I am writing this morning from the foredeck. It is by far the ‘coolest’ place on the boat. First it is in the shade, the sails casting a shadow, secondly the wind can blow across your skin to keep you cool, thirdly because the gush and swish of the bow
wave is just beneath you, and we are tramping it is just a really cool place to be!
So yesterday we gybed twice after a great deal of very serious discussion about tactics. The first time we decided that it was time to go South to make use of an Easterly wind which we knew
would today turn to the North East. Faultless logic and for a while it seemed to work, but then just as it was getting dark the wind forced us to head ever more south to the extent that we were 45 degrees off the rumb line…so we gybed back. Again at first
all was well and we were able to sail straight down the rumb line, but as the night wore on we were forced ever further to the north again! Curses we should have stayed on the other gybe after all….Imagine our delight then when at breakfast time the wind finally
did as forecast and is now blowing steadily from the North East enabling us to head straight for Grenada.
Our killer tactic is now simple…go straight! We are going to let others follow the Predictwind routing advice and go way off to the north, or alternatively way off to the South. We are going
to just plod down the shortest route. If we are right it could pay off-If we are wrong we will find ourselves becalmed.
Watch this space!
PS Today is probably the most perfect yet in terms of sailing weather. The sea has flattened, there are just a few fluffy clouds and a steady wind of about force 4. Lovely!