Hallelujah
Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Sat 12 May 2012 13:06
Saturday 12th May
Gradually through the day, the wind began to gently veer round towards the
east letting us creep closer and closer to our required course, and with the
full cutter rig flying we were sailing along at 6 knots plus, but then in
the late afternoon it again started to back taking us yet again well away
from the rhumb line. To add to the problem, the wind then died and by 2100
hrs we were reduced to motoring again, but at least heading in the right
direction.
At 0300 hrs this morning the wind picked up again and to our restrained joy,
it veered round to the east and now at last we could sail at full speed on a
course direct to the point where we plan to cross the Gulf Stream some 140
miles ahead of us. In fact by 0900hrs we had to reduce sail a bit as the
wind had picked up to 20 knots, but still we can lay our chosen course.
Very little else to report as we gratefully accepted yesterday as something
of a rest day. Tried fishing for the first time on this passage, but the
huge amounts of floating seaweed (which we have encountered throughout the
whole season) meant I was recovering the line every few minutes to clear
it. All rather pointless and frustrating - given that we have been sailing
now for 9 days and still have 400 miles to run and had planned only to take
9 days in total, fresh fish would be a bonus on the catering front.
Entertained yesterday afternoon and again this morning by individual Tropic
birds that seem to have an absolute fixation about attempting to land on our
mast head. Just like the one I described in yesterday's blog, these ones
were equally unsuccessful, and although they do get momentarily very close,
goodness knows how they plan to hang on once there! They also curtailed the
fishing this morning as they are fooled into believing the lure is a fish
and it is only a matter of time before one dives and gets itself hooked.