Position: 20:44:00N 23:56:20W

Transat Day 6

I am starting to wonder what I will write about over the next couple of weeks. The days are starting to become very uniform with little to distinguish them!

The last 24hrs have been all about averages, and trying to keep up a high average speed.  A burst of speed is no good if you then have a lull where you’re just pootling along.  In the 12hrs from midday to midnight, we did 72M, 6kts average, which is good for us.  However, we dropped a bit in a couple of quiet patches in the morning and ended with a 24hr run of 137M – still good but a few miles short of my target of 144.  Still, this is our best run so far and I have to be happy with that.  We’ve done 645M in 6 days, through the water – not sure how far over the ground but presumably a bit more due to the current.

We’ve sailed the whole time with twin genoas, full main and mizzen.  It seems to work OK although I haven’t yet thought out how to gybe it all, as the genoas are different sizes.  We’re on port tack, and have been for I can’t remember how long.

I checked the Aries this morning and found that the blade had come up and was surfing along in a horizontal position.  I tied it up, and need to think hard about what could be screwing it up.  It isn’t really much of a hardship hand-steering – in fact I really enjoy it – but it is tiring at night.  I think the Aries wouldn’t do such a good job anyway given we’re going pretty-much dead downwind.

Another flying fish in the scuppers this morning, it had obviously had a bit of a flap as there were scales all over the deck.  It was the size of a sardine.  I’ve seen small squadrons of them flying away from the boat.  It is a great spectacle of evolution in action, to see a fish that has learnt to fly!

Flying fish

The seas have eased off and it’s all quite pleasant, although the sun has been hiding behind the clouds all morning.  I’m listening to the SSB net, and listening to Samba and Saefthinge lekkering on in Dutch – it sounds very familiar.  I really must learn some Dutch.

I have to say, I am very pleased with the satphone and the SSB.  The communication is a definite high point of each day.

Hope all’s well

Ollie x