Day 21

leeonsea
Lee Price
Sun 1 Jun 2008 17:30
N39.29.44 W041.09.58

Wind 12kts NE Heading 100T

It's so funny how quickly ones mood can change.

Last night, I must have nodded off, at 0040, I shut down the motor, it had been going since about 1500 that afternoon, in gear at tickover. We make about 3kts that way. It had become the lesser of 4 evils, even the Spinika wouldn't fly and just kept wrapping itself about the forestay.

I had a burning desire to make some milage though, it had been a very calm day, the sails in one configuration or another hand been up and down 5 times and Herb had reported that more was to follow today. I was a bit distraut.

At 0040 though the tinyest breeze came from the NW, not quite enough to hold the mainsail steady and certainly not enough to put out the foresail. I put the main up anyway, I didn't want to drift south under that little breeze while I slept. At 0100 the foresail went out too and we made way at 2kts. At 0520 I was awoken to the sound of flapping sails again, groaning I clambered up into the cockpit ready to pull down the sails but found that in fact the wind had veered to the NE and we were heading near S. The sails were flapping as we rose and fell over the swell. I pulled the Hydrovane round into the wind and set course back to near due E.

In an instant my mood was transformed from annoyed, irritated, bored, to overjoyed, relaxed and lovin it!

By sunrise we we're back on track eastbound at 5kts or more, full canvas flying in a light but firm NE breeze that had come 24hrs early. So yesterdays milage was transformed and we loged 71nm noon to noon, much better than I had expected.

Today, soon after noon though the winds dropped and veered a little, for most of the day we've been running ESE at about 2kts, it's picked up a little now but I'm unsure as to the effect of running further south will have on the wind, I might have to run north again to make up what I've lost. So it's been a slow day but at least I've sailed it.

Had a chat with 'Liberty Call' today, VHF call came through for 'the vessal 400 miles west of the Azores' I looked, couldn't see another boat and because VHF works on line of sight, thought they couldn't mean me. The call came again and this time I responded. Turns out they where 65nm south and a little behind me, it wasn't me they were looking at but the other yacht between us was obviously not responding and it was a quirk of nature that we we're able to talk at all, being they we're so much further south. It lasted 15mins and then broke up but I'd relayed Herbs weather to them as they we're having trouble with their SSB and we chatted, as the British do, mainly about the weather. They had no wind and a counter current, I had some and a complementory current. No doubt I'll see them in Horta, and If I do I'll say hi.

L.