Good Morning

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sun 7 Jun 2009 16:24
Noon Position: 47 00.5 N 037 23.2 W
Course: East Nor'east Speed 5 knots
Wind: South Sou'east, light
Weather: Broken cloud, mild. Sea: slight
Day's Run: 84 miles

Sailing the temperate zones keeps you on your toes, not like the trade winds with the same constant breeze day in and day out. Once more yesterday we had a bit of everything, well almost. Our nice fresh reaching breeze petered out by 9 pm, we started to roll, the sails started to slat, my nerves started to fray, so down came sails and I went down to my bunk until a breeze might come. And that happened at 1.30 this morning, it was light but there was no significant swell running, I initially misjudged its direction and set things up for a square run on the port tack, but this had us heading nor'noreast, and I wanted to be heading more east, so I changed the whole lot over. This takes a while, first I unlash the preventer from the boom, this holds the boom forward in winds from aft and helps prevent unintentional gybes, then we alter course and gybe the mainsail over, then furl the jib, drop the pole on the foredeck, switch the pole over to the other side with guy, preventer and uphaul to hold it firmly in place, then reset the jib on the side opposite the mainsail and hey presto we are sailing goose-winged or wing on wing as my American sailing friends prefer. So that all took close to an hour before I was satisfied and returned below.

At 7.20 the wind had backed all the way from west sou'west to sou' sou'east and instead of heading east we were heading north - down pole, tighten sheets and adjust course for a close reach. Since then we've had a very pleasant morning sail, gently heeling to the gentle breeze, smoothly moving at about five knots. The forecast has the wind backing further into the east and freshening to 20 knots plus, for about 48 hours, so I am enjoying the pleasant conditions while they last. The breeze has already backed a little, I need to go and tighten the sheets and harden onto the breeze a little.

All is well.

Bob Cat:

Yes all very pleasant except for the usual, I need not mention it. Enjoyed a little sunshine on the poop deck and used the opportunity to represent the crew's grievances to the captain. There needs to be a law.

Anyway I won't get my hopes up, now its time to get back to the bunk, I shall enjoy a nice fat fish in my dreams. Zzzzzz.