34 knots good 35 knots bad!
Piccolo
Andrew Yates
Mon 8 Dec 2008 19:59
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After the hectic day that we had had -
broaching out, trashing a kite and crocking a crew member you would have thought
we would have learned!
Hoisting Big Red just before our gorgeous beef
dinner, a very relaxed crew we were. Being a Sunday we even had a
desert!
As the sun went down lightning backlit the clouds
on the horizen. Matt and Nick settled in to their watch, breeze slowly
building. Clouds darkened up ahead as the lightening intensity increased,
storming into the squalls jackets sodden. Matt squeezed the boat through the
gusts and waves with the gusts now peaking at 30. It was Nick's turn to steer,
with a smile of relief Matt offered the helm to Nick which turned to a look of
disappointment when Nick, having already stacked the boat that day politely
declined.
Then watch change approached and when Jack and
Chris came up a plot was hatched. Nick stayed on deck to lend a hand and Matt
wedged himself in the forepeak amongst his beloved kites. A small repair was
needed to the heavy weather kite. Meanwhile on deck Nick was calling to
Jack the increasing wind speeds and at 34 knots true, Jack set the daily speed
record (14.6 knots) and casually observed that this kind of show boating was
best reserved for an audience on Cowes Green and should not be indulged in the
middle of the Atlantic, at night in the midst of an electrical
storm.
With that the inevitable happened! Back in the
forepeak Matt recognised the familiar signs of wall becoming floor, ceiling
becoming wall and forehatch becoming door! He opened the said forehatch
but inches away from the ocean he decided to close the hatch and swam through
sail cloths and leapt over Chris who was frozen in terror on the floor of
the cockpit and sped up to the bow.
Boat refusing to come upright! Vnng blown! Guy
blown! The boat eventually came back up and scooted down by the lee! Kite still
violently flapping then wrapped two, three times round the forestay just to add
to the fun!
Jack and Matt both becoming to sound quite hoarse
as they shouted over the roar of the sea and the flapping of Big
Red.
Ben had joined Matt at the bow - much
to Matt's relief (his feet were now firmly back on deck with a pully and an
easy and a little luffy Big Red decided to stop hugging the forestay and was
snuffed and stowed with huge sighs of relief.
We just can't help but
push!
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