We are currently 1 day into our 475 mile passage from Lisbon to Porto Santo (a small island next to Madeira). We left Lisbon at 7pm on Saturday 20th July and were sailing on a broad reach on a fantastic northerly wind F4/5 for the first 12 hours in which we were averaging over 7 knots. Unfortunately it has reduced to 0 knots and so we are motoring along at 4.5 knots in a very calm sea.

 

A few hours out of Lisbon we had a bit of excitement or a bit of a scare depending on how you look at it..... Around dusk we spied 2 ships on the horizon cruising in close succession, and as they drew nearer we saw that they were on a collision course with us. When the first ship got to within about 1 kilometre, it veered behind us (as it should have done as we were sailing at the time and power gives way to sail). Then we were waiting for the second ship "City of Amsterdam" to veer at approximately the same distance away. As it drew nearer and nearer, it didn't seem to be changing course. It got to within 300-400 metres, probably travelling at 10-12 knots before we had to take avoiding action. By this stage it was eerily close, but we had no trouble gybing to sail behind the ship. The visibility was extremely good and there was still a lot of light in the sky even though the sun had just gone down. We were close enough to see that there was noone on deck, and when Craig called them up on the VHF to see if they had seen us they said they hadn't, so there can't have been anyone on the bridge either. We timed the course alteration well - it doesn't pay to play chicken with a large cargo ship and to assume that it's going to change course!! In any case, it certainly showed us first hand that having a crew member on watch at all times is absolutely crucial.

 

So after 24 hours sailing/motoring we are at position 37 degrees 6 minutes north and 11 degrees 29 minutes west, with 340 miles to go.