The stars they’re coming out tonight they ’re lighting up the sky tonight
Purple Mist
Skipper: Kate Cope
Mon 24 Jun 2019 00:11
Starry starry night ....I was born under a wandering star. The song titles available for tonight’s blog are many....just there are many stars in the sky tonight
So when I left you we were zooming along under the big S2 Spinnaker slowly catching up boats. Around 7pm the Cirrus clouds were forming and I could see what I confidently thought was a weather front on the horizon. Cirrus clouds are sometimes called Mares Tails and there is a saying that when “Mares have tails ships set small sails” Cirrus clouds are the first clouds to signal an approaching front and stronger winds.
Bobby looked less than convinced at my mares tails motto having never heard it and referred instead the 1MB of previously downloaded weather data that confidently predicted no more than 15kts.
However on the basis it’s better to be an alive donkey than a dead lion we took down the S2 Spinnaker and have been pootling along on the big J2 jib
5 hours later and the wind is still 14kts with the odd stray up to 18-20kts. The weather front is still on the horizon showing no signs of getting any closer and the previously blue sky is now a mass of stars. This is when my mind goes into conflict. Half of it saying get that S2 back out you big wuss and the other saying it’s pitch dark, you have only had this boat for 6 months and only been offshore racing for 3 years it’s perfectly ok to be doing 7kts. Even though I can see Polished Manx and Exehibitionist on AIS the cautious side wins out tonight and no spinnaker. Instead I am amusing myself with star gazing
Amongst the numerous books and reference tables on Astro nav Bobby has smuggled aboard past the “racing weight control” is a star chart. So I’m trying to get beyond the three things I can usually spot- Ursa Major (the plough), Polaris and Cassiopeia (the W) I’m not doing too well as I need light to see the chart but then you can’t see the stars as it ruins your night vision...and the sails are getting in the way! But hey ho it should keep me amused for 2 hours. I used to have a app on the phone for all this and wish now I hadn’t offloaded it.
Finally Bobby is not convinced that bright evening star (planet) is Venus as the figures don’t work... but the again it might just be the figures.
