It's Thursday midnight, some 450 miles west of NW Spain's C.Finisterre, and boy, had we fallen in a hole!. Grey, wet, and cold, with variable winds. Main back up but genoa furled and we're going nowhere fast on an oily swell. Betty Beta working tirelessly. MB always on edge listening for sounds and symptoms. Was that gearbox oil change in Horta OK? Should I have done an engine oil change as well?. Whats that strange vibration? Our 3 hour night-time watches are drippingly and boringly unpleasant. Where is the scrimshawing and holystoning now? There is talk of thunderstorms. Hmm, we're not ready for that yet. Lightning is a major threat to small yachts, and a strike is likely to write off ALL electronics and most electrics, leaving no usable instruments or navaids. The engine and charging system are also likely to be u/s. Not only many £££££'s and time consuming to fix but navigationally challenging.
Half way (to Fastnet) possibly around midnight Friday but that seems an age away.
Fridge hoiked out and sanitised. No longer smells like dead animal. Our cockroaches are small and slow, and obviously don't like the weather.
Crew now reduced to quipping in half remembered school latin and torturing verbs in rusty RTE Irish. This is a boat full of old people and dead languages. On the whole, Thursday was pretty poo. Locked in a trough of despond with hours of motor sailing, gybing and crashing about the place in a cold grey mizzle. The sort of long boring day that stretches patience and leadership.
Friday 2nd is a vastly better day with some light SW zephyrs to play with. Sadly not all in the right direction or strong enough yet to give Betty a rest, but great for a gentle rolly all day goosewinged motor sail with all sail set. David fishes and reads while MB does time wasting DIY jobs and splashes detergent nonchalantly over his few shore-going rags, in the vain hope that he may cut a dash in Kinsale. A lovely evening and sunset on a big gentle swell. Beer and peanuts for sunset and and all-portuguese meal of spicy sausage, mini- potatoes and beans. All this food! We have now doubled in size and have finally realised that we eat too well and that circuits and pressups on the foredeck may soon be required. Also looking in the mirror, skipper realises that he is not only a bit old but also weirdly scruffy.
Talking about wierd....a question for any reader to google....why do dolphins like to ride and play in boats bow waves? They're actually smiling while they do it. And they look at you as if to say.....aren't i great, doing this? Are they just using the pressure wave to fish, or are they really playing?. Prizes for the best answers.
At 0100 Saturday 2nd, we got to our Horta to Fastnet halfway point and, as if to celebrate, a chilly 16kts breeze appears so its out genoa and time to give Betty a rest after many hours on the go.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. Not much wind, chilly, and rolly, but a beautiful sea and sky. Goosewinged main and genoa most of day, but lost wind again by afternoon, so Betty Beta doing her stuff again. David takes on a noonsight challenge with the sextant.....but accuracy falls victim to the giant swells and our rapid rolling.
Our position on a cold but glorious jubilee Sat aft 2nd June at 1700 GMT 46D17N 17D41W. Slow moving in light airs some 450 miles SSW of Fastnet
M & D on Raparee
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