Back on track
The Adventures of Allegria & Crew
Peter Lansdale
Fri 7 Jun 2024 08:58
37:09.6N 045:51.1W
Just come back on watch at 0600 on Friday and
actually making good progress towards Azores, there's a black cloud going
overhead so we are getting some extra wind and making 7.5 knots. Unfortunately
it probably won't last because as we get closer to the Azores we expect rather
light wind interspersed with calms. We still have plenty of diesel so we should
be able to maintain a reasonable average as long as we get some wind
patches.
The low pressure which was
threatening us with strong winds has now long gone. It was 2100 on Wednesday
that we started to sail again, first by heading slowly east waiting for the wind
to back from south to south east so that we could sail south to start to get
round the southern edge of the low. At midnight we stowed the storm jib and
replaced it with the working jib and set off close hauled (sailing into the wind
as closely as we can) in a southerly direction. The plan was that the wind would
continue to back (change direction in an anticlockwise direction) and we would
slowly be able to resume an easterly course. By 1300 on Thursday we are on
course easterly but the wind has gone, the sea is very lumpy and we are making
no progress. We intermittently motored for the afternoon and then the northerly
wind set in and we have been sailing reasonably well all night.
So we are on our way, a few
days behind but alls well. Peter. ps. the dark cloud has
gone while writing this and we are down to making 4.5 knots but still
in the right direction.
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