Early Easter Monday morning and we are beating out of the bay with mainsail lightly reefed for the first time this trip.  Oboe takes her head and slices through the waves at a brisk 8 knots.  The sun is shining, the breeze is strong at around 20 knots and we are hard on the wind.  At last the crew is smiling.  As the swell picks up and we bear off gradually for the cape, we begin to sense that we are in for a roller coaster ride and the notorious cape does not disappoint us.  Putting the headsail away altogether does nothing to reduce Oboe’s urges to power on regardless at 8+ knots, running dead downwind under reefed mainsail alone.  It’s a bit rough out here I say to myself but I remain inwardly smug at the decision to resist pressures from the crew to leave a day or two earlier.

It stays this way all day and we eat up the miles as never before.  60 miles before dusk and only 50 more to run to Bayona.  We’ll be in at 0200 hours – another night entry into an unfamiliar harbour – oh well, easy come, easy go!  No chance of a nap for the skipper this night.

As midnight approaches the wind gets up and gusts of 30+ knots show on the instruments.  We’re over-canvassed running headlong into the dark unknown.  Now this will be a challenge – pulling in another reef.  “All hands”! is heard and heads pop up from below.  Up to wind and the full force of the elements is felt.  The noise of whipping sheets and cracking sail drown out shouted instructions from the cockpit to the mast but eventually out of chaos comes a deeply reefed mainsail and the relative calm of our resumed downwind course.  A good team effort and a relentless 8+ knots.

We bash on and eventually harden for Bayona.  Threading our way through black shadowy islands and rocks awash, I say thanks for our GPS system that guides us safely abeam of the south cardinal mark from where we easily identify the white flashing leading lights of the bay of Bayona.  One more noisy sail drop, on with the engine, an increasingly rare event and we motor gently into the marina and tie up at the first berth we see.  Few words are spoken.  Tots of whisky are poured and sleep takes over.

Follow our progress here:

http://blog.mailasail.com/oboe, where you can see our daily progress on Google Earth.  Email us at: oboe {CHANGE TO AT} mailasail {DOT} com any time you like.  Phone us on +881 631 669 194 and we’ll pick up via Iridium satellite.

Fair winds to you all.

Nigel

Paul

Paul

Tereza

Josef