Easting
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Sun 8 Jul 2012 20:12
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Easting.
Another night at sea sailing due east. If we were
easting on the way to the Azores along Lat 30N, we are now sailing 090 to
the Mediterranean along Lat 37N.
What does it mean? It means the Luna Rosa - our
beautiful red moon - was almost full last night and appeared
exactly above our bow. This is
kind of strange after becoming accustomed to looking west to watch the moon
climb into the sky above the stern.
It also means that we have said farewell to our last
Atlantic island for quite a while. Our circuit of the north Atlantic circle
is coming to an end. By the end of next week, if all goes according to
plan, Passepartout will be through the Straits of Gibraltar and into Mare
Nostrum.
This afternoon we sat on deck and made a rough
account of nautical miles we have sailed since we leaving the south of
France twenty-two months ago; around 16,000! We then summarized the best
beaches, favourite anchorage, friendliest harbour and most beautiful
mooring spot.
We also ticked off a list of what we would have done
differently and what choices we felt were the right ones. Of course
this discussion also took in the people we met, some were just passing by
and others we hope - and plan - to meet up with again. Some sailing friends
presently in the USA and the Caribbean are planning to cross the Atlantic next
year, others have said they want to visit us in Israel and we look forward to
showing them around.
But nothing is over yet. Only when we reach the
Queensway Bay Marina in Gibraltar will we truly cross our wake and complete the
circuit. Once into the Med we will still have several hundred miles before
we lift Passepartout out for winter storage.
The Atlantic has been a fantastic
experience, wonderful, fast sailing down long ocean swells with
20 knot trade winds on the beam. What more could one ask for?
The weather forecast shows a little less breeze in the
coming twenty-four hours and then a real blow off Cape Sao Vicente as we close
the Portuguese coast. Some things never seem to change no matter where we sail -
our ETA in Portugal is in the hours of darkness!
Nirit
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