Bound for Biscay, out of Brest
Beowulf
Tom Fenton and Faith Ressmeyer
Thu 21 Jun 2012 21:09
Klaus and Christina, our Albin Vega owning friends, met about ten days ago greeted us with a cup of tea and a warm cabin followed by a glass of wine. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?
We've spent today trying to get everything dry, fixing a problem with the water tank and greeting Bill, our friend from Wivenhoe who's joined us for the Biscay crossing. In more pelting rain and a gale which has kept me confined to the cabin most of the day. There was a pause when I scrambled into the cockpit, hung everything to dry but it was just too windy. We had to stand holding it and right up here at the most protected end of the harbour there were waves with whitecaps and enough spray to soak us again, before the next downpour. What happened to summer?
We think we'll leave around 17.50 tomorrow and hope to be in La Coruña 3 days and 16 hrs later, if we manage 4 knots (which is about what we get normally but no motor to fall back on, couldn't carry enough fuel, so we'll be entirely wind dependent and maybe way off prediction).
I am a bit scared. But we've been through quite a lot already and I'm much more ready for this crossing than I imagined I would be sat in my nice house in sunshine a month ago. I think we have enough food and water but whether the weather will hold... It does look good though; we have the window we need, according to several forecasts.
So unless there's a late change, we'll be out of contact from late afternoon tomorrow, Friday, til about Tuesday midday. Please think of us when you read this and write back if you can.
Faith