Jocara Newsletter #4

This is not supposed to be this hard...  There are no anchorages to stop
at overnight in this part of the world, off the east coast of Banka, about
halfway from Singapore to the Sunda Straits.  Alex is very seasick and
there is no place to go to give him rest.  We have 20 knots of wind on the
nose and a current against us, so we can only make about 50 nautical miles
(1 n.m. = 1.852 km) a day in the direction we need to go.  Pounding into
weather, first on one tack, then the other, is taking its toll on crew and
boat.  We have a lot of gear failure under the strain, but nothing
life-threatening.  Last night the big forward hatch came apart, the
plexiglass separating from the frame.  We have made a temporary repair,
until we get to an anchorage to work on it.  We found the problem with the
engine losing oil, but it isn't easy to fix at sea.  The inside of the
boat is a mess now, no-one is up to cleaning things up and everything is
falling all over the boat as we tack.  Still, the sky is bright and clear,
we have freighters bearing down on us in the night and fishing boats with
odd (or no) lights to keep us amused on the night watch and the occasional
'Sumatra' squall (a line of rain and high wind) to keep us on our toes.  
Meanwhile, Casper is discovering a hidden talent for baking.  He made
Pizza and cheese rolls yesterday, both very good.