4th day at sea
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Fri 8 May 2009 15:32
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Life after 4 days at
Sea
36:47N 54:08W
Four days and six hundred miles
done.
1200hrs 8th May 2009
The last two days have been frustrating in that the
promised wind did not materialise and we have spent a lot of time with sails
sometimes slatting. We have also had a few showers of rain and this
combined with the change in temperature means that night watches are done in
several layers of clothing plus oilies. Big change!
Today as I write the sun is shining, the wind is up
to 15/18 knots from well astern and Nordlys is tromping along over a blue sea at
over seven knots. All is well on board. Annette's blue toe has
settled down. She looked at it and told me that I should never have
doubted she had blue blood. It was obvious. On the radio this
morning our German friend was very quick. 'How is the blue footed boobie
this morning?' Annette is prepared to assume that he does not know what a
boobie is in English!
The only blot on an otherwise perfect landscape is
that we are due a blow in 36 or 48 hours. This should not be over 30 knots
and should come from well astern. It is due to this that as I write we are
heading due East rather than our course of ENE. Our friend who has stayed
further south than us is in calms and we are hoping that we have chosen the
correct middle line. Even if we have not the forecast shows nothing
more than a bare gale and only for 24 hours.
Reading the chart I see we are crossing the
SOHM ABYSSAL PLAIN. Earlier on our passage up to Bermuda we
crossed the NARES ABYSSAL PLAIN. What
names. I assume that an abyssal plain is some sort of sea bed.
Who Nares and Sohm are I have no idea. It is at times like this it would
be nice to be permanently on the internet with time and interest to look these
things up. There must be a whole landscape beneath us because in a days
sailing the sea bed which is over 5 km. beneath us rises in peaks to about
1.5km A rise of 3.500 metres. Quite some mountains but ones no one
will ever see.
With that thought I will sign off from a speeding
happy Nordlys.
David
 Do not let Annette ever tell you life at sea is hard.
Here the Captain has
just served her tea in bed.
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