2'a dagen på atlanten
Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Thu 21 Oct 2010 13:35
pos 34:23.4040N 11:39.4040W
Bob is writing some more detail below.
En lugn natt med fullt månsken utom de 2 sista timmarna, då blev det kolmörkt på min vakt. Vindarna har hållit sig på mellan 4 - 8 m/s för att nästan dö ut under efternatten. Så sedan midnatt har vi motorseglat.
Fiskelyckan ser ut att ha vänt. Idag på dagen så har vi fått 3 st små tonfiskar, den första kom på förmiddagen så den blev en del av lunchen, de 2 andra kom mitt i lunchen så de blir nog lunch imorgon. Conny vill inte rensa mer så han tycker att det räcker nu, spöet sitter fortfarande uppe så det kan nog bli mera innan kvällen.
Vi passerade mittpunkten på det här benet så nu är det längre att vända om. Det är 565 distansminuter totalt och nu har vi bara 244 kvar till Porto Santo
Vattentempen har gått upp och ligger nu på 22,7 grader.
Vi mår som prinsar och allt fungerar bra ombord.
Bob's blog:
20102010 Wednesday Day3
My "Watch" starts as midnight until 4am the first 2hours with Lars and then Anders at 2am. As the wind moves slightly northward and we make minor course adjustments to keep the goosewing from flapping. A check of the Chartplotter and the AIS (Automatic Ship Identification) information shows we have left the M25 traffic mellee of shipping transiting the Straights (100,000 vessel a year) and the odd vessel passes in the night. Lars has also downloaded the "Grib" weather information via the satellite phone which is now overlaid on the chart and forcasts decreasing winds going to the North for tomorrow which would move us to a beam reach.
4am and Ander is joined by Connie so I'm off to my bunk. 6am and on deck the wind has gone more notherly and the headsail is moved from its goosewing position, Lars fits my "Leeboard" to stop me falling out of bed as we take on a great angle of heel.
Dawn has broken on a calmer sea and less wind as the sun rises so does the heat, just a hint of a nip in the air. Our speed drops to 4kts with the wind down to 9kts, We roll out the second Jib which give us another knot and a half.
Lars presents me with a "Breakfast"flying fish that has landed on deck overnight
Decline the offer in favour of coffee and a cheese sandwich then Blog writing and down loading the previous days films and check on the success of the Dolphin shots. We are well out of mobile range having covered 160nm in 21.5 hours and average 7.4kts with 415nm to go to Maderia Position 35.23'.3416N 08.33'3362W 1330 UK Time
I rise from my slumbers to find us ushing along very nicely, the seas have moderated and the wind is lightening, so with the autopilot doing are the manual labour we take to our books. I repair to the "Throne" or bow seat position clutching yesterdays Telegraph to strain the brain with a little Seduko followed by another attempt at the crossword. Success finish one Seduko and solve another two clues
Anders advances clutching a beer for me thus announcing its officially 1200hrs, their had been some discussion where we should take advantage of the time change and have two beer experiences but the Skipper's a hard man and unusually for Lars we settled on discreet abstinence. Lunch was served at 1300, Choritoes, Torillas, a salad of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers, crispbread (Hardtack but no weevils) and cheese and of course an Estonian beer.
1345 the wind drops further and our speed is reduced to 4-5kts so its on with the tin topsail (Engine to the uninformed) and motor sailing were back up to 7kts+ as she makes her own wind to add to the engines push. Finally around 1600 the wind picks up, engine off and we doing 8kt on wind alone. I depart to my bunk for a nap.
On my return the Lars and Conny have spotted a Ketch in the distance and he appear to be on a parallel course so now it becomes a race.. slowly we overhaul him, by happy hour (Gin and tonic some nuts to nibble on) he is along side us and 2 hours later as the glowing red orb of the Sun slowly sets over our bow we leave him in our wake.
Around 1900 Dinner is served, another wonderous feast from Anders and Conny, sweet and sour chicken and rice served with a glass or two best cask red wine.
A few more pages of my book "The girl who played with fire" and early to bed ready for my 4am call for watch duty.
21102010 Thursday Day 4
In my absence shift patterns have been reorganised so that Lars and I have only one shift before daybreak having had two the night before. After several false awakenings finally its 4am and time for my watch. The seas are lit by brilliant nearly full Moon which has lit us all the way so far, seas are flattening and the wind had died, beautiful night to be at sea. A quick survey of the stars checking on the Plough and Casiopa to direct us to Polaris and the north, the Moon which had moved to our southwest from its earlier rising position astern still has Jupiter in tow and Orion, complete with belt and sword is now to our south east.
0500 I call Anders and like the others I have left him sleep and extra hour as there is little to do except watch the stars and fitted with a battery headlight, read or play solitaire on the computer.
0530 we pass the 300nm to go mark, I read another chapter the at 0600 leave Anders to call Conny when ready.
0915 Awake to the humming of the engine and go for a shower dress and head for the cockpit where I find the sea calm except for a mild ocean swell. The sun is up and its pleasantly warm though there is quite a lot of thin cloud. The sun soon burns this of though thicker cloud is generated, an enormous cruise ship is passing to the South of us enroute from Funchal in Maderia to Malaga in Spain.
I fire up the computer and start scribbing, then a sudden whir as line pays out from the Rod, Lars is on the case winding in 40cm (+?) Tuna which is promptly converted into filets by that crazed knifeman Connie and is destined to spice up our lunchtime meal. But now its time for elevenses, coffee and cake, its hell at sea !!
Position 1110 UK Time 34.10'.3226 North 011.15'.8789West ,Course 252Degrees True, peed 7kts,Distance to go 264nm ETA 1Day 15Hours Water temp 22.3 Air 25.6
@lantisarna