Short lived

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sun 10 Mar 2019 02:03

Noon Position: 38 36.8 S  142 31.5 E
Course: ESE  Speed: 7 knots
Wind: N, F5 – strong breeze
Sea: moderate. Swell: SW, 2.5 m.
Weather: overcast, occasional drizzle, mild
Day’s run: 75 nm sailed, 58 nm made good

My happy little breeze was short lived. (Hmmph! It was a headwind any way).  With its arrival we had sailed gleefully south then at 2133, as we were approaching some brightly lit fishing boats and getting into the shipping lanes, I tacked back towards land.  I was disappointed to find ourselves making good the almost reciprocal course of the one we had just been on. Now, as has often been mentioned in this lengthy blog, and absolutely no offence to old Sylph, but while she isn’t the best boat to windward, she generally isn’t that bad either. So, to find ourselves with an effective tacking angle of some 150 degrees or more left me feeling not a little underwhelmed. Oh well, I consoled myself, the wind is forecast to kick in good and proper sometime tomorrow. 

But not before we had to endure yet another period of calm, and yet more drifting around off Cape Nelson. Indeed, I was not a little peeved to find that at 0200 this morning we had drifted back across our track where we had been at 2000 the previous evening. With nought I could do about it, I grabbed my grumpiness, wrapped myself up in it, and went back to my bunk. Shove over Oli!

At last, at last! At 0700 the ragged flag on Sylph’s backstay fluttered. I trimmed the sails, adjusted the windvane. Once more, Sylph was drawing playful dolphins to her foaming bow wave.

All is well.