What would Christopher Columbus have thought or “Ring home Chris”
14:23.44N 56:10.52W
What would Christopher Columbus have thought or “Ring home Chris”
Thursday 17th January 2013 DAY 19
It’s DAY 19 and as I write it is 277 nm to St Lucia and all is well. Jane is having a nap, Claire is pumping out the holding tank Ian is wondering why the fish aren’t biting today and Capisce is wondering where the wind is. After the Doldrums we have had two days of good 12 to 14 Trade Winds and have made good progress Today has been very light. Capisce does not like light downwind sailing, she is a strong fairly heavy boat and at 16.8 tons winds like a good breeze. The wind is 7-8 kn and we are able to sail making 4.5 kn. The compromise is that we are not making very good direction and are currently heading north of St Lucia.
It is remarkable how often Christopher Columbus come into our conversation and our thoughts. Our journey is very similar to his journey over four hundred years ago. The differences between his journey which rates with a moon landing and ours is a tribute to the progress of mankind. We know where we are going! We are making this journey as a challenge and for fun. I wonder if in four hundred years time people like us will be going to the moon with their friends for a few months for fun. There are dozens of examples of how we have progressed and how our journey is made easier and safer than Columbus’s .To take just one of these examples, the satellites phone and data system that allows me to share this blog with you. What would Columbus have thought of it. Well Christopher ; the signal first of all goes to a Redbox router under my desk then to a computer under my seat, to that Mushroom like dome on the pole at the back or the boat with the IRIDIUM sign on it, then up to 66 interlinked geostationary satellites which are orbiting the earth about 485 miles above us. The signal is then reroute to a ground station in Alaska and then transmitted via cables under the ground to Arizona then via glass tubes (fibre optics) back to Spain back to your boss Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand . What would he say? This is the work of the Devil. No, it’s Isabella on the phone she says. Phone home Chris........
Regards,
Tony (skipper)
