Webster - Captain's Blog Stardate 18th May

Sunday 18th May 2014 Position 32 10'N 54 33'W Noon run 158nm

Did it blow last night or what! The grib files I downloaded on SSB at 0400 suggested we were right smack bang in the middle of the depression or soon would be if it came any further south yet were supposed to be okay if we stayed south of 33N; we were at 31N some 120 miles low of it. The waves were huge and being the blackest night since famously the lights went out in the treacle mine because they hadn't paid the 'leccy bill,they were impossible to see yet the boat handled it perfectly under rolled jib alone in 40 knots, as I have to say, did the crew.

At 0600 we hoisted the main back up to reef one and we were off again, the gale has passed by. It was a beautiful morning and we were on a course direct to destination, the A zores (as our American cousins pronounce them). During the day the wind started to back from north to WNW/W meaning we were dead down wind heading east so the A Team (Neal and I) poled out the jib and we have been goose winged all day and into this evening going like a train. It also indicated we were at the bottom of the low pressure system and would soon expect winds from the south west with any luck. However, the Azores high awaits the other side of all this so anything could happen. What fun.

There has developed a distinct difference between the A Team (Neal and I) and the Tzetsy watch (Dave/Igor, so called as must have been bitten by a Tzetsy fly); there always seems to be something to be doing with the rig when we are on watch and they are below asleep, or whilst they are on watch there is catering to do or whatever which we do as they are busy. So our offwatch is spent preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner and theirs is spent asleep or eating sufficient to give them the energy to go to sleep. There is a rush below after watch finishes and seems to be a race to be first asleep. Sounds to me as if Dave wins every time although he possibly drowns the sound of Slovenian snores pretty much. I would choose Dave in my snore squad every time, definitely Olympic standard.

The A Team were cooking a chicken curry this evening and noted that some packs of chicken had gone off already and if that was the case we may be running short of fresh meat by the time we get to Horta and may need an alternative source. Isn't it funny when the conversation gets round to how to supplement the meat stores everyone sucks in the stomach and looks as thin as possible. Dave is favourite as he has much more to suck in than the rest of us so he is now running scared and rationing what meat we have left for reasons of self preservation.

Nothing much more has happened today, except Dave saw a shark and recounted the famous line off Jaws remarked 'We need a bigger boat'. It happened to be a basking shark though and more likely to give one a very nasty love bite than take your leg off. We did have a large flying fish land on board during the morning and Neal had one nearly take his nose off as it flew across the cockpit whilst he was helming. Neal is also Gybe Bunny for the day for an uncontrolled gybe, but he may not be the only one as steering is tricky again this evening dead down wind and the night is yet young. But the boat is going fast and everyone seems to be enjoying it.

Charlie