Position at 1330 Zulu 26th Nov 2007. Another a Smitty's smoking along
nights. We decided to keep maximum sails up overnight in 15 - 20 knots
winds and push further south. Speeds at or slightly more than 10 knots
throughout but with vessel slightly overcanvassed the autopilot was having
trouble and it was a pretty sleepless night for all. At 0800 we reduced sail
on a forecast fro 25 knot winds from the NE today raising to 30 knots
tomorrow with the wind backing more northerly.Osprey rides much more
comfortably and has hardly lost any speed - a lesson in this? We are in
contact with Icini morning and night - they are behind ancd to the east of
us and already reefed down ready for the next couple of days. An amazing
husband and wife team - Ian and Sue. We are still having trouble with the
cooling system to the freezer which gets airlocked all the time - especially
on the port tack and there is not a lot we can do about it until we get to
Antigua. I suspect we are going to have to find another location for the
pump as it is too near the level of the compressor. Could not bleed it at
all this morning and it may be the pump has also given up for lack of water.
Impossible to porperly asses in the present conditions. Have been trying the
HF radio to contact our great weatherman Bob Cook without success. I guess
it must be his set up as we are in contact with a wide range of stations
from Europe and Canada to to Bahamas, and of course other yachts, without
any difficulty.