Friday 10^th June – Halfway to Azores

Today we reached the ‘halfway’ point in our journey across the Atlantic, measured as half the rhumb line (shortest) distance from Antigua to the Azores at 1090 nautical miles, crossing at 8 knots, just about our best speed to date. The milestone was celebrated with a beer each and a shared packet of Pringles (other stackable crisps are available), before a lunch of tuna mayo wraps (it is Friday after all).

In reality we are well over half the distance as we had to travel quite a long way north up the Caribbean Sea towards Bermuda to try to get over the prevailing high-pressure zones that typically range over Bermuda and the Azores this time of year – so not following the rhumb line at all. This year, prevailing conditions have been a little different to usual. While the high pressure has developed around the Azores, it’s expanding and moving north to the extent that going over the top of it would have us making landfall in the UK rather than Spain!

We are examining the weather forecasts, daily and more as you’d expect, trying to gain any clue as to what might happen next. The 48-hour day forecasts have been reasonably consistent so we’re generally content to follow the wind on those. Anything beyond seems to vary wildly from day to day, so we are living, as they say, moment to moment and trying to make the most of wind when we have it. Sailing along the rhumb line (from our current position to the Azores) now at 7.4 knots is helping to bring the target closer.

Our bow team of pole dancers (they have to manipulate a large spinnaker pole around the foredeck to push the big head sail out) have executed some good gybes and completed their first night time manoeuvre last night, completed without incident. Well done team.

We have a daily sea routine that includes all the cooking and cleaning, making water etc; one of the tasks is a daily rig check to ensure that all various parts that hold the mast up are secure and working as they should, lubricated and occasionally fresh water washed to remove some of the salt build up. Earlier this week, Romain, Pauline and I were conducting the check when we discovered a small screw in the scuppers at the bow. Immediately we began the process of checking anything that might have such a screw missing and discovered half way up the headsail furler, in fact two missing screws. We had spares so, after gathering the tools and harness, hoisted Romain up the forestay on one of the halyards to replace the two missing screws. An ocean voyage is demanding on the rig; checks like these are vital to make sure we arrive in good order.  

We provide our own entertainment onboard, but it’s generally something to do with sailing. Yesterday, we took sun sights with our sextant, supervised by Nigel, to learn how seaman in days of yore fixed their position at sea with no other reference than the sun, moon and stars. Usually, there is a great deal of maths to finally fix our position, but Coleman has a really great App that, once the data is input, gives our position (phew). Between the crew we managed to estimate our position to within two miles which was great on a rolling platform. Otherwise, we’ve been making ‘team bracelets’ from para-chord – the kind of decorative rope tying that sailors in the old days used to practice for fun or build skills. The diamond knot that ends the bracelet is also used in something called a soft shackle which we also made up to keep as a spare in the rigging kit. The snake knot that makes the strap is a way of storing quite a lot of line in a really compact way.

We have not caught a single fish since last Friday. We are hoping that the fish around here know that it’s Friday Fish Day and cooperate by jumping on the lure this afternoon. As a back-up we are preparing Corn Beef Hash to entertain our French and American crew; there is some trepidation about this ‘British’ delicacy, so it may yet prove to be a right-of-passage for them on a British yacht!

Simon

Skipper