The sailing is fast and yet gentle, wind has now been a constant 15-18kts for two whole days and nights and over the last 24 hrs we have averaged 7.1kts so travelled about 170 miles directly towards our destination. Which is now ‘only’ some 900
miles away now! We are on the downhill stretch. I have thought of asking James “ are we are nearly there yet”, but soo far resisted the temptation.
Simon just revealed that he used to do car number plate spotting as a kid. Apparently there was a book your parents could buy you which told you where each number plate came from. Who knew?…Very worried that he also owned an anorak.
Such little bits of trivia come out as we chat through the heat of the day. The early mornings are pleasantly cool and that is when we try to do important things like sail changes and maintenance tasks before it gets too hot. Then of course
a hearty breakfast and a pot of fresh coffee is essential.
The morning gets seriously hot with the sun almost directly over head and all you can really do is look for a bit of shade to read a book. After lunch (also a very important miles stone in any day) the sun goes behind the sails and gives the
cockpit some shade so the cool breeze can do its job. This is the time of day for enjoying the sailing, turning off the auto pilot and surfing down some waves. Today I currently hold the record at 9.3kts, but the others are working hard to beat it. Then
finally late afternoon, the sun begins its decent into the sea and for a couple of hours the temperature is perfect. It is during this twilight that we try to all sit down for supper together, sometimes with a beer or a glass of wine. The boat does roll
all the time so it is best not to use the table and get out the candlesticks, so supper tends to be served in a bowl with a fork or spoon.
Once it is dark the temperature falls slightly and by about 8pm it is cool enough for the off watch crew members to have a go at getting some sleep. Amazingly despite roaring along at 7-8kts the boat is very dry so the hatches can be open to
let the cool air in. On deck I find that a light fleece top is all you need even in the hours before dawn, I call it my ‘evening wear’ topped off with shorts and bare feet. The one other change to ‘day wear’ of tea shirt, shorts and hat, is that I can dispense
with the hat at night. As far as I know there is no such thing as moon burn!
The other strange thing on board is the time, not only does it seem very flexible, sometimes running forward at an alarming rate, at others dragging slowly, but as we travel west sunrise and sunset get about 30mins later each day. When we left
the Cape Verdes it was light about 0630 and dark about the same time. This morning dawn was about 0730, and it will be light till about 8pm. Of course this is due to the fact that we have chosen not to change our ships clock as we cross time lines. By the
time we reach Granada we will be five hours out, although we will still be hungry at breakfast time no matter what the clock says!
Forecast looks promising for the next few days to hopefully more of the same to come.