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Gozwoz - Day 4 from Santa Maria



The Bosun's reason for being on the rally is that he wanted some proper ocean sailing which the westward ARC had not provided. He then complained that the previous legs on ARC Europe had not provided what he wanted. He accepts that the present conditions are meeting his expectations, although they are not such as to induce merriment.

Since 4pm yesterday we have been sailing on a course for Cape St Vincent hard into a NNE wind of F4/5. The sea is choppy and GOZWOZ is going at it like a lopsided hobby horse, albeit a very seaworthy one. While the conditions are no worse than you might find in the Irish Sea with the same wind, coping with them for the unexpected 48 hours or so is the challenge. The positive factor is that we are making good speed and preserving our northing. An arrival late on Friday remains very possible.

All this comes, however, at a cost in terms of the crew's comfort. Living with a 20 degree list is difficult and the boat and sea together are very noisy and uncomfortable, making sleep difficult for all. The navigator bagged the starboard saloon berth while the Coxswain was on watch last night and was justly rewarded with a deluge of water which had landed on the coach roof and found its way in through the main hatch, left open for ventilation. The Coxswain is presently in occupation. Tonight's meal will come out of tins and the baking of a loaf has been postponed. Minnow III, which was unsuccessful yesterday, has been spared another outing.

Your bloggist has been reading and has been inspired by "To the Ends of the Earth", a trilogy by William Golding recounting a year long voyage to Australia in 1815. Needless to say his characters had to suffer far worse than we have. His hero's epic journey led on his arrival to a wonderfully described romantic meeting which the bloggist looks forward to emulating. Sadly, however, Doctor Navigator and the bloggist are unlikely to match the speech of Golding's characters.

Fortunately there is no Joseph Conrad on my Kindle so I won't be tempted by "Typhoon".

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