22 June

Elemiah's Atlantic Adventure
Ian Cole and Rosemary Bointon
Fri 4 Jul 2008 12:30
Roger watched the sun rise and at last we were out of the fog. It was a lovely day with the wind perfect for sailing. We were followed by petrels particularly as we slipped over the continental shelf. Roger fed them some bread but they did not seem to like it as much as the seagulls did. We saw dolphins - really big ones but they weren't interested in us.

We all sat around in the afternoon, chatting, idly reading then later enjoying the evening sunshine and having a drink whilst our Sunday dinner cooked: pork medallions in mustard sauce with roasted new potatoes and vegetables. The oven is a bit patchy temperature wise but cooks it all in the end if you keep turning the dish round.

After supper, two things happened - we must suddenly have entered the Gulf Stream because the air temperature rose from cold to warm. It all happened within an hour. I went on deck to take my turn at the watch and was far too hot - had to take off my numerous layers which had been necessary not only the night before but all through the day if you sat in the wind. The second thing was that the wind dropped until the wind gauge registered 0. It was all hands on deck to bring in the sails and we motored through the night. Another eerie experience - to be so far out to sea and to have no waves or ripples even on the surface of the water.

As we took down the sails, a little bird flapped into the mainsail. Curtis and Roger caught it and put it on the deck so that it could rest but it insisted on fluttering up to the mainsail again. The second time, it disappeared into the night. These funny birds make a squawking twittering sound not unlike a budgerigar. They seem happy to flit round our stern in and out of the light, calling each other or even us. They seem almost like bats.

Rosemary and Ian