44 53.830n 25 45.617w
Fettler's AZAB
Jez Rowles
Wed 2 Aug 2023 17:07
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Speed: 4.5 kts
Course: 015
Distance From Terceira port entrance at 5pm BST:
369 miles
Sailing
Well, we havent gone far since yesterday but to be fair, I've had a nice
time. There was just enough wind to sail in the evening so I set the boat
up as well as I could and stayed in the cockpit with my spotify playlist on
random till 10.20 pm to watch the sunset and make sure the boat was
settled. The boat was fine and I need to talk to myself about what makes
it to my "favourites" list when I get home.
I went to bed with us making 3 - 3.5 kts NE and was checking things every 30 / 40 minutes when the alarm pinged, but eventually found the wind had died and we were now drifting SW at about half midnight. I was tempted to start the engine but we have a long way to go and may need the fuel to make a more critical weather gate so I persevered and an hour later we had the breeze back and were limping NE again. By 1pm we lost the wind again and there is no sign of it's return so we are
motoring north with just enough offset East to make the rollers
comfortable.
Nature
We are back amongst the storm petrels. Seen 2 today and no
shearwaters.
General.
The sun is out and I've dried out the boat after things got wet a
couple of days back, sorted the leak at the vhf aerial, cleaned the
fridge and I have been playing with my sextant. Dont get too excited here
as I havent got as far as taking a sun sight yet, just trying to remember how to
move everything in unison to sight the sun, move the mirrors to see the horizon
as you do so and get a reliable angle to work with whilst on a boat that is
moving in every direction at once. I'm hoping this gets easier with
practice because if it doesnt and they ever switch off GPS then I'll never find
Europe, let alone Falmouth.
On the downside, it's getting colder and I now need a blanket to sleep at
night. Can we all have summer back please ?
Texts
Tim - thanks on weather. Roll on the SW on Friday and into the
weekend. I should be at or about 47 degrees north by then and headed for
home with wind and current behind me.
Sports news good - going to try for long wave this evening and see if I can
pick anything up there. Have given up with short wave and suspect the
radio is duff as nothing heard on any frequency.
Mum - Yes thanks, steak was great (and I have 2 left). Sausages
tonight and for breakfast as have noticed that they are 2 days over
expiry. Never had a fridge on my boats in the past but dont plan ever to
be without one now. Someone else - I had another message but it was an "incompatible message format". Jez |