Hello Everybody,

 

The 10th edition 1978  of the Admiralty Pilot for Newfoundland and Labrador states:

 

“drastic changes in pressure cause severe gales and confused heavy seas for long periods over a large area”

 

Uh.....thanks Dai.

 

It goes on:  “in describing the climatic features of this region for the mariner, emphasis has been laid on the hazards of gales, fog and ice, but spells of settled weather can also be enjoyed in all seasons.”

 

Oh really? Not on my watch!

 

We left Lewisporte at 5am yesterday morning, and despite gale warnings North and South of us, we enjoyed a lovely day’s sailing with warm, light, SW winds, and before dark we were clear of the land,and congratulated ourselves on our perfect timing. There were a few icebergs around, but easily spotted and avoided. Then as darkness fell, the wind veered to the NE and increased,the temperature dropped – big time, it got foggy and started raining. We have radar to spot icebergs at night or in the fog, but due to the disturbed seas, it was difficult to tell the real ‘bergs (if there were any) from the false returns on the radar. So that was the story of our first night at sea. And the next day. And that is where we are now. Trying to get South as quickly as possible in search of the sun and fair winds that Dai has promised me. But we have at least another 3 days of sailing before we will reach latitude 45 degrees North, which is where we want to be for most of the crossing.

 

Well I hope that my next blog will report that we are in shorts and T-shirts,enjoying a cocktail of Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Caribbean Rum that I picked up from the Dublin duty free store.

 

Take care Everybody

With Best Wishes

Pete