DAY 10 .... very slow

Gaviota
Mon 12 Jan 2009 14:44
31:24.641N 48:59.462W
At 1000 local time (1300 gmt)  distance run in last 24 hours 124 miles  and that was tacking so useful distance only about 80miles!! Not a good day!
It started sunny and nice with 7to8 knots of wind from the north ... enough to move us but...  it went and shifted very unsteadily to come from the east ... not good thats where I want to go .. and also means the high pressure has rebuilt more rapidly than expected so I have a few days of this type of weather now  ...veery frustrating ... So we are just about managing but the swell is big and as we slide backwards down the face of them that reverses the flow of air over the sails ... another not good! Eventually tacked it swung so far .. it didnt really help but I do need to put some northing in so... on we go .. into the night .. every time I went to sleep the wind would drop and the changing pressure on the helm made the boat tack ... so a not good night either!  In the end when dawn was up and I had had a cup-a-soup to warm me up, on with the engine ... at least give the generator a rest and let the engine do the charging ... which it did for 2 hours