That was fun ...
Salila
Peter Ablett
Tue 9 Jun 2015 22:26
Position at 1800 on 6/6/15
So at 1000 we had two reefs in the main and the jib. Then the wind and waves built a little more and so we ended up with three reefs in the main. I haven't used the third reef before... (We lost the first reef to chafe sometime earlier...)
Salila broke her speed record, firstly with Will at 12.6 kts surfing down a wave, then later Charlie and I both saw 14.4 kts briefly, it was interesting. The wind was gusting 35 kts, with waves up to the top of the Bimini, although enough period to not be too concerning.
The crew were fantastic. Charlie sat resolutely at the helm, getting regularly drenched with eau de Biscay. Cathy sat calmly in the saloon reading Private Eye, baked bread and made lunch - having done her watch on her lonesome from 0300 to 0600. Will was stalwart from 0600 to 1000 as the wind increased steadily.
So across Biscay we had firstly no wind, then too much. We had lots of Dolphins, Pilot whales, stars, a big moon which looked like a large ship bearing down on us for a while, lots of motoring and a little difficulty with the engines (just one alternator belt changed mid ocean), lots of lovely meals from Charlie and Clare, and all had a great time!