Wind at last!
SY Cookielicious
Private
Wed 8 May 2013 01:26
77:07.71W
07.00 UTC Lots of motoring since the last blog entry as there has been no wind at all. That also included some heavy showers with thunder and lightning (luckily the latter not quite on top of us). Cookie got a good rinse off as she was turning into quite a salty heap. So that was good. Bird #3 did not seem to budge in its clever hiding spot. This morning it turned out to have died. Hopefully in its sleep rather than drowned at see. So it got deep sixed. We wonder where that expression comes from - does it have something to do with 6 feet under - but then the deeper variety? Answers are very welcome!
All that motoring is not good for the fuel stores on board and this morning there was only enough for about 30 hours of motoring left. So Geoff summoned the wind to arrive and it did this sunny morning - along with bird #4. A lovely 14 kts breeze from the WSW we were able to make a course of almost due N. We were doing 7 - 8 kts at first and 8 - 10 kts later in the afternoon and the engine is off. At last! We will have to refuel when we get to Beaufort, that's for sure! What an unusual light wind trip! All we had to do next is meet up with the elusive Gulfstream. We monitored the sea temperature as the Gulfstream is warmer than the surrounding sea.
Birds 5 & 6 came along too, but all left us again. Now # 7 on board, a reincarnation of the Cookie-bird # 2 - if only. # 7 found a spot on the handrail under the sprayhood, head tucked in for the night, not at all fazed by us going up and down the companionway (can't see us with its head tucked in). It seems there are more land birds out here than seabirds! What is going on here?
At sea is the only time you can think off the scale. Inspired by a lovely desert consisting of ice cream, we came to the conclusion that Ben Haagen & Jerry Dasz must have set up 2 ice cream companies, each targeting a different audience. Clever guys!
Off the coast of South Carolina now, on the level of Charleston but then way out. Approximately 115 Nm to go to Beaufort, should get in there some time tomorrow. Can't say day or night time, depends on when we will find the favourable currents of the Gulfstream and not too many squally disturbances en route, like that nasty ominous cloud that is lurking nearby as we write, stealing our wind to then wallop it back as soon as it engulfs us.
Cheers,
Geoff & Merel
P.S. Ever since that nasty cloud came by, our wind got stolen again for hours. Motorsailing, but with a wicked current (+1.5 - 2 kts) and a sea temperature of 24 deg C so we must at least have found the Gulfstream by now.