Found the wind

Summer 2022
John Andrews
Thu 15 Jun 2017 19:45
Ok - so you can add ten knots to a GRIB file wind speed! Having made our way north to find wind, we found it in no uncertain manner. Force 6 - 7 for twelve hours, gusting to gale force 8 overnight of course. Now however, the wind has swung to the west and abandoned us, leaving us slopping around in a very messy sea. Over the twelve hours waves built up, with colossal waves coming at us in sets of three. Luckily we were going down wind and not trying to fight our way to windward, with the consequence that the boat was regularly surfing down waves at 14 or so knots. The record was comprehensively broken on one ‘perfect wave’, which set the boat off on a perilous 21 knot surf. ‘Suilven’ behaved immaculately, deviating neither to right or left, spray leaping from her bows until she gradually reduced speed to a more lady-like 10 knots on the back of the wave in front.
Terrifying, but perhaps not as terrifying as an event that took place the previous evening. I was lying on my bunk, waiting to come on to my 9.00pm watch. The light was fading and the waves were building. Suddenly I heard a panicky shout from the cockpit. I rushed up the companion way to find Tessa and John staring towards the stern in an apparent state of shock. They had both seen a very large sperm whale surface literally a a few yards from the boat, blow and then casually carry on its way across the stern. It was almost as long as Suilven herself. Awe inspiring and terrifying in equal measure seemingly.

Blog Entries

2023 2022
Jun 2022 May 2022
2017
Aug 2017 Jul 2017 Jun 2017 May 2017
2016
Sep 2016 Aug 2016 Jun 2016 May 2016
2015
Sep 2015 Aug 2015 Jul 2015 Jun 2015
2014
Sep 2014 Aug 2014 Jul 2014 Jun 2014
2013
Aug 2013 Jun 2013 May 2013 Feb 2013 Jan 2013
2012 2011
Dec 2011 Nov 2011 Jul 2011 Jun 2011 May 2011 Feb 2011 Jan 2011