Land n Sand Jan / Feb 2014 | Page 10

For this reason, INDABA has no water tank. With contaminated water in a tank, all the water is rendered undrinkable at once. John decided to take 1.5 L water containers instead. The crew takes showers with pumped seawater, then spritzes themselves with water to get most of the salt off. Most of the yachts have water makers that turn seawater into fresh water. What about waste? Plastic and non-biodegradables are stored for the duration of the race. Paper and punctured cans can be thrown overboard while plastic gets condensed for removal at the next stop. Excess packaging and cardboard should be stripped and thrown away before you leave port. Bio-degradable waste can be discarded overboard. I’ve often wondered how Noah’s wife planned the meals for their epic voyage ... for the first few days, fresh produce nourishes the body; gourmet meals like flapjacks for breakfast and fillet on the braai in the late afternoon can be a welcome change from convenience foods such as packets of nuts, dried fruit, vegetable chips, biltong, droëwors, rusks, shakes, freeze-dried packaged meals, canned foods, chocolates ... Sailors love the wind in their hair, the salt on their skin; experiencing the wonder of the elements, the unbelievable cameraderie, the excitement, joy and freedom ... there is always the next Cape to Rio for these brave survivors! GLOSSARY A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel. Jib: A triangular staysail at the front of a ship. Jury rudder: A rudder constructed for temporary use. Keel: The central structural basis of the hull. Reefing: To temporarily reduce the area of a sail exposed to the wind, usually to guard against adverse effects of strong wind or to slow the vessel. Rudder: A steering device which can be placed aft, externally relative to the keel or compounded into the keel either independently or as part of the bulb/centerboard. A saildrive is a transmission system for a boat whose inboard engine has a horizontal output shaft. Shroud: A rope or cable serving to hold a mast up from side to side. Starboard: The right side of the boat. Towards the righthand side of a vessel facing forward. Denoted with a green light at night. Derived from the old steering oar or steerboard which preceded the invention of the rudder. Taken from en.wikipedia.org & http://www.t hefreedictionary.com