Bermuda to Flores, Azores 4...Norma has her say

36:27.21N 45:32.93W

17^th June 2015

735 Miles to the Azores

10,132 Miles from Ramsgate by log.

Captains bit: We have completed over 10,000 miles since leaving Ramsgate J

All going well, with no breakages to speak off. After the last blog we had another 24 hours of F7 with 6 hours of F8 in the middle which Norma will no doubt mention in her dispatches below. We crossed the half way to the Azores mark on Tuesday morning and so hopefully it will be all down hill from here. The 24 hour run tale of the tape so far is:

Day 1               74 miles            (15 hours)

Day 2               115 miles          (Part motoring)

Day 3               141 miles          (All motoring)

Day 4               116 miles          (Part Motoring)

Day 5               161 miles          (All sailing)

Day 6               172 miles          (All sailing)

            Day 7               149 miles          (All sailing)

Day 8               121 miles          (Part Motoring)

Waves, Wind & Rain (lots of all)

While sitting down below in the warm and dry, the urge to feed that old monkey that I carry around on my back grew ever stronger. (Smoking yuk…PR)

With waves as high as houses and rain falling so hard it could cut through you like a knife I had no other choice other than to go outside and join a very wet Steve and Jen at the wheel. I wasn’t officially on watch but that monkey was needing fed, so of I went. On opening the hatch, I was greeted with an almighty barrage of swear words that I thought was Steve as he can be a big girl sometimes, but no, (sorry Jen’s mum and dad), it was Jen. She did have good reason though, as when I popped my head out Spectra’s side rails where completely under a very large wave which in turn was filling up the cockpit with crystal clear water to above her knees. I asked why am I doing this, but then quickly talked myself out of it as the urge to feed that monkey grew stronger than the thought of the soaking I was just about to receive.

Now with my monkey fed and my watch officially started, Jen and Steve started slipping away to the warmth below to dry out before their next watch. Left alone I mused over the fury around me. OMG what a sight, with 3 reefs in the main; 2 reefs in the mizzen; 1 reef in the stay sail and no foresail at all good old girl Spectra was holding her own in a force 8 gale.  As for me, I was strapped to the cockpit with two harness for that extra comfort and of course safety which is something I will later regret. Body contortions were something I didn’t envisage at my age but to get out of the knots that I managed to tie myself in they are a must. Being on watch means exactly that, eyes everywhere which involves doing a full 360◦ every 5-10 minutes to check for other things that are like us, mad enough to be out here.

At one point during my watch my heart was in my mouth as Paul and Steve had to go foreword on deck to secure the spinnaker pole which was shaking itself to death. Just as they got themselves into position a very large wave picked Spectra up bows in the air almost vertical and I of course knew what had to come next. Yes she would have to come back down. In my minds eye I could just see two little men “did I say little, I meant men”, being thrown off either side. Although they were strapped on it would not have been pretty or easy to retrieve them both at the same time and quickly, so a choice would have to be made, (sorry Paul) Steve is just that little bit smaller. No need to worry all was well, as they stuck fast to the deck and did not even feel what I had just saw.

            While all this furore was going on above Adam still maintained his work ethic and continued polishing our brass clocks within an inch of their lives and as Jen would say “ with Amazing ” results.

            Two hours later when my watch had come to an end and my heart was back in my chest, my thoughts went straight to drying out and feeding my crew as I was now on mummy watch, oh for some well earned hot food and sleep.

The gale wasn’t all bad though as during one of my 360’s in the cockpit I spotted dolphins surfing the waves right next to me, or should I say above me, yes the happily playing dolphins looked like they could land on the aft deck at any moment. I did another quick spin in the opposite direction to retrieve my phone and started snapping  not sure of the results. To my amazement on reviewing the pictures later I had managed to get a shot, but I am afraid you will have to wait for that one until we are in port and have decent internet access which will be accompanied by many more of Mother Natures Fury. (By the way my next painting will be named Fury), you can sort of guess what it will be about.   

Ps Note for Kate, those flights are now more than ever looking really inviting.