Blog 16th June
Nightsong
Wed 16 Jun 2010 12:03
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Dear Blog
Midday position 38.43N 23.20W
Only 111 miles from yesterday's noon and I have
motored for 6 hours at 7 knots or + 6 knots VMG so that leaves 75 miles
sailed VMG or an average of 4.2 knots in 18 hours. The fact is that the
wind is a dead noser and even if I am going at 6 knots through the
water in the force 3/5 I have had, the VMG comes down by 10% 25degrees
off, abt 20% 30 degrees off, 30% 45 degrees off and a huge 50% 60
degrees off (yes cos 60 = 1/2!!). And the Azores current pushing me south does
not help.
So unless I get freed which the forecast says will
happen by Friday, it looks like at least 7 days at sea!!
Still spirits good - the jib has held up so far -
touching lots of wood. Picture shows the lower leach - North Sails put a
reinforcing strip right down the leach of the sail and I have mended 5
separate tears in from that(you can see 2 of them). One can also see that
the 3 layers of the sail have separated (from the UV light) especially in
from the clew patch where the strings of the central layer have ripped apart.
The top of the sail is even worse and only holds together 'cos it is double
thickness.
 The watch master has worked well waking me every
hour (not that I have had more than a few minutes). In order to keep the speed
of the boat up I am trimming the sails and tacking on the wind shifts as often
as is necessary and took a reef in the night.
Nasty cold wet day here and the Aftantic has turned
from azure blue to grey, The Azore High may mean good weather in the UK but it
sure doesn't in the Azores!!
AJB 16.06.10
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