Friday, 08 February 2013

13 46N 052 57W

It won’t be long! Yeah, the last stretch is taking us longer than we hoped and our expected arrival has slipped from Sunday to Monday, but with 373 miles to go we’re in range to be able to motor the rest of the way if all else fails. The possibilities for who wins the arrival bet have opened back up, so Ian’s interest in fine-tuning the sail trim has increased as he needs Diatonic to anchor before 11am on Monday to secure his rum money.

The squalls at night have continued to roll through, and predicting when they will hit is difficult in the dark. We’ve been furling in the twin genoas in anticipation, but the resulting reduction in speed, combined with the 4 metre swell, result in a sizeable sway from side to side, making for strange dreams for those not on watch.

One of the squalls caused the starboard genoa sheet, weakened by three weeks of constant chafing, to snap with a bang. The uncontrolled spinnaker pole violently collided with a shroud until it could be brought under control and the following dawn illuminated the resulting damage. We’re continuing to use the pole for now, but it will need to be repaired when we make landfall. Luckily, the standing rigging appears undamaged.