum to see a miniature model of the boat but was disheartened when she came to know that it had been shifted out since the last PFR. Friends that I have made have started having dreams of the boat with such regularity and lucidity that I fear they must be more concerned for me than they care to admit. Some of my friends have refused to be at the Gateway on the 1st of November because it would cause them too much emotional turmoil to see me off.

Vishal Sharma, who had sailed with us to Malaysia, took leave to come to work on the boat and prepare her, something for which I will always be grateful. The person who proved to be the most important and the most useful also turns out to the be most humble and the most unsung- Leading Seaman Mohammed Izhar Alam. He has singlehandedly kept the boat in good order during my absences and looked after her as if it were his own. Since the time he joined the boat, he has grown tremendously because of all the hard work he has put in. It is as if the term “Man Friday” was coined for him. I could not have asked for a better assistant ever.

Cdr Donde worked to prepare the boat, even harder than he had prepared for his own voyage. Not only did he get his hands greased and dirty, he also doubled up as a manager and staff officer, handling appointments and the much dreaded paper work. Ratnakar left all his business to dedicate almost five working days for the boat and its preparation. Cdr Donde’s mother, Meera, saved nearly a week of my time by sorting out all food that had arrived from different corners of the earth.

This has not been a one man show. I have mentioned only a few names but there are many many more. Those who could not contribute physically have sent in their wishes. It is heartening to note the amount of confidence people have in the boat, the Project and the Indian Navy. Adventure, definitely, is alive in the heart of every Indian.

But from now on, I must walk alone. It will be a solitary passage, but never a lonely one. You will get to hear from me at a lesser frequency than you have been and at times there will be stretches when you might not hear from me at all. In those times, do remember that I am possibly having a very good time!

Weatherwise, BVS!

 

Weather is serious stuff. If there is one thing outside of the boat that could make or break this voyage, it is the weather. You need to read it, interpret it, predict it and play it. One wrong decision could end up with you losing your mast or sanity.

One of the followers of the voyage asked about weather and weather prediction. I have been using BVS (Bon Voyage) for the last three years and I am more than impressed by their weather prediction abilities. They are so accurate in short term that I can set my watch to their predictions.

I asked Jerry Hale to tell my readers more about their software and weather prediction systems. He quickly sent a write up that has made even me sit up and take notice of how they go about their business of weather predicting. Read on!! (for the impatient, there is a video that should explain everything)

AWT appreciates the opportunity to provide some information to those following Abhilash Tomy on this circumnavigation of the world.

AWT is the leading provider of award-winning weather routing products and services. These include: BVS, the industry’s leading onboard voyage management software; GlobalView™ and Fleet Decision Support System, graphical, information rich shore-based fleet management service; as well as a variety of shore-based routing services.

AWT’s BonVoyage System (BVS) is an icon-driven graphical marine voyage optimization system that provides on-board and around-the-clock weather routing information. It has a sophisticated yet user-friendly interface, and is both comprehensive and cost-effective, making it an indispensable tool. Because of BVS’s ease of use, captains are more likely to take advantage of its capabilities. To view a video interview of captains about BVS, click here.

To minimize communication costs, BVS provides the vessel with the most current data by email in a highly-compressed format. BVS generates color-enhanced maps and graphics that allow the captain to easily view and interpret this data.

BVS has state-of-the-art features that place it far above other products. First, AWT enhances weather model wind, current, and weather data to provide highly accurate forecasts. With this data, BVS creates detailed forecasts that enable both tactical and strategic voyage planning. In addition, BVS provides an interactive tool that enables captains to avoid dangerous conditions and determine the best course of action to keep vessels safe. Through its advanced technology, BVS can also optimize voyage routes for time or fuel savings.

Effective weather routing depends on the quality of the data used to determine and predict weather conditions. Weather model data provided by government sources such as NCEP provide a good basis, but it falls short in terms of accuracy of results for tropical storms and the limitation of three-day forecasts.

To address these shortcomings, AWT transforms data with sophisticated, state-of-the-art wave modeling that produces more accurate results and 16-day weather forecasts that show storm trends and weather patterns. AWT modifies the raw model pressure and wind output in a number of locations to achieve the best results. For example, around tropical cyclones we make edits to the isobars around a tropical cyclone to better represent the actual wind speed. This wind data is used to initialize the wave model giving our clients the best possible data around these dangerous systems.

Above, the image on the left shows a raw data model depicting winds of only 50 knots and waves of 4 – 5 meters for a typhoon that in fact had winds of 125 knots. After AWT’s enhancement (on the right), the wind field is more accurately depicted with maximum winds of 125 knots and waves up to 14 meters.

Viewing High-Resolution Data

Not only is AWT data better, but it is also easy to visualize. With BVS, the captain can see high-resolution data in order to get a more accurate view of weather conditions in areas that are most critical to the voyage. When captains request weather data for a geographical area, they can specify regions within that area where they want to see detailed, high-resolution data. With high-resolution data, captains can better see weather and current conditions in the selected regions and take precise tactical action.

The example above shows standard wind data on the right region of the display and high-resolution data on the left.

The example above shows standard current data on the right region of the display and high-resolution data in the left.

Using high-resolution current data, captains can take advantage of positive currents and avoid adverse currents during a voyage. Even small course alterations can save substantial time and fuel.

Another area where AWT modifies the raw model data, to ensure the most accurate information, is around India. The southwest and northeast monsoon conditions are certainly the principle weather events that impact that region. In short, the monsoons are driven by air temperatures over Asia in relation to the sea temperatures. During the summer the air over east/central Asia is hot, the rising air creates surface low pressure drawing in moist air from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The flow in July and August can frequently bring the southwest winds up to Beaufort Force 8-10 across the western Arabian Sea.

The above image is taken from BVS showing an area of enhanced gale force monsoon conditions from 25 July 2012. As you can see in this image the core of the heaviest winds were over the far western Arabian Sea. The long fetch and duration of these conditions however allow significant waves of 4-5 meters to extend all the way to the coast of Pakistan and India.

On the other hand, in winter, when temperatures are cold over east/central Asia the air tends to sink creating surface high pressure. This prevailing area of high pressure results in a dry northeast wind across the waters surrounding India. Generally speaking the northeast monsoon does not generate the same wind strength as the southwest monsoon.

The periods of time between the southwest and northeast monsoon (April, May and June then September, October and November) are marked by light and variable conditions as the gradual transition from one primary wind flow to the other takes place.

While monsoon winds are clearly the primary influence on weather in the waters surrounding India, the impact of tropical cyclones can’t be over looked. Tropical cyclone activity is of concern mainly May through September through the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. In the Arabian Sea the concentration is highest in May/June then again in September. The intensity of the southwest monsoon can inhibit the development of cyclones in the Arabian Sea during the summer months. This region of the world is not the most active area for tropical cyclones but when they do form the impact can be catastrophic. Many coastal areas have extended low elevation plains extending far inland. This topography allows destructive storm surges to flood enormous areas when they come ashore.

BVS is under a continuous state of improvement to bring the latest science to our users. From India to Alaska and all across the globe we aim to provide quality information that mariners can use to make effective decisions. We are proud to support Abhilash Tomy on this circumnavigation of the world and look forward to his success.

 

Click here for the video

Goodbye Re, Goa!

The boat and I bid a final farewell to Goa and the River Mandovi on the 19th of October. It was a languid Arabian Sea we sailed into.

Goa had been as hectic as could be. Though contracted work finished well in time one must understand that work in the boat is mostly akin to that of a housewife- there is too much of it and it is endless. Thankfully, we have Ratnakar. Not only did he spare his men and his own time and advice, he also helped with stocking up the boat on essential spares too. He has even promised to make himself present at Mumbai a few days prior my departure to help is as many ways as he can. More than anything, he is a confidence booster.

Within days of our arrival at Goa, Cdr Donde joined us. It meant just one thing- a doubling of experience and tripling of working hands. He busied himself fault finding and chiding before getting his hand dirty with repairs. That is the kind of shore support one would need at this juncture and that is exactly what I have. Vishal Sharma, who had sailed with us to Malaysia had joined sometime in October and augmented the working hands.

It was on the 5th of the month that I had a couple of surprise visitors who had travelled all the way from Mumbai just to see the boat. Swapnali and Mugdha left a box of chocolates and a lot of wishes behind.

One of the weekends, Ratnakar and his friends threw a party to bid farewell. In the end they gifted me a tee shirt with personal messages from each and everyone present. Work carried on at hectic pace even as we did two sailings for media. There were India TV, India Vision, ToI, Nat Geo among others.

 

The following Sunday the boat was thrown open to visitors at the Captain of Ports Jetty. The response was nothing short of overwhelming and there was no moment when the boat was not filled to capacity. Visitors who came alone in the morning went back to get their family, friends and relatives. Children got brochures autographed and many adults got their tees signed. One of the visitors was a seven year old who left a hand made post card with directions to carry it around the world and mail it to him at the end of the voyage. No wonder, Goa is still a seafaring people at heart and I hope they remain so for ever.

On the 15th I had to travel to Delhi for a final round of briefing. It was an Air India flight which had a halt at Mumbai enroute. One of the naval commanders who was flying in the aircraft alerted the captain about my presence and he walked up to my seat to personally wish good luck for the voyage. That was followed by an announcement in the onward flight from Mumbai.

Truly, adventure is not dead in the hearts of Indians. I have not met with anyone so far from any walk of life who has been pessimistic about the voyage. If this is a sign of changing times, I am sure we will soon have a population that will play an active role in the resurgence of the country.

On the 19th we bid farewell to Goa and the River Mandovi that had been home to the boat for as long as we can remember. Weather predictions, as is the wont had changed suitably to gift me with relentless head winds. Neha and Ashima from Nat Geo and Mayank from the Sunday Indian formed part of the crew. Neha was an old hand for she has already sailed on this boat from Goa to Mumbai in 2009. As far as Ashima and Mayank are concerned, I do hope they enjoyed the company of the boat and the sailing as much as we enjoyed “Ashima’s company".

After testing almost every equipment on the boat in the two days she was at sea, she entered Mumbai for her final preparations. Till now we were counting days. Now we are counting hours.

 

The Docking Report

A crucial part of any boat's preparations is the dry docking she has to undergo. She is hauled out of water and a lot off work that cannot be attended to when she is in water gets a thorough look. We had planned a 15 day docking at a naval ship lift. The work package was minor and included a check of the underwater hull, a fresh coat of bottom paint and a change of underwater valves.

She came out of water on 15 September and the first thing we checked for were tell tale signs of movement of the keel. This was something so crucial that the voyage might have been called off if there was even the smallest evidence of cracks along the join of the keel to the hull. But then she is a well built Indian  boat and despite her 60000 miles her keel is still intact and well secured.

With that concern out of our mind we proceeded with the rest of our work. Her bottom was relatively clean but the stay in harbours and infrequent sailings in the last one year had left a think film of barnacles and other marine growth. They tend to slow down the boat a bit which could convert to a delay of days and weeks in a voyage of six months. We scrubbed and jet washed the bottom clean and applied five coats of anti fouling paint.

Possibly the only thing that sea cannot corrode is the human spirit. Everything else whithers away. Three years in the harsh  marine environment was long enough to corrode valves so much so that most of them had jammed. We replaced them before they could cause any further trouble. Similarly various leaks in the engine compartment had corroded its shock and vibration mountings. That took a bit of time because engine and shaft alignment went haywire with the new mounts. It was not something that we had expected and well prepared for.

All work happened with precision and in double quick time. The naval  ship lift carried out a very precise docking and undoubtedly this has been the safest dry docking of the boat till date. Things worked out so well that we did not need to stay out of water for the duration we had anticipated. By 26 September we were already on our way to our usual mooring in the Mandovi river .

With under 30 days to go work is on in full swing. The throttle has been pushed all the way and late nights are going to be the rule. Cdr Donde has promised to join me now that things have moved into the proverbial last mile as far as preparations go. I am looking forward to his presence for no one knows the boat better than him and possibly there is no one better qualified in getting her ready for a non stop.

Check out her hull underwater.. http://youtu.be/gTIl8I4gPpI