Day 1 and 2: The start of something different
Ronja
Jan Morten Ruud
Tue 24 Nov 2009 10:16
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Coordinates: W19.23.735., N25.08.771 On board Ronja we have experienced just about every
emotion so far.
It started with surprise. When we left the pontoon
in Las Palmas, Ronja refused to leave. Maybe she, just like the rest of us, had
gotten used the social & lazy pre-start days around Pontoon R. We put the
gear in forward, and nothing happened. Then we put her in reverse, and
everything happenened in the sense that Ronja went at what seemed to be a
terribly high speed back towards the pontoon. But Jan Morten jumped back on land
and used his considerable strength to push Ronja back out. After a speedy
inspection by a local diver we tried again anf this time all went well.
Next came fear. Oh my God - the first night was
really dark. And really windy. And really wavy. And I believe that a large part
of the crew seriously questioned their own judgement in going along on this
trip. As Norwegians we normally sail during Nordic summers where it never gets
dark as is "black dark". Well - here it's really dark when it's
dark.
Then came disappointment. Jan Morten and Harald had
both had a long night and bungled up what should've been an easy gybe. An
important block came loose from the boom and we were miserable for a few
minutes. But Jan Morten tied the block back up and we realized that we could
continue as before.
And now? Just bliss. It's less wavy, the wind is
perfect, the food is great (thanks Vibeke), we're exactly on course for the
important Cape Verde waypoint, the forecast is good, the crew have all settled
in nicely (Captain Jan Morten has pulled out the fishing rods and is currently
calling all tunas!), and we are simply zooming along at (at least for us) record
speeds. We' riding the waves and Stian swears that we had 13.4 knots along
one of them.
Fair winds & best regards,
Harald.
Distance totalt current rute: 2720 Nm
Sailed distance since start:365,8 Nm
Distance left (current route to St. Lucia): 2354,20
Nm |