Sunday 20 August 16:50
The Adventures of Tin Man
Andy Topp & Steve Arnold
Sun 20 Aug 2023 15:50
|
40:41.57N
010:20.2W what three words -
bobbed.authors.subcategory
We were treated to another magnificent sunrise this
morning, 30 minutes later than the one we saw near Brittany last week as we move
southwards. The sea takes on different colours at different times of day: the
waves crests have an indigo tinge after sunrise, giving way to a vibrant
electric blue as the sun rises higher in the sky; more blue than the sea near
the coast. At night the propeller throws out neon sparks of bioluminescence.
For the first time in several days the wind this
afternoon has been strong enough to sail: the genoa is poled out on the windward
side of the forestay and the enormous 'code zero' on the leeward. We're making
making around 6.5 knots under sail, about the same as we had been making with
the engine but without the constant noise and vibration. The sea state is
much calmer than yesterday. Being under sail has put a smile on everyone's
face.
The 10 degree course change we made yesterday to avoid
the Orcas put us 80 miles off the Portuguese coast, having crossed the busy
shipping lanes during the night. The lights of the large tankers and cargo
ships, neatly lined up in columns of four or five ships and across three lanes
of traffic, is an impressive sight. Although it looks intimidating from the
cockpit of a sailing yacht, it's relatively easy to avoid them by monitoring
their position and speed on the AIS system and radar, and make small heading
adjustments to arrange our course to pass between them. If needed we can
give them a call on the radio too.
The plan was to route directly from here to Gran
Canaria, but with uncertainty in the wind forecasts skipper Glenn has decided to
head for Cascais in Portugal where we can take on more fuel in case we should
need it, and perhaps get a replacement bilge pump fitted. There is also
the possibility of stronger winds closer to the coast. It does mean we'll
need to cross the shipping lanes again. We should reach Cascais tomorrow
(Monday) morning.
Glenn has also been busy fixing and tweaking small
things on Tin Man. He's rarely seen without a screwdriver in his hand when he's
off watch! Today he's fixed a broken nav light and dismantled and then
reconstructed the bunk in one of the aft cabins to get to the fuel tank.
That's to add to the bilge pump, outboard motor, GPS data connection, watermaker
leak, pushpit fittings and at least fifteen other small things that he's already
worked on over the last few days. He's now busy running calculations on fuel
consumption and the amount of contingency fuel should carry on the leg from Gran
Canaria to St Lucia. We're in good hands!
Sam
|