Terceira to ?
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Fri 5 Jun 2009 10:06
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Terceira outbound.
42:27N 17:18W
0900hrs 5th June 2009
I shall try not to be emotive about the goings on
of the last few days. To attempt this I will simply record
facts.
Our week's stay in Praia da Vitoria was very
pleasant socially and we managed to explore both this town and the main town
of Angra do Heroismo. The trouble was that we were not treated well
by the weather. A series of cold wet windy days was our lot.
Deciding that this was unlikely to change and also wanting to be on our way we
however waited one more day for the wind to decrease a bit after watching
a German delivery crew battle out into NW thirty knots. So with
the wind under twenty knots left at 0830hrs on Tuesday the 2nd to the waves
of friends. We had not envied the Germans leaving into such strong
wind and rain and now we were expecting less arduous conditions and for a while,
one hour, we had them. What we had not bargained on was that
this low which had sat forever just to the north of the Azores was what
they call a thundery low. To be technical the air was arctic in origin and
had crossed a lot of sea. This slightly heats the very cold air and makes
it unstable. The result was an endless series of squalls that were very
cold, very wet and up to force seven or eight. The mean wind speed was
15/18 knots but this was a meaningless fact. On one occasion the whole sea was
smoking. Those who have experienced this will know what I mean.
Rarely have we seen it outside the tropics. These squalls happened
every hour or so for the first thirty six hours.
Our intention was to ride the bottom of this low
and then as it petered out to probably catch some wind as we approached the
North Brittany area. This was not to be because as we battled on word came
through of a new really vicious low forming at 44N 16W and moving east
fast. To cut a long story short we are as I write for the first time
enjoying good conditions as we broad reach over a calm sea before a NW force
4. The snag is that we are racing this low and we and it are due to arrive
at Cape Finisterre at the same time. It had become obvious yesterday that
to carry on toward the Channel was not a sensible move at all. Yesterday
evening we were motoring in calm with a forecast of NW knowing we needed to do
more than the 6 knots we were doing under engine when the wind arrived.
ENE 20 plus knots. For a few hours Nordlys was subjected to the worst
combination of wind and seas we have ever put her through. All the time we
were pointing at Lisbon! It has been that sort of passage. So as we
feel today long ocean passages are off despite beautiful conditions just
now. Yesterday as we battled to put in yet another reef we saw the head
then the spiny back of a really giant Leatherback turtle. What an amazing
life of lonely solitude these creatures lead. We have watched them laying
their eggs on beaches in Trinidad and knew they made long ocean passages but to
actually see this primaeval creature miles and miles from anywhere was somehow
rather moving.
So ETA la Coruna is sometime on Sunday. I
have a feeling that this passage will finish in the way it started. Hard
work. Behind all this is another really huge low that will effect all
areas from the Azores to the Channel. We hopefully will be snug and
tasting Galician food and wine. What a summer. The 'crud' is
unnaturally far south, I bet it is not next year when we may be within sight of
land in Scotland.
Happy times
David
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