Fish food and telecoms - 29/04/2015

The den mothers recently set out on the most difficult part of crossing preparation... PROVISIONS!

After unloading two pickup trays filled with non-perishables, they quickly found that a 43 foot race boat does not make a very good floating pantry. After removing most of the packaging, they finally managed to squeeze everything into the boat. She now heels slightly to starboard, with all her nooks and crannies filled with enough rations for a month at sea. Everyone now has their fingers crossed that they can find space for all the pre-cooked meals and perishables being bought today.

Now, our first mate will recount her sat-phone woes....

Men seem to be fascinated by technology, our skipper being no exception. We've got redundant GPS and communications aboard, following the rule "two is one and one is none". However, the HF system is becoming a challenge. We have not called anyone on the HF system for over 10 years and upon renewing our Ham licences (9Z4DL me & 9Z4DM Reggie) we had a go. We could receive but not transmit. After many attempts at problem solving there was no luck. Hmmmm...Time to call in the professional network!

 The members of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society (Chris 9Y4E, Jeff 9Y4J, & Neil 9Y4NW) were quick to help and arrived promptly at 8:30 on Friday morning straight from their early morning swim. Testing the system with instruments, they provided technical advice on the solutions.(Reggie was unavailable as work called, so it was left to Chris and I to apply the fix).

 Off I went to the Budget Marine, and armed with my fix-it goodies, the recommended solution were implemented. We attempted to called 9y4J on the Ham frequency. We could hear him but still could not transmit, just proving that when it comes to Ham radio, I'm just an amateur and-I'm still going to need help! :(

The smell of new carbon fiber - 19/04/2015

The dry season wind is definitely here!

Yesterday, some of the crew members took Legacy out for the first time in over 6 months to test our new carbon main sail and 140% jib. The crew was a little rusty and the wind was very strong. The peak wind speed yesterday was a whopping 28 knots! I'm sure she was very happy to be out doing what she was built for, as she performed well. We were clocking speeds of over 7 knots, in cruising mode.
Today, the 20 foot container was packed with sails and rigging, pots and pans, and anything we might need over in England for race week.

Legacy and her crew are charging forward to Cowes!

At her berth under a coconut tree; how Caribbean!

Finally setting sail for the first time in months

The picture boat has arrived!

First hoist of the new jib

Hoisting the mainsail in the lee of an island

The neatly rolled racing sails being packed in the container

Released from prison - 14/04/2015

At long last, customs has released our poor sails from the prison in which they were held captive. All our racing sails are now in the country, rolled, and ready for some testing and training on Saturday morning. After testing, they will be rolled and placed in their yellow "sausage" bags, ready to be shipped off in the container.

Our precious sails can finally breathe again

The final (and most smelly) step in the repainting process, anti-fouling, is complete. The hull went back to her original red colour, with a smell more toxic than it is bright!

Legacy is finally ready to be launched! She'll be back where she is happiest, in the water, this Friday. Cowes week is coming ever nearer, with the boat scheduled to set sail for Antigua in just a few weeks, en route to the Azores. The container is estimated to be shipped around the same time.

As seen in our last post, the crew aboard Legacy is all about safety on deck. In line with this, all the inflatable life jackets recently underwent a 24 hour inflation test. The two which did not pass had to be replaced.

The excitement is mounting quickly, if you can even imagine us being MORE excited than we already are!

How to stitch a pig - 12/04/2015

In the event of a medical emergency, the Atlantic crossing crew can now replace your regular doctor! Well, not quite, but they now know some basic first aid that they hopefully never have to use.

On Sunday evening, the four members making the journey across the Atlantic gathered to learn the basic procedures that may be required should an accident occur aboard. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Hoford with us to guide us, and he certainly went above and beyond just for the crew. Thank you Doc for all the supplies and even the frozen pork we have permanently wounded forever.

We started off by learning to identify and treat mild, moderate and severe dehydration, which went hand in hand with the next topic, heat stroke. This knowledge will most certainly be put to use racing here under the hot tropical sun. Next, we went on to the very exciting wounding of a piece of pork! This unlucky pig was used as a practical example of how to treat small and large gashes, and to show what sort of wound might require stitches as opposed to just proper bandages. Turns out, most of us have been treating these wounds wrong the entire time!

Dr. Hoford putting a nasty wound in the innocent pig

The crew then took turns to stitch him back up 

While learning what painkillers and antibiotics should be used to treat different issues, we discovered that one team member is allergic to quite a few things. (Team, please avoid giving our hands-down favourite crew member the labelled pills.) The final thing on our medical syllabus was turning Leonard into a live mummy. He seemed comfortable, and if pressured, might even admit to enjoying his new costume. As we learned, that hard stuff used to make casts may be also used to fix leaks in the hull, molded into a spare batten and might go as far as to patch a sail. What can't this wonder material fix?! Unfortunately, we only got to make two mundane half casts for the ankle and wrist respectively. The casts can be used to set broken bones while still being able to check for swelling.

We think he'll just make the crossing dressed like a mummy to prevent any sprains and broken bones

To wrap up our little medical crash-course, Sharon brought out some delicious chocolate cake that most certainly gave us diabetes. Thank you again Doctor for all the helpful information, as well as for signing on as our team doctor for this campaign.

Operation Southman Campaign Launch - 9/04/2015

Thursday evening was a great success and we would like to thank everyone who came and everyone who helped or contributed in anyway.

A small crow gathered for the boat's opening 

The event started at 6 pm with a blessing of the boat and crew by Father Gomez. It was a cool breezy night where the boat's battle flags and Caribbean Airlines banners could be seen fluttering in the wind. Small speeches were made as the Atlantic crossing crew was presented with various significant sailing objects.

Legacy was a sight to see with her shining hull, catching the eye of many a passer by 

The priest as he blesses the boat

Reggie is presented with the national flag by his brother

The boat's original owner was "Uncle dougie"; here, his brother, Harry, presents Nicole with key instrumentation for any sea crossing 

Trinidadian sailing legend, Harold La Borde, presented the team with a sextant, as well as explained to the crowd how this instrument is used 

After all the formalities were completed, it was at last dinner time! There were fresh made sausages straight off the grill, and empanadas and samosas right out of the fryer. Thanks to Pedro and Joanna for organizing all the delicious food! Dessert consisted of a tea plate with miniature sized cupcakes, eclairs and fruit tarts that surely satisfied everyone's sweet tooth. Thank you Dominic for the yummy desserts.

All the yummy food being enjoyed by our guests 

It was a great evening of socializing, and we might have even gained a few fans. Everyone is now even more eager and excited for August 8th!

Full steam ahead to the boat launch

Work is coming along quickly as the boat's launch date approaches. Legacy is being put back together piece by piece, and I will be as bold as to say that she's the brightest, prettiest boat in the yard.

If you are on instagram, please go follow the boat's account @operation_southman

Over the long Easter weekend, the team came together to get lots of work done on our ship. The backstay has been put back on and all the winches in the pit were opened, cleaned, and lubricated for easy cranking as we race upwind.
All the shiny white bits on the deck were repainted, after which the entire deck was pressure washed in preparation to be rolled. Four of the team members pulled together to tape off all the nooks and crannies so that the deck could be repainted with some of that grippy stuff in the following days. We won't have any of our crew members sliding off deck into the Solent at Cowes!

All the cream coloured parts of the deck are ready to be repainted

Safety always comes first on this boat, so don't forget to tape your phone down!

Down below on safe land, our den mother has been working hard to organize meal plans for race days, buy groceries and stock rations for the ocean crossing.

All of the mechanical and technical bits of the boat have been checked and serviced. New gas lines for the stove are planned to be run soon. Breakdowns in the middle of the Atlantic won't be allowed on our watch, we're checking and rechecking and servicing everything. Bring it on Murphy!
Our racing tech shirts are at the printers and our fleeces have been sent to be embroidered. Everyone is anxious to receive their ~fancy~ new team gear.
Finally, all our guests have been invited for the official campaign launch and blessing of the boat on Thursday evening. Look out for lots of pictures from that.

The team can't wait to get this historical show on the road!