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DAY 86
Wed May 30 22:43:29
2007 UTC - 11 13.83 S - 127 31.89 E
A great black cloud comes down on us, in a moment there will be a
shower and laundry. Even though I have a desalting device, I waited
for rain with the laundry; only here it’s apparent how much valuable
sweet water even the smallest laundry uses up. Yesterday the
generator was again short of breath, this old disease hangs over us
like a little monster almost from the beginning of the cruise. I
searched the engine a little and this time I concluded that this has
to be the pump providing fuel from the container. When the generator
slowed down, I turned on the small electric pump used for de-airing
of system and I unscrewed a screw for de-airing on the injection
pump, it wasn’t leaking any petroleum or air (the air I’m not sure
about) although in the filter, right before the flawed pump, the
pressure of fuel was great. It seems then that the damaged pump does
not give enough fuel to the injection pump. For now the generator
works, although I know that soon the problem will come back. I
decided that when that occurs, I will disconnect the damaged pump
from the system and in its place I will connect the electric pump,
which right now supports the heater of the cabin ... This should
solve the problem. There was much about pumps today in our Marine
Tales. The
Coast Guard
still checks on us everyday, but they stopped bothering us. Maybe
the wary Frenchmen a few days ago taught them not to ask questions
of orderly sailors cruising quietly far away from their shores...
DAY 85
Tue May 29 21:39:11
2007 UTC - 10 38.86 S - 128 55.96 E
After a long absence of fish, a little tuna fish finally got
caught on the gum worm. Me and Wacek had a feast yesterday, and
there is little left over today. It was not that little. I made
fillets cutting out carefully the parts around the backbone, where
blood gathers, the meat from this area is overly "fishy”. I
sprinkled the washed pieces with lemon juice, which softens the
faint taste of "fish oil", added some garlic salt, made some eggs
from powder and mixed them with the washed fillets, then I rolled
them in bread crumbs and 30 minutes after catching the fish it was
in the frying pan. We call such fish fresh fish. Even though it was
tuna, it tasted great; I haven’t had fresh fish in a while. After
catching it yesterday I took the "fishing-rod" out of the water,
today I will put it in again and ask Mother Ocean for more ... After
the great meal, when the batteries were loading I watched
"Terminator". Wacek sat down beside me, and he looked like he was
watching it too, at one point, when the Terminator appeared Wacek
started to gnarl at him ... Heheh, I laughed. It’s said that dogs
don’t see images on a screen. Yesterday the Coast Guard was calling
some French naval war craft for a good 5 minutes, but they ignored
them and didn’t answer. They called them from an aircraft which
later flew over us. They were probably on international waters and
decided not to bother with the Australian Coast Guard
DAY 84
Mon May 28 23:46:23
2007 UTC - 10 16.40 S - 130 19.39 E
We’re saying goodbye to
Arafura
and greeting the
Timor Sea.
Melodious, curiously sounding name,
Timor
reminds me of an ancient Asiatic warrior. If this is his new estate,
this let's hope that he entertains mermaids and won’t bother us,
besides Mother Ocean watches over us, he wouldn’t dare take out his
sword ...
Yesterday I installed the little
inverter,
so I wouldn’t have to turn on the big one, when I use the laptop.
Only from the simple fact that it’s on, it eats 1.5A in 24V, so 3A
in a typical 12V installation. I once bought a 200 W little
inverter, changing a current from 24V to 220V, I did the
installation yesterday in the morning, I ran the conduit in the area
of my favorite place at the table, and at the end of the line I
installed a little fuse. The inverter
beeped joyfully and lit up in green announcing that all is lovely.
However, when I hooked up the computer, the inverter howled in
sorrow and died. The maximum consumption of power by the laptop is
140W, so a lot below its praised possibilities ... Then somewhere in
the corner I saw a little inscription which made everything clear:
„Made in
China"
... Once again I promised myself solemnly that I would never, even
if they are given free of charge, take anything (except a hammer, I
have one that’s brass and works well) that in drudgery and technical
ignorance
was
sweated out by the working class of China.
DAY 83
Mon May 28 00:32:28
2007 UTC - 10 13.32 S - 131 54.01 E
(relation sent late
Sunday night- time difference)
We’re going due west, around 130*E we will begin to slowly turn
south. The introductory plan is to, with a gentle hold in the
neighborhood of Madagascar and on 30*
S,
hopefully with the wind, head in the direction of The Cape of Good
Hope ...
Wacek’s ass started getting bigger, so I limited his eating a
little. He apparently ate a flying fish from the deck, because at
night he left a few droppings near the engine room, among other
places, it was a miracle I managed to avoid them in the morning ...
The dolphins visit us a few times daily as if checking if everything
is in order ... For Wacek this is a great attraction, he barks at
them, smells them and won’t take his eyes from them, he’s watching
his territory.
DAY 82
Sun May 27 01:42:53
2007 UTC - 10 1.71 S - 133 37.34 E
(relation sent late Saturday night- time difference)
Yesterday the dolphins visited us; they danced before the beak all
day.
I was watching them for a long time and thought about why they were
doing this, they stayed with us all
day
instead of hunting for fishes or rocking somewhere lazily in the sun
... While observing them almost all
day
I came to the conclusion that swimming at the ship's side, before
the beak and leaping are pleasurable for them. It was apparent that
they came back to life when I went out on the deck with a camera.
There was an old veteran among them, with a fin bitten probably by a
shark, a few little
dolphins,
and 20 others, and one which every few moments turned slightly on
its side and looked at us curiously ... Sometime after noon the
Coast Guard 'checked
us out',
they talked for a few moments and then all became quiet again. I
looked at the flag, actually among other flags it is not especially
nice; white and red, but the crowned white eagle painted on it
animates it and it gives it strength, and makes it the most
beautiful and mine. During my 'banishment", among strangers, who
speak and behave strangely, this eagle on its white - red background
gives me a sense of belonging and strength. Only from a distance can
one perceive its beauty, near-by it is only a flag ... It also
brings with it the smell of wet forest and the morning mist over
Jeziorak, the memory of my first love sitting on my knees in the
park and the smell of normal bread, the taste of white sausage and
my mom’s great pate...I would not exchange my flag for any other,
even if this other was embroidered with gold and promises...
Ps:
About 10 am, at the position 10 00 40
S
and 133 57 230
E
we saw a tanker carrying some strange, colorful flag ... Somebody
painted it yellow and then on the ship's side wrote
"STOLT
TANKERS"
and
"S"
on the chimney. I talked for a few moments with the watch officer,
then a brief “good
luck"
and after a moment the tanker, going at 30 knots, disappeared over
the horizon ...
Ps2:
Beata,
I swim only when there is no wind and the yacht almost stands still,
if I had to enter the water in other circumstances, then I would put
the Luka in drift, which means that I would take down all sails and
then it would drift very slowly with the wind and it would be
impossible that she could get away from me. Beer at still 4 cartons
for 24 each ... We still have a while to go but you will see how
quickly it will fly by...
DAY 81
Fri May 25 23:35:46
2007 UTC - 10 9.57 S - 135 38.59 E
In the evening I
was loading batteries, this also meant watching a movie, yesterday I
watched Armageddon, a well made film, great cast, and a tear
squeezer
It turns out that a side effect of solitary sailing is
oversensitivity ...
Every so often I went out on deck in order to check the environment
and after some time when I went out of the steering room, I felt my
heart grow still. Right over the stern I was almost blinded by
navigational lights of some damn giant. It was already dark, between
white lights I also saw red lights, which meant it was coming
straight at us... With one jump I was at the distributive board,
turned on all the lights, including the deck lights, used only for
work on deck, I grabbed the VHF microphone (short reach radio) and I
started yelling: "This is the sailing-boat Luka, positioned at
10°08.74' S and 135°49.23' E calling out to the ship over my stern,
do you see me? ". I repeated the call once more and then I heard:
"-yes, Luka, I see you, maintain your present course, we will pass
by you ok”. The calm with which the officer said this, caused me to
calm down, I turned on the radar, and when it heated up, I saw that
even though it seemed to me that the ship was already tangling my
lines with bait which I’m pulling over the stern, it would actually
pass us at a distance of about half a mile. This is still too close
for comfort for me, I will probably have to keep the radar turned on
to the function of "observer" on this crowded Arafura, it would turn
on the system every 15 or 20 minutes, check the horizon and if it is
clear it dozes off and after 20 minutes it wakes up again. At night
I dreamed about a herd of ships blinking at me with great red
lights, at one point I got up and I spent the remainder of the night
in the steering room, listening to my ipod tell stories about elves,
brownies and good fairies ...
DAY 80
Thu May 24 22:57:58
2007 UTC - 10 4.84 S - 137 48.31 E
Yesterday at night nature showed us an unusual demonstration of
„fire works”.
The northern part of the sky brightened with explosions of light
standing out impossibly vivid against the pitch-black sky. It was a
great show; each eruption created a new composition of shapes and
for a fraction of a second made the image of danger. I tried to take
pictures of this distant storm, but of course nothing came out of
it. Now I think that I should turn the video camera on ... We’re
going quietly due west, the wind blows amicably from the rump, I
still have beer for a month, and life is beautiful.
My uncle, Jan from Gostolin (near Warsaw) thinks that I’m an ass and
not a writer, and that we’ll still see if I’m a sailor...The Coast
Guard "checked us out" again , as if checking that we did not change
course, actually it’s possible to hide 20 dangerous criminals here,
or maybe two tons of cocaine ...
DAY 79
Wed May 23 22:54:31
2007 UTC - 10 19.81 S - 139 34.82 E
Today one of the computers broke, now I’m glad that Beata made
me take a second one. The turn on button is the only proof that it
still lives, but except the light coming on next to that button
nothing else happens with it. (It also opens the CD room). Yesterday
the Coast Guard checked on us again, this time they called us out by
our name and they asked if we have any plans to stop at any port in
Australia. We’re still distancing ourselves from sailing routes,
we’re going to go a longer way by going out to the Indian Sea,
because these routes go by the shortest way, but at least I won’t
dream that we’re scraping paint off some big ship...
I have the impression that the filters of the desalting device will
clog here quickly, the water is a little turbid, maybe because of
the smaller depth. It seems that I will soon be able to say that „I
drank water from many seas”
DAY 78
Tue May 22 22:18:17
2007 UTC - 10 42.33 S - 141 14.36 E
We’re sailing on
the Arafura Sea already; it’s shallow almost like Jeziorak (lake in
my hometown). The waves are short and the water turbid... The depth
in this moment is 19m. Each time I look at the echo sounder, I have
the impression that we’ll be hitting something soon. The sapphire,
deep Pacific was left on the other side ... Right after the exit
from the strait is a several miles long, deep for this neighborhood,
25-meter canal. We just entered it when this giant tanker behind me,
with an Australian accent politely told me to disappear because he’s
going 35 knots, and in 10 minutes will go that way, and for him it
was the only course. If I didn’t have time to escape I would
probably not even scratch his paint. After a moment he asked what
the depth of my dive was, when I answered 2 meters, he assured me
that I can sail how I want to here because right now there was a 3
–meter high tide. He passed by me like a ghost, blinked with its
positional lights and let me smell the smoke from its chimney. In
the morning we were confessing to the Australian Coastguard, they
stated that they had a lot of information about us, probably meaning
our passing through the strait, and when I answered the questions of
from where, to where, and which flag, they wished us good luck and
went away ...
When still in the strait we passed by a wreck of a sailing-ship, it
is a sad sight.
Great brown body lying aside as if a warning...
DAY 77
Tue May 22 00:31:22
2007 UTC
9 59.86 S - 143
4.28 E
(relation sent late
Monday night- time difference)
It’s not so terrible,
this Torres Strait.
It looks the scariest
in marine tales and when you enter it for the first time and in the
dark. At night all cats are black. Marine lanterns almost brush
about the ship's sides, although they blink at us from 2 or 3 miles
away, and everywhere stinging reefs await.When the sun came up it became apparent that the Torres Strait is
actually this charming little „sea” with hundreds of sandy islands
overgrown with palms and jungle. Without a problem anyone can get to
one from the windward, throw down the anchor and sleep until
morning. However the sailing isn’t too bad, so we’re going on... „
Only the nights are so long ...”
DAY 76
Sun May 20 22:17:23
2007 UTC - 10 7.51 S - 145 5.37 E
 Even
though the Strait is still 90 miles away, it’s already tight. We’re
sailing on this marked waterway named „Pandora’s Passage”. The
traffic is somewhat restrained, yesterday we passed three giants.
One right before twilight, a tanker, it was named Century River and
had a great letter K on chimney. These giants go by very quickly and
from them appearing on the horizon to the moment when they are on
dam, it takes about 20-30 minutes. At night it’s dark, the giants
are always well illuminated, but if this was temporarily up to me I
would send them all to the south of Australia ... A certain
colleague sailor, who because of the delay of crew brought his yacht
to a port alone, once wrote - „only these nights are so long .. .”
Tonight we will probably enter the Strait...
DAY 75
Sat May 19 21:39:51
2007 UTC - 11 24.65 S - 146 25.97 E
Today is gray and
raining, but this is a pleasant change after the days of hot sun.
This was supposed to be the last night I was going to sleep before
the Strait, but right after dusk I noticed some light before us on
the horizon. Once I was fooled like that by a rising star. This
time, however, the brightness did not change for a long time ... A
few hours passed by before it became clear that this is a fisherman
luring calamari with great sodic lamps. I was watching (if one can
watch something at night) how every once in a while he extinguished
the lights and came out of the network which encircled the gathered
around the ship's sides calamari, swimming toward the illuminated
boat, like moths to a flame.Then he probably closed the bottom and
the side of the net and pulled it onto deck....Sincerely speaking, I
would rather have a proficient steering wheel for the Strait, but oh
well, no one can have it all, at least not in one moment. I’m left
with feeling glad that the autopilot works without reproach ...Today
I will prepare the anchor, although I sincerely don’t intend to use
it...
Wacek hasn’t bitten anything for a long time, nor did he make
anything, as he has a custom to make in the engine room, the silence
before storm smells...
Day 74
Fri May 18 21:40:58
2007 UTC - 12 13.75 S - 148 7.35 E
For a few days now it
feels that something is spoiling my good frame of mind, it’s as if
someone was disturbing the smooth tiles of a glistening lake by
throwing pebbles into it. This perhaps is connected with Strait
Torres ... For a couple of days I look at her and analyze the road
which we will go, I spend much time on this, so that I wouldn’t
involuntarily, inattentively miss something, some little island with
stinging reefs, or a cliff peeking from the water, or one with a
stinging head hidden under the sea..
I had colorful dreams today, I was dreaming about a charming island
where I stopped and it turned out that I met many of my friends
there, then I was dreaming about my first love Halina, in situations
which I will not write about here (Beatko I dream of you every night
and even prettier), the dreams were divided into parts, when I woke
in order to check the course and environment. They had to be all
good, because when in the end I got up I still felt their pleasant
taste.
DAY 73
Thu May 17 22:33:37
2007 UTC - 12 45.24 S - 149 52.65 E
Sailing on the Coral
Sea this time of year is a vacation, it’s warm but not hot, there is
a constant moderately strong wind from the southwest, however I
would be glad if it changed into eastern wind when we will reach the
Torres Strait, if it doesn’t change, we will go sharply to the wind
through most of this stony funnel, but maybe some local storms will
cause it to turn ...
It looks like there won’t be fresh fish in this cruise ... At night
some fish pulled the whole set, including the veinlet with it. It
had to be a little monster, because the new veinlet can withstand
90kg. I have another old set, we’re pulling it behind us, but
something tells me that tomorrow it won’t be there. I have no
intention to stubborn about this, life pressed upon me a certain
schema - if I try to do something and it does not work out, then I
try to do it differently, but if as before it does not work out, I
cease to do it at all. Even though "cessation to do" for many will
sound too permanent, it turns out that if only we change our
thinking habits a little, we can stop doing almost everything ....
In this case it wouldn’t even be hard, we have many fish on deck;
sardines in tomato sauce, tuna in oil and water, Hungarian goulash,
octopus in tomatoes, smoked oysters, and also smoked sprat in oil
from Riga – these unfortunately are ending already. And if we were
up against a wall (this is another quality of free sailing, read:
without hurry and sponsorship of Mr. Warzecha of toilets, whom one
has to ask for permission ...), we can stand on anchor at any
uninhabited reef and hunt...
Day 72
Wed May 16 22:18:34 2007 UTC - 12 54.92 S - 151 54.92 E
I’m sitting
in my chair in the steering room, my legs are stretched out between
the spokes of the wheel and rested on the console with the engine
indicatory devices. I’m sipping beer and thinking how beautiful this
sea is. Especially when the world is once again turning into "my"
direction... The autopilot pump murmurs quietly, and I feel complete
reconciliation with the waves glistening in the sun. It’s
interesting that most single sailors, at some point in their cruise,
are compelled to steer manually after some damage of the automatic
steering ... It looks like I have to use the autopilot and honestly
speaking I have nothing against it. Today I read the book ordered by
Beata as necessary reading titled "Where the angels fall" by D.
Terakowska, and I don’t know whether it’s sensitivity caused by
loneliness, but I was "touched" many times, and in a way unusual for
me, reading about this little ill girl and her fallen guardian
angel, and how by helping each other they came back to this side of
the light. I think that Miss Terakowska very nicely and wisely
described the subject of good and evil. After reading this I think
that I like my “black companion" a little more, the one who
whispers. If I only listen to him: “You will not manage man, and why
are you doing this at all ..." etc. I learned to ignore him a long
time ago, now, however I started to see him as something of my own
and let him mumble, if such is his nature.
Day 71
Tue May 15 14:59:51 2007 UTC - 13 13.94 S - 154 17.46 E
Right after midnight Luka stood against the wind, the sails started
to flutter and after a moment I heard through the flutter of
sails, the noise of the autopilot pump working incessantly. I set the
course to north, so that I would have a moment before Luca again
would sharpen and I ran to get a hammer. Once again it is this box
with valves under the steering wheel pump. The managing valve was
suspended again and was passing pressure which the autopilot pump
produces. I started to tap it with the hammer, after some time the
autopilot pump stopped, but a moment later the situation repeated
itself. This was a sign that it was time to deal with the situation
permanently (although except for death nothing is permanent, but
this is also relative). I folded down the mainsail and I put up the
sloop, and Luka, with the steer bent on windward, slowly started to
move against the wind, which moved us out from the direction of the reef hiding in the
darkness. A few tens of miles away. Of course, the first thought
that came to my head was to complain to my wife. Quickly
Beata sent me the blueprint of the box of valves and the proposed,
by the Canadian firm that produced it, suggestions how to solve the
problem. There was nothing specific in there, I had hoped that
it will explain how to fix the box itself, but instead it said that
they don’t make them anymore and they proposed changing the whole
pump. Besides that, they suggested cutting the steering wheel off
from system with two valves, which I had already planned. After
receiving the second message that the steering wheel will not work
without the box ( I thought about getting rid of it
altogether and put two valves in its place, I would then choose
manually: steering by hand or autopilot) I got to work. Luckily I
had two valves which were perfect for the job. After two hours we
were once again on our way to Strait Torres, which is 670 miles
away.
 Day 70
Tue May 15 01:04:53 2007 UTC - 13 17.12 S - 155 42.79 E
Tonight was restless; a strong wind elevates the sea, even higher
for a few days now. It blows from the south east, we’re moving
backstay and from time to time we bow deeply to the sea, when Luka
slides from a greater wave ... Even though we are far from reefs and
cliffs I slept anxiously, I was dreaming that we stood on anchor,
the low tide put Luka on keel and she fell over, then someone took
my place in the marina, and when I searched for a new one in the
narrow marina, I lost control over steering and engine ... I was
woken up by the turning of the engine shaft, which should have been
blocked. Most yachts nowadays have hydraulic transmissions, which
can’t be blocked if left in reverse, like it was possible with
mechanical transmissions. The makers of new yachts
suggest leaving the transmission in reverse and let the shaft turn
when navigating. I don’t like this solution, first of all; the
immobilized screw puts up less resistance in the water than a screw
which turns, besides the transmission bearings work incessantly as
does the rubber bearing supporting the shaft, not to mention the
constant howl and knocking. Some put wedge belts on the shaft and
drive the alternators that way... God Bless them ...
So, the noise of the shaft woke me up, I went to the engine room and
after a moment of inspection I blocked it temporarily. I noticed,
however, that the brake, installed by the previous owner is falling
into pieces. I will have to block the shaft in some other way,
uninstall the brake, check what broke and fix it somehow ...
The alarm-clock just rang, it goes on every day about 9: 30 UT
(Greenwich time), it reminds me about the radio. About this time I
should have had "date" with Robert Krasowski, but because of
exceptionally poor propagation this year, we were only able to talk
once. Now, with sentiment I looked at the satellite telephone, which
ignoring the spots on the sun and the propagation, unites
us with the world of "land of rats" without failure, not to mention the
everyday prognosis of weather and e-mail from my "angel" and friends.
Day 69
Sun May 13 22:03:15 2007 UTC - 13 37.11 S - 158 55.37 E
Once again it’s like a vacation, warm wind; we’re sailing 6-7 knots
on the mainsail exhibited with the boom. I’m defining the speed in
approximation, because in the place of the log I installed an extra
probe ... The log propellers have growth on them constantly, I have
to take them out, then the water gets on the inside, and even they
show the speed of the yacht to the level of water. The log is an
indispensable thing in reckoning navigation; we use one of the
wonders of the 20th century - GPS, which among other things shows
our speed in relation to the bottom of the sea. So, when we’re
sailing at 6 knots for one hour, we will pass 6 miles, which we can
then mark on the map. In case of speed measured in relation to the
water, it’s necessary to take away, or add to these 6 miles the
speed of the current and drift, which in smaller or greater degree,
rules all that shows up in the water, with the exception of islands
and coral reefs. It looks like the day will be without sun, so it’s
time to make up for chores on the deck. Three holes in the sails are
waiting for an artistic patching up; it’s some flaw of the material,
so I won’t saw on bad patches. I will cut them in a circular shape
and through the center of each I’ll put a bit of vivid thread; they
will show how the streams of air set on the sail. Besides that, all
is nice today "the wind sings a song and the waves are so white”...
Day 68
Sat May 12 23:21:10 2007 UTC - 13 37.61 S - 160 57.56 E
We’re already on the Coral Sea, in the evening it started to blow;
we were going almost sharply to the wind, so that we would pass the
reef to the south, below the island of Rennell, at a safe
distance... It was throwing us to the waves systematically, soaked
the deck. Wacek, up until I freed him from watch and put him inside,
ran like crazy along the ship's side and, from over the net
stretched out on railings, fought with the falling waves, he didn’t
hold back, he was soaked with the salt water, but the straight up
pointing tip of his tail announced that he won... In the morning,
the incessantly working autopilot pump woke me up, I heard it even
through the noise of the Luka talking on the waves and the whistle
of the wind ... This could not be anything good. I got up, and when
hitting the walls on the way, I reached the steering room, the
autopilot activated the alarm, it screamed, not able to stay on
course.... The pump, however, still pumped at its highest speed.
Something bad was happening. I turned off the pump, I feared that if
it worked non-stop it will damage the engine. I steered by hand and
analyzed the situation, perhaps the motor, which moves the
steering is passing pressure off somewhere inside... And in this
moment, without my contribution, the water apparently advancing on
the steering fin, (we were still at 8 knots), turned it about 20
degrees to the left. I corrected the course, but in the same moment
the helm bent again. Trying to stay on course, I was forced to
constantly turn the wheel to the right. I had a thought; there’s a
valve on the servo-motor, if I open it, it permits the free flow of
hydraulic fluid before the servo-motor, maybe something caused it to
open ... I took a flashlight and went to the salon, I opened the
door to the stern cabin, and raised the floor, I got to the valve
and opened and closed it a few times. Luka during this time stood up
with its beak to the wind and it looked like she was ready to turn.
It was still pretty windy, such uncontrollable turn is nothing good.
I got to the steering wheel and I turned it all the way to the
right. Unfortunately, just when I stopped turning it, the sensor
indicating the bend of the helm once again went left. Turning still
to the right I thought "I lost" ... it’s the servo-motor letting out
fluid, the sea was restless today, the autopilot pump worked all
night on highest revolutions and the pressure tore off some gaskets
on the servo-motor press. I don’t think I could take it apart in my
little shop, and even if I could, I don’t have any new gaskets. I’ll
have to stop somewhere in Australia and fix the servo-motor. The
previous owner of the yacht said that before selling her he repaired
the whole steering system, so I exchanged only the hydraulic wires
and I believed that all will be well there. But I cannot stop, this
has to be a non-stop cruise, I have a reserve autopilot, electric,
but this is my plan “B”, and I don’t have any others. To push into
the rest of the world without the possibility of manual steering and
with one, put together from used parts autopilot, is stupid ... I
thought for a moment, maybe it’s the box of maneuverable valves,
right under the steering wheel, it is full of shutters, little
wheels and springs. It’s supposed to prevent the pressure, which the
autopilot pump produces, from moving the steering wheel, maybe
something happened to it, something is stuck and won’t let it keep
the pressure in the servo-motor. I turned the course almost with the
wind, turned on the autopilot and went to the engine room for a
hammer, the pump screamed incessantly. I took the hammer and I
pounded the box, once from the right, then from the left, then for
equal measure from the bottom AND the autopilot pump stopped, after
a moment it hummed, and then again, buzz, bz, bz, buzz, buzz, bz ...
What beautiful music this is ..., I would not exchange it even for
Ennio Morricone ... Everything is working again. What a relief,
we’re sailing ... So, it’s not the motor, now even if it comes to
the box getting stuck again and the cure with the hammer will not
work, I can always put two valves on the wires, which I can surely
find somewhere in the engine room and cut off the steering wheel
from the system. The autopilot will work, I just won’t be able to
steer by hand, which I have no intention of doing, in the reality
that I have created for many years, I am not a slave to the steering
wheel, LUKA manages herself with the course, I read books, or being
tipsy stare at the night's sky and I make the star constellations better
by adding some star here or there...
Day 67
Sat May 12 02:10:45 2007 UTC - 12 56.52 S - 163 11.72 E
For two days now we have full sails. At night the wind concentrated
and tilted us a little, luckily my sleeping-berth is on the lee, I
slept like Jesus in the fisherman’s boat, and Mother Ocean rocked us
to sleep. In the morning I reefed in the sails, the wind stopped
kidding around and it’s blowing now about 30 knots ...In the evening
I loaded up the batteries and made water, I sat down on the deck and
drinking a brew I looked intently at the stars, I thought that it
would be good to add a star in the center of The Cross of the South,
it would then be more shapely, and that also it would be good to
straighten the Big Dipper, and then I felt happiness embracing me
and gratitude to the Creator that He did not let me doubt and
chicken out, and that I am here and now, and I’m enjoying my found
treasure. It seems that, except for the hurricane which pushed me
once onto the „reef”, I had luck in my life, although even that
episode with the „reef” might have been a part of a greater plan ...
My uncle, for a change, says that „you have to organize your
happiness”. People, however, come into this world equipped with
different, but at the same time specific „tools” ... In the end one
can organize and learn how to make linden spoons with an axe, or cut
down a tree with a chisel. However, much more important is the
determination to stay on your own way in life ... How much easier
and happier it would be to live, for even a badly organized
lumberman, if only no one talked him into being a sculptor. Let's
imagine how much trouble and disillusionment waits down the road of
a lumberman, who pretends to be a sculptor and cuts out wooden
spoons or delicate crosses with an axe, or the life of a sensitive
sculptor, cutting down trees with a chisel and his trouble without
the likelihood of satisfaction or independence which each of us in
smaller or greater degree needs....
A ridiculous image..., but how many people live, not realizing the
fact that they are not going on their own way... Both of our heroes
will have it hard in life, the proverbial wind will blow in their
eyes, without the „stroke of luck”, because going down someone
else’s road, they will encounter presents not meant for them.
Nonetheless the „tools” with which we are born, give each person
without exception the possibility and right to be happy in life, if
only something or someone does not deter us from our own road. What,
or who in such case, is the deterrent? Who derails our life...?
Parents instilling in children their own unfulfilled ambitions, the
church, omnipresent „dwarfs” determined to fight to the blood with
anyone, who tries to outgrow them, our own fears ... There is so
many dragons and demons over the head of a small creature, that it’s
almost strange how some of us are able to free ourselves from them
and go into life without a bag filled with stones of stereotypes and
fears of life, like The One who gave it to us wants us to...
Day 66
Fri May 11 01:17:34 2007 UTC - 12 21.71 S - 165 33.47 E
It seems like it’s going to be a lazy day, the wind is ideal for a
school trip or for fishing, we could also put small tables on deck
and have ourselves a little party. However, I shouldn’t complain
about the wind because it will hear it and will fly somewhere away,
or maliciously turn its bum ... Yesterday evening was full of song,
the sun was setting in red and I was moved to tears listening to
“Ryczace Dwudziestki” (polish shanties) singing a whimsical song
about my home town...
-AND through the rain, where my home is
-through the night, my own road
-along the prison walls
-to the fountain
Since I can remember, in my Ilawa (hometown), throughout my youth,
every day I went along the prison walls “to the fountain”. I lived
near the high gray prison walls, they constituted a part of my
everyday life, so now, not even thinking of what they represent, and
they make me miss my town...
Someone wise once said that the best place to live for each human
being, is a place where they were born ... From the perspective of a
traveler, who, pursuing his dreams, spent most of his adult life far
away from his town, I feel the deep truth of these words. Somewhere
along the way I encountered another, and now I see it more
distinctly; that the desire for something is a cause, and the real
aim is the road to its fulfillment. The aim only defines (if we have
the courage to go up it) the road which we will take, what we will
experience on it and what we will encounter – thereon lays this
little Divine fraud. It seems that the gold we will be able to find
(or won’t find) is a treasure, but actually the treasure is the
necessity of making choices, which on our way we are constantly
compelled to make. The road presents us with frequent choices that
we have to make, and it’s inevitable that it also confronts us with
the fruit of our decisions. And so on the basis of experiencing
sometimes pleasant and other times unpleasant things, we learn to
choose only those which are right for us .., and what is good for
us, is also good for Him, after all He created us in His image ..
So, there’s no need to fear, everyone who will dare go on their
"road" will find a "treasure”, because the road itself is the
treasure..., and when we’re already on it, and won’t let anyone
scare us off, at the end of it our gold will await us... (And here I
have to mention my uncle, who tried cheering me up in some letter he
sent when I lay in a ditch once, he stated that "there are no pirate
treasures anymore”, well, he wasn’t honest, or maybe he did not know
about their existence...) “The quest for gold is God’s trick to send
us on our way" And maybe it’s the Buddhists who are right when they
say that it’s our desires that are the cause of every evil, maybe we
should renounce our dreams, stop desiring, maybe happiness is
reached by the one who does not experience disillusionment and
bitterness of failure, and therefore doesn’t hurt .. However, if we
don’t experience pain we also wouldn’t know what love is....
It’s the fear and suffering being contrary to love that shows us the
road towards all they are not and turn us towards it...
Day 65
Wed May 09 21:49:26 2007 UTC - 12 13.79 S - 167 12.63 E
Some damn shark once again bit through the metal cables with bait,
for 30 hours now the wind blows pretty well, I had a well-founded
hope that after all night of sailing we’ll find some suitable fish
at the end of the cable..... The one that got caught before was
exquisite ... I put on new bait, there isn’t anymore of the "quick"
ones, I found some old, "tired" ones, I’m trying to think about what
I can make them from, if these damn sharks will eat them in such a
manner soon I won’t even have a wire. We’re still going slantwise to
the south, however if not for the center of low pressure which
pushes by right now, we could straighten course to the west, but
there again we would find silence (I like our weather fax more and
more). Yesterday I put up the mainsail and when I was pulling down
the line, one layer of the line wrapped on the capstan jumped onto
another, and I, concentrating on top of the mast, pulled the line
until the capstan groaned. I then tried to somehow pull the line
out, but I quickly understood that it’s hopeless and settled the
"affair" with a knife, now I have to put up a new line and all will
be lovely like before...For some time I hear someone speaking to me
- "Tomek"... or "hey", or some other human sounds... If I would not
read the books written by lonely sailors, I would think that this is
beginnings of schizophrenia...
The weather is beautiful today, the wind, the sun, we’re going with
the sharp half-wind, Luka slopes slightly on the lee, and Wacek
fights with the incoming waves, barking fiercely at them.
Day 64
Tue May 08 20:54:45 2007 UTC - 11 22.98 S - 169 23.56 E
In the evening the passat came back to life, it blows now from the
southeast, we’re going west with the half-wind on reefed up sails
and mizzen-mast, I’m thinking about the main mast. Wacek again bit
off the bait; maybe I’ll put a muzzle on him...
Day 63
Mon May 07 20:39:04 2007 UTC - 11 20.23 S - 170 45.99 E
Yesterday the passat went crazy, today it died ... It’s quiet and
peaceful today, the sun warms the deck, if not the little fan, which
I put together one day from spare parts, I wouldn’t be able to stand
it under the deck. Now my little friend tirelessly fills the salon
with a pleasant breeze and if not the "crock", which makes us bow,
first with the left then right side, one could say that we are in
the center of paradise. I will swim today, the water is gorgeous
here, crystal clean and warm, maybe I’ll meet a mermaid (except not
the one with the fin on her back and three rows of teeth)
Day 62
Sun May 06 22:32:26 2007 UTC - 10 55.63 S - 170 59.11 E
The wind went crazy this evening. It brought a great black cloud and
then unceremoniously turned around about 180 degrees and contrary to
the immortal laws of nature started blowing from the west with the
force of 15-20 knots. The western passat is some bastard conceived
by the sea Chimera. We sped all night south and in the morning wound
up in a charming neighborhood, beautiful women, wine and singing of
atolls - but the only thing I’m thinking is how to pass those
creatures with fins on their backs... In the morning the wind down a
little, but still lets us sail to the west, we drift south under the
mizzen-mast, I found that the selected mizzen-mast holds Luka 30*
from the line of wind pretty well. Around midday we were visited by
an aircraft. It flew from the west, made a circle and vanished where
it appeared. It was an average size transport aircraft, with
propeller engines, all gray, unmarked and without windows. I saw it
pretty well through binoculars; it flew low and made a broad circle
over us. I waved at him, perhaps I thought that the pilot will open
a window and wave back, and then I concluded that if he did, the
power of the air would probably rip his arm off ... I decided then
not to hold it against him.
I would gladly eat a fish again, yesterday I got my best bait ready,
I disentangled it along with the end of the line and when I threw
the end of it out to disentangle the rest, the bait disappeared in
the sapphire depth. Wacek was playing with it yesterday and chew
through the line, I lost my best bait. I had to take three deep
breaths so I wouldn’t kick him in the ass for this....
I checked the weather; it will be silent where we are... We’re still
heading south.
Day 61
Sat May 05 20:15:01 2007 UTC - 10 0.43 S - 170 48.22 E
The morning greeted us with a fish on the hook. I was taking Wacek
out, on the deck, so he could pee and I noticed that we were towing
something. This time I put out a lot of the line, at such distance
it may appear as fish but it might be a piece of gudgeon. I’m almost
not used to fish anymore; lately we sailed too slowly to trick fish
with a bit of colored plastic. The fish fall for it when we’re
sailing faster than 5 knots. I started to pull in the line and after
a moment I knew that we had a fish. She was silver, slender with a
long mouth and three rows of sharp teeth, 70cm, it was fighting
unmercifully. After a few minutes, with my fisherman's skill I
changed it to fillets, and I drank my morning coffee while the white
fillets were marinating in chopped garlic (the last of it) and lemon
juice. Lunch was great, the fish, coated with egg (powdered) and
bread crumbs could have made the most picky eater happy... My
friends tell me that polish magazine "Zagle"(Sails) in the end broke
through their distrust, which seems to mark any honest journalism,
mentioning the sailor from Ilawa on their esteemed pages ....At the
same time Mr. Jean-Luc
Van Den Heede , a Frenchman who also sailed the world from E -W
without stopping, alone, unfortunately he had bad luck because he
sailed fast:-))) ... In his e-mail, he informed us that officially 5
people sailed the world in this manner:
Chay Blyth,
Mike Golding,
Philippe Monet, Him and a woman
Dee Caffari. Unofficially (I don’t
know why – he either did, or didn’t) he mentioned a German who left
his mark in 2002. Because I am of noble nature, without argument
I’ll admit the German to place number 6 and I will gladly paint nr 7
on Luka’s side. Even with a bare eye we can see that 7 has more
sails on its mast than 6 ... Moreover, Wacek will be the first dog
in dog history who will sail the world non-stop.
Day 60
Fri May 04 20:36:45 2007 UTC - 9 54.58 S - 171 14.31 E
The day was full of events, especially when you take into
consideration that nothing is going on on the sea. First around
midday some smack appeared on the horizon, I looked at it for a long
time, but at such distance, standing on a swinging deck, I couldn’t
decide what exactly it was. It changed course every few minutes as
if a drunken sailor was steering it. I looked at it, and then I
yelled out to him through VHF. I introduced myself politely and
trying my hardest for my language to be intelligible, I asked how he
was, he answered in Chinese colored with English “I am China”, after
which our conversation died. In spite of one more try to animate the
conversation, the Chinese man was stubbornly silent. Maybe it’s the
only English sentence that he knew. When he came a little closer I
saw him fishing for either fish or crabs, putting cages with bait on
the bottom. It remind me my Alaska ... I also felt a familiar chill
which I feel lately, when we’re near land ... What if these are
Chinese pirates, and will come near me noiselessly ... Tonight Wacek
is sleeping on the deck ... In the evening, a few miles out the
ship's right side, I noticed cloudlets of water dust, bursting every
some time high into the air.. Whales ... They were somewhat far from
us and I wondered if it’s worth it to throw down the sails and go
near by. Before I could decide they showed their tails and were
gone. I chose a compromise, I took down the sails and I directed
Luka to the place where they disappeared. After a half an hour they
came up about a mile from the beak. Again I corrected course and
after quarter of an hour we had them almost on dam. They weren’t the
biggest, but they made an impression. They moved majestically and
every few moments they blew clouds of water dust high into the air.
I recorded them, in doing so losing the chance to look at them
closely, we were about 150 meters from them when they again showed
their tails and dove ... I looked around for an hour, reasoning
logically that these are mammals, and have to resurface in the end.
They did this apparently somewhere far and not long after this it
became dark – the sun quickly plunges over the horizon here...
Day 59
Thu May 03 20:24:05 2007 UTC - 9 52.19 S - 172 3.41 E
A great black cloud passes over us and covers the deck with a wall
of water, it brought squall with it, so we sped forward and LUKA
creaked like a foal happy to be let out of its stall. Yesterday we
had boss man’s jobs; I "fixed" the scattered endings of halyards and
sheets which Wacek mercilessly chews, although I can never catch him
in the act. I also fixed a few other small things. I drank a beer,
it was very hot and a little alcohol widens the blood vessels and
causes an easier exchange of warmth. I then sat, leaning on the
mast, winding a bit of string around another bit of string, I drank
the beer, and Andrzej Korycki on this solitary spot sang just for me
about waves on beaches, bringing greetings from afar, about a sailor
who directed his prayer not where he should have and about the
guitar which strings would break in a magic way whenever a sailor
looked into the panties of port girls. It’s too bad that
Andrzej’s Muse
doesn’t whisper anything about a lonely sailor, who searches for
something in the world … something which may be near by ....This was
a good day, we didn’t sail very far, but this is not a boat-race and
thank the Lord for that, because racing means winning at every
price, it resembles hasty sex, full of fear of erection,
concentrated only on the fastest way to achieve its goal. Sailing
freely, for a change, is like love plaited with intimate encounters,
it’s joy from detecting her shapes and the contemplation of the most
delicate shadows – from there it’s not very far to the gardens of
Eden shimmering over the horizon.
DAY 58
Wed May 02 21:00:15
2007 UTC - 9 46.02 S - 172 52.89 E
In the morning,
possibly also at night, we slowly passed by many pieces of wood,dirty Styrofoam, beach thong from the left leg, old shoes and many
other hard to the identify bits of plastic and wood. This looked
like the remains of some sea tragedy, or what’s more probable, some
crew did general cleaning on some boat. It drastically impaired the
harmony of the environment. The sapphire-crystal surface of the sea
and the bits of dirty garbage; it looked somewhat like a rotten
potato on an elegant plate, or a fart during a romantic kiss. It’s
sad how many people lack the sensitivity for esthetics and
thoughtlessly fill with stench and litter what in their mind is not
worth a care, while very carefully sweeping out their own corner.
However Someone wise, Who knows well our rotten nature, planned the
world in such a way that we are able to litter the earth only up
until it permits us. We can’t litter and destroy it completely, she
will sooner devastate us, and those who remain, sensitive to her
beauty, will again begin to pray to Her ...
DAY 57
Tue May 01 19:04:29
2007 UTC - 9 44.93 S - 173 38.79 E
It seems that the wind
also celebrates the Work Holiday ( May 1st in Poland ), because it disappeared this
morning without a trace. We stand sideways to a dead wave, it moves
us from side to side unmercifully. From a distance this has look
almost comically, when on a calm sea a yacht almost takes on water
on its sides. Such a dead wave possesses a magic cleaning force, it
empties stomachs unmercifully, even when it comes to old sea wolves
who are accustomed to its movements, like for example the famous
English sailor Nelson, who was followed like a shadow by a boy with
a bucket ... Me and Wacek, however, are not moved by this dead wave,
except that it is difficult to walk... We will lay down then, after
all it is a holiday...
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