27/10/14

Threeships
Shaun and Ainur Weaver
Mon 27 Oct 2014 12:23
27 38 181S 41 15 465E
 
Another wild night wet and windy and cold but no lightning so that was a bonus.
Wet in the cockpit but also in the cabin when a vent over the bed decided to start leaking - no problem apart from a rude awakening and a move to the saloon berth.
Spent the night with 4 reefs in the main and sometimes a little staysail.
Natures contribution was a high flying squid that slapped into the middle of our beautiful pure white Tasker mainsail and squirted out its very generous supply of black ink widely across the canvas before falling to the deck and being washed back overboard with the next wave. Now looks like someone opened the oil cap with an engine running under the boom!!!
Our VHF buddies suggest looking upon it as a form of art!
The early hours brought a slight lessening of the wind and perhaps a slightly smaller swell and we were soon back on course.  It was a lovely orange sunrise silhouetting the large dark waves and a dry day arrived. We did however have to spend a little time on the foredeck swapping the now torn staysail for our storm jib but the change went well and we are sailing very visibly with the bright orange sail somewhat reefed up front.( A new one was due in S Africa so not too much of a surprise)
We are now racing along at 7+ knots with 489 miles to go to Richards Bay and all is well on board!