Day 12

leeonsea
Lee Price
Fri 23 May 2008 18:59
N35.40.01 W057.50.98

Wind F4 W Heading 075T

Shit Shit SHIT.

And again, sailing pleasently along at 2100 after a day of gusty wind that
had made progress slow and annoying. I retired, having been up the night
before was feeling tierd but happy that the worst had passed and that the
sailing was good.

Or so I thought. 0100 and having left full main up we we're very much over
pressed again, nothing for it I went forward, tried to pull in a reef and
failed, so just dropped the canvas to the deck (well, on, in, and around the
mast, deck and spreaders) and ran downwind at 7kts! under bare poles.
Totally soaked through again, the novelty had worn off, I wasn't scared or in awe of the situation,
just pissed off, cold and wet. At some point during all this the masthead
windex was distroyed and the navigation light lense spun round, it now miss
reads and if I happen upon any ships in the night I'll have to radio them my
position and heading so they don't get confused.

By 0230 I was able to see the sea again as the blackness had lifted and felt
confident enough to run up the motor and turn into the swell to reset the
main, with a single reef again we resumed course and setting the hydrovane
on the wind I went to bed. During the night I got up to check things were ok
but I didn't change my course, just left it. By dawn this morning we were
two points east of north and a new sun was rising, the first sunshine I've
seen in 3 days. With in half an hour I had all canvas flying and for an hour
or so we had great sailing in an easterly direction. All was forgiven, it
was fabulas even though it only lasted a short time, it's what I'm out here
for.

Now, the winds have built again and verred to WSW. Full mainsail only and
trucking along just north of east. The Azores is only a day sail due north
to
it's Latitude so now I'm above N35 I'm happy to sail due east as long as the
winds let me. Although Ideally I should be a degree or two higher, for the
time being, after the last few days, I'm happy to take it a bit easier. If I
run out of wind I wont lament the fact I've been becalmed, I'll rejoice in
it.

Saw a Turtle today, very cool, very green, and a pod of 12 Dolphin, very
cool, very grey.

L.