Fair weather sailor
Norman G III
Sun 4 Dec 2011 00:01
at 21.30 tonight our position is
15 29 04N 44 18 48W
and we are sailing albeit rather slowly towards St Lucia with another milestone hit today -- less than 1000 miles to go
but in many ways today was the hardest day aboard the boat since we started.
the morning started grey and cloudy and jason and i got soaking at about 0800 whilst skip and golly slept. the weather never really improved during the day but the wind dropped to its lightest since we started and the boat speed dropped below 5kt the speed we reaslly need to maintain to keep the boat from rolling too uncomfortably
more weather charts and more planning but at the end of the day no wind means going nowhere. we turned south to try to get some speed and i went off to have a sleep.
when i woke 2 hours later there had been a discussion about using the engine to save some time and another discussion took place
now really i have to admit that i would like to cross the atlantic and arrive in st lucia using sail alone.we have calculated that for power and battery recharging over the last 2 weeks we have used less than 60 litres of diesel which i think is remarkable and it would be a real achievement to finish using wind alone. for some others the destination is in sight and they just want to get there. i can see some difficult days ahead but ill keep you posted. For now the promise of jam tomorrow and some crafty diesel usage calculations and reserve volumes for safety reasons has calmed matters
for two days an egret has been using the boat as a helpful stop off point mid atlatic. it really looked tired and thin but over the last 2 days seems to be rejuvenated and tonight seems to have flown of-- with a litgtle helping hand from me!
eating again has been exceptional today. A muesli breakfast followed by steak and onion sandwiches (hot) with english mustard for lunch and evening meal ----- incredible. a sheila meat sausage and rib ragu with polenta followed by hot apple and custard. a real treat was james waking me this afternoon with a cup of tea and a block of cadbury fruit and nut chocolate from the fridge--- good old skip
its easy to be a fair weather sailor is the old adage and i think there may be some truth in the saying. these last days will be tough mentally if the weather doesnt blow our way ( asnd all the forecasts say it wont) but i promise i will not give in easily when we have come so far and just take the easy way out -- no sir not my style! --- get ready for fireworks
a big hello tonight for all jasons followers who are emailing him-- youre doing a great job and to gollys following --- keep the messages coming
sleep tight
MG