Windless Winslet
Whitemeadow
Phil Pascoe
Sun 24 May 2009 20:59
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36:05.3N 56:06.5W
Azores High - out of wind. 23 May
2009
Dave (Blogger) Basford writes
again:
Day 3. The 20 May was much the same as the first
two days. Frustrating. We desparately wanted to head north east to pick up
favourable winds and currents but the winds were not playing ball. We were also
very aware that we did not want to be lured into going too far east and get
caught in areas where we could so easily become becalmed. The wind just kept on
blowing from the north east. The weather charts kept on promising us easterly
winds the further east we travelled but like the proverbial donkey (no
comment) and the carrot we could never reach the point at which they
started. The weather charts provide a computer generated prediction of
weather for the coming three days but the reallity of the weather we encountered
never truly matched the prediction. No change there then, Mr Fish. We couldn't
really grumble though, despite our best attempts to do so, as it was very gentle
sailing in glorious weather. We were heading roughly in the direction of
the Azores but if we attempted to sail north at this juncture we would be
sailing away from them.
During these calm days, Pete and I, described in
detail to Phil what we had seen on Friday 15 May during our tour of
Bermuda when Phil had left us to visit the Bermuda Biological Station for
Research Inc. Pete and I, had made a quick tour of the Bermuda
Maritme Museum and Dolphin Quest in the Dockyard, which was very
intersting. We then caught the bus back to Hamilton, stopping off on the way
to see Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. This lighthouse, has the lower section built
of stone but the top section is constructed of metal steel plates. It is about
twice the height of Smeaton's Tower. We decided to climb the spiral staircase to
the top, some 180 steps. The lower stone section is as solid as the proverbial
rock but the upper steel section can be seen to sway gently in the wind as
you look out of the window. Pete would have made a good friend of ours -
'Vertigo' Bob Smith - proud, that we tackled these dizzy heights.
We also wetted Phil's taste buds by describing the
four ball ice cream puchased in his absence at the dockyard but when he heard
the price his appetite left him.
May 21 came to life with some strong winds and
equally lively waves. I got a thorough drenching whilst rescueing a spare
diesel can tied to the side rails, but this was a good excuse to have a
fresh water shower to rinse off the salt. The best thing about this change
in the weather was that we were able to head north for a few hours. By the end
of the day though we were all tired from the effort we had to make just moving
around the constantly pitching yacht. The noise of the yacht constantly slamming
down on waves was worrying but no damage was apparent. Why had I ever thought I
might need to exercise.
May 22 was the day we had been waiting for. At last
we headed north. Just occasionally a few degrees west of north but no
complaints. A lovely days sail, despite Phil losing his favourite cap over the
side. Never mind, this would join his shirt and a pair of pants that had also
gone overboard whilst hanging out to dry.
May 23. The wind had dropped considerably overnight
and we spent several hours motor sailing but still heading north. At 5 am the
wind shifted and we tacked to head east once more but more worrying was the fact
that the electronic instruments threw a wobbly. The electronic compass gave
the wrong bearing and the display on the screens showed the yacht traveling at
90 degrees to its true course. An hour or so was spent trying to sort out the
problem reminding me of my days in the Registry with computer problems.
Then magically all was resolved when purely by chance Phil flicked a switch to
resolve another problem. We spent a few hours going east, then when the wind
died, spent the rest of the day motoring north east. At long last we were
able to make our way onto our intended course. It was an extremely hot
wind-less day, with a glassy sea. Was this the Atlantic? I
dare not say too much, as I would not want to incur it's wrath. Pete
and Phil managed to catch a jellyfish aptly name 'by the wind sailor'
(Velella sp.) which Phil wanted to examine more closely. To spot the
jellyfish for Phil to catch, involved Pete standing on the bow of the boat
hanging onto the forestay, pretending to be Kate Winslet, I believe.
As the evening progressed the sea became
increasingly glassy, even the stars were reflected in the mirrored
surface. Venus was shining particularly brightly, which stimulated
continued discussion on Mars v. Venus issues! Any contributions from you
Venutians out there will be welcomed.
Pics: It's tough crossing Oceans! Mr.
Pastry cooks Fudge cake + improvised baking tray.
By-the-wind-sailor poses for photo - there were
hundreds of them.
Sunset on a peaceful Atlantic.
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