Mon 25 @13:00 28:51.095N 15:46.634W Distance travelled 114 miles since start 24h ago.

 

Motoring out to the start we had a great send of from hundreds of people lining the walls and breakwaters of the marina and port, bands playing, loudspeaker announcements, etc. Everyone waving.

 

The Committee Boat marking the line and controlling the start was a Spanish Naval Patrol vessel with a structure that wouldn’t encourage you to go near it in a yacht!  It looked like a stealth bomber on the water.

Fresh winds for the start and we went out to sea to avoid the gusts and acceleration zone near the airport and the tip of the island but we now think they wouldn’t have been a problem for us.  Just before the start we got a warning of a floating shipping container towards the Cape Verdes within the course route of many of the yachts.  Will avoid!

 

We had to hand steer the yacht for a while as a wire had become dislodged behind the autopilot.  We were travelling around 7 knots with the No 4 jib and 3 reefs in the main.  There were strong gusts with several other boats broaching, including one which was flying a parasailor spinaker, however they managed to snuff it very quickly and fairly effortlessly despite the wind and rolling.

 

For much of the night we had breaking waves at the stern, only a few threatened to, but didn’t, come in.  Beautiful stars and quite a few meteors.

 

Sightings: a few large dark birds with long slim stiff looking wings that just glide over the water with hardly a single beat. Don’t know how they manage that!