FINNROSE 16.00 039:29:71N 031:29:37W FRI 12/07/13
Finnrose
Fri 12 Jul 2013 19:58
We left Bermuda with two water tanks full, one of which we shut off, plus a day tank. As we hadn't commissioned the water maker, we calculated that with careful use of water we should be ok. We released the second one in the late evening, so the first tank has lasted really well. Heavy, heavy rain fell around 10.30 p.m. and there was lightning around at midnight - thankfully not accompanied by strong winds. We had a comfortable night motoring on slight sea.
A beautiful dawn heralded the day - there was a sense of excitement this morning; the wind rose so we set the sails and put the engine off around 7 a.m.. It was so peaceful just to hear only the swoosh of the water as Finnrose glided her way forward, and the occasional flap of a sail, after nearly three days of motoring.
At 9.45 a.m., "Land ahoy!", and Flores appeared on the horizon, revealing herself gradually out of a cloak of cloud. It must have been a tremendous sight for all the early explorers who didn't know when they would sight land again... and indeed it was a tremendous sight for us; even more so as Finnrose was under full sail at that moment. Stuart would be really proud of that.
Around 2.30 p.m. the wind reduced, so we have had to turn the engine on again to travel around the island to our intended marina at Lajes das Flores, where we should be at around 6.30 p.m. Finnrose time. 10 miles to go...