15.23.755N 51.37.106W
Armenistis
Sat 5 Dec 2009 23:21
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At 10:30UTC today 5th Dec 2009 we are sailing with
aspeed 6-7kt and the wind is picking up. There is a grey cloud behind and the
squall starts working. I switch the radar on and check its movement, right
toward us with a shape of a figure eight in the radar display. The wind raeches
35-40kt speed and the speed of the boat starts increasing 7,8,9,10 stopos at
11,3. The moment is graet you feel flying, you concentrate keeping the
windex indicator steady keeping the wind on the starboard close to 160 deg
playing with the wheel to keep surfing. What a feeling!!
It is now 13:30 and the same shit again... noice
from the boom noice from the mast the wind is low again and the waves roll in a
way that the sailks are not full. Just reachinmg 4-5 kts.
This is a pain this is the time you hate this sport
you feel a pain in the stomach thinking of the your boat
suffering.
At 01:30UTC 6th Dec2009 moving on a course
235degrees on port tack and about 540nm from Santa Lucia. Unfortunately not on
the right course but we plan to continue and will gybe later. Since 14:00
UTC yesterday S/Y Thindra a Swan 56 was trying to pass us and just
succeeded right now after they gybed. At the same time we are coming close
to a boat that is about 3 miles on our starboard and we are closing the
distance. The wind is good and we mnake 6,8-7,5kt. with a bifg swell favorable
to our course but a second wave which gives us a big roll. Life
is better now and hope the weather remains like that.
We have been helped a couple of times from two
nice squalls. The whole night you can watch black clouds and you
can stay hours looking at these squalls moving, their
shapes look like figures of dogs, birds, baloons, flowers depending on
your imgination. As we move along the green mastlight on our starboard is so
bright trhat you can see clearly the white caps of the waves passing us on our
right. And then about 12:30 you see on our stern from the East the moon
coming up pale behing some dense clouds.
All nights up to now are different mainly the moon
made the difference but also our movement to the west where the subtropical
climate is changing to more tropical with the frequent appearance of squalls. I
remember when I was a kid in Spetses westerlies were strong in the
evening and there was nearly always a squall (Μπουρινι ή Καθουρι)
with quite a lot of rain.
We are now close to our final latitude and we
have another 7degrees to go west. Our course at the moment if we would continue
would take us to Venezuela (close to the Rio Orinoco area-about 650
nmiles away).
Time to say goodnight folks and will keep in touch
tomorrow.
S/Y ARMENISTIS
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