Atlantic movies and forecasts
24:05.3N 61:58.6W Day’s run to midday 6 miles in calm sea, little or no
wind. But current conditions are much improved, with Neroli under sail again
making 3 to 4 knots in a 8 to 9 knot breeze. Despite the frustration of being becalmed, we managed to get plenty
done and to greatly enjoy the day. Highlights included Champagne, smoked salmon
and foie gras at sunset – one of Charlie’s planned surprises. Then we enjoyed an
evening at the movies, with Neroli’s sound system blasting at high volume as we
watched Concert for George – the George Harrison memorial concert from the
Albert Hall in 2002. It ended with Joe Brown (complete with ukelele) singing
“I’ll see you in my dreams” and of course we thought and talked of another
George and his delight in that instrument and that
song. Picture this: a calm tropical sea; Venus so bright that
there was a reflection along the water – only usually seen with the moon; no
other vessels within dozens of miles; and we’re gathered to share great rock
music from the 70’s, along with another component of Charlie’s birthday
celebration – gluten-free brownies complete with candles.
We passed a frustrating night with a few wafts of
breeze, though none sufficient to coax Neroli into serious movement. Motoring
isn’t really an option because although we aren’t trying specifically to
maintain the purity of a sails-only crossing, we can’t afford to burn fuel now
in case we need it for the final few hundred miles into the
Azores. But around 10:00am a breeze sprang up, lethargy gave way
to energy, and we were soon making a gentle 4 knots. We’ve sustained that and it
feels great. One important item to report: after several days of trying, we are
now listening to Herb Hilgenberg over Single Side Band (SSB) radio. Herb lives
in Canada and for many years has been running a free one-man weather forecasting
service for sailors in the North Atlantic. He pulls in forecast information from
every conceivable source and every day his current “clients” call in, report
their position and intentions, and receive his bespoke guidance on weather
systems and wind. We can obtain forecasts over the web via our satellite
dial-up, but given the slow data transfer it’s very limited: Herb does a great
job and is a legend among those who sail in these
waters. We’re one of perhaps 20 boats currently on his list and
the process takes a couple of hours – everyone listens to the whole series of
conversations so that they can build up a complete picture. SSB depends on
bouncing the radio waves off the ionosphere and is by no means a certain or easy
form of communication. But it’s the only way to reach Herb and for him to reach
us. Allan is acting as the radio operator and tomorrow we expect to get our
first Neroli-specific forecast and route
advice. |