32:45.1N 047:13.3W Midday (BST) Fix 25 May 2010 "If Life Gets Any Better Than This I'm Not Sure I'll Be Able to deal With It"

Oboe D'Amore's Web Diary
Nigel Backwith
Tue 25 May 2010 15:36
Midday 22 May 2010 (BST/GMT+1) Fix for Oboe D’Amore – Transatlantic W to E
2010

View our progress on Google Earth at: http://blog.mailasail.com/oboe


GPS Position: 32:45.1N 047:13.3W

Sea Miles (previous 24 Hours): 116nMs

Sea Miles to date: 2.123nMs

Present Course Over Ground: 162°M

Present Boat Speed 2kts ('cos we're trying to hoist asymmetric spinnaker!)

Average Boat Speed (previous 24 hours): 4.8kts

Average Boat Speed to date: 6.2kts

Estimated GPS Position in 24 hours time: 32:50N 044:40W

Sea State: Calm

Wind Speed and Direction: 0kts nothing :-(

Barometric Pressure: 1016mB


I have a very good friend, Oris Barber, who lives in Southern California.
Retired now many a year, moving inexorably towards four score years, Oris is
an extraordinary man. At peace with himself and with the world, he is so
laid back as to be virtually horizontal. Except when cycling and I don't
mean down to the shops and back. I mean across America, or The United
States of America, as he insists it is called, giving due respect to the
other countries that make up the Americas, in a manner only Oris can
command. Oris and I have cycled across the USA together twice but when I
shifted my focus to sailing the oceans instead of cycling the highways, Oris
continued and has 100,000 miles in the saddle of his trusty Trek. Recently
he has been cruising the Eastern Seaboard and last I heard from him was at
Cape Hatteras, well-known to sailors. Hearing this, Oris and I were closer
than he realises, as I was sailing well offshore the Eastern Seaboard from
Antigua to Bermuda at exactly the same time and I had Cape Hatteras
pinpointed on the ship's chart plotter. Oris can be found at
www.crazyguyonabike/oris.

Oris is quick to tell all that "If Life Gets Any Better Than This I'm Not
Sure I'll Be Able to deal With It". This is his motto and encapsulates his
"can do/will do and with a smile" approach to life. Oris you are amazing!
May the wind always be at your back!

Yesterday in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean I was reminded of Oris' motto.
The sun is shining, the sky iridescent blue, the wind puffing lightly, the
dolphins staying with us much of the day and Ryan stays in his pyjamas all
day. We ghosted along at walking pace totally rested and relaxed. There
was no sense of frustration or impatience about the substitution of a
southerly course for the desired easterly, forced on us for days now by the
onrushing storms. Now, Tuesday morning, we have arrived down at our chosen
parallel and we have at last turned east again, directly towards the Azores.
Spirits are high, Oboe is looking after us well. I am at the chart table
again managing our weather routing and monitoring the ship's systems.
Maggie is resting after an hour's strenuous gym work on the aft deck, Ryan,
still in pyjamas, is making a model boat out of a couple of empty Weetabix
boxes, some BBQ skewers, string, tape and coins for ballast. Rob is
advising him on design alternatives, while DJ looks on with admiration at
the talents of a 21 year old apprenticed and experienced wooden shipwright,
as he reverts to childhood and giggles at the subtleties of the mizzen, rig,
keel and rudder of the cardboard-hulled ship Weetabix. She is to be
launched in The Azores. Until then Ryan plans to take her to bed with him.
May God protect her and all who sail in her!

Roll on Thursday and may the storms do their damndest. We are ready for
you!



Nigel

Date: 25 May 2010