Day One
Ripples2
Wed 26 Nov 2014 16:19
After a delay of 24 hours we finally get the go ahead from arc control that we are off. A tearful farewell to Kaye and we are raring to go.
Not quite the sendoff we would have got yesterday when all the locals came to wave us off and got a soaking for their trouble. but the band played some jolly tunes, the anti petroleum protesters were enthusiastic and the few who took time out to of a Monday morning to wave and cheer were much appreciated.
We were at the back of the pack when we crossed the line but with 2700 nautical miles to go we were not in a hurry.
The swell was around ten feet and a sharp reminder I hadn't taken my seasickness tablets at breakfast. the boat was soon steady doing eight knots on a twenty knot wind with a reef.
We set a course close to the southern tip of Gran Canaria and thought we were well on way to overtake many fellow cruisers...it's not a race but you cannot help the competitive streak rising to the surface.
Many of the boats do this crossing year after year and as we reached the tip we realized the reason for going further out is to miss the doldrums in the Lee of the island.
Catamarans are not great in light airs and a few hours were lost hunting the breeze before we decided to resort to engines. The upside was the dolphins leaping out of the water in front of us.
This solved another problem with the lack of power in the batteries as they are not charging as they should. The boat has all manner of means for recharging yet as now we cannot assertain why they are not.
The watches commenced with Simon and nick 12pm,4 pm 8,12 and the grave yard shift at 4 am to watch the sun rise with a morning visit from some teenage dolphins riding our bow before being called by mom for some fishing. john and Luciano take the shifts in between.
Sleep is in fits and starts in between shifts, a boat in high seas is a noisy place, with waves crashing between the hulls and various creaks and groans. Going to the loo and having a shower whilst standing in a cement mixer gives you an idea.
Cooking can be challenging, catching your spuds before you peel them and balancing boiling pans that create their own waves are only two of numerous krypton factor like competitions. As for finding all the food on board under floors, beds and stowage spaces I haven't yet found all ingredients to complete a meal..where the hell are the canned veg Kaye?
Anyway, writing this under the stars at the end of another not uneventful day, more of which next time.
Nick