The blood is strong
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Tue 1 Dec 2009 14:17
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Hi from the gybers! Now at 16:34.53N 052:51.1W at
1000 ships time, and we hope Antigua time, if our 20minute daily clock changes
have worked out (we didn't alter for 6 days in case you think my arithmetic has
gone wonky). We have now had the spinaker up for over two days but we are
generally sailing with no main sail as the spinaker gets blanked by the main as
we are trying to fly the kite at 145deg to 150deg TWA. We are still racking
up our 200+ mile days but our vmg is improving only a little and is about 165
miles per day Grrrrr!
Our St Andrews night celebrations went
well and we met in the cockpit for pre dinner drinks. we had a (small) bottle of
Hebridean Liqueur which is a whisky based liquor over ice and very nice. There
is a beautiful verse on the bottle which is always particularly apt for
us:
From the lone shieling of the misty
island
mountains divide us, and the waste
of seas
Yet still the blood is strong, the
heart is highland
and we in dreams behold the
Hebrides
We toasted Scotland and those we have left behind
there. Of course we all dressed and showered for dinner
you understand, and Craig and I were in full Highland rigout - kilted up
and fling, sorry flying, the spinaker through the moonlit night at 9 knots.
Dinner was preceded with the Selkirk Grace. Haggis neeps and tatties
was followed by shortbread and coffee laced with a very fine 15 year old
malt. For the third event in a row the Murdo failed to
deliver his keynote speech. We are awaiting it with keen
anticipation...........sometime. We will post the photos sometime of us on
the foredeck under the spinaker and with our kilts on mid altaltic pitch
black and at 9 knots. It was a great evening. I know some aboard
particularly Trish are really keen to get ashore now but me ... I'm
perfectly happy.
Through the night we had two sports. One was
picking up squalls visually - it was a full moon - or on the radar and if we
could (well if I could actually - the rest of the crew were more sensible)
steer in front of them and pick up the wind which of course would generally veer
helping our ability to point to Antigua and our VMG. The wind
would strengthen by at least 50% in speed. Remember this is about a
doubling of the force exerted. This is a weird sensation which really feels like
riding a very long surf but on a very big dingy. The best I managed was a
long sustained run at around 11knots. What we need however is 20 knots plus just
aft of the beam then we will have a go at a 300 mile day. Winds were
generally light last night though, 12 - 14 knots and increasing perhaps to 18 -
20 knots ahead of the squalls. Great craic! The other trick was to be sailing
along say at 14 knots 140deg TWA and at say 8.5 knots then ease her up to
windward about 125 degrees, build speed up to about 10 knots then turn back
down wind having snatched a little morsel of speed and vmg and not a little bit
of fun from the otherwise light winds. For maximum enjoyment and VMG follow
as instructed above then repeat and repeat and repeat
and smile.
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