Passage Bermuda to Azores back copy Its a Baking Day

The Travels of Running Tide
Mick Norman
Wed 2 Jul 2014 08:07
Blog for 26 June that went missing.  We have about 391 nm to run to Horta in the Azores and we have completed  128 nm in the last day. Twelve full days completed.

 

June 25 – It was at about 13 30 when all hell broke loose. We were both below making sandwiches when Monica’s control lines jumped off RT’s wheel. RT sailed on for a while until in an instance there was an involuntary jibe. The jibe preventer lines prevented the boom crossing over but everything was now backed and we were being blown over at an alarming angle by the 25 kts winds. Everything in the cabin shot off the table including the computer and the sat phone. Norm was on the downside and couldn’t climb up on deck. I managed to get up and manually steered RT back onto the correct course where everything was restored to normal. I was able to get the Monica lines back on from the steering position. Problem over. The wind was now in the upper 20s and it was time for another reef in the main and a bit more in the head sail. Never a dull moment.

 

As the evening progressed the wind as expected came more from behind and then moved onto the port quarter.

 

June 26 - Another raucous midnight feast disturbed the peace with hard liquor, ship’s biscuits, crisps and cheese consumed. Something about celebrating less than 500 nm to go. Other than that we plodded on.

 

The morning was our normal mixture of overcast and blue skies. Sea state moderate with a bit of swell. We are now on a port reach that means the wind is on the beam! Sorry about all these terms. I’m sure Wikipedia will explain.

 

Wind strength is falling but we make steady progress on a fetch, between a beam reach and close hauled. It’s weather forecast day today so we will soon see what the next three days has in store for us.

 

The sea is gentle today and we have run out of bread. So the bread making stuff is out. I have kept Norm out of the galley to increase the chances of success after our last efforts on the passage over to Bermuda when the attempt ended up as fish food.