Position Update N29:58.69 W41:10.02
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Sun 6 May 2012 21:31
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A day of mixed blessings.
After sending the message to the blog last night the
expected warm front overtook us. I would have liked to have had the storm jib
rigged for this but by the time I made up my mind the boat was pitching too
wildly to be able to go on deck to get it set. The waves picked up, it rained
and rained, wind gusted above 30 knots, it rained some more then we had a few
hours of violent thunder and lightning. Down below it was like being
inside a washing machine. Sleep was impossible until around four a.m. when
things calmed down some. When dawn broke it looked as if the boat had been
ransacked by customs agents; cushions, clothes, food and books had been
thrown about all over. A quick inspection on deck revealed that we had
suffered no damage.
The day began to improve with the first
coffee. Yael and I re-rigged with a full mainsail and the big jib, the wind
settled down to around fifteen knots and the rain faded away. Everyone had
a hot shower and it's amazing how some warm water can revitalize the body and
improve the mind. We took turns catching up on sleep while the boat made good
headway in a freshening south westerly breeze along latitude 30 north. A
big swell is running with us and at times being at the wheel has felt like being
in control of a 15 ton surfboard. It is now 18:00, we have just
reefed in the mainsail for the night but are still going strong. Nirit
has done her daily position check and announces that we have 963 NM to go to
Horta; this means that sometime during the coming night we'll pass the
two-thirds mark and will be about 12 hours ahead of the schedule I originally
predicted.
Also yesterday evening just as the the first rain hit,
we crossed paths with an oil tanker, the M/T NORDIC FREEDOM. I raised the bridge
on the VHF and chatted with the officer on watch. They were on their way to
either Houston or Galveston, the final decision would be made by the cargo
owner based on the spot market price for crude. He gave us an updated
weather report and said, "You are very small boat." I told him that we might
look very small from where he was standing but we are about average size for a
sailboat making this crossing.
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