The weather dominates everything at sea, or more specifically the wind strength and direction. It determines how fast we can sail, when we’re going to arrive, what life is like on board, how safe we are and the morale of the crew. So far on this trip the weather has been kind to us. No gales! In fact, very little wind at all; just a large oily swell from the West. So I’ve had the engine on most of the time trying to  maintain a 6 knot average. There’s also a lot of fog about which is not good for sightseeing. As I write there is blue sky above but visibility no more than 50 metres all around.

 

We’re now sailing over the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, 4800 metres deep, (not much fun down there I imagine) and tomorrow we’ll be crossing onto the Continental Shelf of the UK, about 80 metres deep. Such a dramatic change in depth can create a very disturbed sea in certain conditions. Fortunately, we’ll be crossing in relatively light winds. Then there’s only 2 more days to run to our home port of Aberdyfi. No stopover at Castletownbere on this route unfortunately. The Guiness and Jameson we’ve been promised will have to be for another day.

 

We’ve had no more close shaves with other vessels but their numbers will increase dramatically as we cross the approaches to the English Channel tomorrow. Yacht insurance companies don’t like singlehanded ocean voyages and very few, if any, now provide cover. My company, Pantaenius, have been very good and made an exception in my case but at quite a hike in premium. I’m not sure why yachts sailed by singlehanders are perceived to be more at risk than those fully crewed. I’d like to see the statistics to support this. The outcome is that many singlehanders now sail uninsured due to the high cost of their premiums. Not a good situation surely.

 

Well, enough of these cheerful musings. I’d better put on the kettle, get back on the helm and stare into the fog again. I just might see that mermaid again!