The great reach of yesterday could not last and the wind went round
into the NE meaning that we were running before it. This happened just before
dark fell so we spent the night gently sailing under Genoa. Two sightings of pods of porpoise
cheered things up; they are such graceful creatures and appear to be pleased to
see us.
An excellent pre-cooked french supermarket special for dinner preceded
some quiet night watches – activity was provided by numerous gybings of
the genoa as the wind shifted from one side of the stern to the other. Whilst
it was cloudy we now have a moon which provided a good light and meant that we
were not plunging into stygian darkness.
08:00 saw the opportunity to try out the new cruising chute and very
fine it looked too:
It is a shame that the fancy furler did not work as it should. Back to
the drawing board on that one. It did however prove that Elizabeth and I
between us can get a 1450 sq ft sail down and bagged on our own – not to
be repeated often!
We are now some 50 miles from La Coruna, the coast of Spain is well in
sight and we are starting to encounter the many small fishing boats that make
sailing in this part of the world such fun, especially in the dark. ETA in La Coruna is some time
after night fall which should add to the entertainment – at least we know
the geography having been there twice in the last three years.
