Day 9

12:01 24 to 12:00 25 November 2006

Yesterday I knew that I might make it to Sal today, it would depend on the wind.  I could rush and very nearly get there only to find it was dark by the time it got to the tricky bit.  There was nothing I could do, I would see what happens.

I busied myself on another tidy up.   I make a rice pudding which I had soaked in water earlier, so it only needed to be boiled up in the milk.  I was so busy tidying that I forgot this and just managed to save it.  The milk had gone into the rice or boiled away.   The rice that was not burnt to the saucepan was fine and so I added some of the evaporated milk to it and it was lovely.  I left the washing up in soak in a bucket for the night. 

The wind was only 10-12 knots all day and I made about 90 miles.  I had not resorted to using the engine because it was too early.  Just before sundown I was sitting watching my cross track error go to 0.00, right on course.  Very pleasing except that I now had to let it go one way or the other a bit off course.  As it was going to be dark I didn t want to be doing anythng much with the sails, so just leave it.  I spent the next half hour experimenting with both sails and ended up back where I started.  I could not speed up the boat and maintain course and the wind was not that reliable, I could end up much more off course than if I just left it.  I decided to let the boat go off course to the E and make it up the next day to the W.

Saturday arrived.  I had a not hot shower, the water bag had not kept its warmth and I had not run the engine.  I am clean, still tidy and the washing up is done.  I have put curtains at all the windows in case anyone in a dinghy comes window shopping.  I will sort the padlocks and wires to lock up anything that I cannot put away.

I put the genoa onto starboard tack to correct the course, but was soon back on port tack.  I am trying to keep my error down, it got up to half a mile, but is soon corrected.

11.30 Land ahead, a small mountain and a smaller one to the right of it. 

20 miles to go with then the pilotage round the island into the anchorage.

Sit out here another night if necessary, no way now, if the wind dies the iron sail takes over.  The wind has picked up a little ffrom the 10/11 knots it has been to 13.    Only 20 miles to go to the corner, about 5 hours, so I took the sprayhood down ready for pilotage, mustn t leave all these things to the last minute.  As I am downwind I hoped the sprayhood wasn t giving me the extra bit of speed I needed. 

I still have not seen another boat or anything else; although quite what else I am expecting I am not sure.

I have the paper chart, the GPS showing track to the waypoint on the corner, the chart plotter and the computer chart, I think I am getting over excited; there is still hours to go.