Week ending 29th August
Nightsong
Sat 29 Aug 2009 19:08
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Dear Blog
Been back on board for nearly 2 weeks and about
time I got up to date. I returned to Lagos by myself the week before last to get
repairs done and at last seem to have the Raymarine wind instrument working -
well done the Portuguese agent who was thoroughly methodical (unlike the
slapdash Brits) and has finally fixed it. Libby and the Perrings joined a week
ago and we spent a pleasant 2 days staying at the Leeming's delightful house 12
miles inland from the coast
 Then all 6 of us repaired to Nightsong in Lagos,
motored up to our favourite spot on this coast the island of Culatra off Faro
(for our 3rd visit) - which was a gorgeous as ever, then sailed (and motored)
back to Alvor - poor David suffering from the slamming of the boat with his
neck/back but the rest of us enjoying the view of the coast. Another delicious
dinner cooked by the Perrings last Monday night before returning to
Lagos on Tuesday
 Breakfast at Alvor
 A nest of storks on a chimney at Lagos
On Wednesday the Perrings and us set sail for
Madeira, a distance of 450 miles to the nearest island Porto Santo. We
had a great beam reach to start and were steaming along at 8 knots for
hours in NNW4, some of it with the Code 0 up. On Thursday evening the wind
increased to 5/6 and we reached 9 knots (so we reefed) before it
went round to the NE and finally reduced to 4/5 again. Anyway got into
Porto Santo at 2100 hrs last night after completing the trip in less than 60hrs
an average of >7.5 knots. Still failed to do 200 miles in a 24hr period - an
ambition of mine with this new fast boat. Have to do it on the ARC!
Of course we arrived in the rain (our first on the
boat for nearly 3 months) as the picture below shows. So like the volcanic
Hebrides it is uncanny - except the water temp is 26C not 14C!! On to Madeira
itself tomorrow.
 Bloody Duogen water generator gave up the ghost
after losing its propeller/ water hydroplane after 6 hours of
this trip - serious since we had to run the engine for an hour a day instead.
Probably due to it being eaten by a dolphin last year crossing the Bay of Biscay
- but I'm afraid it is not robust enough for a 9 knot yacht
AJB
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