Bay of Biscay - the final installment.

Itchycoo
Sun 5 Aug 2018 11:01
Can't quite yet say that 'we have done the Biscay' as we are still 15 miles from the Spanish coast heading to the north west corner (Finnisterre) to once again turn south (for the doubters, it WAS planned this way) for the short hop to Baiona for our first stop. By the way, the 'short hop' down the west coast of Spain is 80 miles which is further than we used to go on our big trips to the Channel Islands each year. So, as you can see, our horizons have changed a little!! Our position, for the sailors is 43:36.0N 009:03.7W at approx 11.30 BST Sunday 5th August.

Weather in the last 24 hours has been favourable with mostly 15-18 knots downwind sailing at 6 knots average so making good progress and now only four hours behind analogue Dave's master plan for arrival Baiona on Monday morning.

As you will note from this blog, Itchycoo Park is getting high tech - so high tech that each day we download detailed weather information for our expected area of sailing in the next 36 hours. Well at least that's the plan. Yesterday, our skipper treated us to the weather forecast for the central Sahara desert (small mistake in the typing of the co-ordinates) before capturing the correct forecast. For those interested, it will be sunny all day in the Sahara.

Analogue Dave and Digital Dave have been continuing their debate about courses to steer and distances to waypoints. Both deny putting a waypoint at La Coruna (famous for Deportivo) Airport. Smart readers will realise that waypoints at airports (which, generally speaking, are on dry land) are not best suited to sailing passages. The mystery of how it got there is unresolved.

Shipping traffic (to spot and avoid) has been minimal to say the least with only one ship in clear sight in the last 36 hours. I'm pleased to report we missed it by over a mile!

Domestic bliss continues with Paul leading on the victuals (but still no fresh fish) and Kevin scooping up the sea water in a bucket for first rinse washing up (can't waste good freshwater on that).

Itchycoo Park continues to serve us well with only a few minor maintenance tasks planned for Baiona - mostly around cupboard doors and the like. Perhaps the most significant task has been the galley sink outlet which became blocked by the sink drain filter put, you guessed it, to stop the sink blocking. Captain Roger fixed the issue and we can wash up once again (but only after following strict orders to rinse dishes in sea water first which involves Kevin and his aforementioned bucket). A word here to Admiral (Retired) P. Atherton CBO (cash bar only) - YOUR BOAT IS BRILLIANT - we wouldn't be here without you for which many , many thanks.

Enough said, the 'Its all too beautiful' voyage continues.



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