Talulah's Log
Talulah's Web Diary
Paul & Anette Morris
Mon 27 Nov 2006 13:38
26:48.394N 16:27.386W Monday 27th
November 2006
Yesterday (Sunday) first - Start of the ARC!
The
day started well with a big fat breakfast, and then washing the decks to get all
the land dirt off. We decided to hank on the Gennaker sail rather
than the new Parasailor for the start, which was quite a spectacle as over 230
yachts crossed the mile wide start line with spinnakers and Gennaker up on a
downwind race!
After an hour of decreasing winds we decided to put away the Gennaker and
put up the parasail....Thats when things started to go wrong! The
Gennaker furler got jammed, so we just threw it all down in through the shower
hatch in the port hull and proceeded with getting the parasail
up. But even this went wrong when it became twisted, so that
came down and we spent the next 2 hours in the cockpit sorting the
mess out. Our "sundowner" drinks became "moon-upper" drinks once
we'd put a reef in the main, and we settled down to a pizza supper and watch
keeping under a stunning starlit night. We saw the lights of other
boats, but once dawn came we seemed alone on the ocean.
Monday started with a gentle breeze of 15 knots, a huge 4 metre swell
from the North west, and the will to get the parasail up again. Well
it's up a flying very well now, and we're rolling along under that sail
alone. We had a visitor last night too. As I went around
the deck to check things were OK, I found a squid on the side deck! -
obviously trying to land in our frying pan but missed! It's been sunny so
far, but some isolated showers are due later. Anette is doing
her radio schedule with the other yachts in our group, and after that we' going
to have some lunch and sit and enjoy the scenery (?) before settling down into
watches for the night.
Two
photos attached - one of Anette and I before the start of the ARC, and the other
of the first morning at sea
