Current Position
37:03.557N 009:01.851W
Update
As planned we left Cascais at midday, bound for Gibraltar - the last leg of this delivery. Watermark IV was refuelled on the way out and very quickly we found ourselves in a large and uncomfortable sea. It was a very large sloppy swell, some 5m from top to bottom. Can only think that these are rolling in from a storm system that has been going on out near the Azores. I think they had severe gale 9's only a day or two ago. What made it worse was that it was again a quartering sea which only picks up the back of the boat and develops into an uncomfortable motion.
Skies were blue but had the tell-tale warnings of winds to come. There were high level mackerel feathers in the skies and comfirmation of the forecast for bigger southerly winds. Our objective was to round Cape St Vincent before the winds increased so that we could bear away and use the big winds to push on towards Gibraltar. Forecasts for today are giving south westerlies up to 25knts with lots of heavy rain (I know, I should have stayed in the UK......)
Overnight we have had a lot of heavy rain and the Algarve seems to have been covered in lightening. There were some pretty spectacular sights in the skies.
So it's now 05:30hrs, we are 3nm from the headland, our turning mark and then we change course and literally head for Gibraltar hoping that the wind forecast is correct and no more than the 25kts. Would like to avoid another Biscay if possible.
Graham is on watch, Alain just hit the sack, Tony is due on next so now it's my turn for some zzzzzz's
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