Position: 22 16.4 N 019 11.5 W
Course: South sou' west, Speed 4 knots
Wind: North, light breeze
Weather: Partly cloudy, warm
Day's Run: 106
The wind has continued light but steady so the mainsail has stayed up. We
should be feeling the trade winds as we get further south, so hopefully the
wind will freshen and veer so we can put in some decent daily runs. For now
I have switched the GPS off to get a bit of practice in swinging the
sextant, it gives me something to do other than read. I have the moon up
during a large part of the day at the moment so that makes getting a
reliable position pretty simple.
Also I am continuing some maintenance while the weather is mild. Removing
all the old paint from the coach house down to a good layer is pretty slow
and tedious but we are getting there - the joys of owning an old steel boat.
Finished reading "Christopher Columbus - The Four Voyage" yesterday. Very
interesting, an amazing man though a little crazy, and apparently a hopeless
administrator, he did not get the Spanish invasion of the New World off on a
good footing at all. Nonetheless what he achieved in terms of seamanship,
navigation, endurance and perseverance, especially for the period is
extraordinary; perhaps a pity the Spanish sovereigns didn't provide a
competent governor to administer the discoveries, rather than give the job
to Columbus when all he really wanted to do was go off exploring all the
time. While I am on a theme I find I have in my collection a book by a near
contemporary of Columbus, one Bartolome De Las Casas, entitled "A Short
Account of the Destruction of the Indies." I can see this is going to make
some depressing reading. "What a piece of work is man!"
All is well.
Bob Cat:
Ah, but the cat, now there is something worth looking at!
I have recovered from yesterday's shock, back to routine hard tack and . . .
Zzzzzzz.
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