Heading North
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Thu 17 Jul 2008 00:33
Wind: West, gentle breeze
Weather: Clear and sunny
I was having breakfast this morning contemplating the plan for our departure
when a voice hailed us advising that the barge we were tied up to was about
to move and we needed to get out of the way. Well I couldn't see the point
of tying up again somewhere else and then leaving again, I didn't have much
to do to get Sylph ready for sea so after clearing the barge I went straight
over to the fuel wharf and topped up with fuel. We had burnt quite a bit of
fossilized sunshine over the previous several days as there isn't a lot of
wind in the fjords, and I didn't have 20 husky Vikings to man the sweeps. At
10.15 I noted in the log, "Departed fuel wharf. Next stop???" We are
continuing north, aiming for Kangerlussuatsiaq, a fjord 120 miles north of
Nuuk, where with any luck we might meet up with my fellow Australian, Peter
from 'Tyhina', but with the light winds and single handing in a coast strewn
with icebergs the odds are that we shall have to stop somewhere along the
way.
Once clear of Nuuk we found a little wind which has remained very light all
day. We have had the drifter ups since 3.40 p.m. which has drawn us a long
at a nice three knots plus. Now, 10 p.m., there is a short little confused
cross sea running, no idea where it is coming from, presumably from the
current interacting with the edge of the continental shelf. It is causing
old Sylph to hobby horse a bit which washes off what little speed we do have
in these light conditions. Still I am not complaining, at least we are
sailing and the wind vane is managing to hold a course. I was thinking this
morning, if we had a nice straight stemmed boat that I have admired on some
of the old wooden boats it would probably be all stoved in about now as it
wouldn't have ridden up and over the bergy bit the way Sylph's heavily raked
bow did yesterday. You got to look for the positives in life's little
mishaps.
Bob Cat:
I was having a bit of a stock take of all my worldly and spiritual
possessions this morning, something I do every now and again. My worldly
possessions still equal the amount I was born with so I haven't lost
anything there, but in the other department I seemed to have misplaced a
life, very careless of me, I normally notice these things. Oh well, three
left. I wonder if skipper Bob knows anything about it.
All is well.