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Shelduck - Sun 8 Dec Watch Keeping, Wind? & Fabulous Sunset



Sun 8 Dec 15:08.355N 37:49.002W Distance travelled in 24h 120 miles
 
Anne and Neil keep one watch, Brendan and Gabby the other.  We have the day split up into 5 watches. Two four hour watches from midnight (00:00-04:00 and 04:00-08:00) followed by two six hour watches (08:00-14:00 and 14:00-20:00) and finally a four hour watch from 20:00 to midnight. We find the six hour watches during the day pass more quickly than the four hour night watches and they also afford a good break to avoid fatigue and sleep deprivation. The system rotates the watch times over a 48 hour cycle and dinner is cooked for all by the 14:00-20:00 watch. This Sunday evening we have the last fresh roast which is beef, cooked by Gabby and Brendan. We still have some bacon to cook over the next week.
 
No wind – where are the Trades??? Motoring much of the day in flat, flat, limpid calm. The sun is merciless so thankfully Gabby had organised to make up a light sunshield a couple of days before we left Las Palmas.  Its made of white light-weight plasticised fabric table covering (the type purchased by the metre on a roll) and thanks to staff at Raulnautic (chandlery at the marina) found a sailmaker who was happy to add a series of eyelets and stiffen the edges. Together with some lightweight cord and some bungee straps Brendan brought, it sits perfectly over the boom and provides welcome shade and vital protection from the bright hot sun overhead.
 
Sightings: Flat calm day with hardly any wind at all, the ocean surface has a slick oily look and the waves are just small humps or low lumps.  The most beautiful sunset with the sky, the approaching high clouds from the east and the sea matching and melding colours of salmon, coral, teal, aqua, pale and dark blue. Colours shifting slowly as the sun goes down, huge and orange/red on the western horizon. Breathtaking.



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