Day 15.5: Are we sure we wanted more wind?
Purple Mist
Skipper: Kate Cope
Mon 23 Jan 2023 11:46
Day 15.5: Are we sure we wanted more wind?
Day 15.5 Somehow more blogs than days, Anyway we started on a Sunday and this is Monday so it must be Day 15.
Yesterday we were a bit forlorn. The boat was going slowly , we needed more wind or more sail. We spent most of the day on the Spinnaker but as night fell the squalls started again and after 2 broaches we decided the spinnaker must be stowed away. Then of course the wind drops and we are going really slowly which just adds to the sense hopelessness. This race is going to take forever, we are lost at sea , we will wash up on some Caribbean shore in 3 months time looking like skeletons …well maybe not! …more fruit cake Claire?
Anyway, we needed something to boost speed and we needed to be safe with storm clouds on the horizon.
So half the night was leisurely plodding with the full main and big J2 jib with the occasional squall to liven things up. Then at about 5am came the mother of all squalls: Big mummy squall was 30kts and with full main up the boat was very powered up and on the edge of control…:but at least we were going fast. As it subsided we were back to being in control however little did we know Mummy squall had brought the whole family with her and so for the next 4hrs we had squall after squall until we concluded that these are not squalls anymore but that we’ve finally escaped the high pressure and hit the trade winds. This is what got Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic in his leaky old wooden boat . Hopefully this means strong winds for the rest of the trip
Suitably reefed we are now back under control and tanking along at 7kts. We have gybed and are now pointing at Grenada…hurrah. Only a “Fastnet” ( 650NM) to go until the next waypoint South of Barbados …at this speed about 4 days. Starting chilling the Rum punch as Purple Mist is incoming ….though don’t quite get off your sun lounger yet.
Finally we did notice a small hole in the spinnaker last night caused by the wrap so this was us fixing the hole in the dark.
