Not funny anymore...!
W2N 'Where to Next?'
Rob 'Bee' Clark
Sat 10 Jan 2009 08:05
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3:15.4N 13:10.4W
I probably sounded quite upbeat in my last post to
the blog. And I was... Washing in the rain, thinking the doldrums were just a
one-day patch of light winds. I thought I was through it all and that I would
very soon be enjoying the SE trades heading straight for Ascension (in literal
- not biblical terms!)
Not so. You see, very soon after sending that last
post to the blog, it all started getting a bit ugly. I expected there to be
squalls south of the doldrums (or the ITCZ to be more precise). That's well
documented. Nothing could have prepared me though for the severity of them
though and even now, after a second night of windshifts, gusts and constant
sail-trimming, I'm still sailing under menacing stormclouds. Last night, I
thought I was through it as dusk fell. It was a full moon masked a little by the
low-lying clouds but in the distance, on the horizon, I could see what
looked like the 2005 re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar. Not a boat in
sight but the clouds were lighting up constantly with what I knew was lightning
and I'll be honest - I was, at that point, very worried. I'd seen some lightning
the previous evening when the squalls were at their worst but this was right in
my path and was more active than anything I'd seen so far - ever. There were
forks of lightning reaching the water and all the time I was on deck watching, I
was getting myself all worked up - convinced I would be hit by lightning. Of
course, there was nothing I could do about the forces of nature so I opted to go
below decks, close the curtains and try to read a book to take my mind off of
it. Sure enough, when I went back on deck an hour later, the storm ahead was
still visible but no longer on my direct course and not nearly as ferocious as
it had been. Since then, I've had a frustrating night of light winds with
occasional gusts and I'm still plagued by this incessant south-westerly that's
mocking my efforts over the past week to keep east.
Last night, once I knew the thunder storm was not a
threat, was not so bad. At least I got some sleep anyway. I'd had none the night
before and I was exhausted from the physical and mental effort. I had not eaten
at all well and was feeling as low as at any point on the voyage so far. Now
though, it's still drizzling, very humid and the turbulent sky probably looks
more menacing than it really is. In truth, it's the light winds that are causing
me the most frustration now. Ascension is just 674Nm away but until the wind
shifts and becomes more settled, it's going to be slow progress.
I'm still 196Nm from the equator so it could be
that I pass it early on Monday morning. At this speed, who knows?!
So, sorry to be so gloomy but I'm really not
enjoying this part of the journey. I'd been making such consistently good
progress up until the ITCZ and now, having become accustomed to blue skies and
sunshine, I've got squalls, clouds and rain. At least it's not cold though eh? I
knew this wasn't going to be easy but I'm told that the people of Ascension are
very friendly to visiting yachtsmen so I'm looking forward an enjoyable few days
there.
More soon,
Bee
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