Day 25
leeonsea
Lee Price
Thu 5 Jun 2008 18:56
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N38.54.28 W033.45.12
Wind None Heading 100T
Today has been the worst day of the trip by far.
Last night at 1900 I put the motor on again. The last 5 days I've just had no
wind, less than 10kts, had to motor over the last two nights as it's dropped to
nothing and have made totally crap progress at 4kts or less, lots of motoring
just to keep the milage up. Today, I turned the motor off at 1500 having reached
the lower limit I'd set myself of 1/4 tank, enough for a full days motor or
about 100nm. This I decided I need to keep in reserve for entering Horta, even
before I left Nassau.
So since 1500 I've been drifting, theres no the
wind to even lift a spinika, it's devilishly hot without the wind to cool things
off. I've pulled the spinika up around the foresail like an inverted tent to
catch any stray breaths of air and we're making 1.2kts. 0.6 of that is current.
Could be worse I know, could be going backward!
I'm 240 miles from Horta, 2 day sails if the wind
that keeps being forcast ever comes! but it doesn't, just day after day of this
poxy nothingness. I'm so pissed off!
So there's no way I'm getting into Horta on Sat'
now, Sunday IF the wind ever comes, and it might, Herb reported that by
Sunday we could well be getting on for Gale force!
Isn't that bloody typical! Listening to Herb
last night and the low pressure system, that was due to give use some nice
sailing winds over the next few days is dropping, so it would seem, right
over the Azores and instead of nice sailing winds, we'll have gale force! Bloody
Hell! Although this is a forecast and therefore, obviously, wrong! Kevin thinks
it wrong too, and he's not been wrong yet ;o) lets hope he keeps it
up.
Can you believe that! This sailing lark...God, what
a time I'm having, and I've nearly run out of Kalik' Beer of the Bahamas'. Well,
I tell you, better get some good winds up to the UK otherwise I know where
there's a nice little sailboat for sale. I'll not be inclined to re-visit the
Azores in the future.
Over the past 4 days I've averaged 85nm at a
speed of just 3.5kts. I'd say this past week has been the hardest of the trip,
so near to my destination but unable to reach it for days on end. I remember
thinking as I approached Bermuda, ' well, this is easy, 120miles a day, nice
sunshine, etc etc', well there you are, shows you how little I
knew.
However, Rant over
Just after Tea yesturday the biggest pod of
Doliphins came by, only briefly, I lost count at 28 but there was many more than
that, real treat, what with the Whale a few hours before. I could actually hear
them, not heard them before, they we're very excited and I think they'd been
feeding. They didn't hang around long and soon were off heading NW in the
direction of the Whale, perhaps they were having a get together. So many of them
though, it was the scale that impressed me.
So there we are, who bloody knows when I'll get to
Horta, this has blown my chances at getting a decent daily average to impress my
sailory friends with, just bobbin about........AGAIN!!!
L.
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