Days 422,423: Weather !

After two near perfect days and nights of gentle trade wind sailing, today, Friday 11th March brought weather! Not just squalls but large banks of cloud and rain with associated disturbed and reduced winds. Wind from all directions- west, via north to southeast, none in excess of 15 knots, much less than 5. So we've had the engine off and on, the sails set from goose-winged to close-hauled and back again and again! Our patience has been just a little stretched. Few things jangle a sailor's nerves more than flogging sails and, when the wind finally settled directly astern at about 6 knots, conditions for this torture were ideal! I lost my resolve after a couple hours stowed all sail and took to the 'steel wings' (as Hugur has called the engine).



Yesterday, Thursday 10th, we were 200 miles off the coast of Guyana crossing the 'border' with Venezuela today. The very familiar footprints of Trinidad and Tobago come up next 150 miles off the port bow.



This evening we are within 25 miles of Aretha, Makena and Starblazer. Just caught a 'visual' of the overtaking Makena in the binoculars early yesterday morning 12 miles to the south and it's been good to be within VHF range this far into a long leg.



We have had two superb 'nearly a green flash' sunsets, last night's toasted with Marian's Caiparinha- almost as good as Allegro's. The new moon now providing welcome illumination for a couple of hours.



Our day's runs have been reducing- 180 and 147 but we are fortunate still to have favourable equatorial current of about 1 knot helping us on our way for the last stretch to St George's Grenada.



At 21.00 Friday 11th - 1481 run, 231 to go- ETA Sunday 13th.



Peter (Skipper)