Half Way to Las Palmas
Kirofbrixham
Tue 7 Oct 2008 15:29
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Atlantic Adventure - Part 1 - Day 3. Position
33:14.589N 11:00.067W
Day 3 has now come to an end, 72 hours in and
conditions could not be more different to when we left. As I write this,
dear reader, we are bowling along at 6kts over the ground with poled out genoa,
staysail and 3/4 mainsail under a clear blue sky and in a N F3-4. At the 70
hour mark we were exactly half way to our destination of Las Palmas on Gran
Canaria from which the final leg of this Atlantic adventure will start in
November - the ARC 2008.
Over the last 3 days we have slowly developed a
sort of a routine. The night watches are the focus of this and we have
settled into a '2 hours on 4 hours off' pattern, having experimented with
others. This rota means that there is only one person on deck at any time
with the other two getting good rest. The downside is that the person on
watch has sole responsibility for the safety of the boat and crew; sleeping on
watch is not an option. Having completed our third night it is fair to say
that some of us find it easier to get out of our cosy bunks at 0400 than
others. The watch system runs from 1800 through to 0800 the following day
and allows those of us not on watch to rise in our own time. Everyone
seems to have caught up on sleep now, to the extent that the sunrise slot is
popular despite this being the watch that has 3 stints. Daytime is much
more relaxed but we still try to have at least one person on deck keeping a look
out at all times. Shipping is sparse (just 4 ships in the last 24 hours)
but they are nevertheless a threat with one coming within a mile last
night.
A couple of years ago when sailing with Ian in the
Balearics we met a guy called David on a 70ft Jeanneau who was kind enough to
offer lunch on his yacht. This turned out to be an eventful day but more
of that another time. One thing that has stayed with us is a little of
David's sailing philosophy. He said that if you want to sail then sail; if
you want to get somewhere you will always end up using the engine. Turning
this round I think it means if you don't want to use the engine, don't plan on
getting anywhere at a particular time. This we are coming to
understand. There is little time pressure on us. I have booked 2
weeks leave for a passage that should take 1, Richard wants to get home as
soon as possible (but won't be drawn on when that is) and Ian is staying on the
boat and only needs to be in Las Palmas for the ARC briefings. So why
are we using the engine so much? We are slowly coming to terms with
this mindset. It is so different to the normal working day mindset that it
is difficult to adjust. Yes, we are half way and it has taken us 70 hours
but if the next 360nm take us 3 days, 4 days or even 5, does it matter? We
are currently making good mileage south under sail. We have been a slow as
3kts but every mile is in the right direction.
Anyway, enough philosophy for now. I hope you
have enjoyed the blog. More tomorrow if I can be
bothered!
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