Today we just sailed. Sailed free and easy, the boat moving along through the water without restraint, without complaint, as a boat should sail. Wind, just enough, a little aft of the port quarter, main boomed out on a preventer line to starboard, Genoa poled out on the port. One reef in each big sail to compensate for the slight squalliness of the early evening, Hoyt staysail tight in the middle for stability. Mostly upright, not too much rocking. It was an extraordinarily comfortable day at sea. To quote dear old Arthur Ransome, “nothing gladdens a sailor’s heart like sea room”! We ate, napped, ate, read, talked a little about the extraordinary whale shark snorkel Captain enjoyed on St Helena, and looking forward to the warmer waters of Brazil and the Caribbean, speculating what day we’d arrive in Salvador. The sky was a lot of blue, but with enough clouds to keep the day fairly cool. Supper was easy pepper steak pie , dauphinois potatoes, salad of cucumber and tomatoes, and crisp cold Schweppes‘ lemonade. One good downpour at 19:00 just as the sun went over the western edge into the clouds. No big wind, no gear failure, no drama. It was a lovely sailing day back on the water in the Sweet Dream.
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