Xplore in the Drake Passage: 10 Feb 2009

How much can a Koala bear? This morning whilst I was hanging in my harness at the mast head 26 meters above sea level and being thrown around like a rag doll, I wondered how many more years I can take this crap. My hands were already frozen as the ascent had been a slow and tiring climb, Audrey and Serge were on deck managing the halyard which was my lifeline but their faces I couldn't see; my total focus was getting to the masthead and recovering the main halyard so we could rig and hoist the trysail, which is a replacement (very small) main sail. Yesterday had been a long and frustrating day, where the only words I could say to my crew Audrey -- who has been sharing the same watch -- was that I was fractious. I had just received news early in the morning from my father (who was meant to have joined us on this trip) that my stepmother was about to pass of cancer within the next few weeks. For 25 years she has been with my father, and I have spent time with them a few times in Darwin: a lovely lady who had come into my father's life at the right time for both of them. So yesterday, even though I knew we had to make sail changes and recover the halyard, I didn't have the emotional or physical energy to face it. The sea state had still been very lumpy, but maybe that was just me convincing myself that it was better to just sit out and wait for smoother seas and a little bit of personal energy. So back to the masthead: I know some crazy people who would pay for the experience at a masthead at sea, like in a carnival showgrounds ride: you pay 5 bucks and get the hell thrown out of you. The G-forces are quite extreme as the masthead whips from side to side and then back and forwards in such an unpredictable way, you just have to hang on for dear life like a Koala Bear !! With legs wrapped around the mast you can only slowly go from each spreader to spreader, a brief spell at each point to grab your breath; as any longer and you would lose your nerve and merely make the freezing process stretch out painfully longer. My biggest concern was that my hands weren't going to be able to be used to re-attach the halyard to a short strop connected to my harness so that I could drag in back down the mast on my descent. Another deep breath and I was ready to move down, the insides of my calf muscles were humming, the lactic acid from being clenched around the mast as my prime means of holding on while I attached the retrieval line. Audrey and Serge on deck weren't sure what I screamed to them, with blank faces they didn't know if needed to go higher, or was I in trouble ... for me I just wanted to get the hell off this sideshow ride! Down I needed and fast, but not too fast as each part of the descent I needed to un-attach the retrieval strop and pass it around the spreaders, then re-attach it and move on down. As I reached the deck, my body and face just slumped, I think a cardboard box full of cotton wool would have been perfect, my body ached and was so cold but we all had got the halyard down. Now it was time to warm up and plan for the next stage of manoeuvres. With an hour we were ready to go. We cleared the forepeak and prepared the trysail, new lines run and other modified to do the job, we changed over that pesky main halyard onto the head and up she went !! Woooo hooooo, a different flappy white thing -- haven't seen that one before. Next we prepared to change the No2 Yankee headsail for the larger No1, new sail flaked on deck, halyard ready to drop, we all crouched ready to receive the smaller sail onto the deck. Down she came and we all went at it like Rottweilers in a butcher shop. I had seen a cloud line on the horizon which could bring some not-needed extra wind which would only make the process much harder, but within 20 minutes we had switched headsails and were back on course. Now the waiting game could continue. We have all been so bored in waiting and watching the movement of this large low pressure system that now we were ready with our new armoury and a plan, we wanted it now, but no such luck as the winds within the centre of lows are weak, indecisive, and fickle (hence why I have the time to write this). The plan -- if it goes to plan -- is that we should get good fresh-to-strong winds from the SW as the low passes over us. This should give us good speeds in the desired direction of Cape Horn and then our entry into the Beagle Channel, but for now only time will tell when the winds will come. More news to come ~ Stephen

** Xplore loses main halyard in Drake Passage **

Shit Happens Well what was a smooth departure from Antarctica, with a good breeze and forecast, soon became a very careful game of chess for skipper Stephen and his team. At 2325 first mate Audrey went on deck to trim the main sheet as the winds had picked up, we had already reduced the Yankee and were sailing with four reefs in when the unexpected happened; after only a few turns on the main sheet Audrey saw the world collapse around her, the entire main sail went 'bang' and started flapping like a rag, then dropped to the deck and boom. Stephen at the nav table heard the squeals from Audrey and quickly popped up on deck to see that the main halyard had parted at the headboard of the main sail. With flaps and flakes of sail piled onto the boom in total disarray, Audrey and Stephen proceeded to lash the sail to the boom in not-so-easy conditions. Blowing in the 30's, luckily the sea state hadn't built into the washing machine that it could have; we were still on the continental shelf of Antarctica making any strong winds the recipe for large seas. We hung on and tidied the mess on deck, the halyard was at the top of the mast waving around like a school kid up a tree, 'come and get me down.' it was calling, but for the night the top of the mast was where it was going to stay. We slowly thawed out below as any wind and water in the south makes for cold, cold conditions; even though Audrey and Stephen are more than acclimatised to these temperatures, more than 10 minutes on deck means your hands and faces are freezing. We sat and talked about what had happened, and Stephen started to look at the ramifications to the careful course planning he had devised for the crossing. The key factors that effect Xplore now are as follows: Xplore has 1.75 tanks of fuel left onboard (approximately 500 liters). With minimum engine revolutions we will still use approximately six liters per hour. The sea state is still too rough for anyone to venture up the mast to recover the main halyard, let alone carry out a temporary repair. Seas and temperatures don't allow at present to change the No2 Yankee to the slightly larger No1. We currently have winds above 21 knots that means that under sail we can make 6.5 knots of boat speed which is quite reasonable, we have planned on making a minimum of 140 nautical miles per day to be able to position ourselves in the SW corner of the next monster blow that is already starting to show its first stages of building to the west. Whilst pondering options and plans on their first day-time watch today, Stephen and Audrey were watching the winds speeds slowly drop, and as the winds dropped the boat speed diminished. We sat and saw it tumble 5.9 - 5.4 - 5.1 ... oohhh God ... 4.9 ... Stephen was staring at the wind gauge and began talking to it, 'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh come on up you go Hewey! Please just a littler bit more, don't leave us this way, we love you and your strength!!!' Audrey by this stage knows that Stephen can be a little bit crazy but this was taking it to a new high: 'He's gone bonkers!' The next thing that Stephen said to the wind to encourage it was that he would sacrifice a 'Chocolate Hob Nob' to the seas as an offering !!! Audrey was mortified. Hob Nobs are the most prized cookies onboard, purchased from the Falklands -- we are already on the last packet, for Stephen to offer them away was treason. But always good to his promises, minutes later Stephen entered from the galley with one Hob Nob in hand and proceeded to exit the companion way and throw it to the winds and the sea. Audrey nearly wept: as a confirmed chocoholic this was terrible. We sat and watched the wind speed to see if Stephen's stupidity would work. 18.2 - 18.7 - 18.9 and then 19.1................ Yehhhhh, Audrey was gobsmacked, it had worked ! Our boat speed continued but if Hob Nobs were needed to continue motivating Hewey then we were going to need a truckload. We continued along, with average speeds enough for us not to have to use the motor and maintain a reasonable course. This crossing may be a slow one, more news to come ~ Stephen

Xplore departs Antarctica: 7 Feb 2009

A skipper's prerogative to change his mind We all were patiently waiting for the verdict on when we had a good weather window to depart the Pitt Islands and Antarctica. During the 5th it looked suitable for the next day, however fate and weather had their own cards to play, and on the morning of the 6th the GRIB files ( weather data file that show wind direction and strength, Gridded Reference in Binnary) told a different story. Not only did they show that a departure on the 6th would mean that we would have a strong blow mid-crossing, but it showed a monster low hitting the Tierra Del Fuego coast and Cape Horn with wind strengths over 60 knots. We had to have another plan. The next best option first looked like early on the morning of the 9th, so with looks of joy, we settled back down to enjoying Antarctica and the Pitt islands: team tobogganing races down the snowy slopes; zodiac cruising in an area which has a wealth of animal wildlife; and the chart survey team with Skipper Stephen continuing their rounds of the myriads of islands, trying to plot and chart this rocky mess of islands. By mid-morning of the 7th, we saw a change in forecasts and were able to make plans for a revised departure late in the day. Most of the boat preparations had already been done so some last minute extra 'sea-going food' was prepared. James and Stephen finished off the charting needed, with final depth soundings of the enclosed anchorage that Xplore had sat in for three days, as the entrance to this cove is probable the tightest that Skipper Stephen has taken Xplore or any other yacht through, and the soundings were to prove invaluable -- with forecasts of slightly stronger winds in the afternoon, we needed to position Xplore with precision, as water colour with wind on it doesn't show the hidden depths. With a plan, the entire team -- the shore line crew, zodiac crew and depth spotters -- pulled off a flawless exit. Xplore slipped through the narrow gap (15 meters wide) which has an 80 meter glacial overhang looming to tumble on one side and about fpur meters within the water for sideways tolerance ... you could hear the collective sigh of relief and the un-clenching of butt cheeks as the depth sounder started to rise and we emerged into deeper waters. The next hour was spent doing the final preparations for the Drake Passage. Zodiac deflated and stowed, shore lines away, anchor removed and everything 'ship shape' on deck and below. With winds in the low 20's from the NE we hoisted our main sail with three reefs and slipped away from this magical place. Soon the ocean swells and the heeling of the yacht took their toll and the happy faces of life on a flat horizontal plane started to change. The faces slipped away to their cabins as they knew the best position for getting your sea legs is in bed. Xplore and her core crew settled down to life again on the ocean waves. More news to come as we head north. ~ Stephen PHOTOS RICHARD LARONDE

Xplore in Antarctica: 6 Feb. 2009

Ed Note: Xplore was scheduled to leave Antarctica at 0500 6 Feb., however the weather was forecast to be on the nose for most of the passage, and up to 60k off Cape Horn, so Stephen has postponed departure up to three days. More to come.

Xplore in Antarctica: 5 Feb. 2009

Last report before we leave the Antarctic Peninsula [Ed note: dispatch in both French & English, below] Ce mercredi 4 fevrier le soleil nous offre un spectacle magnifique de la peninsule et ses glaciers (Hotine, Bussey, Trooz, Belgica...) mais l'air est vif et glace. La nuit nous a laisse 10 cm de neige sur le pont, et a blanchi encore et encore ces terres vierges. Le voilier quitte son nid douillet de Stella Creek de Argentine Islands pour se diriger sous moteur, trinquette et yankee, Sud Ouest vers les Pitt Islands, un groupe d'iles a l'extremite nord de l'ile Renaud (Biscoe Islands), nomme ainsi en l'honneur de William Pitt, British Statesman, en 1832. Nous nous dirigeons encore vers le Sud, vers ce cercle polaire antarctique, 66 degres 33 minutes, vers le jour eternel de l'ete austral. Mais nous savons que Pitt Islands seront notre ultime etape de cette expedition extraordinaire. Le voilier se faufile entre les rochers et les ilots de cet archipel. Steven ne connait pas encore le coin et les cartes sont vraiment imprecises. Steven trouve finalement rapidemment et facilement un mouillage bien au calme entre les petites iles, au 65 degres 26 minutes Sud et 65 degres 22 minutes Ouest. Steven projette l'idee de bien cartographier cette partie de l'archipel, entre l'ile Jingle et l'ile Weller. Nommes en 1959 en l'honneur respectivement de Alfred Jingle et de Samuel Weller, representes dans Pickwick Papers de Charles Dickens. Jeudi 5 fevrier au matin sous un beau soleil mais toujours aussi frais, en zodiac, Steven cartographie les environs immediats du mouillage, au crayon, main leve, cela ressemble a du L. de Vinci alors que Serge tente un crayonnage style P. Picasso abstrait, tout est histoire de style et d'experience... Nous decouvrons par la meme occasion une faune nombreuse de Fur Seals, Weddel Seals, Blue-Eyed Cormorants, Adelie Penguins, Antarctic Skuas, Antarctic Tern, Big Gulls... L'endroit est tranquille sans presence de voiliers ni de ferry-boats. James et Sonia terminent un bonhomme de neige et Simon et Julia nous trouvent une troisieme barbatte enorme. Cecilia chante et danse dans le zodiac pilote de maitre par Audrey a la decouverte des Fur Seals. Richard se transforme en boulanger et Steph en patissiere maison. Tout le monde profite de cette derniere journee antarctique. Demain, nous partons vers le Nord, vers la traversee du Drake, direction le cap Horn et Puerto Williams. Le barometre indique 1001 hPa, avec 41% d'humidite et 15,5 degres a l'interieur du voilier alors que la temperature exterieure oscille entre -2 et +8 degres Celsus. This Wednesday 4th February the sun offers us a magnificent view of the peninsula and her glaciers (Hotine, Bussey, Trooz, Belgica...) but the air is crisp and fresh. The night leaves us 10cm of snow on deck, and whitens even more those virgin lands that surround us. Xplore leaves her protected nest in Stella Creek in the Argentine Islands to motorsail to the South West towards Pitt Islands, in the northen tip of the archipelago of Renaud Island (Biscoe Islands). The Pitt islands were named by the explorer William Pitt who in 1832 discovered them and then when the British re-surveyed them again in the 1900's they adopted the tales of Charles Dickens to name the islands, hence why so many are named after charecters from his books. The voyage to these islands took us closer to the south towards the polar circle where the endless days, with constant light occurs at 66 degrees 33 minutes during the summer solstice of late December. Everyone though onboard knows that this last stop that we are making is the closing door to an incredible voyage of discovery that has taken us along the length of the normally navigable Antarctic Peninsula. As we enter the archipelago of the Pitt islands, the air is tense as skipper Stephen hasn't explored the island group and the navigation charts are basic to say the least; every corner, every island, is the difference whether the yacht floats or hits rocks as the coast line is littered with unpredictable outcrops of submerged obstacles. But Stephen finds quite quickly a nice, calm and protected anchorage to fit his 'fat English girl' in between all the little islands, at 65 degrees 26 minutes South and 65 degrees 22 minutes West. Stephen then suggested to chart the area of the archipelago, between Jingle and Weller islands, Dickens' characters in Pickwick Papers in 1959. Early in the morning on Thursday 5th February, with a nice but crisp sunshine, a team of four people led by Captain Stephen leave the boat with the zodiac and start drawing the surroundings of the anchorage with a pen and a sheet of paper. Stephen's drawing looks like a piece of art from Leonardo de Vinci, whereas Serge's looks more like abstract art, maybe from Picasso ... Style and experience often talk... Zooming around in the zodiac they also realize that the fauna is more abundant down here than in the northern part of the peninsula ... Fur seals, Weddel Seals, Blue-Eyed Cormorants, Adelie penguins, Antarctic Skuas, Antarctic Terns, Big Gulls... The place is quiet, without any other yacht or cruise ship. James and Sonia are just finishing a snowman, Simon and Julia find a third big fender. Cecilia sings in the dinghy - maybe to attract the fur seals, Richard turn himself into the official baker onboard and Steph bakes lovely sweet cakes. Everybody enjoys this last day in Antarctica. Tomorrow we will be heading North again, towards Cape Horn and Puerto Williams. The barometer shows 1001 hPa, with 41% of humidity and 15.5 degrees inside the boat whereas the outside temperature varies between -2 and +8 degrees Celsus. ~ Serge [Stephen reports the weather looks fair for the departure; they will decide after 'a good sleep' - Ed.]

Xplore in Antarctica: 4 Feb. 2009

Snow on the water, fire in the sky The last few days here in Antarctica have seen a myriad of changing conditions, weather, people and experiences. Xplore moved from the snug anchorage of Hovgaard / Plenneau island and made our way down to the Argentine islands in the southern end of Penola Straites. A short stop was made at Yalour islands where we were able to land to enjoy the "Daffy Ducks" of penguins - the Adelies - so comical and fun to watch; the team had a great afternoon watching their antics. With smiles on the faces of all, skipper Stephen set another one of his projects on the team ... 'Their Mission' -- if they decided to accept it -- was to take Xplore from the Yalour islands and enter the rocky low island archipelago of the Argentine islands, make passage through the narrow channels and complete the task with the yacht tied up in the inner mooring basin near the Ukranian station, known as Stella Creek. This was all to be done without Skipper Stephen onboard. First mate Audrey was a little stunned at first, once being given the brief, but with helping hands and a variety of knowledge she put the team together with a plan of action. Skipper Stephen headed off to Stella Creek to rig and prepare the shore lines and rock strops for their entry. Like all good team building exercises there is always going to be a bit of tension and friction, but this didn't faze Audrey and the crew. Skipper Stephen and one of the team in the zodiac returned back to the start of the inner channels to keep a close eye on progress from a distance. Seeing their yacht being tied up from off the boat is a bit like a mother watching her baby take their first steps without holding their hands: a little nervous, but with pleasure in the eyes as the team completed a smooth and uneventful passage. The Argentine islands have always been a special place for me to take clients as they have, if conditions are good, a wonderful labyrinth of ice caves within the islands. If snow and ice levels are good, dry and stable it is possible to enter the caves and follow the ice tunnels inside. Richard and Stephen made a first entry early in the morning to ascertain the conditions; being that we had had southerly winds from the previous two days, the caves were frozen and stable. We returned to the yacht and arranged for some extra ice crampons and picks from the Ukrainian station, who are always happy to help and assist. The sunlight during the day was magical and complete, a quiet stillness surrounded the entire Antarctic continent. Stephen took multiple groups through the caves during the day; being able to enter over 200 meters within the cave gave, to some, challenging climbing, for most of the team had never stepped on glacial ice, let alone gone under the ice in caves! Being inside glacial ice caves is a little like scuba diving without tanks: the ice filters the light to a soft blue, deep within the caves. The light can be dark, but as we traversed within, portal lights brought more light, to display cathedral ice columns and stalactites. Everyone was speechless, I have never seen the faces beaming like little sun rays so much. We finished ice climbing by 8pm; with an invitation to visit the Ukrainian station that evening, we decided it was necessary to delay dinner (bad mistake) until our return trip, as the stations work on strict times for visitors. What many don't realise is that the Ukrainians - apart from doing research and monitoring of climatology, ozone levels and ice conditions - they have also perfected the art of vodka making in their spare time !! As the base originally was an English base ( Faraday ) the previous tenants had constructed a perfect replica of an English bar. which just has to be seen to be believed: a pub with pull table, good music and a lot of vodka mixed with the crew and teams of two yachts made for one hell of a party ! Without too much detail, the party continued 'til midnight, when some very shaky legs needed to be guided back to the zodiac and then to Xplore. Boy it was lucky a few of the team were "Ship Shape" as we may have lost a couple in the drink ! Dinner happened late that night, but the effect of the vodka had taken its toll, many a sore head slipped off to bed for a very long sleep. More news to come as Xplore explores onwards. ~ Stephen

Xplore in Antarctica: 2 Feb. 2009

Check out Richard Laronde's recent blog postings from Xplore HERE.