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Aditi - Day 20: 9 out of 10



As dawn broke after a sleepless drumming with highest wind at 46.7kn we stared at a strange phenomena; everywhere you looked to sea seemed to be uphill! It seemed we were sailing up a steep incline which messed with the head.

With the heat after sunrise the squalls dissipated. By 0900 the seas were huge but beautiful, organised and perfect longwaves of azure with turquoise crests shining in the sun. They gave a smooth ride in 30kn E so we set about with our new arts & crafts project, storm sail or staysail? Not much in it but the staysail is cut lower and may have more power; it was hoiked out of the forward shower, manhandled through the companionway and clipped to lifelines for a kind of drag down the deck. Once out of the bag it was keen to slip over the rail but on went the hanks, grab, hank, grab no you don't, hank....

I cranked away and lashed the headsail. Done the deck walk many times so pleased to have a low maintenance alternative. Up it went, barber hauled to the rail, steady as rock and in 30-35kn nearby squall we were making 6kn and you wouldn't spill the ginger beer on a Sunday picnic....then the wind died. Bang, wham the rolling starts. Our new problem is we need min 28kn wind.

As the moon rose so the sea became a heaving mess and for a couple of hours we were shaking like a jelly. We have had to wait till 23.00 to get the wind with the squalls.

Our target - VEGAS PARTY - hold on were coming! All milestones plotted for arrival 1500 Thurs 19th.

Vital sadistics:
566nm to go.
Little sleep, stop start, 18-35n E, under staysail only, 0200 hrs now in sustained F9, bonkers.
Galley; deteriorating, dry pitta & pate, spaghetti & coriander pesto.
More veg sent to the deep.




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