Day 7 Chasing Wind and Hair Straighteners
6Sunday 1 December 2013
Day 7 and we had the winds we’ve been seeking to get us south. It also came with a very lumpy sea state.
But we were doing good speeds of 6-8kts so were happy.
Given the sea state “Scrub the Crew day Episode II” didn’t happen. Well Susie bucked the trend and showered only to be rewarded with a sea salt shower from rogue waves.
The sea state also means people are struggling to get sleep as your body is tossed all around your berth so we now have some very tired crew.
The weather forecast is playing up with promised winds now looking lighter and it’s a hard call as to whether to go through the Cape Verde islands or south of them – frustrating. Luckily we didn’t go north and west as many friends have been battling 20-30 knots upwind – not pleasant. We signed up for nice trade winds and spinnakers instead find ourselves taking a very long route to St.Lucia! Maybe we should have motored – nah!
Some people have been asking how we transmit our blogs. Adina has an SSB long range HF radio with a modem. We join in radio talks with other boats and transmit emails using it. It certainly has it’s quirks. Ours likes to set the LED lights blinking and alarmingly activates the bow thrusters! Those are now switched off. Back in Northwood, England we have Stephen Plume who is our shore support keeping us updated and handling our website.
So Day 8 has dawned and luckily we still have winds and are hoping to round the Verdes tomorrow.
Yesterdays answer as to whom has a party wig is Gareth and he’s hoping to parade it in St.Lucia. Today’s question is who has hair straighteners onboard?
Seems a lifetime since we left Las Palmas a week ago!
It’s got to be Lins with the hair straighteners – chemicals don’t work in salt spray! It looks like you’ve got more wind than the others – and keeping land close by is never a bad thing in my book! Keep going! Lorian
All love reading the updates and tracking you in the ocean. Great news about the wind and wonderful you have seen so many dolphins! Hope the sleep situation improves.
Sounds much more fun sailing, if not relaxing!
Strangely Lorian and I have very different reactions to the blog – I think I want to be there and Lorian thinks it sounds terrible!
Just remember “The right of way goes to the least competent crew”
I must do the ARC one year – increasingly jealous.
Tom – Todays quiz was just too easy! Lindsay – you are a crazy woman – but I like it! I am hoping that the straighteners are mostly for the apres sail activities in St Lucia as who knows what a hair straightener might do to the bow thrusters?!? Also – I suggest someone put a post it note on the chart that shows entry into St Lucia reminding you to turn the bow thrusters back on so that your parking job is as smooth as your initial days at sea. If 7 days seems like a world away – imagine what day 18 may feel like…
I am loving the updates, and appreciate you filling in on who the mystery poster was – I was getting questions about that on my end as well! How sleep finds you all soon.
Hallie
Sunday contact. From the tracker it looks as though you are now back in the race and taking the southern route – yipeeeee. Gone are the Doldrum blues, bring on the wind (but not TOO much), and splice the main-brace. Dark nights sailing now will be more than compensated for by the full moon that should provide a magnificent finale when you reach St Lucia. Keep that fishing line out, but now’s the time to reel in a few more yachts!! We will be watching closely for the moment you turn to starboard and REALLY start heading West. The race and crossing the Atlantic starts here.
Wow – you are all so very brave and intrepid. Well done battling the winds and sleep deprivation. I hope there are still some jelly babies left…xx