Tantalisingly close
Blanshard
Fri 11 Jun 2010 17:21
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Position 39 56.93N 33 02.32W Log reading
14418.5 distance covered 111.5 miles
I spoke too soon of wind returning - it lasted
only a few hours and died again leaving us becalmed in a flat sea with a sky
scattered with leaden looking clouds - hard to believe that they are not
associated with any wind at all. Anyway we resorted to the engine at low
revs just to keep us moving mindful of the fact that we now only have enough
diesel to motor 120 miles at best and it is still over 200. Who would have
thought we would be floating around the atlantic in a flat calm for nearly three
days. The pattern has been to use the engine when the wind drops below 4
knots and to sail when above. As a special treat for Depeche we have dug
deep into the sail locker to bring out our new genoa that we had planned to put
on in the Azores. Great sail and one could almost believe it is making us
go faster, we need it!
On our present schedule hoping to be in Horta on
Sunday sometime.
Food, alcohol, chess and reading keep us amused,
however the last beer has been drunk - 'crippling' according to
Alastair.
Porpoises (aka dolphins) all around us almost every
night, there are just so many, and the usual phosph....
With the sun appearing the sextant has re-emerged
but I still don't think it would get us home. More
practise.
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