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Webster - Hurray, we think.....



Thursday 16th May 2014. Noon Position 30 45'N 60 06'W Noon run 130NM

The wind late last night flattered to deceive. We have been willing the wind to back and on occasions it has done just that and we managed a course of 090 degs, due east, but it soon shifted back to ENE and our course went back to 120 deg M as if on a piece of elastic. Sometimes I am thinking the compass is stuck on 120. Coming on watch at 0400 the wind came right round to 080M for half an hour or more gusting 20 knots and I thought yes, this was it, but no it wasn't, just the wind Gods playing games with us. The waves and the fluking wind (thoughts go to alternative spelling of 'fluking') made steering in the dark really quite difficult and therefore speed was not perhaps what it could have been resulting in the noon to noon day run of 130nm averaging 5.4 knots which I suppose is not bad in the circumstances. Just a pity its still in the wrong direction, unless you do indeed wish to visit Morocco or Verdes Islands in which case we are spot on!

Dave and Neal, collectively the Treacle Miners, saw a UFO in the early hours. A vessel of some description appeared off our starboard quarter, came around behind us and just hovered there, its position relative to us unchanging. Then, suddenly it was gone! We decided it was an Unidentified Floating Object, a product of either the Bermuda Triangle or their vivid imaginations.

The position report we downloaded on SSB last night was a little disappointing as although we are a fair way east of many we are also further south from the rhumb line and therefore have further to go as the crow flies. Our average speed velocity made good (VMG) is a paltry 2.5 knots whilst our speed over the ground is 5.4 knots average. That puts us mid fleet roughly, but it is because we have come south. Reading these reports makes you question your own judgment sometimes but the 0930 SSB net vindicated it a bit when the weather forecast was read out with an advisory warning that the depression had dropped even further south and had been re-classified as a mid-Atlantic gale with 18 foot waves in the northern part of our present wind region. All yachts advised to go south to avoid the nasties. We shall see how it pans out when the fat lady starts to gargle prior to singing. The sun has been out most of the day and it has been nice sailing if a little frustrating for all.

Igor is cooking dinner this evening - Spag Bog. Not quite the same angle of heel as I had last night with my Chicken Byriani but should be good. He has never used a pressure cooker before so I am having to supervise on orders from the Treacle Miners who have taken cover! We are also concerned that there is pot of mustard on the work top and wonder how at all the Mustard Mast Climber may apply this to spaghetti; with this man all is possible.

After the 1830 radio check and after Igor's very nice dinner Hurray, a wind shift north of some 30-40 degrees! This heralds the beginning of the low pressure system or so we think and hope. We can now point up a bit nearer to the rhumb line and await whatever it has in store for us, hopefully it will be kind.

Hi Ho its off to the Azores we go....hopefully.

Charlie

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