(Blog No 24) Into the tropics
Catou
Paul and Sylvie Tucker
Thu 25 Nov 2010 14:23
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23:20.75N 20:54.85W
Noon Position: 23deg 20.75'N 20deg
54.85W
Daily Run : 78 miles
Average Speed: 3.25 Knots
Total Average Speed: 4.71 Knots
Total Distance Covered 451 Miles
Total Distance to go: 2334
ETA St. Lucia: Won't tell you!
We have decided to have a 'Thought for the day'.
Since I have been elected ship's scribe (Neither Sylvie or Ben wanted to do it!)
I shall start with mine. Nicholas Mullane gave it to me some time ago and
I have stuck it to the inside of my briefcase:
The clock of life is wound but
once
and no man has the power
to know just when the hands will
stop
.....at late or early
hour.....
Date: Thursday 25th November 2010
What a 24 hours! We have been becalmed for a full 12
hours. It was grim - and it looks as if we may be in for a second
becalming on Saturday, but we are trying to get around it if current speed and
course allow. In one 3 hour watch last night we covered 2 miles and
the next we covered 1.1 miles - very depressing. We had motored for about
40 mins, but it was futile, and we need to conserve fuel for battery charging if
the wind generator isn't working with the downwind sailing (that is expected
sometime!).
At just before midday yesterday the wind just
vanished and we were left lolling about, close to another British yacht (didn't
get her name). It was no use trying other sails, since they just
flap about and may get damaged. So we decided to go for a swim in the
Atlantic. And very lovely it was too - it's starting to get very humid now
as we have been heading south since we left the Canaries, so the cool water was
a welcome relief!
Sister Angela has been feeding us with all sorts of
information from London about our competition 'Maymio'. If anyone hasn't
been onto the ARC website, or doesn't know how to follow it, contact Angela at
angela {CHANGE TO AT} angelabird {DOT} plus {DOT} com and she
can brief you. Interestingly Denise at the office had seen a
list on the ARC web site giving positions, and she told us that we were
48th out of 169 boat in the cruising section. We were quite pleased to
hear that, and even more so to hear that our friendly competition 'Maymio' is
still creeping down the African coast and is positioned in 147th place!
However, that we before the becalming happened.
'Routing charts' are published for each month
for all the different oceans in the world. We have the November and
December ones on board for the North Atlantic. It almost never happens
that winds from the SW of W are experienced at this time of year. Not on this
voyage! 80% of the time should be NE'ly trade winds, but not here
now! As a result we have been close hauled and bashing into a
WSW'ly since about midnight last night. We have reefed the mainsail and
having a good sail. As a result of the 12 hours loss of sailing
yesterday, our average slip has slipped somewhat.
Yesterday evening we saw what looked very like a
owl right out here at sea !! Honest, we hadn't drunk too much.
We also saw a a whale in the distance this morning. During Sylvie's watch
this morning we crossed the tropic of Cancer (23 deg 30'.00 N) and we are still
(sort of - wind allowing) aiming for a waypoint to NW of The Cape Verde Islands
where we hope to turn right!
Well, we are tanking along now, close hauled with one
reef in the main. Not quite on the course we want, but it's not too
bad.
Best wishes from Sylvie, Ben and Paul
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