38:31.87N 28:37.33W

SV Eleonora
Michael A. Andronov
Mon 25 Jun 2018 12:33

UTC 0847

I’m cheating -  I’ve moved  the boat to the gas station.  So, my position is not the same…  But it does not make sense to update the position  for 200 meters…

 

Besides, I’m in the Internet Café, a long ( big ) cold one has just appeared on my table… and  I do not  remember  the new boat coordinates anyway…   The Horta  gas station where the boat is at the moment…   And if I’m failing my RAY  exam my admitting  that I do not know the current coordinates of the boat -- -so be it…   But I know  where my cold  beer is…  right under my right hand … and at this moment – that is all I would like to know…

 

How are we doing?   Good question.   We dragged today. ( Well,  I’m not sure about that… But… may be.. )  The wind within the harbor is changing all the time… and the boats are rotating 360 over 24 hours… That is normal…  Yesterday the boat from Australia dropped the anchor behind us…  Doday  morning … the boats turned 180 degrees…   And as I was preparing the breakfast – I heard ‘boom’…    Do we dragged ? ( not to my GPS… ), do the chain made maximum stretch, and change radiuses ?  Who cares… The reality was –  we were touching,  and my lovely neighbors were on shore…

 

As I’ve been lifting the anchor to move to a different location,   the neighbor arrived in dinghy… ‘ I know you are solo, do you need any assistance ?’ --  That is really sweet… The people are watching, and are  ready to give a hand when you are in need… Being as cynical as  I’m – such proposals are still touching my heart…   somehow… 

 

He stood by, watching we are OK to pick up the anchor and to move the boat…   It is a national holiday today… I’m not sure if the gas station on the shore is opened… Drop the anchor at the new spot or go to the empty gas station dock?!    Suddenly I remembered about the breakfast I left on the stove – and decided to drop the anchor…

 

As securing the anchor and settling the boat,  I suddenly hear … ‘MIICHAAEEEL!!!! ‘  coming from the stern… Turned, and see The Don, skippered by  David…  They have just arrived from Antigua…   To my formal training in physics – that is a big blow since it indicates that the world can not be measured just in distances – meters or  feet…   There is still something else in the way you measure your passages, there is something else then just a distance when you meet a sailor you know thousands miles away… 

 

The day is ticking on…

The weather improves slowly…

The evening ready to come down…

 

The gas station is opened!  And there is a space…

We picked up the anchor,  and rushed to refill the tanks… 

Mission accomplished…  The tanks are topped up… We are ready to move…

 

The question is where… And how to get the winds?

Ok, let me explain a bit…

 

Where… The next point is simple – St. Miguele,  Prt. Delagata... ~150 miles…

A different  -- and at the same time the same – Azores Island… The common place to leave the Azores…  But where ?!  What the destination should be?

 

I can see vividly the scriptwriter(s) for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’,  the moment they have invented the compass which pointing to where the owner would like to go rather then to the North…  ‘A tale for the child…’  -- the skeptical reader would say…  But is it?

Why at the age of 50+ I would like so much to have one ?!    And I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone… ;- )   I wonder what the scriptwriter(s) were filling at that moment…

But their invention – fantastic… ( to avoid the word ‘awesome 😊 ).

 

So, everything in accordance with the plan so far. As soon as we have some wind between the islands – the next ~150 jump to Delagata… And hopefully, by that time –the decision where next – would arrive.

 

Meantime..

We are OK. Everything is under control.

 

Talk to you soon,

M.