40:10.4N 027:24.2W Midday (BST) Fix 5 June 2010 Easing Back Into It
Oboe D'Amore's Web Diary
Nigel Backwith
Sat 5 Jun 2010 12:51
2010
View our progress on Google Earth at: http://blog.mailasail.com/oboe
GPS Position: 40:10.4N 027:24.2W
Sea Miles (previous 19 Hours): 115nMs
Sea Miles to date: 3,266nMs
Present Course Over Ground: 030°M
Present Boat Speed 8.1kts
Average Boat Speed (previous 19 hours): 6.1kts
Average Boat Speed to date: 6.1kts
Estimated GPS Position in 24 hours time: 42°:00'N 025°:00'W
Sea State: Calm
Wind Speed and Direction: 15kts WNW
Barometric Pressure: 1015mB
We couldn't have asked for better wind and weather to ease us back into our
passage-making routine. Now, nearly 24 hours later, nothing has changed.
We are smoothly reaching NNE, under full sail, with a small following swell
and the forecast is for more of the same for the next 48 hours. "Ten days
of this would be OK" I heard spoken from the cockpit a while ago. Indeed it
would I thought but don't hold your breath. I understand from news from the
UK that it is lovely and warm back home. The same gigantic high pressure
system centred over the Azores that propels us homeward in speedy comfort is
responsible for the summer spell back home. No longer are we in the tropics
or even mid-Atlantic, we are in European waters! It seems strange after all
this time but this morning I removed the Caribbean and Central America
memory card from the GPS Chart Plotter and replaced it with UK, France and
Iberia. I zoomed in on Dartmouth, a mere 1,200 nMs away and became quite
wistful - surely there isn't a soft interior to this hardened old sea dog!
Must be changing imperceptibly into Zen Dog himself after all.
Rhianna sleeps, in fact given the non-overlapping watch system now in place,
it occurs to me that I haven't seen him for over 12 hours. His news is that
weetabix boat was successfully launched in Horta harbour and, yes, she
sailed beautifully! Perfectly designed, built and balanced, she sailed to
windward, broached in the gusts but came right back up and continued her
adventurous journey across the harbour. She would have made it out to sea
if not for a rather large tug. Weetabix was last seen wedged between the
tug and the harbour wall. We could look no longer and can only imagine her
final moments ...
Beverage just woke up, got up, made lunch, ate it and went back to bed and
is tucked up under his duvet purring gently again. I doubt if he will
remember the episode. He managed this in a record 20 minutes start to
finish. I guess sleeping makes you hungry. The Old Retainer is on watch
staring out into space. He does a lot of this!
OK, time to put the kettle on but before that a special "hello" for Willie
and Barbara, who haven't moved from their PC in a month. They wait for each
blog with the excitement of a young child on Christmas Eve. Only one thing
to say: Get a life my friends or better still, get a boat! (Tee Hee) ...
Nigel
5 June 2010