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Freebooter - Day 4 - Wed 5th June



And the day started so well, with the usual dawn and good wind, albeit
with a largish following sea. Strange, but photos never quite reflect
the reality of the sea rising up and the horizon disappearing. But by
early afternoon, the wind gradually reduced. Up went the chute to make
the most of what was there, but a couple of hours later, it had
completely died away and the sea was flat oily calm. With the prospect
of the cost of Spain coming ever closer, the decision was taken to turn
on the engine.

As the evening came, there was a sudden strong wind from the South West
(ie, head-on) and the sea got rough. This was probably a combination of
wind against tide, and the marked change of depth from the 4000+ metres
of Biscay to the few hundred off Spain. In the dark, the bow plunged and
rose with sufficient strength to snap the small steel cable that secures
the anchor. This led to some uncomfortable minutes spent re-securing the
anchor whilst attempting to keep the boat as steady as possible in the
2m waves.

Annemarie having (wisely/unwisely?) been on deck in full waterproofs,
unlike me, volunteered to go forward to do the securing, whilst I took
the curses for not being able to provide a stationary platform for the
task. She did a grand job!

We had taken the decision to both stay on watch as we came closer to
the coast due to the number of fishing boats. These were infuriation due
to their random direction. No sooner do you change course to avoid one
than it changes also to maintain its function as a potential collision.

Anyway, we got round Cape Finisterre, with all its dire reputation for
strong winds and unhelpful conditions, and started down the coastal run
to Bayona.

Getting close!

IMG_4996 Following seas

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