Light and Steady

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Wed 14 Oct 2009 14:36
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.