1715hrs 07 Sep 2005 UTC 18’26”N 025’51”W Ref 339
Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake (actually, I just forgot to explain it)? In the last Daily Bull, the GPS distance was less than the calculated day’s run. If everything is working properly, this should not be possible. But it isn’t all working properly and every time we have a USB crash, I have to turn off the GPS and the SatCom until I’ve got the system back up again – if there’s any data whatever getting to the USB-Serial gizmo when it powers up, the laptop thinks it’s got a serial ballpoint mouse going ape around its edges – can’t pre-delete it because there’s nothing in device manager to delete. It all has to be done from inside device manager as it comes up. Tedious. And the CMap dongle has to be inserted, SoB activated and the dongle removed before the main USB cable is attached or, when the dongle is removed, the laptop again sees the USB gizmo as a mouse and crashes it and, usually, the computer as well – the dreaded blue screen of death. Does anyone know how to permanently remove the serial ballpoint mouse so that it doesn’t boot or isn’t seen by XP? Anyway, I’m gradually getting to a standard procedure that works. If only the failures had an element of consistency. Enough nerdery – back to Twaddle.
Reading Pete’s stuff about the Fastnet – Pascal Loisin, the guy that beat us in the 2 hander, was 16 hours ahead and would have had a fair tide or slack water across Falmouth Bay over the last 40 miles to the finish – we were headbutting nearly 2 knots most of the way and that was the difference – about 2 miles on corrected time. Just as in Storm Bay and the Derwent (at the end of a Hobart Race) it all depends on timing and luck. Extinction is a tough examiner but the Dinosaurs almost got themselves reincarnated to bite a bum or two. Would have been a nice Jurassic touch. Everyone has their ‘ifs’ in ocean racing!
I’ve found the mung beans – we used exactly half of them on the way up – and we have started the vegie garden again. Cress is a lot of effort for the return, so will leave that for later – in case of desperation.
Hugh, thanks for snails, Is for news, Hi George, Hi, Ross – the northern constellations are all going slowly belly up – Orion is flat on his back and the Great Bear is getting lower. Noice – I keep looking into the Milky Way down south – when we can see it through the haze and dust – but the Southern Cross has a way to go yet.
Warm sticky night – tiny moon, almost gone. Could do with one of Pete’s long tinkling glasses with condensation on the outside…Have just gybed to pass closer to Sao Antao in the morning. A symbolic first turn for home, although we are not quite holding 180 yet.