30:20.02N 64:18.07W
We can now feel the
change in temperature as we are heading north leaving behind the Caribbean and
approaching Bermuda. The sea is
calm and we are cruising along at 6-7 knots in light airs. This is quite a contrast to a couple of
days ago when we encountered a low pressure system not presented on the weather
chart. The seas were rough with
winds between 25-30 knots gusting 35 knots with all three reefs and an almost
completely furled Genoa we were hammering along at 8-9 knots. The rolling sea made the motion very
uncomfortable, thus I did not feel like sitting by the chart table writing
blogs. All crew have been
taken turns in hand steering to manage the waves and to increase the speed., we
have been making very good progress but very light winds are expected so we may
need to use the motor for the last part of the passage. Giancarlo have kept
us feed with tortellini’s and parmesan that he brought with him from Italy. I manage to create the meal from hell
last night when my enthusiasm for cooking somewhat ran dry trying to create some
concoction with Caribbean local
root vegetables, a glass of French red wine and a fresh pineapple saved the
day. Life on board is as
always filled with odd jobs that need doing as the motion of the boat creates a
strain on all parts; rigging needs
checking and adjusting, ropes needs
to be checked and readjusted, dingy needs to be re-tied, heads need cleaning,
vegetables must be inspected and
checked so they don’t go off and the list goes on. I had a surprise
visitor last night as I was helming in the pitch dark, no stars as we were
passing under a big squall cloud, a rather large flying fish came hurtling from
the bow and smacked me in the head, he did not survive, but I did. The fish was almost large enough for one
small meal, but no one fancied fish for breakfast. We have had a vivid
repertoire of music on the stereo and we are all singing along to “starry starry
night” from Don McLean's ''Vincent'' in various dialects and languages,
it’s amazing how music travel’s. We are all
well. |