Skyelark 2 - At sea

Breaking radio silence
What a whirlwind... it has been a fantastic 4 days...
Sunday – Race start
Whilst the crew were making last minute preparations Alison and Yvonne were
out on the ARC committee boat – a naval frigate – enjoying food, drink and
the company of men in uniform.
We headed out to the start line enjoying the atmosphere acoss the marina and
a fabulous fanfare from the quay side. We made a good start in grey cloudy
conditions – we headed south towards Cape Verde with 35-43kts of wind. It
was rough at times but just what we needed.
Monday – D1
We continued south, running about 100-130miles off the coast of Africa in
the same weather. We enjoyed much conversation about the weather ahead and
our route strategy, Dan + Christian-R make a great team and are constantly
debating our route plan and our race tactics – we will head half way to Cape
Verde then start to turn west.
The body clock adjustment to round the clock sailing is tough but we are
starting to settle into our 24hr rota and task routine. The challenge is
getting enough ‘quality’ sleep... but our food is second to none and keeps
us going.
Tuesday -D2
A day of good sailing, good food and good progress...
...and good fishing: caught 2, ate 2 and lost 1 – compliments to our
excellent chef Mike-R. The first 2 catches came when we least wanted them –
in the middle of a gybe in heavy sea. Christian-R valiantly brought in the
first but we lost the second (60lbs). The after scene looked like ‘murder on
the deck’.
We turned west just before sunset.
On deck at night we marvel at the night sky – they say there is a star in
the sky for each of the 8 billion inhabitants on planet earth. It was a
beautiful clear night, a bit chilly. Just before day break we witnessed the
arrival of a new moon in the easterly sky
Wednesday –D3
We start the day with great news, we are currently 2nd in class!
The sun is shining and we are having a healthy breakfast on deck – spirits
are high. We landed a squid and a flying fish overnight... is there a prize
for the smallest catch?
Progress overnight has been good and we are averaging 8kts from 15-25kts of
wind. We are heading westerly towards the Caribbean.