Noon Tuesday 30th 45:48N 32:34W
Bellone
Tue 30 May 2023 09:42
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At 5.30 this morning we were aiming for Greenland. The
wind has backed quite a bit since then, but I'm glad to say that it has swung
back to 110* T. Still, the best heading we can make is 50* but the painful
part is that our course-over-the-ground is only 035*. Which means we are still
aiming for the Outer Hebrides. Let's hope the weather pattern changes
soon.
With this point of sailing, getting as close to the wind
as possible without stalling the boat is important. A five
degree improvement over a hundred miles makes an eight
mile difference at the end of it. So, over a thousand mile leg, the
difference becomes eighty miles.
To try an improve our angle of attack into the wind,
I've rigged what's called a barber-hauler, which is a very posh name for a
simple purchase that brings the back end of the front sail closer to the
fore-and-aft centreline of the boat. I think it's helping.
Over a phone call with my wife yesterday, I was
contemplating going to the Azores to fill up with water, fuel and food but she
told me to take some man-up pills. So I've been gulping them down, and |I'm
proceeding to Ireland.
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