Quiet Times! 37:07.95N 13:03.52W
The Return of Irene III - 2018
Louis Goor
Sun 10 Jun 2018 17:58
15.37hrs Sunday 10th June 2018
Quiet Times!
Over the past two days we have continued to sail with the exception of a
three hour period where, in light winds, the main engine was put to work.
Speeds varied between 5 knots and 9 knots. Weatherwise, Saturday was one of
our better days, with clear skies and sunshine, however, it was cool on deck
and we needed to wrap up well. We continue to eat well thanks to Tony with
a fresh tuna dish on Friday evening and a chicken curry last night. Despite
loud protestations from our chef, he took a special order for hot tuna
burritos from two crew members while still serving the rest of us his
prescribed menu of burgers and salad for lunch today.
The crew rest and sleep for much of the time when off watch. Sean has
practiced the guitar, while Johnny spends much time on the computer writing
his next best-selling novel! John reads his book and Donald loads and edits
his photos and videos on his lap-top as Tony carefully prepares our next
meal.
Currently positioned 194 miles west of Cape St. Vincent at the southwest tip
of Portugal and some 370 nautical miles from Gibraltar, checks have begun on
the times of high tide at Tarifa and Gibraltar and the associated tidal
currents so we appropriately plan our arrival and passage through these
narrow straights.
As an aside, it is remarkable how little sea life we have seen on this
passage. On the 2010 eastward voyage we spotted and were visited by pods of
dolphins virtually every day whereas on this trip we have seen them just
five or six times. Apart from the frequency, the dolphins we have seen have
been quite small. No turtles, no whales and very few sea-birds. The
protracted poor weather has probably contributed to this.
This morning an oil tanker crossed our path no more than a mile or two away
bound for Aughinnish Island in Bantry Bay - strategic energy supplies for
the auld sod!!!