Risque Business - Calm Sea and a Bit Lacking in the Wind Department

16:3.44N 31:47.19W

Tuesday 21st Nov 1030 GMT. All is well on the good ship Risque Business with the crew waking from their slumbers. Yesterday evening we caught our second fish, a lovely Dorado. So supper last night, prepared by Nick and Rich, was a mix of pan fried Wahoo and Dorado steaks, roasty potatoes with garlic and courgettes, and some cabbage - delicious! The crew couldn’t decide whether Dorado or Wahoo was the better, however for this scribe, I think the Wahoo just came out ahead.

Yesterday was a day spent under spinnaker. This sail is probably 40 years old and we bought it second hand just before we set off from Las Palmas. Nick, ever the sceptic, reckoned it would last less than an hour, while DB was eager to get it rigged and driving this jalopy onwards to Grenada. After a false start (a twist inside the snuffer) she flew, making many moths and a dead rat homeless, as they were jettisoned into the Atlantic - OK no rats or moths really! Anyway, much to the skipper’s consternation, the sail didn’t fall apart before the hour was up, and we had it flying all day. DB was in his element for the 1st couple of hours, trimming and grinding the sheets, but then as the wind settled and the sail flew without constant tweaks, we just cruised along at 6+ kts in 10 to 14 kts of breeze. We decided to drop the spinnaker during daylight, as the wind was forecast to die away and with a new sail, we didn’t fancy tring to get it down during darkness, especially with the rather cobbled together system we have on board. Glad we did, as the snuffer had twisted and refused to come down over the sail, so we had to get it down by hand onto the foredeck and then undo the twist and re-pack it into the snuffer sock.

After nightfall, sadly the wind died as predicted and at 0030UTC we furled the genoa and turned on the engine. Our speed had dropped to only 2 kts and the sails were just flogging. With our earlier sail issues, we decided not to risk them and as we left Mindelo 31 hours after the fleet, we’re not going to get any prizes, so the crew decision was to crack on under engine and accept the time penalty for using the engine (number of hours the engine is run multiplied by 1.9 equals the total number of hours added to your overall crossing time). Clearly with the prospect of lighter winds ahead of us, we need to consider the fuel we carry on board and just how much we use engine. It seems that much of the fleet ahead of us are finding the conditions light, so I’m sure similar discussions are being had on other yachts and from the skippers’ WhatsApp group, it is clear many have decided to use their engines too.

So breakfast is being served (fruit, bacon, eggs & toast), so time to send this missive and tuck in!