Hatfield in his rhythm

Derek Hatfield crossed the equator this week and headed into the southern Atlantic Ocean, making up some ground on the boats ahead of him in the Vendée Globe round-the-world race.

Crossing the Doldrums near the equator was not as difficult as he feared, as he was fortunate to have some wind in the typically becalmed waters. As he moved into the southern hemisphere, he began fighting headwinds, which make life on Algimouss Spirit of Canada harder, as the boat must constantly tack to make progress. This means long hours at the wheel and little opportunity for sleep. (Most of these sailors are just getting snatches of two hours of sleep here and there; managing fatigue is a big part of the challenge.)

At the front of the pack, the lead has changed several times. Gitana Eighty is no longer at the head of the pack, having moved to a more westerly route. BT leads, followed by VM Matériaux and Generali, but the lead is changing very frequently, as the group prepares to make a big left-hand turn as they line up their approach to the waters under South Africa.

Hatfield sent several updates this week. Here's what he wrote as he approached the equator:

59 miles to do to cross the equator! This is my 5th time crossing that magical line and it is always special having the GPS just flip over from North to South, no fanfare or special signs, it doesn't care so much.

For me this kind of marks the end of phase one in the race - start line to the equator. Phase two starts immediately and takes us down to the south.

It's a little slow today it seems, more upwind work as I get into the weather systems south of the equator. The doldrums were non existent this time across which was lucky. Normally it is a slow painful crossing with many black clouds to negotiate. Thunder and lightning storms and big wind holes that can last for hours. Most of the fleet crossed without stopping I would imagine.

I am very tired today, I had a long night on deck watching for ships and monitoring the autopilot. Three ships came directly from the south, head on and very close. It's a little intimidating to have a large ship playing chicken with a small sailboat. About midnight the autopilot decided to tack the boat while I was asleep and I was rudely awakened with the boat totally on its side going sideways on the opposite tack. It took me about an hour to get it all back on track again and luckily no damage.

I guess the pilot needs some attention so I think I will call him Joshua, after Joshua Slocum the famous Canadian who was the first person to sail around the world single handed. The autopilot on Spirit of Canada in the Around Alone was called Joshua as well.

And today, he sent this message:

Hello from Algimouss Spirit of Canada.

Slowly, ever so slowly the wind backs as we beat and thrash our way upwind. Most uncomfortable. I'm not sure if the fleet ahead of me had upwind conditions like this but it would explain why they did not pull away after the doldrums like I thought they should have. Normally we would be close reaching down the coast of Brazil. Ironically when we come this way again in 7 or 8 weeks, we will probably be upwind again past Brazil towards the finish line. The humidity is taking it's toll in skin rashes and blisters. Everytime I go on deck it's either a salt water shower or foul weather gear while sweating to death underneath. After more than two weeks at sea, I begin to wonder if "foul" weather gear refers to the outside or the inside of the gear. Time for a good rain shower I'm hoping, before it gets too cold in another week or so. Time for lunch; chicken with noodles and bread and peanut butter and jam. And a french chocolat pudding for dessert.

Notes:

1. Photo is courtesy of the race organizers at http://www.vendeeglobe.org/

2. For more detailed discussion of the race and sailing strategy, see the Daily Sail's reporting on the race.
3. For those of you that are reading the Zanepost race update for the first time...The event began on November 9th and we're providing periodic updates. See previous days for more information or go to the first entry for background: Thirty sailors tackle solo race around the globe.

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Six myths about Thanksgiving

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930), "The First Thanksgiving" (public domain) 

"Gratitude is a sign of noble souls." - Aesop

On November 27th, Thanksgiving Day in the United States, families are sitting down to a traditional meal in commemoration of the harvest celebrations held by early English settlers who survived their first tenuous years in what is now Massachusetts.

Probably the most famous Thanksgiving was the celebration in 1621, organized by Plymouth governor William Bradford. He had arrived in 1620 with other religious separatists from England on the now famous Mayflower ship.  During their first winter on the American continent, about half of the settlers died.  By the fall of the next year, the settlement had become more established and prospects had brightened. Before winter set in again, Bradford invited local Native Americans to join the colonists in a three-day festival to give thanks for the harvest.  

Why is Thanksgiving celebrated on a Thursday and not on a Saturday or Sunday?  According to History.com,  post-harvest festivals were celebrated by the settlers on the day usually set aside as "Lecture Day," which was a midweek day set aside for a church meeting with topical sermons. 

The image above, painted hundreds of years later, helped to create our mental picture of what that first Thanksgiving might have been like.  However, like so many other works of art created years after an event, it contains many historical inaccuracies; myths, you might say.  
Did the early settlers eat pumpkin pie and turkey?  Where they indeed "Pilgrims"?

These are some of the questions that are answered in an interesting bit of trivia that identifies six myths about Thanksgiving. Originally printed in the quirky The Best of the Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, they were recently posted with permission on this eclectic site.  It's quite interesting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!

Notes:

1. Ferris's painting is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons and the Library of Congress. Copyright has expired (life of author + 70 years).

2.If you'd like to read about Bradford and the early days of the Plymouth colony, see the entry in Wikipedia, with links to Bradford's own journal.

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An immigrant asks about Thanksgiving

On Thursday, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. For some immigrants in North America, the holiday can be intriguing.

My friend and colleague Ben Viccari, publisher of the online Canscene service (Canada's Multicultural Scene), recently posted an interesting commentary he wrote about one man's curiosity about Thanksgiving Day and Remembrance Day. I found it fitting to reproduce it on this occasion. 

Ibrahim Wants To Know

 It says something about the heritage shared by Americans and Canadians and the gap that sometimes exists in the understanding of that heritage with some newcomers. In a taxi driving me home last month, I found Ibrahim, the driver, conducive to conversation and asked him how he’d fared during the recent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

Not badly, he said, but then asked me the true significance of Thanksgiving Day. I used as a comparison, Eid, the feast that ends the month long Islamic month of fasting. But I had to tell him that unlike Ramadan and Eid, our Thanksgiving had strayed from its religious past into a far more material world.

Just before our trip ended, he asked me the meaning of Remembrance Day and I could do little better than refer him to sources of information at his local public library. I would have needed a ride to North Bay to have explained all the ramifications of two world wars which failed to bring peace to humankind.

We do our best to help newcomers adjust to life in Canada, finding shelter, jobs and understanding what’s legal and whats not. However, in the intensity of zeroing-in on the target, could we be overlooking other opportunities to help them know and understand Canada? Warts and all?

-By permission of Ben Viccari

Coming up on Zanepost:  Six Myths About Thanksgiving 

Notes:

Ben Viccari is past president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association.  To learn more about Ben, see this article. The link to Canscene is above.

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Racing into the South Atlantic, solo sailors scan weather charts for best wind conditions; Hatfield fixing generator

The round-the-world competitors are now strung out in the middle of the Atlantic with more than one-thousand nautical miles separating the front of the pack from the rear.  

Most of the leaders made a relatively quick transit through the Doldrums and the Equator and are now bearing South, off the coast of Brazil and parallel to the island of St. Helena, which is a long way to the East.

The tenacious Loick Peyron aboard Gitanta Eighty continues to lead, followed by Sebastien Josse on BT.

St. Helena is important to the sailors because it gives it's name to a high-pressure system that determines the winds in the Southern Atlantic, and all of the skippers are taking a close look at their charts to try to anticipate wind speeds and direction.

The island has few inhabitants and is very isolated. It became famous as a remote prison. Lying thousands of nautical miles from the nearest land mass, it was the perfect place for the British to banish Napoleon. He remained in exile there under guard until his death in 1821. St. Helena was also the place where, at the end of the 19th Century, thousands of Boer prisoners were held during the war of the same name.

While the leaders of the Vendée Globe are sailing faster as they head South, near the back of the pack Canadian Derek Hatfield, aboard Algimouss Spirit of Canada, has been wrestling with a malfunctioning electrical charging system and has lost a little distance as he attempts to make repairs. He's now entering the Doldrums area in the sticky heat close to the Equator. He says in a recent message that he's hoping for a calm day so he can go out on the back of the boat and try to fix the wind generator.

Here's his dispatch from earlier Monday:

"Yesterday was practice day for the doldrums. A weak low pressure system seems to be crossing in front of me and the result is that for 24 hours now I have had very light winds. A very frustrating day indeed as I never sleep during the slow times as I don't want to miss any opportunities to take advantage of the wind. I must say I'm feeling a bit unlucky with the weather systems that I have encountered so far in the race. I must get my head into the weather files a bit more than I have been but this is a double edge sword; more computer time, more energy consumed. Oh well, I think I'm whining a a bit too much here, I just need to get on with it. My turn with the good luck with the weather will come."

As with all the competitors, we wish Derek good luck and safe sailing.

Notes:

1 Photograph of Foncia is courtesy Jacques Vapillon/DPPI/Vendée Globe.  Used by permission, courtesy www.VendéeGlobe.org/en

2. To learn about St. Helena, see St. Helena, South Atlantic Ocean

3. If you're interested in the winds and the effect of the island on the racers, read St. Helena and Her Demons at the race website.

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Intriguing possibilities in the convergence between science and spirituality

A growing number of scholars, from physicists to psychologists, are studying the universe from a new perspective: they are exploring whether our lives are defined by an unseen energy field that runs through us, surrounds us and that forms every living and non-living thing.

Research in physics is pointing to evidence that every subatomic particle in the universe contains energy that is pure potential, energy that changes form based on how it is measured. This is one of the principles of Quantum Theory and it could affect how we interact with each other and with the world.

What does this mean for me?

If this is true, it means I'm an inseparable part of the energy field of the universe.  It means I'm connected to every other person.  This also means that when I do something, negative or positive, whether it's polluting the environment, or helping someone, I affect the vast energy field we are all in.

I know this may sound far-fetched, but we are seeing the convergence of science and spirituality in ways our species has never experienced before. Quantum studies and spirituality may be indicating a new evolutionary stage for human beings.

The wise men of antiquity alluded to these things before, indicating that the universe is not only "out there;" it's also within ourselves.  We just need to see it.

Deepak Chopra calls it "universal consciousness."  And if we can become aware of it, we can use it.  Some refer to it as the law of attraction; others, as the power of intention.  The theory is that when we aim for something, we start to see possibilities and forces align themselves with our intention; details and opportunities emerge and converge in ways in which we were previously unaware.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) said it this way, "The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred...unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."

Think about the last time you set a goal for yourself, and how you achieved it.  Almost always, when you look back on the chain of events, you see how some things just fell into place; or how you happened to "bump into" people or find information that helped you along the way.  It's quite possible that in setting your goal you set an awareness level that brought opportunities to your attention. 

This force can be put to good use for the benefit of others, too.  In his book "How To Expand Love, " the Dalai Lama writes, "Each one of us is responsible for all of humankind. We need to think of each other as true brothers and sisters, and need to be concerned with each other's welfare."  

 "Without the appreciation of kindness, society breaks down. Human society exists because it is impossible to live in complete isolation. We are interdependent by nature...As small children we very much depend on the kindness of our parents. Again in old age we depend on the kindness of others.  Between childhood and old age we falsely believe we are independent, but this is not so."

Whether science is on the right track or not, thinking about universal consciousness can be very beneficial, especially to those who feel they are victims of a particular situation, casualties of a cruel world or of bad set of circumstances.  Thinking about a universal consciousness can provide a sort of motivational therapy. Focusing our thoughts positively can not only improve our outlook, but maybe also "move" things in our favour.  If this is true, it's an amazing thing.

As the Chopra Centre for Wellbeing put it in a recent newsletter: "Each of us exists as a ripple in the conscious intelligence field that gives rise to everything in the universe -- our bodies, the stars, the galaxies, and all else. Since we are an inseparable part of this underlying field of intelligence, we are also the source of all reality. In every moment, we are co-creating our world with God, the universe, or spirit."

Are we indeed a "ripple" in an energy field?  What do you think about this?  Leave a comment and express your opinion. I'd love to read more viewpoints.

 

Notes:

1. For a quick overview of Quantum Theory, see "Quantum Physics Overview"at About.com

2. Deepak Chopra is a best-selling author. See more in this Wikipedia introduction. 

3.  Quote by Goethe is from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book "The Power of Intention." Introduction to Chapter 12.

4. Quote by the Dalai Lama is from the book "How To Expand Love, " the conclusion of Chapter 6: "The Second Step: Appreciating Kindness."

5. The Chopra Center newsletter is called Namaste'.  The universal consciousness reference can be found here.

6. Photo is courtesy of Steve Woods.

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High-resolution images of cities provide another way to see the world

                                                                               

If you enjoy visiting different cities, the Internet provides an infinite variety of ways to collect information and see your destination before you depart.  

If you haven't seen it already, Google Earth has partnered with 360cities.net to provide an entertaining and unique way to experience the world's great cities on your computer screen. It's an application that combines a map function with 360-degree, high resolution photographs of many locations around the world.

To give you an idea, I've gone to Torino, the city of my birth, for an example. Take a look at the Vittorio Emanuele bridge on the Po River by clicking here. Dots on the image provide information about important landmarks (the site calls them "hotspots"), and you can click on the bottom of the photos for other interesting locations nearby. You can also superimpose the image on a map, which also allows you to zoom in and out as you wish.

Who needs to fly when the world is at your fingertips?

Notes:

1. The home page for 360cities is at www.360cities.net

2. Google Earth

3. The photograph above is Toronto by night, courtesy of Duilio Zane. 

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Race leaders In the Doldrums...while Hatfield worries about battery power

The leaders in the round-the-world race are wallowing in the Doldrums around the equator tonight, but they're optimistic that the breeze is returning. They hope they'll emerge relatively soon, within a day or two.

This is a photo of Loick Peyron, the race leader.  Notice the flat water behind him.Very slight breezes for the leading competitors today.

(Photo is courtesy of www.vendeeglobe.org and the Gitana team.)

Meanwhile, here's the latest from Derek Hatfield. He sent this dispatch today:

Hello from Algimouss Spirit of Canada

Position: 30 31.142 N X 19 26.222 W

I have been attempting to deal with a battery/charging problem for the past day so I may have suffered a little bit in the standings on the fleet. This problem was caused by the storm just after the start in the Bay of Biscay and it was not detected when we returned to the start line. I am more or less back up to speed now but watching the batteries very closely as I have not been able to solve the problem. I will continue to work on a solution.

Otherwise everything is good on board. The sailing is fantastic and the weather nice. More soon

Take Care

Derek

Round-the-world leaders reach the Doldrums; Hatfield near Madeira

The leaders in the single-handed Vendée Globe yacht race have arrived in the Doldrums, the area of ocean near the Equator where the air is notoriously still and sailing becames difficult.

Loick Peyron in Gitana Eighty leads a group of about six boats fighting for position and searching for the best path to enter the Doldrums. The skipper who reads the faint breezes best could be the first in and the first out of the "black pot, " as the French call this region.

The Doldrums is also known as the "Inter-tropical Convergence Zone." It's an area that usually lies about 5 degrees on either side of the Equator. The sun heats the water in this area and moisture rises in convection currents straight up, but does not move horizontally due to the lack of wind. The Doldrums is an area of high humidity and fierce convectional squalls can bring sudden downpours.

In previous centuries, mariners sometimes would get trapped for weeks at a time in the stifling air here and many sailors died of disease or malnourishment. The Vendée Globe web site points out the Doldrums is "synonymous with extreme tiredness, because such effort was required to get out of this area with the crews having to row longboats in order to tow the vessels, the notorious zone of persistent calms gave rise to the expression 'to be down in the doldrums.' "

Michel Desjoyeux in Foncia, the winner of the last edition of the race four years ago, is behind the leading pack, but is the racer who has covered the most distance in the last 24 hours, almost 257 nautical miles.

Like Derek Hatfield in Algimouss Spirit of Canada, Desjoyeux was one of the racers who had to return to port to make repairs after the first stormy day.

Hatfield, meanwhile, is sailing smoothly in the vicinity of Madeira and will be charting a course for the Cape Verde Islands next. Like the competitors before him, he will need to plot his course carefully. In this area, some chose to steer well to the West of the Islands, while others decided to take the shorter, but riskier, route of navigating on the East side. Sailing too close to the islands can be a gamble because of the strong possibility of wind shadow created by the land mass. This can reduce the wind available to the sailor and really impede progress.

Whatever route Hatfield chooses, he has a reasonable chance of catching up to other competitors as they slow down near the Doldrums.

Reading the dispatches from the competitors, one gets the distinct impression that those who have found a way to get some quality sleep are now doing better than those who are severely sleep-deprived. Finding ways to sleep and choosing the best time to get some quality rest must surely be one of the most difficult tasks in an event like this.

Hatfield seems to have settled into a comfortable routine. Here's what he said in a recent dispatch from Algimouss Spirit of Canada:

Life on board is starting to take on the singlehanded sailors
routine. I’ve been eating fresh food from the start but it won’t
last much longer. I haven’t started into the freeze dried yet.
It’s getting warmer as I head south, it’s 26 C inside the cabin
today so almost time to take off a mid layer but it’s much cooler
on deck, especially in the shade. It won’t be long before I’ll be
into shorts; I’m sure they are at the front already for a while
now.

I had a visit from a large pod of dolphins just before sunset
yesterday. There must have been 50 or more, all playing around
the boat. They always cheer me up as they look like the are
having so much fun.

Notes:

1. Photo of Michel Desjoyeux in Foncia is by François Van Malleghem / DPPI / Vendée Globes, courtesy of www.vendeegloble.org
2. For more information on the Doldrums, see Trade Winds, Horse Latitudes, and the Doldrums
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