News
July 19, 2019, 1530
From the expansive navigation area(ie; on deck) of Conviction. Here are a few odds and ends.
We passed a buoy a couple of days about 800 miles offshore. I am pretty sure it was not anchored. We were going 13 or so and it passed one boat length (50 feet) to windward and we did not see it until we were within a couple of boat lengths. We are glad that we did not ring that bell.
The boat captain decided to do some boat maintenance. So he emptied an entire can of dry lube on all the moving parts down below (there are lots). The crew members down below at that time experienced severe oxygen deprivation. They knew that no gas masks were available, so they evacuated the premises. I have never experienced an all hands on deck call that was as effective. Everyone feared lighting a match for the next few hours. Not much ventilation. One hatch.
Speaking of down below, there are some new terms for said area. The rain forest. The cave. The swamp, complete with the sightings and smells of swamp things. You get the idea. Most are sleeping in our foul weather gear. It may be drier on deck (and that is a fire hose). All boats leak, but there are surprisingly more leaks than usual on a tp 52. A bucket or so at a time is typical... usually in your bunk or duffle bag.
The food is surprisingly good. We have prepared food that is in individual portions in a seal a meal bag. Each bag is placed in the water pot (in salt water) and heated. Each crew member has a cup with their name on it with a spoon attached. The trick is to not get the cup dirty, so no dish washing. If you lose your cup, no worries, we have a spare labeled “dummy”
That is it for now... Lewie
July 19, 2019, 1330
From on board Conviction. On Monday, we had a crew member injured due to a fall across the cockpit, and stopping at the edge with his ribs. We believe there is at least one broken rib. We have been in touch with family members and others in the medical community. There is little treatment that can be administered other than standard pain medications and keeping immobilized as much as possible. The injury is not life threatening, but the discomfort is pronounced. A knockdown is not fun for anyone, but very painful for someone with broken ribs. As a result, our foot has been off the ‘gas pedal’.
Despite the above, our spirits are high as we sail to Hawaii.