Frustrating (and strange) day
W2N 'Where to Next?'
Rob 'Bee' Clark
Thu 8 Jan 2009 23:05
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5:05.3N 13:57.8W
The equator is just 300Nm away now and things have
started getting weird already!
I have been lucky with the wind so far and have
been broad-reaching or running in some decent breezes for the past few days.
Although the wind has tended to settle down at night making the daily averages
fairly - well - average, it disappeared completely for most of the day
today. Then, this afternoon, a huge towering cumulus cloud dropped bucket loads
of rain, summoned up a little squall and went on its way leaving a full 180
degree windshift! Besides all that, I've now got a long swell running south and
a short chop running north with a weird sort of refraction thing going
on.
Anyway, the rain was nice. It was the first rain
I'd seen since Leg 2 in France (sorry!) and it was a chance to get cleaned up a
bit and to wash all the salt and dust off of the decks and ropes. It was
refreshing too as for most of the windless day, it had been unbearably hot.
Shortly after that, while facing the stern reading a book, I looked up to see a
huge whale emerging in my wake. I must have passed so close to it but by the
time I saw it, it was already about twenty metres behind me. I saw it surface a
couple of times before losing site of it.
If you're following my position, you'll see that
I'm still taking an easterly route about 200Nm from the Liberia coast.
I don't know if what I experienced today was the doldrums but if it is, I'm
clear of it and should start getting south-easterly trades. The wind is in fact
a little west of south at the moment so I don't know what that's all about but
for now, I'm beating on starboard tack at about 160 degrees. As soon as the wind
starts to veer to the east, I'll tack onto port and head directly towards
Ascension. There's still another 780Nm to go so possibly another week of sailing
yet - maybe a bit less if this decent wind holds - more if it stays
south-westerly.
So that's it from me for now. It's hard writing at
this angle while trying to prop myself into the nav seat!
Bee
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