Hanging out with the Albatrosses

Caramor - sailing around the world
Franco Ferrero / Kath Mcnulty
Sun 29 Nov 2015 18:07
41:31.92S 61:27.46W

Here we are, in the Forties, in the ironic position of being becalmed. So we've taken the same line as the Albatrosses that surround us, folded our wings and philosophically resigned ourselves to waiting for the more usual Westerlies that should turn up this evening. They expect them to turn up from long experience, and I because of the satellite forecast.

Since setting off we have had a couple of days of perfect beam winds followed by what are best described as variables. Ranging from light stern winds to strong head winds. We even flew the spinnaker for a few hours. Nonetheless we have covered 580NM in 5 days and are about 600NM to the NNW of the Falkland Islands, in a good position to take advantage of the Westerlies when they arrive.

Our new wind turbine Thomas is working well when the winds are strong. (We called him Thomas because he is German, and every single German yachtsman we have met in South America was a Thomas). At one point I thought he wasn't working because the amp meter still read 1.44 when I switched him on in a 25 knot wind. When I looked more carefully I realised that it now read 14.4!

The devil makes work for idle hands, so the crew are on make and mend for the afternoon.

Franco