Crew Blog

Well we wanted weather

07 November 2007

The wind decided to build from 4 knots to 40 in about 24 hrs. Our tissue-paper-like windseeker sail was taken down in a hurry some time ago and replaced by progressively smaller and smaller sails as the wind increased. The sails are all rated to varying wind strengths, so having the wrong sail up means risking it being destroyed by the wind. It is also inefficient as the boat just heels over and rounds up into the wind and doesn’t actually go any faster.

All good incentives to change the sails as and when needed. Which is just as well, as the temptation to just leave them up and sit and cower in the cockpit might otherwise prove too great! We always wear lifejackets and lifelines, but recently we’ve had two lifelines each and been crawling to the foredeck on hands and knees. Hanking new headsails onto the forestay ready to hoist them is guaranteed to result in a good soaking. Our randomised controlled trial has confirmed that the Atlantic Ocean is a lot colder at 36 degrees latitude than it was up by the equator. Funny that.

But we’re currently enjoying a happy medium. Jamaica finally has enough wind to sail fast, but sail fairly comfortably. The luxury of travelling fast and in the right direction. Oh, and there’s been sunshine and blue sky again today. Marvellous. The wind is behind us and we’ve been surfing the waves all day. Every effort is made not to distract the helm, and they are generally banned from eating and drinking. We’re having to concentrate hard when driving to maintain course and avoid an accidental gybe, but we still had to have a quick burst of the Beach Boys this morning.

We were a bit busy down here in a force 7 when Danny, the Hull & Humber skipper, e-mailed us the questions for the first Inter-fleet E-mail Trivial Pursuit Night. The crew were still trying to come up with answers late into the night.

One love,

Claire