skippers Log sea Date 30/07/07
Wing and a Prayer
Joy Hughes
Mon 30 Jul 2007 12:49
Wind: 15 knots NE
Weather: Warm and Sunny
Distance Travelled: on the log 117nm, Total on the log 428nm, total over
the ground is 430 miles. Dist to go 102 miles.to Porto
Santo
Hi Everyone
well we are now on the last leg of our trip to Maderia haveing had a great 4
days sailing , such a pleasure after some of the trips we have had
We are bowling along with 20 knots on the port beam 2 reefs in the main and
with a speed between 7 and 7.5 knots , making great time
The boys asked me last night if they could do a single handed watch during
the night , with a certain degree of trepidation I agreed , what a great
decision
Alan took the second watch 12.00 to 0300 hrs , he started in 6/7 knots of
wind drifting along and I lay in my bunk listening to him constantly
trimming and adjusting the sails as he strove to make the boat move ,
however one hour in the wind picked up and he was able generate speed , the
first words he said to me when I rose from my bunk at 0300 was " made 6
knots overground last night " with a broad grin on his face
James took over with 12/15 knots of breeze and again at 0600 hrs had a
similar broad grin as he informed me he had achieved 16.2 miles during his
watch
Not many young people experience anything like this in their whole lives but
these 2 ,Alan is 13 and James is 22 have now stood single handed night
watches on a 40 ft sailing yacht in the middle of the Atlantic , puts life
somewhat in perspective dosnt it ?
Anyway to more mundane things we now expect to arrive Porto Santo in the
early hrs of tomorrow morning although if the wind continues to build we
might drop the main and reach in on Jib , more comfortable but slower
We write again tomorrow after arrival
Cheers Skipper