Speed: 4.5 kts  (but nearer 3 (or 2.5) for most of the last day) 

Course:  100

Distance to Black Rock, Falmouth Harbour at 5pm BST:  486 miles

Sailing

Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful out here and it is where I want to be, but I am pretty frustrated about being sat under the same high pressure system for the last few days with little or no wind and there is only so much engine that I want to put up with.  So I turned it off last night at about 7.30pm as a breeze started to come up and sailed through the night.  Much better on the peace and quiet front but painful on speed as the winds were light and variable from the south.  We managed about 2 knots on average which is rubbish but I think worth it if that means that the high pressure moves away and maybe I can get a decent breeze.  This is an old boat with a high wetted surface area and really wants 15 knots or more from behind the beam to fly, she doesn’t like 5 knots which is what we are getting.

The breeze had moved to the SW by the time I’d had some breakfast and so I set the spinnaker at 9am which gave another knot while it lasted until 3pm.  The wind had then died so much that I had to start the engine again and we are plodding east again on this.  The spinnaker is in a sock which I haven’t used before (I’ve flown it on this boat using a bag to launch it in the past.  With the wind so light it felt like a good time to experiment and launched fine with the sock releasing the sail as I pulled on a piece of string from the foredeck.  Recovery was a bit different as the sock had bunched and jammed at the top of the mast.  I eventually recovered the sail in the old fashioned way and it is back in the bag.  Not as dramatic as it could have been given that there is no wind but I need to sort the issues with the set up so I can use it again as next time I might be bringing it down in a stronger wind.

I don’t think I have shaken the high pressure yet but the blue skies that I have had today have a line of clouds coming up from the west so maybe this is the point where things change.  

 Nature  
The rod and lure went out when the engine went on.  Nothing else to report.

General.

Beautiful blue sea, beautiful blue skies – no wind to speak of.  And I did make pizza (of a sort) for tea last night.  A culinary triumph.

 Texts

Tim – Good to see an England win by whatever means.

I wont make the Wednesday EP (going too slow) but am assuming that whatever I am staying south of 46 degrees for will just go over sooner – that right?   Anyway, I’m sailing where possible rather than pushing hard for the EP to make a deadline.

Don’t get the instruction to steer 070 on Tuesday.  Is that to offset the fact that you expect an easterly on Wednesday and want me to sail SE then to stay below 46 N or is that the green light to start to go North ?

My weather gribs match broadly to your wind updates but I don’t see the threat to the north – you can sign into the mailasail account to see what I’m getting (the box is 43N to 50N and 21W to 10W) .  Same password as previous.

I wont go above 46 North (except for Tuesday because that is pretty much where I am now) until either Thursday or till you give the OK.

Jetty – Good that the weather is good till Friday but, no, I don’t expect to make port by then.
Depends on timing, weather and circumstance but I am not especially headed for Falmouth just using that as a reference point to tick off distance to go.  If the conditions are OK then I will push on East.  I have plenty of food and water and can only see diesel being short by then. 

Em – No news is good news.  It’s hot and sunny (and not very windy) out here, Ralph would hate it but you might think it good. Beard driving me mad at present in the heat but I will try to preserve the “Uncle Albert” look till I get home.  I’m also going to be is dire need of a haircut by then (says the “nearly” bald man).  X

  

Jez