Good Morning All!

Calypso's Web Diary
Joe Drury
Wed 22 Jun 2011 09:40

39:02N 26:21.6W

0930 GMT

We are both up and about on our first morning at sea, those of you who are looking at the tracker may wonder why most of the fleet are heading north so far... It’s because we are all trying to get into the low pressure that is moving eastbound, and out of the high pressure to the east. As soon as the low gets closer the wind will veer and we will go with it until we are reaching comfortably to the NE.

Hopefully if this tactic works we will be running in 15-20 knot winds for a few days. We will be using the spinnakers for this part of the leg, we have two spinnakers, the Asymmetric Spinnaker, the Symmetric Spinnaker, these are great in light downwind airs but in strong winds we both have trouble getting the spinnakers down so once it gets above a force 4 or 5, the spinnakers come down and the Genoa is used instead. Ok Ellie?

All night the class 1 fleet have been together within 5 miles or so. We, regretfully don’t quite have the speed to windward as the Contessa’s and the Nicholson’s, so they have been creeping ahead in the night.

We both had a tiring night, as because of the close proximity of so many boats we had to keep a very careful watch, splitting the watches 2 hours on, 2 hours off.  When we get a bit more settled and the fleet spreads out we can go 3 on, 3 off and relax a bit more.

As I type, Alex is feeding Percy, who has had lots of crumbs and is very confidently strutting about the boat feeding from our hands. He spent all of yesterday and last night roosting in the forepeak. He’s now got his own water bowl and bird-bath (the sink) and seems to be in good spirits, cooing and burbling away.

Love to all our family and friends,

Joe + Alex