Gaviota
Sat 8 Jan 2011 13:36
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16:45.980N 28:43.810W
With Day 2 coming to a close Palmeira now seems like a distant
memory. Progress so far has been excellent with an average speed of nearly 7
knots and with 48 hours sailing we've clocked up 334nm. Since tracking round the
last of the Cape Verde islands yesterday morning the wind has been a
constant north easterly and we're now in what Syd refers to as proper Atlantic
Rollers! We were lucky enough to get a send off from a large pod of whales
and some of the biggest shoals/flocks of big flying fish.
Our hours are on a rolling basis where we're taking 4 hour
stints in the cockpit. Lisa takes 8pm till midnight, Syd midnight till 4
then myself doing 4a.m till 8a.m. During the morning the sun is on us
all the time, and must be around 30 degrees by midday, with a 20knot wind
keeping us cool. As we're heading pretty much due west the sun disappears behind
the sails early afternoon and it becomes chilly in the strong wind,
and by 8p.m it's full Mustos (thanks Rache and Kay)
I doth my hat to Captain Syd though-he's prepared all the
evening meals so far, and with the constant rocking and rolling it's one of the
hardest jobs by far, and cracking food too! Lisa has made her sea sickness into
an art:- with the help of several Stugeron (travel sickness tablets) most of the
time she's fast asleep, the rest of it she's found the warmest spot in the
cockpit and stays there without any movement at all. Going into the Galley is a
big no, well, not unless we want it covered floor to ceiling in vomit. And apart
from that I think insanity is setting in nicely, yesterday she was trying to
convince us that there are a group of thrillseekers who pretend to be seals to
get eaten by whales and then get regurgitated. I think i'll buy her a seal suit
when we get to Antigua to test the theory.
So far none of the gremlins have appeared that blighted Syds
first crossing (touch wood). The only problem so far is that the depth sounder
likes to go mental every so often and read 12foot when we're actually in 4km+
deep sea, oh and Syd likes to wash all the fruit in bleach and sea
water....first signs of madness in my opinion (and no, Suggs isn't just round
the corner)
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