Well we made a good speed most of yesterday but the wind headed us in the night, I hardened up into it and of course it then freed off again when I was asleep so would have been better of not having bothered in the first place. We’re doing around 7 kts to the SW at the moment, this seems to be the direction needed according to the foreceast. I’ve 2 reefs in the main and the No1 staysail set.
I’ve invested, or rather I had to buy for the official race, an iridium ‘phone package, it is actually very useful. It works off satellites and means both; that I can stay in touch and that I can get weather forecasts. The weather forecasting package I’m using seemed fearfully complicated to me to set up, but then I am a bit of a dunderhead when it comes to computers and things. Anyway twice a day at around 0710 and 1910 GMT I choose a patch of the ocean, the one that I’m in normally, and download a weather forecast for the area. The package has a cunning feature in it where you can tell it what kind of speeds the boat does in different wind strengths and angles and it then works out the best route to take. So far it’s been pretty good I think; I’ve not had any horrible weather and I’m not convinced that AJ Wanderlust have made striking gains by heading way up to the North and they still have to come South again which I believe that they are now doing. They are using the same weather package but you can also choose different routes and settings within it like optimising for speed or comfort etc.
I had a notion for Shepherd’s Pie last night as opposed to just mince and tatties and although it was quite difficult to assemble owing to the boat jerking around so much and the galley being tilted towards me at about 25 degrees I managed and thoroughly enjoyed it, I’ll have the remains tonight and I split half the mince before making the pie which will either become bolognese or curry depending upon how I feel at the weekend.
I spent some time trying to take pictures of birds yesterday but don’t think that any really came out, they are, I think, Fulmars and by far the most numerous bird I’ve seen. There was another Black Backed Gull yesterday too. I’ll try and put the best bird shot on the post but suspect it may look like a snowflake in the distance.
Kate; Glad you’re enjoying it. Julie; Thank you, I hope you’re enjoying yourself, are you still cycling? Rob; Thanks.