Day 18 - White water rafting
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Wed 8 Dec 2010 14:39
|
13:30.71N
42:23.09W
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we were
buzzing gently along at 5 knots thanking ARC weather forecaster Chris Tibbs for
the trades.. at last. Today, the mild mid Atlantic has been transformed into a
heap of foaming white crested waves, accompanied by 25 knot winds.
It was a 'fun' night watch, punctuated by invisible
squalls, which had us heeling hard over and reefing the sails, while being
lashed with warm rain. But, by the morning we were probably 80 miles closer to
St Lucia and we're now reeling off more than 150 miles a day, surging along at 7
knots.
Summer Song is heeling at up to 40 degrees as she
rides up and down the quartering seas. This means that Graham and Will are best
positioned for a night of sleep, wedged into their one man berths. Alex and I
bounce about in the fo'c'sle like ping pong balls. Nonetheless, the crew is in
good spirits. Will is snoozing under the lemon nets and Graham is on watch,
taking the spray face on with a look of exhilaration that I hope outlasts the
weather.
It's still hot below decks, the more so that
hatches can't be open due to spray. Alex is parading about in a bikini and the
chaps are in beach garb. Fishing has been suspended due to adverse weather, but
that didn't stop us bagging a couple of hapless flying fish which came aboard
during the night. One of them shot by well above cockpit level, only to be
brought down stunned by the wind generator. It gave us a chance to admire his
plumage before delivering him back into the briny. He was going at quite a pace,
though, and could have caused some nasty bruising, as my nephew Laurence will
attest to.
We're in good company out here, having seen the
first lights at sea for many nights. The radio is waking up again, and we reckon
we're into half a dozen ARC boats. Whether they're overhauling us, or vice
versa, only a check of the midday rankings will
tell....
|