3PM 7/1/08

It’s a glorious fresh sunny afternoon and the wind is settling in ENE but only enough to sail at 5 knots so we will continue motoring until it picks up enough to make at least 6 knots.  5 knots gets us to Punta del Este Friday evening and 8 knots Early Thursday AM, so something in between is ok but I want to get in Thursday, hopefully before dark although it’s an easy place to get into at night.

4PM

Poled out and making 6.6 knots, which would get us in Thursday evening at 8PM if we can maintain it. Wind should increase later.

7PM

We’re tramping along 7 plus knots, hopefully the wind will hold for the next few days.

ETA Thursday afternoon.

The other day I was doing my crossword and the clue for 27 across was “Novella by Joseph Conrad” which was quite a coincidence as my daughter Ellen had given me “Heart of Darkness” as a Christmas present.  I took this as an omen or an instruction and have now re-read it more than 4 decades after reading it the first time at College.  It’s remarkably undated and as a metaphor has some immediate relevance for today. The richness of the prose is of course beyond dispute. It’s really surprising to re-experience something you haven’t touched for so long and yet seems so familiar.  This edition includes an earlier novella, “Youth” which while not so sophisticated was a real pleasure to read.  Maybe in our older age we should re-read  everything of our youth. I’m going to try to get Nik to read it, so he can have something to look forward to in his older age, I’ve already got him on Davina Sobel’s “Longitude” which is a brilliant chronicle of the development of the chronometer, and reads like a whodunit.

12 Noon 8/1/08

 Last night in order to complete Nik’s treatment we had Curried Wahoo and I’m glad to report that this morning his sinus is clear.

Our 24 hour run was 181 miles and this time instead of sailing for 4 and bit hours we sailed 20 hours and motored 4.  359 miles to go.   Wind has gone North and dropped, we’re barely able to make 5 ½ knots at the moment so unless it changes we’ll be motoring again soon.  I would like to get to Punta del Este before Thursday night as there are strong Southerlies due in the area in the evening.