On passage again.
Catacaos
Graham Shaw
Thu 20 May 2010 14:37
After outstaying our welcome in the BVI - (we had to apply for an extension to the dates stamped in our passports, due to the officious immigration officer when we checked in. And what a palaver that turned out to be! ) - we set off north, bound for Bermuda last Sunday. It's a distance of about 850 nautical miles, and we should be in sometime late tomorrow (Friday). The conditions have been very good, with the wind being on the beam (the best place for it to be) almost all the way. We are currently bowling along with the spinnaker up, at around 8 knots in about 12 knots of true wind (this is good). We'll probably slow up a bit later tonight and tomorrow, as the wind is forecast to decrease and come further aft, thus decreasing the apparent wind which is what actually pushes the boat along. (apologies to the non-technical non-boaty readers). We'll probably be motoring by then, as I want to try and push on to get to St.George's before it gets dark
For the weather, we download a forecast every day using the satellite phone hooked up to the laptop, and end up with a thing called a Grib File, which can give us the predicted wind strength and direction for anywhere we want at three hour intervals for up to seven days hence. It is an incredibly useful tool, and I wonder how we managed without it crossing oceans all those years ago. I guess that was it - we just managed.
Anyway, there's very little to report - we're going along in near perfect conditions - and that's about it. We're all well back into the routine now, only running a formal watch system at night, with Lorraine and I alternating every three hours and Lucas sleeping like a log from dusk till dawn! Having left the tropics, as we get further north we are noticing the air temperature dropping, and the machine is telling us the sea temperature is now down to 24C, having been 28/29C for months. We'll definitely notice that next time we go for a swim. Soon be time to get the duvet and long trousers out of the locker!!
Stand by for the next installment from Bermuda - somewhere none of us have been before.....
Graham.
