38N 22W
IDEA Sailing
Idea Yacht Racing Ltd
Tue 25 Jun 2013 09:29
After the pounding IDEA has taken over the last couple of days in our battle
with the sea it makes me think about sailors of old. Back in the day of the
Clipper ships and Square riggers when each boat was a piece of artwork,
fashioned of wood, and the men and women who sailed them were made of iron.
Yes there were women. Google the story of "Flying Cloud" which broke the
record from NY to San Fran with a female navigator. Captain Perkins (if I
remember the name correctly) was a smart man for having such faith in his
wife. He let her navigate the vessel at a time when women at sea were
frowned upon. Her passage record went unbroken until the age of
fiberglass boats sailed by aluminium alloy men and women.
Back then there was no GPS navigation, no VHF radio. Just a sextant and a
chronometer, and still people got to where they'd set out to go. Back then
there was no Gortex, or Micro-fiber to keep them dry. Just Canvas
impregnated with wax and oil. Hence the other name for foul weather gear.
'Oilskins'.
Hello everyone and welcome to another day in the life of IDEA. Yesterday
after we made the decision to turn back for Horta the constant pounding and
slamming has stopped allowing the sailors on board to finally get some rest.
We are now sailing across the seas instead of directly into them and the
motion of the boat, while still not ideal, is infinitely more comfortable for
all. Easier on the boat most importantly as it is she who keeps us out of
the water and gets us to where we're going. It took us four days to get to
the point where we turned around. It's going to take less than 48 hours to
get back.
On sighting wild life: Yesterday afternoon we were passed by a massive
Aircraft Carrier. Deck completely full of fighter jets and blazing on
through the sea. I'd guess she was traveling at a rate of 25 knots
considering how quickly she came up from behind and disappeared over the
horizon in front.
We are currently 275 miles from Horta which will take just over 24 hours to get there.
TTFN - Ta Ta For Now
IDEA