36:30.542 N  011/42.855 W

06/07/10

15:00

Wind Still NNE 30 knots.  It’s sunny and the sea is dramatic. Every once in a while the bow clips a wave top and hurls hundreds of gallons of water at the cockpit and the wind screen whites out.  Even through we’re very protected it still gets pretty wet.

We heave to on the opposite tack for a few minutes.  This allows any water collection in the starboard bilge to drain, it also allows for the crew to each have a quick shower as the boat is nearly upright

We’ve gone back to the staysail.  The speed is less but the boat doesn’t leap about quite as much. There’s still much debate as to the best sail plan in these conditions.

21:00

In the end  we added a bit of Yankee to increase boat speed. We reduced all sail for dinner and to allow the generator to work.  Every time we hit a big wave abruptly, it stops immediately. Wind is still NNW 30 plus knots. 

07/07/10

06:30

Grey monochrome dawn.  The NNE Wind has dropped from Force 7 to Force 5. ie.from 30 odd knots to 20 odd knots, and the sea state has correspondingly moderated.  We’re no longer slamming into it with those huge crash, bam zowie moments. By comparison it’s all pretty tranquil.  The wind will probably die away even more later and turn against us but with little strength. Allegedly.

We’re about 30 miles South of our original rhumb line which given the weather conditions isn’t too bad really. When we have to  go on the Yanmar tack  again we will easily make it up.

11:00

Wind has gone North Force 4 so its all quieter and we’re sailing quite freely.  We are approaching  Gettysberg Seamount, a deep sea mountain whose peak is only 50 metres deep. It even had a flashing yellow light with a two mile range, presumably the sea can get quite nasty over the shallows but I don’t think we’ll have a problem today.

Yesterday’s run was a more respectable 175 miles.  314 to go.

I’ll attach some snaps taken from the safety of the companionway.  I really should have donned full weatherproofs and lashed myself to the Stern but  somehow the conditions didn’t make that seem too attractive and I would have ruined the camera to boot.