Arrival Flores
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Sat 16 May 2009 11:13
Arrival Flores
39:22N 31:10W
15th May 2009
At 0515hrs with a grey dawn just breaking we
dropped our anchor in the small harbour of Lajes in Flores. The only
practical harbour on this island. Timing had for once been perfect.
We sailed all night, keeping the wind which was forecast to die and arrived just
after dawn with no slowing down or hanging around necessary.
1720NM logged in 10 days and six hours with just
sixteen hours of engine time. We may have has a hard work journey inm some
ways but we felt ourselves lucky. The worst thing we had to live with was
knowing that way behind us there was a dismasted catamaran with a family of Mum,
Dad and three children on board. They were adrift in 50 knot winds that
were blowing them back toward Bermuda. Two German yachts were due to
rendez-vous with them. One ex Bermuda with 150 litres of fuel was itself
battling a gale in which the gusts were reported to be hitting 85 knots
and the other would not be with them for at least four days as it was ex Antigua
and had well over 500nm to go. Nasty, we are keeping our fingers
crossed. Catamarans are not strong craft and the seas must be
awful.
Anyway will stop the policeman is waving from the
shore. Check in then some sleep.
Happy times
David