20 August - Respeck for Biscay
Magnetic Attraction
Roger and Margaret Pratt
Thu 20 Aug 2009 08:29
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46:05.82N
6:52.52W
As planned, left Cedira on 19 August at 7am
BST. No fog, and no wind either. The wind filled in during the
afternoon, but from the SW - no sign of it veering as the GRIB
predicted.
Overnight the wind got up. Preparations had
been made: a reduced jib, and a reef in the mainsail. It felt quieter than
it was because we were running, and maintaining the course to optimise the sails
was the main activity on watch. However, at c3.45am ( I know because I was
listening to world service) a rain squall came through. The winds were
heavy: I saw 37knots true, and we were yawing about. There were big gusts,
and the wind had veered about 30degrees. I called Roger up to help.
He came up in a state of undress, and so soaked by the waves - but initially,
anyway, there was no time. The jib was flogging - when light was shone it
showed that the spinnaker pole had snapped, allowing the sail to go forward
untamed. I wound in the jib, and as I did so, the boat gybed, breaking the
preventer.
Over the next hour we restored order. The
pole is now secured in the bow - am not sure what can be salvaged, if
anything. We took in a second reef, and then a third. A
pocket-handkerchief for a jib. We were still careering along
at over 7 knots, with the swell corkscrewing the boat all the time.
But the wind is now dropping as predicted and I'm just jotting this down
before we refresh the forecast.
But the good news is, that despite being thrown off
course, we can still make Ushant; and we're now about half way across! And, we're still
sailing....
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