Monday 8^th May 2023

North Atlantic Ocean 35^o 09.72 N 47^o 09.42 W 

Blog by Toby  (Time zone: BST -3)

Since SOMEONE contributed so well a few days ago it is time for NEWONE to attempt to follow suit.

Just proving how dangerous it is to meet new sailing friends in the pub, Toby K-C finds himself writing from mid N Atlantic, when he should be tackling the jobs list in Gosport.

Much better than the Jobs List!

After the celebrations of the Coronation weekend we have endured a frustrating 24 Hrs with light and variable winds and what there is being far too far aft for satisfying sailing in a lumpy but moderating sea.  Sod’s law has been operating with the alternator (Yes, another one. L Ed.) deciding to retire and a small preventer leading block suffering a rapid unexpected disassembly.  All surmountable with the generator in good shape and the Skipper’s seemingly inexhaustible spares locker.  The weather routing dictates that we head N in order to pick up westerlies soon – so the direct route to the Azores is not an option from here.  We hope to turn right before reaching the Newfoundland Basin!

It was a delight last night to encounter a small pod of mostly juvenile Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, Stenella frontalis, which played around the Serendipity for a time.  Other life out here is a fairly constant procession of Portuguese Man of War jelly fish with their sails set proud, heading E and one of the pelagic Shearwater species –could have been Manx.  We had a swallow circle the boat a few days ago, hopefully on its way to confirm Summer in the UK.

Wind has now (1300 BST -3) happily picked up a little and the Frog (huge soft-sail reacher) is proudly set on port gybe, enabling 7 Kts NNE .

The Kite on Starboard gybe

We have gybed it once today already, in a manoeuver so slick the Skipper is threatening at least two more gybes (Ding, dong Ed) before dinner (chicken Schnitzels), as we work the angles as best we can.

That’s all for now.