How many layers do the Peeps wear to keep warm? The answer (dear reader) is blowing in the wind...........
andromeda of plymouth
Susan and Andrew Wilson
Tue 8 Jul 2014 12:01
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N37:07:445
W09:27:235
Layers and layers is the answer. We have been
wearing 5 top layers and 4 on the bottom including undies and our salopettes add
another half to the top too. Getting dressed and undressed especially for
ablutions is quite a lengthy process. The winds have been mostly from the north
and cold so we haven't even been divesting ourselves of any layers during the
daylight hours either. As for our heads, well we have our buffs, then a hat,
then the hood on our jackets and even a hoodie hood on occasion. Got to keep
those drafts out of our ears. Our feet however are coping with one pair of socks
and in Susan's case a hot water bottle sometimes.
Yesterday afternoon we thought for a time that we
had been transported to Piccadilly Circus. In the space of about 90 minutes we
saw 7 different vessels around us - heading South. West and North with a lone
yacht going west. We tried to hail them as we passed each other but no answer
was the stern reply. There was nothing else then till just after 11 last night
when a huge ship crossed our stern at a distance of about 3.5 nautical miles. In
the last couple of hours though we have seen 3 huge container vessels and oil
tankers crossing our stern and heading south - maybe they will turn into the
Med.
The wind that Andrew said was due - well it arrived
and then some. We had reeffed right down anyway but continue to belt along in
the lumpy seas. We put the engine on and had Orion take the helm to give
us some relief too and it meant that whoever was on watch could stay under the
sprayhood for a while and judging by the number of hissing sids dumping loads of
water towards and into the cockpit, this was a very good idea!
We have made very good if bouncy progress and have
not much over 20 miles to go to our wayppoint off Cabo St. Vincente which we
will give a wide berth to if these conditions persist. The forecast is for
it to calm down during the next few hours but then the forecast was for gusts up
to 24knts max but we have seen many over 30kts. We have broken our daily run
record though with 161 boat miles midnight to midnight and 146.3 over the ground
for the same period.
No dolphins or whales to report though we keep
getting that mysterious depth reading of anyting between 3.4 to 20 metres so
maybe they have been swimmming underneath us, or something else, we probably
don't want to know really. Shearwaters are still with us though.
10am this morning we heard voices on the radio
again for the first time, civilisation approaches.
More in due course..........
Andrew & Susan
S/V Andromeda of Plymouth Approaching the coast of
Portugal
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