15 DAYS TO BLAST OFF by Captain John

Falcon Files
Monday 29 September 2008

15 days to blast off – That’s 2 weeks from tomorrow . Times running out – kind of like the start of a sailboat race – when the start is less than 30 seconds that 30 takes about 2 seconds!
Last Friday we hauled the boat to put on the final coats of anti-fouling, and tickle up the drive train.


(VIDEO TAKEN BY BRENDON)

Popped it back in the water this morning, motored about at a range of rpms and all is well.


(VIDEO TAKEN BY DOUG S.)

Dana Upholstery came by to measure the bimini- that will be ready in a week – it’s a heavy duty cover over 1-1/4” ss hoops made by Kingsley, and bolted onto the handrails by Tom G. Doug S thinks it’ll do the job and will be an extra downwind sail. Keep off the sun, too.
The boat is almost empty of junk, now ready for the food to load tomorrow. That’s when reality sets in. I keep reminding myself (and others should they be listening) that the first part of the voyage is never going to be perfect, and anyway it’s only for 60 days (i.e when we reach Cape Town.) Does that mean the Cape Town to Melbourne trip will be perfect? Noo.
Which brings me to the fundamentals – the voyage is about enjoying the journey. Reminds me of South Moll Island in the 70’s when bro Doug, his wife Viv and myself were lolling about the pool (our boat safely at anchor posing as a suitable backdrop, us posing as residents) when an Aussie tour leader came by with his non-English speaking tourists following behind in single file. He looked at us and commanded us to ‘Smile you bastards’ as he marched by. It worked - we nearly fell off our plastic lounges from laughing.
So to ensure we enjoy the journey without too much flak from home, a crew meeting with the wives was held at the local hostelery – now they are the best of mates plotting the crews futures with glee.
And now onto more technical matters. We think the boat and its equipment are good, we think the boat speed will be good, too and Graham Radford (the yacht designer in Sydney) advises to sail conservatively in ‘fresh winds’ with the staysail and reefed main – keep the boat more upright that pressed over, and when motor sailing keep at 1.1 times the square root of the waterline length i.e at 7.2 knots max . say 7 knots would be good and the best fuel value and = 168 mpd. Oh yeah right - the crew expressed some concern that the oldest member of the crew likes using spinnakers at the slightest provocation, and will not take them down – so much for G Radford’s advice.
Anyhoo (Canadian expression meaning change the subject)– to summarize – Boat is good – dry food is ready to load (in 12 plastic totes) – SSB radio and Sat phones all work on email & voice, lockers have locks on them, no junk on the boat, all the safety gear ready, charts ready, sails ready, spares galore, wine cellar incomplete – (send note to wine selection committee), video and library ready, insurances paid, medical kit ready, and the lawns are cut.
On Saturday afternoon we are having an ‘open boat’ at our club (Bronte Harbour YC) to let the locals have a look-see, and raise some money to fight cancer. Open bar – hope we don’t end up midnight sailing!
Cheers John