Fai Tira Blog 16.00 UTC  Monday 30th November

Fai Tira in the Atlantic getting closer to Antigua .   18:19.94N 52:18.75W

We are still heading West not North West as our Google Earth map suggests.  (sorry about that I must have got my numbers mixed up)  Dyslexia rules KO!!   We have not been to Nova Scotia nor intend going there as it’s too cold and dark. The wind is so fickle we are sometimes sailing and sometimes motoring and sometimes a bit of both. The trade winds we are supposed to be experiencing are not as reliable as the weather forecast would indicate.  The wind seems to pick up in the evenings and overnight and then stay with us until about 2 o’clock in the afternoon when they die off.  At this time we put the engine on which gives us a chance to charge the batteries and all the electrical devices on board.  This seems to have developed into a pattern lasting for the last three days or so.  We have encountered a few squalls but nothing that has concerned us.

We are STILL at the front of the fleet of smaller boats but are being slowly caught up due to the fact we have light winds that don’t favour our 22 ton steel boat.  Whilst sailing we are primarily still goose winging. This seems to be the best combination for us although we do have the option of the cruising shute or the spinnaker. We might try one of these tomorrow if the wind stays light.  We are averaging 110 miles per day at the moment, this is in stark contrast to our best day of 165 miles.

Both wild and human life have remained in short supply, not even caught any fish.  We did stop the boat in the mid Atlantic yesterday and went for a swim.  On inspection of the hull of Fai Tira we did notice that we had already got a growth of barnacles which weren’t there in Lanzarote.  I suppose you could call this wild life.

We have settled down to observing two watches.  I am on watch from 9pm to 2 am.  The nights are getting spectacular with the moon nearly full the reflection on the water is beautiful and backed by an array of stars and planets not to mention the cloud formations it makes me burst out into poetry.

“The twilight hours like birds fly by,

As lightly and as free,

Ten thousand stars are in the sky,

Ten thousand on the sea,

“For every rippling, dancing wave,

That leaped upon the air,

Had caught a star in this embrace,

And held it trembling there.”

                                                            Welby.

Our ETA in Antigua is now Saturday morning. We have 550 miles to go to our goal and we are both looking forward to visiting the Caribbean as it will be our first visit to the area.  We understand Rum punch is the drink of the island so we will hopefully be sampling a few at the weekend.

West is Best.

Bye for now.

Pete and John