It’s difficult to take pictures of heavy weather at sea.
Braced against the rail with the wind singing in the rigging and the decks lurching under you as she dances along, skipping over 10 foot swell with the white water churning under the bow and sloshing across the main deck and salt spray in your face and you feel for a moment like you’re in ‘Around Cape Horn’. And then the photo comes out and looks like a nice brisk day out yachting. From the forecasts we knew to anticipate strong winds overnight from a deep low pressure system blowing up towards the UK, so we spent the afternoon making ready and snugging down. It blew through as predicted just after midnight bringing cold air and an immediate drop in wind force. No damage done and all’s well aboard. Well done Vai, Jesper and Kevin for keeping us well fed on Donald’s day off.
SHIP’S WORK: Preparing for heavy weather: rigging typhoon-wire jack lines, and netting in breezeways and midships from main to fore shrouds to keep sailors inboard; extra tarp and ratchet straps on the main hatch and batten down all portholes, hatches and watertight doors to keep the ocean out. Stow most sails with double gaskets aloft, leaving lower topsails and main topmast staysail set and sheeted down hard.
BOUND FROM: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
TOWARDS: Flores Island, Azores
TIME ZONE: ZD + 3
NOON POSITION: 39°41.1’N /044°45.7W
DAYS RUN: 167nm
PASSAGE LOG: 918nm
DISTANCE REMAINING: 625 nm
COURSE AND SPEED: ESE (089°True), 7.1kts
WIND: SWxS, Force 6
WEATHER: 1/8 cloud cover, haze, air temp 70F (21°C), sea surface temp 66F (19°C) barometer reading 1018 millibars
SWELL HEIGHT & DIRECTION: 8-10 feet, SW
SAILS SET: Topsails, foresail, inner jib and fore and main topmast staysails.
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