Slugging it out....

UHURU
Steve Powell
Sat 30 Oct 2010 15:51
04:46.67S
36:15.32W

After sailing over 3000nm since leaving Grenada (it’s only 2000nm as the crow flies, that’s beating into the wind for you!), we are now within sight of ‘The Corner’ of Brazil, the point where we turn South and everything should improve, less than a hundred miles to go. But we are not going to be let off lightly, the Sea Gods have decided to make our last efforts to get around the corner as hard as they can.

For the last 24hrs the winds and seas have been building and it’s all ‘on the nose’. As I write we are taking large quantities of water over the decks. I am sitting below watching it cascade over the coach house and soak the helmsman, Botty’s lashed to the helm at the moment. We have 25+ kts of true wind, which translates to well over 30kts apparent and a short steep sea running at about 2 1/2 metres. Every now and then we hit a series of really big ones and the boat comes to a bone crunching stand still. We then have to build our speed up all over again.

To add to all that we have vast numbers of wooden fishing boats up and down this coast, also oil rigs everywhere and fish farms so we have had to double up the watch, so we are now doing back to back to back watches, 3 hours on- 3 hours off. Which gets very tiring.

But we will win this ‘Slug fest’, and sometime in the wee small hours of tomorrow we will ‘ go round the corner’.

Meanwhile, I am reminded of  Jimmy Cornell words, in his World Cruising Guide, “ some people have done this route, but I wouldn’t”.

I think your probably right on this one Jimmy, but we’re committed now so I guess we’ll just keep slogging on.

Happy Halloween, I think we’re having the ultimate ‘scary’ Halloween night. :-)

Luv to all

Steve & the crew

30/10/10

UHURU of Lymington
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