Albatross - YB Connect Message from Fernando Assens

Nov 23 - Fourth Day at Sea

All is well. We continue our bumpy ride west. Much more different than the relaxed trade winds sailing we were expecting!

We get weather reports from three sources: ARC, Commander Weather, and wind grids downloaded into iNavX. All three sources are pretty consistent. This year the trade winds have developed much further south than usual, with very light winds. To get trade winds of at least 10 knots we would have had to go to 10°-12°N which is further south than St Lucia. The best route this year will then be to head straight west until Sunday, on a narrow wind band between the high pressure west of the Azores and the low pressure south of us. Sailing this course, on a beam, with waves coming to us on starboard makes for a continuously rocking boat. Cooking is not easy, nonetheless we continue to maintain Albatross high standards: fuet (salami) sandwiches with endive for lunch following by a papaya salad with lemon juice, and for dinner pork loin with mushrooms and carrots, pimientos de Padrón, and a romain lettuce salad. For dessert, tangerines from Valencia.

And on the theme of food, before leaving Las Palmas, Kevin and James fell under the spell of a local salesman and bought ?100 worth of fishing gear, which they have enthusiastically deployed every day, so far to no avail. I am glad I did not follow their request to unload half of the food to make room in the fridge for the fish they were going to catch!

On this trip trip we have only seen dolphins twice, and both times at night. Perhaps our fishing gear scares them. What we continue to see is a small black bird diving into the water to fish. If my son Alex was here I am sure he would identify it for us.
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Transmitted by Fernando Assens using YB Connect (www.ybtracking.com)