Wild ride 40 04.3N: 60 32.2W sailed 2738 to go 493
Ellatrout3
Sun 15 Jun 2014 22:15
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Following Fridays up and down wind
strength which kept me busy all day, Saturday was the same but quite different,
yes it was reefing everything in and letting it all out by evening, This
time it was a Wild Ride, the wind realy got up, we were surfing down the waves
with great monsters surging under my keel pushing us forward much too
fast. The self steering gear struggled to cope and I had to stay on deck
most of the day.It was exciting and frightening at the same time. As I was
forcing across the Gulf Stream I didn't want to slow her down, I could have
taken the sails off and sat it out till the strongest had passed but I viewed
that as a waste of a good wind direction i.e.it was taking me straight
towards Newport I suppose it was a bit like sailing a dinghy, but
unlike a dinghy you couldn't capsize her if things got too hairy! And
it was very hairy!
Anyway a day on deck 'hanging by
thread' was worthwhile because I am now north side of the core of the
GS and many miles to the good as you can see from the numbers above.
By evening it had died down sufficient for me to get some grub inside me and a
bit of rest.
So now it's Farthers Day as a special
concession from the wind gods, what are we doing? Beating to windward continuing
our zigzag path to Newport. Can't compain aftet two days of freeing wind!
( Thats a total of 4 days free wind and 31 beating against it since the start!
No wonder I keep bleating on about it!)
At 0700 Yesterday morning a little over
a mile away I could see a sail, Surely that's not Paul in Independace? No;
it was a large ketch going east, taking advantage of the GS. I called him on the
radio but got no reply - he could have been any nartionality or
asleep.
Water's getting low, the pump is sucking
air on port tack.
Remaining fresh produce
1 sweet potato
1 squash
8 onions
Half a peeled cabbage
7 spuds
Plenty of tins and packets AND
loads of nfruit cake Mags and Mary!
Love Poppa/Dad/Roger
Ps still haven'tshaved, not high enough
on the priority list.
R
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