Vega - Progress

Progress

Vega

Hugh and Annie

Wed 14 Jun 2017 04:26

In politics "progressive" is taken to mean a move away from the status quo in the direction of policies more likely to benefit most people. I don't fully understand what is underlying political sentiment in the UK but the election result seems to show that the majority is now sympathetic towards a more progressive approach than the right of centre austerity we have taken over the last 10 years or so. Which is, for me, surprising given the EU referendum result. The economies of the EU are beginning to pick up (in contrast to our own) and a more progressive approach has been supported over right wing nationalism across the channel - and we in the UK have opted out. Maybe we do have a social conscience but just need to be left to implement it in our own way.
Of course our 19th century electoral system will ensure that, for the time being, the majority view will be thwarted. Not only that but the government will be propped up by the sectarian Northern Ireland DUP that has a right wing religious base, is fervently nationalistic, pro Brexit, anti gay rights, anti abortion, anti measures to combat global warming. With no scruples about this Teresa May will attempt to see through her hard Brexit against the clear wishes of the majority that would prefer a softer landing. It all seems rather bizarre. I hope it can't last and I hope we can move towards a more enlightened approach but one that isn't tarnished by the left of centre reputation for poor financial management. The likes of Rupert Murdoch will be doing their best to scupper any such approach - let's hope the people hold their nerve.
Talking of sharks, we have today been drift diving through the southern reef pass on the island of Fakarava. Sadly I don't currently have the means to get a photo from the GoPro onto this diary but it was truly amazing. The water on the incoming tide was so clear that we had high hopes of spotting one or two reef sharks along the way. What we hadn't expected was to be surrounded by hundreds of them - above, below and alongside. What a spectacle!!
The other surprise is that these coral atolls with their lagoon surrounded by reefs and small islands are so large. Each one is a cruising area in its own right. Most of the islands are deserted, some have small villages and others are fully geared up for the tourist market - take your pick. You have to choose your anchorage carefully because the weather, rather than wall to wall sunshine, can be quite variable and is heavily influenced both by weather systems to the south and the location of the SPCZ (the doldrums) to the north but which can stretch down this far. The prevailing wind is from the east or north east but can rapidly change to the north west or even the south west. If this happens you could be pinned onto a lee shore in 30kts of wind. The Grib file weather forecasts show you the general pattern of the wind but not smaller anomalies such as violent squalls that can come through more or less at any time. The weather when we came down from the Marquesas was squally and uncomfortable and we now know that the passage is renowned for this. This year things are even more variable than usual. Apparently it's not certain whether the high sea temperatures will trigger an El Niño event or whether this will be countered by the cooling effect of the monsoon winds. Nevertheless it has been much wetter than normal for this time of year. If bad weather does come through then there will be no harbours or marinas to dive into. You have to anticipate the likely wind direction and find the most sheltered anchorage you can. It makes sailing here feel feel both wonderful but also a bit isolated.