Day 3 towards Flores, Azores 34:34N 56:44W

Ticketeeboo
Sue & Alan
Mon 19 May 2014 14:53
Start of day 4
Noon, Freya's Birthday, Monday 19th May 2014.
In position 34:34N 056:44W COG 070(T) SOG varying 5.0kn port tack very broad reaching using poled-3 reef jenoa. Wind W F4 & now 2m seas
Flores, Azores is 069º(T) 1,254NM Dist Run by log in last 24 hours 136NM Dist made good towards Flores 121NM.

The Low to NE of us finally began to drift N & W enabling us to resume best course towards Azores. Bit of a poohey overnight is an understatement. During late afternoon and well before dusk, as winds had continued to back (as forecast) it was time to change sails from reefed genoa & mainsl to reefed poled-out genoa. This took a little time. Seas were big and nasty (as they have been for past couple of days or so) so decided to go on donk for short time whilst running with the 4m swell - for safety on deck. This went well and we ended up sailing along at 5 - 6kn poled-3 reef genoa. I increased speed by going to 2 reefs onmy 12-3 watch and reduced to 3 reefs at 0300. These BIG seas are all from N - result of the earlier storm conditions we've been managing to keep away from! Seas should reduce during the day (we wish). Unfortunately the swell is almost on our port beam, and has been for ages and makes like very uncomfortable/almost impossible to get good shut-eye! Will have to catch-up
making ZZZ's some time soon? Slow but steady progress overnight and this morning. Unable to expose more genoa because swell causes sail ro back fiercely, which is avoidable with 3rd reef set. The rolling was so bad yesterday evening we had crackers and cheeze for evening meal and even this visited the galley work-surface several times whilst work in progress!

Happy Birthday Freya, two today. Family H are visiting the zoo and Nanna S accompanying. Hope weather is fine and monkeys on best behaviour?
Ticketeeboo MMSI 235071989 Callsign 2CED3, Ham callsign = m0hng
At 19/05/2014 15:00 UT our position was 34°34'N 056°44'W
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