ANDREA ENGLAND ART
  • The Log Book
  • AndreaEnglandArt.com

The Log Book

Tales of an Artist Afloat

And we're off

3/5/2017

6 Comments

 
Picture
The final load of laundry is done. The anchors are stowed, the water tanks are full and I've checked all our safety gear (see above for the first page in my passage sketchbook!). Our weather guru is working on our last departure forecast as I type...  and we'll be off by noon tomorrow! 

People often ask how we get by at sea, so I thought I'd answer some of those "Frequently Asked Questions'!
  • Do you stop at night?
No, we usually keep sailing. Jim and I take turns on watch, so while one of us is keeping things under control, the other is resting or sleeping. We usually have a six hour rotation, or four on, four off if things are particularly busy. 
  • Isn't it hard steering all the time?
Yes, it is (or would be). Some boats do hand steer on international passages, but we prefer to let our windvane do the hard work. So for the next three weeks we shouldn't have to touch the wheel at all. You can see the windvane at work on my video here. 
  • What do you do for water?
Prism holds 100 gallons, which is a good amount but we need to be careful. We have a salt water pump for washing the dishes and ourselves (baby wipes are invaluable here too!). We do have a reverse osmosis pump which operates by hand and removes the salt from water, which is great for emergencies. 
  • And what do you eat?
Some people are gourmet chefs in the cruising kitchen. I find a rocky rolly galley a little harder to cope with, and not having a fridge creates a challenge! I spent today doing lots of cooking, so we have fresh meals for the next few days whilst we build up our sea legs. And the salt ice in the ice box will keep veggies cool for about a week. After that, we're on to long life things like kumara (sweet potatoes), spuds, onions, carrots and pumpkins. We've got a good supply of dried pulses and lots of tinned tomatoes and corn, plus canned tuna and chicken. It's often too rocky to use the meths stove, so we'll switch to a gimballed propane burner, which stays upright whatever the boat is doing. We mostly cook one pot meals and make good use of the pressure cooker. Boil in the bag rice and curry are our fall back for when we need food fast or things get really rough, and there's a little chocolate stowed as a treat.
  • How do you keep in touch with people?
We have a satphone which we'll use to message family. Our good friend Jacqui will relay our position and messages to the boat's facebook page (look for Island Prism, or check the feed here on my webpage- just go to the Island Prism tab). 
  • Do you have internet?
No. It's social media cold turkey. 
  • So what do you do all day?
Read, Draw. Sleep. Crochet. Sleep. Read. Eat. Watch the sea. Look for dolphins. Read. Sleep. It's kind of like rocky hibernating. Sometimes we even talk to each other!
  • Will you see many boats on passage?
On this route, probably not. We're away from shipping channels- but we keep our eyes open just in case!
  • What do you do in bad weather?
There are whole books written on storm tactics. Hopefully we'll face nothing worse than a gale- in which case we heave to, which stops the boat and calms things down, so we can resume the sleeping/ eating/ reading cycle detailed above. 
  • So do you enjoy this?
For adventurer cred, I should say yes. In reality, there are bits I love (smooth seas, dolphins, nights when you can see forever) and other bits when I just want the world to be still and quiet! On the whole, I don't love passages, but they're worth it when we get to our next destination!

That's me signing out for the next 3 weeks or so- but do check our Facebook page or my feed for progress maps and trip updates! And hopefully I'll get lots of sketching done in the meantime!

6 Comments
Janis McCarty link
4/5/2017 03:30:35 am

Good luck! I've just met you in Exploring. I love your work and your great sense of adventure. I will be looking forward to following your sailing journeys and seeing your artistic journaling. Praying for safe travels for you and your mate.

Reply
nathalie
4/5/2017 06:39:29 am

Wishing you safe passage! say Hi to dolphins for me...or draw them, just the same!

Reply
Andrea England
4/5/2017 11:51:10 am

thank you Nathalie! I hope we get a few companions on the way!

Andrea England
4/5/2017 11:56:47 am

Thank you so much for the kind wishes, Janis! I hope I'll still get to see you around skool, and am looking forward to finishing Exploring when we find land again in a few weeks! Hopefully I can make the most of all the sketching time in my hands over the next few weeks!

Reply
Margaret
4/5/2017 12:17:15 pm

Fascinating reading. Wishing you lots of dolphins and sketches along the way. Bon voyage to you both.

Reply
Andrea England
4/5/2017 12:19:51 pm

Thank you for having a read, and for your kind wishes! I'm looking forward to all the sketching opportunities!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Andrea England

    An Artist Afloat- Painting the world one anchorage at a time. 

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Art
    Art Residency
    Art Shows
    Auckland
    Auckland Zoo
    Being An Artist
    Boats
    Boatyard
    Bora Bora
    Brexit
    Brush Pen
    Canada
    Catharsis
    Coloring
    Coloured Pencils
    Colouring Page
    Copyright
    Creative Block
    Crosshatching
    Digital
    Dinosaur
    Diving
    Dolphins
    Doodlewash
    Etsy
    Fish
    French Polynesia
    Goulet
    Hawaii
    Huahine
    Illustration
    Imagination
    Ink
    Inktense
    Inktober
    Inspiration
    Island Prism
    Jim
    Kiwi
    Lamy Safari
    Lettering
    Lino Printing
    Manta Rays
    Marquesas
    Mermaid
    Mishaps
    Mixed Media
    Moorea
    New Zealand
    Noodlers
    Oil Transfer
    Papeete
    Pen
    Photography
    Photoshop
    Pingu And Amuk
    Politics
    Portraits
    Printing
    Process
    Raiatea
    Redbubble
    Review
    Sailing
    Seal
    Sharks
    Sketchbook
    Sketchbook Skool
    Sketching
    Stencil
    Sunsets
    Travel
    Trump
    Tutorial
    Tutukaka
    Urban Sketching
    Vancouver Island
    Video
    Volcano
    Watercolour
    West Coast Paintings
    When Drawings Go Wrong
    World Watercolor Month

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • The Log Book
  • AndreaEnglandArt.com