The balance of life
Fleck
Wed 30 Jul 2014 12:48
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Wednesday July 30th 2014
Position 45:58.4N 17:11.6W
A cursory glance at the progress map will show that
we continue to make excellent progress towards Europe. This is a big place
however, and if you superimpose a map of current and projected winds you will
see why my glass today is half empty. Despite sailing as close to the wind as we
can manage, we are being sucked inexorably into the Bay of Biscay. I have spent ages trying to persuade this craft to sail
just a little closer to the wind, but no, 75 degrees off is all that I can
manage. This means that to make progress to windward we shall have to sail about
5 miles 'sideways', in a series of zig zags, to move forward one mile. Or
put another way, five days sailing to accomplish what would normally take just
24 hours. This is not welcome, so I am putting off the 'moment critique' for as
long as possible, and starting to look into the possibility of spending the late
summer in the Bordeaux region. There is wine there, is there not?
This has started to overwhelm my brain's pleasure
centre, so the better weather today, the fact that I have started a new packet
of white chocolate biscuits, the daughter with at last sleek shiney hair (minus
those strands which are not blocking the sink drain), are failing to make a
rational impact on my sense of well being. I have even failed to bother to make
bread, so stale stuff for lunch again. Teachers report? Must do better
tomorrow!
Thanks to Conny and Geoff for emails. Black mark to
Conny who yet again forgets that photos and attachements screw up the email
system, and anyway don't get through!
Hannah has read this and sighed: her good news
suggestions for the newsletter are 1) we are in fact pointing a little further
north than earlier in the day. 2) as an alternative to stale bread we can have
baked beans for lunch! 3) the skipper no longer has to worry about the crews
state of mind! That, as Geoff knows only too well, is a principle crews duty on
Fleck: keep the skipper in the groove!
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