Oct 21: Goa to Mumbai
Antara commenced the Season, departing Panaji at 1030 am from the amazingly located and maintained Captain of Ports jetty.
We had 3 guests onboard. A cousin who is also a TV star and social media personality, a Swiss radio journalist and a yoga teacher. Motoring out of the Mandovi, we set up sails in the Aguada Bay and made steady progress towards Vengurla Rocks, our first waypoint. The receding monsoons lent a helping hand with Southwesterly winds making for a downwind sail.
Barely out of Aguada Bay, even before we could switch off the engine and set sails, the engine alarms for low lubricating oil pressure and high cooling water temperature started beeping. The former indicating that the internal parts of the engine weren’t getting sufficient lubrication while the later that the engine wasn’t being cooled sufficiently. Both could cause serious damage to the engine so we switched off the engine to prevent any likely damage. The engine charges our service battery which in turn powers all the onboard electronics. Assuming the worst, we decided to restrict usage of the chart plotter and autopilot to save electricity. Our guests joined in taking turns to hand steer Antara, switching on the instruments every hour for a few minutes, to check our position.
The service battery finally drained out by 02 am on the second night with all instruments except the compass and navigation lights blinking off. Assisted by good winds, we closed coast by first light and made landfall off Jaigarh Port to get within mobile phone range for advice from our engine supplier. Mr Roshan of Lorenco Marine, Goa, suggested opening the tappet cover to physically check the oil supply.
Our engine is located below the steps leading into the boat so we tried using a GoPro to peer into the depths of our motor while it idled.
Thomas however had used the camera for some amazing videos, so that ran out of power at a crucial moment. Then in a flash of inspiration, Dilip simply held his hand over the open tappet cover. A palm covered with oil was ample demonstration that the internals of the engine were well lubricated and the alarm was a result of a faulty sensor or electronics. So we continued running the engine to charge the service battery and sailed on close to the coast, admiring the lush green western ghats meeting the sea. The alarms too stopped beeping after a while and everything was back to normal. Perhaps Antara wanted to reiterate an oft-repeated lesson to everyone on board; that on a sailboat as long as one can put up a sail and steer the boat, there is no need to worry.
The favourable winds made for an easy passage towards Mumbai. Then a strong tide pulled us straight into the harbour, enabling us to reach earlier than usual, and right in time for Dussehra, a festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. At 70 hrs, this turned out to be the fastest passage between Goa and Mumbai for Antara.
A week at home and we were ready for the return trip
Oct 30: Mumbai to Goa
On this trip, we had a group of 4 intrepid schoolfriends. An ex engineering college principal, an entrepreneur, a writer and a grandmom. They’re a large gang of friends who make it a point to travel together once a year, without their spouses.
The delayed withdrawal of the monsoon worked in our favour and we had a downwind sail back too. It was just the kind of sail Skipper always wishes for, uneventful.
One of our guests’ melodious voice complimented the Full moon nights beautifully besides taking us on a nostalgic trip with a medley of old Marathi songs. And another regaled us with stories from his Himalayan treks. The ladies had stocked up on homemade sweets to celebrate Kojagiri Poornima: the first full moon after the withdrawal of South-West monsoons. It is celebrated as the first stream of clear moonlight after almost 04 months of cloudy monsoon grey.
Poor winds ensured we sailed at an average of 3 knots, a peaceful, easy pace, just right for our guests. But it did delay our arrival in Panaji to 2 am of the third night!
For more about this trip, have a look at our Youtube video.
Experience the best of travel in these challenging times; come sail on Antara
Our next Blue Ocean sail dates are:
Goa to Bombay - Nov 20 to 23
Bombay to Goa - Nov 29 to Dec 01
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