Moroccan Nights

Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Tue 27 Oct 2009 12:12
What a great night! After the cal to get the spinaker up we decided to head for the african coast tp try and pick up some coastal winds which we did. It built steadily all night to 8 -10knots and under cruising chute only we were doing 7.5 knots deep down the wind. about 2200 we were completely shrouded in heavy thick damp fog and it remained that way until 0400 and returned again at 1030. About 0630 Angus and Craig made an excellent call to drop the spinaker as the wind had been steadily veering and by getting up genny and main we could lay our destination. So I got up to help them wrestle the spinnaker down and after a short while the wind had strengthened further and we moved to jib and main and are on a 200 mile beat to the Canaries but we are currently on Starboard heading back into the African coast and expect to pick up a shift later to head for a small anchorage at a small island called Graciosa ETA Thursday morning. All this while didging close quarter fishing boats blanketed in fog and entertainment in stereo all night. On the ipod we had the Eagles all night and on the VHF we had monkeys, Cats, Dogs ,Sheep and Pigs and a full blown inter racial slanging matckh on channel 16 with a scene from a porno movie broadcast on channel 16 for good measure - tut tut tut. On the early watch while I was sleeping, Angus  had a tight call - about 20 odd miles off the coast we were bowling along when he spotted a small open boat with two guys in it waving a red flag about half a mile off. Angus unsure what call to make carried on past not knowing whether it was people genuinely in need of help or whether they were pirates, emigrants looking for a "lift" to the Canaries or otherwise up to mischief, or just selling fish. What would you do what should Angus have done?
I'll let you know what happened tomorrow.