Atlantic Adventure Part 3
Kirofbrixham
Sun 9 May 2010 14:28
|
Dear Reader,
As I write this we are nearing the half way point
on this leg of the journey home. The GPS "25:04.60N 64:41.18W" shows 440nm
to go to Bermuda with 420nm the agreed half way point. We should reach
this milestone at about 2pm local time or about 1900 UTC. By that time we
will have been at sea for 3 days and 2 hours - so only another 3 days and a few
hours to go.
So far the journey has been trouble free with winds
mainly ENE and varying from force 2 to force 5. Progress has slowed since
the first day as winds have been lighter. As I write, we are motoring
because the wind has gone very light and backed north. However, this has
given us the opportunity to charge the batteries, check the boat and run the
water maker. Water is not really an issue on this relatively short trip
but water discipline needs to be practiced so we are still being
careful.
After our first night at sea the dawn broke with a
pod (is this the right collective noun?) of small grey green dolphins or
porpoises playing in the bow - our first sight of these incredible creatures
this trip. Other than that, wildlife has been sparse. We are sailing
through the Sargasso Sea and we are seeing a lot of the floating weed renowned
for this region but so far, thankfully, we have not seen the large floating
islands sometimes associated with it.
Temperatures are dropping, mainly because the sea
temperature has dropped from the 28C in the BVIs to a more temperate 21C.
This has kept temperatures down below tolerable and sleeping is not an
issue. So far today we have not seen the sun with conditions
overcast. The radar has shown several lines of showers rolling in from the
east but so far we have spared any heavy rain.
After Ian's speciality on the first night we have
been treated to a superb omelette from Jim and steak with fried potatoes from
Graeme. Ian is threatening to do a chicken curry tonight. So we're
not going hungry. The bananas ripened quickly and have now been eaten but
the rest of the fresh fruit and veg is standing up to the heat well. We
have nearly finished the fresh meat so we are moving onto the tinned
stuff.
We're all still talking to each other although
keeping oneself busy is important. With generally steady winds there is
not a lot to do so boredom can be an issue. So far, conversation
(particularly Jim's anecdotes and jokes), books, cooking, cleaning and general
boat maintenance have kept us amused.
We understand the automatic updates on the
Mailasail web site may not be working. Apologies for that. We are
trying to rectify the situation but we may not be able to make contact until
Monday. We are receiving e-mails and we are grateful for those we get -
keep them coming!
Not a huge amount to report - but we think that's
generally good - so signing off for now.
Ian, Graeme and Jim on Kir of
Brixham
|