Two days to go to the Azores
Akarana
Graham Deegan
Sat 28 May 2011 12:58
We have been motorsailing for 2 days now and we will be motirsailing for at least all of today. The grib files ( electronic weather information suitable for the MaxSea sailing prediction software ) have been promising us a change in wind direction consistently and for this evening. We are very much looking forward to cutting the engines and sailing. Watch this space...
Motoring has not been without some little troubles... We were once again without seawater coolant through the engine, but fixed it somehow. ...And we somehow fixed the problem of the engine revs dropping when we switched to tank 2. This time we just let it go on with reduced revs, and then it cleared itself... whatever the issue was ! We do not like not knowing what the problem was or how it was fixed & whether or not it is fixed permanaently. Loloita is still teasing us. Not until the Nipper has spent many hours stripping everything down and rebuilding it to his fastidious standard will she finally become Akarana.
Meanwhile.. The sun has been shining on and off and midshipman Rowlandson (AKA The Doc) has been rattling through sunsights with ease and coming up with consistent results within 10 miles of our GPS position. We are increasingly confident that should all systems fail we will be able to rely on his skills. For this reason he has been replaced as the first item on the menu, should we run short of rations. Double Gloucester has twigged this and is refusing to be fattened like the rest of us... refusing to eat his double rations. The Doc has been promoted to Leftenant Rowlandson on account of his undoubted skills and is pictured here being served moring coffee by mother in recognition of his new status. Double Gloucester looking on enviously.
