We got the okay from weatherman Chris Parker to execute a slow turn
northward. The critical thing is to NOT get caught West or Northwest of the
low pressure system which is settling southward. As long as we transit
first the South-then-East-then-North quadrants of the low, then we should do
fine, with moderate wind from either a beam reach or aft-of-the-beam, and
probably reasonable seas and not too much squall activity. (As I write this
a squall has just passed over us - very dramatic stuff recorded by Yael and
Chris)
At first light we took down the storm jib and opened our big head sail. We
have been surfing down wind all day at an average speed of 7 knots, finally
towards Horta.
We have still some distance to cover, a little bit more than 480 miles, but
as Chris says "Think of it as Herzlyia to Marmaris. I like his way of
thinking.
Yaeli is already designing a picture for us to paint on the harbor wall in
Horta; a tradition adhered to by the hundreds of yachts transiting Faial
each year, everyone adding their own design.
Huge waves are still rolling us around, just as it was on the crossing from
Cape Verde to St. Lucia almost two years ago. This breeze is forecast to
stay with us for the next forty-eight hours and then the wind will switch to
something like north east putting us close hauled for the final stretch.
Hopefully we wont have anything like these wave heights to contend with as
we go upwind! But it's not over till it's over. We must not lose
concentration and have to stay alert at all times as usual.
No fish today, which is a blessing if you ask me, as I just cant see Shmulik
fighting to bring a fish up to the boat in this swell. Tomorrow night
(Thursday) we will be on the Radio again. 'Tziporei Laila' with Odeia and
Natan at 23:30 Galaz 96.6. This time we will try to convince Yaeli to go on
air and tell listeners about the messages in the bottles she's been casting
into the ocean...
Nirit
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