Heading North Day 13

Macushla
Mark & Sue Owen
Wed 18 Jul 2012 14:03
41:49.41N 69:04.54W

All is well on board and the last full day of this passage was most definitely "a game of two halves".

The morning saw us gliding along in near perfect conditions - sunshine, flat seas and a 15 kt beam reach with all white sails set. Late afternoon the forecast frontal trough arrived bringing strong winds (30+ kts) and a vicious, beam on chop. Conditions on board were very trying, as we battled with the occasional triple galley-whomper and even with just a double-reefed mainsail set, we were charging along into an inky black, moonless night at 8 knots. We were so grateful that dinner was a one pot re-heat affair. Washing up was a step too far, however, as we needed to concentrate on navigating our way through the plethora of fishing vessels.

This morning has brought a windless, flat calm and we'll need to motor the last couple of hours.

On making landfall we'll clear in with Customs & Immigration and only the skipper is allowed ashore until these formalities are complete.We're eager to start our Maine adventure and are excited at the prospect of exploring this area over the coming weeks.