24:29.57N 17:25.98W

23/11/10

Wind E 4 to 5

Weather Sunny

Heading 210deg

 

Day 3 brings a change in wind direction and strength. Currently we are sailing at about 8 to 9 knots on the beam in 15 to 17 knots from the East, heading SSW.

After a very quiet downwind sail yesterday afternoon, the winds eventually picked up in the evening and we sailed quite fast thru the night - on a broad reach.( Avalon certainly lifts up her skirts at around 13 to 15 Knots of wind)

-Having decided to head more a little more south to try and pick up trade winds from around the Cape Verdes and avoid S/W winds forecast to the West of us today,

we will unfortunately need to go thru a very light area of wind forecast on Wed /Thurs.  on that course, before getting the trade winds further south.

 

Things on board look pretty okay for now with everybody getting sleep  rest /reading books and eating well (no fish caught yet Nick!)

Boat systems holding up/ batteries managing to  power up 2 fridges and a freezer as well as  navigation/lights etc.- Generator earns it keep here!

In fact so good that we couldn't defrost our Pork Chops in time for our meal last night. Pasta always comes to the rescue! – thanks Deborah and Fred for that

 

SSB radio net is now in operation and having fixed our transmition Antenna in Las Palmas i am now able to talk and communicate with other boats on the ARC at much further distances than VHF.

Radio is really good as its our only live communication outside of these “hulls.” We have the Arc net with which we communicate weather/ routes etc. with boats of similar size and speed, and also a cocktail net in the evening – all chit chat. Its also really nice as well to just listen in on others talking about their day at sea- given our and similar situations and common goal.( Caribbean or is it Rum?)

 

We get an email each day with  boat positions taken from the Yellow brick trackers on board ,they update our daily positions automatically ,and then arc rally control send those with a forecast daily to each boat.

This is obviously an interesting read not least the positions of the Boat/crews we got to know in Las Palmas, not of course that i,m in anyway competitive you understand.   (That,s just as well because we are certainly not in the front and very far from it! )

So that's all for now

 

 

Greetings from the Crew of Avalon

Debs/Nick/Fred

& GUY