Day 5: windy, windy.
Catacaos
Graham Shaw
Wed 14 Jan 2009 21:17
Here we are again. For the last couple of days the wind has been between 20
and 30 knots (quite windy, for the uneducated), with a fairly lumpy sea and
almost total cloud cover. Whilst we are making some fairly good speeds and
helming is quite exhilerating, it would be nice to have a little calm patch,
to have a swim maybe, but this is looking unlikely for the time being. The
big atlantic swells are rolling us along, but are much shorter than I recall
from last time I was here, so for now it seems to be a case of putting up
with it! We currently have one reef in the main, and two rolls in the
genoa. Sadly it is far too windy for the new spinnaker we bought!
We are now about halfway there, if we are considering the distance from Las
Palmas to Barbados. At current rate of progress, we will be there in about
nine days. At least with this weather we are not burning much diesel - only
enough to keep the batteries charged (the solar panels have had no sun to
work with for a couple of days!) We are generally charging the batteries
around dusk. This has the added advantage of allowing us to have the
inverter on for a couple hours, so Lucas can watch a DVD before going to
bed. The little fellow is being so good at sleeping in spite of the noise
and the motion - he really has found his sea legs!
Anyway, now a word from Lorraine...
What no meat balls- you mean what no meat? I will not make meat balls with
spam ( you know the stuff in a tin and never goes out of date). Well all
fun here just off watch which was blowing a f7, boat flying on the waves, in
a pair of shorts, but wet weather jacket on for the waves crashing over you.
I'm told by the lord and master about another nine days to barbados, I'm
sure
they said twelve days, four days ago. Anyway progress is being made. Watch
last night was in the pitch dark which was very eerie - you cannot not see
any
thing so you are sailing blind. Especially when you cannot see a wave
crashing over you or a flying fish jumping out of the water. I wonder what
they taste like, but have not got that desperate yet, just busy rescuing
them
and putting back in the water.