Cleone - Leg 9C Day 3 - Homeward Bound! or are we?

 

Cleone has just crossed from 179^o59.99'W to 179^o59.99'E!

 

So we are just over half-way round the World, and are now on our way home.  Actually, it does not seem like that, and in terms of the Caribbean, where this Rally started, we've still a bit to go, and it will be more than six months before we are back in UK waters.  But Chris and I went from Portsmouth across the Greenwhich Meridian to Gibraltar, East of the Meridian.  So we think it's an achievement worthy of the celebratory beer that we are all enjoing even though it's only 11 am local time.

 

Last night, the wind eased and progress was slowed.  But the seas were calm, and it was relaxing sailing as we made our way through the islands.  On the chart, it looks crowded, and we saw no sign of such lights that are on the chart - there are few enough of them anyway.  Is it wise in the dark to trust your charts and GPS, thought the Skipper?  And then you look at the distances.  The channel through the islands looked so narrow on the chart, but passing through it we could see no sign of the reefs on either side, though it was a fine day.  Then you realise that the passage is nearly as wide as the English Channel off Dover, with no Goodwin Sands around, and no shipping.  And the islands thereafter - they are about 40 miles apart!   So even in the pre-GPS days that we were used to, it's sensible enough, and with the accuracy of our charts and our 4 GPS's, we should be OK.  The last few miles across the bay should still be interesting, though, especially when we get to the Creek.

 

The Skipper discovered whilst cooking last night that he is as bad at multi-tasking as his wife has always claimed.  As a result, a pan full of potatoes, destined to accompany our meat pies, ended up irretriveably behind the red-hot stove during a complicated gybe.  So supper was late and the whole Galley was a terrible mess.  He's reviewing his policy on cooking in confined waters - crews beware!

 

After a period of relatively light winds during the night, the breeze has backed and freshened.  So the spinnaker is up, and we are making good progress along the Rhumb line.  But what we will do when we get there, remains to be seen; we may have to anchor off until morning.  I'll report back.